ABSTRACT
Scholars of manga have studied gender nonconformity in manga (Japanese comics) extensively, but transgender characters and representation have been overlooked by trans scholarship. Only a handful of scholars of transgender studies, such as Fujimoto Yukari and Riley Hannah Lewicki, have so far contributed to the field. Historically, the inclusion of transgender characters and narratives in manga has varied depending on cultural understandings, linguistics, and lived experiences of transgender people in Japan. Transgender studies, which is predominantly “Western-Eurocentric” in origin, can develop a deeper and nuanced understanding of gender in the Japanese context and how manga featuring trans-identifiable characters has resonated with readers both in and outside Japan. This chapter will review manga as an evolving space for trans scholars to analyze trans-identifiable and transgender characters through a non-Western-Eurocentric literary medium. This chapter will explore some of the earliest uses of transgender expressions in early shōjo manga in titles such as The Rose of Versailles by Ikeda Riyoko (1972–1973) and its inspiration for the rise of the otokonoko genre. In contrast, transgender characters in several shōnen manga titles depict powerful, wise, and valued members of society such as Shin’ya Shokudō (Midnight Diner) by Yaru Abe ([2006–present] 2019–2021). Finally, manga by transgender mangaka (manga creators) are reaching wider audiences through digital manga, including Gaku Keito’s Boys Run The Riot (2020). This chapter argues that the inclusion of transgender characters in mainstream manga has experienced three key transitions: trans-identifiable characters in female-oriented manga; acceptance and empowerment of transgender characters in male-oriented manga; and the growing awareness of manga written by transgender mangaka. Moreover, it argues for recognition of a new genre of manga called toransujendā manga, to differentiate transgender experiences and narratives from the current universalization with cisgender demographics including shōjo, shōnen, josei, and seinen manga.
