History of LGBTQ characters in anime: 2010s

In the 2010s, LGBT issues became increasingly visible in Japan[1]^:50 with an increased interest in LGBT issues across Japanese society, with the ruling Liberal Democratic Party trying to promote Japan as "LGBT friendly."[2] This aligned with the estimated market size of 21.3 billion yen for the Boy's Love genre in 2010,[3] which is aimed at young women,[4] who are the main consumers of the content itself, even though some heterosexual men read it.[5] At the same time, the anime home video market, which peaked in 2002, dropped 46% between 2005 and 2010,[6] while total sales of anime products stood in the billions of dollars. By the end of the 2010s, Japanese popular had become a global phenomenon but fandom in Japan itself remained "insular and socially marginal" with otaku and fujoshi regarded by Japanese society as "undersocialized, immature, and even dangerous."[7] This did not stop the anime industry from growing,[8] even having five years of "record-breaking high sales" as a report in 2019 stated [9] and the billions gained from the over 300 anime programs broadcast in 2016.[10] There was also growing market for yaoi, described as "huge throughout Asia" in 2016,[11] a domestic market size of the Boy's Love genre reached over $190 million around the same time.[12] As an underground culture was growing up around anime,[13]^:3 anime remained a part of Japanese media that often reinforces stereotypes about LGBTQ+ people in Japan itself, as noted in one opinion piece in The Japan Times in 2016.[14]

Tokyo MX, rising profits, and representation

The 2010s would be eventful for anime. Shows broadcast on Tokyo MX contained many of the LGBTQ characters during this period. Representation was spread across the board when it came to shows on this television station. The first of these was Akame ga Kill! in 2014, which featured a lesbian character, Seryu Ubiquitous, who has a tragic end[15][16] and a bisexual character, Suzuka, who enjoys being beaten by a group of spies and shows sexual interest in men and women.[17][18] From 2016 to 2018, other shows featured LGBTQ characters. For instance, the well-acclaimed Kiznaiver includes Honoka Maki who is in love with a girl named Ruru and wants a romantic relationship with her,[19][20] while she later has feelings for a male friend named Yuta.[21][22] Ruru, on the other hand, fell in love with Honoka and sought a romantic relationship with her, but later died, something which Honoka regrets.[19][20] Then, Dakaretai Otoko 1-i ni Odosarete Imasu., based on a yaoi manga series of the same name, featured a gay actor named Takato Saijou who loses the "World's Sexiest Man" title to a new, and rising actor, named Junta Azumaya.[23] Junta, a bisexual man, later confesses that he has strong romantic feelings for Takato and coerces him into a sexual relationship.[24] Apart from these anime, Brave 10, which aired in 2012, featured Kamanosuke Yuri, who had an ambiguous gender, who is occasionally referred to as being male,[25] In a similar vein, Symphogear AXZ, airing in 2017, included a male-to-female trans woman, Cagliostro, as a character.[26]

Genderqueer characters appeared in various shows aired in Tokyo MX in the 2010s. For example, Tiger & Bunny featured a superhero, Nathan Seymour (otherwise known as "Fire Emblem") who is genderfluid, gay, and able to control fire, showing themself as heroic and upstanding as any of the other heroes, with the show's sequel movie, Tiger & Bunny: The Rising exploring their backstory where they faced homophobic bullying, affirming their "mix of both masculine and feminine qualities as a major strength."[27] In later years, Fate/Apocrypha, which aired in 2017, featured a genderqueer and bisexual character, Astolfo (Rider), who likes to cross-dress and has been described as androgynous.[28] Darling in the Franxx, airing the following year, had a character, The Nines, who is genderqueer and openly bisexual.[29][30] The series also features a lesbian character, Ikuno, who comes out to Ichigo and confessing that she loves her, emphasizing how much time she had to suffer because of her feelings for another girl.[31] Another show, Squid Girl, featured Sanae Nagatsuki, a person who develops an obsessive crush on Squid Girl, otherwise known as Ika.[32] Similarly, Maken-Ki! Two, which followed the 2012-2013 OVA, aired on the channel for 10 episodes. The show would include a gay or trans woman[lower-alpha 1] named Syria Ootsuka, a defense ,ember of Venus, and an idol celebrity from America, who later flirts openly with Takeru, and makes the other girls jealous.[33]

Gay and bisexual characters appeared in many more anime which aired on the same channel. Fuuka featured an openly gay character,[34] Makoto Mikasa, as did Kado: The Right Answer, named Shun Hanamori,[35] both of which aired in 2017. Furthermore, {Rail Zeppelin} Grace note, broadcast from 2018 to 2019, had a character, Waver Velvet, whose arc is about a gay man "coming to terms with a lost love."[36] while Hitorijime My Hero featured gay characters such as Masahiro Setagawa, Kousuke “Bear Killer” Ohshib, Asaya Hasekura, and Kensuke.[37] A number of shows included bisexual characters as well. In 2013, Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet includes a bisexual woman, Lukkage, who has two female sex slaves who serve as her co-pilots for her mecha,[38] and later develops a romantic interest in a male character. A few years later, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? included a bisexual character, Apollo, who has many male members of his familia which he loves,[39] and also is sexually attracted to a male adventurer and a female goddess.[40][41]

