# List of animated series with LGBTQ characters: 1990–1999

From 1990 to 1999, more LGBTQ characters appeared in anime than in Western animation. Most prominently, LGBTQ characters appeared in series such as Revolutionary Girl Utena, Cardcaptor Sakura, One Piece, Dear Brother, Sailor Moon, and Ai no Kusabi. In contrast, Gargoyles featured an array of gay, bisexual, and asexual characters, followed by South Park and Family Guy in the later 1990s.
This list only includes recurring characters, otherwise known as supporting characters, which appear frequently from time to time during the series' run, often playing major roles in more than one episode, and those in the main cast are listed below. LGBTQ characters which are guest stars or one-off characters are listed on the pages focusing exclusively on gay (in animation and anime), lesbian (in animation and anime), bisexual (in animation and anime), trans, pansexual, asexual, non-binary, and intersex characters.
The entries on this page are organized alphanumerically by duration dates and then alphabetically by the first letter of a specific series.

## 1990–1993

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1991–1992 | Dear Brother | July 14, 1991 | Fukiko Ichinomiya | Bisexual | Also known as "Miya-sama," she appears to be calm, generous, and elegant, as head of the Seiran Academy sorority, while she is cruel and emotionally manipulative, often psychologically and physically torturing Rei for several ambiguous reasons. She desires that Rei only have eyes for her, no one else. She also jealously tries to destroy their relationship by making Nanako love her instead. It is then revealed that she and Rei are sisters (proving their relationship to be incestual), specifically daughters of the Ichinomiya leader and a maid of the family mansion. In the anime, she is shown to that she fell in love Takehiko when she was twelve and he spent several days with her in the Ichinomiya mansion, but he unknowingly broke her heart by not showing up to her birthday party. | Japan |
| 1991–1992 | Dear Brother | July 14, 1991 | Mariko Shinobu | Lesbian | Mariko greatly admires Kaoru due to her strength and the emotional support she gives her, and she admits to loving Kaoru. Mariko distrusts all men because her father Hikawa is an erotica author who has an affair with an actress and later divorces Mariko's mother Hisako, who keeps her sadness bottled up as, she raises Mariko practically on her own. | Japan |
| 1991–1992 | Dear Brother | July 14, 1991 | Nanako Misonoo | Lesbian | 16-year-old Nanako, a student at Seiran Academy, falls in love with Rei Asaka, who goes by the nickname Saint-Just-Sama, one of the school beauties. Rei slowly reciprocates her feelings and their relationship is one of the major driving plots of the series. However, Rei's destructive relationship with Fukiko Ichinomiya leads her to be troubled, obsessed with death, and drug-addicted. Kaoru also has a close relationship with Rei, and they care about each other, but they never get romantically involved. Some critics have described Rei as a "gender non-conforming hero" and a butch woman, due to her masculine aura, and having romantic relationships with other women. | Japan |
| 1991–1992 | Dear Brother | July 14, 1991 | Rei Asaka | Lesbian | 16-year-old Nanako, a student at Seiran Academy, falls in love with Rei Asaka, who goes by the nickname Saint-Just-Sama, one of the school beauties. Rei slowly reciprocates her feelings and their relationship is one of the major driving plots of the series. However, Rei's destructive relationship with Fukiko Ichinomiya leads her to be troubled, obsessed with death, and drug-addicted. Kaoru also has a close relationship with Rei, and they care about each other, but they never get romantically involved. Some critics have described Rei as a "gender non-conforming hero" and a butch woman, due to her masculine aura, and having romantic relationships with other women. | Japan |
| 1992–1994 | Ai no Kusabi | August 1, 1992 | Daryl | Gay | Daryl is an eighteen-year-old castrated boy who served as Iason's furniture and Riki's caretaker. He fell in love with Riki because of his pride and strong will. | Japan |
| 1992–1994 | Ai no Kusabi | August 1, 1992 | Guy | Gay | Guy was Riki's lover prior to his capture and Guy is determined to save Riki from Iason. | Japan |
| 1992–1994 | Ai no Kusabi | August 1, 1992 | Iason | Gay | He is the most superior and powerful Blondie in Tanagura, and the head of the Syndicate, Tanagura's black market for pet trade. He is in love with his pet Riki, a mongrel from the slums, and later he begins to love Riki to the point of obsession. | Japan |
| 1992–1994 | Ai no Kusabi | August 1, 1992 | Kirie | Gay | A wild member of the Bison gang who is ambitious and sly. Riki hates him as he reminds him of his former rebellious self but Kirie himself is romantically obsessed with Riki. | Japan |
| 1992–1994 | Ai no Kusabi | August 1, 1992 | Riki | Bisexual | Riki was once the gang leader of the Bison gang. However he was captured and kept as a pet for three years by Iason who grew obsessively in love with him. One reviewer found the characterization of Iason in the third novel to be realistic and compelling, Prior to this, Riki was in a relationship with Guy. He also once engaged in a one-night stand with a female slave named Mimea. | Japan |
| 1992–1997 | Sailor Moon | June 13, 1992 | Zoisite | Gay (90s anime only) | Zoisite is in a relationship with Kunzite, another powerful general who works under Queen Beryl from the Dark Kingdom. Zoisite was described as having a personality of an "effeminate, youngest-child type" in the Materials Collection of the manga. | Japan |
| 1992–1997 | Sailor Moon | June 13, 1992 | Kunzite | Gay (90s anime only) | Kunzite is in a relationship with Zoisite, a powerful general. Kunzite was described as having the "air of an Arabian king," while being calm, silent, and frightening when he gets angry. | Japan |
| 1992–1997 | Sailor Moon | April 19, 1994 | Haruka Tenoh (Sailor Uranus) | Lesbian | Haruka and Michiru are in a relationship. This was changed in the original release of the English version of the anime, where they were made "cousins". In the re-release of the original anime however the English version keeps their same-sex relationship. In a September 1996 interview, the creator of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, said that they began as friends, with their friendship flowing "into love," adding that a "true love between two women could exist," in the case of Haruka and Michiru. In a 1999 interview, Takeuchi reasserted this, adding that Michiru is "girlish and feminine" and Haruka is "kind of boyish and has the heart of a guy." | Japan |
| 1992–1997 | Sailor Moon | April 19, 1994 | Michiru Kaioh (Sailor Neptune) | Lesbian | Haruka and Michiru are in a relationship. This was changed in the original release of the English version of the anime, where they were made "cousins". In the re-release of the original anime however the English version keeps their same-sex relationship. In a September 1996 interview, the creator of Sailor Moon, Naoko Takeuchi, said that they began as friends, with their friendship flowing "into love," adding that a "true love between two women could exist," in the case of Haruka and Michiru. In a 1999 interview, Takeuchi reasserted this, adding that Michiru is "girlish and feminine" and Haruka is "kind of boyish and has the heart of a guy." | Japan |
| 1992–1997 | Sailor Moon | March 4, 1995 | Fish-Eye | Gay | The villain Fish-Eye is an effeminate cross-dressing man who is romantically interested in men as first shown in the episode "Meeting of Destiny: The Night Pegasus Dances." He was changed into a woman in the original English dub. He was described as acting like a clumsy "ball-balancing girl" at the circus. | Japan |
| 1992–1997 | Sailor Moon | December 7, 1996 | Sailor Starlights | Genderqueer (90s anime only) | In the 90s anime, the Sailor Starlights (Sailor Star Fighter, Sailor Star Maker, and Sailor Star Healer) were born female, but transform to present and refer to themselves as males when not fighting, as shown in the episode, "Holy War in the Galaxy! Sailor Wars Legend." In a 1999 interview, Takeuchi said she had made them always girls in the manga; in the anime, "they got turned into guys, which displeased me and I wasn't very happy about it." | Japan |

