With Pride Month drawing to a close it’s time to take a look at some of the Top 10 LGTB+ Anime characters who have given representation to our community over the years, whether they just entertained or helped some find out who they were through them. These characters are some of the best, more realistic representations of love and romance between characters, giving a legitimate voice in a genre that previously used them for jokes.
Ymir
- Series: Attack on Titan
- Loves Historia, future Queen of Paradis
- Big Moment: The love letter she writes to Historia before being killed.
Ymir was always in the background of Attack on Titan since first appearing when Eren and company joined the Survey Corps, but it wasn’t until season two that the show started exploring who she was after the reveal of her Titan shifting ability and possession of the Jaw Titan. While she was more of an anti-hero to the Scouts at the time, her motives to protect the woman she loved were what endeared her to fans, even as her time came to an end.
Ultimately it was her love for Historia that gave Ymir both a second chance and a self-imposed death penalty, as she gives herself up to Reiner and Bertolt to save her. While she would never see her again, despite her promise that they would marry after the war, she did leave a letter behind for Historia that finally opened up her tragic story.
Okiku
- Series: One Piece
- Trans Woman, Samurai of Wano
- Big Moment: Emphasizing that though she was born male, she always had the heart of a woman.
One Piece hasn’t always been fantastic at representation, though it has improved massively in recent years. Ivankov and Bon Clay are also icons, of course, both transcending gender roles, but the recent Wano arc gave some of the best trans representation yet with Okiku and Yamato. While Yamato’s was a little less subtle, constantly referring to himself in a masculine way and even joining the men’s bath after the battle, much to Sanji and Brook’s delight.
Okiku was more subtle, however, not really being touched on until the flashbacks to their time before Oden’s death when she was still presented as a man despite her true feelings. As of yet, there hadn’t been much mention of Okiku’s past, especially when she refers to herself as ‘This One’, until the flashback and her affirmation of who she is. She also joins in during the post-Wano baths, being immediately welcomed by the other women of the series. Luffy can’t even notice Hancock’s infatuation but even he knows that trans people deserve equal rights.
Homura Akemi
- Series: Madoka Magika
- Loves Madoka, to the point of risking her life multiple times for her.
- Big Moment: Rewriting reality to save the girl she loves.
Puella Madoka Magika is both one of the best Magical Girl anime ever made and the darkest, most devastating one to date. The conflict Akemi faces is both tragic and beautiful as she falls in love with Madoka over and over again across the timelines, desperately trying to protect her in every reincarnation but failing every time. Finally, after seeing the girl she loves and her own friends brutally killed over and over again as she fails to save them. It’s enough to drive anyone insane.
Even as she and Madoka fight to the very end she tries to resist her urges to hurt the one she loves, until the cycle is finally brought to an end.
Utena
- Series: Revolutionary Girl Utena
- Loves Anthy, competes in the Duels to free her, and falls in love with her.
- Big Moment: Her final fight against Anthy’s brother Akio.
Utena is the poster girl for lesbian anime characters. being created as a response to the diminishing of the lesbian romance in Sailor Moon. Utena was always more masculine from the start, dubbing herself a prince and entering into the Duels for Anthy’s affections, though she initially says it’s to free Anthy from the other men competing.
She’s no pushover either, as her Duels were won with skill and she almost defeated Aoki, Anthy’s brother, before being betrayed by Anthy in the final moments. Though she was betrayed, she still reconciles with Anthy in the end before escaping, heavily injured. To cement the love, Anthy vows to adventure out and find Utena, no matter what.
Kaworu
- Series: Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Loves Shinji, making his feeling very obvious throughout the series.
- Big Moment: Revealing he is an Angel, requesting Shinji kill him.
Kaworu wrecked the audience’s emotions more in one episode than any other show could hope to accomplish. While his first mysterious meeting with Shinji gave away his romantic feelings from the start as he flirted openly with the awkward EVA pilot. Poor Shinji doesn’t have game with men or women.
Kaworu offered a foil to the existing relationships between Shinji and Asuka as well as Rei. Giving Shinji someone that wanted to talk and learn about who he was instead of Asuka’s constant abuse or Rei’s cold indifference. The final moment of Kaworu asking Shinji to kill him, revealing he is an Angel and would rather die than harm humanity, and in turn, Shinji. So many tears were shed over this episode and even the Rebuild sequels where Kaworu made an appearance.
