Togashi's Trans Characters

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  • čas přidán 7. 04. 2020
  • From Yu Yu Hakusho to Level E to Hunter x Hunter, gender identity has been a consistent aspect of Yoshihiro Togashi's work. It has taken on many forms over the years, and in that time, the language and social impact of discussions surrounding the subject have changed. This video aims to inspect that evolution and offer my own feelings on what Togashi's trans characters bring to the table.
    *Minor correction (as of 4/14): When talking about Mikihisa, I incorrectly lumped the words "boku" and "watashi" together as gender neutral terms, but that's technically not accurate. "Boku" and "ore" are both generally used by guys, but which one people use depends on various circumstances like the formality of a situation, the speaker's relationship to the person being addressed, etc. I say generally because it isn't always the case with "boku." A tomboyish girl might refer to herself with "boku" to align with that more boyish/genderfluid attitude. This is sometimes used in anime for female characters who are less conventionally feminine but who don't necessarily identify with masculinity itself (though there are also transmasc and transfem characters who use "boku," transmasc characters who use "watashi," ...it's not as simple as "he/she/they" in English). When Mikihisa uses "ore" instead of "boku," it comes off as him being more assertive about his masculinity. This was just a case of me knowing what I wanted to say but not actually verbalizing it in the correct way. I can assume most people either didn't even notice or got the gist of what I meant, but I try to be as clear as I can and want to avoid misinforming people when possible. Sorry for the mistake!
    References and other relevant discussions:
    Stop!! Hibari-kun! and Trans Representation in Anime: • Video
    An Introduction to X-Jendā: Examining a New Gender Identity in Japan: intersections.anu.edu.au/issue...
    The Bride was a Boy: sevenseasentertainment.com/bo...
    Ember’s video: • Hunter x Hunter's BRIL...
    Nanika’s Wish For Alluka: • Nanika's Wish For Allu...
    The ACTUAL Problem With Anime Subtitles: • The ACTUAL Problem wit...
    Music used:
    Watamote OST 13
    Now Then... (HxH 2011)
    Botan's Theme (YYH)
    Koenma's Theme (YYH)
    Ryutoudabi (Otorimonogatari)
    Fantasy (Greed Island OVA)
    Rifujin (Onimonogatari)
    Feint (Koimonogatari)
    Gatsu no Kage (Yorknew OVA)
    Niichan. Atoha Makaseta (Nisemonogatari)
    Two People (Wandering Son)
    Support me on Patreon: / mathwiz97
    Twitter: / mathwiz97x
    My wrestling channel: / mathwiz97x
    My discussion(?) channel: / @mathswizardry
  • Zábava

Komentáře • 2,3K

  • @machina188
    @machina188 Před 4 lety +9013

    Honestly I think the cutest part about this is how Togashi kept trying over and over to represent them correctly until he got it right.

    • @edralynmadriaga5746
      @edralynmadriaga5746 Před 4 lety +821

      That's one of the many reasons why I respect him so much as a writer💖💖💖

    • @Bris7k
      @Bris7k Před 4 lety +55

      Luxury ball, Luxury ball.

    • @emptyteacup8228
      @emptyteacup8228 Před 4 lety +42

      Truue! ^~^

    • @Mike.325
      @Mike.325 Před 4 lety +85

      Machina18 Facts he is the literal a GOAT for that👍🏾❤️🔥

    • @GabeSweetMan
      @GabeSweetMan Před 4 lety +483

      It also highlights why it is SO SO SO important that folks stop attacking authors/writers in this age of callout culture for poorly implemented trans characters. Criticize the work or the character itself, certainly, but so often I see such criticism take a hard turn into personal attacks with little regard for the authorial intent of the character's inclusion. It's so appreciated that we have authors like Togashi to point to as an example of the progress that can be made regarding trans representation in fiction even if they might need a few tries to get it right.
      It's a hard topic to tackle so having folks coming down on them for fucking it up only serves to hinder future attempts at giving trans people representation in media because why bother with the hassle if you're just going to be attacked for every attempt you make? Oops! Back to square one of zero representation I guess! Odds are, if a trans character even EXISTS in a work of fiction, the author is already acknowledging that trans people have a right to exist so treating them with hostility does nothing to help your case.

  • @mystiquevue7454
    @mystiquevue7454 Před 4 lety +2050

    Togashi said trans rights

    • @ohnoknux4163
      @ohnoknux4163 Před 3 lety +33

      BASED

    • @martinchristianaguilar5135
      @martinchristianaguilar5135 Před 3 lety +26

      Araki: Amateurs!

    • @metaloopa6907
      @metaloopa6907 Před 3 lety +9

      🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍⚧️

    • @enzojose4001
      @enzojose4001 Před 3 lety +8

      @@martinchristianaguilar5135 Where Araki made a trans character? The only thing i know is that Joline was originaly planned to be a lesbian.

    • @bethleeham
      @bethleeham Před 3 lety +24

      @@enzojose4001 Yeah that’s part of it. Anasui, Jolyne’s bf, was originally a girl and was introduced a background character early on. However it’s rumoured the editorial team at Shonen Jump refused to let an explicit gay relationship be in the manga so Araki transitioned Anasui from female to male to keep the relationship he planned. His sex-change is never expressed other than Foo Fighters thinking he was a girl when she first met him. It is implied that he used his own stand to transition though

  • @or9422
    @or9422 Před 4 lety +7411

    Representation is great and all, but look at how cool Killua's skateboard is.

  • @arat2028
    @arat2028 Před 4 lety +921

    me trying to understand my gender identity be like
    "turns out our ms is a mr is a ms is a ms is a mr is a msmr is a mzzister is a ms is a mr is a mrmsmrmsester?"

    • @unitymask
      @unitymask Před 3 lety +44

      eventually i turned out to be a msmsnimsniusmsisusns

    • @arat2028
      @arat2028 Před 3 lety +24

      @@unitymask being a mrmsmrmsmmsmsmrms actually isnt too bad

    • @pedro_.
      @pedro_. Před 3 lety +23

      Some people turn into pspspsps

    • @BaalFridge
      @BaalFridge Před 3 lety +7

      wow ok how is that so relatable

    • @michelepiocurci7924
      @michelepiocurci7924 Před 3 lety +1

      KEKW

  • @MariaMouraYoutuber
    @MariaMouraYoutuber Před 4 lety +5197

    I see people saying that Togashi was against LGBT because of Yusuke attitude, but I think most of people forget that what a characters does/thinks doesn't necessarily need to be the same with autor. For example, I can create a homophobic character but I am not homophobic. It's up to the author to decide if their character has the same values as the own author

    • @ChuuniKaede
      @ChuuniKaede Před 4 lety +670

      most of yusuke's transphobia is bad translation and even then it just seems more like "it's the 90's and we still don't really understand this shit yet" and the writing evolved with time.

    • @MariaMouraYoutuber
      @MariaMouraYoutuber Před 4 lety +261

      @@ChuuniKaede exactly but even if he was transphobic, that doesn't mean that Togashi is transphobic like I saw some people saying in other youtube's videos

    • @ChuuniKaede
      @ChuuniKaede Před 4 lety +325

      @@MariaMouraCZcamsr honestly what I get from togashi is a guy trying his best and getting better with experience.

    • @MariaMouraYoutuber
      @MariaMouraYoutuber Před 4 lety +147

      @@ChuuniKaede exactly I really love Togashi's work and I can clearly see how he used YYH's mistakes to make HxH incredible, he's someone that's always trying to improve and get better

    • @spbspb2413
      @spbspb2413 Před 4 lety +30

      @@ChuuniKaede Yusuke is one of the finest action-shonen MC if not the finest, so you can't really get better than that.

  • @iScAre1
    @iScAre1 Před 4 lety +1791

    I wonder if Togashi drew inspiration of his Trans characters from his spouse, Takeuchi (author of Sailor Moon) who also created many gender non conforming characters in her series.

    • @axisboise
      @axisboise Před 4 lety +211

      Trino B now that you mentioned! As a kid, sailor moon was the first anime that opened my mind with the concept of playing and messing with gender stereotypes

    • @axisboise
      @axisboise Před 4 lety +95

      Shaman Xeed Hey imbecile, GENDER is a social construct therefore how many gender exists at a certain point in time is determined by the society that dictates it. Christian and conservative communities tend to favor two-gender stereotype. But traveling in some islands of polynesia, other gender constructs exists such as the Mahu of Hawaii and Fa'afafine of Samoans. So no, there exists many genders not only two.
      What you're talking about is biological SEX where majority of human population fall either as XX or XY. And even then a minute population falls outside of the two categories; for example people born with XXY (kleinfelter syndrome), those born intersex, and many others.
      Generally, it's accepted that there were two SEXes but there were never only two GENDERS. It doesn't hurt to be educated instead of just merely showing your nasty homophobic side.

