Animecharacters always impress viewers with their development, with many showcasing significant growth as their story progresses. For many female anime characters, their personal growth may come as a result of reaching a new power or gaining self-confidence after being inspired by someone, transforming their mentality and even their designs. That means thatsome anime girls reinvented themselves and had some of the best glow-ups that surprised fans.
Many anime girls have stood out for their stunning character design, unique personalities, and the emotions they generate in the audience, making it impossible for viewers not to fall in love with their natural charms. However,the cutest anime girls not only have expressive eyes or long hair but have managed to bring their inner beauty to the outside, seizing their real potential and becoming whole new characters.
It’s undeniable thatOshi no Kohas become a benchmark in anime for lovely female characterslike Ai and Ruby Hoshino and Kana Arima. But one of the most notable is Akane Kurokawa, a young actress who has become a fan-favorite character to winOshi no Ko’s love triangle. During her introductory arc, Akane developed confidence issues that worsened when she began experiencing bullying through social media.
This affected her self-esteem, plunging her into severe depression. However,Akane underwent a character evolution, gaining more self-confidence and physically demonstrating her personal change by letting her hair grow. Akane becomes more attractive but also firm, mature, and very sweet to Aqua, being able to use her intellect to help him as a great ally.
Kanao Tsuyuri is a delicate girl with short, black hair, and a member of the Demon Slayer Corps and the sister and tsuguko of the Insect Hashira, Kocho Shinobu. Though Kanao was first introduced as a quiet and reserved character, it was later revealed that she had a sad childhood where she was neglected and sold by her own parents, having been forcedto turn off her feelings to survive.
After meeting the Kocho sisters, Kanao changed her exterior but was still the empty shell of a person whose life decisions were determined by tossing a coin. However, Kanao was inspired by Tanjiro to be true to herself and what she wants. Thismade Kanao finally shine and bloom like a flowerand was finally able to give genuine smiles that stole the hearts ofDemon Slayer’s fansand anyone who has the pleasure of seeing her on screen.
Dragon Ball
Bulma is arguably the mostimportant character inDragon Ballnext to Goku and the most intelligent woman in her universe, having saved the earth on several occasions. Bulma was also the first crush of a lot of young anime fans growing up thanks to her characteristic style that made her a fashion icon of the 90s.
One of the biggest traits of Bulma is her constant changes of look, having a variety of outfits throughout the series and captivating fans' hearts from the original Dragon Ball all the way to Super. However, she not only changed her hairstyle but also grew personal after meeting Goku and accompanied him on many adventures.
Bulma went from a scaredy-cat, conceited, and selfish teenagerto a more mellow character who can even talk back to a God of Destruction and becomes one of the most caring characters inDragon Ball,worried about her family and the rest of the Z-fighters.
Juvia Lockser has the greatest character growth since her first appearancein the anime. At the beginning ofFairy Tail, Juvia is a gloomy and unsociable character who only follows orders and doesn’t care about others. Her design wasn’t appealing either, with a death-eyed stare, a shawl draped over her shoulders with a rain doll, as she was constantly depressed by the rain that chased her.
But after her fight with Gray Fullbuster,Juvia’s personality changes drastically; she is much happier, more radiant, friendlier, and full of empathy for others, both thanks to having fallen in love and her newfound family in Fairy Tail. Juvia also changes her appearance to look her best and has several makeovers throughout the series that make her one of the most adorable characters inFairy Tail.
Starting as an orphan from the slums, Violet Evergarden is trained to be a child soldier and a war machine that only knows how to live on a bloody battlefield.Violet was like an emotionless dollafter going through a terrible trauma, setting herself on a journey after the end of the war to discover what it means to love and be loved by someone.
As a result,the experiences of Violet Evergarden make her character development just as beautiful as her grown-up ethereal design, becoming even more breathtaking as she learns to be more human and express herself. There’s no doubt that Violet’s detailed design with her flowing dress that moves with the wind and her hairstyle makes her one of the cutest anime girls of all time.
Naruto
With her dark hair, pearly eyes, and delicate demeanor,Hinata Hyuga became one ofNaruto’s most beloved female characters. Despite being next in line to become the leader of the Hyuga clan, Hinata struggled with her lack of self-confidence. She was also extremely shy, not being able to speak to Naruto due to her one-sided crush.
Yet, she shows impressive evolution throughout the series, becoming a powerful ninja and winning over viewers with her perseverance and hard work. Hinata managed to overcome her own weakness and become a strong and determined woman capable of fighting to protect her loved ones, especially Naruto.Hinata also became more confident, dressed more flatteringly, and became prettier by the end ofNaruto’s story.
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Part ofNeon Genesis Evangelion’s legacyis its incredible characters andRei is one of the key figures in the story. Rei Ayanami doesn’t have great social skills, is characterized by her cold exterior and quiet personality, and is always in the background compared to more charismatic characters like Asuka Langley.
However, as the plot progresses, more complex details aboutRei Ayanami’s originsare brought to light, and her character arc, based on her identity and search for humanity, makes her essential to the emotional development of characters like Shinji Ikari.
Additionally,her distinctive design, with her Eva pilot’s uniform and short silver-blue hair, makes Rei one of the most beloved characters by anime fans. Furthermore, Rei showed a new side of her in theRebuild of Evangelionfilm series, where she was briefly featured with long hair, which took her already iconic design to new levels.
Nico Robin has one of the most tragic backstories inOne Piecebut alsoone of the biggest character developments out of the Straw Hats. After surviving an extermination and spending most of her life being persecuted for her knowledge and labeled as a demon, Robin went from thinking she didn’t deserve to live to finally embracing her place in the crew and learning to have hope for the future.
This was highlighted by her personality changes after joining the Straw Hats. Though Robin’s design after the time skip has been debated due to the change in her skin color due to an animation error in the anime, her exotic look with her long hair and without her bangs was well-received by manyOne Piecefans, oftenplacing her at the top of beautiful female anime characters.
