Hello. To elaborate, I'm looking for a female character that deserves respect in any demographic as long as it's a manga/manhwa/or manhua and has been translated to English. For this I want to see a gradual positive transition. Of course ups and downs are expected, but as long as the end result is a rounded character I could care less.

Well I shouldn't say that....

Things not desirable:
1) Harem
2) Ecchi, Hentai, Smut, Yaoi, Yuri. Note that it's alright if there can be instances where a work crosses the kid friendly barrier. I'm not a saint, but I don't want a work engrossed in being seductive.
3) Tsundere, Yandere, or Kuudere.
4) Age gaps bigger than 8 years
5) Student-Teacher Relationship
6) Jerk Sues or All Around "Glamorous" Individuals
7) One-gender work- where the ratio to guys to gals is totally unbalanced (the reason why Yaoi and Yuri is a no)
8) Gag or Soap Opera Trauma (or as TV Tropes calls it a Trauma Conga Line---bad event after bad event)

Thank you for reading. I appreciate whatever help you're offering. Thank you again and expect even more thanks for replies given. If you feel I'm not being clear on something I'll elaborate all you want.



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I like my men androgynous.
I like my women androgynous.

Only female character I ever respected was Winry from FMA. Gals in anime... *facepalm* It is very sad.

Whether these would be considered a "gradual, positive transition" would depend on the reader, but I think you might enjoy these:

1/2 Prince
Koi dano Ai dano
Orange Marmalade
The Breaker (specifically, Shi-Ho Lee—at first I thought she was a bimbo, but she ended up being really badass)


Frankly, I didn't find Winry worthy of respect. Her only redeeming quality was that she wasn't quite as annoying as your average female anime character. But, then again, I'm a harsh critic.

Sorry, I'm a little out of ideas right now, but for now I'll suggest 7 seeds. It's one of my favorite manga and has a great range of characters and character development.
Though a few little warnings first: You may be put off by the art style at first, but it really grows on you.
And secondly, the manga starts off with Natsu as the main character, she's not very strong in the beginning and you might think, 'This isn't the type of character I want.' But she does grow as a character and she isn't the only main character. If you are having trouble getting through the first chapters, keep going because it is completely worth it!

Kareshi Kanojo no Jijou (Kare Kano) - Shoujo
Yukino Miyazawa I found slightly irritating early on, but very much develops my respect as the series progresses.

Tokyo Crazy Paradise - Shoujo
Tsukasa Kozuki - a fairly strong (emotional and physically) character to start and develops through the series. Nakamura Yoshiki (Skip Beat) did this before skip beat. Kinda sad that the pacing and character development is way better than Skip Beat (after say chpt 130).

Kimi ga Uso o Tsuita - Shoujo
Description from page:
Saki has always hated liars, ever since her father left her family when she was young. Now a student in high school, Saki nearly dies in a car crash, and wakes up to find that she has a new ability... the ability to see when people are lying. Saki comes to realize that there are liars all around her...

PSYЯEN - Shounen
Sakurako Amamiya - as this is a action/adventure shounen series, it has some of its flaws. That said, it probably has some of the best and quickest character development out there beyond FMA.

Suzuka - Shounen
Don't be fooled. It is not really a harem series. The male/female ratio is alittle big but nothing overly blown. Set in the same world as Kimi no Iru Machi (which has x-overs from Suzuka). This does have some drama. Suzuka one of the protagonist. She does have some Tsundere tendencies.


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Be the Ultimate Ninja! Play Billy Vs. SNAKEMAN today!

beauty pop- it's not really harem even though there's quite a lot of guys in there.
kiss/hug- she's totally respectable. really.

can't think of anything else for now.

i second, Psyren, kare kano and tokyo crazy paradise!

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🙂

Akagami no Shirayukihime I guess...

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in need of romance?
uncommon, sad, sweet

One Piece, some people hate Nami, but I love all the female characters there
Girls of The Wild's
Otoyomegatari
Hoshi no Samidare
Until Death Do Us Part
Shingeki no Kyojin
9 Banme no Musashi

Mikasa - Shingeki No Kyojin
Robin - One Piece
Shiharu - Love So Life
Samidare - Hoshi No Samidare
Kumiko - Gokusen
Alita of course
Revy - Black Lagoon
Katou - Iryuu Medical Dragon
.....

