From 1995 to 1999, the number of animated series with LGBTQ characters dramatically increased the number of series which featured such characters during the earlier part of the decade, from 1990 to 1994. Prominently, anime such as Revolutionary Girl Utena , Cardcaptor Sakura , and One Piece featured LGBTQ characters. Animated series South Park and Family Guy did the same, compromising the majority of LGBTQ characters in Western animated series at the time.
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.
For a further understanding of how these LGBTQ characters fit into the overall history of animation, see the History of LGBT characters in animated series: 1990s page.
The entries on this page are organized alphanumerically by duration dates and then alphabetically by the first letter of a specific series.
Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 | Dirty Pair Flash: Mission II | June 1, 1995 | Leena | Lesbian | Leena had caught the eye of Touma when he and Yuri were caught on one of the planet's planned rainy days, as shown in episodes such as "Tokyo Holiday Network." From the time he set eyes on her, Touma was smitten with her but he didn't count on the fact that Leena was a lesbian who had her eyes on Yuri, who seems to have feelings for Kei. [1] [2] | Japan |
1995–1996 | El Hazard: The Magnificent World | October 21, 1995 | Alielle Relryle | Lesbian | Alielle is presented as a comical character who makes other women uncomfortable because of her open attraction to them, [3] in episodes such as "The World of Thunder." She has been described as a "midget flaming lesbian" who sees Princess Fatora Venus as her the "only object" of her affection as shown in episodes like "The World of Mindless Adventures." [4] Early on in the series she tries to have sex with Makoto Mizuhara thinking he is Fatora when he is actually crossdressing as Fatora, shown in "The World of Beautiful Girls" for example. In the show's second episode, she serves as the guide to Makoto and Masamichi Fujisawa to meet the three priestesses of Mount Muldoon. She is also attracted to one of the priestesses on the mountain, Shayla-Shayla, as shown in episodes like "The World of Hot Springs." She also appears in the second OVA, in 1997, titled "El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2." | Japan |
Fatora Venus | An apparently open lesbian, 23-year-old Fatora is like her primary lover Alielle in that she has an overdeveloped sex drive and little concern for the concept of "faithfulness" or even "disinterested", indicated in episodes like "The World of Mindless Adventures." [5] [6] While it is implied that she has had many other "once-off" lovers in the past, and is attracted to Kalia when she first appears in the episode "The Awakening of Kalia," she is fixated on Shayla-Shayla and Nanami Jinnai, trying to lure them into sharing her bed. In the episode "The Bride of Roshtari," the manages to fool Shayla-Shayla sufficiently that she manages to kiss her, naturally prompting a fiery explosion of fury when the priestess realizes who just claimed her first kiss. Fatora also has a crush on Gilda of the emperor's guards. [7] Like Alielle, she appears in the second OVA, "El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2." | |||||
Fushigi Yûgi | April 20, 1995 | Nuriko | Bisexual | Nuriko initially dresses and acts as a woman named Kang-lin, [8] [9] one of Hotohori's concubines because Kang-lin was his twin sister who died and he wanted to keep her memory alive as shown in the episode, "The Seven Stars of Suzaku." [10] He enjoys cross-dressing, as indicates in the episode "Even If I Die...," and is in love with Hotohori, but later also grows to love the main heroine Miaka as indicated in the episode "Brief Parting." [11] | Japan | |
Neon Genesis Evangelion | October 4, 1995 | Maya Ibuki | Lesbian | Over the course of the series, it is implied that Maya gradually develops feelings beyond professional respect for Ritsuko which turns into a crush. [12] [ better source needed ] She also sees Ritsuko before reverting back into LCL during Human Instrumentality in the 1997 film The End of Evangelion . Maya Ibuki has also appeared in the Rebuild of Evangelion film series. | Japan | |
1995–1997 | Crapston Villas | October 27, 1995 | Robbie | Gay | The series was one of the first animated series on British television to present openly gay characters. [13] [14] | United Kingdom |
Larry |
Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996–1997 | You're Under Arrest | November 12, 1996 | Aoi Futaba | Trans woman | Aoi Futaba was initially male but once had to go undercover as a woman in a sting operation to catch some male molesters targeting women. [15] However, she went "native" and has since considered herself and has been treated by her colleagues as a trans woman. [16] [ better source needed ] Though her romantic preferences are made unclear, she seems to prefer men, as shown in episodes like "Aoi-chan has a White Rose." | Japan |
1996–1998 | Blazing Dragons | September 9, 1996 | Sir Blaze | Gay | Sir Blaze is a member of the Square Table which is composed of dragon knights. His mother is married to the king. Writers were mindful of it being a children's show, with those working on the show understanding Blaze was a gay character, who is flamboyant and effeminate, and as such, throughout the series, he is implied to be gay, according to series director Lawrence Jacobs. [17] | Canada |
France | ||||||
1996–2000 | Superman: The Animated Series | February 1, 1997 | Maggie Sawyer | Lesbian | Maggie Sawyer is the captain of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit. In the comics, Maggie is a lesbian. Toby Raynes, Maggie Sawyer's romantic partner, and a reporter for the Metropolis Star, is seen by her bedside in several hospital scenes and later Turpin's funeral service in the two-part episode, "Apokolips…Now!". Bruce Timm states in the commentary for "Tools of the Trade" that those scenes were the creators' way of acknowledging Sawyer's sexual orientation. [18] In the comics, Maggie is also portrayed as a lesbian who comes to terms with her own sexual identity. [19] The comic strip was later recognized as the 7th Outstanding Comic Strip at the March 1996 GLAAD Media Awards. [20] | United States |
1996–2004 | Hey Arnold! | October 7, 1996 | Eugene Horowitz | Gay | On July 26, 2016, the show's creator Craig Bartlett stated that Eugene "is kind of 'proto-gay', so he's uncomfortable getting close to any girl" during an interview with BuzzFeed, though this was never explicitly stated during the show. Bartlett stated: "We always figured Eugene was kind of proto-gay. He's not gay yet, he just will be. He loves musical theater, and he's a wonderful guy." [21] This was never explicitly disclosed in the series. Eugene's voice actor for season 5 is Blake McIver Ewing, a gay musician. [22] | United States |
September 22, 1997 | Mr. Robert Simmons | In July 2016, Bartlett confirmed that Mr. Simmons was gay during an interview with BuzzFeed. [21] Several episodes throughout the series hinted at Mr. Simmons' sexuality, including "Arnold's Thanksgiving", a Thanksgiving-themed episode which implies that one of his dinner guests, Peter, is his boyfriend, and that Simmons' mother wants him to date a female friend. However, it was never explicitly stated he was gay. Mr. Simmons also appears in Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie in which he is shown hugging Peter. A clip from "Arnold's Thanksgiving" was uploaded on the official Nickelodeon Animation Studio YouTube channel in June 2018 during Pride Month in which the description refers to Peter as Mr. Simmons' partner. [23] His voice actor, Dan Butler is also gay. [24] | ||||
1996–2011 | The Ambiguously Gay Duo | September 28, 1996 | Ace | Gay | These two superheroes engage in acts of heroism which are "ambiguously homosexual." [25] In June 2020, Robert Smigel, one of the series creators, told The Daily Beast that the engine of the show was an "obsession with sexuality" and that he thought that it was funny because the homophobes and everyone are obsessed with finding out whether the superheroes are gay or not, calling it "sport and titillation." [26] | United States |
Gary | ||||||
1996–2022 | Arthur | October 7, 1996 | Nigel Ratburn | Gay | Mr. Ratburn, and another man, Patrick, get married in the series season 22 premiere, "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone," which aired on May 13, 2019. [27] As such, he and Patrick are the only LGBT characters in the series. [28] [29] | United States |
May 13, 2019 | Patrick |
Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Anthy Himemiya | Bisexual | She is in love with Utena Tenjou, another series protagonist, with their love confirmed by director Kunihiko Ikuhara. [30] [31] The characters are seen kissing both in the TV show credits and the movie. At the beginning of the series, Anthy is engaged to an abusive man named Kyouichi Saionji, and it is later revealed that her brother, Akio, has been sexually assaulting her. [32] This differs from the manga where Anthy has a consensual relationship with Akio and a romantic relationship with Utena. | Japan |
