Yuri and Beyond: LGBTQ+ Representation in Animation in 2023

2023 began with a bang, with the premiere of the yuri anime The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady a.k.a. MagiRevo on January 5th, Velma on January 12th, The Legend of Vox Machina on January 20th, and Princess Power on January 30th. It went far beyond those which premiered last year, despite less yuri anime airing in 2023. [1] As a warning, there will spoilers for each series described in this article.

The first few months of 2023 featured many LGBTQ+ stories. In Western animation, there was a lesbian couple in Koala Man, lesbian moms in Princess Power, Velma, and Work It Out Wombats! Despite its various issues and problems with storytelling, Velma had a central storyline about on-and-off-again romantic relationship between Velma and Daphne, who were both bisexual. A newcomer, in February, was Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, an all-ages animated series featuring gay, non-binary, and trans characters. The same could be said for The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder second season. It featured various LGBTQ+ characters. In these animated series, well-known, out voice actors like Jane Lynch and Wanda Sykes, Andrew Rannells, and Tan France voiced some characters. [2]

Last January, Netflix’s cancellations of Dead End: Paranormal Park and Inside Job were made public. The latter had implied LGBTQ+ characters. The former had gay, trans, bisexual, non-binary, and lesbian characters. In March, GLAAD’s CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, noted in their 2022-2023 “Where We Are on TV” report that it was “disappointing to see this year that over 20 percent of LGBTQ characters counted here will not be returning…due to series endings or cancellations.” Bossy Bear premiered the same month. It featured two gay characters: Tyler and Greg, two fathers who run a food truck. They are voiced by Lance Bass, a gay singer, and Michael Turchin, his real-life husband. Another bear-related series, We Baby Bears (a spinoff of We Bare Bears), includes two non-binary characters: Pirate Polly and Box.

When it came to anime, it was a different story. A yuri isekai named MagiRevo was the most prominent yuri anime series of the winter and early spring. Yuri isekai are relatively rare apart from The Executioner and Her Way of Life. MagiRevo was different. It focuses on a reincarnated princess living her second life, mixes dramatic and slow scenes with bloody battles, and depicts monarchies as slow-moving and bureaucratic, among other aspects.

This series wasn’t alone with yuri themes. By the end of March, three other series with yuri subtext ended: Nijiyon Animation, D4DJ, and season two of KanColle. Ippon Again continued airing until April 3rd. The series was only yuri-ish, not directly yuri. It was primarily a sports series, but one of the few judo anime.

April brought more anime with direct (or indirect) yuri subtext, like new Yuri Is My Job!, Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top, Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star, Kizuna no Allele, and second seasons of Tokyo Mew Mew New, Birdie Wing, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, and Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. As Yuri Anime News put it, there are more yuri manga and light novels that need to be “licensed in English,” and hoped that 2023 would bring this.

Tokyo Mew Mew New featured a canon crush of Minto Aizawa on Zakuro Fujiwara, the crush of Aoi on Eve in Birdie Wing, the implied (later confirmed) queer characters in The Witch from Mercury, the implied yuri subtext between Yuna and Fina in Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear. There was also yuri subtext in Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star and Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top. Of these anime, they mostly are on HIDIVE (Ippon Again!, Otaku Elf, and Alice Gear Aegis Expansion) or Crunchyroll (MagiRevo, D4DJ, Nijiyon Animation, Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star, Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure, and Kizuna no Allele), while others were on YouTube (Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top).

Princess Principal – Crown Handler Chapter 2 was added to HIDIVE in mid-April. It continues the yuri subtext between Ange and Princess Charlotte in the original action spy steampunk anime. This likely continued in Princess Principal: Crown Handler – Chapter 3, which aired on April 7th in Japan. That hasn’t been added to HIDIVE or any other streaming service.

In Western animation, the second season of The Ghost and Molly McGee (which ended this year) included some secondary LGBTQ+ characters. The Owl House, which featured non-binary, gay, asexual, lesbian, and otherwise queer characters ended on April 8th. The Ghost and Molly McGee season two began on April 1st. One episode, “The (After)life of the Party” revealed that a supporting character, Jeff, had a partner: Geoff. Jeff is voiced by a Vincent Rodriguez III, a gay actor. Sam Crowley, a series writer, revealed that Andrea Davenport, a recurring character, was queer. In her words, Andrea is “interested in girls” but might be “into guys or other genders, too. She’s young and figuring it out!”

