Top 42 Most Popular 80s Animated Female Characters

She-Ra: Princess of Power was a show that gave viewers more female characters than most shows did at the time. So, besides the titular character, it was Catra who managed to stand out in the crowd.

Not only did this feline foe seek power but she also held a serious grudge against Adora/She-Ra. Needless to say, she was seen as the main antagonist in both the toy line and cartoon before being replaced by Hordak.

Catra proved to be a worthy enemy and relied heavily on her magical abilities and mask to make an impact. She was agile and had great reflexes and strength, as well as the ability to teleport (as shown in one episode).

There is no denying that everyone loves girls that can rock, and Jem and the Holograms was a cartoon that ended up providing two whole bands' worth of badasses. The Misfits, however, were better.

The formidable group was known for making songs about taking charge, causing mischief, and being assertive at all times. That is one reason why they resonated with youngsters at the time.

However, their antics also saw them committing small crimes and, in the process, coming across as the one true bad girls of rock. While The Misfits weren't evil per se, they certainly were raw and driven.

That being said, the girls were also pushed by their selfish manager into doing worst deeds, only so that it could help his agenda.

Even though Lisa rose to prominence during the '90s, she did make her television debut during the late '80s, which justifies her presence in our story. The smartest of all The Simpsons characters, she is an intellectual of sorts.

Even though she comes across as reserved and a tad unapproachable at first, she has a warm heart that even allows her to be vulnerable at times. Lisa has a passion for things that require creativity and productivity; things that not a lot many people excel at in life.

Therefore, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to assert that a lot many smart kids would have had a great time both watching and relating to her well-thought-of character sketch. Needless to say, Lisa Simpson is as original as she is gentle.

However, if one tries to mess with her, she will have no qualms about putting them in their place. That way, she can also be condescending if she truly loses it.

The homemaker and matriarch of the Simpson family, Marge is one of the five main characters in The Simpsons TV series. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to claim that she is one of the most amazing female cartoon characters of all time.

She is the moralistic force in her family and often the only one in the house who makes sense. While the other members of the family, except Lisa, are mostly seen turning both the house and town upside down with their antics, it is Marge who tries to maintain order in the household.

Aside from her duties at home, Marge has also been seen flirting briefly with several men throughout the series. However, her love for Homer and her children knows no bounds.

One of the most upbeat and kind-hearted characters to make it to our story, Kiki grew up with her loving parents and talking cat, Jiji. She is someone who wants to follow in her mother's footsteps.

Soon into the movie, we catch her delivering packages on her flying broomstick. Indeed, she used broomsticks to fly much before the characters of Harry Potter stormed the screens.

Even though she is making steady progress in her profession, she also tries to make time to practice magic and explore her new town. However, she still has a lot to learn about both magic and adulthood.

Make way for the sexy and sensational Evil-Lyn who turned out to be one of the finest antagonists in He-Man's gallery of villains. She was seen wearing a crown and cape and had a tremendous amount of dark magic to back her antics.

She wasn't just a capable foil for musclebound heroes but she was also a driven and determined woman who could improvise and change according to the demand of the situations.

Needless to mention, Evil-Lyn often worked for her own interests and was even quite vocal about her relentless desire to rule herself. That is perhaps why she ensured to make her spells work with disguise, deceit, and mind control.

Magica De Spell, who first appeared in the "Uncle Scrooge #36" comic, turned out to be a fan-favourite character in the DuckTales cartoon. Her relentless attempts to steal the Number One Dime and claim Scrooge's success and luck with money were appreciated by ardent fans of the show.

She was designed to look like an attractive witch, which is why she was seen with a raven pet, jet black hair, purple eyeshadow, and a dark wardrobe; each of which helped in lending her a credible villainous look.

While she had a wide range of sorcery, she was also a skilled manipulator who had little trouble tricking others into betraying their own personality. Needless to say, Magica embraced the life of an evildoer with elan.

That said, many of the schemes of the incredibly entertaining sorceress either failed miserably or looked a tad ludicrous, which is perhaps why we feel that her character deserved better.

The Ice Queen of V. E. N. O. M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem) was not a woman you'd have taken lightly even in your dreams. Vanessa Warfield was leader Miles Mayhem's most valuable agent and a master of tactics.

Her vehicle gave her an upper hand in covert operations and was an arsenal of hidden weapons. Additionally, she was able to thrive on her demolition skills and use of disguises.

As if that didn't make her strong enough, she was also quite sensual and dangerous when she needed to be. However, like most villains in the real world, her overconfidence led to her downfall.

While she was seen mocking the heroes and her teammates alike, she, at one point, was seen training ravens and treating them better than any human. That said, it also appeared as if she despised men from the core of her heart.

Those who remember the Bionic Six cartoon series agree that its animation and main villain, Dr Scarab, were its high points. While the family of heroes came across as a bit bland, it was Madame-O who added a touch of mystery to the show.

She was a masked figure in a strange pink suit, blue skin, and wild hair, who was as feminine as she was devious. All thanks to her enhanced strength and weaponized sonic harp, she was able to create a lot of chaos for the heroes.

Madame-O, who was known for ending each sentence with the word "darling", was an older woman before being altered by Dr Scarab. She featured quite a bit in the 65-episode run, but not a lot has been revealed about her background.

Miriya Parina was an ace pilot with a vicious streak who was seen as one of the greatest Zentraedi warriors. A major character in the series, she finally met her match in Max Sterling during one of the events.

That said, it has to be noted that she was a fierce warrior who found her weakness in no more than one person. Moreover, her experiences with the humans soon went on to change her perspective and, therefore, prompted her to marry Max without knowing what it entails.

Miriya, who often proved to be a valuable asset in combat, ultimately wanted to settle down and simply be a mother and wife. Is it surprising then that she found her love while in the middle of a battle?

