Me, if I've been watching some nice porn. It’s a pretty straightforward answer. A best girl usually has some beaming characteristics that outshine all other female characters on the cast, or at least a good majority. The qualities could be anything ranging from loyalty, comedic value, strength, intelligence, coolness, or being hot as hell. Often an anime will come out and hand you the answer. Three seconds into Rising of the Shield Hero and everyone pretty much knew it was over. Not only was it clear that Ralphtalia would be receiving a large portion of the screen time, but she was smart, strong, cute, sexy, and most importantly: loyal. Kanna and Chika both rose to best girl status due to their mix of cute and comedy that they brought to Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid and Kaguya-Sama: Love is War, respectively (damn Kaguya really lost best girl status in her own show). There are many times where you can see a best girl coming a mile away.
And just like that, the contest was over.
Don’t get too cocky though, it’s not always that easy. Out of nowhere you might have a Neo situation. Neo is pretty close to being considered the unanimous best girl of RWBY, or at least a frontrunner despite having very little impact on the overall story so far, low amounts of screen time, and no dialogue (she’s mute). Regardless of these factors, she was repeatedly requested to be in Blazblue Cross Tag across multiple polls and sure enough was granted a spot on the roster in an update coming out November 21st. The question now is, why? Without those other cornerstones of character, you’re down to a few possibilities. First off: design. I’ll agree, I love it. The problem is this is RWBY. The designs are like the best part for everybody… besides Jaune. Most of the girls are cute as can be, and that new volume seven design for Ruby with the choker stole my heart hella fast. However, there is another top aspect of RWBY: the fights. Neo has a very unique fighting style with her umbrella and illusion powers. On top of that she is very emotive and cocky while fighting, letting her personality shine through without words. Again I come back to the argument that a lot of characters in that show have awesome fights though, so I surrender.
But this art sure makes a sound argument.
What’s in a best girl will always depend on what you want to see in a best girl. Whether she’s funny, keeps everyone in line, super cute, or just plain whoops ass, you’re free to choose whoever you like. Sometimes there may not even be a clear answer as to why you’re drawn to one. If you asked me the best girl of Code Geass, I could hand you a ten-page paper on why Kallen dominates the list. Meanwhile, I'm still not sure why I can so easily agree with the consensus and pick Neo for RWBY, I just know I can.
What do you love in a best girl? Who are the best girls this season? Drop your best opinion in the comments below.
