Best Girl 2019 (Sunday Sevens)

Don’t worry, I’ve not yet forgotten about 2019. It’s hard to forget, especially when we’re talking about the anime ‘best girl’! I still don’t like these category names…
Best Girl 2019
So far I’ve looked at the best anime and best boy from 2019. Now, it’s time to turn out attention to the best girl, or as I’d rather call it my favourite female anime characters. I’ll warn you in advance, I am a big fan of strong female characters. Therefore, there will be some bias towards that and if they have a sword…
7. Raphtalia (The Rising of the Shield Hero)

Raphtalia is awesome and went through quite the journey in Shield Hero. Her bond with Naofumi was what really pulled the story together and it was her that helped him to get off the dark path he was walking. She proved time and again that she was as strong as any of the other heroes and was the perfect attack to Naofumi’s defence. There are some questionable moments. Her choosing to have the slave crest put back on after the other heroes had attempted to free her from Naofumi was one of them. I understood the sentiment, it just wasn’t necessary. Regardless, Raphtalia is one of the best things to come out of this series.
6. Eriko Takeda (YU-NO: A Girl Who Chants Love at the Bound of This World)

And the winner of the best teacher’s uniform goes to Eriko Takeda from YU-NO. On top of this insane outfit, which I believe was inspired by Takuya, Eriko is an interdimensional time-cop! I know! Who would have thought it? She’s definitely the source of the action elements in YU-NO and can more than hold her own in a fight, whether it’s human’s or transdimensional entities that can take over other people’s bodies. Seriously, YU-NO is an outrageously bizarre series, but it’s a lot of fun.
5. Schaal Bancroft (To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts)

In a story full of people that turn into monsters, Schaal stepped up and made an impact as just a human. On top of that, she used to run an orphanage. That didn’t stop her from bursting into the bar where the man that killed her father was and shooting him without hesitation. Unfortunately, he was a werewolf so it didn’t do much, but she wasn’t to know. Her story growth with Hank (the werewolf) was excellent and in a way, she reminds me of Tanjiro where she’s always looking for the good in people and seeing them as victims too, which they are.
4. Aisha Belka (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II)

Did someone say “strong woman with a sword”? Aisha from Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? II definitely fits the bill. She was my favourite character from the season without a doubt. As a member of Ishtar’s Familia, she was forced to try to capture Bell so that Ishtar could do unspeakable things to the poor innocent bunny. However, Ishtar also managed to play on the edge of openly defying her goddess. She purposely taunted Bell into acting to save Haruhime after she had failed and then been beaten and abused. I loved the small moments where you could see that she was up to something. Aisha was probably the hero of the season. Without her, Haruhime would never have survived.
3. Maki Oze (Fire Force)

I had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Fire Force. It started like a house on fire and ended with an explosion, but the middle dragged. It really dragged. Luckily, there were other things to keep us entertained. The animation and visuals were outstanding and none more so than once Special Fire Force Company 8 entered the Nether. This was really when Maki shone. She had been awesome before that, but never really got more than a couple of brief moments. Then when she got to fight the Knights of the Ashen Flame, we got to see just how ruthless she can be. I’m not going to lie. It was hot!!!
2. Hibiki Sakura (How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?)

Right up until the end of the year, How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? was my favourite series of 2019. Amazingly, Dr. Stone and Cautious Hero jumped in at the dying moments and pushed ahead. That said, I still absolutely loved it and Hibiki was a massive part of that. She is everyone that’s ever thought about trying to lose weight. Granted, she doesn’t look like she needed to, but that’s not the point. Everyone has their own view of what they should look like. Hibiki’s journey was incredible as she learnt about exercise and diet. She gained new friends and ended the season as a far more positive and happy person. Then, there was the final shot of the season where she hopped onto the scales one last time and left with the cutest smile.
1. Kohaku (Dr. Stone)

It’s safe to say that Kohaku is not just my favourite female character from 2019, she is my absolute favourite character of 2019. Like Chrome, Dr. Stone started to get really good once Kohaku had joined the cast. Our first meeting with her saw her attacking Tsukasa and giving him cause for concern. He may have ultimately won, but she’s the only person to give him much to think about outside of Senku. One of the other great things with Kohaku is that she’s not just a strong fighter, she’s the strongest fighter in the village and no one even considers her gender. I loved how her drive for most of the series was to see her sister get better and once she was, we got to see the two of them together. The sheer glee on Kohaku’s face when they were crushing grapes was worth watching the season alone. Also, Senku made her a katana…
Well, I warned you. Strong girls with swords… These were my favourite female anime characters from the 2019 seasonal shows. Just like with the male characters, I have focused on characters that I felt a connection with. Unfortunately, only two are the main characters in their series, but I think all of them could be. Hang on… What about a show with all of them in? I’d watch it for sure.
Obviously, these are just my opinions and I didn’t watch everything that was released. So, would you agree or disagree with my selections? Which were your favourite shows from 2019? Thanks, again for reading.
Other posts in the series
- Best Anime 2019
- Best Boy 2019
- Best Girl 2019
- Best Villain 2019
- Best Fight 2019
- Applications of BOFURI Technology!
- Waifu
- The Trouble with Plunderer!
- More Please!
- Make it Anime!
- My Introduction to Anime!
- What Am I Reading?
- Apocalyptic Anime
- Best Anime Winter 2020
- Best Boy Winter 2020
- Best Girl Winter 2020
- Best Villain Winter 2020
- Best Fight Winter 2020
- Seven Swords!
- Guilty Pleasures!
- My Pirate Crew!
- Course Correction!
- Guess Who I Drew!
- It Might Happen… Summer 2020
- Name That Anime!
- Anime Favorites A-Z Challenge
- Best Anime Spring 2020
- Best Boy Spring 2020
- Best Girl Spring 2020
- Best Villain Spring 2020
- Best Fight Spring 2020

Best girls 2019, in no particular order:
Otomi Tachibana – MIX
Nozomu (“Baka”) Tanaka – Wasteful Days of High School Girls
Momoko Sudou – Oh Maidens in Your Savage Season
Emma – Promised Neverland
Ichika Nakano – Quintessential Quintuplets
Nice. I’ve only seen Neverland and Quints from those. Loved both of them, although it’s Miku for me!
MIX is a low key character driven SOL/sports anime that didn’t get NEAR enough buzz when it was airing.
I will hunt it down. Thanks for the recommendation.
Kohaku as best girl of 2019? I love you man.
It was the only obvious conclusion!
And a very great one at that!
I can’t quibble much with this list at all!
I mean, as you’ve said, #1 was obvious. And the rest are all deserving.
“Well, I warned you. Strong girls with swords… ”
Well, Schaal had a rifle, but I get your point! All strong and well armed women!
2019 was good to us.
It really was and I’m looking forward to seeing what this year has to offer. Hopefully, more Kohaku…
[…] too). In season two, there was one character that really caught my eye and she even made it onto my Best Girl 2019 post. So, it’s about time I gave her a series of her […]