Mother Brain from Captain N: The Game Master had a large arsenal of tools at her disposal. She also could generate electricity and had an endless supply of wicked schemes to try and take over the Palace of Power.

It is not surprising then that she was considered to be a deterrent by the heroes. While she had several characters that worked under her, her biggest bumbling assistants were Eggplant Wizard and King Hippo (from "Kid Icarus" and "Punch-Out!!", respectively).

Even though Mother Brain's attempts were usually impeded by Kevin, Princess Lana, and their pals, one couldn't deny that she was an intimidating foe whose cruelty and evil could get the better of her enemies.

Rainbow Brite was so popular during the '80s that she could be seen on our bed sheets, lamps, and even our lunch boxes. Needless to mention, most people who grew up watching her during the peak of her fame ended up showering her with love.

While one remembers having a Rainbow Brite cuddly toy at the end of their bed, the character truly made her way into the hearts of her fans through the 13-episode TV series that aired between 1984 and 1986.

Princess Paw Paw was the tribal princess of the animated series Paw Paws. She was the daughter of the Wise Paw – the chief of Paw-Paws, and a beautiful princess who was adored by everyone in her village for her caring and kind nature.

She summoned her flying horse and brought the Totem Bear, Tortoise, and Eagle to life with the mystic moonstone that she wore in her necklace. The Princess used her aides and her capabilities to fight for her people and help them during tough times.

Her appearance alone was cute enough to attract viewers.

Smurfette is the only female member of the 100-strong group of Smurfs. She was first introduced in 1981 as a female counterpart to Clumsy Smurf, Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, and all the other little blue dudes in the Smurf Village which was only populated by males.

Given the fact that there was no other woman in or around the village, she was almost always in demand. Needless to say, her help was needed not only for cooking or sewing but also for being a sympathetic ear.

Loosely based on the movie of the same title, the cartoon version of Lydia was a breath of fresh Gothic air in the universe of cartoons. In a rather stark setting, she managed to stick out with her black hair, pale skin, and purple eyeshadow.

Girls whose interests and looks deviated from what was considered "normal" at the time resonated with the character massively. Also, the fact that she was isolated and alone made a ton of people empathize with her; therefore, providing the character with a layer.

In the Neitherworld, Lydia could be seen being herself and her friendship with Beetlejuice allowed her to be spirited. Needless to say, she had lots of fun in her topsy-turvy home away from home.

Strawberry Shortcake was originally just a character used by American Greetings Entertainment to grace their greeting cards. However, in the 1980s television special The World of Strawberry Shortcake, she was the girl at the centre of a group of other young women, each with dessert-themed names, clothing, and shticks.

Needless to say, she went on to become an animated female role model for young girls with her show. In the early 2000s, DIC Entertainment decided to relaunch the line of everything Strawberry to cash in on the character's popularity.

Princess Allura from Voltron was the princess of the formerly-extinct Planet Altea. She was a formidable combatant, strategist, speaker, and alchemist, who was seen assisting her father in his war council.

Additionally, she also commanded the Castle of Lions in the fight against Zarkon and piloted the Blue Lion until her death. Over time, she established herself as the face of the resistance against the Galra.

She was willing to stop at nothing to restore peace and balance in the Universe, even if it meant that it had to be at the cost of her own life.

Sheila from Dungeons and Dragons was a friendly and caring individual who could go to any extent to ensure the safety of her friends and her younger brother. Even though she came across as reticent and nervous with a deep-seated monophobia, it didn't stop her from putting her bravery on display when she absolutely needed to.

While she was usually the first to point out the shortcomings or dangers of the group's plans, she also stood for her dear ones when they needed her the most.

All thanks to her magnanimity, she received unexpected rewards, such as being offered to become Queen of Zinn which she politely declines. Furthermore, she was also able to redeem Karena, Dungeonmaster’s daughter, from evil.

Pole Position was a video game that was released in 1982 by Namco. Its popularity led to the creation of a Saturday morning cartoon of the same name that was released in 1984.

While the cartoon varied wildly from the video game, it did manage to attract kids who were enticed by racing cars. Another reason to have seen the show was the two siblings who took over the family crime-fighting business from their deceased parents.

While Dan Darrett was hot-headed, his sister Tess Darrett was the epitome of cool. Since she was the older sibling, she was the leader of the team and the defacto mother figure to Dan and their younger sister Daisy.

Rook Bartley, better known as the Red Warrior during her time as a vigilante, was someone who is known to have been raised without parents on the mean streets of an alien-controlled Earth.

After she decided to join a biker gang known as the Blue Angels, the group did its best to teach her to survive in a world controlled by the alien forces of the Invid.

She was also taught how to ride a motorcycle and proved to be a quick learner. After she grew up, the Blue Angels were at war with another, more belligerent gang called the Red Snakes.

Therefore, Bartley did her best to fight members of the Red Snakes when they started attacking the civilians.

Lady Lovely Locks was the titular female character from Lady Lovely Locks who was known for her long, blonde hair with a rainbow streak. However, what separates her from other characters in our story is that she's also got the power to see into other people's thoughts and feelings.

Backed by the Pixietails, she does her best to protect her homeland - the Kingdom of Lovelylocks - from wrongdoers whenever she can.

Beverly Hills Teens would introduce the viewers to Bianca the scheming brat, Jett the rocker, Larke the model, and Nikki the actress. The show revolved around the lives of the mentioned rich kids.

While it showed its namesake teenagers residing in the exclusive enclave of Beverly Hills, California, it also went on to demonstrate exaggerated wealth that was exemplified by mansions, yachts, and limousines.

In addition, it also touched upon typical teenage concerns such as schoolwork, friendships, and romantic rivalries, among other things.