## 1994

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1994–1997 | Gargoyles | October 24, 1994 | Lexington | Gay | In a 2008 interview, series creator Greg Weisman stated that Lexington is gay. In May 2005, Weisman responded to fans about Lexington's gay identity, saying that Lexington hadn't "completely come to terms with his sexuality" when he went out with Angela. He also said that while he wasn't trying to hint with anything in the series, he knew Lexington was gay "sometime in '95 or '96," although he couldn't have addressed in the show directly, because he would have been fired if he had done so. He further said that Lexington, as a gay person, tells his own truths, as does every character. | United States |
| 1994–1997 | Gargoyles | November 4, 1994 | Janine Renard | Bisexual | Former leader of The Pack, born with the name of Janine Renard, and later legally turns her name to Fox. She falls in love with David Xanatos, a young businessman, beginning in "The Thrill of the Hunt" episode whom she marries in the show's second season, in the episode "Vows." She could have a liking to Titania, the wife of Oberon and queen of the Third race, as shown in the episode "The Gathering." Weisman confirmed her as a bisexual woman. | United States |
| 1994–1997 | Gargoyles | September 11, 1995 | Owen Burnett | Asexual | Formerly the aid of Xanatos' aide, who is later revealed to be the immortal trickster Puck. Weisman confirmed Owen as asexual in response to various fan questions, but said that he had still dated a woman in the past. | United States |
| 1994–1997 | Gargoyles | September 11, 1995 | Puck | Bisexual | Weisman confirmed Puck as bisexual in response to a fan in September 2014. | United States |
| 1994-2008 | Space Ghost Coast to Coast | December 25, 1994 | Lokar | Gay | Lokar is a locust alien and member of the Council of Doom. He is Zorak's rival. Lokar, is the opposite of Zorak as in he is a cultured snob, as opposed to being a crude slob like Zorak. There are hints throughout the series that Lokar is gay. He has referred to male characters as either lover or darling and appeared to have romantic feelings for Moltar as shown in the episodes "Explode", "Surprise" and "Waiting for Edward". Supplementary material for the series had Lokar referred to himself as a Confirmed bachelor. One article for Lokar's section in the official Cartoon Network website titled Lokar's Sumptuous Salute to Summer Frolic features a reference to a slang word for gay sex. Lokar disappeared after the fifth season aside from a wanted poster in the season eight episode "Whipping Post". His sexuality was confirmed in audio commentaries for the Space Ghost Coast to Coast Volume 2 DVD. It was also revealed that Lokar died at some point during the series. However this was eventually contradicted when Lokar returned in Season 11 in where he is shown to be alive and well. Lokar also appeared in Space Ghost and Jellystone!. | United States |

