The depiction of LGBT characters in animated series in the 2020s changed from the 2010s, accelerating. This included series such as Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts , [1] and Adachi and Shimamura (2020), [2] in 2020, Otherside Picnic . [3] and High Guardian Spice [4] in 2021, Dead End: Paranormal Park [5] in 2022, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off , [6] The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady , [7] and I'm in Love with the Villainess , [8] in 2023, Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! [9] in 2024, and others across multiple years, such as The Owl House (2020–2023), [10] Helluva Boss (2020–present), [11] Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020–2021), [12] and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (2022–2023). [13]
This list only includes recurring characters, otherwise known as supporting characters, which appear frequently from time to time during the series' run, often playing major roles in more than one episode, and those in the main cast are listed below. LGBTQ characters which are guest stars or one-off characters are listed on the pages focusing exclusively on gay (in animation and anime), lesbian (in animation and anime), bisexual (in animation and anime), trans, pansexual, asexual, non-binary, and intersex characters.
The entries on this page are organized alphanumerically by duration dates and then alphabetically by the first letter of a specific series.
LGBT representation in children's television is representation of LGBT topics, themes, and people in television programming meant for children. LGBT representation in children's programming was often uncommon to non-existent for much of television's history up to the 2010s, but has significantly increased since then.
Karen Fukuhara is an American actress best known for her roles as Tatsu Yamashiro / Katana in the 2016 superhero film Suicide Squad and as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female in the Amazon original series The Boys (2019–present). Fukuhara is also known for voicing the character Kipo from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Glimmer from the Netflix series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Haru from Pokémon Concierge.
Miho Okasaki is a Japanese voice actress and singer from Okayama Prefecture who is affiliated with I'm Enterprise. She debuted as a voice actress in 2017, playing mostly background roles in anime series, as well as playing some roles in a number of video games. In 2018, she played her first main roles as Miku Nishio in the anime series Ongaku Shōjo and Rimuru Tempest in the anime series That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
Science Saru, Inc., stylized as Science SARU, is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo. Established on February 4, 2013, by producer Eunyoung Choi and director Masaaki Yuasa, the studio has produced four feature films and five animated series, as well as co-productions, a compilation film, and episodes of series for other studios. Science Saru's first animation was the "Food Chain" episode of the American animated series Adventure Time (2014); its most recent projects are the animated feature film Inu-Oh (2021), two short films for the animated anthology project Star Wars: Visions (2021), and the animated series The Heike Story (2021), Yurei Deco (2022), Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), and Dandadan (2024).
Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts is an animated television series created by Radford Sechrist and developed by Bill Wolkoff, adapted from Rad's 2015 webcomic Kipo. The series is produced by American company DreamWorks Animation Television and animated by South Korean studio Mir.
Helluva Boss is an American adult animated musical comedy web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., a company in Hell that offers hitman services in the realm of the living. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019, while the first episode of the first season was released on October 31, 2020. Set in the same fictional universe as Hazbin Hotel, the show is produced by SpindleHorse Toons. The first season was released exclusively on Medrano's YouTube channel, as she has done for other animations. The second season premiered on July 30, 2022. On March 27, 2023, the show was confirmed to be renewed for a third season, in active production. On April 26, 2024, a spin-off short series of Helluva Boss titled Helluva Shorts was announced at LVLUP Expo, with the first short being released on the same day.
Sydney Mikayla Shepherd, known professionally as Sydney Mikayla, is an American actress. In 2014, Mikayla portrayed Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas in the Lifetime biopic for which she won a Young Artist Award. From 2019 to 2022, Mikayla was a cast member in the ABC daytime soap opera, General Hospital, in the role of Trina Robinson. She also voices the role of Wolf in the Netflix animated series Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts.
Gay is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term's use as a reference to male homosexuality may date as early as the late 19th century, but its use gradually increased in the mid-20th century. In modern English, gay has come to be used as an adjective, and as a noun, referring to the community, practices and cultures associated with homosexuality. In the 1960s, gay became the word favored by homosexual men to describe their sexual orientation. By the end of the 20th century, the word gay was recommended by major LGBT groups and style guides to describe people attracted to members of the same sex, although it is more commonly used to refer specifically to men. At about the same time, a new, pejorative use became prevalent in some parts of the world. Among younger speakers, the word has a meaning ranging from derision to a light-hearted mockery or ridicule. The extent to which these usages still retain connotations of homosexuality has been debated and harshly criticized. This page examines gay characters in fictional works as a whole, focusing on characters and tropes in cinema and fantasy.
Netflix has contributed substantially to LGBTQ representation in animation. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual and transgender characters have appeared in various animated series, and some animated films, on the streaming platform. GLAAD described Netflix as a company taking "impressive strides in viewership and impact," when it came to LGBTQ representation. Scholars have stated that LGBTQ characters on streaming services, such as Netflix, "made more displays of affection" than on broadcast networks.
I'm in Love with the Villainess, often translated as I Favor the Villainess, is a Japanese light novel series written by Inori and illustrated by Hanagata. It was serialized online between January 2018 and February 2021 on the Japanese novel self-publishing website Shōsetsuka ni Narō. It was acquired by Ainaka Publishing, who published the first light novel volume digitally in February 2019 under their GL Bunko imprint.
RWBY: Ice Queendom is a Japanese anime television series produced by Shaft, based on the American web series RWBY created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. The series aired from July to September 2022. A manga adaptation illustrated by Kumiko Suekane began serialization in ASCII Media Works's shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh in June 2022.
In Western animation, LGBTQ themes means plotlines and characters which are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise queer in series, produced in Western countries, and not in Japan, which can also have similar themes. Early examples included Bugs Bunny in drag, wearing a wig and a dress, as a form of comedy, or episodes of Tom & Jerry, under restrictive moral guidelines like the Hays Code with some arguing that animation has "always had a history of queerness." This later evolved into gay-coded characters in Disney films like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, and in animated series such as The Simpsons and South Park. In later years, other series would more prominently depict same-sex characters and relationships. This would include Adventure Time, Steven Universe, The Legend of Korra, Gravity Falls, Clarence, The Loud House, and Arthur. Such series, and others, have encountered roadblocks, with series creators attempting to make their programs "more welcoming of different characters," and ensure all-ages animation is no longer "bereft of queer characters." Previously, an online database, by Insider, documented over 250 LGBTQ characters in children's animation dating back to 1983, but the "representation of overtly queer characters" skyrocketed from 2010 to 2020, with promotion of these series by some streaming platforms, while other companies were not supportive of overt representation, for one reason or another.
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