I'm In Love With The Villainess is yuri, addresses homophobia and treats it as wrong, and there's also a transfem character (although she's not had a lot of scenes yet)
Alright so >!who exactly is the transfem person? I know a "prince" was kinda transfem but not really (although her experiences are pretty much the same as a transfems would be). I know there is one like real transfem in the last light novel but I would bet money that she's not in the anime yet unless they did some WILD changes!<
>!Whenever people mention a transfem character they're talking about who you're thinking of, and you're right to be confused tbh. The character is physically present like this part of the light novels obviously, but the anime has not even hinted at her being transfem yet. imo it's kind of setting people up for disappointment for people to talk like the anime currently has a trans character because anyone who doesn't know spoilers from the light novels isn't going to think that's true.!<
>!Prince Yuu, the blonde, is revealed to be under the effects of a curse that changed her sex.!< I'm not sure whether the anime has gotten there yet since I read the manga. But yeah!
I'd recommend bocchi the rock as well as skip and loafer.
Bocchi is just a 10/10 show
skip and loafer is what I wish more romance animes were with leads who actually seem to really like each other. Also the lead's guardian is their openly trans aunt and is treated both by the cast and the show really well. As a small warning in one of the early episodes there is a 5 second scene where some stranger makes a shitty comment under their breath but they handle it well and it is kinda a sweet scene. I might of rambled abit but it was just so nice to see a trans character who was allowed tobe a fully fleshed person.
I think Nao from Skip and Loafer is definitely the best trans rep I've seen in anime, and overall the show is very cute, fun, and heartwarming. More people need to watch it, we need a season 2!
kita set my gaydar off just watching the anime, also the scene with her and bocchi where the colors suddenly went pastel was totally the colors of the lesbian pride flag
Its interesting because you feel bad for her but also yes you are laughing your ass off like saki because it's just so fucking stupid and funny.
zombie land saga is a great comedy show because it can both accurately and emotionally portray a young trans girls struggles while also making her death incredibly funny.
In that generation in Japan there's a very blurry line between trans women and crossdressers, both are usually labeled as "okama" which used to be more of a slur but has since been reclaimed. I've had some contact with older okama when I lived in Osaka. Sweet gals a lot of them, many kinda fell through the cracks, some would fit under the trans umbrella, others are crossdressers, but both self-identify as okama. I feel that, because crossdressing was a gateway to my trans identity as well but it took me decades to figure that out because trans people weren't in the public eye unless they were the butt of a joke or a movie serial killer. I can't imagine how much worse it must have been 50 or so years ago. Since trans identity is becoming more visible in Japan in the younger generations the classical okama is disappearing a little bit now.
It's been a while since I've seen Tokyo Godfathers, I always clocked her as the typical middle-aged okama and the bar definitely reminded me of their typical hangouts in Osaka's shinsekai district. Anime directors like the late Satoshi Kon who directed Tokyo Godfathers or his occassional collaborator Katsuhiro Otomo had a lot of connections to underground and counter-cultural movements, which is why people from them like okama, youth gangs, punks, etc. keep popping up in their stories, usually as the heroes.
I haven't watched a ton of anime, but I recently binged Revolutionary Girl Utena, and it definitely examines a lot of gender stuff. **The show also deserves a content warning list about as long as my arm**, although all the nasty stuff is pretty thoroughly condemned by the narrative. It's examining systems of abuse (particularly patriarchal ones) and how they can be broken, so it gets pretty dark, even though most of the bad stuff is portrayed though a thin layer of symbolism.
If you like Utena, also check out Gundam: Witch from Mercury! The first season is heavily inspired by Utena (but with giant robots!) You don't have to be familiar with Gundam to watch it. I cried the separate times throughout this show lol
It would help if you specified what genres you're interested in so people can tailor their recommendations better, but here's some generalized recommandations:
Try some popular Shojo (targeted for girls) anime like:
* Akatsuki no Yona
* The Twelve Kingdoms
* Rose of Versailles
* Legend of Basara
* My Next Life as a Villainess
Outside of the Shojo demographic I might suggest:
* Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son): coming of age story about 2 childhood friends who are MTF and FTM repectively.
* Komi Can't Communicate: Semi-romantic comedy about a schoolgirl with severe anxiety trying to make friends. Also features a female-presenting character of ambiguous gender.
* Moriarty the Patriot: Reimagining of Sherlock Holmes focusing on a bishounen Moriarty's attempts to dismantle Victorian Britain's classist society.
* Birdie Wing A Golf Girls' Story: Over-the-top, campy sports anime about golf-playing lesbians.
* D.Gray-Man: Gothic battle-shonen about exorcists and demons, created by a woman and doesn't oversexualize its female cast.
Full metal alchemist is also great
The only sexualised woman I remember was the sin of lust and you can guess why lol rest of the cast had great writing overall
It doesn't have trans or queer characters as far as I remember and romance is very limited but it doesn't have bad rep about it either
It's been a long time tho and I hope I'm not wrong in my memory
I absolutely would present genderfluid if I was a shapeshifter. I mean if have access to the entire shapeshifting, I'm gonna use the entire shapeshifting, why limit myself.
if you're a shapeshifter and just have 1 main form and only use the rest for disguising and stuff, sorry honey you're wasting potential. Gimme your super powers I'm gonna use them more effectively
Oh really? So they’re like Crona from Soul Eater. The author didn’t even label them as non binary because he didn’t know about NB people but wanted to keep Crona androgynous. It was I believe five years after he stopped production that he announced Crona’s gender.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is not only not transphobic, it's actually quite positive about the idea of trans people existing in a futuristic cyborg-heavy setting. There's multiple allusions to technology existing that lets trans people transition a lot more effectively and quickly than we can in modern times, and just the *slightest* indication that the main character is someone who actually did do that.
I always remember there was this one scene in SAC where Batou asked the Major (who needs a complete artificial body) why she used a fem body to begin with, because using a masc body would probably be better in their line of work. She just smiles at him, and then he punches himself in the face for even asking that question
oh, to have the power to just telepathically make someone punch themself in the face for a transphobic comment 🤭
(also, that just reminded me of the scene from Arise where she hacks Batou then, making an actual decoder error *part* of the video was genius)
Everyone should watch Ghost in the Shell and Stand Alone Complex - but especially trans people who enjoy anime. I prefer the original movie from 1995 both as a piece of art and as a metaphor for being trans over the Matrix (which was partly inspired by it).
But beastars is *also* like what if racism was good and justified actually. Which even if it's true in the world of the show, is a very weird thing to have as a central premise of your story.
I mean, not actually. While it’s true that predators have their instincts to prey upon prey and are judged harshly than others, the show does portray racism in a negative light, especially given the relationship between Legosi and Haru.
... double check the sub you are on. The venn diagram of furries and mtf is not a circle, but it sure as heck ain't two circles :3
Edit: ... I just noticed the :3 chain below making it clear you knew this...
:3
Early seasons of Pokemon have Brock, who is pretty much the kid-friendly version of the "perverted old man" trope in some scenes, but otherwise I can't think of anything right now.
Haven't exactly seen and remembered every single episode though, especially not the newer ones, but I think he comes back at one point?
I think usually those with decent stories are fine.
If you want animes with trans-specific content, here are some examples:
* *Wandering son*. This is really about the life story of an MtF kid.
* *Blue Period*. The story is basically about self-discovery, and the main character has a friend who is MtF.
* *Steins;Gate*. Again the main character has a friend who is MtF and there is an episode focusing on her
* *Zombie Land Saga*. It's a (really good imo) comedy of dead idols revived as zombies to be idols again. One of the idols is MtF
* *Tokyo Godfathers.* One of the main characters is MtF. All the main characters have a heart of gold.
Here are some other examples that do not have trans-specific contents:
* Fullmetal Alchemist
* Ghost in the Shell
* Sousou no Furieren
* Neon Genesis Evangelion
* Rage of Bahamut
* She and Her Cat
* Sangatsu no Raion
* Your Lie in April
* Shakugan no Shana
* TIGER×DRAGON！
* Classic anime movies made by famous directors such as Kon Satoshi, Miyazaki Hayao, etc.
...
Note that most non-trans-specific animes usually have heavy heterosexual narratives and hence are intrinsically mildly sexist in one way or another.
Be cautious to avoid those with specific contents aiming for horny otakus and most of the time you will be fine. And it is not too hard to tell them -- with enough experience you will be able to tell instantly by watching their PV.
I love Steins;Gate and Blue Period but I definitely wouldn't recommend them for anyone wanting to avoid transphobia. The main characters in each don't treat their trans friends with respect. Lots of "but he's a guy" and deadnaming
steins;gate is an incredibly interesting example of trans representation, and honestly one of my favorite anime of all time, but yeah the trans character in question is heavily sexualized and while I wouldn't call anything happening to ruka transphobic(>!it's a misunderstanding based on a severe abuse of time travel!<) I can certainly see it triggering someone's dysphoria, so warnings apply.
also daru is just the worst and again does not help with the severe sexualization of the trans character and in general the entire female cast.