Also in April, the new girlfriend of Betty, named Trish, appeared in the second season of Rugrats. The same month, it was implied that the father of King, a being whose corpse forms the Boiling Isles, in The Owl House, was genderqueer. During a livestream with series creator Dana Terrace, she revealed that Willow was pansexual and Hunter was bisexual. Even more impactful was the premiere of Nao, the aunt of Mitsumi, a protagonist of Skip and Loafer. She’s a trans woman who Mitsumi protects from transphobic comments while she rides the train. Nao’s role was broadly praised. Hopefully more characters like her appear in future anime.

On April 22, the ninth volume/season of RWBY ended. The series had a long-awaited kiss (shown in the video above) between Blake Belladonna and her fellow huntress, Yang Xiao Long. This is after both confess their feelings for one another and are brought closer together than ever before. This development annoyed some retrograde fans who shipped other characters with Blake. She had previously been in a romantic relationship with an abusive man (Adam Taurus) and had feelings for Sun Wukong. The scene excited shippers of Blake and Yang, known as Bumbleby, and others. Casey Lee Williams and Ariyel composed and sung the song “Worthy,” used during this beautiful scene.

Additionally, this ship was strongly hinted at during part one of the film, Justice League x RWBY: Super Heroes and Huntsmen. In the film’s second part, it was directly shown, with both characters kissing one another. Even so, their romantic scenes together in the scene were not as frequent. Previously, Blake and Yang had touched foreheads, something described a clue that partners are in love, or an example of connecting with another partner. Hopefully, a (possible) Volume 10 will expand their relationship.

By June 30th, various anime with direct or indirect yuri subtext, such as Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, Kizuna no Allele, Birdie Wing, Yuri Is My Job!, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star, The Witch from Mercury, Tokyo Mew Mew New, and Soaring Sky! Pretty Cure, ended. The same was the case for series like Skip and Loafer. When it came to The Witch from Mercury, protagonists Suletta and Miorine married. However, the company producing the show (Bandai Namco Filmworks‘ Sunrise division) denied it. This is after an interview confirmed (as did an tweet from the official account) the marriage. Adding insult to injury, a digital version of the interview was edited to remove reference to the marriage, despite understandable outcry from fans to the contrary.

They would be replaced by other series, including BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, which began airing on June 29th. Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror, a spinoff of Love Live! Sunshine!!, was set to begin on July 2nd. Both had yuri subtext. Love Live! is unique, not for the idol focus, but the few male characters. Also, it was announced that the “Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest” film would be released on August 4 in Japan. This is not as notable because Sound! Euphonium infamously queerbaited viewers.

However, Yohane the Parhelion actually began early. The first episode aired on Crunchyroll, on June 25th. The series officially began elsewhere on July 2nd. There was romantic vibes between Hanamaru and Yohane. That fits with how they are portrayed in Love Live! Sunshine. That makes sense since Yohane the Perhelion is a spinoff. There are similar vibes between Mari and Yohane, and growth of female friendships between Yohane and others in her hometown. It is akin to what Erica Friedman wrote about in Anime News Network, about joy of “everyday emotional intimacy” between women in anime, especially in the slice-of-life genre.

Basically, Friedman is saying that relations between female characters fall more into romantic/intimate/affectionate friendships, than into romantic ones, sidestepping possible yuri themes. She’s also arguing that female characters have connections akin to the “romantic friendship” term used in historical scholarship. It describes close relationships between people of same sex when homosexuality was not a social category. There have been efforts to renew the term’s use. Friedman’s article ruffled feathers among yuri fans as she is noting these characters had romantic friendships rather than inklings of romance, but she has a point. Having friendships which are affectionate or romantic does not remove any yuri themes. Rather, it means these characters never enter into romantic relationships, but only remain friends. Perhaps this is safer for executives. But, it shouldn’t be condemned.

BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, on the other hand, was different. There’s clear yuri subtext within the series, and BanG Dream! franchise, especially between Tomori and Taki. Often, Anon teases Taki, calling her “Ricky.” This mixes with lots of teenage angst. Series writer Yuniko Ayana composed stories for animated series throughout BanG Dream! franchise, and wrote episodes of D4DJ First Mix, Flip Flappers, Given, Kinmoza Kiniro + Mosaic, and Sweet Blue Flowers. Some described Ayana as a go-to person “for yuri content.” That approach undoubtedly influenced the series. Furthermore, the series’ animation studio, Sanzigen, previously produced seasons two and three of BanG Dream! (and other parts of the franchise) and D4DJ, 3D graphics for Wandering Son, and 3D layout for Yuri Is My Job!.

These series paled in comparison to Nimona, the long-awaited film which premiered on Netflix on June 30th. The film includes Ballister and Goldenloin, who are romantically involved until Ballister becomes a “villain.” Arguably, Nimona is gender nonconforming, since she can change into any form she wants. The summer would be filled with additional episodes of Helluva Boss, Hailey’s On It! premiering on June 8 and Praise Petey on July 21. The latter series featured Eliza, one of Petey’s new friends, who has a crush on a female plumber named Grease Trap Connie. The latter reciprocates her feelings. Eliza is voiced by queer actress Kiersey Clemons. Connie is voiced by queer comedian Paris Sashay.

Helluva Boss has various queer characters. Fizzarolli and Stolas are gay. Sallie May is a trans woman. Asmodeus is queer. Moxxie Knolastname is bisexual. Blitzo is pansexual. Hailey’s On It! had some blink-and-you-miss-it queer moments at first. That is until Becker Denoga (voiced by Judy Alice Lee) entered the scene. At first, she seemed destructive and mischievous, as Scott’s sister. That is until she told her friend that she may want to kiss series protagonist Hailey Banks one day!

However, Becker later revealed that she found Hailey too needy, so she spurned her. Instead, she ended up being drawn to her once-rival, a fellow Black schoolgirl named Kennedy. When the episode “Along for the Slide” ended, this caused Hailey to be confused because she wasn’t aware of Becker’s crush, nor that Becker was now Kennedy’s girlfriend! Although Hailey is drawn to Scott, she may also be drawn to Genesis. She’s shown being nervous around this fellow schoolgirl when inviting her to a party in the episode “Kissed Opportunities.” After all, her voice actress is Auli’i Cravalho, who came out as bisexual in 2020. Unfortunately, Hailey’s sexual identity is ambiguous in the series.

On July 22, the fifth season/book of The Dragon Prince dropped on Netflix. In that season, Sunfire Elf Queen Janai and deaf Standing Battalion General Amaya are still engaged, kissing, and affectionate. They are, as one reviewer put it, “tough with everyone else but soft with each other.” The sixth season might feature their wedding. On August 31, the long-awaited Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake premiered on Max. The series gave the Princess Bubblegum/Marceline couple “multiversal staying power.” Secondly, Marshall Lee and Gary, two recurring characters voiced by Donald Glover and Andrew Rannells, develop a romantic gay relationship during the series. Thirdly, Fionna is attracted to the Winter King and likes being around a woman named Hunter. This could imply she’s bisexual. Undoubtedly, these themes will be expanded in season two.

The following day, My Adventures with Superman season one ended. The series has outward representation. This includes a gay couple (Mallah and Brain) and a lesbian couple helped by Superman. Some members of the show’s crew previously worked on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, like show producer Josie Campbell. Others worked on series with LGBTQ+ characters like Young Justice, The Legend of Korra, Harley Quinn, Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, High Guardian Spice, and Steven Universe. Hopefully a second season has more outward queer representation among the main cast.

When September began, Disenchantment‘s Part 5 began. The series previously had a romance between Princess Bean and a mermaid named Mora. This carried through into this part/season. Bean doesn’t want to leave Mora. She even calls Mora her girlfriend openly. She goes on an adventure with her to Steamland to save Zog, the King of Dreamland and her father. There are scenes in a lesbian bar and nice scenes between both characters. In the end, Luci helps Bean have her happy ending. Mora’s resurrected, with his final wish. Following this, they run off together, and hang out in a shack by the ocean for the rest of their lives.

