Ninja girls especially give off that “kuudere but will slash your throat” vibe, which is just lovely. So here we’re picking out our favorites in all of anime. And for clarity, I’m counting all sneaky assassin-type lady characters too. Just so this doesn’t turn into a Naruto gathering.
20. Chelsea
Anime: Akame ga Kill! Out of the entire assassin group, Chelsea is definitely the most “on brand”. While most of the characters still resort to brute strength, more often than not Chelsea is all about the element of surprise. She has the ability to morph her appearance and use camouflage to get close to her pray before sticking a needle in their throat. To achieve her goals she studies her victims, their voice, demeanor, how they treat their teammates, everything. So she might not be carrying any shuriken, but I think she’s as ninja as they come.
19. Kyouka Izumi
Anime: Bungo Stray Dogs If you love your katana wielding ninja girls, then Izumi is for you, kind of. She’s without a doubt a terrific assassin, and initially even has that “do or die” mentality going into any mission. But it’s not her that wields the sword, but rather a stand-like phantom that she can summon. As you can imagine, the phantom can make swift work of most people. And because Izumi is but a cute little girl, no one in their right mind would ever accuse her of such gruesome crimes.
18. Himiko Toga
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia For all of you crazies out there, I got you. Toga is insane, no two ways to go about it. She has an obsession with blood, and seems to be really enjoying herself while stabbing people. Her quirk allows her to change her appearance so that she’s identical to the person whose blood she has tasted. You can already see why she makes for an excellent assassin. And even beyond just her quirk, she has some serious agility points. And she’s pretty handy with knives and other sharp objects, so even if her disguise is ruined, the battle is not necessarily over.
17. Kagero
Anime: Ninja Scrolls I mean, it’s right there in the title. Kagero definitely has a unique set of skills, as instead of the usual blade, shuriken, or needle, she opts for some good old Kuzco poison. However, she’s hardly the only one to use poison to off someone. So she’s also the taster for her clan’s master, you know, to make sure no Tide pods sneak their way into his food. But that has happened so frequently that she’s now not only immune to all poison, but her blood has basically become poison. I mean, say what you will, but having poison on hand every time you get a papercut seems pretty dandy for her line of business.
16. Irina Jelavić
Anime: Assassination Classroom This character got stuck with the most unflattering nickname, didn’t she? But to give credit where credit is due, Irina is a marvelous assassin. She has learned multiple languages so that she can communicate with just about anyone, and has maxed out her seduction tree to the point of irresistible charm. And just when you let your guard down, boom: you’re a goner. She’s played off as a gag character for quite a bit, but when she gets serious she is beyond just useful: she is essential.
15. Goemon Hachisuka
Anime: The Ambition of Oda Nobuna As a ninja, Goemon is a fully fledged adult and warrior. She confidently leads her group of thieves and isn’t scared of anything. She can take a flaming arrow for you and won’t even bat an eye about it. But as a functioning person, well, she’s a child. So in typical anime fashion, any contact with a male will follow with a lot of panting, blushing, maybe some monologues, and awkwardness is bound to fill the air. So you know, pick your battles, don’t actually fight her and make sure to keep your distance.
14. Elsa Granhiert
Anime: Re: Zero Geez, this woman really likes her daily dose of human bowels, doesn’t she? As you might have guessed from that statement, she is not as subtle as some of the others, as she toys around with her victims for quite a bit and has a signature way of killing. However, she’s still a professional. So don’t expect her to just barge in and start swinging. She will bide her time, isolate you or a small party, and then strike when you least expect it. Plus she can also hold onto a grudge for quite a bit so be careful.
13. Oboro Iga
Anime: Basilisk I can’t help but feel like I have seen this character somewhere else. The leader of a clan, beyond kind, and doesn’t really want to harm anyone. Plus has an OP ability that’s activated through her eyes and can stop her enemies from using their powers. All I’m going to say is that she makes another appearance at number one. Although I will admit, Iga is a bit more deadly, and at least has the capacity to lose her cool… which by the way can turn her “neutralizing” gaze into a death stare.
12. Sheele
Anime: Akame ga Kill! I mean, personally I would never pin down scissors as a necessarily sneaky weapon. But whatever works I guess. Sheele is quite the diamond in the rough when it comes to assassinations, being that she’s clumsy enough to trip over an even floor, and is as blind as a bat without her glasses. However, when it’s killing time, all those defects wash away. And whoever’s the target gets a very upfront hair cut very quickly. She’s also quite the softy towards her friends, which always makes for some good aww material.
11. Sarutobi Ayame
Anime: Gintama Now this girls is quite something, as each of her personality traits seems to have a big “but” right after them. The two main ones being, she’s an extremely talented assassin who can hit a fly taking flight with her kunai, but she is as blind as a bat when it comes to anything that doesn’t involve killing. And secondly, she’s a stone cold killer who won’t bat an eye at your funeral, but she’s basically six whenever her husbando walks onto the scene. I swear it’s like the writers wanted to fit two characters in one. I mean it worked, she makes for quite the comedy, but I want to see more murder sprees.
