LGBTQ+ Anime Characters in Popular Anime
There are a number of manga and anime series that focus explicitly on LGBTQ+ main casts, from the 90s hit Gravitation to the more recent Gushing Over Magical Girls, by way of Yuri On Ice. But just as LGBTQ+ people can be found in any culture or subculture in the real world, LGBTQ+ anime characters abound in mainstream Japanese pop culture.
Here are ten examples of characters or couples from modern anime and manga that demonstrate how LGBTQ+ characters have not only broken into but become essential parts of mainstream Japanese entertainment. And beware: from here on out, spoilers abound!
Top 10 Most Iconic LGBTQ+ anime characters
1. Attack on Titan: Hange Zoe
Identity
Believed to be gender ambiguous.
About Hange Zoe
A fan-favorite, Hange Zoe has seen their identity become a source of fascination and discussion among Attack on Titan devotees. Voiced by a woman in the anime’s original Japanese voices, Hange nevertheless speaks in a low voice, and when angered switches to a more masculine form of language that is difficult to emulate in English.
The author of the original manga, Isayama Hajime, had also stated that he didn’t define a gender for Hange, and that audience interpretation was fine: whatever you think their gender is, that’s what it is. Given that other characters are given explicit, confirmed genders, this must have been a conscious decision.
2. Neon Genesis Evangelion: Kaworu Nagisa
Identity
Believed to be gay.
About Kaworu Nagisa
Appearing in only one episode in the original Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kaworu Nagisa gained an outsized degree of popularity among fans. He regularly appeared in top ten favorite character lists, despite having fewer than 20 minutes of screen time – one of which was a full minute of stillness, with no dialogue, as ‘Ode to Joy’ played in the background. His fan base was rewarded in 2013, when he gained a much more prominent role in Rebuild of Evangelion.
Kaworu is speculated to be gay thanks to his kind yet flirty nature towards main character Shinji Ikari. He is the first character to tell Shinji that he likes him the way that he is, but also sticks around to have a bath with Shinji, and asks him if he wants to share his bed, leaving the protagonist flustered. Shinji also blushes when he sees Kaworu’s naked body, and given that bathing with other people of the same gender is common in Japan, suggests that Kaworu might be bringing something out of Evangelion’s depressed hero. Anime critic Carley Garcia noted that some consider him to be “yaoi fuel,” and anime director Kunihiko Ikuhara noted that Kaworu’s appearance saw the show get a boost in enthusiasm from women fans.
3. Komi Can’t Communicate: Osana Najimi
Identity
Believed to be non-binary/genderfluid.
About Osana Najimi
Komi Can’t Communicate centers around the titular Shoko Komi, and her inability to effectively communicate with others thanks to a severe social anxiety disorder. Najimi Osana, one of her classmates, is precisely the opposite: outgoing, easy to get on with, and enthusiastic about meeting people. They are also the childhood friend of male protagonist Hitohito Tadano, who introduces Najimi to Komi as “this girl,” before noticing his own surprise to describe them as such. Protesting that Najimi wore the boys’ uniform last year, Najimi nonchalantly explains that it is natural for them to wear a skirt, as they are a girl.
However, the reason that they are considered to be non-binary or genderfluid, rather than a transgender woman, is that they still maintain some masculine signifiers: they wear a girl’s school uniform, but wear the boy uniform’s tie. They also use the word “boku” to refer to themselves, which is historically masculine (although it is not uncommon to hear women use this term for themselves in the modern day) and reject romantic advances from men by saying, “that’s impossible: I’m a boy.” There has been no official word from the author on Najimi’s “true” gender, and really, why should there be?
4. Attack on Titan: Ymir and Historia
Identity
Believed to be in an unspoken lesbian relationship.
About Ymir
Growing up alone and impoverished, Ymir was once adopted from the streets before being worshiped as the head of a cult dedicated to her namesake. After being arrested, she was transformed into a Titan, and only after a long period of mindless wandering regained her humanity. Her experiences left her isolated, and generally unwilling to interact with others. There was one exception, however: Historia Reiss.