Sailor Neptune/Sailor Uranus
- Series: Sailor Moon
- Romantic relationships throughout the series.
- Big Moment: More subtle, but the budding romance between them was well played out without making it a massive deal, which was big for the 90s.
Fans who grew up watching Sailor Moon on Cartoon Network in the afternoons were pretty surprised when official subs and dubs made their way stateside, revealing that the ‘close cousins’ of the Sailor Scouts were actually really, really gay. Also, they were not cousins, thankfully avoiding a weird Sword Art Online situation.
That said, in the official translations their love story was made more prominent, with Uranus taking the lead and presenting as gender fluid while also harboring both a romantic and protective love for Neptune, which was further explored in Sailor Moon Eternal and Sailor Moon Cosmos which recently released. The movies revealed the two were now living together, and possibly a lot more than that based on their “wealthy patrons” line.
Yuri
- Series: Yuri on Ice
- Loves Victor, who trains him in figure-skating
- Big Moment: Buying rings for himself and Victor in Barcelona.
Yuri on Ice was a small revolution for gay relationships in manga and anime, showcasing a love triangle involving the central figure skaters Yuri K, Yuri P, and their trainer, Victor. While the relationship was a little complicated to start, with the rivalry to win Victor’s affection raging strong between the two Yuri’s, the result of Yuri K and Victor became a central, real portrayal of the anxiety that comes with a big commitment like this.
Fans fell in love with the couple though, celebrating their wins and crying during fights as Yuri K took on Yuri P in the finals, testing the strength of his relationship with Victor. When Yuri finally bought rings for the two of them in Barcelona, it seemed like the final ingredient before shaking things up after Yuri P wins the gold instead.
Korra
- Series: The Legend of Korra
- Loves Asami, going from rivalry to romance throughout the series.
- Big Moment: Walking through the Spirit Portal together, hand in hand.
Sure, Legend of Korra is anime by technicality, but that’s no reason to. dismiss the amazing bi-sexual representation present between Korra and Asami. The two wouldn’t officially be in a relationship until the series came to an end, but it was confirmed beautifully by mirroring the love between Aang and Kitara all those years ago.
The lead-up to their romance is what truly shines throughout the series, with both girls having dated Mako initially before discovering their relationship with each other. While the rest of the show was more of a will they/won’t they exercise that toed the line between flirty and friendship, they did finally end up together at the end of the show and continued their relationship through the graphic novels.
Haku
- Series: Naruto
- Loves Zabuza, flows between genders as needed, but usually presents female.
- Big Moment: Willingly sacrifices himself to save Zabuza.
Haku was a big deal when anime began taking a bigger foothold in America during the mid-2000s. Fans were torn on the identity of the young assassin for so long that it was often left up to rumor or personal analysis, but no matter that he was undeniably in the spectrum of LGBT+. While he appeared feminine in his first meeting with Naruto, he wasn’t confirmed as male until later on during their battle.
Interestingly, his love for Zabuza was obvious from the start but didn’t truly click until Sasuke’s sacrifice to save Naruto from his ice needles. The selfless act and bond between the two brought his realization of what love is full circle, leading to his sacrifice to save Zabuza.
Megumi Fushigoro
- Series: Jujutsu Kaisen
- No relationship, but has said he loves someone for who they are rather than their gender or sex.
- Big Moment: The reveal of this during his fight with Todo.
Fushiguro’s type wasn’t made immediately clear to most viewers of the anime that watched the English dub, as it edited the pronouns he refers to when asked “What’s your type of girl” by Todo. Fushiguro’s response that he doesn’t have a type, even if they’re a guy, so long as they’re a good person became a glowing character of the pansexual community.
He’s shown this throughout as well, expressing attraction to both of his teammates in a subtle love triangle that blooms from a friendship. Naturally said other friends have no idea, but there are some romantic aspects of his developing friendship with Itadori, even now in the manga as things have become devastating.
Honestly, these characters are only scratching the surface of representation in anime. While decades ago the medium rarely used trans or queer characters for anything other than jokes, there has been a massive shift in both mindset and society that is finally bringing about representation of underserved voices.
