So I took a little time to reread parts of the sexism/feminism thread and the recent Bleach discussion and then came back. Personally, I'm drawn to strong & independent leaRAB from either gender myself. But let me play devil's advocate and ask a question: is there something inherently wrong with supportive heroines? Or is the real problem not the role, but the fact that for a very long time it was the common standard with very few exceptions to the rule? As you can probably guess, the second view is my own. I won't say that bias against heroines is an irrelevant issue, and I prefer to see a trend toward the stronger type. I'm a guy who thinks that we're due for a woman being the lead protagonist in a Gundam series.
That said, I don't think that the choice between support and independence indicates bad or good writing. I see a lot of talk here and there about whether heroine X is "useless" compared to others, but while some can be called wasted I'm very reluctant to judge based just on, say, the fights a heroine has been in or how they compare to characters in other series. Now yes, SJ series are driven by action, but the best ones usually have stories that stand out so fighting can't be the only grounRAB on which they are judged. My main concern is that, in our desire to wreck an old stereotype, we don't eventually establish a new one--if you aren't regularly kicking butt, you're no good. I don't think that's right. I think either choice is valid, and that it's up to the writer to make the choice work well.
I cite Kaoru and Megumi from Rurouni Kenshin, who I think are two of the better written women in any SJ series for the reasons said here (read the quote too!). Kaoru almost never fought in a battle of consequence and never really got stronger. But she was very important as Yahiko's teacher and as support to Kenshin, to the extent that she eventually became an essential part of his will to fight. Megumi is, to my mind, a nearly perfect example of an independent woman in a manga. She was a rock of support for Kaoru when it mattered, she could trade barbs with the thuggish Sanosuke, and she lived her life on her own terms even after not getting the guy. And she wasn't a fighter. But in theory--and I do not ascribe this view to anyone--couldn't we apply the Inoue logic to either of them and call them a loser? But that wouldn't be the truth.
Now RK is not your average title, but you see the point. The truth is that in reality people aren't all the same, so why should we demand the same qualities and levels of competancy in all heroines? I'm not seeing much demand for a strict standard for men. Inoue has been made out to be all but helpless lately, and I'd love to see that change. She's had to be saved too many times. But does it follow that she neeRAB a complete personality change to be "fixed"? Rukia, from the very same series, didn't need that.
Does Nami have to be as powerful as Sakura to be a good character? Most who follow One Piece would say no, and why is that? Because she is competant enough in the context of her series. Even more importantly than that there are merits to her character beyond fighting, I would argue. You could arguably make a similar case for Inoue, who is hung up over Ichigo but also got into trouble for the sake of everyone she knew. If she never improves like Rukia that would be a disappointment, but haven't we seen her character on display at least as much as a guy like Ishida?
Simply put, I'm all for equality. Bring on the strong women and the toraboys and all variations thereof. However, that doesn't mean that the support role has no value. By what right can I accept Kaoru and Megumi and not Sakura or Inoue? So personally, I'm content to accept the Namis and the Sakuras and Inoues and the Kaorus of the world. We don't have to be served just one or two, we just need good writing. I think the moment we transcend such close scrutiny of gender roles in fiction will be when we are generally just taking each character on his or her own terms, rather than how well that character represents his or her group. I have no illusions that such issues will just disappear one day, of course, but I see no reason to not get as close to the ideal as possible.
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On the subject of powerful, independent heroines, I can think of another series that does it: Fairy Tail (published in shonen magazine) with Titania Ezra. This is a case where, as far as I've read, she is actually considerably stronger than both the male protagonist (Natsu) and his best friend. So much so, in fact, that they're actually afraid of her wrath, although normally they're actually as close as siblings. She's basically the one that takes it upon herself to enforce the rules of the guild that most of the series' characters are a part of. Nobody wants to mess with her. She's used for mild fanservice (she can change her armor to different forms on a whim) but also kicks butt. So, there's at least one clear cut case beyond One Piece.
Other cases of strong or much improved heroines in my book:
Nami (One Piece): Started off weak like Usopp, but has since gotten a lot better and earned herself a decent bounty.
Sakura (Naruto): Awful in part one. Powerful in part 2, the Sasori fight still looms large for me. She's also far more tolerable as a character, now that she's outgrown her childish quirks and both appreciates Naruto and cares about helping people. She's a good heroine.
Tsunade (Naruto): Not much fighting for her, but we know that she's strong and she's a great leader along with all her other assets (pun intended).
Robin (One Piece): You don't survive a backstory like hers and not be pretty damn strong. She also pulled an Inoue in an attempt to protect the Straw Hats, which took serious guts.
Rukia (Bleach): From support to damsel-in-distress to someone that managed to beat an Arrancar, albeit barely. She went all out to help Inoue. Good heroine, even though I'm skeptical that she'll get much stronger beyond where she is.
Tokiko (Buso Renkin): I almost feel bad to list her in this company, I don't like her or the series that much, but she started off pretty darn strong and even romance didn't really change her aggressive demenor in the series. Very low tier compared to the others, though.
Kaoru and Megumi (Rurouni Kenshin): See above.
