why is anime so sexist?

why in almost anime series I've ever seen and/or heard of the women characters are either A: completely sidelined B: have no other purpose then to be completely sexualized C: "uwu girls" or D:housewives

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Commentaires

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:14

the only ones I've seen that haven't, were some of the mha characters

MaximalDisguised2026-01-10 20:27

Watch these:

* [Shirobako](https://myanimelist.net/anime/25835)
* [Sakura Quest](https://myanimelist.net/anime/34494/Sakura_Quest)
* [Sora yori mo Tooi Basho](https://myanimelist.net/anime/35839/Sora_yori_mo_Tooi_Basho)
* [Yuru Camp△](https://myanimelist.net/anime/34798)
* [Super Cub](https://myanimelist.net/anime/40685/Super_Cub)
* [Violet Evergarden](https://myanimelist.net/anime/33352/Violet_Evergarden)
* [Hanasaku Iroha](https://myanimelist.net/anime/9289/Hanasaku_Iroha)
* [Chihayafuru](https://myanimelist.net/anime/10800/Chihayafuru)
* [Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu](https://myanimelist.net/anime/28735)
* [Nodame Cantabile](https://myanimelist.net/anime/1698/Nodame_Cantabile)
* [Eizouken ni wa Te wo Dasu na!](https://myanimelist.net/anime/39792)
* [Natsume Yuujinchou](https://myanimelist.net/anime/4081/Natsume_Yuujinchou)
* [Mushishi](https://myanimelist.net/anime/457/Mushishi)
* [Serial Experiments Lain](https://myanimelist.net/anime/339)

Puzzleheaded-Ear54682026-01-10 20:37

Excellent list.

ZoulsGaming2026-01-10 20:15

thats bait

Simple-Budget-14152026-01-10 20:15

Wait until you learn about reverse harems

Nayko2142026-01-10 20:16

You're ignoring like....SO many anime then.

SayuriUliana2026-01-10 20:16

That only means you've not seen enough anime: there's plenty of anime where women are the main characters, and there was even a time where it felt like the most popular anime were female-centric without any males in them, or males were massively sidelined.

qef152026-01-10 21:00

I want the return of CGDCT being dominant again (even if it's unrealistic).

I want the days where K-On! was the largest anime back.

Those were some times (even if I wasn't around back then yet).

acgm_11182026-01-10 20:16

Well, this isn't uncommon, but if you think its *every* show then you need to watch more anime. :)

JamesSomdet2026-01-10 20:16

Because anime is still based despite foreigners’ attempts to change it.

Farmaceut72026-01-10 20:17

Clearly you havent watched much anime.

ONPige2026-01-10 20:17

You are probably watching a lot of shonen. Like yeah, I know your point but Japan is like one of the most traditionalist 1st world countries, so of course it's going to spill over into their art, as well.

MembershipNo20772026-01-10 20:17

Times were tough when I was a young man. I was poorer then, though I wasn't unhappy. In fact, those halcyon days seemed like they might continue forever. Times change and people change, sometimes for good and sometimes for worse; I know that I changed with them. But I can say one thing:

Bait used to be believable.

Grexpex1802026-01-10 20:18

maybe watch something other than shounen battle anime

VoidEmbracedWitch2026-01-10 20:18

Why don't you watch better anime? Idk, I'm watching Sakura Quest right now and its cast is predominantly women who take initiative in trying to save the tourism industry of a rural town.

Kadmos12026-01-10 20:27

To me, that anime is Alexis TIpton's best anime performance. After that, I put her work in the harem franchise "Sekirei" as her best anime performance.

Roketsu862026-01-10 20:19

Seems like it's just the anime that matches your tastes, considering the vast amount of anime that doesn't have those things...

N7CombatWombat2026-01-10 20:19

Some of it is because Japanese culture is fairly conservative (not politically) in a number of ways, including gender roles. Some of it is the demographic the material is made for. But it isn't every anime, you just need to be a bit more critical when deciding on what anime you want to try.

ActualRound76992026-01-10 20:19

This is such low effort bait. Were you just like…bored so you thought you’d start shit on Reddit? yikes.

the fact you’re seeing this in every anime you watch tells me that you’re only watching shows that do that.

No_Cockroach24672026-01-10 20:19

1. It's made by people and people are shit, in general.
2. You're watching the shitty ones.

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:20

okay i guess "no other reason" is a bit of a stretch but I feel like all female characters who aren't "lolis" get a fanservice scene for no reason at some point

Warm-Enthusiasm-95342026-01-10 20:21

You're watching anime aimed at teenage boys.