    • @iScAre1
      @iScAre1 Před 4 lety +35

      Shaman Xeed man you’re bitter!
      WHO (The World Health Organization) acknowledges the complexities of gender identity and separation from it between biological sex (of which there is technically 3) I’ve even spoken to several psychologists/psychiatrists/health doctors about it and they are of course in support of it. So the only one living in a fairy tail is you unfortunately!

    • @aniflowers1998
      @aniflowers1998 Před 4 lety +33

      @Shaman Xeed Just a smal heads up/explanation, you are talking about biological sex. In that case you are right becouse that is determined by our chromosoms and can therefor not be changen. (X and Y chromosoms for anyone interested)
      Gender however (in the simplest way of describing it) are just the outside features that seperate the sex, like male and female genitals. Therefor gender can be changed, since you can change your apearance, but your biological sex can't be changed since we can't rewrite a bodys code. Your biological sex however only really metters when it comes to doctor apointments and reproduction.
      I tended to get those two mixed up myselfe a lot, the pain of someone who doesn't speak english as there first language.

    • @25254617
      @25254617 Před 4 lety +24

      Benno GB what you’re referring to biology is sex, not gender. and it is not only two, as there are intersex people; when a person is born with several sex characteristics including chromosomes, gonads, sex hormones or genitals that doesn’t belong to the criteria of male or female sex.

  • @acelessx
    @acelessx Před 4 lety +3190

    I actually like how HxH doesn't specifically comment on characters' genders, because that's how it is for most trans people. Yeah, they're trans, but that's not their entire personality. In fact, I highly doubt any trans person who has transitioned and/or is passing as their preferred gender will make it known that they are trans without being prompted to, since no one really needs to know!

    • @krokulridgestalker7007
      @krokulridgestalker7007 Před 4 lety +129

      It's true that most binary trans folks tend to do everything in their power to go unnoticed, specifically because being trans isn't exactly a part of your identity as much as a descriptor for the relation between your identity and physical body and therefore, not actually a part of one's daily life. (I hope I'm not being too confusing here)
      BUT,, I will say. We, totally passable AND pride-flag-clad trans ppl exist too! Personally I have three reasons for that.
      1. Pink and pastel blue look great on blonde bimbos
      2. I want any baby transes out there to see me and think "they're out there and someday I can be just like them" just as outwardly queer ppl have inspired me in my still ongoing youth
      3. Most importantly. Cis ppl won't regonize a pride flag if you beat their ass with it. I sometimes like to wear straight up pride flags in my hair like trans chopsticks and people are still surprised to find I'm trans.

    • @acelessx
      @acelessx Před 4 lety +36

      @@krokulridgestalker7007 Honestly you right I'm just (reasonably) scared but probably won't be as hesitant in the future!

    • @axisboise
      @axisboise Před 4 lety +2

      Thank you for this perspective ^^

    • @25254617
      @25254617 Před 4 lety +9

      omg YESS thank you. people keep pressuring for togashi to explore his charas identities, and to make a clarification or something. whereas supposedly, we shouldnt let gender or sexuality define a character or person like that’s the only thing that shapes them as a person🥺

    • @IAm-zo1bo
      @IAm-zo1bo Před 4 lety +12

      sometimes you need to know for certain things

  • @thecynicalone7655
    @thecynicalone7655 Před 4 lety +3818

    There's also Kite, who was reborn as a female chimera ant

    • @ShouVertica
      @ShouVertica Před 4 lety +172

      That's not trans.

    • @thecynicalone7655
      @thecynicalone7655 Před 4 lety +1004

      @@ShouVertica but it is an example of togashi messing with gender

    • @ShouVertica
      @ShouVertica Před 4 lety +46

      @@thecynicalone7655 not really

    • @thecynicalone7655
      @thecynicalone7655 Před 4 lety +744

      @@ShouVertica a (presumably cis) man was violently murdered and reborn inside the body of a woman. Does that make this person trans? Or cis but one step removed? It's difficult to give a clear cut answer (at least from my perspective). Which thus makes it a clear example of togashi playing with gender

    • @ShouVertica
      @ShouVertica Před 4 lety +70

      @@thecynicalone7655 it makes them reincarnated into an ant. I'm pretty sure reincarnation is not transgender or a comment on gender issues.

  • @Lana-qp9qv
    @Lana-qp9qv Před 4 lety +3884

    I love togashi for trying over and over to get a trans character done right. And Alluka is personally my favorite transgender person in fiction.

    • @moofz6550
      @moofz6550 Před 4 lety +27

      Lana who the hell said she is trans she litterally just femine that's it

    • @blushpinkbunny_
      @blushpinkbunny_ Před 4 lety +377

      @@moofz6550 did u not watch the anime? or read the manga? or watch the video?

    • @davidgg8318
      @davidgg8318 Před 4 lety +464

      @@moofz6550 She's a girl. The show constantly reiterates that the only person that respects her is Killua. Killua keeps saying that Alluka is a girl despite everyone else thinking otherwise.

    • @AgarioSplitrunner
      @AgarioSplitrunner Před 4 lety +85

      She is a girl. Her other family only sees nanika the boy.

    • @fch1187
      @fch1187 Před 4 lety +235

      You guys need to read the wiki and official databook. Her sex is male bur her gender is feminine. If she identify herself as a female, then her pronoun is she/her; despite her having a dick. Therefore, Alluka is indeed a transgender (trans-woman)

  • @buddbrown6858
    @buddbrown6858 Před 4 lety +1384

    When watching the HxH sub I totally thought some people using 'he' for Alluka while Killua used 'she' was a translation error, can't believe I missed this whole layer of gender and what it implied about the family Dynamics

    • @KonekoNaru
      @KonekoNaru Před 4 lety +55

      Lmao same there's so often little mistakes like that in subs that I didn't even think twice about it.. glad I'm not alone

    • @khalifeddie3718
      @khalifeddie3718 Před 4 lety +97

      Damn made me rewatch the whole arc again. The metaphors and “read between the lines” with Alluka and Nanika goes way deep with how both of them were treated and treat others. Damn.

    • @Sanafield
      @Sanafield Před 4 lety +98

      same, i only realized it after gotoh misgendered alluka and killua yelled angrily at him correcting him saying that alluka's a girl address her as such

    • @lexishere378
      @lexishere378 Před 4 lety +11

      So was alluka actually born a boy? I didn't watch this video lol i just went straight to the comments

    • @Zero-rq9ti
      @Zero-rq9ti Před 3 lety +46

      @@lexishere378 Turns out everyone in the Zoldyck family is a male except the mom. Yes even Illumi.

  • @lizzie5973
    @lizzie5973 Před 4 lety +1253

    I love Killua and the fact that he respects his sister's pronouns and loves her for who she is just makes me smile.

    • @sblbb929
      @sblbb929 Před 3 lety +17

      There are no pronouns in japanese. Her parents use words that fit talking about a "monster". Killua uses words that usually are used for girls. Parents see the dark continent monster nanika as the main person, killua regonizes the female human alluka as the main person. Both are wrong.

    • @kareepan3382
      @kareepan3382 Před 3 lety +84

      @@sblbb929 no pronouns in Japanese? 彼 and 彼女 would like to have a word with you.

    • @jinkydinky8786
      @jinkydinky8786 Před 3 lety +1

      Lizzie fax

    • @sblbb929
      @sblbb929 Před 3 lety +5

      @@kareepan3382 You don't use pronouns at all in 99% of any sentence you say.

    • @kareepan3382
      @kareepan3382 Před 3 lety +43

      @@sblbb929 I'm fully aware of that. But saying that there are no pronouns in Japanese is just false.

  • @machudaimarunrak6292
    @machudaimarunrak6292 Před 3 lety +982

    Alluka is one of the most truthful representation of transgender people.
    Only one person who understand and accept them is enough to change their whole world.
    And does not need to be present in title or physical evidence that Alluka is boy or girl. It is that Alluka is Alluka and will always be Alluka.
    She's lucky that she has Killua.
    And again. A masterful writing by Togashi.

    • @sblbb929
      @sblbb929 Před 3 lety +3

      So transgender people have a split personality?

    • @machudaimarunrak6292
      @machudaimarunrak6292 Před 3 lety +68

      @@sblbb929 Nah not in that regard. Just the fact that we appreciate being treat like normal people not being put in pedestal. Same can be said to every gender actually.

    • @sblbb929
      @sblbb929 Před 3 lety +1

      @@machudaimarunrak6292 True true. I agree

    • @QWERTY-gp8fd
      @QWERTY-gp8fd Před rokem +2

      @@machudaimarunrak6292 if ur normal then why demand special treatment.

    • @QWERTY-gp8fd
      @QWERTY-gp8fd Před rokem

      @Pop they did

  • @Aleczandxr
    @Aleczandxr Před 4 lety +2488

    Algorithmically contributory comment

    • @effecteyvee864
      @effecteyvee864 Před 4 lety +223

      Sitting here waiting for your comment to get pinned or hearted lol

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +328

      plot twist, your comment gets a heart instead! haha!

