Analyzing Women’s Strength in Fiction: Emotional Strength in TV and Anime

I may not be back yet…but I managed some free time and decided to work on an old post!

So yeah, consider this a hiatus interlude or something. 😊

1. Akane Tsunemori, Psycho-Pass:

In a world where mental health has been given (very twisted) priority, Akane seems to be seriously lucky. Her own Psycho-Pass is usually incredibly healthy, and she is smart enough to have a multitude of options about her future. However, when she becomes an Inspector, her naïveté becomes quite glaringly obvious. She’s a very idealistic person and seems too naïve to be an effective Inspector. But despite this, or maybe because of it, she works well with the Enforcers (people who can be former Inspectors whose Psycho-Passes grew too high, or simply Latent Criminals in general). While she may be frustratingly hopeful and unrealistic at first, those traits become positives as she encounters bleaker cases and trying times. She’s even able to stay strong despite witnessing the death of one of her best friends. She is so resilient, and has an amazing character journey.

2. Hiyori Iki, Noragami:

Hiyori may just seem like the typical secondary female lead at first, but her development, particularly in Aragoto, is very clear. From the start, she’s shown to be selfless, as the whole reason she got into this mess was in her misguided attempt to save Yato from being hit by a bus. She also becomes a good influence on both him and Yukine, as she can actually communicate. She also tries her best to be helpful, rather than useless or a damsel in distress. She can actually hold her own reasonably well. One thing I like is that she is a rare “normal” character who actually acts normal without being annoying. She’s surprisingly strong, uses her mind at times, and has a big heart. She’s a vital member of the group’s emotional health.

3. Nina Fortner, Monster:

I’m not even going to get into her past (so many spoilers) so let’s focus on her adult life. Nina was a seemingly normal college student from a well adjusted family. The only things wrong were that she had missing memories of her childhood, and a strange nightmare every night about a monster. It’s only when she gets strange emails that she discovers her past: She has a twin brother named Johan…who may just be the symbolic embodiment of evil. Right after discovering this, she meets Dr. Tenma, the man who treated her and Johan as children, and finds her adopted parents murdered. The fact she didn’t fall apart right away is amazing enough, but so is her resolve to track her brother down and stop him. So is the fact that she is still a kind and caring girl, she just learns to toughen up. She’s also able to defend herself and even saves Tenma at times. She is given a psychological character journey that many female characters aren’t given, and it’s a good one.

4. Amy Pond, Doctor Who:

Why is it the red heads of Doctor Who seem to be given the hardest times of all the companions? First Donna, then Amy…anyway, Amy met the Doctor as a child, who promised he would be back in five minutes. Instead, he came back 11 years later, leaving her scarred and unable to convince anyone of his existence. She’d even been to four separate therapists. That alone is enough to give her issues. Throughout the series, she is given a ton of heartbreak and pain. She sees her fiancé (later husband) die a lot, and she loses her baby, not to mention just heartache in general (she met Vincent Van Gogh, and wanted him to be happy so badly…) Her character development seems a bit all over the place, but it concludes well in her last episode. Just watch the first episode again, and then the last one again; wow.

5. Irisviel Von Einzbern, Fate/Zero

Irisviel is not only the wife of Kiritsugu, but a powerful homunculus on her own. Even if she doesn’t fully understand her husband’s ideals, she is more than willing to stay by his side, and she is one of the very few people (besides their daughter) that he shows his softer, kinder side to. Her friendship with Saber also shows off a ton of her character; she may be very feminine and pretty, but she has a strong inner core. She’s even able to hold her own against Kirei for a time, proving she isn’t just a kind, pretty face. Irisviel is so supportive of Kiritsugu’s goals that she allows her health to weaken, even to the point being unable to feel the sense of touch. She’s one of the few idealistic characters in the show, and can keep her team together emotionally and mentally for the most part. Without her idealism, they would’ve been taken out of the war fast.

Advertisement