Glasses can truly be a hassle: you lose them and turn into Velma, they constantly get foggy, and people always want to try them on. But there are upsides as well. You look like a stylish smarty-pants for one. And chicks with glasses can really play it up. If you’re looking for some ideas of a best girl in anime that wear glasses, well I’ve got you covered. Let’s see how beautiful they are in their blurry existence.
30. Sheele
Anime: Akame ga Kill Sheele is a very dangerous customer, equipped with giant scissors she can cut down just about anything. And she has definitely put that statement to the test. Although it was mostly just people. However despite her ruthless assassin mindset, she can be quite gentle. And was to an extent the heart of the group, always there to be a shoulder to cry on. It’s also very easy to forget her body count once you see her stumbling around just because she lost her glasses for the millionth time that day.
29. Manami Okuda
Anime: Assassination Classroom We have another assassin on our hands, fancy that. They fill a similar niche but in drastically different ways. Okuda is very shy and struggles with the usual up-front way of dealing with Koro-sensei, guns and snipers just aren’t her thing. However, she’s extremely intelligent and proficient in chemistry. So she can whip out the best poison this world has seen since… never mind. The mad chemist dandere is definitely not something you see every day. But she makes it work.
28. Sumireko Sanshokuin
Anime: ORESUKI Are you the only one who loves me? (Ore wo Suki Nano wa Omae Dake ka yo) Sumireko definitely caught me off guard, I can tell you that much. In short, the show centers around Jouro, a “nice guy™” who’s really trying to build a harem. Even though he isn’t that good of a person. Then Sumireko comes along and is genuinely interested in Jouro, and not the fake persona he lets everyone else believe in. But rather his true neckbeard self. And then she just kind of screws around with everyone as they all play into her hands. Never has a library girl been more intimidating, and yet somehow alluring.
27. Hange Zoë
Anime: Attack on Titan Fun fact: in the manga it was never distinguished whether Hange was a female or not. The anime is a different monster though. Is Hange wifey material? Hell no, she’s already married to her work. And you should not and cannot be a homewrecker. I mean, just look at how excited she gets whenever she thinks she’s on the verge of making a great discovery. Also worth mentioning the lengths she’s prepared to go to. In this regard, she’s very similar to Erwin. With an undying curiosity that tramples any ethics or norms.
26. Moeka Kiryuu
Anime: Steins;Gate I have gone on record and stated that I disliked this character, at least in the first half. However she did grow on me as the series went on. She also has an unbelievable narrative pressure, because this is a character that seemingly has nothing to lose and will therefore stop at nothing to fulfill her goals. Even when that something makes me want to throw a shoe at the screen. And because of the setup of the show, we have seen her on both sides of the coin: as the savior and as the damnation. Considering she fit both roles pretty well, you can’t argue that she’s at least top-notch in terms of dynamic writing.
25. Yuki Nagato
Anime: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Yuki is one of those fakers that don’t really need glasses. But she’s quite cute when she wears, them so I’m going to let it slide. When first introduced, she came off as the hardcore kuudere that would balance out the beehive for a brain known as Haruhi. However once the layers started being pulled back and we saw the extraordinary nature of the Brigade, we learn that Yuki is basically a human interface there to simply collect data. How the writers took that prompt and kept her interesting without going down the Pinocchio route, I truly have no idea. But good on them.
24. Saya Takagi
Anime: Highschool of the Dead Can’t say that I’m surprised that the one with glasses is the brains of the group. Okay, Kohta also has glasses. But he definitely took a different direction. Although it’s easy to forget because of her tough exterior, Saya is genuinely a genius. And she’s as essential to the group as Machinegun Kohta and the Sadistic samurai. After all, she was the first to figure out how the “not zombies” tracked their location, a titbit that was extremely useful later on. You also have to appreciate her “protect the smile” attitude towards Alice, which is just adorable.
23. Mirai Kuriyama
Anime: Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary) She is such a dandere I can’t handle the cuteness. You see, in her world there is a profession called the Spirit World Warriors. It’s their job to hunt Youmu. And that’s usually how they make a living. But being the ball of fluff that she is, Kuriyama really doesn’t want to even encounter Youmu, let alone fight them. What does that mean? The greatest antagonist of all, financial instability, wooo. I also love the fact she hangs her heart on her sleeve. She couldn’t lie if her life depended on it. Embrace the awkwardness, we love you for it.
22. Shino Asada (Sinon)
Anime: Sword Art Online II I mean, you have to love your gamer girls. True, Shino doesn’t wear glasses in the virtual world. However, she does in real life. So it counts! The best way to describe her is “cool as a cucumber”, which is to be expected from an A-class sniper. She’s always level-headed and decisive. Okay almost always, Kirito managed to piss her off; his overpowered-ness has now transcended even to the human psyche. Her past is definitely not all sunshine and rainbows. But she does tough through it, so let’s give respect where it’s due.
