Anime is a genre in which creators are predominantly known to be men, yet women prove that they are able to beat the odds and do just as well as men when it comes to making a mark. In honor of Women’s History Month, here is a list of 10 anime created by women you can watch. 

1. “Sailor Moon” by Naoko Takeuchi 

“Sailor Moon” was written and illustrated as a manga by Naoko Takeuchi in 1991. It was then adapted into an anime in the year 1992. This anime is about a teenage girl who learns of her destiny as the legendary warrior Sailor Moon and she must band together with the other Sailor Scouts to defend the Earth and Galaxy. This story focuses on female power, as it incorporates action and adventure, along with the importance of friendship and romance.

      2. “Black Butler” by Yana Toboso

Manga artist Yana Toboso, also known by her other pen name Yanao Rock and Takaragi Yana released the manga “Black Butler” in 2006 and the anime series was then released in 2009. This anime revolves around the main character Ciel, a young boy that sells his soul to a demon in order to avenge his family’s death. The demon’s name is Sebastian and he comes in the form of a butler who is always dressed in black. He helps Ciel seek revenge and in exchange, he will be able to consume Ciel’s soul.

    3. “InuYasha” by Rumiko Takahashi

Rumiko Takahashi created “Inuyasha” in 1996 and the story of “InuYasha” is about a girl named Kagome Higurashi who meets a half-dog demon, half-human named Inuyasha. Throughout this story, these two characters go on a quest to retrieve parts of a broken jewel, so that it doesn’t get into the hands of the antagonist, Naraku. 

    4. “Noragami” by Adachitoka

“Noragami,” which translates to “Stray God” is an anime that was created by two female manga artists that go by the name of Adachitoka, a combination of character artist Adachi and background artist Tokashiki. The story of Noragami is about a deity named Yato, whose main goal is to have millions of worshippers. Yato saves a young girl from a car accident but after that accident, her soul leaves her body. She demands Yato to help return her back to normal but Yato needs a partner to do so, she agrees on being his partner until he finds a new one. This is an adventurous action anime that also explores traditional Japanese mythology.

    5. “Demon Slayer” by Koyoharu Gotouge

Koyoharu Gotouge created the story of “Demon Slayer,” which was adapted into an anime in 2019. This anime is about a young boy by the name of Tanjiro Kamado, who becomes a demon slayer after his family was slaughtered by a demon. The only survivor of his family was one of his little sisters, who turned into a demon. He takes on missions of slaying demons to get closer to an answer of finding a cure that will turn his sister back into a human. 

   6. “Orange” by Ichigo Tanako

The anime “Orange” was created by Ichigo Tanako. At first glance, this anime may seem like an average high school romance anime but there is much more to it than just romance. This anime is about a girl named Naho who receives letters from herself 10 years in the future. In these letters, her future self encourages her past self to avoid mistakes that she makes with new transfer student, Kakeru. Kakeru is a troubled boy who had taken his own life and Naho’s future self wants her past self to let Kakeru know her true feelings for him and show him he is not alone. 

    7. “xxxHolic” by CLAMP

Clamp (stylized as CLAMP) is a group of female manga artists that consists of leader Nanase and artists Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi. CLAMP created the manga “xxxHolic” in 2003 and it was adapted into an anime in 2006. “XxxHolic” is a supernatural, psychological, mystery and drama anime about a boy named Kimihiro Watanuki who has the ability to see spirits and ghosts. One day he meets a powerful witch named Yuko who owns a wish-granting shop. Kimihiro askes Yuko to grant him the wish of removing his ability to see spirits, she will only grant the wish on the condition that he work for her. 

   8. “Fullmetal Alchemist” by Hiromu Arakawa

Hiromu Arakawa created the anime “Fullmetal Alchemist” in 2001. “Fullmetal Alchemist” is an adventurous steampunk, dark fantasy anime set in a fictional universe where alchemy is a widely known practice. The story follows two brothers Edward and Alphonse Elric who try to resurrect their dead mother, though it is a failed attempt and Edward loses his brother as well as an arm and a leg. Through the act of Edward’s alchemy skills, he is able to bind his little brother’s soul into a large suit of armor. They then go on an adventure to seek the Philosopher’s Stone which could grant them the power of restoring both of their bodies, however seeking this stone is no easy feat as they must sacrifice a lot to gain the stone.

    9. “Blue Exorcist” by Kazue Kato

Kazue Kato, manga artist, had her story “Blue Exorcist” released as an anime in 2011. This anime is about the main character Rin Okumura and his little brother Yuko, Rin finds out that he and his brother are both the sons of Satan, despite being raised by their adoptive father who was an exorcist. After the tragic death of their adoptive father, Rin becomes determined to be an exorcist to defeat Satan. 

    10. “Gangsta” by Kohske

The author and illustrator of the “Gangsta” series goes by her pen name “Kohske.” The story of “Gangsta” is set in a city called “Ergastalum,” where two main characters Nicholas Brown and Worick Arcangelo are both mercenaries who take on dirty jobs for hire that no one else can seem to handle. The city of Ergastalum was once known to be a city safe for super-human beings known as “Twilights,” but they now are a target to many people and a new threat arises for the city as a war may break out. Both Nicholas and Worick have to be ready to take on such threats.