So I decided to take a moment to rave about the female cast of Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal and why I love them so much. As a feminist it really makes me happy to see them portrayed in such a positive light, and Zexal has some amazing strong female characters.
All right, let's start this off with Akari Tsukumo. She's the protagonist's older sister and his parental figure since his parents went missing. She looks out for him on many occasions, such as forbidding him from dueling at the beginning of the series to protect him.
She's a very strong character. She's determined and has a lot of spirit. Sometimes she and Yuma get on each other's nerves, which is normal for siblings. But she truly does care about him and want to protect him. Not only is she a great parental figure for Yuma, she has her own life. She has her dreams and aspirations, and her job as a reporter. She's a very well-rounded character.
Then there's Kotori. She's feminine, but she isn't weak. She sometimes gets caught in a "damsel in distress" situation, but it usually isn't her fault - most of the time it's people taking advantage of her bond with Yuma.
She's got spirit and she can be really sassy, but she's a nice person. She's a wonderful supporting character and she has been vital for Yuma's success in many situations.
All right, now Droite is probably my favorite when it comes to the portrayal of females in Zexal.
First off, I want to say she is NOT weak for falling in love with Kaito! People seem to be wrapped around the notion that love makes you weak, which is ridiculous - in fact, for Droite it seems to be the opposite. Her love for Kaito drives her to protect him, and she can be very fierce, such as in her duel with Tron.
She starts off as a cold, serious, calculating character. She is an admin of the World Duel Carnival with another man, Gauche, who is more carefree and excitable. When they have a tag duel against Yuma, Droite is extremely capable of fending for herself.
When we see her in Episode 50, however, the mask begins to come off. She shows concern for Kaito and what the photon transformation is doing to his body, and urges him to drop out of the World Duel Carnival. Kaito refuses, and she seems upset but does not pressure him further.
During the Duel Coaster arc, Droite goes to extreme lengths to stop Kaito from dueling Tron, whom she knows is very dangerous. She is fully prepared to face this dangerous man by herself, because she's strong enough. All to protect Kaito.
When she meets Tron, she confesses her love for Kaito, who protected her years ago from being hurt by a robot (getting himself injured in the process). She was touched by this action, and later saw him smiling sadly with his brother while catching a passing butterfly for him to see.
She is such a strong character! She goes all out against Tron, saying, "I've made up my mind. I will fight on my own. Just as Kaito protects Haruto, I will protect Kaito!"
What I don't like is how she has to fall to Tron just to prove how evil he is. Having her lose her memories of Kaito was heartbreaking to watch, even if she got them back later.