Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Top 10 LGBT Characters

Written by Shiggins

Here's an interesting one!

Mainstream media usually likes to play it safe, and so we rarely gets something that breaks from the norm and doesn't fill in the checklist I assume all major filmmakers and television have. It's why we have cliches, and while that's not necessarily a bad thing, we do need some sort of diversity to keep things fresh and interesting. Which is exactly why anime is awesome. Anime does things that other media won't do, or at least won't do enough of, and so I'm going to show my appreciation of that with these top 10 LGBT characters!



As always, I'll be sticking to anime and manga, and the characters must be officially LGBT, so sorry fans but no Naruto or Sasuke here. Lastly, this is a list celebrating these characters so please keep all comments dignified and respectful, okay?


10. Mikage Shinohara (Nisekoi)

Ow, it still kinda hurts to talk about Nisekoi! The ending burned me and it ended up causing half the amazing chapters feel pointless... (Any chapter with Onodera makes me cry now.) In any case, there are a few genuinely hilarious characters that never relied on the main character to keep the laughs coming, and that's why Mikage is still hilarious and brilliant, despite how I felt after the ending.

One of the few chapters I can read now... Damn it!! *sobs*
Like everything else in this series, she's exaggerated and wild and doesn't seem to know the meaning of shame, with her best friend Marika going so far as to compare her to an old man, perverted and harsh to people like Raku whom she sees as "lacking any balls". However, Mikage is smarter than she looks and far more reliable than she lets on, able to provide support and care for her friend Marika while also seeming like she's one step ahead of everyone else. Her contribution to Marika's wedding-related arc is undeniable, and Mikage shows she doesn't need to be smelling blonde hair (which is the best hair) for you to be engaged with her. Part of me does wish she could have been in the series more, but I loved what I got from this wacky lesbian. Where's her harem spinoff?

He doesn't exist, Mikage. (Double meaning from me, the Shig man!)

9. Puri-Puri Prisoner (One Punch Man)

This man is very lucky to be here. He is a walking train of cliche that we've seen many other times before, but it's impossible to deny how much of a badass he is and that alone is worth having him on this. Just as flamboyant as the rest of the series he's in, Puri-Puri Prisoner might be a rapist... Wow, suddenly this character feels really inappropriate to be here!

Laugh while you can, fandom. He's one of the few funny characters in this show that isn't involved with Saitama's strength. 
Anyway, PP Prisoner is a proud homosexual, undeniably. His only really major scene was against the Sea King, but it's undeniably one of the more badass battles involving that slippery asshole. I suppose the reason I like him so much is because he's one of the few characters who actually cares about his job, being a hero, and isn't afraid to stand up to assholes like Sweet Mask who don't. A lot of characters in One Punch Man are indifferent or purely for comedy, but PP Prisoner manages to rise above that. Is he the strongest? No, but he's definitely more interesting that half the cast.

The Angel Titan! I can't wait for Levi to fight this one!


8. Ryoji "Ranka" Fujioka (Ouran Highschool Host Club)

There's a very well-known myth that all crossdressers are completely gay, so imagine how refreshing it is to see that myth ignored, as we get a crossdressing man who was happily married to a wonderful woman for years before she passed away. Often called by his stage name "Ranka", Ryuji Fujioka is the overprotective dad of protagonist Haruhi, which means he should be lucky he's alive because parents of protagonists rarely last.

You know what's funny about this image? Ranka looks far too high-class here! That honestly bothers me!
It's important to note that Ryuji claims to have started crossdressing after his wife died, since he could never love another woman as much as he loved her and instead has shifted over to men. It's also important to note that I'm 80% sure Ryuji told someone that "his wife never had a problem with the crossdressing" in a flashback, so make your own conclusions. At any rate, his crossdressing seems to be for both personal and pleasurable reasons. A responsible, caring father in a series where parents seem to be the devil (seriously, fuck Tamaki's grandmother... in fact, fuck that whole episode), what else needs to be said? He's great, no matter what he wears.

Haruhi, you have no idea how grateful you should be.


