Asexuality and Asexual Characters in Films & Series - a Collection

[t_norrish]

This thread is everything 🙌 Big thanks, @Quasar.w, for making this available.
 

If anyone would like to help potentially bring Australia's first asexual protagonist to our TV screens, my team and I are currently sourcing opinions/comments/musings on what it would mean to ace individuals to have more widespread and mainstream representation 👉 

We're in the final stages of submitting for significant development funding for our ace series, which — if successful — would be a first for a major Australian TV network. 

Obviously no pressure, but we really do feel presenting these insights alongside our application could get this one over the line. And hopefully make a few less people assume themselves "broken" 🙏

[Zagadka]

Someone in an aro/ace group pointed this out:

 

https://mydramalist.com/713777-koi-senu-futari

 

Quote

About two people who are aromantic and asexual and begin living together. Sakuko finds it difficult to live in a society which operates under the assumption that people will fall in love with each other. She meets supermarket employee Takahashi when she goes to support a “fall-in-love” campaign by her junior at work. She is startled when she hears him say that there are people who don’t fall in love. As Sakuko’s mother keeps hurrying her to get married, she decides to move out and rent an apartment with her friend but her friend backs out at the last minute after reconciling with her ex-boyfriend. Just when Sakuko is about to give up, she ends up living with Takahashi under one roof because of their similar values towards romance.

IMDB (empty, of course): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16277002/

 

Still getting through the first episode - it is new, and does not have any international release - but main characters that are aro is like finding two unicorns.

 

And I certainly would never violate the law and be able to share with anyone who can not find totally legal ways to watch it, so whatever you do, absolutely do not PM me asking. 😉

[JaiBee]

Series — Science Fiction — Confirmed

 

DC's Legends of Tomorrow (S7 E10 "The Fixed Point"): Esperanza 'Spooner' Cruz came out as asexual in a nice scene with character Zari.

[nutterwithasolderingiron]

so it's never canonically stated and i feel i bring this up all the time but daria morgendorffer from daria. she's romantic but there's an episode called my night at daria's in the final season where her and her boyfriend arrange to have sex but she just can't bring herself to do it. 

[WhiteCatandcherries]

We don't have a lot of canon representation. Is there any characters in fiction you headcanon as being asexual (or any other a-spec label)? (by headcanon I mean sorta "like to think of as asexual").

Personally I am a a fan of the classic "Sherlock Holmes is asexual" headcanon. 🙂

[Milque Toast]

32 minutes ago, WhiteCatandcherries said:

Personally I am a a fan of the classic "Sherlock Holmes is asexual" headcanon. 🙂

of course!! I fully agree

 

Ironically, there are many ace attorney characters I headcanon to be on the a-spectrum

here a few examples:

- Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma, demisexual (and homoromantic)

- Maya Fey and Ema Skye, graysexual (Maya being lesbian and Ema bi)

- Vera Misham and Wocky Kitaki, asexual (and heteroromantic, that's kinda why I ship them lol)

- Trucy Wright, oriented aroace

 

some are backed up with evidence from the series and strong feelings, whereas others I just like to think are ace

 

I was trying to think of some non-ace attorney ones, and I know that Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K) being aroace is pretty popular, and I strongly agree with that one. Also, Suzumiya Haruhi gives me powerful aroace vibes, considering the longest she'd ever been with a boy was a week IIRC (it's also a really great anime! I'd highly recommend it ^_^) 

and spoilers for Haruhi,

Spoiler

I don't really ship Kyon and Haruhi romantically, even if they kissed that one time in the dream. To me it felt more experimental, like, do I like you enough to do this? You could call this Haruhi just being a tsundere, but she called the dream "a nightmare" the day after, so I prefer to think that she just straight up didn't enjoy it. I see them more as old friends ❤️

 

 

[TheMostColorfullBlobs]

Morwin form dealing with dragons (and the books after it) by Patricia C Wrede 

I feel like her idea of sensible really doesn’t include much having to do with romance/s*x (e)

also telamaine, but he could also just be socially awkward and oblivious 

[verily-forsooth-egads]

Ha ha haaa I have many but none of them are characters anyone here has heard of

I'll describe a few of the more unique ones though:

 

-allosexual demiromantic in a relationship with an alloromantic who was very understanding during the early phases

-akoi lesbian who doesn't get along with people but is happy appreciating women from afar

-aro ace hypermasculine heartthrob

-aro/ceterosexual (attracted to other nonbinary people) rat baby

-aro ace who would not sleep with anyone but is privately smug in the knowledge that she could top your dad

[WhiteCatandcherries]

12 minutes ago, Milque Toast said:

of course!! I fully agree

I'm glad, haha!! 

