Transgender characters have a complex history in media, which is why it's so surprising that some of the best trans characters ever come from anime and manga. It's no secret that the media's representation of transgender characters has not been the greatest. While there have been some great strides in recent years to represent people from all walks of life, anime and manga are still often behind the curve.
Despite this though, queer representation has a proud history in both mediums. Manga's first trans character debuted decades before Marvel or DC's, and that representation has only grown outside of mainstream sources most fans would associate with the medium. Even outside of indie spaces though, trans and queer representation can be found in all sort of places fans might not expect. The best trans anime and manga characters are proof of how much potential both mediums have for inclusivity and thoughtful storytelling.
10 Seiko Kotobuki - Lovely Complex
Seiko was one of the few girls that Otani briefly dates in Lovely Complex. Upon finding out Seiko is transgender, Otani is shocked and starts avoiding her. Though this definitely leans into the "unsettling gender reveal trope," Otani eventually snaps out of it and accepts Seiko for who she is. Seiko is a great character because of how cheery and upbeat she is, but she's not so flat a character that this is her only trait. For example, there's an episode about her dysphoria, something rarely touched upon in media. Lovely Complex showcases a character going through this experience but also shows how her friends are a great support structure for her.
9 Lily - Zombieland Saga
Zombieland Saga was one of the best anime of 2018, and Lily is part of why. Lily is the first openly transgender character part of a major anime idol group, but before that, she was a legendary child actress when she was alive. Unfortunately, the stress of a TV career and severe body dysphoria eventually led to Lily getting a heart attack the moment she started puberty.
Lily's design evokes colors of the transgender flag proudly, with teal and pink being major motifs. Most importantly, all of her fellow idols were supportive and treated her exactly the way she wanted to be treated. And according to the Anime News Network, a meme of Lily being anti-TERF was once printed and shared in U.K. Parliament, so Lily likely has the unique honor of being the only anime character ever to be mentioned by a Scottish MP in a public place of law.
8 Natsuyoshi Utsumi - Our Dreams At Dusk
Our Dreams at Dusk's Utsumi is an outgoing and friendly guy with a bit of a passive streak. He's quick to forgive and almost always has a smile on his face. However, he often keeps his real feelings hidden and is actually quite opinionated once people get to know him. Our Dreams at Dusk is very much a story about the LGBTQ+ experience, but it makes a point of making Utsumi a complex character beyond his gender identity. Utsumi is a kind person working a regular job who hangs out with his friends after work and that kind of characterization is incredibly important for normalizing trans representation in media.
7 Tiger - My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia has a very colorful cast of characters, and it was a surprise to many audiences when they found out that Tiger, the fourth member of the Wild Wild Pussycats, was actually a transgender man. This fact is never stated, but My Hero Academia creator Kohei Horikoshi has confirmed that Tiger is trans. As far as trans characters go, Tiger isn't the deepest nor does he even get much focus. However, his brief portrayal is incredibly positive, as he is a confident but supportive man. The fact that a transgender male character, shown in a positive light, is in one of the biggest anime shows ever is pretty good progress.
6 Alluka - Hunter x Hunter
Alluka is Killua's affectionate and kind sister in Hunter x Hunter. She is very clingy towards Killua as a result of her other family members being apathetic towards her at best and abusive at worst. As long as Killua is around though, Alluka seems to be perfectly content, which is why she is so attached to him. Yoshiro Togashi has had a history of including transgender characters in his stories, and Alluka is a heartfelt but subtle example shown through her friendships with others in Hunter x Hunter. Killua using Alluka's preferred pronouns, as well as not mincing words when he calls her his sister, are a nice respite from the scorn she gets from her other family members. Alluka's representation of being a young trans girl in Hunter x Hunter is still ahead of its time.
5 Shou Fujita - Stars Align
Shou Fujita only makes a brief appearance in the series, but his inclusion is important to the story. Maki Katsuragi, one of the series' main characters, had an abusive father. Maki's mother, Aya, soon makes the decision to leave and officially divorces him. Soon after, she starts dating one of her old college friends, Shou, and they have one of the most positive LGBTQ+ adult relationships in anime.
Shou recollects how lost he felt during his younger years, detailing the discomfort he felt wearing girl's clothes and having to live under what he believed was "a mask" to appease society's norms. However, as soon as he moved out and started living true to himself, he became much more confident. That feeling of a weight being lifted off one's shoulders is one that many LGBTQ+ folks can relate to.
4 Togata - Fire Punch
From the same author of Chainsaw Man, Tatsuki Fujimoto, Fire Punch is a very intense story in every sense of the word. However, the mysterious character named Togata is represented very well in the story, especially with how their gender plays into their characterization. They have a deep love for films and idolize action heroes — so much that they tend to be as crass and snarky as the films are. However, in the post-apocalyptic hellscape of Fire Punch, films have long been banned from being made or watched. Despite Fire Punch's wild story, the discussion of Togata's identity struggles is actually dealt with a lot of tact and is a great representation of transgender characters who have experienced severe dysphoria.
3 Nitori Lily - Wandering Son
Many anime fans have likely already heard of the anime Wandering Son and its surprisingly tactful handling of the topic of transgender identity, in particular, its main character, Nitori Lily. Growing up, Lily always felt strange. Her character arc specifically focuses on the transgender experience from elementary school all the way up to adulthood. Wandering Son is at its core a coming-of-age story. Just as much as gender, viewers explore Lily's relationships with her friends and family, and showcase a whole range of different reactions to her status as a transgender girl. Her story explores the emotional beats of going through gender dysphoria really well.
2 Ryo Watari - Boys Run The Riot
High schooler Ryo Watari always hated his uniform because it reminded him that he was seen as a "female." Ryo has always struggled with his gender identity and fears the judgment he would receive from his peers and family for it. His only respite is when he can go out wearing his favorite clothes, and be seen the way he wants to be seen. Seeing a genuinely well-written FtM character be the protagonist is a refreshing change of pace. It is very much Ryo's story, and his journey to gain confidence and express his true self through his fashion. Clothing is an integral part of how society "views" people and the anti-establishment themes of Boys Run the Riot go hand in hand with that.
1 Hana - Tokyo Godfathers
From the brilliant director Satoshi Kon comes Tokyo Godfathers, one of the best 2000s animated movies. The story is about three people without homes finding a baby abandoned amidst piles of garbage on Christmas Eve. One of those three is Hana, a transgender woman. Hana is one of the most unflinching portrayals of a transgender character in media, and with that comes a lot of discomfort.
Hana's backstory of finding work as a drag queen singer in a club to make ends meet, constant misgendering from others, living with severe disease, and of course, homelessness, are very real problems that many transgender individuals face to this very day. While Hana is a worst-case scenario, it's important for such scenarios to be given light. Satoshi Kon understood the importance of appropriately representing the trans experience.
The representation of trans characters in anime and manga still have a long way to go, but that doesn't mean the two mediums aren't filled with intricately drawn trans characters. Historically these two mediums have actually been ahead of the curve compared to mainstream American comics and animated series. More than just one-note jokes, the best trans characters in anime and manga are great characters who show how much potential there is for great transgender representation.