ABSTRACT
Japanese manga have received a plethora of study during the last two decades in examining LGBTQ visibility, relationships, and representation. However, much of this study has directed its attention on adult-oriented and/or female-focused varieties of manga (yaoi, yuri, shōjo, etc.). This chapter attempts to rectify that by applying queer theory, in addition to research in the areas of gender and sexuality studies, to an analysis of the most popular global genre of manga: shōnen. Three of the chief mangaka in the shōnen genre during the last 35 years—Akira Toriyama, Yoshihiro Togashi, and Eiichrio Oda—will have some of their most-acclaimed works examined to review and analyze their artistic and narrative utilization of LGBTQ characters. This chapter demonstrates that, while initially a rocky landscape for the LGBTQ character and reader, shōnen has quickly became a genre that is not only accepting of these characters, but one willing to elevate them as popular figures.