21. Homura Akemi
Anime: Mahou Shoujo Madoka★Magica If Naofumi Iwatani had a child with the most dandere of all danderes, Homura would be their offspring. This is because she’s introduced as a support archetype, with fewer points into offense and more so towards shielding. But just like her hypothetical papa, she soon learns how to use her powers for offense as well. And could stand her own ground before long. She’s also such a shy little munchkin, I really want to pinch her cheek or something.
20. Kasumi Nomura
Anime: Asobi Asobase Compared to Hanako, Nomura seems pretty toned down. But then again, everyone does. Yet when she does have her outbursts it’s an absolute riot to watch. This is because she’s usually very calm and collected, but can get very sadistic and cruel if she’s worked up. I don’t know about you, but she gave the hardest spanking since the 80s when Hanako acted tough. She also gets very stabby if a man frightens her out of nowhere… bonus points if it’s Maeda.
19. Koyomi Mizuhara
Anime: Azumanga Daioh I thought my anime vocabulary was somewhat decent until I stumbled upon Koyomi and the word maganekko. And no, it’s not a cat that voted for Trump (it is also spelled meganekko but I had to make that joke). It’s actually a character whose charm and visual appeal are tightly connected to them wearing glasses. The more you know. Koyomi definitely fits the bill here, as her maturity contrasts very nicely with her friends. And her occasional bursts of chaotic energy make her just a bit more dynamic. School grades have probably shortened her life by a few years. But that’s just most people, I think.
18. Yomiko Readman
Anime: Read Or Die If you haven’t picked it up by now, characters with glasses tend to be very smart. And what makes you smart? Reading books! And maybe a SkillShare membership, who knows. Well what are books made of? To cut the quiz short, Yomiko can control paper and uses it in combat. Like Konan, but less angelic. It also makes a bit more sense for Yomiko to have this power because the girl really enjoys her reading time. Like she has read hundreds of books and shows no intention of slowing down. No wonder her eyes got a bit messed up.
17. Tamako Arai
Anime: Barakamon The Tamako plus Miwa combo was honestly a joy to watch. Especially when they interact with Sei. Since they were older than most of the cast, but still younger than Sei, it left a lot of room for tomfoolery. What pushed Tamako over the edge and onto this list for me is her obsession with manga. She’s a closeted fujoshi and gets heated whenever manga is mentioned. Or she thinks that Sei might swing the other way, if you know what I mean. Her over-the-top reactions always lightened up the mood. And her intensity while speaking is infectious, honestly.
16. Nina Einstein
Anime: Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch I want to put her in this spot just to metaphorically piss her off. If you’re not in the know, in the show Nina is a bit of a racist towards the conquered people. She also has one hell of a Jackal and Hyde situation going on, as she’s both this nice innocent girl that keeps to her books and doesn’t draw attention to herself, but also Oppenheimer in disguise. I mean, I couldn’t only put the “happily ever after, all sunshine and rainbow” characters on this list. It needed a little grit. Nina fits that role perfectly.
15. Shizuku
Anime: Hunter x Hunter (2011) I just love the Phantom troupe, some of the best antagonists alongside the Akatsuki. Shizuku is just such a hilarious yet fitting leg of this spider. I say hilarious because she has a damn possessed vacuum as a weapon… like how do you come up with that? It’s like a samurai, giant muscle dude, copycat ninja, and then a vacuum cleaner from hell. I will say that she makes for a good atmosphere when the troupe is on the scene. And she definitely took off some of the weight Hisoka was carrying in the realm of eye candy.
14. Sheska
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist Sheska should be a motivational speaker or something. I mean, her central premise is her love for books. She reads whenever, wherever, we’re meant to be together… And this really hits her performance as far as jobs go. Because serving a customer is a priority way bellow reading a new book. Yet all this excessive reading has obviously made her brain go super Saiyan. And she can remember anything she has ever read, making her like a living Internet entity, minus all the weird fetish sites. So make your flaws your strengths! Or something like that.
13. Maiko Oogure
Anime: Kill la Kill I have to get a bit spoilery to truly emphasize why I like this character. The thing is, I really enjoy self-aware cowards in anime when they’re done right. Not only is it good for a quick laugh, but it also feels a bit more realistic. And boy, Maiko is so cowardly that she’s prepared to play every dirty trick in the book to secure her victory. Fake injuries in order to get a sympathy card, check. Be a total Brutus but in a funny way, check. Target the squishies, check. Maybe it’s just me, but I really enjoyed her attempts at beating Ryuko.
12. Yumi Azusa
Anime: Soul Eater In a very similar vein to Sheska, Yumi has a photogenic memory and has a vast knowledge of everything. However, she’s far more serious than Sheska. She isn’t even a stick in the mud… she’s like a log in the swamp. I mean, she literally never smiles. And looks down on all of her colleagues. Now you might be thinking, why would I put her on this list if she’s like this? Well, because it’s a really good change of pace for the show. Her deadpan soul makes me chuckle, and because “The King of Tattletales” is such a ridiculous title that I can’t help myself.