Around Historia, she displayed a much kinder, softer side of herself. She was very good at intuiting the inner desires of other people, and picked up on Historia’s martyrdom complex, which she tried to help her overcome, as she wanted Historia to live for herself. Her devotion to Historia was such that she intentionally stopped giving her all in her efforts to graduate the 104th class in the top 10, allowing Historia to take her place, and live in The Interior in safety. And finally, her only regret on having to leave Historia is that she was unable to marry her.
About Historia
The sole survivor of the Reiss royal family, following the death of her mother, she took the name Krista Lenz, and joined the military. She is initially very shy and kind – though the ever-perceptive Ymir rightly assesses that her kindness (and even drive to die in the service of others) is derived from a desire to be loved, and not thought of as a mistake, given that her birth was illegitimate.
Despite thinking at one point that Ymir had “the worst personality ever,” Historia was clear that she wanted to remain by her side and help her to improve, just as Ymir helped her. Eventually, when faced with the choice to abandon her humanity and become a Titan at the order of her father, her memories of Ymir encouraging her to live the way she wants allowed her to break her cycle of self-sacrifice, and she rebelled instead. When she finally read Ymir’s last letter, confessing her love, Historia broke down in tears.
5. Demon Slayer: Suma
Identity
Believed to be bisexual.
About Suma
One of the wives of Tengen Uzui, Suma is a former kunoichi, a female ninja, and retains her ability to infiltrate and reconnoiter places and people. But she stands out as, while Tengen’s other wives, Makio and Hinatsuru, were bonded to him through arranged marriages, Suma actively volunteered to marry him.
In fact, it is likely that her boldness and her bisexuality were what appealed to Tengen. As revealed in an official fan book, Suma’s younger sister was actually the first choice to be wed to Tengen, and had an interview with him to test her suitability. It was during this interview that Suma burst in, and announced that her attraction to both men and women made her the natural choice for a polyamorous relationship. The flamboyant Tengen was apparently impressed by this, as Suma got that ring.
6. One Piece: Emporio Ivankov
Identity
Believed to be genderfluid.
About Emporio Ivankov
The leader of Kamabakka Kingdom, also known as the nation’s “Queen” and “Okama King”, Emporio Ivankov is not just an open and proud drag queen, but can bend gender to their will. They have been depicted as wearing heavy make-up (enough to prevent injury from an acid attack) and a revealing and feminine singlet, as well as using feminine Japanese, and not being especially bothered about what honorifics are used after their name, very similar to not being concerned about pronouns in English.
Their powers, derived from the Hor-Hor Fruit, mean that they can control hormones in themselves, and can transform from having a male body to having a female body at will – incidentally making the singlet even more revealing, as their female form is taller and has a large bust. In addition, these powers can be used on others, allowing them to transform other people’s gender at will, as well as using hormones to help people heal from otherwise deadly poisons or sicknesses, earning them a third nickname, “the miracle person.”
7. One Piece: Bentham
Identity
Believed to be non-binary.
About Bentham
Like Emporio Ivankov, Bentham is a self-described ‘okama’, (which can be considered a slur in Japanese), and is the Queen of Newkama Land, the former domain of Emporio. Also like Emporio, Bentham is shown to be extremely loyal to his friends, and says that being unwilling to assist and even sacrifice for the sake of their friends would be a betrayal of “the path of the okama.”
They were previously a member of Baroque Works, a secret criminal organization, where they were also known as “Mr. 2” and “Bon Clay.” This is notable as men in Baroque Works are given numbered code names that correspond to rank, while women are given names of holidays. Having both (and not being partnered with a member of the opposite sex, as other members are) expresses Bentham’s skirting of typical gender norms, as does his more feminine dialogue and use of vocabulary.
