The Saintesses of Manga and Anime
If you happen to stroll through the manga section at a nearby Barnes and Noble or scroll through the anime options on CrunchyRoll, you will likely come across more than one tempting option that features a beautiful saint as the leading heroine living in a fantasy world and falling in love with a dashing duke.
I have been an avid anime fan for about four years now, and I have frequented the manga section of my local bookstores more than once, I must admit. I’ve even downloaded the sensational app called Webtoon for a wider range of content (hint: if you like “Hell’s Paradise,” “Tower of God,” or “Solo Levelling,” I recommend you visit the app store and search for Webtoon as soon as possible!). It is hardly surprising that I am often recommended a long list of romantic, slow-burning, heart-wrenching stories from these platforms, but as a scholar of religious studies, I have to take note of the growing number of “saintly” main characters that have graced my screens and kept me company in the least populated section of the bookstore. They seem to fall in line with the well-tuned tropes of manga and anime, and I must not be the only devoted follower of the divine feminine works of literature and art; reprisals of this now typical character, with alterations in physical features and outfits in freshly crafted fantasy worlds, seem to be ever-growing in popularity with each passing season!
The leading saintly lady is blessed by a divine entity with magical–or rather, miraculous–powers. These powers are incredibly high level yet practical, growing stronger by the day as she trains them. She is relentlessly adorable at all hours and in all of her relatable and embarrassing circumstances, making her the most charming and beloved character in the cast.*
*If it seems that she is initially not the most beloved character in the cast, then it should only be a matter of time before the saint is taken in by rulers of a neighboring kingdom, where she learns what it is like to be truly adored by a handsome prince and her dutiful servants (see: “The Too Perfect Saint: Cast Aside by My Fiance and Sold to Another Kingdom” / “Kanpeki Sugite Kawaige ga Nai to Konyaku Haki Sareta Seijo wa Ringoku ni Urareru”).
The saint is as morally good as she is beautiful. She has a uniquely strong bond to a divine entity, a figure or source that can have a variety of attributes and stories attached, depending on the needs of the fantasy world’s historical context. This source gives her power that she is able to wield in service of the community around her. The saint may be expected to protect the community from evil monsters or ensure a bountiful harvest, for example. Luckily, her duties leave enough time for romance with a young, up and coming political figure, or even a faithful devotee (see: “Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence” / “Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi”).
The appeal of a gorgeous, kind, powerful woman who casts magical spells and divine blessings may not be novel, but why do fans like me keep coming back for reiterations of the same trope? Will we ever get tired of the sweet romance, or the triumph of good over evil?
Probably not!
Ultimately, I believe that audiences of all kinds, whether they are a manga/anime/Webtoon consumer or not, and whether or not they care much for the religious themes, will never cease to crave evidence and endless examples of beauty, goodness, and purity.
What we love about the saint is her perfection, even when she seems to stumble or is misunderstood in some way by the people around her. She never gives up on the good work that she believes in, and all of her intentions come from a pure heart.
The role of the saint’s divinity only adds to the purity and virtue in her heart. The source of the saint’s power stands as proof of her infallibility, making it all the more believable that she can be perfect. Luckily, that doesn’t mean she never experiences relatable human emotions; she just happens to be pretty when she cries and charming when she’s feeling embarrassed around her crush. She is the kind of character we wish we could be around everyday, or maybe even become! Her success in life is a result of the good work and kindness she puts out into the world.
The female saint trope is one of the many ways in which religious traditions have permeated and inspired the manga/anime space, but she stands as a unique leader in seamlessly connecting the divine with human experience. There are even versions where the saint was originally a normal human being who died and was reincarnated into the fantasy world (see: “The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent” / “Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannō Desu”)! She is accessible and interesting as a spiritual figure, whether the audience has a degree in religious studies or is simply drawn to her charm. The saint’s devotion to what is right and good continues to engage audiences through repeated reprisals of her character in a variety of hair colors and quirks, and I can’t wait to see the next one!
© Jane C. Fitzpatrick, 2025.
This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Cover Image: Provided by the author.
Jane Fitzpatrick researches the intersections between religious traditions and international affairs with a passion for opera and the arts. She earned her Master’s degree in International Affairs from Penn State University and her Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Gettysburg College. She is a Contributing Writer for AppreciateOpera.org and Religion Matters, and she serves as the Director of External Affairs and Professional Advancement for Al Fusaic. Jane’s work has also been featured in The Interfaith Observer and the London School of Economics Religion and Global Society Blog.