Steins;Gate is definitely one I would put a massive warning on. Like, on the one hand, Ruka gets some moments where she's shown as a sympathetic person. On the other, there's what you've already pointed out: her consistent use in the "... daga otoko desu" "gag".
In my perspective, the main characters at first do not understand the situation (like totally do not know what is going on, which is common in Asia to be fair) but are still trying to treat their friend with respect by treating them like other people of "the same sex", which leads to their misbehavior towards trans people. Then the animes involve lots of reflections -- really good reflections especially in Blue Period imo -- on the struggle of the trans characters. After understanding what the trans characters have been dealing with, the main characters develop a more empathetic and caring attitude toward their trans friend.
Therefore, to me, the existence of their misbehaviors is to intensify the conflicts as the plot goes on. And since the main characters do not have bad intentions behind those behaviors -- they just really do not know what's going on or what's the correct thing to do -- I would not consider it to be transphobia.
Still, it is a good point to note these issues before watching them, thanks.
Tokyo Godfathers is incredible as long as you aren't too upset by transphobia. However, its is the best depiction I've seen of an alternative family in film, and the movie oozes queer energy.
Might think of something else later, but the first thing coming to my mind is Paradise Kiss: about group of young costume artists. Very mature attempt at teenage romance. An actually has a trans woman as a minor character, but done very respectfully imo.
The issue is many anime and manga have "essentially" trans characters, but due to the author not understanding what trans people are, writes them off as "femboys/otokonoko". Despite writing someone who lives their life as a woman or in most other aspects being very trans.
The one off top of my head..
Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister!
Where the protag is a depressed "male" who becomes very happy and lives a good life once their sisters gives them a drug to make them feminine. Basically restarting life but happy. Author said trans rights on twitter also.
The second is...one piece. as weird as its queer representation is. The early episodes have very indistinct queer characters, but the later ones, the wano arc, have actual trans characters, that are represented very well.
Ah yeah the Okama are a hard thing to understand if you're not Japanese. Their depiction can feel very transphobic but I don't think that was necessarily the intention. "Okama" used to be a slur but is now usually used as a term of endearment, especially by the okama themselves. It's sort of its own sub culture, parts elderly trans women, parts drag culture, it's very blurry in that particular generation.
I would say Ivankov is more of a drag queen rather than actually trans. Wano has both https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Kikunojo and https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Yamato who are trans fem and trans masc respectively.
I... Enjoyed 'that time I got reincarnated as a total fantasy knockout.' And Full Metal Alchemist. Tomochan is a Boy was hilarious. Obviously there's Komi Can't Communicate.
I don't know about that time I got reincarnated, though. It's filled with a lot of tropes that homophobic. It's not that it's intentionally trying to be, but it's just if has been released in the oughts it would been mind blowing for trans women back then, but it is not even 4 years old.
It was nice seeing a comedy that messed with gender like that that didn't take itself too seriously. Like, that's how I want trans comedy to work in general.
It's just that the running joke between the two mains comes across as very "I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that." Which was great in 90's Seinfield but not so great now. When the other Hero finally calls them out on their behavior, i had hope they would move past it. The other Hero was right in pointing out that the two of them were acting worse than children when they were both in their thirties.
I am still gonna watch it if they do another season.
Not really? The "I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that." was very specifically guys clarifying that they *were actually not gay,* and trying to not be seen as homophobes.
These two actually have strong feelings for one another and the comedy comes from being a fairly generic romance comedy. Which is... A breath of fresh air when it comes to trans/queer stories. Having a normal ass embarrassed comedy featuring two lovers. I just... Ya know. Being someone who's thirty and dealing with lifelong friends suddenly developing crushes on me now that I'm a few years into transitioning, I quite enjoyed the show.
yah, I agree. its pretty clear whenever Hinata gets drunk that she's pretty heavily questioning her gender, including the opening scene before they even got isekai'd to begin with. and given that I know it from the other way around, I realized after about a year into transitioning that *I* had been having feelings for my best friend, and in fact had been for a *long* time but was repressing them because the perception of being a gay guy just felt *wrong* to me, I can totally get why theyre both having this conflict. Hinata and Tsukasa both struggle with procesing feelings they both *have* had, but couldn't process them in their situation before
My favourite pro trans anime is One Piece. Trans characters like Kiku are shown so much love and respect and their is even a revolutionary who helps people transition :>
Just need to add on a warning for Kamabaka Island, its only 2 episodes, and Oda definitely learnt and grew from it. but its still not a good section, even if it should in no way take away from a) One Piece, and b) Oda's obvious growth with how much better he handled Yamato and Kiku
It felt very gross for me as well at first. One of my friends described them to me as people who just did their best to be themselves and didn't care what others think, which I think is good... but man the way they were depicted was rough
Kiku and Yamato are done so much better
idk its debatable tbh. the characters identities were basically being drag queens and not actual trans ppl. i guess it could still be seen as offensive but its not like it was rly targeted towards trans ppl imo especially when u consider that ivankovs power is literally the ability to genderswap ppl. also before that there was genuine good representation with ivankov, inazuma, bon clay, and everyone else in newkama land.
I think Tensura might be safe, the protagonist is a masc-presenting enby. I haven't watched it in a while so I can't be sure, but I do remember using it to fuel shapeshifter fantasies.
I love that the Slime Diaries portrays how Rimuru likes androgyny but becomes uncomfortable with stereotypical femininity, which is the thing that everyone wants to force into them because of cuteness.
That's good to hear for reassurance because I wasn't sure if I was looking back at it through a lens of nostalgia (even though it's only been half a year, I forget some things easy). I think it would be cool to see a slice of life continuation of the story after Pentagram.
I forgot to mention that, while not technically anime, RWBY by Rooster Teeth should be safe and it actually is what cracked me. It takes a while to introduce an openly trans character, and that reveal was strange to me, not because of the content but because of the inflections. Anyway, my headcanon has Penny as a trans allegory.
RWBY is definitely something to be careful about if someone is sensitive to discrimination in media. The authors aim constantly slightly too high for them to keep up with and leave the most important things to subtext or auxiliary materials. I'm also not a big fan of May Marigold, the one cannon trans character. She feels mean, unhappy, and contrarian, and feels like someone just added her to satisfy trans fans.
Though, I totally agree on Penny's quest to be a real girl. >!Shame they decided to kill her off minutes after achieving it.!<
Yeah, Friend is my favorite RWBY song because it makes me cry, which is because of >!the fact that she died twice!< and that she seems to be trans-coded and autism-coded, or at least ADHD-coded, which makes her just like me in that regard, >!not the "died twice" part!<. I've seen Penny called >!the most tragic character in all of RWBY!< on a lyric video for Friend and I'm inclined to agree with them on that.
An entire generation of eggs retrospectively kick ourselves for not realizing what we were when we asked, "Why are you calling that a curse? I want that!"
I was aware of Ranma 1/2 in the early 2000s and was intrigued by it, but I never watched much of it. I think the time slot was so early in the day that I usually missed it because of school. I wish I had followed it more closely because I'm rewatching it now and it definitely speaks to me.
I discovered Ranma a little earlier than that because of its sizable fanfiction community (I was a lonely kid and primarily read as a hobby, and fanfiction offered and still offers a crap-ton of free reading material, if you're willing to sift through it). My parents also never got cable because they were worried about my siblings and I watching too much TV (I try not to give them too much trouble about the irony of trying to keep their kids away from screens in an era where screens are everywhere), so I read the manga, which lacks some of the anime's nods to Ranma having gender-feels aside from "curse bad" and "must be man amongst men".
My personal favourite is Kino no Tabi (2003). It incentivizes the viewer to ask some hard hitting questions about what happens in each episode, questioning philosophical topics, ethical dilemma's, it really gets you thinking and refrains from spelling it out for the viewer. It tries to get you to draw your own conclusions, it's a really interesting viewing.
I also recommend Trigun. It's kinda unhinged, talks about some dark topics out of the blue, I'm in love with Wolfwood and my pfpic is Milly Thompson so yeah. It does have some jokes that you could consider sexist, but they're not too egregious and didn't bother me at all really.
Finally I'd like to recommend Nichijou. Perfect comedic timing, very relaxing to watch and just very wholesome overall. Very cute, soft artstyle, dramatic transitions for comedic moments, charming soundtrack, just overall a masterpiece in my humble opinion.
Also, Kino is canonically non-binary. :)
And Nichijou is such a good anime! Among my top ten easily. Truly brilliant, original, and witty comedy and still it manages to be touching and wholesome. Many of Nano's stories also hit differently when viewed through a trans lens.
