15+ Of The Greatest Anime Waifus Of The Year (2022)

2022 is on its way out the door just a week from today. And then it’s 2023, a brand new year with new beginnings for many.

With 2022 being debatably one of the greatest years for anime back-to-back, it’s only natural that many anime have female characters with waifu material or characteristics people like.

From anime genres like:

Romance.
Slice of life.
Fantasy/Supernatural.
Shounen.
Action.
Isekai.
Mystery.

And more.

Let’s talk about it.

Best anime waifus 2022 (NOT ranking order):

1. Tania (Beast Tamer)

Beast Tamer is an anime about Rein Shroud, a guy who’s kicked out of the hero’s party and left to fend for himself in his depressed state. Blaming himself for his problems.

One of the first beasts he tames with his ability to tame animals of all kinds is “the ultimate” type of beast called Tania, who’s a dragon. She has red hair in human form.

Tania is a proud character who takes pride in her strength, actions, wisdom, and knowledge. And she carries herself as such.

Aside from her violent tendencies (usually when someone hurts her friends), she has a balanced personality, attitude, and a logical thought pattern towards things and life.

2. Marin Kitagawa (My Dress Up Darling)

My Dress Up Darling was set to be a big hit because of the manga, but no one predicted it would get so big that even Attack On Titan struggled to beat it in weekly popularity ratings.

Marin Is an Otaku type of waifu. A girl who shamelessly and confidently expresses her interests outward, without guilt or worry about what others think.

Gojo, a similar guy as far as interests, is drawn to her, and vice versa. And their wholesome, healthy relationship kicks off from there, which is a highlight of the franchise overall.

3. Yuzuki Hanyu (World’s End Harem)

World’s End Harem (also known as Shuumatsu No Harem) might not be the best thing since sliced bread (so the saying goes), but some of the female characters are on point from a waifu point of view.

Yuzuki Hanyu is the best example and one of the earliest in the anime series. She’s a teacher with more heart and compassion than others in this twisted society that’s killed 99% of men off to take advantage of them.

Because of her genuine love for her “partner”, she’s seen as a problem and gets separated, which is what turns the soft-hearted male MC into a bit of a savage.

4. Akari Watanabe (More Than A Married Couple, But Not Lovers)

Akari Watanabe starts as a nuisance, an asshole; you could even say a b*tch with an attitude. But that slowly changes as she realizes behaving that way isn’t gonna help her situation.

This anime puts the school kids through a program where people are chosen at random to live with each other and “pretend” to be married. With the goal of training students to become better marriage material for later in life.

Akari and her partner don’t even like each other but are forced to play along. And as you’d expect, they start t catch feelings.

5. Nagomi Wahira (Akiba Maid War)

Nagomi Wahira is an underdog in the anime Akiba Maid War and as a character in general. She’s a naive girl from Tokyo who decides to become a maid on impulse.

After seeing how happy and holly maids look from the outside looking in, she decides to join Oinky Doink Cafe, only to realize maids in Akiba are closer to gangsters, killers, rivals, and savages who murder to protect their turf.

She plays it off and finds ways to deal with her new trauma, and by the end of the series, it turns out surprisingly well for her.

Her character development is a sight to see.

Relevant: 15+ Of The Greatest Anime Series Of The Year (2022)

6. Ushio (Summertime Rendering)

Ushio, the blonde female MC of Summertime Rendering, shows up later in the anime regarding relevance, consistency, and how important she is to the overall plot.

She’s a character who’s always smiling and happy but can change at the drop of a hat and is passionate about life as a general rule.

She’s a lot more fearless than she seems, making her a perfect companion for Shinpei, who’s also underrated.

7. Chizuru Mizuhara (Rent A Girlfriend)

Say what you want about Rent A Girlfriend, but even though season 1 was better than season 2, you could say Chizuru is still the reason anyone bothers to watch the anime or read the manga.

She’s written to be the perfect type of so-called waifu or rental girlfriend in the context of the anime. But she’s also realistic, isn’t superficial, and has solid qualities of a person who’s raised well and doesn’t base everything around their ego.

Chizuru is why the anime gained attention, apart from Kazuma (the other MC), who people hate with a passion.

8. Power (Chainsaw Man)

Power is the more fun type of character in Chainsaw Man. In that way, she’s like Himeno but different because Power is a fiend after all.