LucianDeRomeo2026-01-10 20:22

Cause you're apparently only into shows that do that 🤷🏻‍♂️

wolfgang_grimmer982026-01-10 20:22

Because you're probably a westerner and started watching anime (basically shounen maybe) recently. And the world doesn't revolve around these small things. People have real issues there. It's fiction and in fiction both feminism and sexism exist.

Also since the ancient times, it's been known that princess needs to be saved from prince in fairytale. And most of the mainstream anime are shounen which basically targets young male audience that likes these types of fairytales. If you want strong female then read/ watch seinen and josei.

For example Nana, Vagabond, Battle Angle Alita, Apothecary Diaries, Frieren, Madoka Magica, Black Lagoon and many more.

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:23

i'd prefer a show lighter in tone

wolfgang_grimmer982026-01-10 20:24

Apothecary Diaries

qef152026-01-10 21:11

The entire CGDCT genre is waiting for you. Some good recommends:

* K-On!
* Bocchi the Rock!
* Hidamari Sketch
* GochiUsa
* Yama no Susume
* Yuru Camp
* Do it Yourself!
* Houkago Teibou Nisshi

Women and girls are treated good over there regardless of whatever you were watching.

JosephJoestar19872026-01-10 20:24

Weak post

Puzzleheaded-Ear54682026-01-10 20:27

Men are MEGA sexualized and sidelined and are even house husbands in anime too. Try watching more anime.

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:28

when have men gotten SAd just as much or given random bulge/pec shots?

loki-19822026-01-10 20:30

[deleted]

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:33

i mean outside of parody

Roketsu862026-01-10 20:41

I know you're a troll, but still, calling Berserk a *parody* is an absolutely wild take

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:42

they said golden kamuy first, i'm assuming they edited it because i did not see berserk there when i responded

loki-19822026-01-10 21:44

Yes i edited after I realised I only answered half the question

Apples_91432026-01-10 20:29

never watched anime like that bro so i think u gotta switch up what ur currently watching

ActualRound76992026-01-10 20:33

Since I am caught up with my shows, I’ll take your bait

* Ergo Proxy
* Wonder Egg Priority
* Madoka Magica
* Magical Girl Raising Project
* Momentary Lily
* Violet Evergarden
* Tomo-Chan is a Girl!
* See You Tomorrow at the Food Court
* Wash It All Away
* Lycoris Recoil
* Rock is a Lady’s Modesty
* With You and the Rain
* Wash It All Away
* Roll Over and Die
* Catch Me at the Ballpark
* Akebi’s Sailor Uniform
* O Maidens in Your Savage Season
* Romantic Killer
* Apothecary Diaries
* Frieren
* Nana
* Yona of the Dawn
* Fruits Basket
* Attack on Titan
* Psycho-Pass
* Princess Mononoke - actually I would say a lot of Ghibli does female characters well
* 86
* Shirobako
* A Mangaka’s Weirdly Wonderful Workplace
* ZatsuTabi
* Saga of Tanya the Evil
* Train Ride to the End of the World
* Guild Receptionist
* A Place Further then the Universe
* Insomniacs After School
* Bloom Into You (Yuri)
* Sound! Euphonium
* Whisper Me a Love Song (Yuri)
* My Awkward Senpai
* Spy X Family
* Angel Beats
* Another
* Kino’s Journey
* Adachi and Shimamura (Yuri)
* Bocchi the Rock

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:35

i hate madoka magica being recommended to me when i discuss this, not because i'm sure it's an awful show but why do only *parodies* of these shows not treat the female characters like that?

also i watched all ghibli movies as a kid after binging stampy's ni no kuni playthrough

ActualRound76992026-01-10 20:40

look bud, if you’re just gonna bitch because…what you say that all female characters are broken into those tropes?

you’re objectively wrong, and I am giving you instances of where you are wrong. All of those shows have strong female leads and side characters and none of them are side lined.

If you’re seeing those tropes all the time it’s because you’re watching the titles that have those tropes.

Its dishonest for me to watch nothing but ecchi and hentai lite then whine that there are too many sexualized characters. like obviously because that’s what I am watching.

If you wanna see more diverse characters and more representation then watch different genres and titles.

UmmetciV22026-01-10 20:43

Look at OP's profile. They are the kind of person getting offended by Frieren's feet. I'd recommend Spongebob but maybe even that'd too much for OP to handle.

ActualRound76992026-01-10 20:47

Funny asf. they reposted this in another anime sub because they weren’t getting nearly the response they were hoping for.

me: \*only watches High school DxD, To Love Ru, Maken-ki\*

me: lol bro anime is nothing but tiddies

\^ OP trying to make a point probably

UmmetciV22026-01-10 20:49

That's like maybe the 5th time they posted the same shit on multiple subreddits...