12 minutes ago, Milque Toast said:

Ironically, there are many ace attorney characters I headcanon to be on the a-spectrum

here a few examples:

- Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma, demisexual (and homoromantic)

- Maya Fey and Ema Skye, graysexual (Maya being lesbian and Ema bi)

- Vera Misham and Wocky Kitaki, asexual (and heteroromantic, that's kinda why I ship them lol)

- Trucy Wright, oriented aroace

On principle I am going to have to approve of any headcanons that turn the title of a show into an ace pun 🙂

 

12 minutes ago, Milque Toast said:

and I know that Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K) being aroace is pretty popular

It's so popular that I have heard that one without ever wacthing the show or really knowing anything about it (I think the main character have superpowers and wicked hair and sunglasses and that's about it).

[vin3g4r]

53 minutes ago, WhiteCatandcherries said:

Personally I am a a fan of the classic "Sherlock Holmes is asexual" headcanon. 🙂

Same!!

22 minutes ago, Milque Toast said:

I know that Saiki Kusuo (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K) being aroace is pretty popular, and I strongly agree with that one. Also, Suzumiya Haruhi gives me powerful aroace vibes, considering the longest she'd ever been with a boy was a week IIRC (it's also a really great anime! I'd highly recommend it ^_^) 

and spoilers for Haruhi,

  Reveal hidden contents

I don't really ship Kyon and Haruhi romantically, even if they kissed that one time in the dream. To me it felt more experimental, like, do I like you enough to do this? You could call this Haruhi just being a tsundere, but she called the dream "a nightmare" the day after, so I prefer to think that she just straight up didn't enjoy it. I see them more as old friends ❤️

 

 

I think I was too young when I watched Suzumiya Haruhi (it was almost 12 years ago I believe) so sadly I don't really remember much and I for sure didn't know anything about asexuality. I should rewatch it one of these days 🙂

10 minutes ago, WhiteCatandcherries said:

It's so popular that I have heard that one without ever wacthing the show or really knowing anything about it (I think the main character have superpowers and wicked hair and sunglasses and that's about it).

I also agree on Saiki! I love the show, if you like comedy and have time I suggest you to watch it, I watched during a bad time and helped me a lot, so I always remember it with a smile.

Another popular one is Senku Ishigami from Dr. Stone, but I havent watched/read it, while I read something online about Luffy and/or Zoro from One Piece possibly being on the spectrum and I can say that I can see it (especially with Luffy), but if I'm not sure I totally agree. They're both portrayed as simple-minded and always too focused on their goals to think about something else, so I really don't know. 

 

P.S. I love how my 100th post is about anime.

 

[EmeraldIce]

In Jin Yong (Louis Cha)'s wuxia novels, I peg Zhang Wuji from Yi Tian Tu Long Ji (Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber) as asexual. He seems to attract a ton of women and doesn't quite know what to do with them. He feels affection for all of them and would do anything to help them, but it never seems that he has a special attachment to anyone in particular. For the girls he doesn't end up with, his feelings for them verges more on empathy and compassion. For the girls he does end up with (the novel's been rewritten with different endings), it's more like he just chose the most persistent girl who was still an option at the end.

[WhiteCatandcherries]

32 minutes ago, vin3g4r said:

Same!!

Yayyy! 🙂

33 minutes ago, vin3g4r said:

I also agree on Saiki! I love the show, if you like comedy and have time I suggest you to watch it, I watched during a bad time and helped me a lot, so I always remember it with a smile.

hmm maybe I will give it a watch one of these days 🙂. Canon a-spec people are so rare, that's it's nice watching something where it's just believable that they are a-spec even if it isn't like full on representation. And if the show is good too...

[everywhere and nowhere]

Rosa Blackwell from the Blackwell game series. She definitely seems asexual and, judging by a scene in the fourth game, "Blackwell Deception", also somewhat uncomfortable with sexual topics.

Rosa is a "Bestower" - someone who can see ghosts and interact with them. She helps ghosts who don't even realise that they are dead: with assistance from her spirit guide she researches their past to help them realise what happened, and then escorts them to the Beyond. The talent runs in family: after the death of the previous Bestower, their closest living relative gains the ability. Therefore in the first game Rosa's aunt has just died, Rosa has a severe headache during the day and then, at night, the spirit guide Joey appears to her and makes her face the new reality of hew life.

"Blackwell Legacy":

"Blackwell Unbound" (it's a prequel with Rosa's aunt Lauren as protagonist, set even before Rosa's birth):

"Blackwell Convergence":

"Blackwell Deception" (unfortunately much worse graphics quality):

"Blackwell Epiphany":

[SithLord]

There's a lot of anime threads on characters we think are ace. Whether they're from series where the author has said he won't have his main characters in romantic subplots (One Piece) or series where the main characters are paired by most of the fandom (Ace Attorney). Personally I try to stay away from head-canon stuff unless I am really into it. That being said, I think Miles Edgeworth is demisexual or demiromantic for sure, and Luffy is outright shown to not be interested in a woman so sexy she turns men to stone.

