Kara Dennison
October 10, 2020 
Anime heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and from all points in history. When it comes to having our day saved, though, there’s nothing like a knight in shining armor! And while there are plenty of cool guys out there, these female knights have our attention. From the legendary to the regal to the, er, slightly distracted, here are three of our favorite female knights in anime.
Jeanne (Ulysses)
Jeanne d’Arc was a very real person, fighting for (and eventually martyred by) her people. Anime, and fiction in general, is full of retellings of her legendary story. But Ulysses: Jeanne d’Arc and the Alchemist Knight puts an unusual spin on the female knight’s familiar story, headed up by Berserk director Shin Itakagi… which probably explains a lot about the extra gory, extra eldritch nature of this version.
As in other versions, country girl Jeanne becomes a heroic knight — but in Ulysses, the warrior’s powers come from an unusual source. And this young lady ends up with a surprising split personality as a result of her new abilities. As for the alchemist overseeing her mission? Let’s just say Montmorency had a different name, and if you know what it is, you can see where this story is going.
Darkness (KONOSUBA)
Holding to a perfect track record of honor and chivalry is a big ask, and even the noblest knight will slip sometimes. But KONOSUBA‘s crusader Darkness is a whole other situation. Even in a party with useless goddess Aqua and pyro Megumin, she makes it difficult to ignore her masochistic proclivities.
But, as with everyone else in the KONOSUBA anime, we can’t help but love the resident weird female knight. She’s a fan favorite, even if she spends more time deliberately letting herself get abused than actually saving the day. At least she knows what she likes. Live your best life, Darkness, we won’t stop you.
Saber (Fate/stay night)
We can’t close out a list of anime’s best female knights without checking in with the King of Knights! Saber (a.k.a. Altria Pendragon) is the Fate-verse’s take on King Arthur, summoned back into our world as a Heroic Spirit. Like many of Fate‘s other Servants, there are several versions of her — in Altria’s case, probably more than anyone else. Her fan-favorite status means you’ll see this hero of Camelot in her young days, in multiple alternate dark forms, as a version of herself sent to cull the ever-growing Saber population, and at one point as a morally grey Santa because why not.
Regardless of what her other forms get up to, the original Saber is noble, loyal, heroic, and beautiful — it’s no wonder she’s the Once and Future King.
What other noble female knights of anime do you love?
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