Before Buffy the Vampire Slayer ever made the scene on TV, there was another young lass kicking ass, taking names and slaying everybody in her path. Sure, she tended to be irritable, sensitive (mainly because she was not born very well endowed) and would blow you up with a Dragon Slave spell if you pissed her off, but, despite it all, Lina Inverse is one of the most endearing characters in the history of anime.
Lina Inverse is the smart aleck brain child of Japanese author Hajime Kanzaka. She first appeared in Kanzaka's series of light novels, titled Slayers, that began in 1989. Throughout her existence, Lina 's popularity has never wavered.
In 1999, Dave Halverson called Lina and Naga, "Two of anime's brightest stars." The very next year, Lina won the popular vote in two categories in surveys conducted by Dragon Magazine, which included first place in Best Female Hero. Serdar Yegulalp ranked her #13 on the list of "Best Anime Heroines" and noted "Few characters walk such a fine line between insufferable ass and charmer."
Lina Inverse mixes the right amounts of talent, humor, personality and arrogance to make her charm utterly undeniable. With her constant companion Gourry Gabriev, who Lina holds a secret thing for (though she won't admit it), the duo travel around the globe. Lina aims to be the greatest sorceress of all time, and Gourry feels partly it is his duty to protect Lina. As well, Gourry knows Lina's nose for good food maybe second only to his.
In spite of all her quirks or unattractive traits, Lina is a loyal friend and will not quit no matter the obstacle if one is in need. Her stubbornness may have its downsides, but it has quite a good deal of upside as well.