## 1995

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1995 | Dirty Pair Flash: Mission II | June 1, 1995 | Leena | Lesbian | Leena had caught the eye of Touma when he and Yuri were caught on one of the planet's planned rainy days, as shown in episodes such as "Tokyo Holiday Network." From the time he set eyes on her, Touma was smitten with her but he didn't count on the fact that Leena was a lesbian who had her eyes on Yuri, who seems to have feelings for Kei. | Japan |
| 1995–1996 | El Hazard: The Magnificent World | October 21, 1995 | Alielle Relryle | Lesbian | Alielle is presented as a comical character who makes other women uncomfortable because of her open attraction to them, in episodes such as "The World of Thunder." She has been described as a "midget flaming lesbian" who sees Princess Fatora Venus as her the "only object" of her affection as shown in episodes like "The World of Mindless Adventures." Early on in the series she tries to have sex with Makoto Mizuhara thinking he is Fatora when he is actually crossdressing as Fatora, shown in "The World of Beautiful Girls" for example. In the show's second episode, she serves as the guide to Makoto and Masamichi Fujisawa to meet the three priestesses of Mount Muldoon. She is also attracted to one of the priestesses on the mountain, Shayla-Shayla, as shown in episodes like "The World of Hot Springs." She also appears in the second OVA, in 1997, titled "El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2." | Japan |
| 1995–1996 | El Hazard: The Magnificent World | October 21, 1995 | Fatora Venus | Lesbian | An apparently open lesbian, 23-year-old Fatora is like her primary lover Alielle in that she has an overdeveloped sex drive and little concern for the concept of "faithfulness" or even "disinterested", indicated in episodes like "The World of Mindless Adventures." While it is implied that she has had many other "once-off" lovers in the past, and is attracted to Kalia when she first appears in the episode "The Awakening of Kalia," she is fixated on Shayla-Shayla and Nanami Jinnai, trying to lure them into sharing her bed. In the episode "The Bride of Roshtari," the manages to fool Shayla-Shayla sufficiently that she manages to kiss her, naturally prompting a fiery explosion of fury when the priestess realizes who just claimed her first kiss. Fatora also has a crush on Gilda of the emperor's guards. Like Alielle, she appears in the second OVA, "El Hazard: The Magnificent World 2." | Japan |
| 1995–1996 | Fushigi Yûgi | April 20, 1995 | Nuriko | Bisexual | Nuriko initially dresses and acts as a woman named Kang-lin, one of Hotohori's concubines because Kang-lin was his twin sister who died and he wanted to keep her memory alive as shown in the episode, "The Seven Stars of Suzaku." He enjoys cross-dressing, as indicates in the episode "Even If I Die...," and is in love with Hotohori, but later also grows to love the main heroine Miaka as indicated in the episode "Brief Parting." | Japan |
| 1995–1997 | Crapston Villas | October 27, 1995 | Robbie | Gay | The series was one of the first animated series on British television to present openly gay characters. | United Kingdom |
| 1995–1997 | Crapston Villas | October 27, 1995 | Larry | Gay | The series was one of the first animated series on British television to present openly gay characters. | United Kingdom |

