The classic list of anime babes is a bit outdated. I think the most recent woman mentioned there is Faye Valentine. There’s no mention of such memorable characters as Lyar Von Ertiana from Divergence Eve/Misaki Chronicles, or Lafiel and Lexshue from Crest/Banner of the Stars, or Yoko from Gurren-Lagann. Therefore, my next poll will be of babes in anime.
I could use a little help here. I’ve watched a lot of anime, but there’s much more that I haven’t seen. I’ve undoubtedly missed some of the more distinctive women. So, who do you think is the outstanding anime babe of all time?
A few rules:
• She must be at least sixteen years old.
• She doesn’t necessarily have to be human, but she must be unequivocally female. I.e., no traps. Sora from Oh! Edo Rocket would be worth considering, but not Genzou. (Reverse traps, e.g., Sailor Uranus out of uniform, are acceptable.)
• She must an anime character. Women who are primarily known as video game characters or appear only in manga are not eligible.
Please leave your nomination in a comment. Be sure to mention what anime the character is from. ((Please be precise;, e.g., do you mean Priss from the original Bubblegum Crisis or from Bubblegum Crisis 2040?)) It would be helpful if you could include a link to a good quality, safe-for-work picture of the lady. You can nominate more than one babe, but please don’t get carried away. Thank you.
Addendum: Steven inquires about the criteria for babe-ness. Cute, sexy, competent and intelligent are all desirable characteristics, so I would say “all around.” But really, do I have to define what a “babe” is? ((“A female from the anime universe who possesses great beauty, a marvelous attitude, and the ability to act upon her desires to acquire that which she wants most (whatever that may be).”)) Here are the original rules, which might might clarify things.
Rule Number One: She must be made out of pencil and paint [or pixels —ed.]. No flesh and blood girls here.
Rule Number Two: She must be attractive and not merely “cute” (meaning the judges decide what is “hot beauty” and what is simply “kawaii”) (so according to the judges all “Noriko Takayas” are out). While this may be open to interpretation by you, the viewers, the judges’ decisions are final.
Rule Number Three: The contestants’ taste in men has no relevance on them being considered an “Anime Babe”. Since all anime girls are doomed to love total geeks or other social outcasts, the subject of boyfriends has no bearing on the judges’ final decisions (especially because most of the judges are social misfits too).
Rule Number Four: There must be more to an “Anime Babe” than just looks. She must have “attitude” and the “ability to achieve and maintain” all that her attitude alludes to (don’t ask). Not one or the other (so no Rei Ayanami’s).
Yes, let’s make it official. Rei Ayanami is no babe.
And, yes, you can nominate Rushuna.
Clarification: the original list is not mine.
*****
In the current poll, after several weeks of being neck-and-neck, Naruto has pulled ahead of Neon Genesis Evangelion by five points. I’m a little surprised; I had figured that Evangelion would be an easy winner.
Are we nominating cute? Sexy? Competent? Intelligent? All around? What makes a “babe”?
Should I nominate Tendo Rushuna?
Meia Gisborn – from Vandread Season 1 & 2.
For pics, I just googled them and got the link of a small gallery below.
(url link:http://www.geocities.com/absolutevandreadsite/gallerymeia.htm)
I believe she met all the rules listed above.
Whether or not she is the THE outstanding babe of all time, well, kinda hard to say actually.
Definitely a memorable and outstanding one for me though, even if Vandread is just a short-lasting fun 😀
Hm, not too sure how the rule 4 thing works though if it disqualifying Rei. Is it that the lady must be socially & emotionally adept enough and also have some speciality/strengths that she is in? Just wondering…
In addition to Rushuna, I nominate Setsuna from Shingu.
Actually, the most outstanding babe in anime is Kan’u Unshou.
A lesser and possibly unknown character, but one of the most beautiful visages I have seen on monitor/TV in probably a few YEARS: Tyrandia’s Grand Duchess Laetitia. (Season 1, ep 5 of ‘Tytania.’)