Utena Tenjou | Apart from being in love with Anthy Himemiya, Utena is also in love with Akio Ohtori. [33] She crossdresses as a prince and fights to protect Anthy, the Rose Bride, from harm, throughout the series, influencing creators like Rebecca Sugar. [34] | |||||
Juri Arisugawa | Lesbian | Juri is explicitly in love with her female classmate, Shiori, in both the TV series and movie. She is described as "homosexual" by the creators in the DVD booklet. [35] The commentary in the booklet indicated that Shiori also had feelings for her, but was too troubled and insecure to act on them in a healthy way. [36] As such, Juri and Shiori have crushes on each other but do not known how to act on them. [33] | ||||
Kyouichi Saionji | Gay | Saionji is the vice-president of the Student Council and captain of the kendo team. Kyouichi is temperamental, egotistical, prone to angry rages, and often cruel. His lack of self-control stems from insecurity, a lifelong homoerotic rivalry against Touga from which he is always at the losing end. It is implied that he is closeted and tries to deny it by overperforming his masculinity. Kyouichi has feelings for Touga and has engaged in homoerotic activities with him as shown in episodes 36 and 37. [37] [ better source needed ] He is obsessed with Anthy not because he is in love with her but because he views the Rose Bride as a mindless doll who will never disobey him, and won't threaten his masculinity. | ||||
July 2, 1997 | Akio Ohtori | Bisexual | Akio is the brother of Anthy. He and Touga Kiryuu were shown in bed together, and both are playboys with a number of female conquests, [38] with Akio's conquests including Utena and Kozue. [39] As a result of his actions, Utena starts to fall in love with him. [33] | |||
April 2, 1997 | Touga Kiryuu | While Keiko, Yuuko, and Aiko have crushes on Touga, who is beloved by girls, and later feels jealous of Akio's closeness to Utena, as he has a romantic relationship with Akio. [33] [38] Otherwise, he is a playboy and is Anthy's ex-boyfriend before Utena. [40] which is shown in Adolescence of Utena . [41] | ||||
July 9, 1997 | Kozue Kaoru | Kozue Kaoru is obsessively in love with her twin brother, Miki. [42] In one episode, "The Landscape Framed by Kozue," she was shown kissing Anthy, and seems to have a crush on her. [33] | ||||
April 2, 1997 | Miki Kaoru | Miki has a crush on Anthy.[ citation needed ] In the light novels, Miki is shown to be engaging in sexual activities with Touga, while in the anime it's implied to have happened. | ||||
Wakaba Shinohara | From the first episode Wakaba always praises Utena and calls her her "true love." [43] [ better source needed ] She sends multiple love letters to Saionji, who eventually takes advantage of her heart. | |||||
July 23, 1997 | Shiori Takatsuki | Childhood friend of Juri Arisugawa who returns to Ohtori Academy. She idolized Juri in the past, but this caused her to question their friendship and she eventually became paranoid as indicated in the episode "Thorns of Death." When she finds out that Juri had feelings for her, [33] she acts cruel but has been aware of these feelings toward her for a long period. [44] Even so, she cares enough about Juri to apologize to her, in the episode "Azure Paler Than the Sky," although it is not clear if Juri returns her feelings. In the movie, Shiori sleeps with Touga Kiryuu. | ||||
1997–2006 | Space Goofs | September 6, 1997 | Candy Caramella | Transgender | Candy is the uptight homosexual neat freak. [45] They get in touch with their feminine side by sometimes disguising themselves as a woman as shown in episodes like "Heavy Metal Madness" and "Back to School Blues." In many situations, Candy is the first to worry, as shown in the episode "Snoutra." Candy flirts with men and is implied to be transgender. [46] [ better source needed ] This implication is confirmed by the game, "Stupid Invaders" with Candy planning a gender reassignment surgery with the best specialist in the universe. In a 2022 podcast interview with series producer Marc du Pontavice, he stated Candy is supposed to be non-binary but was unable to find the right words at the time. [47] | France |