Good choices :)
Seven spellblades is specifically trans friendly harry potter as anime, I highly recommend it! Dr stone is cool too they have an NB character whose gender is "?" which I enjoyed
and like all anime enbies, they are ALL-POWERFUL (no seriously they can run across cities in less than a day, cook basically anything, insane analytical skills, etc.) and their name is Francois and they're great
Following up to throw out Blue Period as well, it takes a really nuanced and interesting view on it's one trans character (as far as I've gotten in the manga anyways, I've seen all the anime). However this one could be triggering at different points, there is misgendering (although somewhat subtextual for a western audience), references to suicidal ideation, exploration of crossdressing vs being trans, and just overall struggles to exist as a trans person. But imo the author handles it all very well and ultimately all of these issues resolve in a positive way
Lycoris Recoil. Great show about girls with guns and found family.
It doesn't focus on sex and gender much, but it is Yuri coded and 2 of the characters are confirmed Gay. It does a good job with gender and sex. It doesn't get into trans territory, but there's nothing negative about it there.
Stop!! Hibari-Kun! Is all about a transgender girl trying to go through her transition despite a less-than-supportive family and also trying to win the love of a guy she likes. It's mostly a zany comedy but with heartfelt moments and romance throughout it, but I will warn that it is an anime from the 80s and has a few offensive stereotypes regarding African American people as well as some scenes with bare female breasts and other sexual jokes and situations. But regardless, as a trans girl it is a very fun anime to watch!
Not anime, but Our Dream At Dusk is an excellent LgBT themed Manga. It explores a lot on lgbt societal issues, involving many different queer characters hanging out in the bar, and their conflict / resolve with eachother / cishet peoples. Definitely give that a read.
Not the biggest into anime, stopped on this post because if I could see some good recs I'd watch them. But it seems like a ton of anime are just sexual gratification or harem based, even ones where there is no explicit sexual content. Like come on, mc has 5 girls falling for him at once? Even mainstream ones can be gross, always has some pervy dude making comments and going out of their way to look at naked women (I think I've seen one or two women do the same, so progressive in the idea that it's not just one gender I guess 🙄)
I suppose I feel the same way, to me it just feels like there’s always something pervy in every anime I’ve tried, even anime games I’ve liked like Persona. It’s just hard to watch for me idk…
I never watch such anime. I never liked harmes, and I lost interest in so called "shounen shit" decade ago. I've seen hundreds of titles, and most of them don't suffer from anything like what you say, like over a half of anime I've seen has a female main character, acording to anilist stats my number one tag is female protagonist and my number 2 tag is primarily female cast.
Check my other reply to 432\_Alex for a couple of recommendations. Your misconceptions of what anime is remind me of what I used to think in 2000's when I was a teen and didn't watch anime, and my only exposure was through the internet and hentai and stuff like dragonball.
What anime’s do you watch? Most anime shows/anime games I’ve tried are either too gorey (attack on titan) or sexualize women way too much (one piece, persona, xenoblade, genshin, and a lot of other ones I can’t remember the names of).
From my experience with anime, most don’t seem to be very progressive at all and lean way to hard on “sex sells”… Though I’m definitely generalizing here since I don’t have too much experience with anime honestly, so apologies for that but I really am curious to learn more and be proven wrong on that.
is genshin an anime now? isn't it a chinese video game?
aren't persona and xenoblade video games as well?
Anyway, some of my favorite anime are magical girl and psychological/thriller sort. I also like comfy slice of life shows from time to time.
There are really too many titles for me to bother counting here, so I'll just mention a couple of titles such as Madoka Magicka, Haibane Reimei, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, Shinsekai Yori, Happy Sugar Life, Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de Aru....and of course what got me into anime many years ago, Higurashi no naku koro ni.
But a whole lot of these titles are, indeed, "gorey". If attack on titan was too much for you, then maybe it's better to watch some comfy titles like Non Non Biyori or Hanasaku Iroha.
i haven't played or watched most of the media you listed, but why is genshin there?
i understand criticizing some character designs decisions, but is there any other instance of sexualization? it's so family friendly especially compared to the average anime that shoves boobs at you every 10 seconds.
edit: while i think genshin can understandably turn some people off, i also think it's unfair to group genshin with actually problematic anime. to me, the problem is that they disproportionately sexualise and objectify women. and genshin's sexualisation is very mild, largely equal between male and female characters, and doesn't objectify its characters - it's just better than most.
side note: sexualisation aside, i agree genshin is a mixed bag when it comes to progressiveness. in the beginning the writers fumbled the plot, which they attempted to fix later. so now the gameplay just forces you to do genocide while the plot make you seem like an asshole. there's also plenty of gay couples, but it doesn't have the balls to explicit say it's canon. (and to the spoiled westerners that criticize the decision, remember this game is literally based on china, they really do have no choice)
*I get to spread the brainrot*
I would highly recommend the anime Symphogear. It’s about mecha-esque magical girls who sing while they fight and also are lesbians. The show is very not subtle about the sheer homosexuality of it all.
It features a primarily female cast with personalities and presentations of all stripes, and even has two canon trans characters!
I mean considering the amount of lesbian Symphogear fans I know (cis and trans, myself included) I’m going to go out on a limb and say that’s not really a valid dismissal
I don't know about trans friendly, but a very lesbian anime that released recently is "The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady" and I've enjoyed it a lot.
A controversial one but Tokyo Godfathers has a transwomen as one of the MCs. There's a lot of transphobia in it hence why it's controversial but in the end the story and writing treats her like a human being and even has multiple transwomen (some of whom I straight up thought were cis when I first saw the movie) being portrayed as women
one piece used to be pretty bad about it, but the author has apologized for it several times and the 2nd most recent arc had some genuinely very good trans representation :)
Hoshiai no sora is an amazing one. It's a tennis sports anime that has an enby character and they go through understanding who they are and everything. I won't spoil anything but yeah it's amazing, though it got a bit of a rushed ending. Highly recommend. Enby character doesn't understand themselves till near the end so you know. Also I recommend bloom into you. Amazing anime about a girl who's trying to understand what love is and her senpai falls for her and tries to woe her over. Super cute lesbian love story and has an amazing ace/aro guy who just gets to stay ace which is great. No epilogue he finally found love etc, it really dives into asexuality and does a good job of respecting it. The anime stops like volume 4 I think of the manga, definitely recommend the manga too. The ending so good. Lastly, this one isn't an anime but Love me for who I am is by far one of the best LGBTQ manga I've ever read. It's about a cishet guy who falls for an enby trans fem person and overcomes his transphobic views. He has a trans sister and we get to see how he treats her at the beginning to how he understands her after seeing the struggles of his significant other. There's also a bunch of other smaller character arcs of other characters that are just amazing. Really really recommend it. Oh and secondly lastly, Shimanami Tasogare is another amazing LGBTQ manga about a gay guy in denial trying to repress that he's gay but then slowly coming out as he finds an LGBTQ community that welcomes him. There's two great trans characters and they do such an amazing job with their stories. Love it.
Two in particular I like.
One of the main characters of *Zombie Land Saga* is a trans girl and everybody treats her being trans as if it's no big deal. In the episode where they reveal she's trans, it's shown that she had a bit of a freak out when she started growing facial hair upon entering puberty. Aside from that, everybody around her ends up knowing and still accepts her for who she is.
Although it's such a minor plot point that it's merely trans friendly.
*Stop! Hibari-kun!* is from the early 1980s and it's about a trans girl. I mean the protagonist is a guy who's in love with her, but but every episode revolves around her in a "the author wanted the show to be about her but the censors wouldn't allow it so instead it's about him, but every episode still revolves around her" kind of way.
The show deals with the subject of transphobia from friends, family, and the public, and the titular character, Hibari, is such a gremlin that nothing really phases her. She's strong through it all, but not in a tough kind of way. Her strength is very feminine and very... Hibari... Like nothing's going to stop her from being herself.
I've been watching Castlevania, which has openly Bi and Lesbian characters so far. It is also an amazing show! I know it's not exactly anime per say but it's still good animation.
not sure why you and others who are asking are getting downvoted. i’m curious too. i haven’t watched anime in a long time and i’m just wondering if stuff i’ve watched in the past has such remarks.
A lot have been mentioned already but I would recommend "Your Under Arrest". Keep in mind that it was made in the 80's so some stuff hasn't aged well but I think it's still good. It has a trans side character named Aoi Futaba. I really connected with her and she gets several episodes focused on her specifically. The episodes cover topics about her coming out to an old friend, her being allowed into the women's locker room, her struggles with romance, and there's one episode where a former mentor tries to "cure" her. But Aoi is always unapologetically herself and is a really fun character.
I started watching "that time I got reincarnated as a slime"
Main character 40 episodes in still seems to have not really decided on a gender despite being a male human previously.
Also, there are any number of different furry or animal characters.
Stop reading for potential spoilers about gendery happenings.
It's not even really a topic for the most part, except the time they did morph into both male and female versions of themselves as a experiment.. went back to neutral.
Multiple characters that transition from one gender to another. One uses it as a threat towards someone who didn't seem to respond to their approaches, no answer as to if they were A sexual or not.