10. Eri Shiina
Anime: Angel Beats! God bless this character for literally being every kid after they’ve seen one ninja movie. I mean, she does the classics like hiding in shadows, balancing things on her fingers, calling herself a ninja (in case you’re not aware) as well as sporting some classical ninja weapon. But her real inner child shines through when it comes to stuffed animals. She is the embodiment of “it’s so fluffy I’m going to die” as she has been lured in many traps with those plushie baits. Luckily she’s actually a strong fighter, so she manages to handle her own in these situations.
9. Anko Mitarashi
Anime: Naruto There’s a reason I’m putting Anko under just Naruto and not Shippuden, or god forbid Boruto… they did my girl dirty! Original Anko honestly had me at first glance. She had all the cool factors from Orochimaru with her snake jutsus, but didn’t look like a sleep paralysis demon. She also had quite the attitude, teasing people about death, maybe throwing a kunai at her student, the usual pupil-master dynamic. So she looked amazing, had interesting jutsus, and wasn’t a wish-wash character? Sign me up!
8. Levi Kazama
Anime: Trinity Seven This is the second Levi I have seen that’s too cool to care about death itself. Like seriously, you would never want to play poker against this character. She doesn’t allow any emotion to show on her face, and can stay calm even in the most dire situations. Then again, being one of the strongest in the world would probably make most people pretty calm. She’s also a self-proclaimed ninja as she uses illusions as well as her extreme agility and strength to assassinate whoever has a hit on their head.
7. Lan Fan
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Lan Fan is a literal ride or die. She’s prince Ling’s bodyguard and she takes her job extremely seriously, being fully prepared to throw hands if you bite your thumb in the prince’s direction. She’s also prepared to stand against the entire world if it means Ling may survive, or accomplish his ultimate goal of immortality. This all makes her sound very chaotic and impulsive, and she can be like that sometimes. But odds are she’ll just keep to herself and watch over her prince from a distance.
6. Misao Makimachi
Anime: Rurouni Kenshin This chick was quite a rollercoaster to watch. Mostly because her insult combos were hilarious. Also because she keeps trying to show off her ninja skills to the point where it actually gets her in trouble, but then she “stop showing off” and does something more impressive and indirectly shows off. And then you just have to question her obsession for her hero Aoshi when she seems to be doing just dandy on her own. I mean, it did bring her to Kenshin, so I guess I’m not complaining.
5. Sarada Uchiha
Anime: Boruto If you know me by now, then you know that I’m all about the optimism picks. And this is definitely one of them. Currently Sarada is definitely not top tier. But at least she isn’t as stuck up and annoying as the titular yellow pain in the neck. However, she has the potential to be an absolute beast once you just imagine a Sharingan combined with Hulk strength. Just imagine an enemy that can predict your movements, set you on fire, phase through reality itself, and now they also punch like an incoming truck… I think that would be pretty dope.
4. Moeka Kiryuu
Anime: Steins;Gate Am I really stretching the definition of ninja? Most probably. Moeka is a weird one, as I could imagine her being any type of character depending on what kind of attention she gets. And because we know how much Steins;Gate likes to mess around with multiple timelines, we’ve seen what happens when she’s ordered to kill. She will do it like a pro, won’t bat an eye, won’t leave any witnesses, and will get the job done quickly. Now imagine if she and future apocalypse Ruka joined forces? Now that would be a show all of its own.
3. Ougi Oshino
Anime: Owarimonogatari Okay stick with me on this: besides murder, the main objectives of any good ninja have to be collecting information, distributing false information, and sabotage. Boy does Ougi do all of the above to such a degree that she twirls these seasons around her finger. By knowing just what to say to each character, she would make them burst out or stay quiet, go somewhere or avoid someone, she was a full blown puppet master. And considering it took quite a bit to realize it was all her doing, I can confidently state that she would make for an amazing ninja in any capacity.
2. Seraphim
Anime: Kore wa Zombie desu ka? (Is This a Zombie?) I mean, we’ve all heard of regular ninjas, so boring right? It’s all about them vampire ninjas now! Yes, I’m being serious, Seraphim is a vampire ninja. She’s also a servant, however she speaks with her “master” in a very non-PG way, let’s put it that way. Her lousy attitude aside, she’s extremely experienced with her sword and will make sure that you’re aware of just how good she is. And I mean fair enough, she does indeed kick some serious butt.
1. Hinata Hyuuga
Anime: Naruto: Shippuden You know, once you go through all the other characters, you realize that Naruto ninjas are the least ninja-like characters on here. I mean, Hinata is definitely not assassinating anyone. However, her byakugan is extremely useful for gathering information and seeing through traps laid by the enemy. It also helps you beat the ever-living hell out of your opponents, as you can block their chakra paths and leave them like sitting ducks. But the real reason Hinata is at the top here is because she’s an overall best girl… be it with the confidence of a turtle, but also just happens to be a ninja.
