Sometimes a character’s gender isn’t even stated in some shows, since it doesn’t add anything to the character. In this list I want to share some of the most notable androgynous characters from anime shows & movies. So characters whose gender can’t be figured out, whose gender is often mistaken in the show itself, or characters who simply don’t identify as either gender. Let’s check ‘em out!
25. Nagisa Shiota
Anime: Assassination Classroom At first glance no one could fault you for assuming Nagisa is a girl, given that the character has very soft features, and is very docile (unless he wants to kill you that is). And the long hair could easily trip you up. But this inversion of expectations is actually very important for the character of Nagisa. As (minor spoiler alert) he was forced to look that way by his mother. Since she always wanted a girl, she gave Nagisa an androgynous name, let his hair down, and had him wear girly clothes. But of course, all of that does little to stop Nagisa from being one of the best assassins, and maybe even best kissers.
24. Saika Totsuka
Anime: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU In a show that’s all about finding your true self and working on your outlook on life, it was a good choice to have Saike as a character. Being the captain of the tennis club and generally an excellent athlete, Saika definitely fits the bill of the usual perception of masculinity. However, he has a very feminine look to him. And isn’t emotionally constipated as I guess men are supposed to be. So his gender is brought into question a few times during the show. He’s such a nice person and is adored by guys and girls alike, so it seems that he hit the perfect balance in my opinion.
23. Crona
Anime: Soul Eater Crona’s gender is fully ambiguous. It was never disclosed in the show, and some have interpreted that fact as integral to their character. You see, Crona did not have an easy time growing up. Their mother constantly brought them down. This led to Crona questioning their self-worth and even what the future holds. So in a way, Crona themselves is ambiguous. They feel they cannot define themselves while under the tyrant boot of their mother. It does get better for Crona later on, thank god. Nakama power!
22. Envy
Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist In a similar fashion to Crona, Envy’s gender is never revealed. And probably for a reason. Envy is a shapeshifter, meaning they can chose to be either gender if they so wish, and they usually chose a form that’s somewhat in between the two. This fits with their character quite well, because Envy wants to have it all. So if they were a male, they would want to be female and vice versa. Regardless, they’re a nasty Homunculi, that’s for certain.
21. Haku
Anime: Naruto We know that Haku is a male. But honestly I feel like he couldn’t care less what gender he was. Haku is devoted to the man who saved him, Zabuza, and his character is focused on just protecting him. He does have somewhat feminine features, with the long hair and ironically soft eyes, which he uses to slip through the village and leave people lowering their guards. In actuality he’s a fierce ninja, even getting the bad boy prodigy Sasuke to fall to his knees.
20. Orochimaru
Anime: Boruto I remember watching Naruto when Orochimaru first stepped onto the scene. And their form looked like a woman. But once they had shown their true form, it was widely understood that they’re a male. Yet with Boruto coming out, Orochimaru actually came out as gender fluid. And this made a lot of sense. I mean, they change bodies so often, have died and resurrected so often, that the concept of biological sex really seems to be lost on them. And mentally, they probably don’t care. I mean it’s not a scientific breakthrough or a pair of powerful Uchiha eyes.
19. Griffith
Anime: Berserk I’m personally straight, but man, Griffith is one good looking dude. When describing Griffith’s appearance I’m much more inclined to say beautiful instead of handsome. His features are androgynous, but leaning more towards the soft, gentle side. And he definitely uses this to his advantage. His appearance plus charisma and intellect have made him a powerful leader. And when it’s time to show his true strength, he will not hesitate to let thousands of heads roll… so not all that soft if you’re going up against him.
18. Haruhi Fujioka
Anime: Ouran High School Host Club I mean, Haruhi’s androgynous nature is the central premise of the show. So you knew this one was coming. In short, she gets mistaken for a boy and starts working in a man’s host club to pay off her debt. This means talking to a lot of rich ladies and making them feel special. And it’s not so much the case that Haruhi is dressing up as a boy and only wants the money, but more so that she really doesn’t seem to care about her biological gender and thinks that personality is the only thing that matters type of a deal. Okay, she does also want the money.
