This is why I love Asuka Tenjoin. Not because she’s gorgeous, or even because she’s a formidable opponent (albeit both are true and both contribute to a point), but because she recognizes and establishes herself as equal in an environment where women are considered to be second rate to men.

First of all, if you haven’t read the manga, this chapter is called Miss Academia, in which male duelists are to cast their votes on who they think deserves the title of Miss Academia, which is essentially a beauty pageant of sorts that has absolutely nothing to do with dueling talent whatsoever.

Right away Asuka isn’t fond of it. She doesn’t even show up with the other 4 nominees because she could care less about who wins and who loses, even if she ends up becoming the winner. It’s not even because she doesn’t think she can win, it’s simply because she feels that the event in itself is extraordinarily demeaning to the female student population, boiling down their worth as a duelist to their worth as a woman.

This competition is a popularity contest, and Asuka does not need the approval of her male peers in order to see herself as a worthy duelist. 

"I am…a duelist!"

*This chapter also really makes me love her dynamic with Judai even more, to. Because he helps her realize that she can be both a woman and a duelist. Which is great because that way the series doesn’t disregard her femininity while trying to establish that worth.