A lot has been said for shonen protagonists, whereas shojo anime protagonists tend to get pushed by the wayside in mainstream anime discussion. This trend tends to occur despite shojo anime protagonists, such as Sailor Moon, being some of the most easily recognizable female characters in anime.
Sometimes this isn't the case, as several shojo anime protagonists have only recently been able to get into the mainstream of popularity. This is just one of the factors that led to the selection of the top 10 shojo anime protagonists of all time in this article.
Disclaimer: This article will contain spoilers for all the anime listed and is highly subjective to the author's personal opinions.
Sailor Moon, and 9 other most popular shojo anime protagonists
1) Usagi Tsukino/Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon)
A list of popular shojo anime protagonists cannot start without Usagi Tsukino, aka the Sailor Guardian, known as Sailor Moon. She fights for love and justice and defends people everywhere. She might be a klutz and a failure at school at the start of the anime, but when push comes to shove, she gets the hero work done.
Usagi is recognized among some of the top female superheroes of all time, with fans usually praising her sincerity, her character development, and that she can kill monsters while being vulnerable. Her popularity is also helped by the fact that she's fairly powerful by the end of the series, able to revive those who died from Galaxia's rampage.
2) Sakura Kinomoto (Cardcaptor Sakura)
Not to be left out, Sakura Kinomoto of Cardcaptor Sakura is likewise an iconic Shojo anime protagonist and magical girl. Being accidentally chosen to wrangle up Clow Cards isn't an easy thing, especially when dealing with the headaches of being a 10-year-old child.
Sakura is known for her modesty and adorable sense of naiveté. Sakura's concerns are well-founded given that she is still in elementary school, unlike Usagi, whose failing grades and general clumsiness could get grating. Her energy and cheerfulness, as well as her strong sense of heroism, are also factors in her popularity. Sakura Kinomoto doesn't give up on people and is very kind, even to villains.
3) Yona (Yona of the Dawn)
The titular princess of Yona of the Dawn is a new-age version of a popular shojo anime protagonist. Yona started off as a princess who had her kingdom invaded, her father killed, and her would-be finance trying to kill her. That would mess up anyone mentally, and the bulk of the anime is Yona attempting to get her kingdom back while dealing with her own issues.
Yona's character revolves around the princess having to look out for herself, but she also shows just how bad it can be if you take that too far. This well-roundedness of her character extends to her overall arc, going from a naive princess into a self-sufficient person who slowly realizes that revenge will not lead to good things once she retakes the throne.
4) Utena Tenjou (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
Another warrior fighting for love and honor, Utena Tenjou of Revolutionary Girl Utena, is considered a trendsetter for shojo anime protagonists. Plenty of subsequent animated shows, such as Revue Starlight, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, and others, owe their influences to Utena's intermixing of gender roles, coming-of-age stories, and LGBT+ issues, with Utena herself in the spotlight.
Firstly, Utena's goal is to become a prince worthy of marrying Anthy, and this is used as a deconstruction of the typical prince/princess dichotomy to say that both are ultimately limiting. Furthermore, though Utena is a girl, she insists on wearing boys' uniforms and was part of one of the larger LGBT relationships of the 1990s era. All that, plus her friendly demeanor and skills with a blade, nail her popularity.
5) Tohru Honda (Fruits Basket)
Tohru Honda from Fruits Basket has a lot of fans and is considered a very endearing shojo anime protagonist herself. To summarize, Tohru lost both her parents to a car accident and a chronic illness and had to live on her own in a tent. Then she got adopted into the Sohma family, who are already dysfunctional enough to fill several books.
The twist with Tohru is that she might be all smiles and compassionate, which is why the curse over Sohma broke, but she's so obsessively caring for others that she needs to help herself. That aspect of her character, which demonstrates that even shojo anime characters experience a lot of trauma, is beloved by many viewers.
6) Kyoko Mogami (Skip Beat)
Where to start with the protagonist of the comedy Skip Beat? Kyoko Mogami starts off as a 16-year-old, working two jobs to support herself and her childhood friend, aspiring idol star, and romantic interest, Shotaro Fuwa. That bubble burst when she overheard Sho's confession to his manager that he was just using her and will dump her the first chance he sees.
Naturally, Kyoko doesn't take this well and dedicates her life to revenge. The problem? She has hardly any self-worth owing to being used by Sho for most of her life. She's popular because of her insane antics, her story is a heartfelt tale about finding yourself after a life's worth of emotional torment, and she's considered the funniest shojo anime protagonist on this list.
7) Nana Komatsu And Nana Osaki (Nana)
Two protagonists for the price of one entry is a more than likely possibility regarding shojo anime protagonists, especially regarding Nana. The anime concerns both the titular protagonists, searching for fame in Osaki's case and romance in Komatsu's case, and their struggles to maintain a friendship with all the pressures of being 20.
Unfortunately, this entails having to deal with relationships, cheating, and relationship anxiety frequently. The difficulties the two faces in their relationships, in dealing with fame, and with their drug addictions are just a few of the things that make them so well-known. Many have expressed surprise that Nana was considered a shojo instead of a josei, considering how much more grounded she was.
8) Haruhi Fujioka (Ouran High School Host Club)
It's amazing how breaking something as simple as an 8 million yen antique vase in an ultra-wealthy school can land someone in massive debt, but that's what happens to Haruhi Fujioka in Ouran High School Host Club. Fujioka is forced to join the school Host Club to work off the debt, all the while concealing her gender.
Aside from the gender-based gags that arise from the other male hosts' overprotectiveness, since Haruhi would be thrown out of the club otherwise, Haruhi is generally studious and incredibly smart. It also helps that her overall story echoes the mangaka's feelings about gender: that everyone should be proud of their uniqueness and remain true to themselves, and that cross-dressing is a part of that.
9) Yuki Cross (Vampire Knight)
A story about vampires having a shojo anime protagonist turn into one is the situation in which Yuki Cross finds herself in Vampire Knight. As per the traditions of the genre, she's a very tragic protagonist indeed, with a lot of different expectations shoved upon her. Whether she's trapped in a love triangle or trying to get the Day and Night Classes to get along, Yuki has a lot on her plate.
While there's severe debate about the sense of putting her through all the angst she goes through, many people like that Yuki continues going forth despite this. There are likewise a lot of things that ultimately make her endearing, her attitude being one of them, and her being a vampire able to fight others.
10) Nanami Momozono (Kamisama Kiss)
A young girl becoming a goddess is not something fans of shojo anime protagonists would expect outside of a magical girl anime. But that's what happens to Nanami Momozono of Kamisama Kiss. After a life of hardship, owing to her father running out on her with gambling debts, Nanami saved a man named Mikage from a dark in a park and gained a house and low-key god powers.
The crux of the story is Nanami learning to live in and around a worship shrine, as Mikage turns out to have been the prior Land God of the Shrine, and establishing a relationship with Mikage's familiar Tomoe. She may get rejected twice when first trying to confess her feelings, but she doesn't give up on that or try to help humans and Yokai get along.
To conclude this list of the 10 most popular shojo anime protagonists of all time, a brief word should be given on strong female characters in general. All of these characters, from Tohru to Usagi to Nanami, are well-rounded and well-written.
It shows that female characters don't necessarily need to conform to gender roles to be well written, nor is being a killer a sign of good writing. If any shojo anime protagonist is missing from this list, readers are encouraged to add any suggestions in the comments.