A few years earlier, in 2007, Araki, author of the franchise the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is part of, confirmed that Dio Brando is bisexual, saying he could "go with a man or woman,"[42] with Brando's sexuality incidental to his villainy. As such, he is canonically bisexual in both the anime and manga.[27] Apart from JoJo, a number of other shows had bisexual characters. Sword Art Online Alternative Gun Gale Online included a bisexual character, Pitohui "Pito", after revealing she is Elsa Kanzaki,[43] she kisses the main character Karen on the lips and flirts with her.[44] At the same time, M/Goshi Asogi, who is her manservant and in love with her,[45] warns Karen that Elsa goes through men and women relatively quickly. Apart from her, in the ninth episode, Clarence, a fellow GGO player, is dying and Karen demands Clarence give up, with Clarence demanding a kiss in exchange and reveals she is female (and chose an androgynous avatar) and that she is bisexual.[46] The director of the anime, Masayuki Sakoi, had previously directed Strawberry Panic and Saint Beast, both of which featured numerous LGBTQ+ characters. Also, the show Endro! featured a bisexual princess, Princess Rona Pricipa O'Lapanesta, as a character,[47] while Love Stage!! includes a male couple of characters, Izumi Sena and Ryoma Ichijo, who are both bisexual, both trying to accept their feelings for each other.[48] This series was also directed by Ken'ichi Kasai, who had previously directed Sweet Blue Flowers.

In addition to these shows, the fantasy anime, which aired in 2012 and 2013, titled Ixion Saga DT, featured a trans character. Mariandale is a transsexual maid who wields pistols akimbo and protects the princess.[49] This contrasted with Golden Kamuy, which aired on Tokyo MX from 2018 to 2019. In the show, Kano Ienega is a trans woman and former doctor who feeds on the flesh of her victims to become youthful and beautiful.[50] Her character has been criticized for being an "evil beauty-obsessed trans woman," the series only trans character, with one reviewer stating that her villainy "revolves around her obsession with enhancing her own body," meaning that there are "transphobic overtones to Kano's motivation."[50] Despite such a negative trans character, other shows had more positive LGBTQ characters. For instance, Ensemble Stars!, which aired through the latter part of 2019, included Arashi Narukami, who had an ambiguous gender, as stories have Arashi explicitly talk about "struggling with gender" in the Japanese script[lower-alpha 2] and speaking using feminine speech in the anime.[51][52]

Cosplayer of Tohru in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid in May 2018; image by 玄史生; Tohru is a lesbian character in that series

During the 2010s, lesbian characters had a strong showing on Tokyo MX. One of the most prominent was Kunihiko Ikuhara's Yurikuma Arashi. Ikuhara has previously directed Sailor Moon S, co-directed Sailor Moon R, and directed the groundbreaking Revolutionary Girl Utena. In the series, the main female protagonists, Kureha Tsubaki, Sumika Izumino, Ginko Yurishiro, Lulu Yurigasaki, and Yurika Hakonaka, have various sexual encounters and romantic relationships with each other,[53] as they learn more about their connections with each other[54] and those in the world who do not accept their feelings, deeming relationships between humans and bears as "dangerous."[55][56] The series has been praised as tackling the "prejudice facing gay people in Japan"[57] while simultaneously being a "moving tale of prejudice and fear and love" which focuses on cultural treatment of all women, especially those who are lesbians, criticizes the "idealization of female innocence and purity," and serves as a study of bigotry.[58] Further reviews praised as a well-written drama which is "densely packed with social commentary, multivalent symbolism, and references to historical events, [and] literature,"[59] is LGBT-friendly,[60] and is "all about lesbians."[61]

