Dr. Muttonchops wrote: Legendary controversial mangaka Go Nagai isn't exactly known for his kindness to women, but here's a little ubergirl action from his first big manga, Shameless School, where a cute schoolgirl snaps off a pair of handcuffs. I apologize if this doesn't qualify.
While Go Nagai isn't very well known for being a promoter of women empowerment - matter of fact, there are plenty of semi-peril situations in his works - he's also the creator of Cutey Honey, a character who is quite possibly the main reason, for having anything even remotly resenbling a superheroine in Japan nowadays.