TRANS MALE

There is very little information about this obscure manga in English, but it follows a trans man from his childhood to adulthood post-transition. While 'Gender Identity Disorder' is very outdated in the West, it is the current terminology for Gender Dysphoria in Japan.

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: No English translation, licensed and completed in Italian

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE AND MALE

'The' Trans Manga. I have some issues with it*, but it definitely belongs on this list.

Wandering Son follows a trans girl and a trans boy through their childhood years, starting in fifth grade and ending after they graduate high school. The trans girl's story gets more focus, especially as the story progresses.

NOTE: Romance of various sexualities, not listed as shounen- or shoujo-ai

ANIME: Yes, completed

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, suspended; unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Dropped

*POSSIBLE SPOILER: Namely, the framing of a child character's casual molestation by two adult characters. I was a child myself when I read it, though, so it's possible there was some subtlety I was missing. I plan to reread the series one of these days, and my opinion is likely to change.

TRANS FEMALE

I can't find much information on this short manga, but it seems to be about a teenage trans girl who is rejected by her family after coming out before meeting a boy who accepts her for who she is.

The full Japanese title is God, Please Kill Me~The Hell of a Male Body.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS MALE

A cute and sweet 4-koma manga about a teenage trans boy and his friends adjusting to his social transition.

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS MALE

The titular character of this manga is a charming, handsome, AFAB, French aristocrat with blue eyes and curly, long, blond hair who lives as a man. Sound familiar? The mangaka is Riyoko Ikeda, the creator of this iconic character.

Claudine, however, is not a bifauxnen, but a trans man. This manga relates his tragic life story. Published in the 70s, it is understandably outdated.

NOTES: Tragic; heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS MALE

A closeted pre-transition trans boy attends an all-girls high school in the early 2010s. The story is based on the mangaka's own high school experience.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Ongoing

TRANSLATION STATUS: No English translation

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS MALE

A teenage trans boy graffiti artist starts a clothing line with the new kid in his class.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, ongoing; Unofficial translation ongoing

MY STATUS: Reading

TRANS FEMALE

This manga follows three AMAB teenagers who present as female, each for their own distinct reasons. One of them is a trans girl.

NOTE: Tragic; Heterosexual and shounen-ai romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: On hold

TRANS MALE

A teenage trans boy who runs away from home after a fight with his mother meets and befriends another boy who also struggles with being different.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation ongoing

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

Three sisters adjust to the transition of the fourth sister after she reenters their lives as female.

NOTE: Lesbian romance, listed as romance but not shoujo-ai

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A short manga about the friendship between a jaded masculine lesbian and a jaded trans woman. A side character is also transgender.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

The main cast consists of the patrons of an LGBT bar. One of them is a bisexual trans woman looking for a 'normal relationship.'

NOTE: Romance (of some form)

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, ongoing

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A woman moves in next door to her high school crush, only to find out that they've transitioned to female and now live with their boyfriend.

This comedy manga does not address trans themes with any tact or competence. The trans character's only reason for transitioning was to date their heterosexual male crush.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read, not recommended

TRANS FEMALE

A josei romance with explicit sex about a trans woman who reunites with her childhood crush.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A girl has a crush on her trans best friend who decides to start high school as openly female. The story depicts the former's efforts to support and defend the latter.

NOTE: Lesbian romance, listed as romance but not shoujo-ai

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A woman in a relationship, Hina, reconnects with her first love, Itsuki, who has transitioned to female since their last meeting. To make matters worse for Hina, Itsuki is heterosexual.

NOTE: Lesbian romance, listed as romance but not shoujo-ai

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A short shoujo romance about a strong-willed trans girl who transfers to a new school.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

The titular character is the teenage trans daughter of a yakuza boss. The main character is a teenage boy who moves in with her family following the death of his mother. Hibari flirts with and makes advances on the MC over the course of the manga.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance

ANIME: Yes, completed

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

The main character is a closeted trans woman in love with her best friend.

!!!SPOILER!!!

The conclusion here is that transition (especially physical) only leads to disappointment, and trans people should just learn to live with their dysphoria. Explicitly stated is the idea that trans women will never be women, no matter what.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read, half-heartedly recommended

TRANS MALE

Follows the relationship between a closeted trans boy and a closeted male crossdresser.

This manga had a very promising start but was unfortunately dropped.

NOTE: Gay romance, listed as romance but not shounen-ai

ANIME: No

STATUS: Suspended

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read/dropped; recommended, but most of what you'll take away from it is disappointment that the story was never completed

TRANS MALE

Follows a trans boy on a girls' basketball team attracted to one of his teammates.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: No English translation

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

Two childhood friends reunite as teenagers. One of them remembers and cherishes their friendship, while the other completely forgot about it.

The one who remembers is initially framed as a crossdresser, but it seems this eventually shifts to portraying her as a trans girl. She and the boy who forgot about her seem to have a relationship similar to the leads of Stop!! Hibari-kun!.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS MALE

This one is...complicated, but I think it belongs here. My tentative stance is that the main character can be called a trans man, though I don't think the author had that specific idea in mind. (Consider that this was published in the 80s.) What I believe she conceived was something along these lines: a woman with the heart of a man, who believes she was given a female body as a cruel joke by God. Consequently, they insist they are actually a man on many occasions, and the question of their gender is at the heart of the story.

Said story is about a 'princess' under immense pressure to get married by everyone around them, particularly their father, the king. Their mother is dead, and they have no siblings. So if they do not marry, there will be no one to take the place of king after their father, and the kingdom may be lost to its semi-hostile neighbor.

But the 'princess' refuses to marry a man, insists they are man themself, and begins a secret relationship with a servant girl whom they dream of making their wife.