There were a number of shows which aired on Tokyo MX which also include lesbian characters. Some critics cited Flip Flappers as a prime example, as each episode of the show focuses on "homosexual tropes" and gives an insight into "Cocona's coming-to-terms with her suppressed sexuality," part of the show's focus on gender identity struggles of queer people, specifically of Cocona and Papika.[62] Others noted Yuyushiki. The latter has four lesbian characters, Yukari Hinata, Yuzuko Nonohara, Chiho Aikawa, and Kei Okano, who develop throughout the series, one of whom, Kei Okano, was relatively possessive over others.[63][64] Cross Ange similarly, has four lesbian characters, Hilda Schlievogt, Zola Axberg, Chris, and Rosalie, who have relations with each other, and express the depth of their relationship with each other as the show moves forward.[65][66][67] However, one of the lesbian characters, Zola, tries to rape another character, Ange[68] while another is willing to engage in "extreme measures" to regain control of her former harem.[69] Additionally, Bodacious Space Pirates featured a lesbian couple, Jenny Dolittle amd Lynn Lambretta,[70] while Sound! Euphonium included two characters who have romantic feelings for each other, Reina Kousaka and Kumiko Oumae,[71] Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid featured two lesbian characters, Riko Saikawa and Tohru,[72][73][27] and Manaria Friends followed the story of a human princess named Anne and a dragonborn princess named Grea, chronicling their lives as girls whose relationship grows through the series, with a "sweet, tentative romance just on the cusp of blooming."[37] In the case of Bodacious Space Pirates, Erica Friedman of Yuricon describes Jenny and Lynn are not only strong female characters, but are a "perfect Yuri couple," and noting a moment between these characters in the second part of the anime.[74][75]

Apart from the aforementioned shows, there were some others which had lesbian characters. This included a growing lesbian relationship in Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha, specifically between Akemi Sumizome and Keiko Sanjō.[76][77] There was a cute girls comedy named Sabagebu! -Survival Game Club! with a lesbian character, Urara Kasugano,[78] she falls in love with Momoka instead after developing a masochistic taste for her violent punishments.[79] Then there is a schoolgirl in Himouto! Umaru-chan, Kirie Motoba, who has a crush on another girl.[80][81] Furthermore, the protagonist in Mikagura School Suite, Eruna Ichinomiya[82] Golden Retriever dog girl named Retoree in Show by Rock!!,[83][84] a sexual molester named Mio Kusakai in Keijo,[85][86] and a graphic artist in Comic Girls, Koyume Koizuka, who has a crush on a girl which she expresses in perverted ways.[87][88][89] Finally, Crossing Time featured a character, Tomo, who expresses her love for her friend, Ai[90][91] while Wataten!: An Angel Flew Down to Me focuses on a college student, Miyako Hoshino, who becomes attracted to a young girl, Hana, often acting quite perverted.[92] At the same time, a Chinese web manhua named Spiritpact turned into an anime series which aired on Tokyo MX.[93] It included a two gay characters in You Keika and Tanmoku Ki, who develop an alliance to fight evil spirits together, and their relationship eventually develops into something deeper.[94]

AT-X makes an impact

Tokyo MX was alone on Japanese television. One of their biggest competitors was AT-X, a network owned by TV Tokyo. This network featured a number of shows which had LGBTQ characters as central to their storylines. From 2011 to 2019, anime aired on the TV network including ambiguous, intersex, and trans characters.

The shows on AT-X were wide-ranging. Land of the Lustrous stood out because, when it was released in English, series translator Deven Neel was instructed by the manga's creator, Haruko Ichikawa, to use gender-neutral pronouns for the characters, as Ichikawa wanted to portray them as genderless: the Japanese script uses a pronoun similar to "he", although noted by Neel as being more ambiguous, while the English translation uses singular "they".[95] Some saw this as a big step forward. Specifically, Michelle Villanueva of Syfy stated that the gems are portrayed as non-binary, noting the relationship between Padparadscha "Phoe" and Cinnabar, with Rutile having deep feelings for Phoe, saying that both have feelings for each other.[96] She added that while the series isn't perfect in terms of "queer representation" as the gems are thin-limbed and shinny, with all the gems voiced by "cis female actors,opefully that it is a "daring stepping stone on the road to queer representation," which will lead to more "queer-themed mainstream anime and manga."

Apart from that series, Steins;Gate had a character, Ruka Urishibara, who may be a trans girl,[97][98] while Gugure! Kokkuri-san had a character, Inugami, who frequently switches their gender,[99] and Made in Abyss, Nanachi, has a character who uses gender neutral pronouns.[100] At the same time, Zombie Land Saga has a trans woman, Lily Hoshikawa, as a character, who died from a heart attack caused by occupational stress and mental shock upon growing facial hair.[101][102] Like Zombie Land Saga, Chivalry of a Failed Knight, which aired on AT-X in 2015,[lower-alpha 3] featured a character named Nagi "Alice" Arisuin who is a ytans woman. She is a first year student and Shizuku's roommate, and has an assortment of magical powers.[103] Additionally, Astra Lost in Space has a character, Luca, who comes out as intersex halfway through the story, not considering himself a man or a woman.[104] Their characteristics imply he most likely has Klinefelter's or a milder type of Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome. He was described by Michele Liu of Anime News Network as "unique" since Luca is a main character which is born intersex rather than "altered by sci-fi space diseases or external influence," with Liu also describing Luca as bisexual.[36]