## 1996

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1996–1997 | You're Under Arrest | November 12, 1996 | Aoi Futaba | Trans woman | Aoi Futaba was initially male but once had to go undercover as a woman in a sting operation to catch some male molesters targeting women. However, she went "native" and has since considered herself and has been treated by her colleagues as a trans woman. Though her romantic preferences are made unclear, she seems to prefer men, as shown in episodes like "Aoi-chan has a White Rose." | Japan |
| 1996–1998 | Blazing Dragons | September 9, 1996 | Sir Blaze | Gay | Sir Blaze is a member of the Square Table which is composed of dragon knights. His mother is married to the king. Writers were mindful of it being a children's show, with those working on the show understanding Blaze was a gay character, who is flamboyant and effeminate, and as such, throughout the series, he is implied to be gay, according to series director Lawrence Jacobs. | Canada |
| 1996–1998 | Blazing Dragons | September 9, 1996 | Sir Blaze | Gay | Sir Blaze is a member of the Square Table which is composed of dragon knights. His mother is married to the king. Writers were mindful of it being a children's show, with those working on the show understanding Blaze was a gay character, who is flamboyant and effeminate, and as such, throughout the series, he is implied to be gay, according to series director Lawrence Jacobs. | France |
| 1996–2000 | Superman: The Animated Series | February 1, 1997 | Maggie Sawyer | Lesbian | Maggie Sawyer is the captain of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit. In the comics, Maggie is a lesbian. Toby Raynes, Maggie Sawyer's romantic partner, and a reporter for the Metropolis Star, is seen by her bedside in several hospital scenes and later Turpin's funeral service in the two-part episode, "Apokolips…Now!". Bruce Timm states in the commentary for "Tools of the Trade" that those scenes were the creators' way of acknowledging Sawyer's sexual orientation. In the comics, Maggie is also portrayed as a lesbian who comes to terms with her own sexual identity. The comic strip was later recognized as the 7th Outstanding Comic Strip at the March 1996 GLAAD Media Awards. | United States |
| 1996–2004 | Hey Arnold! | October 7, 1996 | Eugene Horowitz | Gay | On July 26, 2016, the show's creator Craig Bartlett stated that Eugene "is kind of 'proto-gay', so he's uncomfortable getting close to any girl" during an interview with BuzzFeed, though this was never explicitly stated during the show. Bartlett stated: "We always figured Eugene was kind of proto-gay. He's not gay yet, he just will be. He loves musical theater, and he's a wonderful guy." This was never explicitly disclosed in the series. Eugene's voice actor for season 5 is Blake McIver Ewing, a gay musician. | United States |
| 1996–2004 | Hey Arnold! | September 22, 1997 | Mr. Robert Simmons | Gay | In July 2016, Bartlett confirmed that Mr. Simmons was gay during an interview with BuzzFeed. Several episodes throughout the series hinted at Mr. Simmons' sexuality, including "Arnold's Thanksgiving", a Thanksgiving-themed episode which implies that one of his dinner guests, Peter, is his boyfriend, and that Simmons' mother wants him to date a female friend. However, it was never explicitly stated he was gay. Mr. Simmons also appears in Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie in which he is shown hugging Peter. A clip from "Arnold's Thanksgiving" was uploaded on the official Nickelodeon Animation Studio YouTube channel in June 2018 during Pride Month in which the description refers to Peter as Mr. Simmons' partner. His voice actor, Dan Butler is also gay. | United States |
| 1996–2011 | The Ambiguously Gay Duo | September 28, 1996 | Ace | Gay | These two superheroes engage in acts of heroism which are "ambiguously homosexual." In June 2020, Robert Smigel, one of the series creators, told The Daily Beast that the engine of the show was an "obsession with sexuality" and that he thought that it was funny because the homophobes and everyone are obsessed with finding out whether the superheroes are gay or not, calling it "sport and titillation." | United States |
| 1996–2011 | The Ambiguously Gay Duo | September 28, 1996 | Gary | Gay | These two superheroes engage in acts of heroism which are "ambiguously homosexual." In June 2020, Robert Smigel, one of the series creators, told The Daily Beast that the engine of the show was an "obsession with sexuality" and that he thought that it was funny because the homophobes and everyone are obsessed with finding out whether the superheroes are gay or not, calling it "sport and titillation." | United States |
| 1996–2022 | Arthur | October 7, 1996 | Nigel Ratburn | Gay | Mr. Ratburn, and another man, Patrick, get married in the series season 22 premiere, "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone," which aired on May 13, 2019. As such, he and Patrick are the only LGBT characters in the series. | United States |
| 1996–2022 | Arthur | May 13, 2019 | Patrick | Gay | Mr. Ratburn, and another man, Patrick, get married in the series season 22 premiere, "Mr. Ratburn and the Special Someone," which aired on May 13, 2019. As such, he and Patrick are the only LGBT characters in the series. | United States |