17. Hange Zoë
Anime: Attack on Titan Hange is a bit of an odd one. In the anime she’s very much a female. However in the manga, her gender was never mentioned. For the anime I think she falls under a similar scenario as Orochimaru, minus the whole reincarnation thing. She is just a scientist at her core (in the anime) and that’s all she cares about. She can be a complete sadist and exemplify a terrifying fury, but she can also show lots of sympathy. I feel like she’s a little bit of everything. But the central aspect of her character will always be her work, and not what chromosomes she has.
16. Inukashi
Anime: No.6 Inukashi was not dealt the best hand in life. So when looking for clothes it’s less about what gender these clothes would best fit, and more if they’re warm and available. Haircuts are seemingly also an unnecessary expense, so we as the audience aren’t really given any visual cues as to their gender. It has been implied that they’re a male, though. As when Inukashi is addressed as such, they don’t correct anyone. But honestly this one’s all up in the air. Dogs don’t care what gender you are, so I’m pretty sure Inukashi is just as uninterested.
15. Hideyoshi Kinoshita
Anime: Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu Hideyoshi as a character is pretty solid. He’s very kind and lovable. He looks a lot like his sister, and I mean a lot, which is why his gender is put into question multiple times throughout the show. However, the show does push this agenda quite a bit. I mean at one point he’s made to change in the female lockers, even though he’s a male, and later is given a separate locker and bathroom and dubbed the “third gender”. Kind of offensive I’d imagine, but again Hideyoshi himself is pretty chill. So he still deserves a spot here no matter what.
14. Rimuru Tempest
Anime: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Reincarnations are always a bit tricky. Especially if what they reincarnate as does not have a gender. And as the title might suggest, Rimuru (who was formerly male) was reincarnated as a slime. Hey, that’s the name of the show! And as a slime they’re kind of just a blob, so no leads there. Now they do gain a human form later on that seems to be kind of feminine. But let’s be honest, it’s just a form they like to take on. In every way they’re basically agendered (is that a word?) Even character-wise they’re androgynous, so not fitting into the stereotype of either gender.
13. Ruka Urushibara
Anime: Steins;Gate Don’t cancel me for this one, I’m very aware that she identifies as female. In fact it has been her dream to reincarnate as a female, as she feels that’s her true self. However, she’s biologically male, which is played up a few times as none of the characters believe her. So considering that almost no one got that she was a male without being told, I think she’s fit for this list. Plus I just like writing about her. Ruka is the most badass samurai ever.
12. Gowther
Anime: Seven Deadly Sins Okay, this pick I am basing more on my experience as a viewer, than the world itself. Personally, I thought that Gowther was a female because of his smaller stature, compared to the other male characters, and the bright pink hair. However (and this is somewhat of a spoiler) technically the Gowther we see is agender in the biological sense. I mean, it is a doll, and identifies as a male, as the creator of the doll was a male.
11. Inosuke Hashibira
Anime: Demon Slayer If you’re not caught up with the show, this pick will definitely confuse you. This is because when Inosuke is introduced he’s as “manly” as one can get. He wears a boar head over his face, he’s honestly jacked as hell, loves battle, loves competition, doesn’t care much for rules, or hygiene for that matter… just a rough and tough dude, am I right? But when his face is revealed, we see that he has a very soft, feminine, lowkey kawaii face. Something more fit for a rocker girl. So yeah, although it’s rare, Inosuke is a bit androgynous himself.
10. Kurapika
Anime: Hunter x Hunter Kurapika is an interesting one for me. I always just knew he was a guy, however while searching online I saw that a lot of people were confused on the subject. Especially if they only watched the original series. And I kind of get it. His clothes don’t really give anything away, and since he’s young his facial features are pretty soft and round. However, once he puts on that black suit there are no questions about it.