Shows on the same show featured lesbian, bisexual, gay, and genderqueer characters as well. For instance, Soul Eater Not! had one lesbian woman, Jacqueline O'Lantern Dupré, and a bisexual woman, Kim Diehl, as a partner, breaking up later in the anime, although still having feelings toward each other.[105] At the same time, the well-acclaimed Yuri on Ice had a male couple, Viktor Nikiforov and Yūri Katsuki, who may be gay or bisexual and a canon gay character.[27][106] The same year, industry experts argued that the Japanese animation industry had begun enjoying its third anime boom which exceeded the third anime boom in the mid-2000s.[107] Super Lovers, on the other hand, had two gay characters, Haru Kaido and Ren Kaido, and a trans character, Seiji Takamori / Kiyoka.[108][109] In the case of Kiyoka, she runs a bar/cafe with her high school classmate,[108] appears to prefer men, and once confessed to Haru and was turned down, while having transgender friends as shown in the episode "Marine Blue." One reviewer criticized the portrayal of Kiyoka as treating her like a joke, stating that the series claims she is a "man who for inexplicable reasons thinks he should pretend to be a woman all the time."[109] Then there's Citrus. The anime has various lesbian (Yuzu Aihara, Himeko Momokino, Matsuri Mizusawa) and bisexual characters (Mei Aihara).[23] However, it has been a subject of much debate, with the founder of Yuricon and writer of Okazu, Erica Friedman, criticizing the series,[110] as did Christopher Farris on the Anime News Network,[111][112] while another yuri fan praised the series, calling it "a dramatic and salacious Yuri" anime.[113] Some have argued that one of the characters, Sara, is pansexual, demisexual, or even bisexual.[114][115] In the same vein was another yuri anime, Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid, which aired on AT-X. It includes many lesbian characters, from the first anotagonist of the series, Charlotte Scharsen[116][117] others who work for her,[116] two characters in a romantic/sexual relationship, Kasumi Shigure and Hibiki Kenjo,[118][119] secondary antagonists Mamori Tokonome and Mirei Shikishima,[118][120] and other women, Meifeng Sakura, Rain Hasumi, Lady J, Momoka Sagara, and E9 who are passionately in love with other women.[121] The benevolent Governor of the island, Akira Hiragi, and the peacekeeping force is a woman who acts like a man in order to stay safe.[118][122][119]

This brings us to the bisexual and gay characters in shows which aired on AT-X. This includes The High School Life of a Fudanshi which has a character who is a gay effeminate crossdresser, Yūjirō Shiratori, with a liking toward men,[123] a character in MM!, Yumi Mamiya, who crossdresses, gropes and fondles men and women,[124] and a priest, Garterbelt, with an interest in young males in Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt.[125][126] Additionally, Love Tyrant has a bisexual woman, Yuzu Kichougasaki, who has feelings for men and women,[127][128][129] and NTR: Netsuzou Trap which centers around two high school girls named Yuma and Hotaru who each have a boyfriend but secretly cheat with each other.[130]

Like Tokyo MX, many of the shows which aired on AT-X had lesbian characters. Of these, two stand out in particular due to the amount of lesbian characters within their storylines: YuruYuri and Bloom Into You. When it comes to YuruYuri, there are a few characters who have crushes on other girls like Chinatsu Yoshikawa[131] and Ayano Sugiura[132] have yuri fantasies (in the case of Chitose Ikeda and Chizuru Ikeda)[133] or perverted thoughts about girls, Akane Akaza[134] and one who is in a romantic relationship with another girl, Nadeshiko Ohmuro.[134] As for Bloom Into You, there are two characters in a confirmed lesbian relationship, Riko Hakozaki and Miyako Kodama[135] two characters with a developing relationship between each other, Yuu Koito and Touko Nanami[136] going from being friends to lovers, [137][138] and a girl who had a crush on another girl, Sayaka Saeki, while previously having a girlfriend.[139][140] In September 2020, Nicki “YuriMother” Bauman wrote about the series, describing it as "one of the most successful yuri works," saying it defies many tropes associated with yuri, while accepting others, with tropes especially in the relationship between protagonists Yuu Koito and Touko Nanami, Sayaka harboring a crush on Touko, just like "Tomoyo from Cardcaptor Sakura, Tamao in Strawberry Panic!, and...A Certain Scientific Railgun's Kuroko" and said that some parts of the anime contribute to the trope of "the predatory lesbian" and noted the discussion about supposed asexuality in the series.[141] On the other hand, she stated that the "best qualities" of the series are challenging and manipulating yuri tropes, especially when it comes to "pure" relationships and against the idea of "transitory same-sex love," stating this idea is countered in the relationship between Sayaka and Touko.

