When The Legend of Korra hit Netflix this summer, it was a chance to look back on just how far representation has come. I think that optimism, that expectation where every time, it’s like, ‘Look, here’s this thing, this character, this relationship,’ it’s gay, they’re like ‘Cool, do more now, do better.’ And I’m like, ‘You don’t even know how hard this was, you don’t know how impossible this was up until less than 10 years ago,’ and that’s kind of awesome, actually.” “They think this is easier than it is,” She-Ra and the Princesses of Power creator Noelle Stevenson told Paper Mag about young fans. It’s a boon for fans, who might not be aware of the opposition showrunners and writers faced when trying to include queer characters, even in small ways. Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’s legacies have allowed new cartoons to take up the mantle and take even bigger strides in representation. Their finales leave fans looking for the next animated show with similar themes - and unlike in past years, these fans have the luxury of expecting there will be more.
The shows shared a lot of overlap in fans.
It’s beautifully fitting that Steven Universe and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power - both shows that not only focused on queer relationships, but also dismantled Chosen One expectations and highlighted the importance of healing and rejecting abusive cycles - ended within a few months of each other. To a younger audience that’s been blessed with the chance to see these unquestionably queer characters at the forefront of shows, it might be surreal to think of a time where two women holding hands was a momentous development in media. But then again, compared to Amity’s obvious romantic interest in Luz in the very first season of The Owl House, the lack of explicit romantic intention in the first seasons of She-Ra might not resonate the same way.
GAY ANIME CHARACTERS 2020 SERIES
After all, when compared to Adora and Catra’s world-saving love confession and smooch in the series finale of She-Ra, the chaste hand-holding at the end of Korra seems inconsequential. Looking back, some of these big moments seem small. 2020 was a bummer of a year, but when it comes to all-ages animation, it was a culmination of the many small steps building up to the current state of queer representation: a glorious gay celebration that was unheard of just five years ago. Meanwhile, The Legend of Korra - with its brief yet definitive hand-holding scene - debuted on Netflix, bringing a hallmark of queer representation in cartoons back into the conversation. Adventure Time: Distant Lands - Obsidian turned the spotlight to Marceline and Bubblegum’s romantic relationship, which the show only made explicit in the final seconds of the final episode. And Disney Channel’s The Owl House featured a swoon-worthy, romantically charged dance sequence between two girls.Īnd older cartoons got in on the act as well. Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts had a beautifully understated coming-out moment.
While shows like Adventure Time had whispers of past queer relationships, in 2013, cartoons just didn’t center on visibly LGBTQ characters.īut in 2020, Steven Universe not only ended joyously, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power wrapped up with a world-saving kiss between two female leads. When the show first premiered, all-ages animation was pretty bereft of queer characters. Throughout its run, creator Rebecca Sugar and her team made bold strides in LGBTQ representation. In March, after nearly seven years on the air, Steven Universe officially ended with the final episode of its epilogue series.