Anime is known for many things. Creative plots, intricate character designs, unique art styles, and complex backstories are just a few examples. Nevertheless, all art has its flaws, and Anime has some major ones, especially with its portrayal of women.
It shouldn’t be any surprise when I say that often, female characters in anime are written in unfair and misogynistic ways. Hypersexualised characters aren’t solely exclusive to anime; many other forms of media have their share of oversexualized characters, and not all anime have this problem. A recent study showed that 30-40% of anime and manga contain subtle or obvious sexual themes. The majority of this percentage includes underage characters. Child porn is illegal in Japan, but fictitious child porn isn’t. Specific shows incorporate harmful tropes like child fetishes, normalised perversion, unrealistic and exaggerated characters, specifically women, and more.
A common example of poor character writing in anime is Ochacco Uraraka from the popular show My Hero Academia (MHA). Uraraka is one of the main characters in the series. She has the power to control gravity and provides support to the main protagonist, Izuku Midoriya. I wish I could tell you more about her personality or development throughout the story, but that’s quite literally all there is to her. Despite being an important character with the most screentime compared to all the other female characters in the series, Uraraka has no expansion on her “storyline” at all. Her entire personality is being a love interest for the main character. During the Sports Festival Arc in the show, the cast is put through a tournament against each other. Throughout the tournament, the main male characters (Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, Tenya Iida, and Shoto Todoroki) get some of their backstory revealed, and their character arcs progress. They all have these essentially “big moments” that make their characters more interesting. And developed. You’d think that since Uraraka is considered a main character, she’d get some kind of “big moment” in the tournament, or at some point in the show, but you’d be mistaken. She gets one small flashback of her life that can basically be boiled down to “She was poor,” and then dramatically loses a fight. How exciting. This is a frequent problem in MHA. Female characters are never given enough screentime or development. Despite barely existing in the franchise, Uraraka is on nearly every single piece of merch. This could just be because she is the leading female role, but the more likely reason is, unfortunately, fan service.
Sword Art Online (SAO) is an infamous example of too much fan service. The anime uses several examples of Loli. Loli is a common trope where young-looking girls are portrayed in erotic and nasty ways. SAO heavily pushes the belief that a woman’s only purpose is to be a sex object for a man. The show is quite obviously directed at an audience that takes pleasure in witnessing the mistreatment of women, specifically when they are defenceless. I shouldn’t have to say this, but people being sexually assaulted, harassed, or even raped isn’t funny or entertaining. The line between reality and fiction is crossed countless times in the show. As themes of gender inequality and normalised assault become more and more realistic, the audience is left with the message that situations like this are completely acceptable and even encouraged. The series sits at a TV-14 rating, which is typical for most anime, but SAO hides much more mature content. There are scenes where women and even underage girls are sexually assaulted and threatened with rape. Definitely not something that young teens and tweens should be exposed to. This causes many young girls to feel rightfully uncomfortable within the community.
One of the most popular anime in the media is Demon Slayer. Having watched some of the show myself, I quite enjoyed the story concept and art form. However, something that stood out to me was the character Nezuko. Nezuko is transformed into a demon within the very first episode of the show. Canonically, in the show, all demons gain a unique “demon form” that changes their character design and body appearance. Nezuko’s demon form is introduced later in the series, but it definitely came as a shock to me. Mainly because of how overly-sexualised it was. May I remind you that Nezuko is a minor? She is biologically 12 and chronologically 14. Young girls should not be drawn this way. A familiar counter-argument I observed from many fans was “That’s just how demons are; their powers cause their bodies to change shape.” I see this as less of a cogent argument and more of a lazy way to excuse the production team’s desire to draw a twelve-year-old with an exaggerated body in a skimpy outfit. Let’s face it- her demon form really only exists to look hot. This show is for ages 12-18. Yes, adults can watch it, but it is still directed at a younger audience. Sexual themes, subtle or not, should not be in a show for this demographic. Another excuse I encountered was that the creator of the show is a woman, thus she can’t possibly be sexist or misogynistic. This, however, does not acknowledge the fact that misogyny and sexism can come from women. It could be internalised, it could be unintentional, either way, it is still discrimination against her fellow women. Besides, it shouldn’t matter what the gender is of someone who hypersexualises minors.
I want to clarify that having a curvy body or larger breasts is not equivalent to hypersexualisation. There are plenty of people with this kind of body type. It heavily depends on the intention. Drawing a woman with large breasts to visually represent the diversity in body types is not sexualization. Drawing a woman with exaggerated features so people can gawk and imagine the things they would do to her is. It’s only hypersexualisation if someone intends to make it so.
While I was researching details for this argument, I struggled to find relevant articles and websites that contained the appropriate information. While there definitely were areas that covered the issue, many sites were focused on the overall physical appeal or attractiveness of female characters in anime. Unfortunately, this portrayal of women in anime is popular with a specific demographic, thus boosting the shows and companies further. Executives aren’t going to stop because it increases their profit. More attention equals more money, as we’ve learned in today’s century. I have seen way more acceptance of these patterns than there should be. People need to realise that sexualizing minors and viewing people as sex objects is disgusting and wrong. Regardless of purpose, reason, or gender. I acknowledge that yes, there are plenty of shows that sexualize and force harmful stereotypes onto men as well, but the evidence suggests that it is nowhere near as extreme as the dehumanisation that women are experiencing. Male victims of this kind of treatment are just as valid as female victims, but we still have to accept the fact that it is, and historically has been, more common for women.
All in all, this is not okay, and I shouldn’t even have to write an article on why it isn’t. As human beings, we possess empathy. It is not that hard to show it. To the executives and producers making these decisions, I press you to do better. Millions of people around the world look up to your media; inspire them to do good. To the young girls who have ever felt unsafe, you are not alone. People are fighting for you. People who will keep fighting. And finally, to you: the reader. Challenge the objectification. Be someone who treats people as they are: people. I want a place where we can all be equals; don’t you?