Seeing the comments I received on my post about strong female characters two days ago, I noticed that much of the difficulty in the discussion comes from people disagreeing on the very definition of the term (as is the case with so many anime arguments). Re-reading the examples given there and elsewhere, I’ve come to realize that the issue stems from the fact that when many people use the term “strong female character,” they actually mean “powerful female character.”
It’s a simple yet profound difference. Think about how you’d use the two words to describe a real person.
“That woman is strong.”
“That woman is powerful.”
It rings differently, doesn’t it? Power can refer to a number of things. Physical ability, political influence, knowledge, specialized skills, it all comes down something which gives a character the tools to do things better than others. But when you say someone is strong, you’re generally talking about something deeper inside, such as an iron resolve or strong convictions.
That’s not to say that just because a character is powerful can’t meant they’re strong or vice versa, of course. And many times a series can potentially undermine a strong character by intentionally or unintentionally placing emphasis on “power.” Even so, I think this is where most of the misunderstandings occur.
So I guess the real solution is to ask both questions.
What do you think of the status of strong female characters in anime and manga?
What do you think of the status of powerful female characters in anime and manga?
OGIUE MANIAX 
So it’s Bellemere vs. Boa Hancock? Or Naomi Misora vs. Misa Amane?
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It’s the same for me, a character is outwardly “powerful”, and inwardly “strong”. But the words still don’t mean much, do they? That’s what makes it so fun to discuss these sorts of things (at least, I think so).
For instance, Horo is both powerful and strong, as is Haruhi. But I’d much rather have Horo to deal with, wouldn’t you? What makes them “strong” is their inward locus of control, and desire to overcome their own flaws or limitations. What makes them powerful, however, is their ability to manipulate others.. Horo’s is born of experience, Haruhi’s is born of her domineering personality and other’s fear of her.
Then there is a whole host of characters who are powerful without having “powers”. Shurei, Balsa, and many others, have inward strength of will, and outwardly powerful personalities, even if they are vastly different. Balsa may have fighting prowess, but no superpowers and few allies. And Shurei has almost nothing but fierce determination and wit, yet has some form of mystery magnet that attracts all the guys in her universe.
By this distinction there are obviously powerful characters who are not particularly strong, such as Taiga or Naru, and there are strong characters who aren’t particularly powerful, like Ruri or Haruka Shitow. Interesting then, that the distinction doesn’t make much difference to me.. I still hate Naru and grew to admire Taiga, adored Ruri in her own way, but only really respected Haruka.
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In both cases – strong and powerful women – like you say, they can be found if you look for them. I personally think there’s not enough of both, even though I gravitate towards anime/manga that feature both. I find the act of looking for positive depictions of females in manga/anime (even in, and SPECIFICALLY in shoujo/josei manga/anime) self-defeating and kind of depressing, really. Sure, they exist, but they are by far the minority.
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Strong vs. powerful, it’s certainly something that gets conflated a lot when discussing female characters. Creating a strong female character who is not a “man in a woman suit” is something that media has been struggling with for a very long time. After all, compared to the history of fiction, it’s only recently that females were considered to be equal to males in most cultures. Men have had time to develop traditional archetypes that define a strong character. Women have not. Their roles have traditionally been weak, submissive.
This is especially troublesome in anime, which is a medium still steeped in misogyny.
I think the most important part of a strong female character is that she is a strong character, period. Someone who is independent, decisive, has a mind of her own. Of course, these traits coincide with what makes a strong male character, so you run the risk of having a “man in a woman suit.” But the reason these traits are important to a strong male character is that these traits create a strong character, regardless of gender. A strong female character needs those things plus traits that make her decidedly feminine, without subverting those aforementioned traits.
When I try to think of a “strong female character” in anime, the ones I jump to, at least in recent memory, are Hitagi from Bakemonogatari and Haruhi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (I would consider the superior Haruhi – from Ouran High School Host Club – as well, though she sometimes falls into the “man in a woman suit” trap). These are girls who know what they want and act in order to get them. At the same time, they are distinctly female. Both are sexualized, Hitagi especially so. Both use that aspect of themselves to aid in getting what they want. At the same time, they both have weaknesses that are traditionally associated with females, but they don’t let those dominate their characters.
Unfortunately, such characters are few and far between in anime. Even the 2 I mentioned star in shows that are filled with female characters that fall prey to those weak roles that females are usually pushed into.
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I find that your thoughts on the subject extremely interesting. A character that has a strong presence would only need to be one or the other (which is probably why they are main characters). Though power would be more easier to see than strength. As you said, strength is more to do with the characters inner personality and ideals.
A powerful person would have the force to overcome alot of things but that doe’s not necessarily mean that they have the so called “strength”.
You can see power as a person, a person who has talent but lacks a goal and strength as a person who has determination with a clear view of what he/she wants. This is only an example, one’s strength can be interpreted differently by each individual.
Power is generally a popular trait when it comes to characters. As it’s an easy trait to understandand, we all seek power in our own way. But strength is alot more complicated and some of the time it takes someone else to see your own strength. Also some people who consider certain traits that are weaknesses can be considered as strengths by someone else, isn’t that weird?
At the moment I am trying to create a manga with the girl as the main character. But I found male characters can easily over shadow female characters when it comes to power. The majority of people visualise males as the dominent sex, with stronger physiques and a violent nature. Where females are more happily seen as fragile/soft beauties. I found that the issue was easily resolved with strength. You would feel more for a character who has more to her than just power. You’ll become more attached to her when you can see and feel her strengths that she rely on to get though her struggles. And these strengths are not just thoughts, feelings or aims of the character, they are the sole boundaries that holds the person will together. A character who’s lost his/her strength will begin to doubt their own capability or even their existance. So when she is being tested, she’s not being tested for just power but by her reason for existing. Theres nothing more intense than a person like that I believe :3
I apologise for the bad english and the wall of text. I’m not very good with literature…which is why I resorted to manga to tell me story.
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Having power doesn’t necessarily mean you’re strong, for example, the stereotypical villain who gains all this power, then reverts back to a coward when he/she loses it.
I think the majority of memorable female characters in anime are either strong but not powerful (Erin from Kemono no Souja Erin), both (Balsa from Seirei no Moribito), or powerful and then eventually become strong throughout the series (Saya from Blood+ perhaps?) I don’t think there are many protagonist female characters who are only powerful and never strong because it’s not what people want to see.
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One side note, in Japanese I honestly wouldn’t know how to express the different words: both would be 強い (tsuyoi) which is “strong” but with all the nuances of strong of body, strong of mind, ability to control her surroundings. If you were going to express “powerful” you’d most likely use English, e.g. パワフル. If someone said “that girl is strong” to me in English I’d only think of physical strength for the most part.
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It seems like when I say that strong female characters are “out there,” people are interpreting it as “Oh they exist, but you have to search far and wide to find them!”
What I really mean is, “they’re actually pretty ubiquitous and not that hard to point out.”
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