In these anime, the leading ladies steal the show.

For far too long and far too often, females have been but mere side characters. In recent years girls have finally been getting their chance to shine. These are some of the anime with the best female leads out there!

10. Kill la Kill

Ryuuko just wants to avenger her father, but little does she know there's a greater mystery behind it all.

Ryuuko Matoi is hunting for her father’s killer with only one clue: half of a scissor blade. Her search leads her to Honnouji Academy, a school where might is right, ruled by the iron fist of student council president Satsuki Kiryuuin. As Ryuuko goes head to head with the school’s elite fighters, she begins to learn that maybe the students aren’t her enemies and that maybe there’s a greater evil lurking in the shadows that must be defeated.

You'll like Kill la Kill if…

• You like intense action scenes
• You like characters with super powered abilities
• You like plots with high intensity

9. Ouran Highschool Host Club

Though she comes from a different world than them, Haruhi is able to get along with the Host Club surprisingly well.

Haruhi, a poor student, is attending Ouran High School, a school for the elites of society, on a scholarship. While looking for a place to study, she happens to wander into the room of the school’s host club, a club run by six outrageously rich and good looking guys, and breaks a vase worth $80,000. To pay back her massive debt, Haruhi has to go undercover as a guy and work for the club where she learns just how far apart the worlds of the rich and the poor are.

You’ll like Ouran HIgh School Host Club if…

• You like extravagant and diverse characters
• You like stories with a variety of events
• You like reverse harems

8. Chihayafuru

Chihaya has dedicated herself to karuta, but now she must find club members who are equally as passionate as her.

Chihaya Ayase has always lived in her sister’s shadow and has had no dreams of her own until she is introduced to the dying sport of karuta by Arata Wataya. She’s soon determined to become the queen of the physically and mentally demanding card game. Once she has entered highschool, Chihaya is obsessed with karuta and seeks to put together a team that can make it to the national championships.

You’ll like Chihayafuru if…

• You like main characters with niche interests
• You like traditional, cultural sports
• You like extremely passionate characters

7. From the New World

Saki is happy to have awakened her powers, until she starts wondering what happens to the people who don't.

Saki Watanabe is excited when she finally awakens her psychic powers and is able to join her friends at a special school for those with psychic abilities. However during her time at the school she begins to question what happens to those who don’t awaken their powers. As Saki and her friends begin to get involved with secret matters such as the Tainted Cats, dark government secrets that should have stayed hidden begin to come to light.

You’ll like From the New World if…

• You like dystopias
• You like supernatural abilities
• You like mysteries

6. Violet Evergarden

After the war she spent most of her life fighting in is over, Violet must figure out what to do next with her life.

Violet Evergarden was raised for the battlefield, and now that The Great War is finally over, she is maimed and alone and unable to understand the words that the one person precious to her left behind. By chance, while starting work at a postal office, Violet sees an Auto Memory Doll at work and intrigued, decides she’d like to become one herself. As she practices transcribing the thoughts and feelings of others, Violet hopes that she’ll be able to learn the meaning of what the person she held so dear to her heart said to her.

You’ll like Violet Evergarden if…

• You like emotional shows
• You like enchanting art
• You like episodic stories

5. Madoka Magica

Madoka is given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to become a magical girl, but there is more to the offer than she knows.

In a dream, Madoka Kaname sees a girl, a strange cat-like creature, and a world that looks like it is ending. The very next day, the same girl from her dream enters her school as a transfer student, and later the mysterious cat-like creature appears before her asking for help. Madoka is warned by Homura, the girl, to ignore Kyuubey, the creature, but Madoka and her best friend Sayaka decide to help it anyway. Kyuubey offers the two a chance to become magical girls at a price, but the duties of a magical girl and the risks they must face may be more than they are ready for.

You’ll like Madoka Magica if…

• You like magical girl animes
• You like tragedy
• You like morally gray characters

4. Land of the Lustrous

Phos may have been born weak, but they still want to do all they can to protect their people.

Phosphophyllite, aka Phos, is a young and fragile Gem in a world where Gems are expected to fight against the Lunarians, a species that shatters Gems to use their bodies as decorations. Because of how fragile they are, Phos is instructed to create an encyclopedia, and they soon meet the Gem Cinnabar who is also not conventionally useful. Phos decides to take it upon themselves to find a way the two gems can can help protect their fellow Gems.

You’ll like Land of the Lustrous if…

• You like unique fantasy worlds
• You like excellently done CGI
• You like shows that focus on character growth

3. Nana

The only similarity these two girls share is their name: Nana.

Through a fateful encounter Nana Komatsu and Nana Osaki, polar opposites, are brought together and somehow end up sharing an apartment. Nana Komatsu is naive, dependent, and chasing love whereas Nana Osaki is proud, enigmatic, and dreams of becoming a professional singer. As the two grow closer, they form a bond that they will try to preserve through thick and thin.

You’ll like Nana if…

• You like realistic characters and settings
• You like shoujo manga
• You like stories that show character development

2. A Place Further than the Universe

An adventure to Antarctica might be what these girls need in order to truly experience life.

Mari Tamaki has always dreamed of exploring beyond the universe, but she is too scared of the unknown to actually do so. Since her mother’s disappearance, Shirase Kobuchizawa has been working hard to afford a trip to Antarctica for the sake of finding her mother. Inspired by Shirase’s resolve, Mari decides to join the journey, and soon they attract Hinata Miyake and Yuzuki Shiraishi to travel with them on their adventure to the frozen south.

You’ll like A Place Further than the Universe if…

• You like exciting adventures
• You like fun slice of life shows
• You like great visuals

1. Ghost in the Shell

Catching the Puppeteer was only the begining for Major Motoko.

Major Motoko Kusanagi and her partner Chief Daisuke Aramaki are investigating the Puppeteer, a criminal who hacks into brains in a world where most of the public has cyberbrains. Their investigation leads them to discover that the Puppeteer is actually an AI residing in the body of a robot. Though Kusanagi manages to destroy the Puppeteer’s host, the Puppet Master is far from dead and what happens next is completely up to Kusanagi.

You’ll like Ghost in the Shell if…

• You like sci-fi
• You like cyberpunk
• You like mysteries

You may also be interested in:

• [Top 10] Best Horror Anime with Female Leads
• Top 10 Anime with Female Lead

• Top 10 Best Manga with Badass Female Lead