Hi Guys, this is my first post and I was just wondering, which shoujo/josei manga heroine would you absolutely HATE if they weren’t the main character? By this I mean, have you ever just thought a heroine in a manga would either be the absolute WORST to have as a rival (either because of how influential she is with the girls and everyone decides to be on her side, or because of how she’s always the one acting like the victim when she’s the one stealing the other persons boyfriend?) or just someone you would really like to stay away from in real life since their personality is just so annoying or because they’re just a bad friend in general?

It could also be the other way round, as in which heroine in a shoujo/josei manga would you absolutely love to have as a friend or you just really appreciate them being the main character in the manga?

For me personally, a character that I would absolutely HATE to have as a rival would be someone like ninako from strobe edge. Now I’m not saying she’s this horrible witch or anything but just in my personal opinion, her type would be the absolute WORST as a rival because of her strong willpower and stubbornness to be with the Male lead. Can anyone imagine what it would be like if someone was to be constantly flirting with your boyfriend or childhood sweetheart even though they knew they had someone they liked at the time? Also, just the way the story played out really made me hate the girlfriend of the Male lead even though I knew what she was doing wasn’t anything wrong. After I had finished reading, and thought about the manga, I realised that actually, the girlfriend of the guy was someone I would really feel bad for if I was in her situation. Their relationship was actually really good before the heroine came into their life, which actually made me a little scared of Ninako in some ways.

The other way round, I would love to have a friend like Tomo-chan from tomo-chan wa onnanoko because of how well she’s treats her friends, and also because of her devotion to the Male lead. The way she protects her friends, and also the way she doesn’t go around flirting with other guys for me are just some of the traits I would really appreciate having in a friend. Even though she’s really pretty, she doesn’t realise it, but she’s also not too insecure about herself, and would jump into danger to save others and forgives and forgets when other people admit their wrongs.

These were just some one the many heroines I love and hate(or just a bit scared of ?) which heroines do you guys think are great or vise-versa?

Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer ?

I feel like that girl from Heroine Shikkaku describes that girl that you described as well. Okay, the heroine of this story is about the "rival" type in shoujo manga, but

Don't get me wrong I like her as a character, but I agree, not a great person cuz she's still clinging onto the guy even if he has a girlfriend.

Last edited by theLettuceGarden04 at 9:12 pm, Sep 7 2018

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Have to agree, the way she treated her friends wasn’t exactly great either. Just like most shoujo heroines, she tends to only talk about herself and subjects that interests her, and is never that interested in her friends life ?

There are lots of shoujo girls I hate even though they’re the main character, lol, which is why I tend to stay away from the genre. I guess three types that I really dislike and would hate to be friends/rivals with would be:

1) The pseudo-strong heroine who can’t differentiate between bravery/confidence and reckless stupidity and rushes into situations without thinking and usually ends up as a damsel in distress for the male lead to conveniently save, causing trouble for everyone around her (Teru from Dengeki Daisy, Nanami from Kamisama Hajimemashita)

2) The “I’m obsessed about this person even though they have clearly shown no interest or have flat-out turned me down” stalker girl who inevitably worms her way into male MC’s heart even though there are other, better matches for him (Bambi from Bambi to Dhole, Yamada from Ootogawa Junjou Lovers)

3) The MC who is obsessed about appearances whether it be dressing fashionably, having a boyfriend, being experienced in sex, etc. and the story’s conflicts stem from the web of lies she’s weaved to keep her front afloat (Erika from Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji, I guess Kako from P to JK applies to both 2 and 3).

Of course I hate the wishy-washy, unrealistically innocent type who plays the whole “he likes me, he likes me not” game every chapter, but I’d love to have them as a love rival because they honestly have no clue about how they feel and how to act (therefore giving me the advantage lmao.)

The shoujo heroines I do like and would want to be friends with would be the determined but rational girls who have their moments of infatuation but don’t throw common sense out the window when they do. They’re earnest and hardworking, and definitely not pushovers even when it comes to their love interest. Also, they have character development (!!!) I love love love Colette from Colette wa Shinu Koto no Shita. She’s probably one of my fave MCs ever, regardless of demographic. I also like Noriko from Kanata Kara, Alice in most of the Alice in the Country of Hearts series, Machida from Namaikizakari, and Inohara and Sakae from Machida-kun no Sekai. And yeah, I love Tomo-chan!

As for josei, I really can’t stand infidelity. Whether the MC is cheating on her partner, cheating with someone’s partner, or both (yikes), it makes her the bad guy and totally unlikable in my eyes. So I guess a josei MC I like would be Momoko from 3 am Dangerous Zone, who unwittingly ended up in an infidelity situation and managed it morally and to the best of her ability. Not to mention she’s incredibly relatable.

Yikes, long post, but I really felt like venting about shoujo MCs D:

I can relate ;'D
This is why i read novels that involve being reincarnated into the villainess.



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i forgot the name and just want to rant, but the mc who went after this girl's boyfriend when they literally just met over something insignificant and it somehow plays out like they're star-crossed lovers from another life. like it's not that complicated. mc acts like the girlfriend's a villain keeping from being together (ofc the side characters do too which is beyond the point of believability can you at least hide that the mc is a self insert/au where author gets with crush) not even a few chapters in she kisses him knowing their relationship. really your self restraint just pages thin? i even recall a few reviews that found her contemptible.

Big Mouths bother me. mostly in Slice of Life

MC's that are lacking in discretion & conscientiousness; who see a bully and run off to crusade against that injustice and leave it entirely for the childhood friend/love interest to take all the risk because they have to bail her out for the Nteenth time.
it's exhausting putting out all the fires that get started being around this MC, and their learning curve is abysmal.

My big gripe are ignorant and/or passive heroines who fall in love in two seconds, can't stand up for themselves and are easily influenced, sometimes to the point of complete subjugation, by the male lead (Minami Kanan's characters come to mind, but I can't remember their names due to disgust).

I also have a little yuck for heroines who are universally loved because of qualities like 'cheerful', 'nice' or 'enthusiastic', especially when everything magically works out for them because of these qualities. These aren't bad characteristics, and I don't always dislike these heroines, but I dislike how being peppy is glorified in shoujo manga as opposed to having intelligence or good judgement. Some examples are Tooru from Fruits Basket and Nanami from Kamisama Hajimemashita - these are both instances in which I feel that they're victims of theme though, since their mangas revolve heavily around interpersonal relationships.

Edited since I originally said 'Minami Maki' instead of 'Minami Kanan'.

Last edited by hkanz at 2:40 pm, Nov 2 2018

Tohru Honda would definitely be a formidable rival. Mostly cause, she'd already win in 5 minutes. She's kind of that Mary Sue type that gets all the guys, so if she was a rival character, ML would definitely go for her.

Yanderes are definitely also bad as rivals. Imagine if Yukiteru had a GF and Yuno from Mirai Nikki was a rival character... she'd kill that girl in no time!
Gullible types and stubborn types are also pretty bad, since yeah, they won't ever give up. Hotaru from Tsubasa to Hotaru and Risa from Lovely Complex are people like this. 🤨

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Last edited by mitachino at 3:45 am, Aug 15 2022

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I don´t know about worst ever but Hot Gimmick is high on the list.

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