Bloom Into You and YuruYuri are not the only AT-X shows which had lesbian characters. Magical Girl Ore features a lesbian or pansexual character, Sakuyo Mikage,[142][143][144] and two lesbian characters, Michiru Ogawa and Ruka Kiryu, who can transform into magical girls[145] along with Mohiro Mikage, who has a crush on Saki Uno but only when she appears in her manly, bodybuilder form.[146] Ms. Vampire Who Lives in My Neighborhood., on the other hand, focuses on a vampire named Akari Amano and a human girl, Sophie Twilight, whose feelings toward each other grow during the course of the anime.[147][148][149] Similarly, Kandagawa Jet Girls features two girls, Rin Namiki and Misa Aoi, who live together and become emotionally closer during the course of the show.[150][151][152] A number of other lesbian characters appeared in anime which aired on AT-X. For instance, Chu-Bra!! had a character, Haruka Shiraishi, who has feelings for a girl and dislikes most men who mock/objectify her bust size,[153] Ben-To has a character who is obsessed with a girl[154] and Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero includes a friendly, tomboyish girl, Chikage Izumi, who shamelessly admits they are a lesbian.[155] Kin-iro Mosaic, on the other hand includes a character, Yoko, who other misinterprets situations between herself and their crush, responding indignantly and blushing, mostly because of not being able to admit her love to them,[156][157] and Senran Kagura has a ninja, Katsuragi, who has a significant degree of sexual attraction towards several other female characters throughout the series.[158][159] In later years, Seven Mortal Sins would show a character, Leviathan (Envy), who becomes infatuated with another character,[160] a police officer in Cutie Honey Universe, Naoko Sukeban, who becomes jealous of the girl who is friends with their crush, Cutie Honey, even supposedly sacrificing their life to save her, and later appearing unscathed, taking part in the final fight.[161][162][163] There's also is a character in Our Maid is Way Too Annoying!, who has a romantic attraction to young girls, Tsubame Kamoi,[164] and a former JSDF Lieutenant, Midori Ukai,[165] who fell in love with Tsubame and developed a masochistic obsession with her.[166] Although Tsubame does not return her feelings, in Episode 8 Misha states that if they were to get married, with Midori's riches and Tsubame's maid expertises, they would make a perfect couple.[167]

LGBTQ storylines on MBS

While many of the shows in the 2010s which had LGBTQ characters were broadcast on Tokyo-MX or AT-X, they were not alone. Shows on MBS, had LGBTQ characters as well. These shows did not develop in a vacuum.

The first of those aired on MBS was Knights of Sidonia. The show featured a character, Izana Shinatose, who belongs to a third gender, first shown in the episode, "Commencement," turning into a girl in a later episode after falling in love with Nagate Tanasake.[168] Another was My Hero Academia, which would include Yōsuke Kuroda on its staff, a person who had written the Puni Puni Poemy series, and had worked on the Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid. My Hero Academia would include two trans characters: a trans man named Yawara "Tiger" Chatora and a trans woman named Kenji "Magne" Hikiishi.[169][170] At the same time, Nanbaka would feature a gay and genderqueer character Ruka Gojou,[171] while Happy Sugar Life would have two characters who love each other, Satō Matsuzaka and Shio Kōbe, both of whom may be pansexual, or bisexual and lesbian respectfully,[172][173] with their feelings toward each other as ambiguous.[174] The anime ends with Shio implying she could adopt Satō's way of life and her view on love.[175][lower-alpha 4] The show also has a character, Sumire Miyazaki, who blushes after sniffing the work uniform of a girl they like.[176]

There were a number of other anime with bisexual, lesbian, and gay characters. One of these was Mayo Chiki!, which includes two bisexual characters, Kanade Suzutsuki and Masamune Usami, and one lesbian character named Kureha Sakamachi.[177] Others were Kill la Kill, with a lesbian or bisexual character named Mako Makanshoku[27] and Attack on Titan which featured two lesbian characters, Ymir and Historia,[178][179][27] and one bisexual character named Reiner Braun.[27] Also, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, one of the biggest money-making anime productions at the time,[180] includes two LGBTQ characters, one of which is gay, Yamagi Gilmerton, and the other, Norba Shino, which is bisexual.[181][182][183] At the same time, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU featured a character, Saika Totsuka, unwillingly attracted to the male protagonist,[184] and a female protagonist, Charteux "Char" Westia, who is bisexual in Boarding School Juliet.[185] Apart from those previously mentioned, lesbian characters were prominent in anime which aired on MBS. One of those was Sakura Trick, centered around a romantic relationship between the two protagonists, Haruka Takayama and Yū Sonoda[186][187] a relationship between two other girls, Kotone Noda and Shizuku Minami,[188][187] and an assortment of other lesbian characters, like Mitsuki Sonoda and Rina Sakai.[187][189]

Madoka Kaname, a lesbian character in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, cosplayer on February 2, 2013