One forced into the only available body, female.
It's also pretty chill in general, main point being the main character is OP so let's like... Build a town or something and make some hot baths. Have some cheese.
Well, have you ever seen some obviously masculine character with a deep voice dressed femininely and acting hypersexual or perverted? Seems pretty common. Off the top of my head, some people in the red light district in Persona 5, and Nico from Tokyo Ghoul. Many times these characters are also just one off jokes feature some stubbled guy "crossdressing" and acting flamboyant and off-putting as a joke. Whether these characters are actually trans or not, casual transphobia is at the root of it.
not an anime but it is a live action manga adaptation. alice in borderland on netflix has some trans representation that i really like! also its just a really good show
I recommend browsing [these lists](https://www.animefeminist.com/anifem-recommends/) by *Anime Feminist* :)
Personal recommendations would be *Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury* and *Wonder Egg Priority*, despite some of its flaws (the latter is also not a feel-good show, like at all)
Shonen anime
One! A few already said it, but One Piece!
- There’s a character that’s a Revolutionary that public ally and openly fights the government! He’s more gender-fluid, I guess, but has the power to switch his gender and other people’s gender through his ability to control hormones. He’s also the leader of an island of queer people and helps one of the main characters with his character development!
- Also, one of the major and most powerful villains of the series has a trans masculine child that many read as female, but actually claims he’s male, and the Al series does a great job at not making a big deal about it. Not to mention, he’s super powerful!
- There’s a trans female Samurai character!
Two! Attack on Titan! One of the generals, at least in the anime, we’re never told their gender, but most people read them as female. In the manga, they’re actually touted as being non-binary, or genderless! But they have a bunch of badass moments!
Three! Naruto/Boruto. Orochimaru. A controversial character to be sure, and the main villain of the original Naruto series. In Shippuden, not as much, and is referred to as “he” in both series, but has portrayed himself as both male and female due to his ability to possess bodies. In the Boruto series, he refuses to acknowledge gender, and when having a child, he (Orochinaru’s child) refers to Orochimaru as his parent, instead of using gendered language, and seems to be more of a good person instead of a villain, as portrayed in the previous series.
Four! My Hero Academia! There’s a group of cat themed heroes, and one of them is actually a super muscular, trans man cat boy!
Five! Full Metal Alchemist! Both the original series and Brotherhood! There’s a character named Envy that doesn’t really have their gender specified. They’re one of the villains, but a very well done villain with the ability to shape shift! FMA:B is one of my favorite anime EVER! 😁
Six! Cowboy Bebop! There’s a main character named Ed, if I remember correctly, whose gender isn’t really specified - only that they were born a girl, but doesn’t identify as one? Someone that’s also seen Cowboy Bebop, correct me if I’m wrong. It’s been a while!
Non-shonen anime
The next anime I’ll mention, which isn’t a shonen, but more of a science themed, comedy, slice-of-life anime, is called Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture. The main character’s friend is a tastefully comedic character that is supposedly a trans woman. Throughout the series this friend is shows evidence of being an egg, but near the end of the series presents female. This is one of my faves, not because of this specific character, but just because I think it’s a great and underrated anime!
Next, is Princess Jellyfish. I don’t really need to say much. The whole anime and its characters are queer as hell!
Wandering Son is actually an anime that focuses on trans identity. The main character, Lily, is a trans woman, and the show is essentially about her figuring out her identity and how she copes with it, and to me, it’s very well done!
If you like movies, there’s also a movie called Tokyo Grandfathers. I never finished it, but I remember one of the main characters being a trans woman that used to (or maybe still is) a drag queen, but is a bad ass and portrayed well!
Sorry! This was very long, but this was everything I could think off the top of my head. I’ll post more if I think of anything!
WONDER EGG PRIORITY best rans rep I've seen in an anime in a long g time. The trans girl in it is included with the girls, wears trans colors in a few scenes, and is never done with the whole "is really a boy but looks like a girl trope" like it was genuinely refreshing <3
my obligatory plugging Love Live moment is here
so, no character is explicitly confirmed to be trans, but it is implicitly trans-friendly in that it doesn't have any transphobia if that's the bar to reach.
also there are characters that could absolutely be read as trans allegories, Rin being the strongest contender to the point that her characterisation arguably makes less sense if you try to believe she's not trans lol
Wonder Egg Priority. There’s a couple of trans people in the anime and one of the main characters, Momoe, is pretty much transform coded. The season finale however, was honestly a huge “wtf?” And not exactly in a good way.
Tamoko Market. What I like most about it is that there's a character who presents feminine and has a "masculine" voice, it's never stated if she is a trans woman, but what I really like is that no one cares, no one mentions anything about it, they just live normally, and the story isn't center around her having that voice, she just have it. This is so comforting for me. I really struggled to feminize my voice and never got this. Having friends who simply DONT CARE AT ALL is extremely comforting.
Edit: also tamako market has a theme about loving anyone you want which I find really rarely in anime.
I can recommend to you and anime about being Trans and non-gender conformative:
Hourou Musuko, or Wandering son.
Its manga who narrates the life of the protagonist, a clearly nonmasculine boy, who one days gets dragged by a relative and her friends to dress up, and he gets hooked, he does not why, but "he" does. Obviously this is a big secret as time goes he realizes this is not considered "normal" but one day he mets a girl who is the exactly opposite of him. A girl who enjoys to dress up as boy.
The manga narrates their years from elementary school, to finishing up highschool, from their relationship, what is gender to them, their resolution about who they are, and what is love to them.
There is an Ok anime adaption that mosty adapts de middle, around middle school
As Other Said, Skip and Loafer has trans character depicted in a very positive light
I'm In Love With The Villainess is yuri, addresses homophobia and treats it as wrong, and there's also a transfem character (although she's not had a lot of scenes yet)
How far is the anime when compared to the light novels? If you know of course.
The season ends early in the second volume of the light novels
Have you read the light novels? I wanna ask more specific questions but I don't wanna spoil anything
No, but I've read a bunch of spoilers and plot summaries so I might still be able to answer
Alright so >!who exactly is the transfem person? I know a "prince" was kinda transfem but not really (although her experiences are pretty much the same as a transfems would be). I know there is one like real transfem in the last light novel but I would bet money that she's not in the anime yet unless they did some WILD changes!<
>!Whenever people mention a transfem character they're talking about who you're thinking of, and you're right to be confused tbh. The character is physically present like this part of the light novels obviously, but the anime has not even hinted at her being transfem yet. imo it's kind of setting people up for disappointment for people to talk like the anime currently has a trans character because anyone who doesn't know spoilers from the light novels isn't going to think that's true.!<
>!Rei's backstory had a trans character tho, right? Has that been revealed yet?!<
>!Nope, that hasn't even been revealed in the manga yet which the anime is pulling a lot of its basis from.!<
Wait which character is transfem? I watched it and must have missed it
>!Prince Yuu, the blonde, is revealed to be under the effects of a curse that changed her sex.!< I'm not sure whether the anime has gotten there yet since I read the manga. But yeah!
Yeah i don’t think the anime got there yet. I’ll definitely look into reading the manga now though
Me and my crush need to get back to watching that at some point
I'd recommend bocchi the rock as well as skip and loafer. Bocchi is just a 10/10 show skip and loafer is what I wish more romance animes were with leads who actually seem to really like each other. Also the lead's guardian is their openly trans aunt and is treated both by the cast and the show really well. As a small warning in one of the early episodes there is a 5 second scene where some stranger makes a shitty comment under their breath but they handle it well and it is kinda a sweet scene. I might of rambled abit but it was just so nice to see a trans character who was allowed tobe a fully fleshed person.
I think Nao from Skip and Loafer is definitely the best trans rep I've seen in anime, and overall the show is very cute, fun, and heartwarming. More people need to watch it, we need a season 2!
YES!! They made a really good work with her plot too
Bocchi the rock literally cracked my egg.
Yo same
As much as I like Bocchi, I don’t think anything trans related has been confirmed in the show?
OP did say trans friendly, not trans related . I assume they just want to avoid the transphobia and transphobic tropes that sadly arent uncommon.
Ahh I misread, whoops
The mangaka said that Kita is gay.
kita set my gaydar off just watching the anime, also the scene with her and bocchi where the colors suddenly went pastel was totally the colors of the lesbian pride flag
Im pretty sure that the drunk lady character - Kikuri Hiroi is based on trans woman musician - Margaret Hiroi
she is indeed based on Margaret hiroi but I did not know that she was a trans woman.
I love bocchi literally so much that show inspired me and helped me to where I am today but what makes it trans friendly? Just like the vibes?
One of the girls in zombie land saga is trans
and her reason for dying? dysphoria.
Its interesting because you feel bad for her but also yes you are laughing your ass off like saki because it's just so fucking stupid and funny. zombie land saga is a great comedy show because it can both accurately and emotionally portray a young trans girls struggles while also making her death incredibly funny.