    • @janosd4nuke
      @janosd4nuke Před 4 lety +11

      Mah heart melts from such majestic use of language

    • @mell5428
      @mell5428 Před 4 lety

      People today use it for two things
      1st they use it to conform to a natural standard of order; meaning what you are biologically is considered normal to them.
      2nd they use it as a social norm; meaning normal is viewed as a group conduct as well as individual perceptions of how they live their individual lives.

    • @vnilyaa
      @vnilyaa Před 4 lety +2

      Wow
      Such facts

  • @chuwyjoe8808
    @chuwyjoe8808 Před 4 lety +570

    Wait, Chrollo refers to Kurapika as "chain dude" in the manga? Laughing my as off. Imagine your last words being chain dude.

    • @sladeclegane9709
      @sladeclegane9709 Před 3 lety +147

      Translation’s a little loose. “Chain bastard” might be closer.

    • @user-kx2zv7tg3u
      @user-kx2zv7tg3u Před 3 lety +115

      “Look spiders, that chain dude is really getting on my nerves”

    • @cabbagesprinkles7322
      @cabbagesprinkles7322 Před 3 lety +39

      In the 1999 HxH dub Fetain calls him chain dude lol he says to Gon in broken English “You know chain dude?”

    • @ramudaamemura_
      @ramudaamemura_ Před 3 lety +15

      Here comes chain dude

    • @EnciodesSilverash
      @EnciodesSilverash Před 3 lety +11

      Mind you, Chrollo may use "dude" as a gender neutral term. Like, I've called so many people despite their gender "dude".

  • @trashpandabebes6784
    @trashpandabebes6784 Před 4 lety +638

    As a trans guy, seeing Alluka's representation and how well it was done just really meant a lot to me. I also really love that Killua doesn't really bother correcting or insisting Alluka's gender much with his family, other than always using the correct terminology for her regardless. He understands they don't love her and aren't going to change just because he insists, so he doesn't even really spend energy on it. Where this contrasts nicely and really makes me love this decision, is when he firmly insists with Gotoh that she's a girl, even delivering the line as if it should be obvious and he doesn't even understand why Gotoh is confused about the issue. This really sends the message for me that he doesn't waste time on people who don't love them, but if someone is a friend and wants to continue to be his friend or in his life, they need to acknowledge his sister and her identity. The last thing is that I love that it's not even a conversation with Gon at all. From the moment we see Gon and Alluka in the same frame, it's not a conversation or a question. She's Alluka. She's a girl, and she's his best friend's sister. That's all he needs to know to love her.

  • @kaifuyu1
    @kaifuyu1 Před 4 lety +379

    Day 43 in quarantine : I study about Gender from Togashi-sensei.

    • @b1w1nd3x
      @b1w1nd3x Před 3 lety +2

      day 37something i study about gender from togashi-sensei

  • @iwillcry
    @iwillcry Před 4 lety +2069

    I’ve heard enough of people misgendering Alluka, any video or post that talks positively about her identity is a big plus

    • @HexManiacQuinn
      @HexManiacQuinn Před 4 lety +216

      @HaremGodRance With that attitude, why enjoy discussion at all? Why visit this video?

    • @tristan4206
      @tristan4206 Před 4 lety +168

      @HaremGodRance yeah, why does this human being react to stimulus, i.e. experiencing human emotions the way a human being would? such a weirdo

    • @TheSynking
      @TheSynking Před 4 lety +5

      Mental illness

    • @HexManiacQuinn
      @HexManiacQuinn Před 4 lety +130

      @@TheSynking Yeah, gender dysphoria is a bitch to live with. Your point?

    • @tristan4206
      @tristan4206 Před 4 lety +103

      @@TheSynking yeah thanks for the dictionary's definition of dysphoria, captain obvious, what are you gonna do next, point out that we breathe in oxygen?

  • @OccuredJakub12
    @OccuredJakub12 Před 4 lety +718

    Togashi when writing Yu Yu Hakusho:
    Turns out I M I S S E D
    Togashi when writing his future works:
    Turns out our miss was A BULLSEYE

    • @GrandLufaine
      @GrandLufaine Před 4 lety +8

      OccuredJakub12 Grefkowicz what an interesting metaphorical conceptualization of self-improvement tho

    • @hannahfischer6477
      @hannahfischer6477 Před 2 lety

      Now *that* is what a quality profile picture looks like.

  • @bobthet-rex2718
    @bobthet-rex2718 Před 10 měsíci +72

    As a trans woman, I have nothing but respect for Togashi, he seems to have really dedicated a lot to try and understand and represent transgender people as best as possible. He definitely had a rocky start, but his care to make sure to improve upon every mistake he has made is admirable.

  • @aneonfoxtribute
    @aneonfoxtribute Před 4 lety +1584

    Alluka is baby and I luv. She cute.

    • @animeking17
      @animeking17 Před 4 lety +10

      Kawaaiiiii

    • @aneonfoxtribute
      @aneonfoxtribute Před 4 lety +184

      @Ecem ve Cerenin Dünyası Well let's start with the fact that she's a girl and go from there

    • @jakovhrga5619
      @jakovhrga5619 Před 4 lety +8

      @Ecem ve Cerenin Dünyası shitty forced asspull char thats why

    • @epitaphboi4816
      @epitaphboi4816 Před 4 lety +43

      We must protect her at all costs

    • @UnifiedEntity
      @UnifiedEntity Před 4 lety +13

      @Ecem ve Cerenin Dünyası No clue. The character is pretty freaking annoying. Killuas sad scenes fell flat to me cause it didn't feel connected.

  • @carebear1470
    @carebear1470 Před 3 lety +2216

    "Being gay is normal. Being trans is normal."
    Why do those words fill me with so much emotion? Even though it should be obvious, I've never heard those words spoken and I've never thought them before.

    • @sunny...3602
      @sunny...3602 Před 3 lety +76

      Exactly. It’s so simple and it really should be obvious but I have never heard anyone says that it’s kinda refreshing. It’s so weird

    • @prizma45
      @prizma45 Před 3 lety +37

      it fills you with emotion because your brain is telling you it's wrong

    • @theharshhack10
      @theharshhack10 Před 3 lety +96

      @@prizma45 cringe

    • @yandereboyenthusiast8149
      @yandereboyenthusiast8149 Před 3 lety +69

      @@prizma45 Someone doesn’t get affection from their parents and live a sad worthless life where they feel tearing people down is the only way to get attention

    • @Dj-fb8bs
      @Dj-fb8bs Před 3 lety +64

      @@prizma45 You do realize most people are straight in these comments and they think otherwise 🤔. You’re just upset because you can’t accept the world being more diverse. Oh well you aren’t winning here it’s 2021 buddy. Stay mad

  • @TheKingbigb22
    @TheKingbigb22 Před 4 lety +673

    Y’all know togashi introduced us to non binary characters with the chimera ant arc pitou was addressed as well they or they’re

    • @zwriel
      @zwriel Před 4 lety +13

      I didn't even notice that

    • @ShadowAraun
      @ShadowAraun Před 4 lety +111

      its really interesting when you realize every single chimera born from the Queen is biologically male and capable of reproducing to produce more queens, and Zazan exists completely identifying herself as a Queen ant when she would actually be classified as a stray commander attempting to become a King ant by the in world specialists on Chimera Ant nature. Gender identity was all over that arc due the nature of humans being consumed and our extremely minor sexual dimorphisms presenting themselves in the ants, along with a level of mentality retention that was telling them they were X or Y (legit chose x and y at random, subconscious is fascinating). The end result is many many many biologically male sapient lifeforms identify female, but for the most part the ants don't care about that shit, its not important to them as a species to worry about what each other claims to be as they were all something else once anyway.

    • @RinXLen
      @RinXLen Před 4 lety +10

      In dub he was addressed as him or he

    • @JoseRamirez-rq2gj
      @JoseRamirez-rq2gj Před 4 lety +8

      You Forgot about Kalluto

    • @d3vilman555
      @d3vilman555 Před 4 lety +4

      Cora Ladwin not entirely, there are times they are addressed as she as well

  • @jasperl.8905
    @jasperl.8905 Před 4 lety +876

    God this was such a breath of fresh air in the anime community, thank you. I’m trans and Hunter x Hunter has been one of my hyperfixations for years and I’ve gotten really sick of all the transphobia in certain parts of the fandom, especially towards Alluka.
    Also, Kurapika’s character really helped me come to terms with my own gender identity/presentation. The fact that he presents more androgynous helped me break out of my own toxic masculinity and present myself more freely :)

    • @bennogb5069
      @bennogb5069 Před 4 lety +16

      Toxic masculinity is not a thing.

    • @jasperl.8905
      @jasperl.8905 Před 4 lety +124

      Benno GB I really don’t feel like getting political here tbh, you can have your views and I can have mine. I’m just sharing my own experience as a transgender person who feels the pressure to present as hyper-masculine all the time to be seen as a “real man”.