Sakura Trick was not alone in this. For instance, Kakegurui ×× included two lesbian characters Sakaya Igarashi and Kirari Momobamiwho are in a close relationship with each other, and a character, Midari Ikishima, who is not enamored by men, and loves women.[190] Similarly, two girls, Madoka Kaname and Homura Akemi, have romantic feelings toward each other in Puella Magi Madoka Magica, an anime which explores the "inherent sadness of magical girls, and love,"[72][27] Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere which focuses on two lesbian witches, Naito Margot and Malga Naruze, in open rebellion against the Catholic Church,[191] and two women in Riddle Story of Devil, Tokaku Azuma and Haru Ichinose, who have feelings for each other.[192] MBS had a number of other shows with lesbian characters. Aria the Scarlet Ammo AA includes a character, Shino Sasaki, who has an obsessive crush on another girl, even resorting to violence to make her crush, Akari, break off a relationship with another woman, Aria, and another woman, Urara Takachiho, who has perverted fantasies about her crush.[193] Additionally, Inu x Boku SS featured a character, Nobara Yukinokōji, which some call a "predatory lesbian" who has a primary sexual interest in young cute girls,[194] while Revue Starlight follows the developments between an all-female cast of main characters, with one of them, Mahiru Tsuyuzaki, having a crush on their roommate, Karen, and later admitting it privately.[195][196][197] In 2019, two other shows had lesbian characters. Magical Girl Spec-Ops Asuka included a character, Kurumi Mugen, who has an unstable obsession to their close friend,[198] while one teenage girl in O Maidens in Your Savage Season, Momoko Sudo, is bewildered by "heterosexual courtship" and frustrated when her friends developing interest in boys as she struggles with her lesbian identity.[36]

Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, and LGBTQ characters on other networks

MBS was not alone with their LGBTQ characters. Fuji TV, TV Tokyo, Nippon TV, TV Saitama, Chiba TV, TV Asahi, and TBS, coupled with a few shows which were released as OVAs were among this group. Fuji TV led the way when it came to representation.

In early 2011, Wandering Son, known as Hōrō Musuko in Japan, would premiere on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block. The anime would be praised as a "breakout show in the transgender drama genre" for its delicate art, empathetic story, and focus on characters.[199] Others would describe it as artful and gorgeous series, with intricate characters, which fairly treats transgender identity, recognizing the challenges characters like Shuichi Nitori, Makoto "Mako" Ariga, and Yoshino Takatsuki have to face.[200] One reviewer argued that the show showed characters like Nitori trying to wade through a "cissexist school environment."[201] Another person pointed out that while the series as an important "piece of transgender literature within manga, anime and Japanese popular culture," Takatsuki assimilates "into a cis female identity" by the end of the anime, and asks whether the series has held back transgender fiction.[202] They also argue that the series reinforces the gender binary. This series also included a bisexual woman (Anne Suehiro) and a trans woman (Hiroyuki Yoshida). This contrasts with Gatchaman Crowds, a series shown on Nippon TV which included O.D., a flambuoyant genderqueer character who acted in a stereotypical manner, along with an androgynous alien shapeshifter named Berg Katze and an ambiguously gendered character (in season 2) named Hajime Ichinose, after she fuses with Katze.[203]

Wandering Son was not alone in anime with LGBTQ characters which aired on Fuji TV. One of those shows was Carole & Tuesday, which included a few characters with gender ambiguity (Desmond and Dahlia), a two bisexual characters (Marie and Ertegun), and a violent (and possibly lesbian) character named Cybelle.[204][205][206][40] In her review of the show for Syfy, Laura Dale criticized the LGBTQ representation in the show, writing that it kept her from enjoying the anime. She argued that the show often uses "minority characters as punchlines, stereotypes for plot progression, or...presents one particular minority group as dangerous violent monsters created by poor environmental factors."[207] Dale further stated that, in their view, the efforts by the show at LGBTQ representation were frustrating because the show has a "really sweet, soft queer energy," stated that Marie, ex-wife of Carole and Tuesday's manager, the only positive example of representation in the anime itself, and remained disappointed that the show had "repeated harmful representations of queer characters."

A few other Fuji TV shows had LGBTQ characters. Samurai Flamenco had a lesbian and bisexual character, Mari Maya and Moe Morita respectfully, in a relationship, with Mari having afetish for men in uniforms.[208][209] In contrast, Given featured characters, Haruki Nakayama, Akihiko Kaiji, and Ugetsu Murata specifically, who may be bisexual or gay,[36] No. 6 has a gay couple, Shion and Nezumi, who grow close and form a romantic bond,[23] while Banana Fish had a bisexual character, Ash Lynx, who had relationships with men[210][211] and once had a relationship with a girl,[212] There was also Ikuhara's Sarazanmai. This anime included an iconic duo of male cops, Reo and Mabu, at odds with each other, as they "act as enforcers for a capitalistic empire" and are forbidden to show their love for each other, with their sexuality ambiguous even as they are very in love with each other [36] The same year, the manga related to One Piece premiered a trans woman and samurai named Kikunojo "Kiku",[213] who also appeared in the anime.