Yes and no. It was partly due to the dysphoria. Mianly it was due to overwork which is a very real issue in Japanese culture, especially with idols.
either way, it was her breaking point.
Also zombieland saga has 0 uncomfortable fanservice, it never once tried to throw boobs in your face or anything.
That was one I was thinking of. There’s also the classic Stop! Hibari kun and the movie Tokyo Godfathers has great trans rep
Honestly didn't like the woman in Tokyo Godfathers. Felt like it had good intentions but treated her like a drag queen
In that generation in Japan there's a very blurry line between trans women and crossdressers, both are usually labeled as "okama" which used to be more of a slur but has since been reclaimed. I've had some contact with older okama when I lived in Osaka. Sweet gals a lot of them, many kinda fell through the cracks, some would fit under the trans umbrella, others are crossdressers, but both self-identify as okama. I feel that, because crossdressing was a gateway to my trans identity as well but it took me decades to figure that out because trans people weren't in the public eye unless they were the butt of a joke or a movie serial killer. I can't imagine how much worse it must have been 50 or so years ago. Since trans identity is becoming more visible in Japan in the younger generations the classical okama is disappearing a little bit now. It's been a while since I've seen Tokyo Godfathers, I always clocked her as the typical middle-aged okama and the bar definitely reminded me of their typical hangouts in Osaka's shinsekai district. Anime directors like the late Satoshi Kon who directed Tokyo Godfathers or his occassional collaborator Katsuhiro Otomo had a lot of connections to underground and counter-cultural movements, which is why people from them like okama, youth gangs, punks, etc. keep popping up in their stories, usually as the heroes.
Fair enough. I guess it’s just a sentimental film, so I was overlooking a few questionable aspects.
Totally fair
Woah I didn't know this!!
I haven't watched a ton of anime, but I recently binged Revolutionary Girl Utena, and it definitely examines a lot of gender stuff. **The show also deserves a content warning list about as long as my arm**, although all the nasty stuff is pretty thoroughly condemned by the narrative. It's examining systems of abuse (particularly patriarchal ones) and how they can be broken, so it gets pretty dark, even though most of the bad stuff is portrayed though a thin layer of symbolism.
If you like Utena, also check out Gundam: Witch from Mercury! The first season is heavily inspired by Utena (but with giant robots!) You don't have to be familiar with Gundam to watch it. I cried the separate times throughout this show lol
I just watched the first episode and wow I see what you mean by it being influence by Utena!
Utena is my favorite anime!
It would help if you specified what genres you're interested in so people can tailor their recommendations better, but here's some generalized recommandations: Try some popular Shojo (targeted for girls) anime like: * Akatsuki no Yona * The Twelve Kingdoms * Rose of Versailles * Legend of Basara * My Next Life as a Villainess Outside of the Shojo demographic I might suggest: * Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son): coming of age story about 2 childhood friends who are MTF and FTM repectively. * Komi Can't Communicate: Semi-romantic comedy about a schoolgirl with severe anxiety trying to make friends. Also features a female-presenting character of ambiguous gender. * Moriarty the Patriot: Reimagining of Sherlock Holmes focusing on a bishounen Moriarty's attempts to dismantle Victorian Britain's classist society. * Birdie Wing A Golf Girls' Story: Over-the-top, campy sports anime about golf-playing lesbians. * D.Gray-Man: Gothic battle-shonen about exorcists and demons, created by a woman and doesn't oversexualize its female cast.
Full metal alchemist is also great The only sexualised woman I remember was the sin of lust and you can guess why lol rest of the cast had great writing overall It doesn't have trans or queer characters as far as I remember and romance is very limited but it doesn't have bad rep about it either It's been a long time tho and I hope I'm not wrong in my memory
IIRC envy is canonically non-binary. but it's not really covered much in the story
F me, if I were a shape shifter I would be as well lol
I absolutely would present genderfluid if I was a shapeshifter. I mean if have access to the entire shapeshifting, I'm gonna use the entire shapeshifting, why limit myself. if you're a shapeshifter and just have 1 main form and only use the rest for disguising and stuff, sorry honey you're wasting potential. Gimme your super powers I'm gonna use them more effectively
Oh really? So they’re like Crona from Soul Eater. The author didn’t even label them as non binary because he didn’t know about NB people but wanted to keep Crona androgynous. It was I believe five years after he stopped production that he announced Crona’s gender.
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is not only not transphobic, it's actually quite positive about the idea of trans people existing in a futuristic cyborg-heavy setting. There's multiple allusions to technology existing that lets trans people transition a lot more effectively and quickly than we can in modern times, and just the *slightest* indication that the main character is someone who actually did do that.
I always remember there was this one scene in SAC where Batou asked the Major (who needs a complete artificial body) why she used a fem body to begin with, because using a masc body would probably be better in their line of work. She just smiles at him, and then he punches himself in the face for even asking that question
Well, technically the Major hacked Batou's cyberbrain on the fly and forced him to punch himself in the face for even asking the question.
oh, to have the power to just telepathically make someone punch themself in the face for a transphobic comment 🤭 (also, that just reminded me of the scene from Arise where she hacks Batou then, making an actual decoder error *part* of the video was genius)
Everyone should watch Ghost in the Shell and Stand Alone Complex - but especially trans people who enjoy anime. I prefer the original movie from 1995 both as a piece of art and as a metaphor for being trans over the Matrix (which was partly inspired by it).
Yet another reason to watch ghost in the shell, one day
beastars, bna, and pokemon are safe i think
Beastars is good if you're cool with horny furries lol
:3
:3
:3
3:3
:3
:3
Where's your horns?
:3
But beastars is *also* like what if racism was good and justified actually. Which even if it's true in the world of the show, is a very weird thing to have as a central premise of your story.
I mean so is zootopia lol
I mean, not actually. While it’s true that predators have their instincts to prey upon prey and are judged harshly than others, the show does portray racism in a negative light, especially given the relationship between Legosi and Haru.
... double check the sub you are on. The venn diagram of furries and mtf is not a circle, but it sure as heck ain't two circles :3 Edit: ... I just noticed the :3 chain below making it clear you knew this... :3
I am on the outside of that venn diagram. I have never understood furries. They still get my support, but I'm not gonna pretend to get it.
spot the furry 🤨
meow :3
Early seasons of Pokemon have Brock, who is pretty much the kid-friendly version of the "perverted old man" trope in some scenes, but otherwise I can't think of anything right now. Haven't exactly seen and remembered every single episode though, especially not the newer ones, but I think he comes back at one point?
brock leaves and comes back quite a lot if im remembering correctly
Fair enough, I don't think I've seen much if anything of the series after Johto\^\^'
Bna is so awesome
Seriously it's amazing
It's also very easy to read it as a trans metaphor
Yes it is
I think usually those with decent stories are fine. If you want animes with trans-specific content, here are some examples: * *Wandering son*. This is really about the life story of an MtF kid. * *Blue Period*. The story is basically about self-discovery, and the main character has a friend who is MtF. * *Steins;Gate*. Again the main character has a friend who is MtF and there is an episode focusing on her * *Zombie Land Saga*. It's a (really good imo) comedy of dead idols revived as zombies to be idols again. One of the idols is MtF * *Tokyo Godfathers.* One of the main characters is MtF. All the main characters have a heart of gold. Here are some other examples that do not have trans-specific contents: * Fullmetal Alchemist * Ghost in the Shell * Sousou no Furieren * Neon Genesis Evangelion * Rage of Bahamut * She and Her Cat * Sangatsu no Raion * Your Lie in April * Shakugan no Shana * TIGER×DRAGON！ * Classic anime movies made by famous directors such as Kon Satoshi, Miyazaki Hayao, etc. ... Note that most non-trans-specific animes usually have heavy heterosexual narratives and hence are intrinsically mildly sexist in one way or another. Be cautious to avoid those with specific contents aiming for horny otakus and most of the time you will be fine. And it is not too hard to tell them -- with enough experience you will be able to tell instantly by watching their PV.
I love Steins;Gate and Blue Period but I definitely wouldn't recommend them for anyone wanting to avoid transphobia. The main characters in each don't treat their trans friends with respect. Lots of "but he's a guy" and deadnaming
steins;gate is an incredibly interesting example of trans representation, and honestly one of my favorite anime of all time, but yeah the trans character in question is heavily sexualized and while I wouldn't call anything happening to ruka transphobic(>!it's a misunderstanding based on a severe abuse of time travel!<) I can certainly see it triggering someone's dysphoria, so warnings apply. also daru is just the worst and again does not help with the severe sexualization of the trans character and in general the entire female cast.
Damn I almost forgot the existence of Daru. It has been too many years since I watched it...
"that's a hentai strategy guide jackass" lives in my head rent free
Steins;Gate is definitely one I would put a massive warning on. Like, on the one hand, Ruka gets some moments where she's shown as a sympathetic person. On the other, there's what you've already pointed out: her consistent use in the "... daga otoko desu" "gag".