    • @bennogb5069
      @bennogb5069 Před 4 lety +11

      @@jasperl.8905 Being manly is admirable. A real man is a real man. Not much to argue there.

    • @jasperl.8905
      @jasperl.8905 Před 4 lety +119

      Benno GB There’s nothing wrong with masculinity. Masculinity is a good thing. I prefer to present as more masculine, personally. But there is a difference between masculinity and toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity is pressuring boys to bottle up their emotions to be a real man, and to not seek help if they need it. Toxic masculinity is boys being terrified to wear a pink shirt in fear of being ridiculed (or anything perceived as feminine for that matter.) I’m not going to say anything more on the subject, as again I simply wanted to share my personal experience as a trans person.

    • @bennogb5069
      @bennogb5069 Před 4 lety +5

      @@jasperl.8905 It's a good thing that boys dont want to wear feminine clothing. That would invite a whole host of problems.

  • @yoshikagekira5880
    @yoshikagekira5880 Před 4 lety +2071

    The transphobia in the comments is kinda cringe

    • @disky1784
      @disky1784 Před 4 lety +474

      Real gamers respect people's genders

    • @lil_crossgg1029
      @lil_crossgg1029 Před 4 lety +36

      @@disky1784 real gamer don't respect anybody not saying they shouldn't but they don.t

    • @epicotakugamer4930
      @epicotakugamer4930 Před 4 lety +3

      Pwned

    • @moofz6550
      @moofz6550 Před 4 lety +41

      disky ok band kid, "real games respect others gender" you never would survive in a cod lobby stfu

    • @demetter7936
      @demetter7936 Před 4 lety +14

      @@disky1784 I agree with moof. Both genders get the most disgusting shit thrown at them on ingame voice chat.

  • @kwakwakita
    @kwakwakita Před 3 lety +78

    Oh look, another trans character I can point to when weebs claim they only ever refer to non-canonically trans characters as tr*ps.

    • @dofi7513
      @dofi7513 Před 3 lety +30

      i hate it sm when people see a feminine looking guy or a trans girl in anime and call them a trap. its unnecessary and it doesnt make sense... how are they a "trap"?? its not their fault if you thought they were a cis female, now either except them as they are and not be rude abt it or leave

    • @HulktySSJ2
      @HulktySSJ2 Před 2 lety

      @@dofi7513 Simple. "SURPRISE PENIS" Lol

  • @Ariel_is_a_dreamer
    @Ariel_is_a_dreamer Před 4 lety +251

    Where is the "love it" button?
    I love how Togashi tried, did it "wrong", tried again and learned to do it better and better. It shows that he cares to learn unlike lots of people.

  • @KrazyStargazer
    @KrazyStargazer Před 4 lety +806

    Personally, i think "problematic" issues are better than flat our maliciousness or indifference.
    Because at least thought goes into something problematic. It might be fool hearty but if the intent is pure that representation can mean a lot.
    Having any representation is better than having none

    • @mudawott
      @mudawott Před 4 lety +79

      See the stuff presented here is fantastic because it shows the developmwnt of the writer. The messiness in Yu Yu Hakasho is so easily forgiven when you can contextualise it. Since Yu Yu Hakasho you see a lot of respect given to other trans characters that demonstrates than authors good intentions.
      Unfortunately the any rep is better than no rep thing can be dangerous since some stories blur the line between a malicious characture and a well intentioned but broken attempt.

    • @KrazyStargazer
      @KrazyStargazer Před 4 lety +34

      @@mudawott I think that a work of art will always be in danger of being problematic. Something that is considered fine today could be considered really "problematic" in the future. If you let the fear of speaking out of turn prevent you from helping others than the situation could get worse.
      People aren't going to get it right the first time. But like this video shows Togashi had good intent. I can say that Yu yu Hakusho is one of the more progressive anime I've seen, yes it's problematic by today's standards but if he didn't ake Yu yu Hakusho their would be tons of people who never even got that exposure.
      If you expose people to a different way of life they are more likely to understand it..

    • @effecteyvee864
      @effecteyvee864 Před 4 lety +34

      This is insanely accurate, if Togashi was pure intented in his attempt to write a transgender character, then why does the outcome dictate that he's transphobic? It was his first time doing so and the fact that he continued to experiment on his writing with transgender and seemingly got it down in hxh just goes to show that Togashi never meant to go the route YuYuHakusho may lead you to believe.
      Btw I saw Mathwiz's tweet and I wasn't trying to say that you're calling Togashi transphobic incase you meant me lol 😅

    • @vjgodlybang
      @vjgodlybang Před 4 lety +6

      The thing is folks just need to ask others for help/edits to look over on drafts!
      Many marginalized folks are very open to look over scripts/writing for compensation/credit!

    • @AlexiasPlaylist
      @AlexiasPlaylist Před 4 lety +3

      Being concerned with representation is a problem. Story's should be honest and shouldnt have forced representation ever, so no having "any representation" is not better than none.
      It clearly shows that you care more about their gender or sexuality rather than their gender and sexuality just being a part of them.

  • @mangetsu9725
    @mangetsu9725 Před 4 lety +767

    Wait you're not Aleczandxr

  • @FranK-tg7ou
    @FranK-tg7ou Před 4 lety +287

    I’m really happy about this video I’m kinda tired of anime fans thinking it’s just pandering or not real because they seem to think that lgbt people don’t exist in japan and japan is a fun sex land where the age of consent is 13 which is a whole nother conversation

    • @FranK-tg7ou
      @FranK-tg7ou Před 4 lety +14

      HaremGodRance I know that

    • @vudi2103
      @vudi2103 Před 4 lety +9

      @HaremGodRance they meant that people think that, not that it's true dude

    • @vudi2103
      @vudi2103 Před 4 lety +3

      @HaremGodRance ??? Bro what do you mean??

    • @vudi2103
      @vudi2103 Před 4 lety +11

      @HaremGodRance they meant that some people believe that the age of consent is 13 and that japan is a sex land. they aren't saying these are true, dude.

    • @emptyteacup8228
      @emptyteacup8228 Před 4 lety

      Agreed.

  • @vincentvice2786
    @vincentvice2786 Před 4 lety +279

    It bears consideration that Togashi's approach to Trans characters in yu yu hashiko was progressive by most considerations for the time of it's release and it's unfair to judge it by our current understanding when we stand on the foundation of those past advances in knowledge.
    Furthermore he has continued to move his understanding forward.

    • @mercy5004
      @mercy5004 Před 4 lety +35

      Very true. How often we forget that just a few years ago the prevailing thought of the trans community (and their message to the public) was NOT that gender was a social construct, and that there was no need to transisition, or that it was an identity that was a choice.
      It was the "I have a brain that exists in the wrong body. I was born this way, and it is not a choice. I need to be allowed to transistion and be accepted as who I am because I did not and could not choose this."
      Seriously, 10 years ago that was the debate, and I remember having to discuss it with my grandparents and parents to try to get them to understand that. Then, sometime between 10 years ago and now...the consensus went from "This is not a choice! I should not be punished for something I can't control!" to "This IS a choice, and you need to respect that!". Both are valid, but I can definitely see why so many people have confusion over this.
      Again, that was just the (very abridged) change from within 10 years.
      Now lets imagine how much this same topic will change in another 10, 20 years.
      Suddenly any media made today will seem outdated, and potentially offensive.
      Same way that feminism is vastly different from 1st, 2nd, and 3rd wave. Listening to some old 2nd wave feminism, particularly this bit "We were fighting for the right to take risks, and be in danger. We wanted to do things that could eventually end in rape. If we got raped, that was just the price for this freedom (fighting for curfews on adult women to be lifted, curfews that were put in place to "protect" women from being raped while walking at night). "
      I sat there like "We'd be okay if we got raped".....wow that did NOT age well.
      Someone once put it that the progessives of today are the conservatives of tommorow. Not that we suddenly change political spheres...But that its the natural way of the world. What was once a progressive stance because the new norm. Then a new progressive stance is formed. That "norm" suddenly looks to be a bigoted stance. Then the new progressive becomes the norm...and the old norm becomes the new conservative stance. So on and so forth. That's how progress is made.
      But unlike progress which always moves forward (as it should) people and more importantly, media...are fixed to a point in time.
      Which is why, for the most part, media should be judged from the prevailing views of its time...while also not forgetting the inherent flaws that existed in those views.

    • @nathannguyen934
      @nathannguyen934 Před 4 lety +10

      yeah, I look forward to the day we can look back at how Alluka was portrayed, and argue about Togashi not being progressive enough in 2011.
      not being sarcastic, just to be clear. I just like the idea that our future selves will have improved and progressed so much, that current, progressive representation in media can be looked back on, and judged as flawed or old-fashioned.

    • @giraffes86
      @giraffes86 Před 3 lety +3

      Not just that he is married to the creator of sailor moon which also many lgbt characters so he could learn from her

  • @eastkidd2563
    @eastkidd2563 Před 4 lety +310

    tUrNs oUt OuR mR. iS a MrS.