Cosplayer of Tomoyo Daidouji of Cardcaptor Sakura with Sony Handycam; image by 無尾 熊, August 16, 2014

Other Japanese TV stations had shows with LGBTQ characters as well. On TV Tokyo there was Battle Girls: Time Paradox, a lesbian character, Akechi Mitsuhide, secretly infuated with another woman,[214] and multiple gay and bisexual characters, Aoba Seragaki, Ren, Koujaku, Noiz, Mink, Clear to be precise, in Dramatical Murder, based on a BL game of the same name.[215] Additionally, One-Punch Man features flamboyant, muscular gay hero, Puri-Puri-Prisoner, who gets put in prison for taking an interest in and attacking other male heroes and criminals.[216] Nippon TV had a few shows with LGBTQ representation as well. From 2011 to 2014, Hunter x Hunter aired on the channel, featuring a trans woman named Alluka Zoldyck whose status has been confirmed by various sources, like the official data book[217] and an article by Comic Book Resources.[218] At the same time, Lupin the Third Part V featured a gay character, Albert d'Andrésy, who knows the protagonist[219] while another anime in the Lupin the Third franchise, titled Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine featured an androgynous male character named Lieutenant Oscar.[220][221] From January to June 2018, the sequel to Cardcaptor Sakura, which was titled Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, premiered on NHK BS Premium. Some harshly criticized the series, which did not feature LGBTQ characters. For instance, Geordi Demorest argued that while the original Cardcaptor Sakura is beloved for its "LGBTQ-inclusiveness," this sequel seems "less actively progressive" and is missing the original focus on "explicitly representing LGBTQ characters," criticizing the lack of character development for Tomoyo, only having a brief reference to the romance "between Sakura's brother Touya and his friend Yukito." Demorest called for the series to do more to "explore sexual orientation and the gender spectrum" of the characters and called the show nostalgic while coasting on "broad characterizations" of the original cast.[222]

TV Saitama, Chiba TV, TV Asahi, and TBS also had shows with LGBTQ characters air on their TV stations. This included various bisexual and gay characters,[lower-alpha 5] in The World's Greatest First Love[223][224][225] and a lesbian couple in Inugami-san to Nekoyama-san, around which the anime's story revolves[226] which both aired on TV Saitama. Chiba TV in contrast had LGBTQ characters in The Betrayal Knows My Name, with Yuzuki "Yuki" Giou (Sakurai) as gay and Zess (Luka Corosszeira) as bisexual,[227] and a lesbian programmer, Ran Musen, in R-15 who loves "girl-on girl erotica" and has a fan club of "younger sisters."[228] TV Asahi had even more representation in shows on their TV channel. From the New World had various bisexual characters, specifically Maria Akizuki, Shun Aonuma, Satoru Asahina, and Saki Watanabe.[229][230] Then there's Kirakira☆Pretty Cure à la Mode which centers around a magical girl duo, Yukari Kotozume/Cure Macaron and Akira Kenjou/Cure Chocolat who flirt towards each other. In one article, Carlos Cadorniga of Crunchyroll compared the duo to Sailors Uranus and Neptune.[231] Finally there was TBS. One of their shows, The Kawai Complex Guide to Manors and Hostel Behavior included a bisexual character, Sayaka "Ayaka" Watanabe, who loves to lead men on[232] but later has a sexual attraction to her fellow dormmate, Mayumi.[233] Another was Stars Align, which had a gay and non-binary character, Yū Asuka, who is not sure of whether they are "binary trans, x-gender, or something else entirely."[36] One critic said that Stars Align was an anime which explored and discussed gender identity, including non-binary identities, better than shows like Zombie Land Saga and My Hero Academia, which featured trans characters.[202] This critic also pointed out manga which focused on trans experiences like Bokura no Hentai and Bride was a Boy, stating that discussion of these works in English language is rare. In the same vein, some scholars have stated that while homosexuality is often present in anime, they are "rarely translated into English" due to homophobia in Western countries[234] even as Japan itself is considered by some to be one of the "centers of queer(ing) media and fan practices" in Asia.[235]

There one final grouping: OVAs and ONAs. In the latter category was Devilman Crybaby featuring a genderless angel named Ryo, along with various lesbian, and otherwise queer, characters to the mix.[236][27] For OVAs, three anime had lesbian characters. The first of these was Yuri Seijin Naoko-san in 2010 which includes a lesbian alien, Naoko-san, who has romantic/sexual attraction to little girls and seeks to conquer the world by 'yurifying' it.[237][238][239] This anime also includes Hii-chan, Misuzu's best friend who, in the 2012 OVA, is revealed to be harboring a deranged crush on Misuzu.[240][241] Second was Kase-san and Morning Glories in 2018, about a high school romance between the clumsy, flower-adoring girl, Yui Yamada, and an exuberant girl, Tomoka Kase, who is a school's track and field star.[242] Concluding this is Kuttsukiboshi, an OVA released from 2010 to 2012, which includes two characters, Kiiko Kawakami and Aaya Saitō who come together over the course of a summer vacation.[243] In this story, Kiiko is a lesbian, while Aaya is a bisexual.

