Non-Cis Character Database: Flea/Mayonne (Chrono Trigger)

[First things first: names. In Chrono Trigger, many of the character names -- especially those of NPCs -- differ wildly between the original Japanese and the English localization. The character I’ll be talking about is called Mayonne in Japanese and Flea in English. I’ll be referring to them as Flea, both because I’m writing in …

Advertisement

Non-Cis Character Database: Cowboy Bebop

[This post contains mild nudity in the form of ambiguously presenting nipples.] Cowboy Bebop -- if you somehow aren't familiar with one of the most classic anime out there -- is a space western about a ragtag group of down-on-their-luck bounty hunters. The crew, gathered on a ship called the Bebop, is made up of …

Non-Cis Character Database: Carole and Tuesday

Carole and Tuesday is an anime about two young musicians trying to hit the big time, directed by the legendary Shinichiro Watanabe, creator of Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy, to name just his most notable productions. As his first new work in five years, it was met with a great deal of excitement …

Non-Cis Character Database: Nanashi (Samurai 8)

Nanashi -- originally meaning “nameless,” but later written as “seven desires” -- is a minor but important character in Samurai 8: The Tale of Hachimaru, a sci-fi/samurai manga written by Masashi Kishimoto and cancelled at 43 chapters. They're also a surprisingly well-handled genderqueer character, especially considering Kishimoto’s history.  Samurai 8 revolves around the titular Hachimaru, …

Non-Cis Character Database: Innocent

Let's start with the obvious: yes, Innocent is extremely reminiscent of Rose of Versailles. They're both historical fiction set during the rule of Louis XV and the French Revolution, with a particular focus on Versailles, starring a combination of real historical figures and ones either invented wholecloth or embellished so much they'd might as well …

Non-Cis Character Database: Yuureitou

[WARNING: There's a mildly NSFW image in this one, because that's the kind of manga this is. Just nudity.] ...okay, I'm fully cheating with this one. There are only two criteria for this database: that there's strong textual evidence that the character or characters in question aren't cisgender, and that the media isn't specifically about …

Non-Cis Character Database: Hunter x Hunter

[NOTE: Two of the characters I'll be discussing appear fairly late in Hunter x Hunter and are almost impossible to discuss without major spoilers. If that's something you're concerned about, I'd advise giving this one a miss until you're caught up to where the anime ends. I also think HxH is an absolute masterpiece, and …

Non-Cis Character Database: Gatchaman CROWDS

Gatchaman CROWDS -- and its second season, Gatchaman CROWDS Insight -- are a recent reboot of the 70's sentai anime Science Ninja Team Gatchaman (with which I'm not personally familiar -- from what I can see, it doesn't seem to have much relation to CROWDS aside from a few character names) with character designs by …

Non-Cis Character Database: Orochimaru (Naruto, Boruto)

It’s always a bit difficult to admit that a character one loves is bad representation. That said, sometimes it’s also completely fucking undeniable; and so, it is with a heavy heart that I must admit Orochimaru from Naruto and Boruto is a fairly terrible depiction of a nonbinary person. Which seems rather immediately apparent once …