A couple of screenshots I found:
http://www.opusnet.com/guy1656/L1.jpg
http://www.opusnet.com/guy1656/L2.jpg
She makes a political and physical sacrifice for her people, with fortitude and grace. Blue-grey eyes with a gentle wave in her blonde hair (waves are a little uncommon in anime,) and ornate yet modest costuming, she is reminiscent of a decades-gone peak of Western European culture, a character probably not often seen since the (live-action) family of polite and well-behaved children in ‘Sound of Music.’
I’d like to nominate Urd, since she’s matured a lot since your last list. But if you still can’t handle her “demon side,” then I’ll make a probably controversial nomination:
Mitsuki Hayase from “Kimi ga Nozomu Eien.”
I’m sure I could come up with a few more names but she’s the first one that came to mind and that probably means something….
The #1 babe still has not changed from the original list it’s Madoka Ayukawa from Kimagure Orange Road.
http://file.walagata.com/w/basroil/kor_cd-3.jpg
I’d actually been toying with updating my old list…
http://brickmuppet.mee.nu/the_brickmuppets_top_10_anime_babes_of_all_time
….but I’m hard pressed to do NEW posts right now and there are a few recent series I’d like to see before I do..If I were to do so now I’d probably drop Lum and add Yoko from Gurren Laggan and/or Balsa from Moribito.
I nominate Ryoko Yakushiji from Yakushiji Ryokou no Kaiki Jikenbo http://www.mxtv.co.jp/yakushijiryoko/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakushiji_Ry%C5%8Dko_no_Kaiki_Jikenbo
A strong, smart, sexy Superintendent in the Tokyo PD (and controls most of it) who solves mysterious cases.
Just behind her, Falis aka Alita aka the Murder Princess
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_Princess
http://www.seiha.org/blog/images/murder2/murder2%20(42)_th.jpg
a bounty hunter who via mind switch becomes the strongest princess in the history of the kingdom.
Lafiel and Lexshue are both strong contenders, but how could you miss Admiral Spoor? I nominate Arai Chie from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, She’s not just sexy looking but also sexy sounding.
Tastes vary widely, even among us anime fans, but since you did ask…. Thinking about the characters while looking though my lists, I think that just as important as their appearance is their self-awareness; that is, are they comfortable with who they are and able to deal competently with the world around them? Some might favor the “helpless damsel,” but I for one do not. So, let’s begin:
1. Mio Sakamoto, Strike Witches. C3I and looks great in a bath. She can beat me with that sword anytime.
http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/0/238/879409-mio_87_large.jpg
2. [Sage Wolf] Horo, Spice & Wolf. OK, so she manifests as “about 15” but since she’s at least 500, I’m using the mean of her ages. Not just clever, but actually wise; the first decent portrayal of a semi-divine character I’ve seen in anime. And that is a very nice tail, too.
http://hobbysnacks.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/horo3.jpg
3. Amuro Ninagawa, Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho. Not until Strike Witches came out did I see so much fanservice. She’s a bit of a ditz, but she’s also kind, a solid friend, and a reliable teammate. All that and the bod of a swimmer (‘though I’m biased: I married one), yum.
http://files.myopera.com/infinity-1/blog/b-umisho.jpg
My nominees:
As Steven predicted, Lyar. And Luxandra, both from Divergence Eve.
Sadly, I’ve never done caps of either, and don’t have time to look them up on the internet, so I guess they’ll not fare well…
Ryomou Shimei from Ikkitousen: quiet, deadly and smoulderingly hot. The eyepatch is just a bonus.
Mai Kawasumi from Kanon (the 2006 version): also quiet, magical without being a magic girl, and she’s got sword that she’s not afraid to use. Rowr.
That link to Seiha didn’t work, so try this one for Murder Princess images: http://blog.seiha.org/?cat=29
I had a post up a few months ago where I listed my personal top eight as it stands now. I’m not going to do the full list but here are some names from it:
Lafiel from Crest of the Stars
Rin Tosaka from Fate Stay Night
Naomi Armitage from Armitage the Third: Poly Matrix
Ryoko from Tenchi Muyo
Teletha Testarossa from Full Metal Panic