Let's be real for a second. If you spent any time on the internet last year, you know that 2024 wasn't just another year for anime—it was a total takeover. We saw everything from ancient elves wandering through existential crises to a socially awkward girl who likes to eat poison for fun. It was wild. But more than the plots, the community was obsessed with the cast. Specifically, the women.
When we talk about the hottest anime characters female 2024, it’s not just about who looked the best on a poster. It’s about impact. It’s about that "aura" everyone kept meme-ing. We’re looking at the characters who dominated the seasonal polls on Anime Corner and Anime Trending, the ones who launched a thousand cosplays, and the ones who basically became the face of their respective franchises overnight.
Honestly, the list is kind of surprising. Some "waifus" you expected to dominate fell off, while some random background demons somehow broke the internet. Here is the actual breakdown of who mattered.
Maomao: The Poison-Tasting Queen of 2024
If you didn’t see Maomao coming, you weren't paying attention. The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) was the sleeper hit that turned into a juggernaut. Maomao is the absolute antithesis of your typical "moe" lead. She’s cynical. She’s brilliant. She literally experiments on her own arm with snake venom because she’s bored.
That specific blend of "I’m too tired for this" energy and genuine genius made her one of the hottest anime characters female 2024 had to offer. She wasn't just popular; she was inescapable. In the 2024 Reader's Choice Awards from Anime News Network, she actually snagged "Leading Woman of the Year." She even beat out heavy hitters like Momo Ayase from Dandadan.
The Japanese government literally put her on the cover of their public relations magazine. Think about that. A girl who obsesses over poisons is the face of public health. It’s kinda perfect. Her chemistry with Jinshi—that weird, push-pull dynamic where she treats him like a nuisance while he’s clearly obsessed—carried the show's massive 2024 viewership.
The Frieren Phenomenon and the "Aura" Meme
We have to talk about Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. This show was a masterpiece, but its popularity poll results were... chaotic.
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Frieren herself is iconic. She’s a thousand-year-old elf who doesn’t understand time or human emotions, yet she managed to make everyone cry. She’s powerful, she’s sleepy, and she’s arguably the most well-written female lead in years. However, something weird happened in the official 2024 popularity polls.
Frieren actually dropped to 5th place.
Who beat her? A demon named Aura the Guillotine.
Aura was on screen for maybe ten minutes before Frieren told her to "kill herself" (metaphorically... and then literally with magic). Yet, the internet went insane for her design. Aura jumped to 2nd place in the manga's second character poll, receiving over a million votes. It’s a testament to how "hotness" in the anime world often comes down to a striking character design and a single, unforgettable moment.
But if we’re talking about staying power, Fern and Übel were the real winners. Übel, specifically, with her "crazy eyes" and dangerous mage vibes, became a massive fan favorite during the First Class Mage Exam arc. She represents that specific niche of characters who are terrifying but you just can't look away.
Why Fern Matters
- Fern is the emotional anchor.
- She’s the one who actually makes sure Frieren eats and puts on clothes.
- Her "pout" face became one of the biggest memes of the year.
- She represents the "daughterly" character that fans became intensely protective of.
The Oshi no Ko Season 2 Power Shift
Oshi no Ko returned in 2024, and the "Best Girl" wars reached a fever pitch. In 2023, everyone was talking about Ai Hoshino. In 2024? It was all about the rivalry between Kana Arima and Akane Kurokawa.
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Kana is the "losing heroine" archetype that fans just love to suffer with. She’s a former child star struggling to stay relevant, and her vulnerability is what makes her so attractive to the audience. According to MyAnimeList's 2024/2025 metrics, Kana remains the most "favorited" character in the series by a long shot.
Then you have Akane. Akane’s "method acting" where she perfectly mimics the dead idol Ai Hoshino is genuinely chilling. It’s that complexity—the idea that she’s a girl lost in her own roles—that makes her one of the most compelling female characters in modern anime.
Marcille and the Dungeon Meshi Takeover
Dungeon Meshi (Delicious in Dungeon) finally got its anime, and Marcille Donato became the queen of Tumblr and Twitter.
Marcille is great because she’s a disaster. She’s a highly skilled elf mage who constantly finds herself eating boiled monsters and screaming in terror. Her facial expressions are legendary. In the Tumblr 2024 Year in Review, Dungeon Meshi characters swept the rankings, with Marcille sitting comfortably at the top.
She’s "hot" in the way that real people are—she’s messy, she’s opinionated, and she has a very specific, relatable kind of anxiety. Plus, her relationship with Falin (the "Farcille" ship) was one of the most discussed dynamics of the entire year.
The "Roshidere" and "Makeine" Newcomers
The Summer 2024 season brought us a new wave of romance leads.
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- Alya (Alisa Mikhailovna Kujō): The "neighboring Russian girl" who whispers sweet nothings in her native tongue. She was the face of the season, though many fans actually preferred her sister, Yuki Suou, for her chaotic "troll" energy.
- Anna Yanami: From Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!. She’s a girl who lost her childhood friend to another girl and spends the rest of the show eating and being a general nuisance. She was voted the "Best Female Character" of the Summer 2024 season on multiple polls.
What People Get Wrong About 2024's Rankings
A lot of people think these lists are just about "pretty girls." Honestly, that's not it anymore. If it were just about looks, the list would look the same every year.
What made the hottest anime characters female 2024 stand out was agency.
- Cha Hae-in from Solo Leveling is a literal S-rank hunter. Even if the anime hasn't fully explored her inner thoughts like the novels do, her "aura" as a powerful warrior made her a 2024 crush for millions.
- Momo Ayase from Dandadan is a badass who takes zero crap from ghosts or aliens.
The trend is moving away from the passive waifu and toward characters who actually do things.
Actionable Steps for Anime Fans
If you're trying to keep up with who’s trending or why these characters matter, don't just look at the art. Look at the data.
- Check Anime Corner and Anime Trending: These sites run weekly polls during the airing season. They are the best pulse-check for who is currently "winning" the community's heart.
- Follow the Seiyuu: Often, a character's "hotness" is tied to their voice actor. Aoi Yuki’s performance as Maomao or Hina Yomiya’s work as Anna Yamada changed the way fans perceived those characters.
- Look at Sales: Characters from series like The Apothecary Diaries and Frieren saw massive jumps in manga and light novel sales in 2024. That’s the ultimate proof of popularity.
At the end of the day, 2024 proved that a great female character needs more than just a good design. They need a personality that sticks, a meme-able moment, and the ability to carry a story. Whether it’s an elf who sleeps too much or a girl who eats monster soup, these are the characters that defined the year.