  • @AstralTaurus
    @AstralTaurus Před 4 lety +103

    I can't get over the fact that the fight ends with Yusuke just...Throwing her at a Wall?

    • @AstralTaurus
      @AstralTaurus Před 4 lety +40

      He just... _Yeets_ her

    • @Abdega
      @Abdega Před 4 lety +8

      It ends with calling her a Mr
      *THAT* was the final blow

    • @AstralTaurus
      @AstralTaurus Před 4 lety +3

      @@Abdega

    • @HulktySSJ2
      @HulktySSJ2 Před 2 lety

      Him. He didn't get the operation yet.

    • @AstralTaurus
      @AstralTaurus Před 2 lety +6

      @@HulktySSJ2 why do you anti pronoun people feel the need to do this. To purposely misgender others and then try to "correct" a comment i made a year ago...

  • @effecteyvee864
    @effecteyvee864 Před 4 lety +418

    Totally agree with this video. I always saw Alluka's gender as more of a layer to her character and the plot for Zoldyck Family's characterization and Togashi's growth with his views on gender as opposed to having it for the sake of just having transgender representation in the story (which a lot of people seem to think, I'm looking at the replies to comments about Pitou's gender and they complain about it without looking into the topic smh). Also, can you talk about the fights in HunterxHunter and discuss which ones you love and which ones you don't actually love. Curious to see your favorites and ones you dislike

    • @cvatvbizarreadventure
      @cvatvbizarreadventure Před 4 lety

      Me to I love this video

    • @f4Rl34ng3Igrl
      @f4Rl34ng3Igrl Před 4 lety +2

      Ya okay but representation is still representation. the character IS trans and that makes them a form of trans representation in fiction

    • @lampad4549
      @lampad4549 Před 4 lety +1

      I dont see how you can call it a layered representation, if she was hypothetically actually a girl and not a trans character nothing for the narrative changes her character isnt defined or undergo any angst for her transgender personality, so in the end it is representation for the sake of representation.

    • @user-ot3tu1yb2j
      @user-ot3tu1yb2j Před 4 lety +17

      mel on
      um, no. That’s not what’s happening at all. Alluka’s gender is plot relevant. Her character along with Nanika is a metaphor for trans people. Even though Togashi never said, “Alluka’s trans,” doesn’t means he’s trying to hide the fact. He’s also not trying to shoehorn representation in where it’s not needed. No, Alluka being trans is relevant to the story.
      Alluka not being respected/ostracized by her family is a huge portion of the narrative in the Election Arc, so its not just representation just for the sake of representation. Not only that, her character is important in other ways as well since it opens up the discussion surrounding the dark continent, she’s able to heal Gon, and her ability gives a whole new layer to the complexity of the Zoldyck family. She’s a multifaceted character that’s not just there for being trans. Alluka and Nanika’s wish granting ability is a major plot point in the arc. This is what separates representation for the sake of representation apart from good representation. Alluka isn’t there just solely for being transgender. In fact, she has a whole other list of traits. That’s what makes her a good character.

    • @stonefree7973
      @stonefree7973 Před 4 lety +3

      @@user-ot3tu1yb2j I love trans representation and Togashi's writing as much as the next guy, but I don't think Alluka was an example. I see Alluka as a girl who's not respected by her family because of her connection to Nanika. There's also the matter of Nanika having an unknown gender and not having feminine traits.

  • @morallygary9098
    @morallygary9098 Před 4 lety +83

    I really like this take. It’s better than most I’ve seen where people just look at Miyuki and discount the work of Togashi as all bad rep and hatred.
    Togashi wasn’t great. He cared, no doubt in my mind, but he didn’t understand entirely, but the man keeps trying and has been learning over time, and I’m glad that’s being acknowledged in some way.

    • @averymon2292
      @averymon2292 Před 3 lety +11

      It’s better to make mistakes and learn than make mistakes and refuse to fix them!!

    • @jordanjoestar-turniptruck
      @jordanjoestar-turniptruck Před 2 lety +6

      To expect anyone from back then to have the understanding of today imo is ridiculous. Just from how awkward and confusing the dialogue in that scene was, it's clear that these concepts were yet to really be explored by society at large, much less a reclusive comic book writer. I think he needs credit for even starting to crudely explore these concepts outside of hentai (which, yeah, they were pretty popular in hentai at the time), and move on to refine these ideas in his later work, still far ahead of his time.

  • @TheAnimefreak2001
    @TheAnimefreak2001 Před 4 lety +518

    I'm so glad to see this video exists. I rarely hear people outside the trans community touch on the topic, and usually anime fans brush these things off as mistranslations or as the trans community trying to 'make everything queer' because some sort of conception that LGB and especially T people somehow don't exist in Japan, so I've seen a lot of ignorant comments made, often when referring to Alluka. Alluka's trans subtext made me so happy the first time I watched through Hunter x Hunter, as it's so rare to see gender touched on in anime, and also rare to see trans people in media outside of stories specifically about being trans. I do wish Alluka's transness was just a tad bit more blatant so it could be less easily brushed off as mistranslations, but how it's shown that she's misgendered only by the people in her life who see her as an object without personhood, agency or identity and is gendered correctly by those who legitimately have her best interests at heart really meant a lot to me. As a fan of both Yu Yu Hakusho and Hunter x Hunter it really makes me happy to see how Togashi has progressed and how he continues to include topics of gender identity into his stories.

    • @wyattmund9286
      @wyattmund9286 Před 4 lety +25

      Lachlan M Great points - also tho, while Mathwiz is in the anime community, she also is a member of the trans community! Just pointing it out😊

    • @grubblin
      @grubblin Před 4 lety +5

      Gay

    • @TheAnimefreak2001
      @TheAnimefreak2001 Před 4 lety +13

      Cunt Hell yeah it's gay

    • @grubblin
      @grubblin Před 4 lety +3

      @@TheAnimefreak2001 you're gay

    • @TheAnimefreak2001
      @TheAnimefreak2001 Před 4 lety +11

      Cunt Oh shit how'd you know??

  • @jonascontreras4943
    @jonascontreras4943 Před 4 lety +341

    This video is so refreshing to me cause the spanish speaking anime community is either purposefully transphobic or extremely confused about it.
    Thank you!

  • @marroemin7595
    @marroemin7595 Před 3 lety +77

    As a trans person that yu yu hakusho moment just made me go "he's confused, but he's got the spirit"

    • @HulktySSJ2
      @HulktySSJ2 Před 2 lety +5

      Yusuke simply stated a fact. No confusion at all.

    • @costelinha1867
      @costelinha1867 Před 4 měsíci +2

      @@HulktySSJ2 Except there was no fact, as explained by the video, that's not how gender and transition works. It's not as simple as just "going all woman" or "going all man"
      Yusuke was ignorant, he was not stating a fact, he was confused.

  • @pikaboi4408
    @pikaboi4408 Před 4 lety +52

    Yes, kurapika is indeed very beautiful :)

  • @HxH2011DRA
    @HxH2011DRA Před 4 lety +75

    Oh yay togashi month WASN'T an April fool's joke

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +16

      had to build up some suspense there lol

  • @aneonfoxtribute
    @aneonfoxtribute Před 4 lety +92

    When it comes to Kalluto, I think that he crossdresses because he's envious of Alluka, as seen in the Zoldyck family chart, and things that dressing more feminine will make him more like her.

    • @NaturalHypertrophy
      @NaturalHypertrophy Před 4 lety +23

      Agreed. It's a ploy to get Kirua's attention

    • @effecteyvee864
      @effecteyvee864 Před 4 lety +6

      Yeah, Mathwiz is aware of Aleczandxr so I was surprised he didn't bring that up since this was mentioned in his Zoldyck Family video.

    • @aneonfoxtribute
      @aneonfoxtribute Před 4 lety +3

      @@NaturalHypertrophy I wouldn't necessarily call it a ploy.

    • @NaturalHypertrophy
      @NaturalHypertrophy Před 4 lety +2

      @@aneonfoxtribute Yeah the term is a bit too nefarious lol. Stratagem then?

    • @aneonfoxtribute
      @aneonfoxtribute Před 4 lety +14

      @@NaturalHypertrophy I wouldn't exactly call it a conscious plan on Kalluto's part. I just think that he envies Alluka and wants to be more like her, so he dresses feminine.

