The world of anime is full of incredible stories, and, not unlike the real world, many of them are settled with a fight! We've seen many anime characters show incredible power, but here we’re highlighting some of the strongest female anime characters of all time.
Whether supporting the main character, leading from the front or playing the villain, these powerful characters are certainly not to be messed with!
Note: This list isn’t in any particular order, as these characters are all incredibly strong in their own worlds. These are just our favourite strong women that you need to check out!
Related: The Best Action Anime With a Badass Female Lead
Revy: Black Lagoon
Full name Rebecca Lee, Revy is a Chinese-American gunslinger for a small group of smugglers in the anime Black Lagoon.
Foul-mouthed and quick-tempered, Revy is known to shoot at the slightest provocation. What’s worse is that she’s exceptional at it, earning the nickname Two-Hands for her use of dual-modified pistols.
Even across a crime-riddled city like Roanapur, Revy is a feared mercenary who is able to shoot their way out of any situation.
Tatsumaki: One Punch Man
In a world of overpowered heroes, Tatsumaki (Tornado) is one of the strongest.
Despite having a very slight, short build, Tatsumaki is an esper known as the Terrible Tornado. Using her psychic abilities, she has enough strength to pull an entire city up from the earth.
Tatsumaki is also quite hotheaded and looks down upon people she believes are incompetent. All in all, not someone to be messed with!
Kaguya Otsutsuki: Naruto
Kaguya Otsutsuki was a goddess that used her immense powers to end wars across the earth. If that isn’t a sign of strength, I don’t know what is!
Kaguya has a whole host of powers that make her unstoppable against mere mortals, including causing huge shockwaves just by releasing her chakra. She also has exceptional speed and can even read and erase other people’s thoughts.
Related: Naruto Watching Guide: How to Watch Naruto in Order with No Filler
Aoi Kuneida: Beelzebub
In a school where fighting and violence is the norm, Aoi Kuneida is nicknamed Queen, which speaks to her abilities in a fight!
Aoi is a martial arts master that can wield a wooden training sword with the same slicing ability as a regular steel katana and break rocks with her hands.
She uses that strength to protect other girls at the school as one of the leaders of the Red Tail gang.
Shihouin Yoruichi: Bleach
Another leading woman in a series where fighting prowess reigns supreme. Shihouin Yoruichi is one of the most respected combatants in Bleach, playing a part in mentoring the main character Ichigo Kurosaki.
Yoruichi’s main strength is her speed. Nicknamed the Flash Goddess, she can move so quickly it appears as if she’s in multiple places at once, allowing her to take out entire groups of enemies in the blink of an eye. She’s also a master of hand-to-hand combat.
Equipped with such strength, alongside experience dating back hundreds of years, it is perhaps unsurprising that Yoruichi is one of the more laidback characters on this list.
Erza Scarlet: Fairy Tail
One of the most powerful mages in the Fairy Tale Guild. Strict and impatient, she’s not someone that can be messed with.
Erza’s main strength is her weapons. Not only is she an adept wielder of weapons, but her Requip ability allows her to access her armoury of over 100 items at will.
She can choose at will what weapon to use, and she’s an expert at every one of them, making her a near unstoppable force against any type of opponent.
Related: The Ultimate Fairy Tail Watch Order: Series and Movies Without Filler
Android 18: Dragonball
Previously known as Lazuli, this Dragonball character is not your stereotypical android. She is not a robot but is biologically enhanced, giving her incredible strength and inexhaustible stamina.
Quietly cool and confident, Android 18 is a classic example of a character that knows they’re strong enough to defeat any opponent but will only use their power when absolutely necessary.
Shinobu Kochou: Demon Slayer
Shinobu Kochou is probably one of the most cheerful and kind characters on this list, but don’t let that fool you.
One of the highest-ranking soldiers in Demon Slayer, she can easily dispatch opponents, sometimes in particularly cruel ways.
Shinobu Kochou uses the Insect Hashira, a fitting ability for someone with such a slight build. As she doesn’t have the strength to decapitate demons like other Slayers, she uses a thin sword laced with poison, along with her incredible agility.
Tanya Degurechaff: Saga of Tanya the Evil
Whether someone who was previously male but isekai'd as a female should count is up for debate. However, anyone who has a show called Saga of Tanya the Evil probably deserves a mention!
Tanya is a small girl, especially on war-torn battlefields. However, she uses magic to enhance her abilities, making her an exceptional fighter. More importantly, though, she’s one of the coldest, most psychopathic characters on this list, leading her battalion with ruthless efficiency.
Merlin: The Seven Deadly Sins
The strongest mage in the world of Britannia, Merlin is someone that is feared by even the strongest opponents.
Looking sleek and tall at just under six feet, she is an imposing figure with enough tricks to overcome almost any foe.
Even amongst the Seven Deadly Sins, Merlin stands out as one of the strongest, despite not having the brute strength of those around her. She’s also a character full of mystery - her true name is unpronounceable to humans.
Tsunade: Naruto
The strongest female ninja in the world of Naruto, Tsunade plays a key role in winning the Second Shinobi World War. Anybody that manages to stand out amongst the crowd in Naruto deserves a special mention on this list!
Tsunade is quite a cynical character, but in the past held many dreams for the future. In the end, she becomes a mentor and support for many of Naruto’s characters, also excelling as a healer on the battlefield.
