The sad truth is that many female characters in anime exist for fan service. Sure, they may also have a hand in the plot and help to establish interesting character dynamics, but nobody can deny that anime girls are often conceived and drawn with maximum visual appeal.
But setting physical appearance aside, there are actually lots of cute anime girl characters who are likable and lovable for more than just how they look—for their personalities and behaviors.
From high-ranking mages to badass assassins, here are our picks for the best cute anime girls who are downright lovable.
17. Ochaco Uraraka (My Hero Academia)
Ochaco Uraraka, known by her hero name Uravity, has a Quirk that's neither suitable for offense or defense but is perfect for support roles and rescue missions—she can nullify gravity for anything she touches.
Personality-wise, Ochaco is lively, energetic, and funny while exhibiting a kind of simplicity of mind and innocence of soul, making her lovable to viewers and giving her room for lots of development in the series.
16. Kagura (Gintama)
Kagura is a female member of Gintoki's Yorozuya and is actually an Amanto (alien) from the Yato Tribe. While she appears physically normal, she has strength and fighting skills that surpass normal humans, so she truly is a force to reckon with.
However, because it's Gintama, she ends up in many absurdly comedic moments, showing us the funny side of her character. Furthermore, she has that innocent look that gives her a cute aura—and that helps the jokes and comedy of the series to hit even harder.
15. Charmy Pappitson (Black Clover)
Charmy Pappitson loves food. That's how Black Clover introduces us to this high-ranking mage of the Black Bulls squad. She mostly appears as a child or in chibi art style, but she has badass powers up her sleeve.
She supports other mages with her Cotton Magic, conjuring fluffy sheep to cook food and aid her in different situations. Food Magic, however, consumes her opponents' magic.
14. Robin Nico (One Piece)
Female characters in One Piece are unique when it comes to art style and physical appearance, but Robin Nico stands out. She's more of a woman than a girl, and fans love her for it.
Of all the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, Nico is the most mature and the only one who's always serious, unlike the other members who exhibit comical sides even in the most dangerous situations.
Aside from her serious personality, she can crack the occasional joke, but it's usually dark to the point that it creeps out Ussop and Chopper.
13. Yor Forger (Spy X Family)
Yor Forger (née Briar) may look like just a normal girl with a normal day job as a clerk at City Hall, but she's a badass assassin who hides her identity by blending into the community she's in.
Despite her killer skills, she has sides to her that make her likable, such as the way she thinks of killing as the only way to solve mundane problems (in a comical way). By the way, she's married to Loid Forger, a spy.
12. Nezuko Kamado (Demon Slayer)
Who doesn't love the girl in the box from Demon Slayer? When Nezuko Kamado appears out of the box, it's either a critical moment where she slays demons or a mundane scene for her cuteness.
Nezuko is a girl who Muzan turned into a demon, and one of the only surviving members of her family (along with her brother Tanjiro). As a demon, she sleeps rather than eating humans to restore her strength, making her a suitable ally for the Corps.
11. Chika Fujiwara (Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War)
Quite the opposite of Kaguya Shinomiya, Chika Fujiwara is a jolly student. Aside from being an outgoing girl, she's also talented and smart (despite a few times when we see her acting childish and clumsy).
We all know her as the one who ruins Kaguya's plans for her love interest (intentionally or not), making every scene with her funny.
10. Shinobu Kocho (Demon Slayer)
Shinobu Kocho is one of the high-ranking Demon Slayers in the series and serves as the Insect Hashira. She's also unique among the Corps due to her use of poisons and her swordsmanship that relies on stabbing rather than slashing.
She's a generally composed lady who always wears a smile on her face, which is truly captivating. However, this beautiful smile and face hide a dark past and often mask her sadistic side.
9. Hinata Hyuga (Naruto)
Hinata Hyuga is a female ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Though she's not as strong as Sakura, she's certainly one of the bravest of the village, as shown when she jumps into battle to save Naruto from Pain.
She's a dandere character, meaning she maintains distance from her love interest (Naruto) and never speaks of her feelings to him. Her shyness and kindness captured the hearts of fans of the series.
8. Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)
The Cardcaptor Sakura anime series introduced us to Sakura Kinomoto, a young girl who accidentally released the Clow Cards and was tasked with collecting them all. Across her different missions, Sakura wears different costumes crafted by Tomoyo.
This magical girl is kind and innocent with a friendly personality. Her cheerfulness and outgoingness are sometimes combined with her clumsiness and naivety, making her not-so-perfect yet lovable.
7. Kanao Tsuyuri (Demon Slayer)
While she only appears for only a few short moments in the Demon Slayer anime series, it's hard to forget the simplicity and innocence of Kanao Tsuyuri, which earns her a spot on this list.
And while she may not look it, she's a pretty skilled demon slayer, too. What makes her even more popular is that so many anime fans ship her and Tanjiro. They make a pretty cute couple, right?
6. Zero Two (Darling in the Franxx)
Yes, Zero Two is incredibly cute. Yes, her character setup in Darling in the Franxx and the different mechs in the series make her (and the other female pilots in the series) look like gratuitous fan service.
But beneath all that, the character of Zero Two is really cool and badass despite physical appearances. She's a free-spirited girl who oftentimes breaks the rules, both for fun and for her darling Hiro.
5. Marin Kitagawa (My Dress-Up Darling)
Marin Kitagawa is a bubbly high school girl and a cosplayer. She's popular, she's cute, and she's as perfect as any other anime girl.
What makes her rank highly on our list of cute anime girls is her happy-go-lucky attitude and the way she believes in Gojo and his crafts. She's also quite clumsy, making her even cuter in a unique way.
4. Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
In the early seasons of Attack on Titan, Mikasa Ackerman comes off as a young and cute girl who is pretty much a sister to Eren. When she eventually becomes a Survey Corps member, her images changes into one who ruthlessly slaughters Titans with her combat prowess.
She has a strong personality hidden beneath her quiet and emotionless facade. A few viewers may like her for her beauty, but most viewers love her for her incredible skills and mature personality.
3. Kaori Miyazono (Your Lie in April)
Kaori Miyazono is one of the most-loved female anime characters, and her eventual death in Your Lie in April wasn't only felt by Kosei Arima but by the whole fandom.
She's cheerful and talented, as we can see when they play together on stage. The development of plot and story made viewers emotionally attached to her, making the last part of the series so heartbreaking.
2. Shuna (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime)
When Shuna first appears in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime as an ogre, she's already cute despite prominent ogre traits. But after she evolves into a kijin, becomes even more beautiful in her human-like appearance (despite retaining her horns).
She's one of the high officials of the Jura Tempest Federation and one of Rimuru's closest attendants. She's far too gentle to be one of the fighters, but she's actually pretty powerful and can be dangerous when she needs to be.
1. Mai Sakurajima (Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai)
Mai Sakurajima has what it takes to be a head-turner. She's a fair lady with elegant long hair and bright eyes, with a caring personality deep down even if she acts like she doesn't care.
However, there are only a handful of people who can see her, and as time passes by, the only people left who can see and recognize her beauty and existence are Sakuta and us.
Not only is Mai cute, that heartbreaking bit of story endears her to us that much more and we can't help but love her.
