Narrowing down the funniest women in anime is challenging simply because there are so many to choose from. In Western media, female characters don't always get to be as funny as their male counterparts. This is because they're often made to be the more serious counterpart to the male characters. Take a sitcom wife, for example, who is usually the voice of reason to her husband. Fortunately, women in anime get to be downright hilarious, whether their brand of humor is absurdist, slapstick, deadpan, or something else entirely.
Anime is a medium that lends itself well to humor, so it's no surprise that many female cast members get to play comedic roles. Characters can have overblown physical or emotional reactions in ways that don't detract from the story, even adding to it. Anime is also full of tropes that are fun to parody, and plenty of female characters get their chance to subvert the usual formula. Sometimes these characters simply have great quotes or are immensely relatable. Whatever their mode of humor, women in anime steal the show more often than not.
10 Yuu Kashima – Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun
Kashima is a parody of the princely character type in anime that's stereotypically embodied by male characters, such as Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club or Soma from Black Butler. With all of her peacocking, it's no surprise that she is considered one of the best actors in the drama club at Roman Academy.
A shameless flirt, she can often be found wooing her female classmates with great success. It's always a delight to see a familiar anime trope subverted, and Kashima is a prime example of turning the princely archetype on its head. She does it so well, in fact, that she is easily one of the funniest characters in Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun.
9 Noi – Dorohedoro
Dorohedoro has plenty of incredibly buff women to go around, but Noi might just be the strongest of them all. An elite magic user in the underground world known as The Hole, Noi's easygoing attitude is at odds with her murky environment and role as an assassin. Bold and confident, she uses brute strength first and ask questions later, making her an unfailingly funny screen presence.
In the English dub, Cherami Leigh pitches her voice hilariously low to capture Noi's brutish personality perfectly. Not only is Noi insanely funny, she is also part of a highly underrated anime.
8 Milly Thompson (Trigun)
Trigun's Milly has the best of both worlds. Not only is she a spirited employee of the Bernardelli Insurance Company, she's also surprisingly calm in any situation when compared to her partner, Meryl. Similar to Noi from Dorohedoro, Milly is adorably aloof but incredibly charming, and hilarious.
Due to her memorability, fans were understandably disappointed that Milly was missing from Trigun Stampede when it was released in January 2023.
A martial artist, master alchemist, and mentor to the Elric brothers, Izumi Curtis has quite the admirable resume. While she initially comes across as no-nonsense, Izumi is one of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's funniest characters. Many of her jokes center around her toughness and how it contrasts with her identity as a homemaker.
Izumi also has some of the best physical comedy in the series; when she's angry, her entire face darkens and her eyes glow red. Fans of the series will fondly remember when she threw Greed against the wall with one hand and delivered the iconic line, "You asked what I am? A housewife!"
6 Kokomi Teruhashi – The Disastrous Life of Saiki K
Teruhashi is a lesson in dramatic irony. She is considered by everyone at PK Academy to be quite beautiful, and she knows it, too. Unfortunately, she has a crush on Kusuo Saiki, whose mind reading abilities clue him in to how conceited she is about her looks, ruining any chance of him reciprocating her feelings.
Even so, audiences can enjoy a laugh at her expense, knowing just how much it's not going to work between these two. Romantic subplot aside, Teruhashi's bubbly personality provides a fun contrast to Saiki's deadpan commentary.
5 Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima – Fruits Basket
The two best friends of Fruits Basket's main character Tohru Honda, Uo and Hana share some of the funniest moments in shoujo anime. Uo, a reformed gangster, and Hana, a certified weird girl with the ability to create psychic waves make an amusing contrast to the polite and kindhearted Tohru.
Eccentricities and all, these two are unwaveringly loyal to Tohru and always check in to see that she's doing well. They provide a hearty dose of comedic relief throughout the series, most notably when they play up their abilities to toy with Kyo Sohma.
4 Nanami Kiryuu (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
Nanami is part of a twisted group of student council members and one of the funniest characters in the world of Revolutionary Girl Utena. She has an unhealthy obsession with her older brother, Touga, and isn't afraid to play dirty to keep his eyes on her.
While her actions and motivations are cruel, she's an incredibly funny part of this surreal series. An entire episode is devoted to Nanami getting a magical cowbell, which begins to make her act more and more cowlike. Nanami also has one of the most memorable laughs in anime – an "ohoho" worthy of a diabolical villain.
3 Haruhi Fujioka – Ouran High School Host Club
Not only is Haruhi one of the most iconic gender nonconforming characters in anime, her deadpan humor is also blisteringly funny. The lone poor student at the prestigious Ouran Academy, Haruhi is a fish out of water, but she isn't about to let a bunch of empty-headed rich people get her down.
She is quick to cut Tamaki Suoh down to size with her blunt remarks, and serves as a great Everyman for viewers acclimating to the world of the fabulously wealthy. Aside from her quick wits and jokes, Haruhi is an emotionally mature character that keeps her fellow club members reigned in.
2 Anya Forger – Spy x Family
The smallest member of the Forger family and a mind reader to boot, Anya is as funny as she is adorable. Known for her exaggerated facial expressions and nonsensical trains of thought, she quickly solidified herself as an anime fan favorite within the past year and a half.
Anya has the funniest quotes, ranging from a simple "heh" to blurting out inappropriate statements at inopportune moments. Given her age, it's understandable that Anya wouldn't have much of a filter, and it makes the show even more adorable than it already is.
1 Usagi Tsukino – Sailor Moon
Usagi has been charming audiences since 1992. Described as not very intelligent, athletic, or brave, she makes an unconventional protagonist for a magical girl series. When she's not stuffing her face with sweets or arguing with Sailor Mars, she can be found pining for Tuxedo Mask or playing games at the arcade. She is a bit of a crybaby at times, though it's almost always played for comedy. Usagi is hilariously relatable, whether she's indulging in pettiness or bemoaning how tough it is to be a cute superhero.
Clearly, there is no one-size-fits-all for funny women in anime. Many of these characters lack the social graces associated with stereotypical femininity, but that only endears them to audiences even more. Whether they're clueless like Usagi, whip-smart like Haruhi, tough like Izumi or rakish like Kashima, there are always plenty of laughs to be had.
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