Strong, beautiful and sometimes drunk (Sorry, Power Stans)

The 2022 anime season has been a lot of things. Surprising, thrilling, groundbreaking, ball-kicking…

But maybe most of all it was absolutely overflowing with waifus. The kind of strong, majestic ladies who fascinate and inspire in equal measure. To rank them is foolishness as they are all winners in our book, and yet worship actually causes one to commit foolish acts.

And so we seriously tried. We only hope that those who just missed out will still forgive us, for we are guilt-ridden enough as it is; We don’t need fictional women who are mad at us to end the year. In the interest of parity, we’ve limited our list to one candidate per anime. A bold decision, but one that we believe will pay off nonetheless.

10. Tsubomi Takane (Mob Psycho 100)

The eyeball of Mob saw major advances in Mob Psycho 100 III that really fleshed out her character, taking her from an aloof mystery to a grounded, likable human with her own values ​​and flaws.

As unusual as it may sound, Tsubomi’s perfection proved to be her greatest burden, putting considerable pressure on her to hide her flaws from friends and lovers alike – and oh, there was no shortage of lovers. Tsubomi tsimps, if you will.

Eager young suitors lined the streets to take their shot and all would be knocked down in the gentlest of ways. As Tsubomi put it, half of them didn’t even know her. And yet she respected them all enough to tell them the truth, even surviving a natural disaster to listen to her boyfriend Mob when he worked up the courage to confess to her.

Luckily for her, she only has to hold 10th place in our ranking, a much more manageable task that won’t be nearly as stressful.

9. Kikuri Hiroi (Bocchi of the Rocks!)

Music is an intriguing, delicate art that can convey emotion and ambition with poetic symmetry. The instrument acts as a channel between the musician and the audience, bridging gaps in understanding and revealing its soul to the world.

Sometimes this musician is also drunk. And that’s kind of fun too.

It’s not exactly a testament to her professionalism, but Kikuri is no less ambitious. Beneath the veneer of eternal lushness beats the heart of a leader. This talented bassist takes Bocchi under her wing and offers slurred words of wisdom that will lead her either to new heights or down a dark path of alcoholism.

8. Tsuki Uzaki (Uzaki-chan wants to hang out! Season 2)

Mamas were all the rage in 2022—not a phrase I wanted to type today, but one I still wholeheartedly endorse—and none would embody the prototypical maternal heartthrob quite like Mrs. Uzaki.

Though she lacks confidence and has practically zero awareness, it’s all part of her charm. Perhaps as a byproduct of constantly having to fend off lewd eyes, she tends to jump to conclusions and misinterpret kindness for lust.

Honestly, we’d be discouraged from taking a chance once we caught a glimpse of her hulking husband, Fujio. Flirting with Tsuki could result in a quick and brutal death, and we’ll have to endure seven more waifus before we get beat up. We will check this throttling, thank you.

7. Jolyne Cujoh (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part 2/3)

Some women are innocent, naïve angels who have never known a day of hardship in their lives. Others have seen and done things, man, that lead to incarceration, and we’re not going to judge that for a second. Who says hard times don’t have to be good times?

As a member of the Joestar line, Jolyne was gifted with unparalleled strength and determination that became even more terrifying as her latent state awoke. While not every one of their ancestors would hit the jackpot on this front (I’m looking at you, Hermit Purple), Stone Free is no slouch with its ability to hold enemies back with a barrage of threads.

Unfortunately, of all the women on this list, Jolyne is perhaps the most unapproachable. It was the cruel lovemaking that would have landed her behind bars in the first place, and she probably won’t return our affections any time soon. You may just have to be content with being tied up and tied up by her stand, and your level of enjoyment from such an experience will vary.

6. Shikimori (Shikimori isn’t just a cutie)

Imagine this: you are walking down the street with your sweet friend. You hold hands, talk back and forth, and just fall in love with each other. Suddenly and without warning, an attacker emerges from the shadows, knife in hand and evil intent in his eyes.

Your first instinct is to run, but you can’t move an inch. Within a second, your girlfriend springs into action, kicking the knife out of the villain’s hand before kneeing her right in his stomach. He flees back into the alley, leaving you in stunned admiration at the cool beauty standing before you. This is shikimori and she will protect you no matter what the cost.