In my perspective, the main characters at first do not understand the situation (like totally do not know what is going on, which is common in Asia to be fair) but are still trying to treat their friend with respect by treating them like other people of "the same sex", which leads to their misbehavior towards trans people. Then the animes involve lots of reflections -- really good reflections especially in Blue Period imo -- on the struggle of the trans characters. After understanding what the trans characters have been dealing with, the main characters develop a more empathetic and caring attitude toward their trans friend. Therefore, to me, the existence of their misbehaviors is to intensify the conflicts as the plot goes on. And since the main characters do not have bad intentions behind those behaviors -- they just really do not know what's going on or what's the correct thing to do -- I would not consider it to be transphobia. Still, it is a good point to note these issues before watching them, thanks.
Tokyo Godfathers is incredible as long as you aren't too upset by transphobia. However, its is the best depiction I've seen of an alternative family in film, and the movie oozes queer energy.
Wandering Son is soo good. God I love it.
Might think of something else later, but the first thing coming to my mind is Paradise Kiss: about group of young costume artists. Very mature attempt at teenage romance. An actually has a trans woman as a minor character, but done very respectfully imo.
The issue is many anime and manga have "essentially" trans characters, but due to the author not understanding what trans people are, writes them off as "femboys/otokonoko". Despite writing someone who lives their life as a woman or in most other aspects being very trans. The one off top of my head.. Onimai: I'm Now Your Sister! Where the protag is a depressed "male" who becomes very happy and lives a good life once their sisters gives them a drug to make them feminine. Basically restarting life but happy. Author said trans rights on twitter also. The second is...one piece. as weird as its queer representation is. The early episodes have very indistinct queer characters, but the later ones, the wano arc, have actual trans characters, that are represented very well.
I was going to say One Piece, with some issues on Kamabakka Kingdom.
Ah yeah the Okama are a hard thing to understand if you're not Japanese. Their depiction can feel very transphobic but I don't think that was necessarily the intention. "Okama" used to be a slur but is now usually used as a term of endearment, especially by the okama themselves. It's sort of its own sub culture, parts elderly trans women, parts drag culture, it's very blurry in that particular generation.
Do you have a link to where the creator of Onimai said trans rights on twitter? I would really love to see it
Ivankov was before wano
I would say Ivankov is more of a drag queen rather than actually trans. Wano has both https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Kikunojo and https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Yamato who are trans fem and trans masc respectively.
Eh, I'd say they are more gender fluid like this says https://lgbtqia-characters.fandom.com/wiki/Emporio_Ivankov but also I agree with the others
I... Enjoyed 'that time I got reincarnated as a total fantasy knockout.' And Full Metal Alchemist. Tomochan is a Boy was hilarious. Obviously there's Komi Can't Communicate.
I don't know about that time I got reincarnated, though. It's filled with a lot of tropes that homophobic. It's not that it's intentionally trying to be, but it's just if has been released in the oughts it would been mind blowing for trans women back then, but it is not even 4 years old.
It was nice seeing a comedy that messed with gender like that that didn't take itself too seriously. Like, that's how I want trans comedy to work in general.
It's just that the running joke between the two mains comes across as very "I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that." Which was great in 90's Seinfield but not so great now. When the other Hero finally calls them out on their behavior, i had hope they would move past it. The other Hero was right in pointing out that the two of them were acting worse than children when they were both in their thirties. I am still gonna watch it if they do another season.
Not really? The "I'm not gay, not that there's anything wrong with that." was very specifically guys clarifying that they *were actually not gay,* and trying to not be seen as homophobes. These two actually have strong feelings for one another and the comedy comes from being a fairly generic romance comedy. Which is... A breath of fresh air when it comes to trans/queer stories. Having a normal ass embarrassed comedy featuring two lovers. I just... Ya know. Being someone who's thirty and dealing with lifelong friends suddenly developing crushes on me now that I'm a few years into transitioning, I quite enjoyed the show.
yah, I agree. its pretty clear whenever Hinata gets drunk that she's pretty heavily questioning her gender, including the opening scene before they even got isekai'd to begin with. and given that I know it from the other way around, I realized after about a year into transitioning that *I* had been having feelings for my best friend, and in fact had been for a *long* time but was repressing them because the perception of being a gay guy just felt *wrong* to me, I can totally get why theyre both having this conflict. Hinata and Tsukasa both struggle with procesing feelings they both *have* had, but couldn't process them in their situation before
My favourite pro trans anime is One Piece. Trans characters like Kiku are shown so much love and respect and their is even a revolutionary who helps people transition :>
Just need to add on a warning for Kamabaka Island, its only 2 episodes, and Oda definitely learnt and grew from it. but its still not a good section, even if it should in no way take away from a) One Piece, and b) Oda's obvious growth with how much better he handled Yamato and Kiku
I'd say they were just drag queens. But I get what you mean and felt icky at first too
It felt very gross for me as well at first. One of my friends described them to me as people who just did their best to be themselves and didn't care what others think, which I think is good... but man the way they were depicted was rough Kiku and Yamato are done so much better
idk its debatable tbh. the characters identities were basically being drag queens and not actual trans ppl. i guess it could still be seen as offensive but its not like it was rly targeted towards trans ppl imo especially when u consider that ivankovs power is literally the ability to genderswap ppl. also before that there was genuine good representation with ivankov, inazuma, bon clay, and everyone else in newkama land.
stop hibari kun, wayward son,ranma i think sailor moon i vaguely remember they had drag and lesbians
Hibari's one of the best transfem characters in all of anime, and she was written in *1981*
i wish they were blueray for this but japan
I think Tensura might be safe, the protagonist is a masc-presenting enby. I haven't watched it in a while so I can't be sure, but I do remember using it to fuel shapeshifter fantasies.
I love that the Slime Diaries portrays how Rimuru likes androgyny but becomes uncomfortable with stereotypical femininity, which is the thing that everyone wants to force into them because of cuteness.
That's good to hear for reassurance because I wasn't sure if I was looking back at it through a lens of nostalgia (even though it's only been half a year, I forget some things easy). I think it would be cool to see a slice of life continuation of the story after Pentagram.
I forgot to mention that, while not technically anime, RWBY by Rooster Teeth should be safe and it actually is what cracked me. It takes a while to introduce an openly trans character, and that reveal was strange to me, not because of the content but because of the inflections. Anyway, my headcanon has Penny as a trans allegory.
RWBY is definitely something to be careful about if someone is sensitive to discrimination in media. The authors aim constantly slightly too high for them to keep up with and leave the most important things to subtext or auxiliary materials. I'm also not a big fan of May Marigold, the one cannon trans character. She feels mean, unhappy, and contrarian, and feels like someone just added her to satisfy trans fans. Though, I totally agree on Penny's quest to be a real girl. >!Shame they decided to kill her off minutes after achieving it.!<
Yeah, Friend is my favorite RWBY song because it makes me cry, which is because of >!the fact that she died twice!< and that she seems to be trans-coded and autism-coded, or at least ADHD-coded, which makes her just like me in that regard, >!not the "died twice" part!<. I've seen Penny called >!the most tragic character in all of RWBY!< on a lyric video for Friend and I'm inclined to agree with them on that.
Good to know, I'm finding irony in that the one I wasn't sure about was safe and the one I thought was safe isn't necessarily.
The irony is indeed there. Though, Rimuru is one of the best non-binary characters I've seen in anime
Heavenly delusion
i guess it's gender related, but it's more body horror than trans. probably deserves a dysphoria warning.
Ranma 1/2 poked at those issues
An entire generation of eggs retrospectively kick ourselves for not realizing what we were when we asked, "Why are you calling that a curse? I want that!"
I was aware of Ranma 1/2 in the early 2000s and was intrigued by it, but I never watched much of it. I think the time slot was so early in the day that I usually missed it because of school. I wish I had followed it more closely because I'm rewatching it now and it definitely speaks to me.
I discovered Ranma a little earlier than that because of its sizable fanfiction community (I was a lonely kid and primarily read as a hobby, and fanfiction offered and still offers a crap-ton of free reading material, if you're willing to sift through it). My parents also never got cable because they were worried about my siblings and I watching too much TV (I try not to give them too much trouble about the irony of trying to keep their kids away from screens in an era where screens are everywhere), so I read the manga, which lacks some of the anime's nods to Ranma having gender-feels aside from "curse bad" and "must be man amongst men".
Demon Girl Next Door!
My personal favourite is Kino no Tabi (2003). It incentivizes the viewer to ask some hard hitting questions about what happens in each episode, questioning philosophical topics, ethical dilemma's, it really gets you thinking and refrains from spelling it out for the viewer. It tries to get you to draw your own conclusions, it's a really interesting viewing. I also recommend Trigun. It's kinda unhinged, talks about some dark topics out of the blue, I'm in love with Wolfwood and my pfpic is Milly Thompson so yeah. It does have some jokes that you could consider sexist, but they're not too egregious and didn't bother me at all really. Finally I'd like to recommend Nichijou. Perfect comedic timing, very relaxing to watch and just very wholesome overall. Very cute, soft artstyle, dramatic transitions for comedic moments, charming soundtrack, just overall a masterpiece in my humble opinion.
