There is no denying what fuels interest in anime. It’s powered by the Kamehameha blasts, shinobi battles and grand adventures of pirates that make up much of the anime introduced to western countries long before streaming platforms made so many other shows accessible. That is not to say there are spaces for other titles, ones that tell stories of the underrepresented. Stories of gay characters aren’t new to the genre, there are quite a few that deal with the LGBTQ experience, but with so many titles being added to streaming services every month it may be hard to know where they are.
The unfortunate part about the deluge of anime now readily available is that it leads to a different problem — curation. Finding the right title to watch can be difficult, particularly if the aim is to find something that tells specific kind of story. To tackle the problem, here is a list of all the best gay stories in anime today.
Before getting to the picks though its important to give a brief explanation of how these stories are talked about. Anime can be a subculture within a subculture and sometimes conversation can be hard to follow so these are some terms to make navigating the discussions much easier. Yaoi and yuri describe the type of relationship or “ship” that will define the show. Yaoi anime are ones that are primarily about relationships between men and yuri anime are ones about relationships between women.
Gender in anime is often expressed within the genres they inhabit and knowing what they are helps with the type of experience each show offers. There are four to be aware of in total, but the two most popular genres are shounen (which roughly translates to for young boys) and shoujo (translates to for young girls.) These two genres are typically for adolescents. For young adults and older, the terms are different: seinen for teenage to adult men and josei for teenage and adult women.
While more often than not the default in anime are heterosexual relationships these picks use gender to upend expectations while at the same time offering up tropes that are familiar to anime fans. Now that the basics are laid down, here are the picks:
Where to Find it: CrunchyRoll/HiDive
How long is it: 13 episodes
This is a yuri anime that explores asexuality through its characters Yuu Koito and Touko Nanami. Yuu is a first-year high school student who unexpectedly receives a confession from a middle-school classmate and turns him down. Touko sees this happen and becomes convinced Yuu is questioning whether she likes boys or not and tries to befriend her. The anime chronicles the developing relationship between the two and whether its one of attraction, friendship or something in-between.
Where to Find it: Funimation
How long is it: 12 episodes
This is one of the sweetest coming of age stories that just happens to feature a yaoi relationship and be a sports anime. It chronicles the budding relationship between Toma Shinjo and Maki Katsuragi and their exploits in trying to save the school’s tennis club. Maki is naturally talented in tennis, but lacks motivation to realize it and it falls on Toma to convince him to help save the club or it will be their last summer together.
Where to Find it: Crunchyroll
How long is it: 12 episodes
This is a yuri harem anime centered around two step sisters Yuzu and Mei Aihara. Yuzu is a trendy city girl who transfers to an all-girls called Aihara Academy, a place where her flashy sense of style and personality clash with the school’s rigid nature. Mei is the student council president and seems to embody the school’s strict code of conduct and rigid ideals. The two clash on their first day of school then receive a bombshell when its revealed that they are both stepsisters after Yuzu’s father died and her mother remarried. Mei then reveals something else about herself when the two are alone after dinner.
Where to find it: Crunchyroll
How Long is it: 12 episodes
Yuri!!! On Ice doesn’t just belong on a LGBTQ anime list, but has a place in many all-time lists. It’s about figure skater Yuri Katsuki who once represented the nation of Japan in the Figure Skating Grand Prix, but suffered such a crushing defeat in the finals he retired to his home town of Kyushu. Yuri was sure he would never lace up the skates again until five-time world champion Victor Nikiforov and his former teammate Yuri Plisetski show up to help him surpass his trauma. On a technical level this anime nails it as far as animation, soundtrack and choreography, but its story and relationships depicted do well to avoid the tropes that plague other anime.
Where to Find it: Funimation
How long is it: 39 episodes
Utena is a classic from the 90’s and one many older anime fans will point out when it comes to LGBTQ representation and setting the tone for many future shoujo anime. The story follows the teenager Utena Tenjou and her exploits at Ohtori academy. Utena has a strong desire to be a prince and tries to look and dress the part throughout the show. Her goal is to win a series of sword duels for the hand of Anthy Himemiya the “Rose Bride” who possesses the power to revolutionize the world.
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