If you are a fan of Boy’s Love (BL) manga and anime, you may have come across the term “fujoshi,” either in the works themselves, or perhaps in part of the community. Perhaps someone is a self-described fujoshi… or perhaps you have been accused of being a fujoshi yourself! But that prompts the question, “what is a fujoshi?”
It’s that question that today’s article aims to answer. What are the origins of the term? What does it mean today? And… are you a fujoshi?
The Origins of Fujoshi
As BL media became more popular and prominent in Japanese culture, and even abroad, the creators and publishers noticed that one of the most significant consuer bases were women. As time went on, they came to be called “fujoshi” (腐女子). Literally meaning “rotten girl,” it is a play on the traditional meaning of “fujoshi,” which is instead written “婦女子,” which means “a respectable married woman.”
Despite the originally derogatory meaning, the young women who love BL eventually embraced and reclaimed the term for themselves, wearing it as a mark of pride. Related terms also began to appear, such as kifujin (貴腐人), itself a pun on the homophone kifujin (貴婦人) that means “a spoiled noble woman,” but is here used to denote and older woman who is a BL fanatic. Men can also use the term fudanshi (腐男子), to mean “rotten boy,” and denotes them as a man who loves BL, whether gay, bi, heterosexual, or otherwise.
Fujoshi in Media
As BL media has become more prolific, creators, including women who make BL content, have often inserted fujoshi characters, often as a way to gently (and lovingly) poke fun at the community, while often being strong and supportive allies for the queer men in the story.
So here are five examples of fujoshi from shows and manga you may be familiar with.
Nozomi Fujisaki
Cherry Magic, reviewed by your own JGG here, stars primarily men, as one might expect from a BL show. However, one character who could arguably be considered the leading lady is Nozomi Fujisaki. A self-confessed fujoshi, she is briefly a romantic interest for main character Kiyoshi Adachi (although she is largely hypothetical as a love rival for Yūichi Kurosawa. Like any good fujoshi, though, she is rooting for her boys to be together (even if she does let her imagination get away from her).
Hanako Koyanagi
The secondary woman lead for Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (also known as Wotakoi), Koyanagi is a competent and serious manager at her workplace. In her private life, however, she is not just a professional cosplayer, but a BL fanatic. Luckily for her, she is able to bend the ear off of the star Narumi Momose, who shares her interests, and gush over their favorite ships.
@sakicryy วาสนาพี่ส้ม🫣#koyanagihanako #wotakunikoiwamuzukashii #sakicryy #anime #fyp ♬ เจ้าที่แรง RnB cover by PONWP – ปอนเลิ้ปวิงซ์แซ่บ🍗
Kae Serinuma
The star of Kiss Him, Not Me, Serinuma is a fujoshi obsessed with shipping both anime characters and people she knows in real life. After one of her favorite characters is killed off, she is off school for a week with depression… a depression that causes her to lose a significant amount of weight. When she returns, she finds that four boys are vying for her attention… but she would much prefer that they hook up with one another!
Kona Furugoori
A character in Robotics; Notes, an anime based on a visual novel game for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360, Furugoori is the creator of the fighting game Kill-Ballad, a driving force in the series. Between designing games and trying to solve the disappearance of her mother, she is obsessed with playing BL games. As a recluse with little social filter, she is also prone to making people uncomfortable by blurting out anything she’s thinking… even if her thoughts are utterly, utterly filthy.
Erika Karisawa
A supporting character in Durara!!, Karisawa is a member of the fearsome Dollars gang. In her personal life, however, she is an obsessive manga and light novel fanatic, and is especially invested in BL and yaoi content. Like many of the fujoshi on our list, she lets her feelings into her personal life and imagines romantic relationships between her friends and acquaintances, including fellow Dollars member Kyohei Kadota and rival Chikage Rokujo of rival gang Toramaru, even though — or perhaps because — they cannot stand one another.
Are You Fujoshi?
So with all of this in mind, are you personally fujoshi? Like being in love, or being The One, this is a question that only you can truly answer. But, to borrow a format from Jeff Foxworthy, here are a few things that could help you.
If you’ve ever taken the day off work to buy and enjoy the new volume of a BL or yaoi manga, you might be fujoshi.
If you’ve ever thought about how two of your men coworkers who are in committed relationships with other people would be perfect for each other, you might be fujoshi.
If you’ve ever seen two guys getting in a fight, and thought “why don’t they just kiss it out?”, you might be fujoshi.
If you’ve ever read a manga with a love triangle between two men and a woman, and thought, “why is she even in this story?”, you might be fujoshi.
If you loved the trailer for Challengers and were deeply angry that the film itself barely even featured any man-on-man smooching, you might be fujoshi.
That’s it for today’s rotten girls and corrupted noblewomen. If you read this with an interest that was more than academic, perhaps you should consider whether embracing your fujoshi side could be good for you — that is, if you haven’t already.