  • @veryvivid
    @veryvivid Před 4 lety +180

    I'm pretty certain kalluto is a boy, and his feminine presentation is actually quite special to me. Kalluto is actually one of my favourite characters (I know he only shows up in like 5 episodes okay i still love him), and i grew attached to him after my own struggles with presentation =/= gender identity. I'm non binary, and for a long while i felt i had to present myself as androgynous so people would take me seriously, but i fuckin love skirts and pink and makeup and long hair, i like being feminine. Enter kalluto, a person who is always referred to as a boy by the people who know him, uses boku, and he wears a fucking kimono all the time. He doesn't need to act as a certain gender to know what gender he is.
    I also tend to find the argument "kalluto wears women's clothing and has a feminine haircut so they must be a trans girl" kind of small minded? It always feels like the fandom is trying to push a certain identity onto kalluto just because he dresses femininely, it's like "only girls wear dresses!! boys cannot wear dresses!!! Nonono!!!!!" I just like kalluto the way he is presented in the text, as a young boy who dresses femininely, and also murders ppl with confetti.
    I love my special boy

    • @roastingghosts1302
      @roastingghosts1302 Před 4 lety +15

      eris barnes honestly it reminds of how there are feminine men who love to dress up as female characters or just dress femininely in general but there are people pressuring them to “come out” as trans.
      I feel like despite people trying to be more open there’s a lot of people who still correlate someone following a gender stereotype as being trans instead of simply just being feminine or masculine and proud of it. People can dress however they want and act how they want (so long as it’s legal of course) and they shouldn’t have to deal with others trying to push them to be something they aren’t.

    • @veryvivid
      @veryvivid Před 4 lety +16

      @@roastingghosts1302 definitely!!! Even though trans and nb identities are (very slowly) becoming a bit more normal, the pressure of binary presentation is still very present even amongst the trans community.
      I know trans men who will shame other trans men for not binding or wearing something feminine, and i have personally had people refuse to acknowledge me as non binary because I dress hyper-feminine. I even had a teacher (in front of the whole class), tell me "you have to understand, that when i look at you, i see a girl" after i corrected her for using she pronouns (which we talked about before class, and she said it was okay for me to correct her).
      So anyways, yes, characters like kalluto are very important to me, there's also rui from gatchaman crowds, who is a boy and wears wigs and dresses casually for no other reason than it makes him feel pretty. This kind of gender fuckery is often overlooked, because people prefer more black and white gender identity stories, but to me, these stories are very very important

    • @plzleavemealone9660
      @plzleavemealone9660 Před 4 lety +7

      I feel like maybe it has something to do with him being with his mother.
      Either he really liked how she dressed and wanted to wear feminine clothes too (I think in the movie his mother actually wore a Kimono just like him ) or his mother forced him to for some reason, right now we can't be sure.
      But yeah, I talked about this with a non-binary friend of mine a few months ago and it's annoying when people assume someone is trans just because they are more tom boyish or they are male and like ''feminen things''.
      I remember when the internet was full of ''trans boys'' that were just tomboys. It was sad to see and even I at the time started thinking I was trans because I liked to dress more flamboyant.

    • @plzleavemealone9660
      @plzleavemealone9660 Před 4 lety +2

      @@veryvivid
      My friend wet trough something similar to that, it's more like they didn't understand why they felt weird when someone called them girl because they liked ''feminen'' things and at that time they didn't know that non-binary people were a thing.

    • @25254617
      @25254617 Před 4 lety +5

      this is a really interesting perspective! like, personally the idea of kalluto just loving the feminine side of his and explore it more for his own never occured to me 🥺 imagining him picking dresses because he likes them and not because he wishes to change his gender is a heartwarming possible idea

  • @mudawott
    @mudawott Před 4 lety +321

    This analaysis was fantastic
    One of the most interesting and good things I noticed while watching is how all of these trans characters are drawn. They are all drawn like any member of their gender instead of their assigned sex. The trans women and girl look like a woman and a girl. And the trans man looks like a man. Which can't be aaid for a lot of other trans characters *coughcough magne*
    Not to say passing is necessary to be trans but characters like magne and her friend are terrible characters

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +79

      Magne getting killed off definitely isn't a great look considering she's the only visibly trans character in the story (Tiger exists, but his trans-ness isn't mentioned within the narrative as far as I'm aware, only in his character bio), but there are some things I like about her. I wouldn't give her a very strong defense, but I don't think her design not "passing" as female is all that bad, personally. I think she's interesting within the context of Hero Academia's setting given how Horikoshi generally portrays his villains, but explaining my perspective would take a lot of words and time I'm not willing to invest in a youtube comment lol.

    • @jadelee4404
      @jadelee4404 Před 4 lety +55

      I don't know, I actually really liked Magne. I can totally understand why someone wouldn't, but the idea that even though she doesn't 'pass', and even though her friends are definitely not good people and are the villains of the story, the fact that they still refer to her by her gender is really cool, to me.
      But, again, I can see why it could be seen as not great, especially since she's the only visible trans character, and the fact that she was killed off was a little disappointing.

    • @mudawott
      @mudawott Před 4 lety +14

      @@MathWizHQ very fair. I do like somethings like how her friends respect her. but its more you can do a non passing design in much less uncomfortable ways. Then there is also her friend.

    • @mudawott
      @mudawott Před 4 lety +15

      @@jadelee4404 mentioned it in another comment but I do like how her friends treat her and how her death has a place in the story that makes her an important turning point for the league of Villains. The problem is that she was fridged as the first onscreen death. Its also that her and Her friend shown in the flashback before her death are transphobix chaeacters

    • @Champsr0ck2247
      @Champsr0ck2247 Před 4 lety +12

      I think Magne was fine in theory and even killing her off is fine in theory, it just doesn't look good since Magne is the only major trans rep. The death doesn't feel mean-spirited, just that he missed the implications of killing Magne off.
      I mean, the only 2 expendable members of the League were Magne and Spinner (they were the only ones that failed in the Training Camp but escaped) and I don't think anyone would care if Spinner got killed by Overhaul.

  • @yue1103
    @yue1103 Před 3 lety +24

    I made a fandub of Killua and Alluka, and got people asking why I refered to her with female pronouns. I had people correcting me and telling me to change the pronouns because "all the Zoldyck siblings are male!".
    I had to remember everyone that the character I was playing was "Killua"! And that I had to refer to Alluka the way her brother would do. Alluka is Killua's little sister!! Killua and Alluka refer to her as a girl! I even quoted the japanese dialogue so they'd stop complaining.

  • @tylerhood5035
    @tylerhood5035 Před 4 lety +59

    I wonder if Naoko Takeuchi had something to do with Togashi's evolving views.

  • @derpedfox
    @derpedfox Před 7 měsíci +7

    Don't let Togashi's progressive and really wholesome representations made you forget that Bungee gum possess the properties of both gum and rubber

  • @somegal934
    @somegal934 Před 4 lety +35

    I found this on a random hxh video essay binge and I love everything about it, the writing, your voice, the care you clearly put into it; you got yourself a sub from me

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +3

      thank you so much!! glad you enjoyed it! :)

  • @GeenPoblin
    @GeenPoblin Před 4 lety +17

    It's so interesting that both Togashi and his wife, who is the author of Sailor Moon, both had surprisingly progressive views of gender, sexuality, etc. Especially for 1990s Japan considering its conservative domination of politics and public opinion at the time.

  • @louvanhaute7659
    @louvanhaute7659 Před 3 lety +15

    Trans person here, I'm just happy he's trying, it makes me happy that he cares enough to attempt to create positive representation. My standards might be low because of how starved i am for said positive representation, but i don't think there's any reason for me to be upset at him. Yes is clumsy, but it's never malicious, and I think that's what matters the most here. A guy is going out of his way to try to create characters I can relate to, and that alone means a lot to me.

  • @vjgodlybang
    @vjgodlybang Před 4 lety +114

    One major aspect of Hunter x Hunter is having a main/significant character to both its plot/world be a young transgender girl. It frustrates me immensely that many fans of the show try to dismiss these things even go so far as to not properly accept Alluka with rhetoric.
    That a creator has to properly come out in an interview, and be, like, yeah-she is transgender as if for cisgender characters this is never questioned by fans.
    Another example is of Lily from Zombieland Saga. Just folks look at the show, and lose super obvious critical thinking skills of Lily being transgender from her death, and dysphoria.
    Great work on the video! Reassuring, and glad to see this type of analysis work in anime circles!

    • @ShouVertica
      @ShouVertica Před 4 lety +3

      I mean if the viewers didn't come away knowing the character was trans that's the author's fault.

    • @underFlorence
      @underFlorence Před 4 lety +48

      @@ShouVertica you're underestimating how (sometimes purposefully) dense cis people can be

    • @_frms
      @_frms Před 4 lety +2

      If you know that trans people exist, it's pretty easy to get

    • @ShouVertica
      @ShouVertica Před 4 lety +1

      @@underFlorence Yes, it's the fault of "dense cis people", not bad writing and translation issues that have forever plagued HxH.
      /s

    • @vjgodlybang
      @vjgodlybang Před 4 lety +30

      Character is gendered specific way by entire family. Makes character outwardly upset, frustrated, and livid on each experience.
      One family member genders character in specific way. Makes character enthusiastic, outwardly glad, and comfortable with them.
      Yeah-miss me with that garbage reasoning.