1997–2010 | King of the Hill | April 28, 2002 | Bug Gribble | Gay | In one of the episodes, "My Own Private Rodeo," Dale's father, Bug has come out and participates in the gay rodeo circuit. Bug is married to Juan Pedro. [48] The episode was later nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Individual Episode" in a "series without a regular gay character." [49] [50] | United States |
Juan Pedro | ||||||
1997–present | South Park | August 13, 1997 | Liane Cartman | Bisexual | In the early seasons, Liane was very sexually active and regularly pursued this activity. She also had no issue with having sexual relations with complete strangers, usually inviting them to the home as frequent visitors. This desire was not strictly for men, for it is hinted in one episode, "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut" that she had intercourse with Ms. Crabtree, Mayor McDaniels, and Sheila Broflovski. [51] | United States |
Herbert Garrison | Lesbian trans woman | Originally presented as a closeted homosexual, the storylines have featured Garrison coming out as a gay man, then having a gender reassignment surgery to become female (known as Janet Garrison), becoming a lesbian, and then changing back to a man. [52] [53] It is shown he still has feelings for his ex-boyfriend, Mr. Slave, as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!" | ||||
Gay | ||||||
September 3, 1997 | Big Gay Al | He is a stereotypical homosexual man known for his flamboyant and positive demeanor introduced in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride." [54] Big Gay Al openly displays his homosexuality and is an advocate for gay rights. He is married to Mr. Slave, as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!" [55] | ||||
December 17, 1997 | Craig Tucker | Craig and Tweek are seen frequently throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first seasons holding hands and hanging out with each other, shown in episodes such as "Tweek x Craig" and "Put It Down. It is confirmed by the official website and blog that they are in a relationship, and that they became an official couple in the episode "Tweek x Craig." [56] [57] Craig also had an unnamed girlfriend before he realized he was gay, and dumped her. [56] | ||||
Tweek Tweak | ||||||
February 11, 1998 | Ms. Ellen | Lesbian | In one episode, "Tom's Rhinoplasty," Chef reveals that the new teacher Ms. Ellen, voiced by Natasha Henstridge, is lesbian. [58] [59] [60] Some of her male students are attracted to her and don't understand what lesbians are, and try to "become lesbians" too, to get her attention. | |||
April 1, 1998 | Saddam Hussein | Gay | Saddam and Satan are presented as a gay couple in the series and in films. [61] However, although both have "kinky sex," with Saddam calling Satan a "cum bucket," their relationship ends after Satan decides to stay a single man after talking with God, resulting in Saddam being sent to Heaven. [62] | |||
Satan | Satan is in a romantic, and abusive, relationship with Saddam during the series, but later ends it after talking with God, deciding to remain single instead. [61] [62] He also has a relationship with a man named Chris, and has a short-lived relationship with a male demon, Kevin. [63] | |||||
May 27, 1998 | Stephen Stotch | Bisexual | Despite being married to Linda, Butters' father, Stephen Stotch, is revealed to be a regular customer at the local gay theater & bath house as shown in "Butters' Very Own Episode," and claiming to Linda that he only did so out of curiosity, Stephen promises to suppress any future homosexual urges. [64] However, some episodes, like "Insecurity," show him pursuing these acts in secret. | |||
November 20, 2002 | Mr. Slave | Gay | Mr. Slave was Mrs. Garrison's boyfriend until she made the transition into a female in the episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina." [65] He is now married to Big Gay Al, as of the episode, "Follow That Egg." [55] |
Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Outlaw Star | February 12, 1998 | Fred Luo | Gay | Fred is a 20-year-old camp weapons merchant who is known to be flamboyant and openly gay, [66] as first shown in the episode "The Beautiful Assassin." He has a strong infatuation for the series' main protagonist, Gene Starwind, whom he supplies arms to. He has a fiancée, named "Reiko Ando," but eschews marriage. [67] | Japan |