ActualRound76992026-01-10 20:50

Just some loser troll trying to start shit and getting shut down. love it

Puzzleheaded-Ear54682026-01-10 20:46

Thanks for reminding me about 86 bro! I forgot about it for a while and I need to finish it

ActualRound76992026-01-10 20:47

So good! Very satisfying story

Used_Extension81692026-01-10 20:38

If all anime feels sexist to you, maybe the problem isn’t the medium it’s the watchlist.

MathRockEnjoyer4202026-01-10 20:42

Judging from your post history it looks like you only watch shitty isekai and battle shonens written for toddlers. There's your problem mate

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:45

tbf i think anime for toddlers is much less sexist, i watched yo-kai watch and they did nothing creepy with katie or hailey-anne and manjimutt gets immediately sent to jail everytime he's a pervert

Born_Usual9982026-01-10 20:46

also gay-rep:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P04y9FEs25c&ntb=1&msockid=0438ea2cee5d11f0885ed1526a592bbc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P04y9FEs25c&ntb=1&msockid=0438ea2cee5d11f0885ed1526a592bbc)

Opposite-Guess-61662026-01-10 20:55

Violet evergarden, apothecary diaries, attack on titan, black lagoon, to your eternity, dr. Stone, Tokyo ghoul, spy family, sakamoto days, sailor moon, burst angel, angel beats, any ghibli, another, dororo, beyond the boundaries, zenshuu, 86, assassination classroom, once upon a witch's death, blood +, bocchi the rock, orb, elfin lied, guild receptionist, devil is a part timer, when they cry,frieren, he'll girl, jouran princess of snow and blood, kaiju #8, kinos journey, a silent voice, in the land of lead ale, log horizon, the witch and the beast, michiko and hanchin, nana, nor, requiem for the phantom, serial experiments lain, shiki, how to be ordinary, train to the end of the world, spy classroom, to be hero x, saga of Tanya the evil,

crxsso_dssreer2026-01-10 20:55

🤣🤣🤣

FetchFrosh2026-01-10 21:10

Sorry, your comment has been removed.

- Alright, this bait has run its course.

---

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qef152026-01-10 21:13

I suggest watching the CGDCT genre. It's a genre where there are *only* women and girls in the main cast and 90% of the side cast. And the characters are properly treated as humans.

I recommend watching Yuru Camp, Hidamari Sketch, K-On!, Non Non Biyori, Yama no Susume, GochiUsa and Bocchi the Rock! as a start to get away from the shonen battle anime first. About no fanservice either, just legit comfyness and proper characters.

Gamerunglued2026-01-10 21:19

Anime is too broad to fall into categories like that. Some anime are sexist, to varying degrees, and some are not. I don't think anime has a particularly higher ratio of sexist to non-sexist works than the TV or film industries of other countries. The ones you've seen or heard of may be the most broadly popular series, which are near exclusively the ones targeted to teenage boys. Sex sells and the works with sex are the ones that get popular, a rule that is true of every form of media and not just anime. You may also be aware of some particularly over-the-top sexual moments in some series, but those moments go viral specifically because they're so unusual to see in anime, and thus stand out. I would also say that "uwu girls" and housewives aren't inherently sexist.

But ultimately, anime is as varied a form of media as the TV and film industries of every other country. As a category of media, it's basically similar to a phrase like "Hollywood cinema," in the sense that "anime" only refers to the geographic location that the industry is in (Japan, anime is any and all Japanese animation). It has blockbusters for teens that get very popular, your Demon Slayers and Solo Levelings and Narutos, and it has stuff that's in line with prestige television like Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, Monster, Vinland Saga, Psycho-Pass, Legend of the Galactic Heroes, etc., it has sitcoms (some of which have cute girls but I don't think Barakamon or Yuru Camp are sexist), and it has stuff your local film buff or arthouse lover would enjoy (Ghost in the Shell, Serial Experiments Lain, Sonny Boy, Angel's Egg, Akira, most Ghibli films, etc.). Much as how Hollywood cinema can't unilaterally be called sexist because you're throwing in everything from Spiderman to Schindler's List, anime includes the same amount of variety. Anime isn't any one kind of story, it's an industry that makes everything under the sun from misogynistic sexploitation works to avante garde experiments just like Hollywood is.

hamzaLm102026-01-10 21:28

It really depends on the genre. There are plenty of anime with strong female leads too, like Psycho Pass or Violet Evergarden. Anime as a whole isn’t one thing.