## 1997

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Anthy Himemiya | Bisexual | She is in love with Utena Tenjou, another series protagonist, with their love confirmed by director Kunihiko Ikuhara. The characters are seen kissing both in the TV show credits and the movie. At the beginning of the series, Anthy is engaged to an abusive man named Kyouichi Saionji, and it is later revealed that her brother, Akio, has been sexually assaulting her. This differs from the manga where Anthy has a consensual relationship with Akio and a romantic relationship with Utena. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Utena Tenjou | Bisexual | Apart from being in love with Anthy Himemiya, Utena is also in love with Akio Ohtori. She crossdresses as a prince and fights to protect Anthy, the Rose Bride, from harm, throughout the series, influencing creators like Rebecca Sugar. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Juri Arisugawa | Lesbian | Juri is explicitly in love with her female classmate, Shiori, in both the TV series and movie. She is described as "homosexual" by the creators in the DVD booklet. The commentary in the booklet indicated that Shiori also had feelings for her, but was too troubled and insecure to act on them in a healthy way. As such, Juri and Shiori have crushes on each other but do not known how to act on them. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Kyouichi Saionji | Gay | Saionji is the vice-president of the Student Council and captain of the kendo team. Kyouichi is temperamental, egotistical, prone to angry rages, and often cruel. His lack of self-control stems from insecurity, a lifelong homoerotic rivalry against Touga from which he is always at the losing end. It is implied that he is closeted and tries to deny it by overperforming his masculinity. Kyouichi has feelings for Touga and has engaged in homoerotic activities with him as shown in episodes 36 and 37. He is obsessed with Anthy not because he is in love with her but because he views the Rose Bride as a mindless doll who will never disobey him, and won't threaten his masculinity. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | July 2, 1997 | Akio Ohtori | Bisexual | Akio is the brother of Anthy. He and Touga Kiryuu were shown in bed together, and both are playboys with a number of female conquests, with Akio's conquests including Utena and Kozue. As a result of his actions, Utena starts to fall in love with him. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Touga Kiryuu | Bisexual | While Keiko, Yuuko, and Aiko have crushes on Touga, who is beloved by girls, and later feels jealous of Akio's closeness to Utena, as he has a romantic relationship with Akio. Otherwise, he is a playboy and is Anthy's ex-boyfriend before Utena. which is shown in Adolescence of Utena. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | July 9, 1997 | Kozue Kaoru | Bisexual | Kozue Kaoru is obsessively in love with her twin brother, Miki. In one episode, "The Landscape Framed by Kozue," she was shown kissing Anthy, and seems to have a crush on her. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Miki Kaoru | Bisexual | Miki has a crush on Anthy. In the light novels, Miki is shown to be engaging in sexual activities with Touga, while in the anime it's implied to have happened. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | April 2, 1997 | Wakaba Shinohara | Bisexual | From the first episode Wakaba always praises Utena and calls her her "true love." She sends multiple love letters to Saionji, who eventually takes advantage of her heart. | Japan |
| 1997 | Revolutionary Girl Utena | July 23, 1997 | Shiori Takatsuki | Bisexual | Childhood friend of Juri Arisugawa who returns to Ohtori Academy. She idolized Juri in the past, but this caused her to question their friendship and she eventually became paranoid as indicated in the episode "Thorns of Death." When she finds out that Juri had feelings for her, she acts cruel but has been aware of these feelings toward her for a long period. Even so, she cares enough about Juri to apologize to her, in the episode "Azure Paler Than the Sky," although it is not clear if Juri returns her feelings. In the movie, Shiori sleeps with Touga Kiryuu. | Japan |
| 1997–2006 | Space Goofs | September 6, 1997 | Candy Caramella | Transgender | Candy is the uptight homosexual neat freak. They get in touch with their feminine side by sometimes disguising themselves as a woman as shown in episodes like "Heavy Metal Madness" and "Back to School Blues." In many situations, Candy is the first to worry, as shown in the episode "Snoutra." Candy flirts with men and is implied to be transgender. This implication is confirmed by the game, "Stupid Invaders" with Candy planning a gender reassignment surgery with the best specialist in the universe. In a 2022 podcast interview with series producer Marc du Pontavice, he stated Candy is supposed to be non-binary but was unable to find the right words at the time. | France |
| 1997–2010 | King of the Hill | April 28, 2002 | Bug Gribble | Gay | In one of the episodes, "My Own Private Rodeo," Dale's father, Bug has come out and participates in the gay rodeo circuit. Bug is married to Juan Pedro. The episode was later nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Individual Episode" in a "series without a regular gay character." | United States |