1998–1999 | Devil Lady | October 11, 1998 | Jun Fudo | Lesbian | Her "devilman" is awoken by Kazumi, a high school student. [68] Over the course of the series, the relationship between Jun and Kazumi gradually progresses into an almost romantic one. [69] [70] Most notably in the last episode, titled "Man," Jun decides to forge her soul with the force from the Demons, which Kazumi also lets her absorb her to help in the final battle with Asuka. | Japan |
Kazumi Takiura | Awakens the "devilman" inside of Jun and begins a romantic relationship with her, after she begins living with her. [68] [69] [70] | |||||
Sorcerous Stabber Orphen | February 27, 1999 | Stephanie | Trans woman | Stephanie, also known as Steph, was Orphen's old partner and initially a man but was severely injured and while using the rest of his magic to cast a healing spell, made some "modifications", and became the trans woman Stephanie, as shown in the episode "Snake in the Temple." [71] She falls in love with and marries her boyfriend the florist Tim but continues to help Orphen and his friends, [72] although she later becomes their foe. [73] | Japan | |
1998–2000 | Cardcaptor Sakura | April 7, 1998 | Tomoyo Daidouji | Lesbian | Tomoyo is in love with the show's protagonist, and friend, Sakura, even loving what she wears. [74] [75] [76] As such, she is intensely devoted to Sakura. [77] Unfortunately for Tomoyo, Sakura does not return her feelings, even though she does help her find her voice. [78] At some point, Tomoyo confesses her love to Sakura, but Sakura misunderstands her, thinking she means "love" as a best friend, [79] and Tomoyo says that she will explain when Sakura is older. Some scholars have argued that based on Tomoyo's romantic attractions she is asexual. [80] CLAMP artist Nanase Ohkawa described Tomoyo as more than an "interesting friend" for Sakura, saying that someone she could "talk about her magic," and saying that Tomoyo just "wanted Sakura to be happy." [81] [82] | Japan |
Touya Kinomoto | Bisexual | He is the older brother of Sakura and is often worried about her. [75] His relationship with Yukito has been confirmed by the series creators. [83] Before meeting Yukito, Touya dated Kaho Mizuki when she was his junior high school teacher, and she broke up with him when she left to study in England. [84] As such, some argued that Touya was either bisexual or pansexual. [85] | ||||
Yukito Tsukishiro | Gay | He is in a romantic relationship with Touya, with the official website calling him Touya's "best friend." [83] [75] As a result, Yukito rejects Sakura's feelings for him because he is in love with Touya. [86] [87] In February 2000, Owkawa said that "such a warm, gentle character like Yukito" is uncommon in CLAMP works, repeating the same in a 2004 interview. [82] [88] Ohkawa said in February 2000 that "you can see Yukito and Touya as being friends, or as going beyond that." [82] Yukito's alternate form is Yue. He also appears in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle , as a High Priest, and Toya as a king, of the Clow Kingdom. [89] | ||||
Ruby Moon | Intersex | Ruby Moon has no biological sex. [90] They are always seen presenting as female, even though Spinel Sun often asks them why don't they present as male for a change. At some points, Ruby Moon states that their gender does not matter because they are not actually human and also that girls have cuter clothes. They appear to have a crush on Touya. [91] Like Syaoran, Sakura, Touya, Yukita, and Tomoyo, they also reappear in Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. [92] |
Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999–2000 | Infinite Ryvius | October 6, 1999 | Criff Cay | Trans woman | Criff Cay is a member of the group Team Blue. She is indicated to be transgender when her sister Michelle refers to her as "Big Brother". Her character profile lists her sex as male. [93] | Japan |
Stein Heigar | Gay | Stein Heigar is a member of the group Zwei. Heigar is gay. [93] | ||||
1999–2002 | Mission Hill | September 24, 1999 | Gus Duncz | Gay | He is an elderly man married to Wally Langford, who is also in his late 60s. Both may appear in an upcoming series by the same show creators tentatively titled "Gus & Wally." [94] [95] Gus played the main role in a film, "The Man From Pluto" which was directed by Wally. | United States |
Wally Langford | He is married to Gus Duncz, [95] [94] In the 1950s, he directed a film, "The Man From Pluto," and is later shown he works as a projectionist at a local theater. | |||||