  • @SebastianSeanCrow
    @SebastianSeanCrow Před 4 lety +4

    When I first saw this in my feed, I wasn't sure what to expect and I was honestly fearing the worst. I'm really glad I took the chance to watch the video because it's very well thought out and put together and nothing like my anxiety was telling me it could be. Thank you.

  • @josem.dueneztinoco2388
    @josem.dueneztinoco2388 Před 3 lety +14

    People may argue that "changing" your gender is unatural...
    What is unatural is to feel uncomfortable with yourself, do whatever suits you, whatever makes you happy, but do not expect everybody to accept it. Everybody has a different opinion, so you need to accept that life is hard.
    I support you, but not everyone has to.

  • @calmsouls4502
    @calmsouls4502 Před rokem +15

    One bit that Western people don't realize is that men wearing women's clothes was a common occurrence in Japan in theater for a long time before anime came along. Kabuki is a good example of this, but it's not limited to that. Men wearing women's clothes has been a thing in Japan for a long time before it was everything in the Western countries, and it was wasnt necessarily linked to being gay or trans

    • @darkfish7128
      @darkfish7128 Před rokem +10

      Dude really said: "there is no trans people in japan"

    • @mallardofmodernia8092
      @mallardofmodernia8092 Před 10 měsíci +4

      @@darkfish7128 no he is just saying that western context clues for trans characters might not work in japanese contexts given their different histories. People either illogically headcanon their favourite characters as x or y (including straight and cis people) and keep it to themselves or spend an excruciating amount of time making videos like this without consulting the artist or researching interviews thoroughly or finding out about their home life (without invading privacy, ethical journalism is important).
      Im not saying none of these characters are trans but "traps" (which are completely cisgender) are a big thing in japan so people need to be careful where they throw the dart on the dartboard.

    • @aakash202
      @aakash202 Před 8 měsíci +1

      exactly bro judging everyone under same western light lmao.

  • @aidenmconrad
    @aidenmconrad Před 3 lety +87

    it always pissed me off how a portion of the hxh fan community refuses to see alluka as a girl and how it’s even a debate. glad to see that there are fans of the show with a bit more sense

  • @FabbrizioPlays
    @FabbrizioPlays Před 10 měsíci +7

    Honestly given all the strong LGBTQ rep in the original Sailor Moon manga, you can't convince me that Naoko Takeuchi didn't play a serious role in improving Togashi's writing of queer characters.

  • @tehawsumninja
    @tehawsumninja Před 4 lety +80

    Much like many others have said in the comments as well, I got to say that even if I may not side with Togashi and his perspectives, I at least appreciate the fact that he even includes trans characters, to begin with. After all, no matter how "problematic" the way he presents them may be, it's still more than almost any other shonen mangaka has ever done for gender expression. Even acknowledging that a trans character exists is better than a world in which they don't. While there is always room for improvement and better representation as well as character portrayals, I can't help but appreciate that Togashi tackled such issues, especially in his medium of like-minded creators who rarely go outside of the norm.
    I've missed so many videos from you and Craftsdwarf over on the Nen Show and I can't wait to watch them now that I have internet again and have so much time due to quarantine. Apologies in advance if you get a lot of spam or notifications on comments if you even have alerts for those things lol It's good to be back and I'm going on to watch all the stuff I missed.

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +5

      ayyy, glad to have you back!!

    • @lampad4549
      @lampad4549 Před 4 lety +3

      This may come off as transphobic but hear me out. Agree there's nothing wrong with a story that acknowledges and writes about characters that are transgender but there is nothing wrong with a story that chooses not to as well. There are plenty of shounen stories and stories in general that are great that don't write about transgender characters like march comes in like a lion, game of thrones, breaking bad, monogatari, mobile suit gundam. Again nothing wrong with having but nothing great about having it.

    • @tehawsumninja
      @tehawsumninja Před 4 lety +8

      @@lampad4549 I mean its great as in its great for representation of transgender individuals. Having any rep at all is great for rep. That's what I was saying. Didnt mean a story has to have rep to be great

  • @MopedOfJustice
    @MopedOfJustice Před 4 lety +142

    I'm sorry that so much of the anime community is so reactionary. Thanks for making this video.

  • @B1izzardd
    @B1izzardd Před 3 lety +17

    I hate how fans push it off like “it doesn’t matter that they’re trans it has no effect” just because the concept makes them uncomfortable. Tons of hunter x hunter fans try to pretend alluka isn’t trans just because they dislike the real like concept.

  • @miistars
    @miistars Před 4 lety +6

    thanks so much for this video! so many people misunderstand alluka’s character in the anime community

  • @ArkThePieKing
    @ArkThePieKing Před 4 lety

    I've never come across your channel before but this was honestly one of the better anime dissertations I've seen in months. This was super informative and really, really enjoyable. I just sent it to 2 friends and I'll be checking out more of your videos now.

  • @erathymc.8765
    @erathymc.8765 Před 4 lety +1

    Been watching this every couple of weeks and I just want to say, your end part on Alluka and Nanika (and abusive relations) is one of the strongest things I've heard in regards to trans gender identity. It's late so I'm not articulate, but HRT is saying your speech is cry fodder. Thank you Mathwiz :)

  • @sedef7696
    @sedef7696 Před 3 lety +10

    i literally love togashi and his work. he's a genius at storytelling, representation, and receiving the point across. with the worlds that he has created, they're very warm, but meaningful and understandable

  • @murdahshewrote9251
    @murdahshewrote9251 Před 4 lety +34

    this is gonna be so much fun.
    EDIT: 15:20 jesus christ FINALLY someone says it.

  • @macleanjackson-hartford7937

    I've been loving all of these videos, thank you for such a dedicated approach!

  • @axisboise
    @axisboise Před 4 lety +1

    Okay you and Aleczandxr are my favorite content creators on anime video essays! This is so well done! Thank you!

  • @prozacs7686
    @prozacs7686 Před 4 lety +10

    Hey I really appreciate this video since it's really difficult to find people in the anime community with nuanced discussions about gender and LGBT issues and you managed to transform the qualms i had with that yu yu hakusho scene and my thoughts how togashi's writing has evolved over the years in a well-made video. I've subscribed!

  • @jaxisvoid3070
    @jaxisvoid3070 Před 3 lety +9

    15:37
    "It turns out our mrs. is a mrs."
    oh how the turn tables

  • @whyh6876
    @whyh6876 Před 4 lety +2

    Well done. A great look at the evolution of Togashi’s writing ability in such a niche field.

  • @krisedane
    @krisedane Před 3 lety

    this video made my day

  • @EvynnexEvynne
    @EvynnexEvynne Před 4 lety +3

    Amazing video, I always appreciate nuanced takes ^-^ I haven't read/watched Level E, so hearing your take on it gave some great context to Togashi's growth between YYH and HxH (and now I'm a lot more inclined to read/watch it)

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +2

      Level E is very good - maybe a lot to unpack, but good

    • @EvynnexEvynne
      @EvynnexEvynne Před 4 lety

      All the more reason to check it out ^-^ like you said, any type of representation can start a conversation/contemplation

    • @HexManiacQuinn
      @HexManiacQuinn Před 4 lety +2

      Even beyond conversations on representation, I will praise it to high heavens whenever possible, so yes I highly recommend it. Amazing comedy, one of my favorites.

  • @Penkeychain
    @Penkeychain Před 4 lety +7

    I love how you recorded this footage on April fool's. :clap:
    Speaking of the actual content, these observations were really interesting. I mean, Togashi created these different characters over a span of 20 years during which a lot happened in the political/social landscape. It's likewise also always nice to see some Level E in the spotlight, as it is kinda overlooked in its awkward place a lot of the time.

  • @maahheim
    @maahheim Před 3 lety

    I love this video so much. Since I found this out I have watched it at least 5 times, and I always recommend it to my friends. Thank you for making it!

  • @igornascimm
    @igornascimm Před 4 lety +1

    great video man, love that you use multiple sources and different translations to solidify your claims

  • @giganfan1everyoneelse451
    @giganfan1everyoneelse451 Před 3 lety +3

    I love it whenever someone makes a point (not in a negative way) and let's the viewer think about it afterwards

  • @revolutionarymagic3459
    @revolutionarymagic3459 Před 4 lety +14

    It feels so good to have an anime fan talk about this stuff and not be so out of touch

  • @25254617
    @25254617 Před 4 lety +2

    AAH this is such a wonderful and insightful video, thank you! while watching yyh, i kept thinking how direct togashi depict a character’s gender and the explicit surrounding comments through the eyes of his chara. but through hxh, now i can see the progressive and careful measurement of him wanting to give a better narrative for what he had mistakenly done in yyh or wasnt properly narrated in level e. togashi ily fr

  • @traviseckert6187
    @traviseckert6187 Před 4 lety

    Thank you for discussing this issue that I didn't know needed much discussing. Thinking down the line I may integrate some of these scenes in my classroom to discuss the misrepresentation of this group and issues. Dope video.

