Warning: Spoilers for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Hell's Paradise
While the entertainment industry at large has had a history of poor female representation, there are a few icons who have stood out and paved the way for change. The iconic The Lord of the Rings trilogy in particular have Éowyn. A fierce warrior with an independent spirit, Éowyn paved a way for many heroines to follow. While several mediums have managed to offer better representation for women, it's taken a while for the anime industry to follow suit – at least until recently.
Audiences pay more attention to diversity in entertainment than ever, which is a major reason why anime has been such a niche community for decades. Thankfully, a number of anime are creating a new image for the industry, notably the series Hell's Paradise. While viewers continue to be concerned about the lack of representation for the LGBT+ community and people of color, Hell's Paradise's lead character Sagiri is following Éowyn's precedent to offer anime fans better developed heroines.
Women Against The Odds
Both Éowyn and Sagiri are tied to their main stories through familial connections. Éowyn is the neice of Théoden, the King of Rohan, while Sagiri is the daughter of Kichiji Yamada Asaemon, former leader of the Yamada clan and the Asaemon warriors. Although they are expected to live the traditional lives of women by raising children and staying away from battle, they both want more for themselves. While Éowyn is a lot more subdued and secretive in her thirst for battle, Sagiri doesn't shy away from standing out and joining the fighting. Pushing back against expectations, they leap at any opportunity to live their best life. What makes them such captivating characters is not just this rebellious drive, but they're terrifically fleshed out characters.
While Éowyn and Sagiri each have their own reasons to run headfirst into battle, their unique motivations make them appear to be more than fictional characters. They both share a great sense of compassion and responsibility. Éowyn clearly understands her people's need and stays away from battle in order to protect the women and children of Rohan when necessary. Sagiri is especially a stickler for rules, sometimes in the worst ways, and chooses her words carefully and with poise when speaking to her fellow Asaemon, even when they are putting her down.
Both Éowyn and Sagiri have a variety of traits that build up their original personalities, but what's especially interesting is their balance between traditionally feminine and masculine traits. Neither are trying to be like the men, the lives they choose just happen to coincide with traditionally masculine roles. They don't abandon traditional feminine qualities to fit in with the men. Éowyn and Sagiri strike an important balance.
Éowyn's Thirst For Battle And Love
One of the Rohirrim's many traditions is to train even young girls to at least defend themselves when there are no men around. For Éowyn, this training is more than just for self-defense. She develops a thirst for battle, but more than an adrenaline rush, Éowyn desires to protect those she loves. Throughout The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Return of the King, Éowyn is rejected by her Uncle to join the fight, arguing that she is needed elsewhere. After meeting Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Merry, and Pippin, she's gradually inspired to be as bold, daring, and corageous as the Fellowship themselves. When the final battle is upon them, Éowyn takes a chance and disguises herself as a male soldier in order to fight, taking the unassuming Hobbit Merry with her.
While no Rohirrim man or woman is put off at the sight of a woman with a sword, there is ridicule when one tries to join an army. Hiding her face beneath a helmet and heavy armor, Éowyn becomes a force to be reckoned with in the final fight against Sauron's forces. While she has slips here and there, Éowyn shocks everyone and makes a critical dent in Sauron's strength by defeating the Witch-king of Angmar.
Sagiri's Drive Towards Honor
Similar to Éowyn, Sagiri is born into a powerful family; the Yamada clan. As an extension of the Asaemon, the Yamada clan serve as sword testers and executioners among other macabre services. Although the family has close ties to governments and innately serves their community, the villagers around them have great disdain for them. From a very young age, Sagiri is forced to accept this hatred. Rather than spending the rest of her life hiding from it, she dives right into the heart of her family by training as an Asaemon. From this, she receives even more contempt from her family, including her father – definitely a more rigid culture than the Rohirrim.
Sagiri lives her life fighting to find honor and respect, wholly believing in the practices of the Asaemon. One of her biggest obstacles is her own sense of guilt when taking life. She doesn't see violence as the best practice for resolving all problems, but comes to understand that it is unavoidable in her line of work. Inspired by the infamously dangerous ninja, Gabimaru the Hollow, Sagiri learns to find the right balance of action and heart. Sagiri marches forward with the search for the mysterious Elixir of Life. Facing the dangers of murderous convicts and unknown supernatural entities, she grows from an overwhelmed bystander to an resilient leading warrior.
For those turned away by anime because of its treatment of female characters, Hell's Paradise is be a great change of pace thanks to Sagiri. Like how The Lord of the Rings' Éowyn challenges the film industry's female representation, Sagiri does the same for anime. They are both unique and captivating leading ladies on and off the battlefield.