1999–present | Family Guy | January 31, 1999 | Meg Griffin | Bisexual | Throughout the series, Meg has shown romantic interest in and dated several men. However, there have been several instances, in episodes like "Stew-Roids" and "Dial Meg for Murder" in which she has shown hints of being bisexual or a lesbian. [96] In November 2016, when asked about further development on the characters Chris and Meg, Alec Sulkin confirmed that there would be a future episode where Meg comes out as a lesbian, taking inspiration from earlier episodes where she exhibited signs of lesbian characteristics. [97] [ better source needed ] [98] A few episodes since then have hinted at that possible development, such as "The Griffin Winter Games", "Trump Guy", and "Trans-Fat." | United States |
Stewie Griffin | Stewie has been in relationships with female babies, but is also attracted towards males. In the commentary for Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story , the writers describe how they were going to make Stewie discover he was gay, but decided to scrap this idea to retain Stewie's sexual ambiguity for writing purposes. [99] [100] [101] MacFarlane planned for the series' third season to end with Stewie coming out of the closet after a near-death experience. The show's abrupt cancellation, before later continuing, caused MacFarlane to abort these plans, and the episode "Queer Is Stewie?" was actually produced, but never shown. [102] In a 2008 interview, MacFarlane said those who work on the show "all feel that Stewie is almost certainly gay, and he’s in the process of figuring it out for himself." [103] | |||||
April 18, 1999 | Bruce | Gay | Bruce often talks to his roommate Jeffrey. It was implied that Bruce is gay and that Jeffrey is his domestic partner, as in "Road to the North Pole" where he states in the song "All I Want for Christmas" that he wants a wedding ring from a guy named Jeffrey. [104] In "Meg's Wedding", Bruce briefly had a romantic relationship with Meg until they ended it on the wedding day after Bruce finally accepted himself as gay. Bruce finally got engaged to Jeffrey in a parking lot since the priest wouldn't allow them to marry in the church. In the season 22 premiere "Fertilized Megg", Bruce and Jeffrey have a baby girl named Liza Judy Barbra who is conceived through surrogacy. [105] [ better source needed ] | |||
July 12, 2000 | Jasper | Jasper is a dog who is Brian Griffin's gay cousin. Jasper marries his Filipino partner Ricardo in "You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives." [106] [103] The episode had to be changed various times due to issues with censors, according to audio commentary, with MacFarlane saying the episode was put together after he had teamed up to write it with two gay writers. [103] [107] | ||||
November 15, 2001 | John Herbert | Herbert is an elderly man. He has an ephebophiliac and hebephiliac attraction to young boys, [104] and harbors unrequited love for underage teenager Chris Griffin, though most other citizens of Quahog are oblivious to his sexuality. His voice actor Mike Henry defines Herbert as a pedophile. [108] | ||||
January 6, 2006 | Sarah | Lesbian | In one episode, Sarah invites her classmate Meg Griffin to join her afterschool club, as shown in the episode "Brian Sings and Swings." Only after accepting, Meg discovers that it is called Lesbian Alliance Club. [96] Meg pretends to be lesbian for a while to make friends. It is shown that Sarah is attracted to Meg: when Meg visits her to confess that she is actually straight, Sarah mistakes Meg's sentences "I got to get something off my chest" and "I need to open up" as invitations to have sex. [109] [ better source needed ] | |||
May 9, 2010 | Ida Davis | Trans woman | The "father" of Glenn and Brenda Quagmire and the ex-"husband" of Crystal Quagmire. Ida (formerly Dan) was a war hero in the Vietnam War, and was thought to be a homosexual by Peter. When Glenn asked his "father" if this was true, Ida claimed that she was a woman trapped in a man's body and came to Quahog for a sex reassignment surgery, taking the name Ida Davis afterward as noted in the episode "Quagmire's Dad." [110] From Season 17 onward, she became a recurring character, and some criticized her role in the show, stating that her character was previously the "butt of many transmisogynistic and transphobic "jokes,"" and that the show does not promote inclusivity. [111] | |||