7. Yagyuu Kyuubei (Gintama)

The first of two sword-wielding lesbians on this list, Yagyuu is a badass and also one of the nominees for "Top 10 Eyepatches", so maybe we'll end up seeing her again. Raised as a man by her father so she could be the head of the family, Yagyuu had a rough life but trained her hardest so one day she could be stronger than any gender and marry the one she admires most; Shimura Tae, whom she lost her left eye for.

Every badass has a "cute face" moment. It's one of the Ten Anime Commandments.
One arc that comes to mind when I think of Yagyuu is the hilarious Dekobokko Arc, in which she accidently causes everyone, including herself, to swap genders and live their lives as opposites of who they were. Kyuubei becomes Jubei, and the entire series has to suffer each other's gender roles in a very funny way. And the finale, with Kyuubei standing up for herself and what she is, is very endearing, especially when Gintoki shows his support. As he so eloquently puts it; "Manly, womanly, are those random values that someone else made up really what you were striving towards?"

Oh and she adopted a monkey once. I felt that was extremely important to mention.


6. Neptune and Uranus (Sailor Moon)

The duo that triggers everyone's childhood nostalgia, these two are definitely not cousins. I'm getting that out of the way now because you were lied to! Cousins aren't close like that! Lesbians are! Neptune is a lesbian! Uranus is a lesbian! And yes, I'm juvenile enough that "Uranus" is funny to me. I'm a bad person, moving on! This entry is a shared one, because it's hard to talk about Neptune without talking about Uranus.

Oh good. One of the times Studio Pierrot didn't fuck up! Finally.
Also known as Machiru Kaioh and Haruka Tenou (or Michelle and Amara, depending on the adaptation), this duo was once one of the most searched-for fanfiction to ever exist, because of their chemistry and style. Sailor Moon has always been a bright, charming series that focuses on girl power, so it only makes sense that such a fun and romantic couple gained so much popularity amongst it's fans. They deserve the love of each other, and the love of the fans.

No! How could Uranus do this? And why? And what? And no!


5. Setsuna Sakurazaki (Negima! Magister Negi Magi)

And as promised, here is our second sword-wielding lesbian. And in my opinion, the best one ever! Training at a young age so she can protect Konoka Konoe, Setsuna distanced herself from everyone to avoid distractions and hide her true form. She became a master of kendo and eventually would meet the protagonist Negi, who would help her open up and finally form the friendship with Konoka that she wanted.

Why was Negima so obsessed with cat ears? Every girl wears them at some point, but... why?
Along the series, Setsuna faces many trials about trust, happiness and the way of the sword. She's often a pillar to support Negi and Asuna, providing advice and kicking ass in almost every arc. Thankfully, she's not a stick in the mud and is also a lot of fun in the series (albeit unintentionally) and her romantic feelings for Konoka develop in a fun, charming way. I almost put in a character from UQ Holder instead but... well, Setsuna is the best one.

Goddamnit! I think we've had like 5 anime seasons/OVAs about this series, and not one of them actually make the characters look remotely like the manga. Is anyone even trying anymore?!


4. Ruka Urushibara (Steins;Gate)

"Still a dude". One of the most commonly spoken phrases of the amazing Steins;Gate, it perfectly represents how gorgeous Ruka is. All the boys can't deny how feminine and lovely Ruka looks, with even Mayuri Shiina wanting to cosplay him in the cutest clothing possible. Shy and gentle, Ruka's life is actually quite difficult because of his feelings for Rintarou Okabe and is prepared to go through big changes in the pursuit of love.

Trust in me... Oh trussssst in me....
For those who haven't seen the series, do so. Then come back here and read the rest of this paragraph. You done? Okay, good. So Ruka wanted Okabe to go back in time and actually make it so Ruka is born as a female so the female Ruka would end up being able to confess to Okabe... Shockingly, this plan actually worked! Does it obey the law of science? I have no idea. Is it an emotional ride that got me in the feels? You betcha!

Calling all scientists! Ruka wants Okabe to go back in time and change the gender of this character before he's born. Possible?


3. Giselle Gewelle (Bleach)

Aaaah, Bleach. I could go on for hours about your decline, including when exactly it happened. Some people think it happened as early as Aizen's defeat. Others say it didn't happen until we had the completely final battle against Yhwach, and very few think it declined when we first met Ulquiorra and Grimmjow. But I am a genius, so I can tell you that Bleach declined when they stopped having Giselle appear, because Giselle is one epic character of fucked-up beauty.

