Strong female characters are an important part of representation in media and a young girl's growing relationship with herself. Here are 10 empowering animated female superstars:
1. Louise Belcher
Louise Belcher is the cunning and cheeky daughter of Bob and Linda in Bob's Burgers. She is self-motivated, abrasive, and often the mastermind behind her siblings' shenanigans.
2. Mikasa Ackerman
Mikasa is the level-headed backbone to Eren and Armin in Attack on Titan. Following a difficult past, she joins the Survey Corps with her friends and fights against the humongous human-eating monsters called Titans. A loyal teammate, she never backs down from a fight.
3. Buttercup
Buttercup is the anti-girly girl out of the three Powerpuff Girls. She is aggressive, hot-tempered, and loves to fight. A staple of many millennial's childhoods, Buttercup reminded us girls could be tough, too.
4. She-Ra
Also known as Princess Adora, "She-Ra" is He-Man's twin sister. Kidnapped by the Evil Horde as a baby, She-Ra acquires the Sword of Protection, becomes the heroine, and escapes, but returns to fight the war against the Horde in Etheria.
5. Raven
As the daughter of a demon, Raven from Teen Titans is a dark, brooding soul who uses telekinetic/psychokinetic powers and her dark energy. Often coming off as secretive and withdrawn, Raven is forced to manage her emotions as a result of her powers.
6. Lana Kane
Lana Kane from Archer is striving to be a master spy. Seemingly destined for the single life, Lana is a career-driven, feisty, liberal-leaning woman who knows how to use a gun and speak her mind.
7. Princess Bubblegum
Inventive and shrewd, from the outside it looks like the multilingual Princess Bubblegum is the unimposing mother figure, but from inside Candy Kingdom, she can be observed inventing and could be considered one of the smartest people in the Land of Ooo.
8. Toph Beifong
Also known as the "Blind Bandit" in underground earthbending tournaments, Toph is a blind earthbending master and discovered metalbending. Upon finding badgermoles (who are also blind), she began learning how to use her other senses to master earthbending and defy expectations.
9. Turanga Leela
A sewer mutant with one eye, Leela is head of all aviation services aboard the Planet Express Ship from Futurama. Always competent and possessing a strong ability to command, Leela keeps the crew together, frequently rescuing her teammates from impending doom.
10. Lisa Simpson
Vegetarian convert, saxophone player, middle child and environmentalist, Lisa Simpson is a young prodigy whose intelligence often isolates her from children her age. With her liberal policies, feminism, and political knowledge, Lisa is well beyond her peer group but possesses an unbeatable passion for her beliefs.