While anime adaptations of shonen manga are not particularly known as a rich source for female characters, the last year has not only been an excellent year for must-see heroines but also proves that memorable female characters need not be relegated to shoujo or romance, but rather can carry a shonen or action plot just as well as their male counterparts.
2022's anime offerings are full of deep, strong, smart, complex, and courageous heroines who run the gamut of roles. Below is a list of some of the more notable heroines in manga of the past year.
Mikasa Ackerman
If there is one individual who embodies the ideal of a great female character, it's Attack of Titan's Mikasa Ackerman. No other character has shown a deeper evolution from beginning to end. Mikasa was the moral backbone of Attack on Titan's story and nowhere was that more evident than in the past year's anime. Mikasa ended up playing a factor in almost every major plot point in the saga without ever turning into a Titan herself. Fans always liked Mikasa - she was one of the most popular of all Attack on Titan characters - and knew she was a tough, gritty survivor. However the strength she displayed this season was basically superhuman.
Yor Forger
Spy x Family's Yor Forger is not the typical anime female character and that's why she's on this year's list. First, she is not a teenager or recently turned adult. She's a grown-up, confident, 27-year-old woman who understands and accepts adult responsibilities. She's not worried about looking awkward in front of her colleagues or being laughed at. Second, she's a career woman focused on being the best that she can be in her chosen field. Third, she's a professional with top-level skills and abilities. Unlike many other shonene heroes and heroines, Yor is not in the process of becoming a top-level assassin, she already is one. So despite playing the role of the loving wife and supportive mother, Yor is certainly her husband's match as an operative, parent, and partner.
Anya Forger
While many fans view Spy x Family's Anya Forger as the series' comic relief, the truth is that all of Spy x Family's storylines lead to and through Anya. Whether it's Loid and Yor finding common ground to enter into their fake marriage or finding out key information from Damian Desmond, Anya is at the center of all that is important in the story. What makes Anya stand out as a great character is the fact that series creator Tatsuya Endo maintains her kid's mentality through it all. She understands and filters all information she learns through her innocent mind. This is the humor fans find so endearing and makes her personality and approach so unique and enjoyable.
Hitori "Bocchi" Goto
Bocchi the Rock's Hitori doesn't slay giants, fly robots, or drink devil's blood but no one else can shred a nasty six-string guitar lick as she can. Hitori is deathly scared of people and interacting with them, she escapes by playing her guitar and uploading videos of her rocking out. Ultimately, it's her talent as a musician that helps her overcome her fears. The heroic aspects of Hitori's journey are the most impressive. It does not arise as a result of some external malevolent force, but rather is the response to a battle against her own personal demons - the hardest to recognize and the easiest to resurrect. It's a different vibe than most shonen series but every bit as interesting and Hitori ultimately proves herself to be a great female character worthy of consideration.
Suletta Mercury
While she was a late arrival to this year's anime schedule, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury's Suletta Mercury wasted no time in establishing herself as a top female character. As the first-ever female lead for a Mobile Suit Gundam series, all eyes have been on her. What makes Suletta worthy of the accolades is the fact that despite the trial and tribulations she's experienced in her young life, she's not only been able to adapt and overcome but do so with one of the most positive demeanors in all anime. Despite being discriminated against as a woman and outsider on Mercury, she never failed to assist those who looked down on her. At school on Earth, despite being the outsider again, she's not only shown she belongs but that she has all the skills to lead her group.
Lucy Kushinada
Lucy does not start out as a heroine in Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, however, by the end, it's clear she stands as the saga's one true hero. Lucy was one of the year's best roles in anime. While Lucy initially came off as cold and hard, fans learn that there's a good reason for this, namely her use and abuse as a child by the Arasaka Corporation to "netrun" or hack into computer systems to steal information. Despite that terrible experience and the "tough" personality she developed to deal with it, she nevertheless remained a good person who cares deeply for her friends and never lose her sense of morality and hatred for evil corporations like Arasaka. She's also the best melee fighter in this group outside of Yor.
Power
Last, but not least, there's Chainsaw Man's Power, the deliciously chaotic half-human, half-devil anti-heroine fiend. What makes Power worthy of this list is her performance of a role in the manga-anime continuum that is almost always filled by a male character. However, her depiction of the over-confident, annoying, "demi-devil" misbehaving is so convincing that fans would be hard-pressed to name a male character in any title that is better in the role as the all-around hater. As Power develops over the course of the story it's almost impossible not to like the Blood Devil. Moreover, as she grows to see Denji as her one true friend, her crazy antics begin to take on truly heroic tendencies.