And while she can protect you in a blink of an eye, she still has a gentler side that she can share with those she truly cares about. If that double whammy of waifu whimsy doesn’t justify their placement on this list, I don’t know what would.

5. Hiling (rank of kings)

In order to unravel Queen Hiling’s many layers, we need to explore her character arc to some degree. For those who would rather get into Ranking of Kings spoiler-free, please skip ahead to number 4 on this list.

When we first meet Hiling, she fits the evil stepmother archetype very well. She is pensive, cold and cruel towards Boji, letting out spiteful words in his direction and looking down on him as a childish disappointment. But this is just an excuse for how much she genuinely cares for him, and a reflection of the responsibility a monarch must solemnly shoulder.

Besides being quite brave, Hiling possesses magical powers that grant her healing abilities. Despite the fact that it saps her energy, she will always go the extra mile to help her comrades. This also makes her name an adorable play on words, and that alone warrants inclusion in a top 10 list.

4. Himeno (chainsaw man)

Narrowing down the Chainsaw Man heroines to just one entry was an inscrutably daunting task. Power and Makima each deserve attention, and some even attest to the merits of Kobeni (so no explanation for taste).

However, when it comes down to it, given what really makes a waifu a waifu, Himeno was the logical choice. I won’t go into detail as to what was the deciding factor, but it might have to do with Himeno being a fabulous boozer like Kikuri.

Himeno only has Eyes Eye for her partner Aki, and she would stop at nothing to ensure his safety, and her commitment to him is one of the cutest elements of an anime that’s not exactly known for being warm and cuddly. Regardless of her vices, we firmly believe that she is the true distillation of waifu royalty.

3. Rumi Usagiyama, aka Mirko (My Hero Academia Season 6)

Dear Diary: I want the scary rabbit person to crush my skull between their thighs.

Do we really need to expand on this? I think so, because that’s how articles work.

The current season of My Hero Academia has been a non-stop thrill ride of high-octane combat, and the melee combat has been sparked – literally and figuratively – by the indomitable will of Rumi Usagiyama. She rushes into battle in chaos, leaving a trail of devastation in her wake and her targets flying apart in panic.

One could even consider a career as a villain in the vague hope that Mirko might show up on their doorstep to dish out their unique brand of punishment. However, there are better ways to get beaten, friend, so we strongly encourage you to reconsider.

2. Your Faker (Spy x Family)

The humble employee of the Berlin City Hall was quite literally one of the best new characters of 2022 and of course fit into the top 10 waifus. Note: Your role in Operation Strix is literally being a wife.

Kind and shy for the most part, Yor is among the deadliest women on this list, acting as the undercover assassin known as the Princess of Thorns. The briefest glimpse of her beauty might be the last thing you’ll ever see before shuffling off this mortal plane, which really isn’t such a bad way to go. A far worse fate awaits those who suffer the strains of their kitchen.

This is also Saori Hayami’s second appearance on this list! In fact, Yor Forger shares her Japanese voice actor with Tsuki Uzaki. We hope she can too [redacted to protect the privacy of the author’s degenerate tastes].

1. Marin Kitagawa (My Dress Up Favorite)

Anointing Marin Kitagawa with the Waifu Crown was not something we took lightly. It all came down to her bubbly personality, intoxicating smile, and the knowledge that she could whip up a cosplay of any of the other women on the list, all of which technically made her the best waifus all at once.

Marin proves to be more than just a dumb fool. She is an eager, thoughtful young lady who has hidden her true passions for fear of judgment and ostracism. Look, she just wants to look cute and carry a comfy breast pocket; is that such a crime?!

When the humble Wakana Gojo finds his way into her life, she finally meets the man who can make her dreams come true for the good of the world. Without their partnership, we would never have witnessed Shizuku Kuroe come to life.

That reminds me, did you pre-order your copy of the next entry in Saint ♡ Slippery’s Academy for Girls? I heard it’s almost as tainted as this waifu ranking turned out to be. Noo early.

If you want to make your claim on others who didn’t quite make it this year – I have to let you know that I had to be stopped from boldly proclaiming Yumika Sakuraba the #1 surprise – please leave your feedback in the comments below ! Remember to always look respectfully but don’t touch.