8. Sailor Moon: Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus
Identity
Believed to be in a queer relationship, not cousins.
About Sailor Neptune
The Sailor Senshi of the ocean, Sailor Neptune, the heroic identity of Michiru Kaioh, is a talented violinist and an outrageous flirt, though she only truly has eyes for one person: her other half, Haruka Tenoh. The two of them have been in a romantic relationship for years before their introduction in the show and manga, and this can be seen in Michiru’s devolution to Haruka. Despite her refined exterior, she loves teasing Haruka, who typically complains that “you’re only allowed to be mean to me in the bedroom!”
About Sailor Uranus
Although Sailor Uranus, aka Haruka Tenoh, is often thought of as a woman in a lesbian relationship with Michiru, they are often assumed by others to be a man. Michiru says that Haruka possesses the strengths of both men and women, and Haruka herself seems ambivalent about their gender, asking protagonist Usagi Tsukino, “what does it matter if I’m a man or a woman?”. Nevertheless, she is steadfastly loyal to Michiru, getting jealous when she flirts with others, and towards the end of Sailor Moon Stars, after being mortally wounded by Sailor Galaxia, their lives end peacefully – both happy that they could die by one another’s side.
9. Jujutsu Kaisen: Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi
Identity
Believed to be… in a queer relationship.
About Kinji Hakari
A bad boy who bucks at authority, Kinji Hakari was suspended from Tokyo Jujutsu High School for attacking a sorcerer at the school, and is currently running an underground fight club. He thinks very highly of himself, but deeply enjoys watching people lose themselves in their passions, which he calls “fever.” This might be what draws him to Kirara Hoshi, a trans woman who is now living her best life.
Kinji has said in the past that he is not attracted to men, and seems to be dating Kirara. As we will see, this cements the idea that Kinji believes that trans women are women, and his hatred of authority means that he would be totally unconcerned about what anyone else thinks about their relationship.
About Kirara Hoshi
A third-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Kirara stopped going to school after Kinji was suspended, and helps him to run his fight club. The two have a very close relationship, and Kirara gets angry and jealous when Kinji mentions an ex-girlfriend, and becomes irritated when he takes an interest in protagonist Yuji Itadori.
She has a feminine appearance, and wears cute, girly clothes. It is all but confirmed that she is a trans woman, as a picture of her in junior high school shows a far more masculine presentation, and in translation to languages like Italian, which are more gendered than Japanese or English, Panda describes her initially using male vocabulary, before settling on female vocabulary after seeing her fight.
10. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Dragona Joestar
Identity
Believed to be… trans feminine
About Dragona Joestar
Born the elder brother of The JOJO Lands protagonist Jodio Joestar, Dragona Joestar has identified as a woman for many years, and played water volleyball with the girls’ team at the age of 14. Her name itself is Spanish for “dragoness,” and she is depicted wearing women’s clothes and using feminine Japanese when speaking, both in terms of vocabulary and in the tone of her speech. A devotee of women’s fashion, she works at Iko Iko Boutique, a role she takes very seriously.
The manga saw some controversy when the 13th chapter was released in early 2024, exploring the early lives of Dragona and Jodio. A flashback to Dragona’s life at 14, four years before the series’ present events, she is humiliated, sexually abused, and has her skin burned by a wealthy bully, who can escape responsibility because her father donates a lot of money to the school. Some fans were horrified by the explicit transphobic violence depicted in the story, while other readers appreciated the spotlight that author Araki Hirohiko was putting onto such disgraceful events, with many transgender readers commenting that they had also gone through similar experiences.
Conclusion
These are just a small selection of LGBTQ+ characters that can be found in popular modern anime. These are all from relatively recent anime and manga (or remakes and reimaginings or classics), but there are plenty of LGBTQ+ characters to be found in older anime, as well as LGBTQ+ focused anime from this year alone! Follow the link below to find even more Japanimation works you can enjoy!