Aww, this made me miss Bambi-chan. Until I remembered my 100% canon Bleach Endings Article.
A member of Bambietta's not-Fracciones, Giselle was a wildcard that not even the rest of Bambietta's team trusted. Sadistic and heavily aroused by blood, death and begging for mercy, Giselle was, for all intents and purposes, a freak that we never thought we'd be lucky enough to see in Bleach. As for how come Giselle is eligible for this list? Well, a character known as Yumichika confirmed for us that Giselle was born a man. It's been a hot topic for debate in the community, with some denying Yumichika's claim, but this writer has used his magnificent brain to confirm that Giselle was born a man. Let's not judge Giselle for this though. Let's judge Giselle for the sadism... and how could anyone hurt the precious Bambietta?!

Oh, the amount of fans this inadvertently would piss off one day.


2. Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa)

Oh thank god we had an anime this year with him in it! I was so desperate to have Komaeda appear in Top 10s because he's just so great and crazy and gorgeous and aaaah! KOMAEDA! Member of the class from Danganronpa 2, Komaeda is also known as the "Ultimate Lucky Student", a trait that he is able to use to quite a psychotic degree... just like his personality actually. I was tempted to put in another Danganronpa character that appears in the anime, but Komaeda gets the edge because he's just far more engaging as a character.

I wanted to cheat and use Komeada because he appears in 2 of the games but a CERTAIN OTHER OTAKUNUTS WRITER would not let me.
So why is Komaeda eligible for this list? Well, that's because he's actually homosexual. Yes, Komaeda is confirmed to have romantic feelings for the protagonist, Hajime Hinata. (Can't blame him, if I'm honest... Why am I so gay for Danganronpa?) From subtle hints, like Komaeda saying he wants Hajime to leave while under the effects of a character-reversing Despair Disease, to his near-confession in the Japanese translation that really shows the seriousness of his feelings, it's impossible to deny his sexuality. He's got other things on his mind, like humping Hope instead of Hajime, but apparently even someone as fucked up as Komaeda can feel love.

You thought I was joking about him wanting to hump Hope, didn't you?


1. Grell Sutcliff (Kuroshitsuji)

It's only fitting that Kuroshitsuji is number one, a series that literally began in the author's mind as a yaoi manga, and choose the way of Shonen instead. So no matter what, the author will always have boy-love in her mind as she works away on this fun but flawed series. And nowhere is the author's open-mindedness better represented than the "actress" Grell, a very different Shinigami that you'd never see in Bleach or Death Note.

To all the people who cosplayed this character, I salute you. Grell must be a damn nightmare to get right.
Completely unique and a lot of fun, Grell is able to play the villain, the antihero and the comedic sidekick without blinking a beautiful eye. While there are entries on this list that are far more tragic and there are anime characters that prefer you to focus on their sexuality more than their personality, it's Grell's unique attire, style and unique disposition that make me think of Grell first when it's time to talk about LGBT characters.
Or maybe the real reason is because of this perfect image. Who knows?



Honourable Mentions:

Masayoshi Hazama (Samurai Flamenco)

(Utena Tenjou) Revolutionary Girl Utena 

Ymir (Attack on Titan)

Mahiru and Kubo (Baka to Test)

Sweden (Hetalia: Axis Powers)


Shiggins:[Admin]   .
Born under the stars of the Dark Gods, Shiggins owns the power of the Great Eye and is utterly magnificent in his omniscience. If you dare to discover more about someone as great as him, then go ahead. And to all my friends and family members, YOU are wrong and I should be disappointed! Not the other way round!,. You can find out about him or ask him stuff on ask.fm/shigginsishere or go to his tumblr page http://otakugajeel.tumblr.com/

2 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this list a lot, great job! :) Thank you so much for your hard work, I wish you all the happiness and joy.


    P.S. Expected Freed Justine from Fairy Tail but it's fine, feel proud of your work nonetheless! :)

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    Replies
    1. Awww, that's so sweet anon! Same to you!

      Freed was considered but I need more direct declarations of homosexuality from him first.

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