Hello everyone, and welcome to another wonderful blog post by yours truly! Today's topic: gender confusion in anime! Anyone who has played a Pokemon game on the Nintendo DS knows that one of the first things Professor Oak asks you at the beginning is, "Are you a boy or a girl?" It's really just so you can pick which character you want to play as, but it has led to a lot of jokes about the poor professor going blind or his mental state deteriorating with old age. Honestly though, I don't blame the guy for asking. It can get pretty hard to tell the difference when watching anime. This has happened more to me (and to a lot of other people) than you might think. Due to the popularity of Bishonen (meaning boys with feminine features), a lot of male characters tend to come across as female. Between their delicate faces, long lashes, and soft voices (I can't believe other girls actually go for that kind of thing. *gag*), it's getting really hard to tell the difference. Here are some of my more memorable experiences with androgynous characters.
Ash--->Pokemon anime, all versions
Okay, so I may get a few complaints about this one, but hear me out a sec. When I watched Pokemon as a kid, I really though Ash was a girl. Yeah, okay, he wears boys' clothing, but it's not like sweatshirts, baggy pants and tennis shoes are exclusive to males. And yes, his hair is short, but some girls have short hair too! His voice sounds pretty high-pitched too. In fact, I'm pretty sure his voice actor is female. So can you really blame me for thinking he was a girl when I was eight?
Haku--->Naruto
Probably the most extreme case of gender confusion I have ever experience. Haku is a minor character who appears during Naruto's team's first C-rank mission to Wave Country. Take a good look at that picture, and tell me if you think it is a boy or a girl.
Long, flowing hair. Pretty eyelashes. Dainty face. Pink kimono.
Yup........boy.
No, I am not joking. Haku is a boy. My brother and I had a huge discussion about this too. I was convinced Haku was a girl until the character himself flat out told Naruto he was a boy. It makes me feel a little better knowing the main character was duped too.
Probably the most extreme case of gender confusion I have ever experience. Haku is a minor character who appears during Naruto's team's first C-rank mission to Wave Country. Take a good look at that picture, and tell me if you think it is a boy or a girl.
Long, flowing hair. Pretty eyelashes. Dainty face. Pink kimono.
Yup........boy.
No, I am not joking. Haku is a boy. My brother and I had a huge discussion about this too. I was convinced Haku was a girl until the character himself flat out told Naruto he was a boy. It makes me feel a little better knowing the main character was duped too.
Yashamaru--->Naruto
Another minor Naruto character. We only get to see Yashamaru in Gaara's flashbacks during the Chunin Exams (see previous posts if you want to know what these are). It is revealed that he is the Sand Siblings' uncle. Yeah, uncle. As in male.
Again, I thought female. I mean, come on! The guy looks like his sister (Gaara's mom).
Another minor Naruto character. We only get to see Yashamaru in Gaara's flashbacks during the Chunin Exams (see previous posts if you want to know what these are). It is revealed that he is the Sand Siblings' uncle. Yeah, uncle. As in male.
Again, I thought female. I mean, come on! The guy looks like his sister (Gaara's mom).
<-------See? Except for Yashamaru's hair being a couple shades lighter, they could be freaking twins! Identical, not fraternal. His voice is rather feminine too, which does NOT help at all.
N (Natural G)--->Pokemon: Black/White 1 and 2
Okay, just one more here. I encountered N while playing Pokemon Black (I know, not keeping with the anime theme, but it's Nintendo at least). I admit, I thought he was a girl. It was mostly the long hair that did it. And, to be fair, you can't hear the characters' voices when they talk in the game, so it's not like he sounded either male or femlae. I just assumed the latter....until my supposed best friend in the game, Cheron, mentioned the word "he." Heheh, whoops. ^.^ '
Alright, no more examples. *cheering from the background* Hey, they were great examples and you know it! But seriously, see what I mean about gender confusion? And it isn't in just the shows that I mentioned either. Go watch an anime sometime. I guarantee you will see at least one character who's gender you can't distinguish. So the next time you start a Pokemon game and the Professor asks if you're a boy or a girl, cut him some slack. He's just being careful.
Go and do not falter!
Rachel, Anime/Nintendo nerd