9. Grell Sutcliff
Anime: Black Butler Grell’s gender is a wild ride. While watching the show I thought they were female, as they referred to themselves as a “lady”. But once I got into the wikis online I saw that they’re agender. But then I read that in the manga, third volume, some say that they’re a male. But, and this is the last plot twist I swear, they want to have a sex change making them potentially transgender. I chose to use “they” as god knows I got lost in the chronology. Grell does have excellent taste in butlers, I can say that much.
8. Kino
Anime: Kino’s Journey Just like a few of the characters on here, we know Kino’s gender. However she definitely had the world fooled. She originally presents herself as a male, probably so it would be easier to travel. And so she would be taken more seriously. However, her travel buddy finds out the truth a few episodes in. Even the name Kino isn’t her real name. It was just an homage to the man who saved her as a child. Man, she’s just rocking that look though.
7. Dororo
Anime: Dororo This is kind of cheating as she’s a child, so you know it’s a lot harder to tell these things. Nut she did portray herself as a man. To a certain degree she even came off as the stereotypical young male character, as she was very unapologetic, rowdy, over the top, and took quite a few beatings. It’s only much later in the show that we learn that she is in fact a girl. Well, at least biologically. Dororo was brought up as a boy and believes that he’s a boy, hence why I probably should have used masculine pronouns, no?
6. Ryo Asuka
Anime: Devilman Crybaby Okay major spoilers for this one, so fair warning ahead! If you have not watched the show turn away while you still can. So, at first Ryo is definitely a male. And I really didn’t see putting that into question as a possibility for the show. However, in the final episodes we’re shown their true form. Ryo is Satan, so agender in that regard. Or even female if you want to go by the chest size ratio. Did I see this coming? No. Am I really stretching the definition of androgynous? A bit.
5. Sui
Anime: Darwin’s Game Somehow this seems even more controversial than my list pick. So Sui is in all regards a female. However, she actually shares her body with her twin brother Souta and they seem to swap around every so often. So in that regard, if we’re going by the definition of personal gender and not biological, the situation is a bit up in the air here. As you never know which one you’re speaking to.
4. Kenji Hikiishi
Anime: Boku no Hero Academia Magne is definitely an interesting one. Not only is she the first character that has a gender specific quirk, but she’s also the first trans woman (at least that I know of) to be featured on a show as popular as Boku no Hero Academia. She has a very masculine image with broad shoulders, a stout build, and even some facial hair. However, she always referred to herself as a female. Thus, shall be my queen.
3. Grey
Anime: Black Clover Another shapeshifter pulled a fast one on us boys! Yep, that big husky man who seemed to really enjoy his pipe and silence, was actually an extremely shy girl. But even once her true form was revealed, I honestly wasn’t too sure of her gender. If dandere was a gender, I feel like she would fit right in. She usually just panics and either covers her face, or turns into someone else. I swear you can’t trust these shapeshifters.
2. Leeron Littner
Anime: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Have you ever noticed how few male anime characters are openly homosexual in anime? Beyond a show like Yuri on Ice, it always just seems like a bromance, at least to me. For this reason, it kind of flew right over my head that Leeron is actually a man. And might I add, he’s the most flamboyant, extra, sassy queen, give him a spin off already, character ever. I know I mentioned this already too, but as a genius inventor I always saw Leeron just for his work, and occasional gag. So the whole sexuality and gender thing just flew right over my head.
1. Mugaro
Anime: Shingeki no Bahamut Genesis (Rage of Bahamut) I feel like whenever devils and angels come into play, androgynous characters come out of it. As far as Mugaro is concerned, we know that he’s a boy. However, depending on what scene you see him in, your judgement will probably range from “That girl is so adorable” to “Why are my trap senses tingling?” Especially when he puts the hood on and we can only see his face. Because that’s the most innocent cutest face I have ever seen on a man.
