Every time we watch an anime, a show or play a game, we instinctively select the 'best.' Whether it be episode number, plot twists, or characters, we want to rank them. But there’s a special sub-group under characters that’s become quite popular of late. Of course I’m talking about the crown of the ‘Best Girl’.
Before moving forward, I want to clarify the subtle difference between ‘Best Female Character’ and ‘Best Girl’. The first one is where we try to be objective and pick out the most well written character. For the ‘Best Girl’ or ‘Best Boy’ category, it comes down to who we love the most. Now that that’s cleared up, expect a heap of subjectivity.
On a side note, I won’t be doing a ‘Best Boy’ list for obvious reasons. First, it’s Shinpei, and you know it. Second, his only competitors would be Sou and Nezu. Who else would even make the cut?
7. Hiruko
Putting her at the end of the list basically means one thing. Hiruko is not the best girl. As a character, she’s fine. But she ranks second to absolute worst, that being Shide. This is the same person who killed Ushio! She’s kind of the worst!
While I’m not trying to deny the malice we see in her, there are certain aspects of her that can be seen in a sympathetic light. She had been adrift in space and then the ocean, alone and hungry for a long time. And while she is a murderous cult leader of sorts, her motivation comes from a very simple place. All she wanted was to spend eternity with her loved ones.
6. Haine
While the show uses Haine's name to refer to the Mother of Shadows, I'm using this entry to specifically refer to Hiruko's Haine personality. Whereas Hiruko is bloodthirsty, hungry and malicious, Haine is all sweetness and light. In the words of Hizuru, she “was a lonely little girl who just wanted to be spoiled”.
Haine is just a cute girl who gets excited over eating sweets. Her shyness is apparent from her reaction to Hizuru’s friends, and later when she meets Shinpei at Tokoyo. We see her emotional and childish nature when we see her cry over the villagers who died of starvation. During the last fight, it’s a final push from her that helps Shinpei. And the best thing is in the good ending timeline, we get to see her as Ryuunosuke’s child.
5. Mio Kofuku
Mio is kind-of a central character. During the first arc, she’s centrally placed as the person who has to be protected. During the loops, her death not only signifies the point of no return, it’s also used as a device to emotionally torture Shinpei. And even after the scope of the show expands, she remains important to all the characters.
There’s a lot to like about Mio. She’s sweet and easily loveable. Even though she has many insecurities and sees herself as unable to escape her sister's shadow, she never harbors ill will toward Ushio. And when her feelings for Shinpei are rejected by him, she takes it in stride. She's pretty cool in that regard, but she's pretty boring otherwise.
4. Tokiko Hishagata
For such an awesome character, we don’t get a lot of material. We know she has both gentle and fierce sides to her personality. On one hand, she’s dirtied her hands while serving and feeding the Mother of Shadows. On the other hand, after switching sides she relentlessly fights against the shadows. In one loop, we even see her take Shide on until he lethally wounds her.
The short version is Tokiko is not someone you take lightly. Regardless of the side she’s on, she does things properly and achieves results. Even though her crush on Mio is never returned, she only shows affection for all the other characters. And while she’s not the most formidable fighter, she isn’t someone you underestimate.
3. Mio Kofuku’s Shadow
Mio’s shadow is everything Mio is not. She’s almost always calm and methodical, to the point of being cold. Unlike the original, she is upfront and somewhat confrontational. She's also a shadow, which means she's deadly in a fight.
While they might seem different, they’re still the same person. Her confrontations with Mio do serve a purpose. As a shadow, she only has 7 days to live, and she wants to see her original to express her true feelings. In fact, it’s because of her that get to understand Mio.
2. Ushio Kofuku
What, you thought I’d put Ushio at number one? Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but I believe someone else is more deserving of the throne. But enough of that; let's get to Ushio's best qualities.
Ushio, in a nutshell, is a ray of sunshine. Headstrong, loud, and spontaneous are three words that I associate with her. There's never a dull moment with her, as she manages to smile and make us smile even through the darkest of times. And when it seems like she died, it hits us hard.
Part of why she's so loveable is her fierce love and protectiveness for everyone. Just like Shinpei, she keeps fighting against insurmountable odds because she does not want to lose to people around her. She's the kind of person who would never abandon anyone. Even without a life threatening situation, we see her caring nature as she volunteers to keep the beaches clean.
While she is always quick to act, we see that she isn't thoughtless. She's actually quite good at quick thinking, always adapting and improvising. This makes her a great strategist and an even capable fighter. The irony is that despite being dead and powerful, she is still scared of ghosts.
1. Hizuru Minakata
If you got this far, you’ve already figured out that I’d put Hizuru at the top. Hizuru stands out among all the characters, not just the girls. Part of it might be her older age and the maturity that brings, but we know that she’s been what she is since she was a kid.
We can tell she is intuitive and rational based on her demeanor and actions. Despite her limitations, her guesses and predictions are almost always spot on. Her rational roots allow her to rein in the intuitive and speculative side of her. In comparison to the younger and inexperienced Shinpei, who can lose sight due to empathy and curiosity, she is much more level-headed.
Despite these differences, she never comes across as cruel or emotionless. Even as a child, she showed a lot of patience and tenderness when she befriended Haine. Fourteen years later, she cries in secret to grieve the deaths of those who have been murdered, showing us empathy. And even though her goal is to stop Hiruko and mainly Shide, deep down she wants to save everyone.
What really makes her unique is her core motivation, revealed during her last conversation with Shide. She considers herself responsible for Ryunosuke’s death, a burden she’s borne for fourteen years. As a rational thinker, she doesn’t harbor ideals of justice or redemption. From her point of view, it’s just something that needs to be done to save everyone else.
