Talking About Some Amazing Trans Characters for International Transgender Day of Visibility

Welcome, weebs, to Animated Observations

Happy Trans Day of Visibility everyone! The past couple of years when it comes to progress on trans issues have been hard, especially in the United States. Over a thousand laws across the federal and various state governments have circulated through the legislatures, many of which have been passed and are actively taking away access to gender-affirming care for queer individuals. Some have even passed bills that would allow doctors to refuse all medical care to those in the LBGTQ community.

In particular, the recent story of a non-binary high schooler named Nex Benedict has hit pretty close to home. They were beaten up in a bathroom, sustaining serious head injuries, yet were only treated when their mother took them to the hospital and died shortly after. Technically, there has not been a confirmed cause of death, but what is clear is that the bullying was caused by Nex’s nonbinary identity.

In light of said political and human tragedies, what better way to spend this Trans Day of Visibility than to celebrate some awesome representation of genderqueer individuals? Here is a short list of some of my favorite trans characters/stories.

Alesha, Who Smiles at Death

Despite the general insanity that is Magic: The Gathering lore most of the time, it does have its moments. One such moment is Alesha, magic’s first trans character whose story was revealed during the Tarkir block of booster sets back in 2015. “The Truth of Names” by James Wyatt details her existence as the leader of the Mardu clan, a warrior society that was supposedly based on the Mongols of the 13th and 14th centuries. In this clan, those who are strong enough in battle get to claim their warrior name.

In this story, Alesha leads the charge alongside Orcs and Goblins against a horde of dragons. Despite being the khan, one orc, whose own insecurities about his place in the clan are revealed later, questions her after he fails to kill one of the dragons. “ You tell me this? A human boy who thinks he’s a woman?”

What makes the story so interesting is that, despite leading a clan of warriors in which fighting is the primary method of proving oneself, she reveals herself to be a great leader even in the face of transphobia. At the end of the short story, she challenges the orc again, asking him why he criticizes her when he is too scared to claim his own warrior name, even though he was already involved in many battles before. The story itself is only a 10-minute read, and even those not familiar with other magic lore can appreciate James Wyatt’s great storytelling.

Yuka from Blue Period

Blue Period, was and remains, painfully relatable. The story of a burned-out gifted kid named Yatora looking for a purpose in life while buried in his studies is one I’m sure many in my generation can relate to. However, equally if not more so relatable is the story of Yuka, Yatora’s classmate, and one of the big reasons he decides to pursue the arts.

Yuka’s confident, determined demeanor brings a sense of rivalry to the show, one that coalesces a very emotionally impactful 10th episode. However, between that drive to become a great artist and get admitted to Tokyo U, they struggle not only to understand themselves but also to find refuge from their parents about being gender-nonconforming. In fact, it is only with their grandma that they can feel any degree of warmth and support.

It is because Yuka struggles with both their art and identity they become such a compelling point in the story. Though Yatora tries to intervene and comfort them, it is a journey that Yuka goes through largely alone.

Kuronosuke/Kurako from Princess Jellyfish

Another student of the arts, Kuronosuke, or Kurako when he dresses a bit more femme for his newfound friends, is the son of a politician who refuses to follow in his father’s steps. Rather than talk about the state of the country, he is much more interested in diving into the latest fashion and has dreams of designing his own.

The story of Princess Jellyfish starts after he meets Tsukimi, a broke 18-year-old looking to become an illustrator. Kurako helps Tsukimi out by saving a jellyfish from a local pet store and walks her back to her apartment. It is only later that Tsukimi finds out that Kurako was actually assigned male at birth, and given that her apartment only allows “females” inside, things get complicated.

What makes his character so fascinating is just how much confidence Kuranosuke has in his identity and his dreams. Though there is definitely conflict and he is not without his sadder moments, Kuranosuke’s personality always shines through. The same holds true for Tsukimi, and their romantic tension later on layers itself into this character as well. Despite still using “he” pronouns, it is clear that crossing gender boundaries is a huge aspect of his identity.

Seiko from Lovely Complex

Seiko’s inclusion on this list is a bit more complicated for me. On the one hand, Lovely Complex is probably one of if not my favorite series from this era of shoujo. It’s corny in a lot of ways but it also has a lot of charm, in no small part thanks to characters like Seiko. She is endlessly funny and, if we’re being honest, could have used a bit more screen time.

On the other hand, shows of this era also tend to fall into a lot of stereotypical representations of queer people, and Seiko isn’t much of an exception. She explicitly stated to be a trans woman, at one point saying that “god put her in the wrong body,” but is also the but of a lot of jokes, even after the episode where it becomes clear that Seiko’s gender is a big deal to her. This comes through primarily in her relationship with Ohtani, since Seiko has a crush on him for the majority of the series.

Still, after reflecting on it for a while, I can’t bring myself to call Seiko a bad character. She is one of the better parts of the show even if aspects of her story can feel a bit dated almost 20 years later.

Kaoru from Wonder Egg Priority

It would be a bit of a miss on my part to leave the trans mascs out of the conversation as there are a lot of great reps for them as well, though admittedly there are a lot fewer of them on my personal radar. One I had forgotten about before writing this post is Wonder Egg Priority’s Kaoru.

Even limited to only appearing in a singular episode, Kaoru’s appearance is compelling. Appearing out of one of Momoe’s eggs, the young boy was ultimately driven to end his life because of being sexually assaulted by his Kendo club advisor after seeking advice on his gender identity. Kaoru became pregnant and felt like he had no other option.

Kaoru’s backstory is decidedly tragic, as is the case with most characters in the series. However, his Jovial nature even while fighting for his life with Momoe leaves a lasting impression far exceeding his limited screen time.

Shuichi and Yoshino from Wandering Son

Chances are if you have looked up anime focused on queer people in the past, Wandering Son has shown up in the search results. Originally released in 2002, the manga upon which the show is based is one of the oldest in the medium to focus pretty much exclusively on trans people, especially trans kids.

Shuichi, a trans girl, and Yoshino, a trans boy, have been friends for quite a while, even at one point having romantic feelings for each other. However, even after breaking up, their shared experiences of gender dysphoria keep them close. They also share a rather large friend group, with some others in the group also being Queer as well.

The show definitely runs at a more slice-of-life pace but is by no means uninteresting. Within the 12-episode anime adaptation, Wandering Son delivers a vivid picture of the internal world of both Shuichi and Yoshino and how their current relationship with gender affects both their views of others and themselves. If those reading decide to watch or read about only one of the sources mentioned today, Wandering Son would be a great place to end up.

My list is a bit more limited because I don’t tend to consume as many movies, TV shows or video games, but let me know in the comments who some of your favorite trans characters are.

Also, instead of doing more self-promotion for this post, I figured I would highlight a few trans-positive organizations that could use some help:

As always, special thanks to Jenn and Travis for their support, it is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone for reading, stay positive and keep thriving.

Originally published at http://animatedobservations.com on March 31, 2024.