When thinking about animation, anime is one of the first things that comes to mind for young adults. Japan features some of the most beautiful animated pieces of work on top of amazing stories made for an adult audience. From romance to magical girls and slice of life, anime has a vast range of stories and is slowly proving to be a place where some people will find some of the best LGBTQ+ representation.

LGBTQ+ anime has become popular as, when done right, it can offer amazing examples of queer stories and relationships. While not all of the below are confirmed to be LGBTQ+, it tends to be painfully obvious when characters of the same sex love each other or when a character represents a queer experience.

Without further ado, here are some of the best examples of LGBTQ+ representation in anime.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

While their sexuality is never said in the show and is a heavily debated topic among fans, it does not change the fact that the relationship between main characters Homura and Madoka is something more than friendship. Madoka Magica has expanded into movies and games, so there are a lot more examples to touch on, but the fact Homura has been stuck in an endless time loop to ensure the safety of Madoka as she is too precious for her to lose is enough for fans to raise an eyebrow about their “friendship”.

When interviewed by the magazine Black Past, the scriptwriter for the show, Gen Urobuchi, said, “For me, perhaps there is part in my thought that said whatever relationship that could exist between male and female it should also exist between couples of same sex.” So for many, this was enough to say that whether intentional or not, these girls are likely queer. Just be prepared for a tragic story with these characters.

Bloom Into You

The main character, Yuu, is in love with the idea of love, but when a guy confesses his romantic feelings, she can’t feel anything for him. However, when she meets a classmate named Touko, she discovers her feelings, and the two learn to navigate their relationship together. This anime has great representation of young girls figuring out how to navigate their first relationship but also the struggles they face regarding the people around them. It’s a very nice slow-burn romance known for its positive representation of not only a queer relationship but younger queer characters.

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Created back in 1997, Revolutionary Girl Utena is the oldest example on this list. It was vitally important since the main character is part of a wlw relationship and gets to kiss the person they were actively pursuing. At the time of its creation, it was considered a massive landmark for proper representation during a time and place where queer people struggled to simply exist. While the story doesn’t solely centre around the romance, it is still important for the character overall. While it is recommended to watch this, it is also important to note that this anime deals with very heavy topics, such as sexual and emotional abuse, suicide, and gore. This coming-of-age show is made to make viewers question gender roles and the overall state of the world.

Given

On to a much lighter story. Given is about love and a boyband. The two main characters, Mafuyu and Uenoyama, actively get together and have a very cute relationship. This is especially true as Uenoyama helps Mafuyu heal from his past trauma. It’s refreshing to not only have an on-screen kiss but to see a healthy relationship where the characters get to support each other and be together without some kind of tragedy occurring. There is a TV show, movie, and manga for viewers to enjoy.

Stars Align

This sports anime takes a step away from the sports aspect to look into the personal lives of the boys on the team. We quickly meet the character Yuu in episode two of the series, who is questioning their gender and potentially has an attraction to other male students. Yuu is a central character to the plot and viewers get to watch them develop as their own person as well as face some struggles as a known queer person in their school. Overall, while Yuu’s arc in the show focuses on them being queer, it’s not solely about that as it is truly an arc of self-discovery and self-love.

No.6

If you’re a fan of dystopian love stories, this anime will be the one for you. While the plot is mostly about a plan to wipe out a supposedly ‘perfect’ society, the main characters, Rat and Shion, have a healthy relationship that slowly builds throughout the story. Alongside this healthy relationship, the two characters escape many of the harmful stereotypes that usually follow m/m relationships, such as one of them taking on a more feminine role, lack of romantic gestures, or one of them dying right after confessing their love. This anime not only proves to be a fantastic action-orientated story for those not wishing to watch a slice of life, but is one of the best examples of a healthy LGBTQ+ relationship.

Kase-san and Morning Glories

While not a full-on multi-episode anime like the other examples, Kase-san and Morning Glories is an anime film based on an already existing manga. The story is about two girls who started dating one another. While some context is needed as the film starts after the two girls have already confessed their feelings, the rest of the story is fairly easy to follow and is a simple, sweet high school love story with w/w protagonists who are learning to navigate their relationship. If you can’t commit to an entire anime series or just want a simple story to follow, this film would be the right one for you.

There are many other LGBTQ+ animes to watch, which include varying levels of representation. It has always been a struggle for queer people to get representation in media that avoids the traditional tropes, so it is always a relief to find good examples, especially in animation. As anime comes from a country that has struggled with queer representation in the past, it’s nice to have great examples of queer storylines, whether extremely obvious or something you need to read between the lines to find.