Starting in 1999, Bisexual Visibility Day is celebrated each September. BiWeek starts on September 23rd, with the purpose of celebrating and promoting the visibility of the bisexual community. In anime, bisexual characters are few and far between. However, there are a few fan-favorite characters who stand out and provide excellent representation.
Luckily, it seems like there are more and more bisexual characters in modern anime. Whether they star in an LGBT-centric series or if they’re from a beloved shojo series, these characters express their sexuality in a relatable way for the audience and prove the importance of representation.
Updated on July 23rd, 2022 by Sarah Martin:Since this list was published in 2020, we’ve added a few more fan-favorite bisexual anime characters who the audience fell in love with. Many viewers see themselves in these characters and can relate to their struggles.
10 Miyano Is A BL Fanboy (Sasaki And Miyano)
As one of Sasaki and Miyano’s titular protagonists, Miyano is BL fanboy. He always said that he didn’t want to reenact BL scenes in real life and never thought that he could even be attracted to other guys.
However, after meeting Sasaki, Miyano slowly fell in love with him. Though he found him a bit overwhelming initially, it was impossible for Miyano not to fall for Sasaki’s charms. Miyano introduced Sasaki to the world of BL, and the manga only brought them closer together, making them one of the genre’s healthiest couples.
9 Utena Tenjou Wanted To Be A Prince (Revolutionary Girl Utena)
Released in 1997, Revolutionary Girl Utena is about the titular Utena, a young girl who loses her parents. Shortly after her parents pass away, Utena meets a prince and decides that she wants to be one, too. She started attending Ootori Academy and competing in a dueling tournament.
The prize for winning the tournament is marrying Anthy Himemiya, the Rose Bride. The director stated that Utena and Anthy are in love with each other. In the ending theme, they share a kiss. Utena and Anthy are two of anime’s most well-written female characters.
8 Honoka Maki Loved Ruru (Kiznaiver)
Honoka Maki from Kiznaiver is a quiet girl who struggles with socializing and self-esteem because of her traumatic past. Honoka grows closer to Ruru and eventually develops feelings for her after they work on a manga together. However, she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to cope with Ruru’s death, so she distanced herself.
After Ruru died, Honoka blamed herself because if she never cut her off, she would have never had to work on the manga by herself. Honoka believes that Ruru passed because she was overworked.
7 Ranka Is Bi And Does Drag (Ouran High School Host Club)
In Ouran High School Host Club, Haruhi Fujioka finds herself in debt to the host club after breaking an expensive vase. She has to work for the host club and pretend to be a guy to pay it off. Since she already looked androgynous, the club didn’t have to do much to alter her appearance. Fortunately, Haruhi’s family connections give her a leg up in this department.
Haruhi’s dad is openly bisexual and works at a drag bar under the name Ranka. He said that he began crossdressing after his wife died because he would have never been able to love another woman.
6 Yukari Sendou Wants To Date A Man And Woman Simultaneously (Rosario + Vampire)
Released in 2008, Rosario + Vampire takes place at Youkai Academy, a boarding school for monsters. When Tsukune Aono, a human, transfers into the school, he tries to fit in with all the monster students. One of the girls he meets is the witch Yukari Sendou.
Yukari is a genius, but acts childish. Yukari has a crush on Tsukune and the female vampire Moka Akashiya. Several times through the series, she has expressed she wants to be in a polyamorous relationship with the two of them.
5 Suruga Kanbaru Is A Vampire (Bakemonogatari)
Starting with Bakemonogatari released in 2009, the Monogatari franchise features many memorable characters. The series follows Koyomi Araragi, a third-year high school student. After being attacked by a vampire, Araragi gains vampire characteristics, such as night vision and regeneration.
Araragi helps his classmates who suffer from supernatural apparitions. One of these is the star basketball player Suruga Kanbaru, whose apparition manifests as a monkey’s paw. Suraga initially states that she is only interested in women, but takes an interest in Araragi while he helps free her from her apparition.
4 Pitohui Goes Through Men & Women Quickly (Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online)
Released in 2018, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online is an alternative setting to Sword Art Online 2. Known in the Gun Gale Online world as Pink Devil, Karen Kohiruimaki plays the game under the alias LLENN. Regarded as one of the best players, she is often targeted. While escaping her enemies, she meets Elza Kanzaki playing as the alias Pitohui.
Pitohui convinces LLENN to play in an upcoming GGO tournament. In the final episode of SAO Alternative: GGO, LLENN and Pitohui meet in real life. After Elza kisses Karen, Elza’s servant warns Karen that Elza is known to go through men and women very quickly.
3 Miku Izayoi Used To Hate Men (Date A Live)
Date A Live follows Shidou Itsuka as he attempts to seal spirits away by taking them on dates and getting them to fall in love with him. One of the spirits he meets in season two is Miku Izayoi. Miku has a power called Gabriel that lets her manipulate people’s minds. Miku originally hates men, only taking an interest in women, and refuses to talk with Shidou. Disguising himself as a girl, Shidou attempts to communicate with Miku.
Since Gabriel can’t manipulate Shidou, Miku takes an interest in him. Miku watches Shidou save a different spirit named Tohka, which helps sway her opinion of him. After he promises to always be her fan, Miku kisses Shidou and seals her own power.
2 DIO Is A Bisexual Vampire (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure)
DIO wreaked havoc on the Joestar bloodline from parts one through six of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. Despite his actions, he’s a fan-favorite character because of his charisma and style, not to mention the incredible meme potential he represents to the fanbase.
In 2007, Hirohiko Araki confirmed that everyone’s favorite Stand-using vampire is bisexual. A ton of fans appreciate that he doesn’t play to any offensive stereotypes and just exists as a bisexual vampire in the Jojo’s universe. DIO proves that even a villain can be a great source of representation.
1 Hatsuharu Sohma’s First Love Was Yuki (Fruits Basket)
Even though his relationship with her is wholesome, Rin wasn’t Hatsuharu’s first love in Fruits Basket. Hatsuharu stated that his first love was actually Yuki. He’s said that Yuki was always special to him and that his feelings inspired him to keep going in life. Yuki doesn’t seem to take it seriously.
Though their sexualities aren’t confirmed in the series, it’s pretty obvious that Hatsuharu is at least bisexual-coded. He’s not the only one, either. It’s implied that Hanajima has unresolved feelings for Tohru. It’s also implied that Ayame is bisexual.