11. Tashigi
Anime: One Piece I’ve mentioned quite a few times how I like characters that present a change of pace. And Tashigi definitely goes against most of what we’ve said here. The only common ground she has with most of the characters on this list is a type of curiosity/obsession. Only in her case it’s strictly directed towards katanas. Outside of that, she’s a rowdy sword master who charges into battle headfirst. She doesn’t give up even if she’s beaten to a pulp. And she hates being looked down on more than anything. So not your typical glasses-wearing bookworm, is she?
10. Saya Kisaragi
Anime: Blood-C Saya would definitely get along well with Tashigi. When she’s being her honest self, that is. Because like your average anime Hannah Montana, Saya lives a double life of a normal high school girl and a badass fighter. She also wields a katana, just saying. Tashigi would totally be into that. When she’s not killing blood-sucking demons, however, she definitely seems more in line with the “female with glasses” archetype: weak, kind, and smart.
9. Miyuki Takara
Anime: Lucky☆Star And we’re back into the realm of book-loving and kindness. Miyuki is an adorable little geek with a love for reading. And everything else. She’s legitimately so kind and soft-spoken that you really can’t help but fall in love with her. She tends to get lost in her own head, dozing off whenever nothing of importance is happening. But that just makes her cuter. In all honestly, she could probably murder a baby seal and I would still find her cute… the art style is just too crisp, and the eyes too big to resist.
8. Tsubasa Hanekawa
Anime: Bakemonogatari You have to love your “class rep” characters. Especially when they’re as wholesome as Hanekawa. I’m using the term wholesome extremely ironically there. I mean, as a person she definitely fits the bill and usually offers great support to Araragi and my cold heart. However, the more we get to know her, the more we see that not everything is daijoubu. Not going to give too much away. But let’s just say she gets a very fluffy form at one point, and somehow becomes cuter and stronger all at the same time.
7. Kobayashi
Anime: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Kobayashi is the perfect protagonist for this show because I cannot honestly picture anyone else accidentally getting a maid who’s also a dragon, just because she got drunk that one time. Drunk Kobayashi should just have her own show. But that’s a discussion for another time. When sober, she is very level-headed. Even though there are dragons running around her house. And she’s kind-hearted, even though said dragons are usually awful at their jobs. As I said in the beginning, not anyone could have been Kobayashi. It truly takes a certain personality to work.
6. Anri Sonohara
Anime: Durarara!! For a while I was really worried that Anri would end up as a half-baked character. But the second half of the show truly delivered and gave her some badass tools to work with. I don’t want to go into exactly what happens. But let’s just say that she becomes a) deadly, and b) relevant in the overarching plot. Plus she remains the same soft-spoken kind character we grew to love early on. A+ as far as I am concerned.
5. Yoko Littner
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Okay, Yoko admittedly doesn’t wear glasses most of the time. Unless you count those goggles she has. However (spoilers ahead) when she becomes (spoiler alert) a teacher, she’s seen wearing a pair. And they fit her just perfectly. I don’t know why, but teacher Yoko is one of my all-time favorite characters. Her soft tone towards the children is nice, but her badass side is ready at a moment’s notice. And switching from the bikini and sniper and to the plain shirt and glasses just fit this side of her so well.
4. Nodoka Manabe
Anime: K-On! I’m going to be honest here: being from K-On automatically increases your chances of being part of any list I ever make. I also have such a soft spot for Nodoka as she’s like the mom of the entire school. Her down to earth personality coupled with an over the rainbow ambition is just sort of inspiring to watch. And on an even more personal note, her disposition to constantly get lost is something I relate to so heavily, that I pray to her every time I have to go to the store.
3. Mey-Rin
Anime: Black Butler Like Nina Mey-Rin also has two sides to her, only one of them doesn’t ignore the Geneva convention NINA. For a majority of the show, Mey-Rin is just this clumsy little maid girl that doesn’t seem capable of hurting a fly. Then we learn that in a twist of irony, her glasses actually make it harder for her to see. And more importantly, she’s a trained sniper. Didn’t see that one coming, now did you? So as you can imagine, the second the glasses dropped, utter chaos was unleashed. And Sebastian is no longer the only badass in the house.
2. Nemuri Kayama
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia I like it when a show is upfront about what a character represents. And they really didn’t beat around the bush with misses Midnight. Okay, maybe some beating was involved. But a different kind. With her dominatrix-looking hero costume, seduction powers, an upfront personality, and a great body, she certainly fits the femme fatale role. She even uses a whip in combat. Like they really went all out with her. And that’s what I love about her: straight to the point and self-aware. Plus she’s far from fodder when it comes to combat.
1. Ursula Callistis
Anime: Little Witch Academia Ursula is like a quieter, more realistic All Might, in my opinion. This is because all she wants is to make people smile, and sees power only as a means to do that. And just like All Might, a lot of eyes turn to her in times of need. But that’s where realism sets in: not everyone is always going to smile. It’s just how life is. This eventually cracks down on Ursula and she stepped down from the idol scene and became a teacher. All Might’s fall from grace might have been more epic, but Ursula’s was way more human. Which is a feeling writers should always aim for.