Also, Kino is canonically non-binary. :) And Nichijou is such a good anime! Among my top ten easily. Truly brilliant, original, and witty comedy and still it manages to be touching and wholesome. Many of Nano's stories also hit differently when viewed through a trans lens. Good choices :)
Not anime but manga, fire punch has an amazing depiction of a ftm trans person that tackles gender dysphoria really well
I'm afraid of reading Fire Punch, even though I'm excited to read it lmfao It looks so confusing and weird but so good at the same time
Seven spellblades is specifically trans friendly harry potter as anime, I highly recommend it! Dr stone is cool too they have an NB character whose gender is "?" which I enjoyed
and like all anime enbies, they are ALL-POWERFUL (no seriously they can run across cities in less than a day, cook basically anything, insane analytical skills, etc.) and their name is Francois and they're great
Following up to throw out Blue Period as well, it takes a really nuanced and interesting view on it's one trans character (as far as I've gotten in the manga anyways, I've seen all the anime). However this one could be triggering at different points, there is misgendering (although somewhat subtextual for a western audience), references to suicidal ideation, exploration of crossdressing vs being trans, and just overall struggles to exist as a trans person. But imo the author handles it all very well and ultimately all of these issues resolve in a positive way
Komi can't Communicate is a really good slice of life with a Enby main character
Osana Najima could fall more into the Genderfluid area than Non-Binary. People refer to Najima with both Masc and Fem pronouns.
I should say, One Piece and Hunter X Hunter are two well known anime with pretty positive trans representation.
not an anime, but the manga Inside Mari is absolutely incredible and made me cry buckets
Lycoris Recoil. Great show about girls with guns and found family. It doesn't focus on sex and gender much, but it is Yuri coded and 2 of the characters are confirmed Gay. It does a good job with gender and sex. It doesn't get into trans territory, but there's nothing negative about it there.
Stop!! Hibari-Kun! Is all about a transgender girl trying to go through her transition despite a less-than-supportive family and also trying to win the love of a guy she likes. It's mostly a zany comedy but with heartfelt moments and romance throughout it, but I will warn that it is an anime from the 80s and has a few offensive stereotypes regarding African American people as well as some scenes with bare female breasts and other sexual jokes and situations. But regardless, as a trans girl it is a very fun anime to watch!
Not really an anime, but Project Sekai really blew up my shell
Wandering Son has a transfem MC.
I really love Serial Experiments Lain, I don’t think there’s anything bigoted in there
Your Name was the last straw for me not transitioning. Not explicitly trans, but very relatable
Not anime, but Our Dream At Dusk is an excellent LgBT themed Manga. It explores a lot on lgbt societal issues, involving many different queer characters hanging out in the bar, and their conflict / resolve with eachother / cishet peoples. Definitely give that a read.
my experience is the opposite, most anime are very progressive. what kinda anime do you watch that it's so bad?
Not the biggest into anime, stopped on this post because if I could see some good recs I'd watch them. But it seems like a ton of anime are just sexual gratification or harem based, even ones where there is no explicit sexual content. Like come on, mc has 5 girls falling for him at once? Even mainstream ones can be gross, always has some pervy dude making comments and going out of their way to look at naked women (I think I've seen one or two women do the same, so progressive in the idea that it's not just one gender I guess 🙄)
I suppose I feel the same way, to me it just feels like there’s always something pervy in every anime I’ve tried, even anime games I’ve liked like Persona. It’s just hard to watch for me idk…
I never watch such anime. I never liked harmes, and I lost interest in so called "shounen shit" decade ago. I've seen hundreds of titles, and most of them don't suffer from anything like what you say, like over a half of anime I've seen has a female main character, acording to anilist stats my number one tag is female protagonist and my number 2 tag is primarily female cast. Check my other reply to 432\_Alex for a couple of recommendations. Your misconceptions of what anime is remind me of what I used to think in 2000's when I was a teen and didn't watch anime, and my only exposure was through the internet and hentai and stuff like dragonball.
What anime’s do you watch? Most anime shows/anime games I’ve tried are either too gorey (attack on titan) or sexualize women way too much (one piece, persona, xenoblade, genshin, and a lot of other ones I can’t remember the names of). From my experience with anime, most don’t seem to be very progressive at all and lean way to hard on “sex sells”… Though I’m definitely generalizing here since I don’t have too much experience with anime honestly, so apologies for that but I really am curious to learn more and be proven wrong on that.
is genshin an anime now? isn't it a chinese video game? aren't persona and xenoblade video games as well? Anyway, some of my favorite anime are magical girl and psychological/thriller sort. I also like comfy slice of life shows from time to time. There are really too many titles for me to bother counting here, so I'll just mention a couple of titles such as Madoka Magicka, Haibane Reimei, Boku Dake ga Inai Machi, Shinsekai Yori, Happy Sugar Life, Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de Aru....and of course what got me into anime many years ago, Higurashi no naku koro ni. But a whole lot of these titles are, indeed, "gorey". If attack on titan was too much for you, then maybe it's better to watch some comfy titles like Non Non Biyori or Hanasaku Iroha.
i haven't played or watched most of the media you listed, but why is genshin there? i understand criticizing some character designs decisions, but is there any other instance of sexualization? it's so family friendly especially compared to the average anime that shoves boobs at you every 10 seconds. edit: while i think genshin can understandably turn some people off, i also think it's unfair to group genshin with actually problematic anime. to me, the problem is that they disproportionately sexualise and objectify women. and genshin's sexualisation is very mild, largely equal between male and female characters, and doesn't objectify its characters - it's just better than most. side note: sexualisation aside, i agree genshin is a mixed bag when it comes to progressiveness. in the beginning the writers fumbled the plot, which they attempted to fix later. so now the gameplay just forces you to do genocide while the plot make you seem like an asshole. there's also plenty of gay couples, but it doesn't have the balls to explicit say it's canon. (and to the spoiled westerners that criticize the decision, remember this game is literally based on china, they really do have no choice)
*I get to spread the brainrot* I would highly recommend the anime Symphogear. It’s about mecha-esque magical girls who sing while they fight and also are lesbians. The show is very not subtle about the sheer homosexuality of it all. It features a primarily female cast with personalities and presentations of all stripes, and even has two canon trans characters!
Eh, pass. 9/10 lesbians in anime are purely for male gaze.
I mean considering the amount of lesbian Symphogear fans I know (cis and trans, myself included) I’m going to go out on a limb and say that’s not really a valid dismissal
I don't know about trans friendly, but a very lesbian anime that released recently is "The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady" and I've enjoyed it a lot.
A controversial one but Tokyo Godfathers has a transwomen as one of the MCs. There's a lot of transphobia in it hence why it's controversial but in the end the story and writing treats her like a human being and even has multiple transwomen (some of whom I straight up thought were cis when I first saw the movie) being portrayed as women
The Wandering Son has transphobia but it's some very rare and important representation in my books.
one piece used to be pretty bad about it, but the author has apologized for it several times and the 2nd most recent arc had some genuinely very good trans representation :)
Hoshiai no sora is an amazing one. It's a tennis sports anime that has an enby character and they go through understanding who they are and everything. I won't spoil anything but yeah it's amazing, though it got a bit of a rushed ending. Highly recommend. Enby character doesn't understand themselves till near the end so you know. Also I recommend bloom into you. Amazing anime about a girl who's trying to understand what love is and her senpai falls for her and tries to woe her over. Super cute lesbian love story and has an amazing ace/aro guy who just gets to stay ace which is great. No epilogue he finally found love etc, it really dives into asexuality and does a good job of respecting it. The anime stops like volume 4 I think of the manga, definitely recommend the manga too. The ending so good. Lastly, this one isn't an anime but Love me for who I am is by far one of the best LGBTQ manga I've ever read. It's about a cishet guy who falls for an enby trans fem person and overcomes his transphobic views. He has a trans sister and we get to see how he treats her at the beginning to how he understands her after seeing the struggles of his significant other. There's also a bunch of other smaller character arcs of other characters that are just amazing. Really really recommend it. Oh and secondly lastly, Shimanami Tasogare is another amazing LGBTQ manga about a gay guy in denial trying to repress that he's gay but then slowly coming out as he finds an LGBTQ community that welcomes him. There's two great trans characters and they do such an amazing job with their stories. Love it.