[alto]

I really think Henry Creel from Stranger Things is aroace ❤️

[Milque Toast]

1 hour ago, everywhere and nowhere said:

Rosa is a "Bestower" - someone who can see ghosts and interact with them. She helps ghosts who don't even realise that they are dead: with assistance from her spirit guide she researches their past to help them realise what happened, and then escorts them to the Beyond. The talent runs in family: after the death of the previous Bestower, their closest living relative gains the ability. Therefore in the first game Rosa's aunt has just died, Rosa has a severe headache during the day and then, at night, the spirit guide Joey appears to her and makes her face the new reality of hew life.

I am a huge fan of point and click adventure games! And this seems really interesting! (almost reminds me of ghost trick: phantom detective) 

I'm definitely adding this to my list of games I need to play some day

[Ace_Anthropology]

So the two canon characters I know about off the top of my head are Jughead from Riverdale and Scooter from Legends of Tomorrow. My personal headcanon is that kryptonians(Superman, Supergirl, Etc.) were asexual.

[Destranix]

Elsa some sort of, but may vary depending on my feelings and mental state.

Maybe some others too.

[Tanthos]

Classic Red Sonja, before recent comics changed her character, because some writers (coughgailsimonecough) just can't fathom the idea of a character like that not wanting to have sex.

[Luftschlosseule]

Dumbledore.

Crowley und Aziraphale from Good Omens.

[daveb]

Bilbo and Frodo

[Janus the Fox]

My own Janus the Fox is canonly Asexual that can have sex, so it's an interesting situation of educating that Asexuals can have sex, even if the readers of the Janus Journals will question the writers sexuality

[Ibis]

I have many characters I think may be somewhere on the ace or aro spectrums, or both. Some are: 

 

Wanda, Wong, Mantis, Bruce Banner, and Gamora in their MCU versions

Light Yagami from Deathnote

Kurapika from HxH

Jack Frost from Rise of the Guardians

Rachel, Henry, Martha, Dot, and Nora from The Wilds

Lujanne, Claudia, Corvus, Runaan, Kazi, and Opeli from the Dragon Prince

Katniss from the Hunger Games

Newt Scamander and Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter universe

Merida, Belle, and Elsa of Disney

Rey from Star Wars

Martha from Knives Out

Kenai and Nita from Brother Bear

Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke

Ed and Frenchie from Our Flag Means Death

Silco, Viktor, Jinx, and Echo from Arcane

Percy and Keyleth from Vox Machina

Principal Scudworth from Clone High

Charlotte and Michael from DARK

Scorpia and Entrapta from Shera

Mai and Zuko from Avatar

Ben and Hazel from the Umbrella Academy

Michael from the Good Place

Tyler and Scott from Locke and Key

Jo March from Little Women

Zack, Ivy, Graham, and El Topo from Carmen Sandiego. 

 

I also think there may be some in The Emperors New Groove, Big Hero 6, Stranger Things, and MHA. All of this is just ideas from the general vibe and what I remember about these characters, but I could be forgetting important details about them and some of this is definitely just wishful thinking. 

[Typhoon]

I think Legoshi from Beastars is Demiromantic. He pretty much comes out and says that he can't think of a reason why sex would improve his relationship and otherwise seems uncomfortable with the subject. Maybe the mangas different but i'm just basing it off the tv show.

[Thujaplicata]

Kel (Keladry of Mindelan) from Tamora Pierce's works is canonically confirmed asexual. Charlie Weasley is confirmed ace I think, Luffy from OnePiece is definitely ace in my opinion, and I agree that Sherlock Holmes is as well. 

That's all I can think of off the top of my head.

[WhiteCatandcherries]

8 minutes ago, Thujaplicata said:

Charlie Weasley is confirmed ace I think

Cool! (That's a character I know)

8 minutes ago, Thujaplicata said:

I agree that Sherlock Holmes is as well. 

Yayy! 🙂

[Ibis]

Tori is a side character in Heartstopper on Netflix who is confirmed to be ace. The author of the Heartstopper graphic novels says they plan to have her come out in the next book. 

[gndrqrd]

Used to be really obsessed with Star Wars but only engaged with the main movies and post-OT EU so with that disclaimer: asexual Obi-Wan Kenobi

[gingertabby]

This is a somewhat controversial take in the Star Wars community but I like to think Din Djarin (aka the Mandalorian) is ace! 

[Blueberry Pie]

The Lutece Twins from Bioshock Infinite. They are never interested in anyone sexually or romantically, and they choose to be stuck together forever because of their physical states (which I won’t spoil).
 

A few others:

- Isabela Madrigal from Encanto 

- Elsa from Frozen, especially considering Hans said at the end of the film that…

Spoiler

…Nobody was getting anywhere with Elsa, prompting him to go after Anna instead.

 

Edited June 24, 2022 by Blueberry Pie