10 best gender bender anime that you should try
Gender bender anime have become quite popular over the years. The idea of a character magically changing their gender opens up fun and interesting storytelling possibilities. Some use it primarily for comedic effect while others explore deeper themes related to gender identity.
Whatever the approach, gender bender anime makes for an entertaining viewing experience. In this article, we'll highlight the 10 best gender bender anime that you should try. Anime fans will likely enjoy most of these if they like the gender bender genre. These animes represent some of the most highly rated and popular series out there.
10 must-watch gender bender anime for every fan
1) Ranma ½
One of the most beloved gender bender anime of all time, Ranma ½ never seems to go out of style. It follows Ranma Saotome, a talented teenage martial artist who receives a very strange curse after falling into a cursed spring during a training journey in China.
Now, whenever Ranma is splashed with cold water, he transforms into a girl! Hot water reverses the effect, but it certainly makes life complicated. After the China trip, Ranma heads to Japan to settle down via an arranged marriage set up by his father.
He soon meets Akane Tendō, a hotheaded yet kindhearted girl who is supposed to marry Ranma now that he has returned. Akane initially mistakes Ranma's female form for his true self, sparking comedic chaos when his male identity is revealed. Overall, this is an entertaining take on the gender-swap concept.
2) Ouran High School Host Club
More of a reverse harem anime with gender bender elements sprinkled in, this series offers a fun, lively viewing experience. The story follows Haruhi Fujioka, a smart student at an elite academy who encounters the school's host club while looking for a quiet place to study.
She accidentally breaks an expensive vase worth 8 million yen and is made to work as a host herself to pay off her debt! The only problem - nobody initially realizes Haruhi is actually a girl. What ensues is a wacky romantic comedy as the male hosts find themselves infatuated with their new "co-worker."
With its stellar animation, colorful characters, and humorous exploration of romance and gender assumptions - Ouran High School Host Club earns a spot as a must-see gender bender anime.
3) Cheeky Angel
Cheeky Angel follows Megumi Amatsuka, a 9th grader who made a foolish childhood wish - to become the "manliest man ever." However, a mysterious and mischievous genie twists his wish, resulting in Megumi becoming a girl instead!
Megumi quickly realizes the genie twisted her wish and actively works to adapt to her new life. Despite her predicament, Megumi actively works to become stronger, stand up against bullies, and protect the weak. All while navigating high school life in an unusually upbeat and heroic fashion.
With fun gags and plenty of action blended with heartwarming themes of bravery and justice, Cheeky Angel makes for an enjoyable magical gender bender anime tale.
4) Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl
Hazumu Osaragi is a sensitive and kind boy who often gets bullied by others for not being "manly enough." His world turns upside down when he's critically injured by an alien spacecraft - only to be reconstructed as a girl by advanced alien technology!
While Hazumu adjusts to life as a girl, the series focuses on romantic and personal development rather than societal rejection. The show blends comedy, romance, and explores what gender norms mean for society in thoughtful ways.
If you enjoy sci-fi gender bender premises with emotional depth, Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl is a great choice for gender bender anime fans.
5) Birdy the Mighty
When Federation officer Birdy Cephon Alter accidentally kills a high school boy named Tsutomu Senkawa while pursuing a criminal, she merges his body and mind with her own as an act of preservation.
While this is more of a body-sharing setup than traditional gender-bending, Birdy must balance everyday life as Tsutomu alongside her missions catching intergalactic criminals that threaten the planet.
As a more serious and action-oriented anime, Birdy the Mighty offers beautiful animation, and interesting sci-fi elements, along with themes of sacrifice and loyalty, making it an intriguing addition to gender bender anime lists.
6) Your Name
Mitsuha Miyamizu is a high school girl living in the countryside who wishes she could leave her dull town and live the fast-paced Tokyo lifestyle. Meanwhile, in Tokyo, high school boy Taki Tachibana is tired of busy city life and longs for the simplicity of rural living.
When the two suddenly start swapping bodies on random days, they must learn to navigate each other's vastly different worlds. Struggling to maintain normal lives despite randomly trading places leads to plenty of comedic misunderstandings.
But soon a mystical link between the two begins driving strange events that might threaten the fabric of space and time itself. Blending gorgeous animation with body-swapping antics and melancholy romance, the supernatural drama film Your Name explores deep themes of interconnectedness and fate with poetic magical flair.
7) Kämpfer
Natsuru Senou wakes up one day to find himself mysteriously transformed into a girl, complete with bright blue pigtails. This happened because he's been selected to become a female fighter known as a "Kämpfer."
These fighters are part of an age-old secret tournament battling it out to determine which side (red Gewehr, blue Schwert, or white Weiss) is superior. For fans of action and chaos, Kämpfer makes for a unique gender bender anime.
Packed with fanservice and female titillation blended with over-the-top action comedy, Kämpfer embraces the ecchi nature of its gender-swapping storyline from start to finish.
8) Himegoto
A high school boy is forced to dress as a girl after racking up a huge debt. Forced to crossdress as part of a deal, he navigates absurd situations while attempting to pay off his financial obligations. The show plays this situation completely for absurd comedy rather than exploring deeper themes.
Packed with physical gags and parodying of female anime archetypes, Himegoto mines the gender transformation scenario almost purely for wacky entertainment value rather than exploring deeper themes. So if you want a hilarious "guy forced crossdressing" gender bender anime scenario, look no further than Himegoto.
9) Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
Delinquent high school student Ryu Yamada accidentally kisses honor student Urara Shiraishi, discovering they can swap bodies by kissing. They soon find other female students with magical "witch" powers at their school - leading to a constant stream of gender and body swaps!
Blending supernatural comedy with romantic triangles and a large cast of characters, Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches puts an amusing magical spin on gender bender anime scenarios.
10) Hourou Musuko
Hourou Musuko (Wandering Son) provides a more serious, realistic portrayal of kids questioning their gender identity. Middle school student Shuichi Nitori expresses a desire to be a girl while Yoshino Takatsuki wishes to be a boy.
The two navigate their feelings in an honest and nuanced manner, exploring societal pressures, familial expectations, and self-discovery. While still having moments of lightheartedness, it aims to build an understanding of the transgender experience through layered character growth and poetic metaphorical imagery.
The softer visual aesthetic meshes well with its emotional subject matter. For a gender bender anime focusing on layered characterization over comedy, Hourou Musuko is highly recommended.
Conclusion
Whether you enjoy zany, madcap gender bender anime premises or more serious, thoughtful explorations of gender identity - there exists some great anime to fulfill your desires.
The shows highlighted above represent only a sample of memorable magical transformations, body swaps, crossdressing exploits, and general gender-flipping fun found across anime. So try out a few that catch your interest.
Just be prepared to question assumptions about gender and likely break out in laughter while doing so. Bending expected gender roles opens up loads of comedic potential after all.
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