It all depends on the genre you are reading. Most Shoujo and Shounen pretty much have similar, female characters.

Just mentioning Saver

I'd vote for Triela Gunslinger Girl. There is an "age gap" in her relationship with Hillshire but .

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What I like in Trivial Pursuit style. Pick your category:

pai from 3x3 eyes. she can be a bit annoying at times though.

the breaker
the breaker: new waves there is some harem tendency but the focus is not romance plus the main character has too many problems to think about romance a lot

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What I resent the most is idiocy and mediocrity. No character development can cure that. Anime and manga girls usually shows both, because over half of them exist in the purpose of pleasing the male auditorium. Women that is NOT The Chick of the group are especially rare. Hellsing's sir Integra, for example. She's female, but not feminine though.

The 1/2 Prince's Feng Lan is clearly an idiot and... well, IS a huge Mary Sue of sorts, and a harem launcher, and on and on and on. Nevertheless, the series was decent until it reached the point when the shit got serious. Why, I wonder...

Shojo manga protagonists, I want to say, mostly are boring, and I'm not even bothering mention reverse harem ones.
But well... If you want, Mars one was rather interesting. But no higher than average.

I respected Winry not for her exceptional qualities, or treats of character. It was natural behavior. Aaaaaand, *OHGOD I'm grateful* for the lack of fanservice. She's just what normal human is, and carries that feeling through the series. Cue to her never getting any badass supernatural powers, but still being useful... Well, sometimes, yea. Female characters in FMA are written better than male ones. In this case, I can remember Rurouni Kenshin Kaoru to be relatively similar.

Fullmetal Alchemist. There are so many female characters here worthy of respect- Izumi Curtis, sister Armstrong, Winry, Riza.
Balsa from 'Serie no Moribito' but its an Anime.
Tomoe from 'Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuiokuhen'

You know I never really thought about it until this thread, but so many female characters in manga are just so idiotic and annoying that you're unable to respect them. Then there are the females characters that I liked and were less annoying, but at the same time they never did anything quite worthy of respect (Say winry, from FMA. Not annoying and I liked her, but I don't really have any respect for her). They were just cute or funny and weren't too idiotic. I looked long and hard at my manga list, trying to find some that I respect. I hope you find these satisfactory. Many of them are diamonds in the rough, and I love them all.

Chihayafuru I probably respect this female lead more than any other. She goes after what she wants, and yet is human while doing it. She experiences pain and love and loss and everything in between.
Bio-meat: Nectar I wasn't sure about this one at first, but the more I thought about it the more I respected the various female leads in this manga. They're bad ass, while not being too unfeminine or mary-sue
Ashita no Ousama I didn't respect the main character at first; she had too much self-pity. However, as she grows as a person your respect steadily grows as well. This manga has always reminded me of Chihayafuru, but with slightly more character growth (although Chiha isn't finished yet)
Kirai I hated her for awhile, I really did. But then she comes to her senses and realizes that their relationship isn't healthy, and despite her misgivings and wants, did what she had to. The first reaction is always noooooo, but after while I realized what that must have costed her and I developed mad respect for her
Dance! Subaru If you couldn't tell by now, I respect those who chase their dreams despite everything. Despite hardship and loss and sadness. Despite the fact that everyone else thinks they're crazy in their one-track determination. I cry every time.
Seirei no Moribito *The anime, not the manga* Balsa is lovely. She's strong and determined and does what is necessary. Mad respect for her in general.


Not quite sure if they fit completely
Kimera There isn't enough chapters on this one to be sure, but I respect her thus far. She's scared of herself, and what she can do, but when push comes to shove she's willing to do what must be done.
Glass mask I respect her for chasing her dreams whole heartedly, but she's a bit of a space cadet and I'm not able to take her seriously enough for true respect to form.
Twin Spica This one is here for the same reason as Glass Mask.

There is one more manga I'd like to add, but I don't remember the name. The art is beautiful and features a society of hunter-gatherers. The main female is married to a 12year old boy (it's a political marriage) and moves to his tribe. She's an excellent bow woman and good at hunting. Then her family comes back due to her sisters dying and them needing her to marry someone from a different tribe.
If anyone could remember this, thanks! I can't seem to find it on my lists.
EDIT: AHAH! I remembered it. Otoyomegatari



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