Star Trek: Lower Decks season four began on September 7th. Tiny Toons Looniversity began the next day. The latter featured Renaldo Raccoon, a student at ACME Looniversity, who’s flamboyant and openly gay. He is voiced by gay actor Tony Rodriguez. Two days before, on September 6, BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, with abundant yuri subtext, ended. Later that month, Yohane the Parhelion ended its first season, and Harley Quinn ended its fourth season. That season focused on the ongoing romantic relationship between Harley and Ivy. If WarnerDiscovery executives gave it a greenlight, there might be a possible fifth season. On September 28, Castlevania: Nocturne, the sequel to the Castlevania animated series, premiered. It featured Olrox, a vampire, of Aztec descent, in a same-sex relationship with Mizrak, another vampire.

In Star Trek: Lower Decks season four, there are some romantic vibes between Mariner and T’Lyn, and gay vibes between Boimler and Rutherford. However, it is less of a focus than in previous seasons. It comes at a time when Star Trek: Prodigy was put on hold in June 2023 when the series was removed from Paramount+ with plans to find a different network or streaming service. One character was Zero, a genderless alien. Luckily, Netflix nabbed up the latter series, and the fifth season of Lower Decks has been scheduled for Paramount+.

October brought many series with direct or indirect yuri themes, such as the second season/cour of Kizuna no Allele, and the premieres of I’m in Love with the Villainess, The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess (also known as Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon) and an adaptation of Hoshikuzu Telepath. Kizuna No Allele continued with Quan struggling with her identity and Chris having a crush on Miracle. I’m in Love with the Villainess was more straightforward.

The protagonist, Rae Taylor, is reincarnated into the world of a otome game she enjoyed. She deeply loves the game’s villainess, Claire François. However, Claire is confused by Rae’s romantic attraction to her, and attempts to push her off. She’s also attracted to a male prince named Thane, which Rae fosters, at first. By the series end, Claire admits her feelings for Rae, after a tomboyish princess named Manaria Sousse tries to take away Rae. She declares “Rae belongs to me! You can’t take my things from me!” Hopefully, it gets a second season.

The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess was a mix of fantasy, adventure, and yuri. The characters and story of the manga and light novel were previously criticized by reviewers. The writing and illustration were praised. Unlike I’m in Love with the Villainess, Hoshikuzu Telepath, and Kizuna No Allele, this series aired on HIDIVE. The latter includes the romantic friendship between Chris and Miracle, romantic vibes between Riz and Noelle, and Thea and Jua as very close friends. Niska appears to confess her love on a boat, to Miracle, which surprises and catches her off guard. Even so, these themes are subtextual.

Hoshikuzu Telepath, adapted under the name Stardust Telepath, mixes sci-fi and yuri. It’s adapted from a manga written by Rasuko Ōkuma. The anime follows Umika Konohoshi, who becomes friends with an extraterrestrial named Yū Akeuchi. While they never end up in a relationship, there’s clear romantic vibes between them. If the series continued, this could be even more directly stated. This contrasts with The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess. Terakomari Gandesblood’s trusted maid, Villhaze, engages in sexual harassment toward Komari. She cares little about consent.

The same month, Fight Krewe and Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix premiered. Fight Krewe introduced two lesbian characters: Judith and Judy Le Claire. They’re Soleil Le Claire’s mothers. In Captain Laserhawk, there’s Dolph Laserhawk, a supersoldier sent to a black site prison after his boyfriend, Alex Taylor, betrayed him. Nathaniel Curtis, a queer actor, voices Dolph. Boris Hiestand voices Alex. This is Curtis’s first voice role in a TV series. Hiestand primarily voiced characters in video games, but few in TV series.