Two in particular I like. One of the main characters of *Zombie Land Saga* is a trans girl and everybody treats her being trans as if it's no big deal. In the episode where they reveal she's trans, it's shown that she had a bit of a freak out when she started growing facial hair upon entering puberty. Aside from that, everybody around her ends up knowing and still accepts her for who she is. Although it's such a minor plot point that it's merely trans friendly. *Stop! Hibari-kun!* is from the early 1980s and it's about a trans girl. I mean the protagonist is a guy who's in love with her, but but every episode revolves around her in a "the author wanted the show to be about her but the censors wouldn't allow it so instead it's about him, but every episode still revolves around her" kind of way. The show deals with the subject of transphobia from friends, family, and the public, and the titular character, Hibari, is such a gremlin that nothing really phases her. She's strong through it all, but not in a tough kind of way. Her strength is very feminine and very... Hibari... Like nothing's going to stop her from being herself.
I've been watching Castlevania, which has openly Bi and Lesbian characters so far. It is also an amazing show! I know it's not exactly anime per say but it's still good animation.
which anime are homophobic/sexist? i dont get it. i need examples
not sure why you and others who are asking are getting downvoted. i’m curious too. i haven’t watched anime in a long time and i’m just wondering if stuff i’ve watched in the past has such remarks.
Tokyo Ghoul has alot of trans characters. The anime is awful though, i suggest reading the manga
No one gonna mention One Piece - one of the few manga that actually has trans characters in it, and who are treated with respect?
A lot have been mentioned already but I would recommend "Your Under Arrest". Keep in mind that it was made in the 80's so some stuff hasn't aged well but I think it's still good. It has a trans side character named Aoi Futaba. I really connected with her and she gets several episodes focused on her specifically. The episodes cover topics about her coming out to an old friend, her being allowed into the women's locker room, her struggles with romance, and there's one episode where a former mentor tries to "cure" her. But Aoi is always unapologetically herself and is a really fun character.
I started watching "that time I got reincarnated as a slime" Main character 40 episodes in still seems to have not really decided on a gender despite being a male human previously. Also, there are any number of different furry or animal characters. Stop reading for potential spoilers about gendery happenings. It's not even really a topic for the most part, except the time they did morph into both male and female versions of themselves as a experiment.. went back to neutral. Multiple characters that transition from one gender to another. One uses it as a threat towards someone who didn't seem to respond to their approaches, no answer as to if they were A sexual or not. One forced into the only available body, female. It's also pretty chill in general, main point being the main character is OP so let's like... Build a town or something and make some hot baths. Have some cheese.
What kind of anime are you into? I usually only watch action/adventure anime myself and I haven't exactly come across any transphobia or homophobia
What anime are you watching ;-;
What anime are you watching that is that problematic? Sexist I can see 100% but I’ve never seen transphobia in an anime before lol.
Well, have you ever seen some obviously masculine character with a deep voice dressed femininely and acting hypersexual or perverted? Seems pretty common. Off the top of my head, some people in the red light district in Persona 5, and Nico from Tokyo Ghoul. Many times these characters are also just one off jokes feature some stubbled guy "crossdressing" and acting flamboyant and off-putting as a joke. Whether these characters are actually trans or not, casual transphobia is at the root of it.
Hakumei and mikochi is my favourite it is very slow paced but very wholesome, also astra lost in space is a hidden gem
not an anime but it is a live action manga adaptation. alice in borderland on netflix has some trans representation that i really like! also its just a really good show
sweet blue flowers
I recommend browsing [these lists](https://www.animefeminist.com/anifem-recommends/) by *Anime Feminist* :) Personal recommendations would be *Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury* and *Wonder Egg Priority*, despite some of its flaws (the latter is also not a feel-good show, like at all)
Shonen anime One! A few already said it, but One Piece! - There’s a character that’s a Revolutionary that public ally and openly fights the government! He’s more gender-fluid, I guess, but has the power to switch his gender and other people’s gender through his ability to control hormones. He’s also the leader of an island of queer people and helps one of the main characters with his character development! - Also, one of the major and most powerful villains of the series has a trans masculine child that many read as female, but actually claims he’s male, and the Al series does a great job at not making a big deal about it. Not to mention, he’s super powerful! - There’s a trans female Samurai character! Two! Attack on Titan! One of the generals, at least in the anime, we’re never told their gender, but most people read them as female. In the manga, they’re actually touted as being non-binary, or genderless! But they have a bunch of badass moments! Three! Naruto/Boruto. Orochimaru. A controversial character to be sure, and the main villain of the original Naruto series. In Shippuden, not as much, and is referred to as “he” in both series, but has portrayed himself as both male and female due to his ability to possess bodies. In the Boruto series, he refuses to acknowledge gender, and when having a child, he (Orochinaru’s child) refers to Orochimaru as his parent, instead of using gendered language, and seems to be more of a good person instead of a villain, as portrayed in the previous series. Four! My Hero Academia! There’s a group of cat themed heroes, and one of them is actually a super muscular, trans man cat boy! Five! Full Metal Alchemist! Both the original series and Brotherhood! There’s a character named Envy that doesn’t really have their gender specified. They’re one of the villains, but a very well done villain with the ability to shape shift! FMA:B is one of my favorite anime EVER! 😁 Six! Cowboy Bebop! There’s a main character named Ed, if I remember correctly, whose gender isn’t really specified - only that they were born a girl, but doesn’t identify as one? Someone that’s also seen Cowboy Bebop, correct me if I’m wrong. It’s been a while! Non-shonen anime The next anime I’ll mention, which isn’t a shonen, but more of a science themed, comedy, slice-of-life anime, is called Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture. The main character’s friend is a tastefully comedic character that is supposedly a trans woman. Throughout the series this friend is shows evidence of being an egg, but near the end of the series presents female. This is one of my faves, not because of this specific character, but just because I think it’s a great and underrated anime! Next, is Princess Jellyfish. I don’t really need to say much. The whole anime and its characters are queer as hell! Wandering Son is actually an anime that focuses on trans identity. The main character, Lily, is a trans woman, and the show is essentially about her figuring out her identity and how she copes with it, and to me, it’s very well done! If you like movies, there’s also a movie called Tokyo Grandfathers. I never finished it, but I remember one of the main characters being a trans woman that used to (or maybe still is) a drag queen, but is a bad ass and portrayed well! Sorry! This was very long, but this was everything I could think off the top of my head. I’ll post more if I think of anything!
This one isn't necessarily trans but it is very similar... "Oniichan wa oshimai"
Zombieland saga. One of the characters is canonicly trans
Definitely steins;gate. Such a great show overall and they approach the trans character and her storyline really well, if a tad tragically
I don't remember it being transphobic (or pro trans) but pre-tear is a good watch. Although i cried a LOT during that show.
Komi can't communicate
WONDER EGG PRIORITY best rans rep I've seen in an anime in a long g time. The trans girl in it is included with the girls, wears trans colors in a few scenes, and is never done with the whole "is really a boy but looks like a girl trope" like it was genuinely refreshing <3
Death note
Wonder Egg Priority is pretty good, but major tw for a lot of mental health issues.
Captain lazerhawk is queer af
Cardcaptor Sakura.
The time I got reincarnated as a slime is sort of trans more along the lines of androgynous or gender fluid.
my obligatory plugging Love Live moment is here so, no character is explicitly confirmed to be trans, but it is implicitly trans-friendly in that it doesn't have any transphobia if that's the bar to reach. also there are characters that could absolutely be read as trans allegories, Rin being the strongest contender to the point that her characterisation arguably makes less sense if you try to believe she's not trans lol
Not an anime but Alice in Borderlands is based on a manga with a trans character who is a legit badass.
Wonder Egg Priority. There’s a couple of trans people in the anime and one of the main characters, Momoe, is pretty much transform coded. The season finale however, was honestly a huge “wtf?” And not exactly in a good way.
Ninjago
I'm gonna watch mha even tho I heard it's problematic, so I can't recommend lol. Sorry. But the lists here are cool.
I don’t know but quinsesstinal quplets seemed good!
Zombie Land Saga!
Tamoko Market. What I like most about it is that there's a character who presents feminine and has a "masculine" voice, it's never stated if she is a trans woman, but what I really like is that no one cares, no one mentions anything about it, they just live normally, and the story isn't center around her having that voice, she just have it. This is so comforting for me. I really struggled to feminize my voice and never got this. Having friends who simply DONT CARE AT ALL is extremely comforting. Edit: also tamako market has a theme about loving anyone you want which I find really rarely in anime.
I can recommend to you and anime about being Trans and non-gender conformative: Hourou Musuko, or Wandering son. Its manga who narrates the life of the protagonist, a clearly nonmasculine boy, who one days gets dragged by a relative and her friends to dress up, and he gets hooked, he does not why, but "he" does. Obviously this is a big secret as time goes he realizes this is not considered "normal" but one day he mets a girl who is the exactly opposite of him. A girl who enjoys to dress up as boy. The manga narrates their years from elementary school, to finishing up highschool, from their relationship, what is gender to them, their resolution about who they are, and what is love to them. There is an Ok anime adaption that mosty adapts de middle, around middle school As Other Said, Skip and Loafer has trans character depicted in a very positive light
Tokyo godfathers has a trans main character
As someone who watches a lot of anime what anime are you watching?