Futurama | April 6, 1999 | Randy Munchnik | Gay | Often appearing in crowds and angry mobs, he is an "effeminate male" who may be gay. [112] He also owns a jewelry shop. He likes parts of the Bible, even once creating a Noah's Ark "filled with same sex pairings of each species," and is good friends with Fry. [113] [ better source needed ] He is later shown as having a relationship with another man, Soupy, and both have a pet poodle together. | United States | |
November 14, 1999 | Hermaphrobot | Trans woman | Hermaphrobot is a manbot-to-fembot transgender Robot, who often engages Bender in a subversive manner, saying she is "more lady" than Bender could handle. [114] Some critics have criticized her "intersex slur-referencing name," and her character being defined by her physical attributes, while playing into stereotypes. [115] | |||
November 10, 2002 | Hedonism Bot | Pansexual | Hedonism Bot is a robot who is into sex and has a lot of fetishes. His man-servant Djambi is also his lover and mostly prefers the company of men. However, he also had a bachelor party in which the strippers were all fembots in the 6th season episode "The Late Phillip J. Fry" [116] [ better source needed ] | |||
One Piece | August 26, 2001 | Mr. Bon Kurei | Genderqueer & Gay | Also known as Bentham of the Wild and "Mr. 2 Bon Clay," he has powers that allows him to shapeshift into any form he wishes and crossdresses as a woman, and has a kempo called the "Okama Kempo." [117] He is a recurring character, has defeated many villains, and was once an enemy of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. [118] [119] [120] He is part of "Baroque Works," and has been described as being "associated with queer gender identities." [121] | Japan | |
February 14, 2010 | Emporio Ivankov | Ivankov is the self-declared queen of an island populated by okama, having powers that allow him to shift between male and female forms, while also changing genders of other individuals. [122] Also known as Iva, and has been involved in various battles with villains over the course of the show. [123] [118] | ||||
Okamas | More than one person, but a whole group of individuals, and are named after the tricky and controversial Japanese word "okama." [117] [124] | |||||
April 14, 2019 | Morley | Trans woman | A giant and as well as the commander of the West Army in the Revolutionary Army. [125] | |||
August 25, 2019 | Kikunojo "Kiku" | In both the manga and anime, Kiku is revealed to be a trans woman. [121] Before being transported to the future, Kiku dressed in more masculine clothing typical of a samurai. After arriving in the future, Kiku began showing a significantly more feminine side, such as wearing red lipstick and dressing more in feminine clothing, and has described herself as a "a woman at heart," while she was assigned male at birth. [126] [127] [128] Some described Kiku as a "breath of fresh air in terms of her strength and characterization" and noted that her gender identity is never ridiculed. [129] | ||||
May 2, 2021 | Yamato | Ambiguous | He idolized Kozuki Oden as a child, emulating everything about the samurai warrior, and his pronouns are respected by Kozuki. [130] [131] He has also been described as a "rebellious son of a pirate emperor," and noted as a fan-favorite character. [132] | |||
SpongeBob SquarePants | May 1, 1999 | SpongeBob | Asexual | According to an interview with Stephen Hillenburg in 2002, SpongeBob is neither gay or straight but in fact, asexual. [133] This was once again clarified in 2005, because of the controversy on SpongeBob and Patrick's sexual orientation. [134] Hillenburg also instructed that SpongeBob should never have a romantic relationship, since he is asexual (as all real-life sea sponges are) and is too innocent for it. [135] | United States |
Revolutionary Girl Utena is a Japanese anime television series created by Be-Papas, a production group formed by director Kunihiko Ikuhara and composed of himself, Chiho Saito, Shinya Hasegawa, Yōji Enokido and Yūichirō Oguro. The series was produced by J.C.Staff and originally aired on TV Tokyo from April to December 1997. Revolutionary Girl Utena follows Utena Tenjou, a teenaged girl who is drawn into a sword dueling tournament to win the hand of Anthy Himemiya, a mysterious girl known as the "Rose Bride" who possesses the "power to revolutionize the world".
Tomoko Kawakami was a Japanese voice actress. She was also known by her pen-name Tomozou (とも蔵), and her Christian name Cecilia (セシリア). Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, she was a member of Production Baobab.