Big Mom: One Piece
One of the strongest pirates in the whole of One Piece, Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, is a hugely powerful enemy even in her older years.
Big Mom is the only female out of the Four Emperors of the New World. She has the ability ‘Soru Soru no Mi’, which allows her to manipulate human souls which she can then infuse into inanimate objects, creating an army of anthropomorphic things. She’s an autocratic ruler, wielding an iron fist over the people.
Related: Where to Watch One Piece
Lucy: Elfen Lied
While resembling a young girl, Lucy is anything but. Technically a Diclonius with a split personality, she possesses extreme power through ‘Vectors’, invisible telekinetic arms that can either infect humans or tear them apart.
While she first appears as a weak and vulnerable person, Lucy is tormented by the cruelty in her past. One of her personalities, known as DNA, drives her to exterminate the human race, while she herself is a quiet, guarded person that shows little faith in others.
Neferpitou: Hunter x Hunter
One of the strongest characters in Hunter x Hunter, Neferpitou is a Royal Guard to the Chimera Ant King. While she can appear cute with her young face, cat ears and long, insect-like limbs, she is fiercely loyal and a feared combatant by even the most experienced hunters.
Neferpitou possesses incredible stats in every area, including sight, hearing, strength, speed and more.
Mikasa Ackerman: Attack on Titan
One of the strongest soldiers in Attack on Titan, Mikasa might not have the superpowers of some of the women in this list, but she certainly makes up for it with training and skill.
From a very young age, Mikasa shows strength and fighting skills beyond her years. She then hones these natural abilities to take on titans, where others brand her a genius for her ability to take down giant monsters with ease.
Mikaska herself is a quiet, straightforward person who doesn’t want any trouble. However, if anything happens to Eren, she is quick to race to his aide.
Related: Is Attack on Titan Still Good or Worth Watching? Review for New Viewers
Motoko Kusanagi: Ghost in the Shell
A cyborg at the heart of the Ghost in the Shell franchise, Major Motoko Kusanagi is the squad leader of Public Security Section 9, usually tasked with investigating and stopping crime in the cyber-enhanced world of the series.
Motoko Kusanagi is perhaps the best example of how to use cyber enhancements to create the ultimate fighter.
A military-grade cybernetic human, she possesses incredible strength and stamina, while she can also connect to different networks, providing access to a range of benefits including information, viewpoints, control over machines and more.
Despite all her improvements, Motoko is still a woman. Her body was put into a ‘shell’ after an accident as a child, but her brain and spinal cord are still hers. She has knowledge and emotions befitting an older woman, a result of her many experiences over the years.
Shiro: Deadman Wonderland
A lot of the time, strong female characters look unassuming. However, there was always an air about Shiro from the first time we see her.
Despite her fun and clumsy appearance, Shiro is actually a merciless killer with a split personality known as the Wretched Egg.
A victim of experiments in her childhood, Shiro has developed the ability to regenerate severe injuries at exceptional speeds. As the Wretched Egg, she has almost limitless strength, able to cause earthquakes and control her blood to create vicious whips that can take out whole groups of people in an instant.
Chisato: Lycoris Recoil
Lycoris Recoil's Chisato Nishikigi is a relatively new addition to the pantheon of cute anime girls that secretly pack a menacing punch.
At first, Chisato appears as a kind and joyous waitress at Café LycoReco. However, as one of the strongest Lycoris of all time, she is almost unstoppable in a shootout.
Chisato has an uncanny ability to read her opponent's movements, allowing her to dodge bullets at even point-blank range! She's also incredibly athletic, making her a truly terrifying opponent.
Discover More: Lycoris Recoil: Is Chisato a Robot?!
Boa Hancock: One Piece
One Piece is filled with incredibly powerful fighters. However, few can match the power of Boa Hancock, the only female member of the notorious Warlords of the Sea.
As with many characters on this list, Boa has incredible strength and agility. However, her unique abilities come from her incredible beauty.
With the Mero Mero no Mi Devil Fruit, Boa is able to petrify anyone she comes into contact with or who lusts for her, similar to Medusa.
Boa's kicks are strong enough to destroy stone, also. It's a one-two combo you don't want to be on the end of!
Read Next: The Coolest Characters in One Piece, Ranked
Unohana: Bleach
At first, Unohana – also known as Ren-chan – appears a soft-spoken, polite and caring character. However, we soon learn why so many of Bleach's strongest swordsmen are weary of ending up on her wrong side.
We won't spoil Bleach too much here with her backstory, but it's safe to say she's a match for anyone in the Bleach universe. Her sword skills are almost unrivalled, while her spiritual power is also off the charts.
Unohana also has exceptional healing abilities, meaning if you're lucky enough to land a hit, there's every chance she'll just shake it off anyway!
These are some incredibly tough women! Now, for the long debate about who would win in a fight…
Who is the Deadliest Female Anime Character Ever?
It's one thing being strong, but who in this list is the most lethal? Which character leaves your fate in no doubt if you were unlucky enough to walk in their path?
It's a tough choice, but I'm going with Black Lagoon's Revy as the deadliest female anime character.
Sure, there are characters on this list that could beat her – and, by extension, you – in a fight, but many characters in this list have some sense of restraint due to their immense power.
Revy, on the other hand, might shoot you for looking at her the wrong way while walking past.
Special shout-outs also go to Hunter x Hunter's Neferpitou and Elfen Lied's Lucy, and pretty much everyone on this list – just don't mess with them.
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