This is one of my favorite series ever, and the kick-ass women are a big part of the reason why. I'm honestly still a little surprised that something that falls so heavily into the guns'n'action genre could avoid 90% of the sexism that's part of the genre. Or that it could actually have proper philosophical moments without turning them into something much too cheesy. Or that it could go to very dark places without feeling clumsy and gratuitous...okay, now I'm just babbling. Sorry. XD