Syaoran Li, sometimes spelled as Shaoran Li or originally as Xiaolang Li, is one of the central characters in the Clamp manga Cardcaptor Sakura and its sequel Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. In the English anime adaptation by Nelvana of the series, Cardcaptors, he was renamed Li Showron and in the American broadcast was rewritten to be the joint main protagonist alongside Sakura Kinomoto, despite Sakura's solo lead role in all other regional conversions. Syaoran is a young Chinese sorcerer from Hong Kong, descending from Clow Reed and appearing in Tokyo during his introduction in order to capture the missing cards released by Sakura. Although Syaoran is initially apprehensive towards the protagonist due to their shared goal, he, in time, finds himself falling in love with her as the series progresses. Syaoran's relationship with Sakura is further explored in the 2000 Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card film and the sequel.
Cardcaptor Sakura: The Movie is a 1999 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Morio Asaka and produced by Madhouse and Bandai Visual. The film is based on the anime television series adaptation of Clamp's Cardcaptor Sakura manga series. Written by Nanase Ohkawa, Clamp's head writer, it was released in Japanese theaters on August 21, 1999. It won the Feature Film Award at the 1999 Animation Kobe. Set between the first and second seasons of the television series, the film follows Sakura Kinomoto and her friends as they travel to Hong Kong and encounter a vengeful spirit who was hurt by Clow Reed in the past. A second film, Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card, was released in 2000.
Cardcaptor Sakura, abbreviated as CCS, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. Serialized monthly in the shōjo manga magazine Nakayoshi from the June 1996 to August 2000 issues, it was also published in 12 tankōbon volumes by Kodansha between November 1996 and July 2000. The story centers on Sakura Kinomoto, an elementary school student who discovers magical powers after accidentally freeing a set of magical cards into the world; she must retrieve the cards to prevent catastrophe. Each of these cards grants different magical powers, and can only be activated by someone with inherent magical abilities. A sequel by Clamp, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card, focusing on Sakura in junior high school, began serialization in Nakayoshi in 2016.
Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by the manga group Clamp. It is a sequel to Clamp's manga Cardcaptor Sakura and focuses on Sakura Kinomoto in junior high school. The manga was serialized in Kodansha's Nakayoshi magazine between the July 2016 and January 2024 issues, with the chapters being collected in 16 tankōbon volumes. A 22-episode anime television series adaptation produced by Madhouse, featuring the cast and staff from the original series, aired from January to June 2018, which loosely adapts the first 24 chapters.
In anime and manga, the term "LGBTQ themes" includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender material. Outside Japan, anime generally refers to a specific Japanese-style of animation, but the word anime is used by the Japanese themselves to broadly describe all forms of animated media there. According to Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin, the fluid state of animation allows flexibility of animated characters to perform multiple roles at once. Manga genres that focus on same-sex intimacy and relationships resulted from fan work that depicted relationships between two same-sex characters. This includes characters who express their gender and sexuality outside of hetero-normative boundaries. There are also multiple sub genres that target specific consumers and themes: yaoi, yuri, shoujo-ai, shonen-ai, bara, etc. LGBT-related manga found its origins from fans who created an "alternative universe" in which they paired their favorite characters together. Many of the earliest works that contained LGBT themes were found in works by dōjinshi who has specifically written content outside the regular industry. The rise of yaoi and yuri was also slowed due to censorship laws in Japan that make it extremely hard for Japanese manga artists ("mangakas") and others to create work that is LGBT themed. Anime that contained LGBTQ content was changed to meet international standards. However, publishing companies continued to expand their repertoire to include yuri and yaoi, and conventions were created to form a community and culture for fans of this work.
On the April 6, 1999, "I, Roommate" episode...the well-adjusted gay recurring character Randy Munchnik...is introduced.
Randy Munchnik is a bit character who often appears in crowds and angry mobs throughout the entire series run of Futurama. He is an effeminate male who may or may not be gay, and who is also a fan of portions of the Bible.
The robotic embodiment of hedonism, Hedonismbot's existence focuses on self-indulgence of the most decadent order. Whether edible, aural, tactile, Hedonismbot seeks pleasure in any way it can possible be experienced to the highest order. Served by his man-servant Djambi and once engaged to be married, after a stripper-bot melted down killing all the attendees of his bachelor party it is unclear whether he continued with the marriage or not. He is no stranger to the delights of robosexuality. When Fry became a great holophonar player, Hedonismbot feigned to commission the greatest opera of all time from him; it is unclear how he is able to support his hideously sumptuous lifestyle.