Analysis of Gender Unconventional Characters in Japanese Anime and Manga

In this thesis, I analyse gender unconventional characters of Japanese manga and anime. The topic is based on my long-lasting interest in this type of pop culture. Manga and anime, on which I build my research, were written in late 90' by Masashi Kishimoto and become the most popular manga of millennium. I use qualitative method through analysing documents, which are written parts of manga and video records of series Naruto/Naruto Shippuuden. I choose fifteen characters based on their gender roles and identities from these series. Next, I analyse every single character by constructing system of categories, based on which I connect categories to attributes of masculinity and femininity. To anchor my research, I use thesis and works, which are focused on gender in manga and anime and gender stereotypes applied in west cultures, which are written for example by Ann Oakley, Sandra Bem or Deborah Cameron. Object of research is to find out, if there are any regularities in making gender of each character, or if it is just a chaos, which has no measurable background. The conclusion of the thesis will be devoted to the limits of work and to future research of manga and anime