In a lot of ways, she mirrors Denji’s personality, but she has her own qualities that have made her popular to anime fans and manga fans as well.

In a sense, she’s like a cat.

9. Orihime Inoue (Bleach: TYBW)

Bleach TYBW has barely started, but Orihime Inoue kicks off the anime by showing how much of a good partner she is. She opens the window as a signal for Ichigo to KICK the guy out for being a pest (an intruder).

We see her abilities come into play in Hueco Mundo, shielding Chad and herself from the blast relating to Ichigo’s Quincy opponent.

Let’s not forget the introduction in episode 1, where she and everyone shows off their abilities; Orihime’s showing a clear improvement as well as to her character.

10. Aisha Belka (Danmachi S4)

Aisha first shows up in season 2, and we see more of her more often from there. She’s a strong fighter with a darker skin tone, her clan resembling the Amazonian types of women depicted in history.

Aside from her dress sense which can be argued to be fanservice (she’s an amazon woman, though), she’s perceptive, wise, forward-thinking, and a powerful swordswoman.

Things have often gone smoothly because of Aisha’s input and knowledge, not to mention her power in battle.

11. Rumi Usagiyama (My Hero Academia)

Mirko, the hero from My Hero Academia, shows how relevant and necessary she was and is to the story of season 6. But this is true from season 5, where she was introduced.

For the first five episodes or so, Mirko was critical in making sure Shigaraki didn’t revive in a 100% state. On top of fighting off Nomu by herself and so much more.

The dark-skinned support character has made her print in MHA history, with a strong personality to go with it.

12. Lum (Urusei Yatsura 2022)

Many anime are being brought back and rebooted these days, Urusei Yatsura being one of them. An anime that originally aired in the early 1980s.

Lum is an Alien who ends up marrying an ordinary human called Ataru, and every time Ataru flirts with girls, she electrocutes him almost to death with one of her unique abilities.

The anime is a parody more than it is genuine romance, but there are genuine romance scenes and moments to balance out the ridiculous, over-the-top, funny comedy and parodies of anime tropes.

Lum is a ride-or-die wife who will be with you all the way, even after the wheels fall off.

13. Alpha (The Eminence In Shadow)

Alpha is the first elf Cid comes across in the new world after reincarnation. And with his immense powers, he “saves” Alpha, gives her power, and uses her as a basis to create the neutral assassination group Shadow Garden.

It’s similar to Nightraid in Akame Ga Kill.

Alpha becomes a leader and, like many of the ladies of this anime, is more than competent, skilled, dangerous, strong, and in Alpha’s case, level-headed and efficient in business.

Clearly is wifey material/

14. Kobeni Higashiyama (Chainsaw Man)

Kobeni has become a mixed character as far as people’s feelings towards her. Some hate her to the point of comparing her to Sakura from Naruto, which is comical in itself.

This is because of her erratic behaviour and how anxious and stressed she is.

On the other hand, when she gets serious, she’s easily one of the best fighters in the anime, with some of the most talent by far (ironically, like Sakura).

What makes Kobeni a good character (and a waifu) is how she brings normalcy to the anime. She’s a college-aged girl whose parents only see her as a means to an end, a convenience to make them “proud”.

Her normal background, as far as her parents and their behaviour towards education, plays into her insecurities, making her the most relatable in a realistic sense.

15. Ranko Mannen (Akiba Maid War)

Ranko is a maid in her 30s, making her unusual from the other maids. Though that’s more age discrimination.

She doesn’t care anyway. She becomes a solid maid in Akiba. With her dark past, she is one of the maids who understand the business and will kill anyone who challenges her or the organisation she represents, Without hesitation.

Ranko shines for her character development, the contrast between her dead facial expressions and genuine happiness and commitment, and her relevance to the bigger story.

She’s an introvert who isn’t the best at expressing her feelings because of past experiences that shaped her character and toughed her up.

16. Nazuna Nanakusa (Call Of The Night)

And then there’s Nazuna Nanakusa, the weird vampire girl who people joke saying she looks like Toga Himiko.

Nazuna’s relationship with the other MC called, Yamori, is more than a bit strange, but in other ways, wholesome and special. The anime’s purpose is to highlight the stresses and struggles of people’s lives during the night, but it’s much deeper than that and more entertaining.

Nazuna is a big part of that, given her affiliation and how she interacts with multiple people in the well-lit streets of the city at night time.