  • @Layra151301
    @Layra151301 Před 2 lety +6

    I love that he never gave up. That's why I'm excited to see more. I hope he feels better eventually

    • @nenmaster5218
      @nenmaster5218 Před rokem

      Trans-Hate is unfortunately raging right-now...

  • @Tsukikorao
    @Tsukikorao Před 4 lety +79

    That Level E episode made me finally realize I was trans masc

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety +21

      Congrats!! Mikihisa is very good

    • @pkwytv
      @pkwytv Před 4 lety +4

      Yo that’s cool af

    • @No-zl3ui
      @No-zl3ui Před 4 lety +4

      Cyrus Hell yeah! Just remember you are what you want to be, don’t let people tell you that you can’t. Be proud of who you are, and for being able to express it.

  • @tashibalampkin8555
    @tashibalampkin8555 Před 3 lety +1

    This is such a good video. It's so detailed and for some reason I almost cried.

  • @bigfloppywithasideoffries6547

    i'm really glad you tackled these issues in a tactful way

  • @pikaparty
    @pikaparty Před 4 lety +19

    Always felt uncomfortable with that YYH scene, much as I love the show. I'm so glad HxH handled the issue better. I love Alluka ;_;

  • @joshuadixon01
    @joshuadixon01 Před 4 lety +19

    Togashi expresses his way of change down to just how strong the character believes they are what they want to be . For example. Meruem is a ant and he wanted to understand humans down to the very understanding so through all of the interactions he learned more and more and by the end of meruems life he became so understanding and beliefs of a human everyone who saw him let wolf guy(I forgot his name) live we all said he became a human. So if you believe you are something you have to change your way of thinking,acting,viewings to exactly what you want to be to actually be that thing or being.if you wanna be a lion think and act like one at all times. Not just when your with the pack.

  • @grafcharming5030
    @grafcharming5030 Před 3 lety

    I loved this video. The points you made and how you tackled the topic was really good and easy to listen to 😄
    And the editing was also cool :)

  • @CharmingCharmanderz
    @CharmingCharmanderz Před 4 lety +1

    Thank you for this video, I appreciate any talk regarding anime and it’s problematic elements that uses a respectful and considerate language and a good message of respectful to others.

  • @madisonffgirl
    @madisonffgirl Před 4 lety +186

    In before transphobic comments.
    Anyway, great video, really does justice to the trans characters of these series. I really love that you tackled this.

    • @madisonffgirl
      @madisonffgirl Před 4 lety +2

      @@effecteyvee864 guess i missed it going in before then lol

    • @madisonffgirl
      @madisonffgirl Před 4 lety +3

      @@godlike3591 there has been some posts that were deleted that were pretty tranphobic. Like saying what u have down stairs is your gender, you cant change gender etc.

    • @madisonffgirl
      @madisonffgirl Před 4 lety +6

      @@godlike3591 wont let me view your comment fully because some CZcams bsing
      But its not valid argument. If thats your argument your not doing the right search and you a transphobe. I used to get into hours and days debate with folk witj that argument but all it went is in circle. People are going to convince themselves of how they feel no matter how much evidence slaps them in tje face and tje world changes around them

    • @mawatts40
      @mawatts40 Před 4 lety +1

      Wow, way to shut off comments.

    • @HexManiacQuinn
      @HexManiacQuinn Před 4 lety +9

      @@silver_soul Biology is not gender. Biology is sex.

  • @damiannova5207
    @damiannova5207 Před 4 lety +4

    Also I liked the 6:46 use of The Bride Was A Boy, that’s one of my all time fav comics! It’s so adorable!

    • @MathWizHQ
      @MathWizHQ  Před 4 lety

      I will jump at any opportunity to reference it lol

  • @magnumopusmarcenaria
    @magnumopusmarcenaria Před 11 měsíci +2

    oh it's so refreshing to see an anime review channel talking about these themes with such clear and non-judgemental view

  • @NekoChanSenpai
    @NekoChanSenpai Před 3 lety

    Loving how this video plays with that clip. It's my favorite part.

  • @Eli-zk4mp
    @Eli-zk4mp Před rokem +4

    This is a fantastic video

  • @UrbanTheMyth
    @UrbanTheMyth Před 4 lety +44

    Based video.
    Also, the Yusuke edits were funny and good.

  • @foregroundeclipse8725

    Love you're video btw. Also you can honestly see his growth on depicting trans characters. He's learning . That's great honestly. :)

  • @rachelharvey4635
    @rachelharvey4635 Před 3 lety

    I'm really glad you talked about Level E as well because when I watched those two episodes, I was just really confused about how I should feel about it.

  • @NaturalHypertrophy
    @NaturalHypertrophy Před 4 lety +41

    !!! Amazing topic, can't wait to watch! I was just thinking about the importance of Alluka's gender identity and how it shed a dark light on her childhood as a Zoldyck. Other mangas that include trans characters like One Piece, My Hero etc would be amazing to explore too

    • @mudawott
      @mudawott Před 4 lety +11

      My Heroes trans c haracters are unfortunately a lot less interesting than this. Magne is a blatently bad and transphobic design saved only by her peers being not transphovic

    • @naya3149
      @naya3149 Před 4 lety +1

      @@mudawott What about tiger?

    • @NaturalHypertrophy
      @NaturalHypertrophy Před 4 lety +4

      @@mudawott I don't disagree; but imo that's why it should be included when talking about gender identity. The less explored & caricatural representations of trans characters in manga tell as much (if not sometimes more) about the medium than properly written ones do.
      As you mention, Magne's nakamas acceptance of her gender identity would be a good way to discuss the League of Villains dynamics & mindset through the shared destiny that seems to link these outcasts together (since Magne is not developed much this would be a good way to explore the character in depth).

    • @mudawott
      @mudawott Před 4 lety +3

      @@naya3149 Tigers only mention of his gender identity is a small comment in his bio at the end of a chapter.
      Hes also go that man wearing a skirt thijg going on.

    • @mudawott
      @mudawott Před 4 lety +4

      @@NaturalHypertrophy i can definitely agree with talking about Magne for that reason. She does a lot in humanising the League of Villains, showing that they arent just villains. They take care of their own. But she is gone to quickly, as the first onscreen death of the series and her only humanising moments are the ones that lead to her death. Those momwnts also introduce another characture.
      I would love to see a retelling of this kind of thing though. Where a direct contrast with tiger is made. Like he passes so he is accepted while Magne doesnt and so she is rejected but im not sure that could ever happened

  • @dantecrottogini529
    @dantecrottogini529 Před 4 lety +5

    unrelated but i hope Oda adresses some of these topic with Okiku. I'm specially interested in seeing how Sanji will react to her

  • @tiftif56
    @tiftif56 Před 4 lety +1

    Great video! Found myself crying watching Alluka hugging Killua again.
    Damn I need to watch HxH again :)

  • @amyrose9889nenasonic
    @amyrose9889nenasonic Před 4 lety +1

    I got multiple chills & found myself feeling a bit emotional hearing you describe the parallels of trans identity and nanika in regards to hunter x hunter! On my initial first watch I never would of thought of alluka/nanika in such a way but this puts in such a clear & true perspective and have me even more reason to love killua while having even more respect for this show. The character development of togashi is something serious!

  • @jmichael1holmes
    @jmichael1holmes Před 3 lety +6

    All this and people still think its impossible for Killua to be gay!

  • @ali_p_q7920
    @ali_p_q7920 Před 2 lety +6

    I really like how nuanced Togashi can be in HxH. The first time I watched it, Alluka simply came through as a lovely little girl. I thought the Zoldycks were simply treating all their girls as boys, because being an assassin is a male thing (in their minds). Then I learned more about the Japanese gender words and the whole Nanika thing grew in meaning. Considering Togashi's previous works, that was definitely intentional.For me, as a hetero male with no close relationships with any transgender person (closest thing was a transgender boss), that may have been the best example I have ever seen on how to properly acknowledge a transgender person. Being uncomfortable with a trans person's duality is (sadly) a typical reaction. I would definitely have felt less uncomfortable if back then my boss had been more clearly a man in her behaviour, but she wasn't. Sometimes she was so feminine. I was not judgemental, but that was not easy for a 20 year old male to understand. She was very fond of me, and in the end I think I did well just for not being judgemental. What others may perceive as an evil chaotic threat (Nanika) is just part of what that adorable cute girl Alluka is, and it does not make her any more or less cute and adorable. We learn that Nanika only returns evil when she receives evil amd selfish requests. When she receives good, she is just as good as anyone else. Nanika is not a problem to be fixed, as hard as it might be for many people to simply accept this fact. Kudos to Togashi-sensei.

  • @leonyo8430
    @leonyo8430 Před 3 lety

    Wow CZcams could have recommended this to me early like I don’t know IN JUNE. But any the video was great and brought a smile to my face.

  • @annaseo2236
    @annaseo2236 Před rokem +1

    Absolutely fantastic video essay!