In early November, Invincible‘s news season began airing. The series featured William Clockwell. He had a crush on protagonist Mark Grayson’s dad, Omni Dad, in season one, and an ex-boyfriend named Rich Sheridan. Andrew Rannells, who voiced gay characters in Princess Power (King Barton), Big Mouth (Matthew MacDell), and Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (Gary Prince), voices William. The same month, Firebuds introduced Corey, non-binary roommate of Halo. In early November, Scavenger’s Reign, ended. It featured Azi, a cargo specialist stranded on another planet. Before stranded, she was in a romantic lesbian relationship with Mia.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off premiered on November 17. It featured four queer characters: Ramona Flowers, Wallace Wells, Roxanne “Roxie” Ritcher, and Todd Ingram. Ramona previously had relationships with seven evil exes, including six boyfriends and one girlfriend (Roxanne). She later becomes Scott Pilgrim’s girlfriend. Wallace is Scott’s gay roommate. He had a romantic relationship with Todd Ingram, an “evil ex” with vegan powers, on a movie set. Mae Whitman voices Roxie. She previously voiced Amity Blight (in The Owl House) and Connie (in Invincible) who are either directly (Amity) or indirectly (Connie) queer.

Sadly, the final season of Hilda on December 7 featured no LGBTQ+ characters. Even worse, Kaisa (voiced by Kaisa Hammarlund), the mold-breaking librarian of Trolberg, had no lines. Kaisa is a queer-coded goth witch. It’s not known if Iwájú would have LGBTQ+ characters nor its premiere date. On the other hand, Carol & The End of The World introduced two bisexual characters: Bernard and Michael. The latter is Carol’s father. He’s in a polyamorous relationship with his wife (Pauline) and a nurse named Michael. Such polyamorous representation can be rare in animation. Luckily, there are more polyamorous characters these days.

This year will be a good year for yuri fans. Whisper Me a Love Song, Pon No Michi, Laid-Back Camp (season 3) are scheduled to premiere. Whisper Me a Love Song is adapted from Eku Takeshima’s ongoing manga. It will premiere in April. Pon No Michi (also known as Way of the Pon), is an original Japanese mahjong series which recently got a manga adaptation. It might have similar wild vibes to Birdie Wing, if trailers are right. It began airing in Japan starting on January 9. Laid-Back Camp has all sorts of yuri undertones. Some call the main characters “camper girlfriends.” It will premiere in April. An original anime, Shuumatsu Train Doko e Iku, will premiere the same month.

A My Go! video game adaptation, the Rinkai! anime which focuses on women cyclers (again, possible yuri vibes), an all-female idol movie named ☆Ris the Movie -Full Energy!!-, and an original anime entitled Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night, will air. The latter is produced by Doga Kobo and will premiering. On January 11th, Metallic Rouge, by animation studio Bones Inc. and Yutaka Izubuchi, premiered. It promises to possibly be yuri. The latter is likely. This mecha “tech noir” anime follows an android named Rouge Redstar and Naomi Orthmann, her “partner,” on a mission to Mars.

The ecchiesque Gushing Over Magical Girls mixes the comedy, magical girl, and yuri genres. It premiered on January 3. An anime adaptation of the yuri vampire series, Vampeerz, and yuri comedy drama Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games may premiere. Hazbin Hotel season one premiered on Prime Video on January 19. The latter originally premiered as a pilot in October 2019. This year, Love Live! Superstar!! season three will premiere, as will Arcane season two and The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy season one. The latter includes a queer character named Dr. Klak, an extraterrestrial surgeon who kisses another extraterrestrial woman.

The Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! boys love comedy series premiered on January 11. The anime adaptation of the Magilumiere Co. Ltd. manga will premiere this year, in October, according to Anime News Network. The YuruYuri spinoff film, Ōmuro-ke Movie: Dear Sisters will be released in Japan in early February. The second film, Ōmuro-ke: Dear Friends, is also scheduled to be released this year. There is also reports that Mahō Tsukai Precure! 2, following Kibō no Chikara ~Otona Precure 23~, which premiered in October, will premiere this year too. There are further reports of a new anime which is part of the Pretty Series franchise, and reportedly an adaptation of the series Please Put Them On, Takamine-san, a romantic comedy. Wonderful PreCure!, beginning on February 4, could have yuri subtext.

