An LGBT+ Anime Masterlist!
For anyone who is looking for some anime with LGBT+ protagonists/themes, but isn’t fond of the Yaoi/Yuri genres.
This show follows 14-year-old Utena Tenjou at Ohtori academy. Her goal is to ‘become a brave and noble prince who rescues princesses.’ She meets and befriends Anthy Himemiya, who, at first glance, seems to be a damsel in need of rescuing. But the reality is far more complicated than that.
This series deals with abusive relationships, sexuality, gender roles, feminism, and many, many other themes. It’s also very heavy on symbolism, metaphors, and subtle storytelling, so it’s really one-of-a-kind.
No, this anime is not about grumpy dog sitters. Although that would be cool too.
No.6 takes place in and around a seemingly Utopian city called No.6. The story follows two boys named Shion and Nezumi. Shion grew up as an elite citizen of No.6, and slowly realizes how messed up his city is. Nezumi lives in the slums outside of No.6, and has known exactly how bad it is from the beginning. They both have massively different ideals, but they agree on one thing: No.6 has to go.
Read the English translation of the novels it was based off of Here
Set 1,000 years in the future, where all humans now possess psychic powers. This story follows Saki Watanabe and her friends living in the seemingly idyllic town of Kamisu 66. But when kids keep disappearing, and no one will talk about them, they try to find out what’s really going on and uncover unimaginable secrets along the way.
This one is super interesting. It’s got some of the greatest world building and storytelling I’ve ever seen in anime. Also, four out of the five main protagonists are queer.
This story follows a trans girl named Shuichi Nitori and her friends through their first year of middle school. It deals with gender identity, sexuality, and just life in general.
This one is really good. I mean REALLY good. I think everybody should watch it. The artwork is beautiful, the characters are amazing, and the story is one of the most real and heartfelt I’ve ever seen.
Aoi Hana/Sweet Blue Flowers
Yeah, I know this is a yuri anime, but it definitely deserves a spot on this list. Aoi Hana follows childhood friends Fumi Manjome and Akira Okudaira through their first two years of high school as they figure out their sexualities, navigate relationships, and deal with coming out of the closet.
You’ve probably heard of this one. Set 15 years after alien creatures known as Angels attack earth, and organization called NERV recruits several teenagers to pilot giant bio-machines called Evangelions to protect earth against the next series of attacks. It deals heavily with mental illness and the protagonist is a 14-year old bisexual boy.
Unfortunately I can’t find a place where you can watch it legally. If anyone knows of one, or has another anime they’d like to add to this list, feel free to add on!