| 1997–2010 | King of the Hill | April 28, 2002 | Juan Pedro | Gay | In one of the episodes, "My Own Private Rodeo," Dale's father, Bug has come out and participates in the gay rodeo circuit. Bug is married to Juan Pedro. The episode was later nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Individual Episode" in a "series without a regular gay character." | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | August 13, 1997 | Liane Cartman | Bisexual | In the early seasons, Liane was very sexually active and regularly pursued this activity. She also had no issue with having sexual relations with complete strangers, usually inviting them to the home as frequent visitors. This desire was not strictly for men, for it is hinted in one episode, "Cartman's Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut" that she had intercourse with Ms. Crabtree, Mayor McDaniels, and Sheila Broflovski. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | August 13, 1997 | Herbert Garrison | Lesbian trans woman | Originally presented as a closeted homosexual, the storylines have featured Garrison coming out as a gay man, then having a gender reassignment surgery to become female (known as Janet Garrison), becoming a lesbian, and then changing back to a man. It is shown he still has feelings for his ex-boyfriend, Mr. Slave, as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!" | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | August 13, 1997 | Herbert Garrison | Gay | Originally presented as a closeted homosexual, the storylines have featured Garrison coming out as a gay man, then having a gender reassignment surgery to become female (known as Janet Garrison), becoming a lesbian, and then changing back to a man. It is shown he still has feelings for his ex-boyfriend, Mr. Slave, as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!" | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | September 3, 1997 | Big Gay Al | Gay | He is a stereotypical homosexual man known for his flamboyant and positive demeanor introduced in the episode "Big Gay Al's Big Gay Boat Ride." Big Gay Al openly displays his homosexuality and is an advocate for gay rights. He is married to Mr. Slave, as shown in the episode "Follow That Egg!" | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | December 17, 1997 | Craig Tucker | Gay | Craig and Tweek are seen frequently throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first seasons holding hands and hanging out with each other, shown in episodes such as "Tweek x Craig" and "Put It Down. It is confirmed by the official website and blog that they are in a relationship, and that they became an official couple in the episode "Tweek x Craig." Craig also had an unnamed girlfriend before he realized he was gay, and dumped her. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | December 17, 1997 | Tweek Tweak | Gay | Craig and Tweek are seen frequently throughout the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first seasons holding hands and hanging out with each other, shown in episodes such as "Tweek x Craig" and "Put It Down. It is confirmed by the official website and blog that they are in a relationship, and that they became an official couple in the episode "Tweek x Craig." Craig also had an unnamed girlfriend before he realized he was gay, and dumped her. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | February 11, 1998 | Ms. Ellen | Lesbian | In one episode, "Tom's Rhinoplasty," Chef reveals that the new teacher Ms. Ellen, voiced by Natasha Henstridge, is lesbian. Some of her male students are attracted to her and don't understand what lesbians are, and try to "become lesbians" too, to get her attention. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | April 1, 1998 | Saddam Hussein | Gay | Saddam and Satan are presented as a gay couple in the series and in films. However, although both have "kinky sex," with Saddam calling Satan a "cum bucket," their relationship ends after Satan decides to stay a single man after talking with God, resulting in Saddam being sent to Heaven. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | April 1, 1998 | Satan | Gay | Satan is in a romantic, and abusive, relationship with Saddam during the series, but later ends it after talking with God, deciding to remain single instead. He also has a relationship with a man named Chris, and has a short-lived relationship with a male demon, Kevin. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | May 27, 1998 | Stephen Stotch | Bisexual | Despite being married to Linda, Butters' father, Stephen Stotch, is revealed to be a regular customer at the local gay theater & bath house as shown in "Butters' Very Own Episode," and claiming to Linda that he only did so out of curiosity, Stephen promises to suppress any future homosexual urges. However, some episodes, like "Insecurity," show him pursuing these acts in secret. | United States |
| 1997–present | South Park | November 20, 2002 | Mr. Slave | Gay | Mr. Slave was Mrs. Garrison's boyfriend until she made the transition into a female in the episode "Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina." He is now married to Big Gay Al, as of the episode, "Follow That Egg." | United States |