There may be fewer yuri series this year than in 2023. The premiere date of I’ve Been Killing Slimes for 300 Years and Maxed Out My Level season two, which had yuri moments in season one, is unknown. Ark: The Animated Series, originally set to premiere in 2023, may air this year. That series features lesbian protagonist Helena Walker (voiced by Madeleine Madden), a former Australian paleontologist. She had a wife named Victoria, who’s voiced by Elliott Page. Victoria would be the first character Page has voiced since he came out as a trans man in December 2020. Previously, Page voiced one-time characters in The Simpsons, Out There, Family Guy, and Glenn Martin, DDS.

Whether Primos, Moana, Tiana, and Iyanu: Child of Wonder have LGBTQ+ characters is anyone’s guess. Hailey’s On It! season two hasn’t been confirmed. Premiere dates for The Great North season four and rest of Craig of the Creek season five are unknown. Dates that the animated adaption of Lumberjanes or Molly Ostertag’s Neon Galaxy will air are elusive.

Many indie animated series, such as S.A.L.E.M.: The Secret Archive of Legends, Enchantments, and Monsters, Wild Card, and Far Fetched, are in production. A few series stand apart. This includes Helluva Boss, Ollie & Scoops, and Eddsworld. The first of these is by Vivienne Medrano. She also created Hazbin Hotel. Helluva Boss remains a series on YouTube. There’s no plans to pitch it to any studios. Eddsworld continues. Ollie & Scoops continues to air with episodes on Nico Colaleo’s YouTube channel. Craig Gerber’s Sofia the First spin-off may have LGBTQ+ characters, like Firebuds. But that hasn’t been confirmed. In the end, I look forward to what this year has to bring.

Notes

[1] Articles in Yuri Anime News stated that thirty-six anime (and three films) with yuri themes which aired in 2022. Sixteen new anime either with direct or indirect yuri themes aired in 2023: Ippon Again, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady, Nijiyon Animation, Soaring Sky! PreCure, The Vexations of a Shut-In Vampire Princess, Stardust Telepath, Yuri Is My Job!, Yohane the Parhelion: Sunshine in the Mirror, Alice Gear Aegis Expansion, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Road to the Top, Stella of the Theater: World Dai Star, BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!, Otaku Elf, I’m in Love with the Villainess, Shy (between Shy / Teru Momijiyama and Iko Koishikawa, and Shy and Pepesha Andreanova), and The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, REALLY Love You (there is closeness between Karane Inda and Hakari Hanazono).

The second seasons of seven anime: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, D4DJ, Kizuna no Allele, Birdie Wing, Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, Tokyo Mew Mew New, and KanColle [continued from last year] and three films Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos The Movie, Princess Principal – Crown Handler Chapter 2, Princess Principal- Crown Handler Chapter 3, and Sound! Euphonium: Ensemble Contest, also had yuri themes.

Sword Art Online Progressive: Scherzo of Deep Night had yuri subtext between Asuna and Mito. Adding all this up, it leads to a total of twenty-three, and four films. Some considered Kono Suba, Bofuri, or Spy Classroom yuri. I’m not convinced. The anime with direct or indirect yuri themes is thirteen less than those in 2022. Anime, such as Management of a Novice Alchemist, Bocchi the Rock!, My Master Has No Tail, Lycoris Recoil, Do It Yourself!!, RWBY: Ice Queendom, Shine Post, Luminous Witches, Kakegurui Twin, The Executioner and Her Way of Life, The Demon Girl Next Door, Vampire in the Garden, Healer Girl, Life with an Ordinary Guy who Reincarnated into a Total Fantasy Knockout, and Akebi’s Sailor Uniform, did not return for a second season.

[2] There are many ongoing series in Western animation with LGBTQ+ characters. This includes Transformers: EarthSpark, Pinecone & Pony, Monster High, Firebuds, Big Nate, The Great North, Star Trek: Prodigy, Rugrats, Jellystone!, Invincible, Solar Opposites, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir, The Loud House, Big Mouth, Big City Greens, Bob’s Burgers, Red vs. Blue, SpongeBob SquarePants, and The Simpsons. There are other anime like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and Goblin Cave.