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2022 was a remarkable year for anime and saw the adaptation of some of the most beloved manga series that fans follow rigorously. As with each anime, they brought along with them some of the most compelling characters, and this year, fans witnessed quite a lot of that.

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While male characters were certainly impressive, the female contemporaries were just as good, and even better in many cases. From powerful assassins to impressive antagonists, these women certainly lit up anime in 2022 and will continue to go strong into the next year.

10 Hana Ichijo

Hana Ichijo head shot

Hana Ichijo is an extremely impressive character from Ao Ashi. As was expected of an anime that focuses this much on soccer, Hana is a lover of the sport. While she doesn't play herself, she does her best in supporting those who do and one of them is the protagonist of the series, Ashito.

Hana is a very vigorous supporter of his and always tries her best to ensure that his body can keep up with the level of skill that he possesses by developing different meal plans and training routines for him. Her support does not go unnoticed and she is certainly one of the most kind-hearted female characters that anime has seen in 2022.

9 Shoko Komi

Komi Can't Communicate

Komi remains to be one of the most impressive characters of 2022. The anime she features in, Komi Can't Communicate, is wildly popular and sees her take big snaps towards making friends and being more secure about herself. Komi is a character that many fans can relate to and her sweet and gentle nature is one of the many reasons why she is loved as much as she is.

This year, she took many great steps towards achieving her goal and although it is quite a difficult task for her to accomplish, Komi made sure that she racks up friends as well as fans along the way.

8 Yor Forger

Yor Forger (Spy X Family)

Yor Forger is one of the main characters of Tatsuya Endo's famous manga, Spy x Family. With the anime adaptation having been released earlier this year, it's no surprise that Yor makes her way to the list.

Yor is a cold-blooded assassin powerful enough to take on anyone who stands in her way. She's easily among the strongest women in the story, however, at the same time, she is also a very gentle and caring mother to Anya. Yor has several qualities that make her one of the best, if not the best female character of 2022.

7 Kaguya Shinomiya

Shinomiya Kaguya

Kaguya has been popular among fans for quite a few years and with another season of the Kaguya-sama anime being released this year, seeing her on the list should not surprise anyone. Kaguya is an incredibly smart girl who tries her best to get a confession from Shirogane.

At the same time, this year, her soft side was explored quite a lot more which added yet another layer to her already complex character. Kaguya is widely famous all over the world and this is certainly not going to stop anytime soon.

6 Anya Forger

Anya's hands pressed up against a window

Anya is among the main characters of the Spy X Family series and, just like Yor, she's undoubtedly one of the best female characters and anime in 2022. Anya is quite an adorable child whose antics always make the fans laugh. At the same time, she does her best to fit into a family that is quite abnormal, however, loves her daily life.

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Anya is a character always at the forefront of the series and with her psychic powers, she's the key to everything. Along with her family, Anya always does what's needed and she makes sure that the fans have fun in the most incredible ways while watching her do so.

5 Charlotte Linlin

Big Mom One Piece

Charlotte Linlin is one of the major antagonists in One Piece and one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, the four most powerful pirates to exist. This year, Charlotte Linlin was at the forefront of the series in the Wano Country arc, where she fought against some of the strongest up-and-coming pirates of the Worst Generation.

One Piece does quite a great job and are depicting powerful women and Linlin is certainly the strongest of them all. With her ferocious powers, she cemented herself as a great of the series, and her aura as a villain has left quite an impression on the fans since her very debut.

4 Makima

chainsaw-man-ep-11-makima

Makima from Chainsaw Man is a character that few people like but nobody can say that she's not one of the most compelling characters in the story written by Fujimoto. Makima is a manipulative woman who will go to any lengths to achieve her goals.

She's cruel and, oftentimes, simply evil, however, one without whom Chainsaw Man wouldn't be as incredible as it is. Makima is incredibly powerful and smart and her qualities certainly make her one of the very best-written female anime characters of 2022.

3 Power

Power and cat

Another character from Chainsaw Man, Power is a young woman who possesses some qualities one wouldn't expect a lead character to possess. She's quite narcissistic, rude, and even lazy at times. At times, she's shown herself to be greedy or even violent, however, she is, a loving person at her core.

Power attracts fans and she's certainly lovable in more ways than one. With the story moving forward, fans' love for this character will only grow.

2 Lum

E11 Lum, Shinobu, and Sakura in kimonos

Lum is one of the main characters in Urusei Yatsura, a very popular series that many fans are very well aware of, given that it originally aired in 1981. In 2022, however, a remake of the anime started airing and fans have loved every bit of it so far, and much of that is down to Lum.

As an alien Oni, she comes to earth and fans get to enjoy her antics in the story. As Ataru attracts otherworldly creatures, Lum is, naturally drawn to him and takes him to be her fiancée. Lum might be hot-tempered at times, however, she's got a good heart and all her qualities shine well to make her one of the very best female anime characters of 2022.

1 Nico Robin

Close up of Nico Robin during One Piece Episode 1000

The archaeologist of the Straw Hat Pirates, Robin is an incredible character with paramount importance in the world of One Piece. Robin has often been shafted aside by other characters of the crew, however, this year, she received her fair share of attention. In the Wano Country arc, Robin was of incredible importance and she helped Luffy liberate the land in every way possible.

She even showed her devilish side by taking on and defeating Black Maria, one of the strongest enemies the crew had ever faced. Nico Robin's importance does not end with that and she will remain crucial until the very end of the series. Undoubtedly, she was very loved among the fans this year.

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