## 1998

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1998 | Outlaw Star | February 12, 1998 | Fred Luo | Gay | Fred is a 20-year-old camp weapons merchant who is known to be flamboyant and openly gay, as first shown in the episode "The Beautiful Assassin." He has a strong infatuation for the series' main protagonist, Gene Starwind, whom he supplies arms to. He has a fiancée, named "Reiko Ando," but eschews marriage. | Japan |
| 1998–1999 | Devil Lady | October 11, 1998 | Jun Fudo | Lesbian | Her "devilman" is awoken by Kazumi, a high school student. Over the course of the series, the relationship between Jun and Kazumi gradually progresses into an almost romantic one. Most notably in the last episode, titled "Man," Jun decides to forge her soul with the force from the Demons, which Kazumi also lets her absorb her to help in the final battle with Asuka. | Japan |
| 1998–1999 | Devil Lady | October 11, 1998 | Kazumi Takiura | Lesbian | Awakens the "devilman" inside of Jun and begins a romantic relationship with her, after she begins living with her. | Japan |
| 1998–1999 | Sorcerous Stabber Orphen | February 27, 1999 | Stephanie | Trans woman | Stephanie, also known as Steph, was Orphen's old partner and initially a man but was severely injured and while using the rest of his magic to cast a healing spell, made some "modifications", and became the trans woman Stephanie, as shown in the episode "Snake in the Temple." She falls in love with and marries her boyfriend the florist Tim but continues to help Orphen and his friends, although she later becomes their foe. | Japan |
| 1998–2000 | Cardcaptor Sakura | April 7, 1998 | Tomoyo Daidouji | Lesbian | Tomoyo is in love with the show's protagonist, and friend, Sakura, even loving what she wears. As such, she is intensely devoted to Sakura. Unfortunately for Tomoyo, Sakura does not return her feelings, even though she does help her find her voice. At some point, Tomoyo confesses her love to Sakura, but Sakura misunderstands her, thinking she means "love" as a best friend, and Tomoyo says that she will explain when Sakura is older. Some scholars have argued that based on Tomoyo's romantic attractions she is asexual. CLAMP artist Nanase Ohkawa described Tomoyo as more than an "interesting friend" for Sakura, saying that someone she could "talk about her magic," and saying that Tomoyo just "wanted Sakura to be happy." | Japan |
| 1998–2000 | Cardcaptor Sakura | April 7, 1998 | Touya Kinomoto | Bisexual | He is the older brother of Sakura and is often worried about her. His relationship with Yukito has been confirmed by the series creators. Before meeting Yukito, Touya dated Kaho Mizuki when she was his junior high school teacher, and she broke up with him when she left to study in England. As such, some argued that Touya was either bisexual or pansexual. | Japan |
| 1998–2000 | Cardcaptor Sakura | April 7, 1998 | Yukito Tsukishiro | Gay | He is in a romantic relationship with Touya, with the official website calling him Touya's "best friend." As a result, Yukito rejects Sakura's feelings for him because he is in love with Touya. In February 2000, Owkawa said that "such a warm, gentle character like Yukito" is uncommon in CLAMP works, repeating the same in a 2004 interview. Ohkawa said in February 2000 that "you can see Yukito and Touya as being friends, or as going beyond that." Yukito's alternate form is Yue. He also appears in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, as a High Priest, and Toya as a king, of the Clow Kingdom. | Japan |
| 1998–2000 | Cardcaptor Sakura | April 7, 1998 | Ruby Moon | Intersex | Ruby Moon has no biological sex. They are always seen presenting as female, even though Spinel Sun often asks them why don't they present as male for a change. At some points, Ruby Moon states that their gender does not matter because they are not actually human and also that girls have cuter clothes. They appear to have a crush on Touya. Like Syaoran, Sakura, Touya, Yukita, and Tomoyo, they also reappear in Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card. | Japan |

