Critics may have a point about poor female characters in Shawn, but one heroine completely redeems the genre

more often than not, Female characters in popular manga and anime have been somewhat controversial. The one character who managed to escape all the bad traits is Mako Albarn, Soul Eater’s Protagonist. She demonstrated that a young woman can perform a major role in a battle show and nothing feels out of place at any moment.

Female characters in shounen series are usually poorly developed, underpowered, reduced to a love interest, or completely sexualized, sometimes all of those things at once. It is also common to see a disproportionate ratio of female to male characters in most popular series.

The general panorama has slowly improved over time, but not nearly enough to call it beautiful. The Soul Eater manga ended 11 years ago, and since then, no other Shaun series has come close to creating such an iconic female lead.

The current state of women in marriage: unconvincing

Female characters still fall victim to overused narratives

Most of the female characters in the late 90s and early 2000s shōnen anime and manga are affected by at least one of the negative traits aforementioned, except for the ones in Full metal alchemist. Although in recent years there has been more exploration of the roles women can take in the standard Battle Shaun story, there hasn’t been much improvement. My hero academia, Demon SlayerAnd Jujutsu Kaisen Are some of the current most popular series, but also ones with The poorest treatment of female characters in their respective stories.

The women in Jujutsu Kaisen They are not weak, but they lack depth. The in Demon Slayer are underrepresented, and the girls and women in My hero academia are often sexualized and poorly developed. Even lemon, of Mashle: Magic and Muscles Is Treated as little more than a background character, When she is supposed to be part of the main cast. Fortunately, Ochako can escape the trap of being the love interest, but she still hasn’t received nearly the same amount of development as Deku, Bakugo, or Todoroki.

It’s not all bad, though. Some fresh Weekly Sean Jump series have well-constructed female characters, particularly the women in Chainsaw Man. Even though they are still moderately sexualized, they are strong and significant. Burn the witch, The Promised NeverlandAnd Witch’s Watch Have tried the formula of a female lead, with mild success, which is worthy of praise, but still no one comes close to the icon that Maca Albarn has become.

Maca Albarn remains Shawn’s final female lead

Maka checks all the boxes of a good protagonist

A good protagonist should have a distinct personality and a strong drive, but still show flaws that mark the way for their development. They must be both Relatable to the audience, and with enough positive traits that they are also a role model. Soul Eater’s Protagonist, Maka Albarn, checks all the boxes, and she’s also a girl. Maka is book-smart, likes to follow the rules, but also knows when to be reckless and ask what’s for her. She does have a special ability, but it doesn’t make her absurdly exaggerated.

What is really worth noting is that Maka dodged all the unflattering tropes usually assigned to women in Shaun. She is not sexualized (although most of the other female characters in Soul Eater are), and while her and Soul are a popular pairing, it’s never explicitly stated that their relationship is romantic, so romance is never a pillar of Maka’s persona. The fact that she is a woman is never awkwardly pointed out, it is never made an obstacle or a feature of her character. It is treated normally, as it should be.

Why does the Shaun genre lack female protagonists?

The easy answer would justify the lack of women by saying that Shonen is a demographic directed at a young male audienceAnd therefore a lead character who is most similar to them would be the sensible choice. However, it is 2024, and to disregard the large proportion of girls and women who also watch the series is a mistake. moreover, Many popular shojo series have male protagonistsOr even a mostly male cast, such as Banana fish, School babysitterAnd My Love Story!!. In the end, it’s more about the themes in the story, and less about what gender the main character has.

A handful of manga have female protagonists, but the problem is that these series rarely become popular. A recent, rare exception is Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. It is not serialized by Shawn JumpBut it gained popularity and respect thanks to its anime adaptation, but also because Frieren himself is an incredible main character. The concept of strength does not have to be tied to Dragon Ball-styled fistfights which are conventionally more suited to a male cast. Female characters, like Maka, can also engage in physical brawls, and if not, have other intimidating methods like Frieren.

Soul Eater Was a huge success, with the re-edition of the manga now published, and the 20th anniversary expo coming later this month, it is living proof that a female protagonist is no obstacle to becoming an acknowledged series. With all the main manga ending soon, it is not delusional to hope that the next generation will have a strong, well-developed and significant female character. Mako Albarn has been the crown jewel of female protagonists for long enough, and it’s time for a successor.