See also

• List of yuri anime and manga
• List of LGBT-related films by year
• Cross-dressing in film and television
• List of yuri works
• List of animated series with crossdressing characters
• List of anime by release date (1946–1959)
• List of animated films with LGBT characters

Notes

1. In the anime's first season, Syria remains a girl; she falls in love with Takeru when he shows a cool-looking stance to protect Haruko, during the volleyball match between Venus and Maken-ki. Takeru jumps in and accidentally lands on Syria instead of Haruko, much to Kodama's annoyance because of Syria's chest.
2. Because it is implied Arashi was mistreated and hurt by peers in the past, she is extremely passionate about self-love and positive self-esteem, to the point of appearing narcissistic to others. On the matter of self-love, she has said: “No matter how much I want it, and no matter how hard I try... I could never become the beautiful woman I dream to be. But even if that's true... I won't let it depress me. I won't whine about it anymore. I love myself most, no matter who I am.”
3. It also aired on Tokyo MX, TV Aichi, Sun TV, and BS11.
4. Because of the ambiguous nature of the series finale, it remains unknown whether Shio will grow up to have relationships or still maintain her belief that she has been reborn, and happily together with Sato.
5. Masamune Takano, Shouta Kisa, Chiaki Yoshino are gay. Ritsu Onodera, Kou Yukina, Yoshiyuki Hatori, Takafumi Yokozawa, Zen Kirishima are bisexual.

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156. Foronda, Anthony (April 21, 2015). "Anime Spotlight - Hello!! KINMOZA". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2020. ....[For Aya,] when it comes to things involving Yoko, her personality changes...[Yoko is] an energetic girl that...tosses Aya's heart in every which direction on an everyday basis.
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Sources

• Anime Industry Report 2014 Summary (Report). Association of Japanese Animators. March 2015. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
• Anime Industry Report 2015 Summary (Report). Association of Japanese Animators. January 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2020. In 1963, TV animation broadcasting began with only seven animation programs, including Astro Boy. In 2014, a total of 322 TV animation programs were broadcast (232 among them new), forty five times the number in the first year and the largest in history, breaking the record of 279 in 2005 (195 were new among them). While content industries are generally stagnating, as seen in the music industry, the field of TV animation made a miraculous recovery. Still the total production minutes in 2014 were less than the peek of 2006.
• Anime Industry Report 2016 Summary (Report). Association of Japanese Animators. March 2016. Retrieved April 11, 2020. It can be said that Japanese animation industry is now enjoying the 4th anime boom. The market, significantly exceeding the peak in the 3rd Anime Boom (mid in the 2000s), recorded positive growth for six consecutive years and the highest revenues for three consecutive years. However, there are no representative animation works leading the boom (works such as Astro Boy, Yamato, Eva, Pocket Monster, and Princes Mononoke which led previous booms). Probably “Your Name” would be recognized as the leading work in recent years; however, the market itself already recorded record revenues even before the arrival of this work. As specified in the report, this boom is attributed to increases in market channels, including Internet distribution, Pachinko and Pachinko‐slot and Live Entertainment, over the past decade.
• Anime Industry Report 2017 Summary (Report). Association of Japanese Animators. March 2017. Retrieved April 11, 2020. Recently, the Japanese animation industry has been covered a lot in the mass media, including newspapers and TV, and the data in this report is frequently cited in the coverage. That helps build people's awareness of the industry in some way. In 2016, the industry, which recorded positive growth for four consecutive years, crossed the 2 trillion yen mark when they recorded sales of 2 trillion 900 million yen (109.9% on a year‐by‐year basis). Looking at each genre, 5 genres (Movie, Internet Distribution, Music, Overseas and Live Entertainment) increased while 4 genres (TV, Videogram, Merchandising and Pachinko) decreased
• Anime Industry Report 2018 Summary (Report). Association of Japanese Animators. March 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2020. The year 2017 was the first year* that the Japanese animation market crossed the 2 trillion yen mark. The market recorded 2 trillion 152.7 billion yen in sales, growing for 8 consecutive years, with 5 consecutive years of record-breaking high sales. To break it down by genre, TV (100.9%), Internet Distribution (113%) and Live Entertainment (116%) expanded while five genres (i.e. Movie (61.7%), Videogram (97.1%), Merchandising (93.0%), Music (91.6%) and Pachinko (95.8%)) decreased. Overseas (129.6%) showed strong growth, making up for the decline of those five genres. The ebb and flow of respective genres have become clear compared to when this report was first issued 10 years ago.