## 1999

| Duration | Show title | Character debut date | Characters | Identity | Notes | Country |
| 1999–2000 | Infinite Ryvius | October 6, 1999 | Criff Cay | Trans woman | Criff Cay is a member of the group Team Blue. She is indicated to be transgender when her sister Michelle refers to her as "Big Brother". Her character profile lists her sex as male. | Japan |
| 1999–2000 | Infinite Ryvius | October 6, 1999 | Stein Heigar | Gay | Stein Heigar is a member of the group Zwei. Heigar is gay. | Japan |
| 1999–2002 | Mission Hill | September 24, 1999 | Gus Duncz | Gay | He is an elderly man married to Wally Langford, who is also in his late 60s. Both may appear in an upcoming series by the same show creators tentatively titled "Gus & Wally." Gus played the main role in a film, "The Man From Pluto" which was directed by Wally. | United States |
| 1999–2002 | Mission Hill | September 24, 1999 | Wally Langford | Gay | He is married to Gus Duncz, In the 1950s, he directed a film, "The Man From Pluto," and is later shown he works as a projectionist at a local theater. | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | January 31, 1999 | Meg Griffin | Bisexual | Throughout the series, Meg has shown romantic interest in and dated several men. However, there have been several instances, in episodes like "Stew-Roids" and "Dial Meg for Murder" in which she has shown hints of being bisexual or a lesbian. In November 2016, when asked about further development on the characters Chris and Meg, Alec Sulkin confirmed that there would be a future episode where Meg comes out as a lesbian, taking inspiration from earlier episodes where she exhibited signs of lesbian characteristics. A few episodes since then have hinted at that possible development, such as "The Griffin Winter Games", "Trump Guy", and "Trans-Fat." | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | January 31, 1999 | Stewie Griffin | Bisexual | Stewie has been in relationships with female babies, but is also attracted towards males. In the commentary for Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, the writers describe how they were going to make Stewie discover he was gay, but decided to scrap this idea to retain Stewie's sexual ambiguity for writing purposes. MacFarlane planned for the series' third season to end with Stewie coming out of the closet after a near-death experience. The show's abrupt cancellation, before later continuing, caused MacFarlane to abort these plans, and the episode "Queer Is Stewie?" was actually produced, but never shown. In a 2008 interview, MacFarlane said those who work on the show "all feel that Stewie is almost certainly gay, and he’s in the process of figuring it out for himself." | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | April 18, 1999 | Bruce | Gay | Bruce often talks to his roommate Jeffrey. It was implied that Bruce is gay and that Jeffrey is his domestic partner, as in "Road to the North Pole" where he states in the song "All I Want for Christmas" that he wants a wedding ring from a guy named Jeffrey. In "Meg's Wedding", Bruce briefly had a romantic relationship with Meg until they ended it on the wedding day after Bruce finally accepted himself as gay. Bruce finally got engaged to Jeffrey in a parking lot since the priest wouldn't allow them to marry in the church. In the season 22 premiere "Fertilized Megg", Bruce and Jeffrey have a baby girl named Liza Judy Barbra who is conceived through surrogacy. | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | July 12, 2000 | Jasper | Gay | Jasper is a dog who is Brian Griffin's gay cousin. Jasper marries his Filipino partner Ricardo in "You May Now Kiss the... Uh... Guy Who Receives." The episode had to be changed various times due to issues with censors, according to audio commentary, with MacFarlane saying the episode was put together after he had teamed up to write it with two gay writers. | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | November 15, 2001 | John Herbert | Gay | Herbert is an elderly man. He has an ephebophiliac and hebephiliac attraction to young boys, and harbors unrequited love for underage teenager Chris Griffin, though most other citizens of Quahog are oblivious to his sexuality. His voice actor Mike Henry defines Herbert as a pedophile. | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | January 6, 2006 | Sarah | Lesbian | In one episode, Sarah invites her classmate Meg Griffin to join her afterschool club, as shown in the episode "Brian Sings and Swings." Only after accepting, Meg discovers that it is called Lesbian Alliance Club. Meg pretends to be lesbian for a while to make friends. It is shown that Sarah is attracted to Meg: when Meg visits her to confess that she is actually straight, Sarah mistakes Meg's sentences "I got to get something off my chest" and "I need to open up" as invitations to have sex. | United States |
| 1999–present | Family Guy | May 9, 2010 | Ida Davis | Trans woman | The "father" of Glenn and Brenda Quagmire and the ex-"husband" of Crystal Quagmire. Ida (formerly Dan) was a war hero in the Vietnam War, and was thought to be a homosexual by Peter. When Glenn asked his "father" if this was true, Ida claimed that she was a woman trapped in a man's body and came to Quahog for a sex reassignment surgery, taking the name Ida Davis afterward as noted in the episode "Quagmire's Dad." From Season 17 onward, she became a recurring character, and some criticized her role in the show, stating that her character was previously the "butt of many transmisogynistic and transphobic "jokes,"" and that the show does not promote inclusivity. | United States |
| 1999–present | Futurama | April 6, 1999 | Randy Munchnik | Gay | Often appearing in crowds and angry mobs, he is an "effeminate male" who may be gay. He also owns a jewelry shop. He likes parts of the Bible, even once creating a Noah's Ark "filled with same sex pairings of each species," and is good friends with Fry. He is later shown as having a relationship with another man, Soupy, and both have a pet poodle together. | United States |
| 1999–present | Futurama | November 14, 1999 | Hermaphrobot | Trans woman | Hermaphrobot is a manbot-to-fembot transgender Robot, who often engages Bender in a subversive manner, saying she is "more lady" than Bender could handle. Some critics have criticized her "intersex slur-referencing name," and her character being defined by her physical attributes, while playing into stereotypes. | United States |
| 1999–present | Futurama | November 10, 2002 | Hedonism Bot | Pansexual | Hedonism Bot is a robot who is into sex and has a lot of fetishes. His man-servant Djambi is also his lover and mostly prefers the company of men. However, he also had a bachelor party in which the strippers were all fembots in the 6th season episode "The Late Phillip J. Fry" | United States |
| 1999–present | One Piece | August 26, 2001 | Mr. Bon Kurei | Genderqueer & Gay | Also known as Bentham of the Wild and "Mr. 2 Bon Clay," he has powers that allows him to shapeshift into any form he wishes and crossdresses as a woman, and has a kempo called the "Okama Kempo." He is a recurring character, has defeated many villains, and was once an enemy of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. He is part of "Baroque Works," and has been described as being "associated with queer gender identities." | Japan |
| 1999–present | One Piece | February 14, 2010 | Emporio Ivankov | Genderqueer & Gay | Ivankov is the self-declared queen of an island populated by okama, having powers that allow him to shift between male and female forms, while also changing genders of other individuals. Also known as Iva, and has been involved in various battles with villains over the course of the show. | Japan |
| 1999–present | One Piece | February 14, 2010 | Okamas | Genderqueer & Gay | More than one person, but a whole group of individuals, and are named after the tricky and controversial Japanese word "okama." | Japan |
| 1999–present | One Piece | April 14, 2019 | Morley | Trans woman | A giant and as well as the commander of the West Army in the Revolutionary Army. | Japan |
| 1999–present | One Piece | August 25, 2019 | Kikunojo "Kiku" | Trans woman | In both the manga and anime, Kiku is revealed to be a trans woman. Before being transported to the future, Kiku dressed in more masculine clothing typical of a samurai. After arriving in the future, Kiku began showing a significantly more feminine side, such as wearing red lipstick and dressing more in feminine clothing, and has described herself as a "a woman at heart," while she was assigned male at birth. Some described Kiku as a "breath of fresh air in terms of her strength and characterization" and noted that her gender identity is never ridiculed. | Japan |
| 1999–present | One Piece | May 2, 2021 | Yamato | Ambiguous | He idolized Kozuki Oden as a child, emulating everything about the samurai warrior, and his pronouns are respected by Kozuki. He has also been described as a "rebellious son of a pirate emperor," and noted as a fan-favorite character. | Japan |
| 1999–present | SpongeBob SquarePants | May 1, 1999 | SpongeBob | Asexual | According to an interview with Stephen Hillenburg in 2002, SpongeBob is neither gay or straight but in fact, asexual. This was once again clarified in 2005, because of the controversy on SpongeBob and Patrick's sexual orientation. Hillenburg also instructed that SpongeBob should never have a romantic relationship, since he is asexual (as all real-life sea sponges are) and is too innocent for it. | United States |