SPOILER

The prophecy referenced in the title states that when a particular sword that each heir of the kingdom inherits is wielded by one who is both man and woman, the kingdom will be saved. But when it is taken by one who is neither man nor woman, the kingdom will be lost. The question of whether the main character is the former or latter is a major aspect of the plot.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance, but listed as shoujo-ai; content warning: rape and attempted suicide are major plot points

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read, strongly recommended, but not for its treatment of transgender themes so much as its high quality as a manga

TRANS FEMALE

A yuri manga about a rap battle club at an all-girls high school. One of the members is a trans girl.

NOTE: Lesbian romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation suspended

MY STATUS: Reading

TRANS FEMALE

This manga is either about a woman who falls in love with her next-door neighbor, the titular trans woman, or a woman who falls in love with a former high school football star and finds out her rival is her next-door neighbor, the titular trans woman. Perhaps it's both. If anyone could shed some light on this, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Deborah is referred to as an 'okama,' so it's unlikely this manga is respectful.

NOTE: Romance (of some form)

ANIME: No*

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

*adapted to live-action film

TRANS FEMALE

Reader's testimony: 'I have never before seen gender dysphoria mangled [sic.] this badly in any type of medium before. I wish I could purge this entire manga from my mind, but since I can't, I'll just say this: this is not good trans representation. If that is what you're looking for, do not read this. It is so flat-out disastrously terrible.' -Suxinn on Baka-Updates Manga

NOTE: Heterosexual romance, but listed as shounen-ai

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A cute, short, autobiographical manga by a trans woman about her transition and marriage.

NOTE: Happy; heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

Another cute, short, autobiographical manga about a trans woman's transition and marriage. But unlike The Bride Was a Boy, her transition is ongoing and begins after her marriage and the story is told from the perspective of her cisgender wife.

NOTE: Happy; lesbian romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation ongoing*

MY STATUS: Unread

*possibly suspended

TRANS MALE

Another autobiographical and about a trans person in a relationship with a cis person. This time, however, the trans person is a man, and the author is his girlfriend...who identifies as a lesbian.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance, but sometimes listed as shoujo-ai

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: No English translation

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A short, autobiographical manga about the author's trip to Thailand for sex reassignment surgery.

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

Another short, autobiographical manga about the author's trip to Thailand for sex reassignment surgery.

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE AND MALE

The Story of Sexual Minorities They Didn't Tell You In School is a compilation of the mangaka's (who also wrote Yuzu no Koto) columns in Hontō ni atta Waraeru Hanashi (A Really Funny Story), a josei magazine. Each column addresses, from both a male and female perspective, a question about what is referred to in Japan as 'sexual minorities,' a category that includes LGBT and sometimes other groups. In addition to the columns, the manga includes chapters about the author's everyday life and 'Sexual Minorities Overseas Travel Stories.'

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: No English translation

MY STATUS: Unread

UNKNOWN

There is no information about this manga in English, but it seems to be a comic essay with transgender themes.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: No English translation

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

Nearly the entire main cast consists of AMAB people who present as female, several of whom are female.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, ongoing; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE AND MALE

A possibly controversial inclusion, this manga is about intersex people. I've included it because at least one character transitions to the opposite gender of the one they were assigned at birth.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS MALE

!!!MINOR SPOILER!!!

One of the main characters is a trans man. Unfortunately, his female body is exploited for shock value and fanservice.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: On hold

TRANS FEMALE

!!!!!!SPOILER!!!!!!

One of the main characters is a trans girl whose dysphoria caused her death which then leads to her zombification and idol(fication?). Dysphoria > death > zombie > idol 

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: Yes, ongoing

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Partially translated unofficialy

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

One of the minor characters is a trans magical girl.

ANIME: Yes, completed*

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, ongoing; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

*probably

TRANS FEMALE

One of the secondary characters is a trans girl. Her dysphoria plays a role in the story.

ANIME: Yes, completed

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

One of the main characters is a trans woman.

ANIME: Yes, completed*

STATUS: Ongoing

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, ongoing

MY STATUS: Unread

*probably

TRANS FEMALE

The main character's father is a trans woman. She is blamed by some characters for her son's femininity.

ANIME: No*

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

*adapted to live-action series

TRANS MALE

This one caught me by surprise, and I'm not entirely sure it belongs here since there are a few caveats. But there is a trans character and a brief storyline about him. This story is told in chapters 10 and 11 (You're my Darling! and Love Me Tender) and can stand on its own since the manga is essentially a series of connected one-shots.

!!!SPOILER!!!

The aforementioned character is intersex and gets a seamless transition thanks to advanced alien science, but he was assigned female at birth and has an entirely female body up to that point.

NOTE: Happy; Heterosexual romance (sort of...)

ANIME: Yes, completed

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read, not recommended

TRANS MALE

!!!POSSIBLE SPOILER!!!

A former almost-lover, now friend of the main character lives as a man after a hysterectomy the main character performs to treat his ovarian cancer.

I'm not entirely sure this manga belongs on this list. It's an edge case. The character has a strange reason for transitioning, but since it seems that this potentially-a-trans-man character truly considers himself a man, I've opted to include it.

ANIME: Yes, completed

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed*

MY STATUS: Unread

*possibly missing some to many chapters. Black Jack is an old classic series with many, many chapters, and I'm not even sure that all are extant in Japanese. I'm too lazy to do the research. If you're familiar with the Black Jack manga, I'd appreciate a comment with more info about the English translation.

TRANS MALE

A one-shot about a young trans man and his relationship with his single father who he is struggling to come out to.

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read, recommended

TRANS MALE

A one-shot by the mangaka of Boys Run the Riot about a teenage trans boy who gets a job at a bar where he is able to work as a male and escape his troubled school life.

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Licensed, completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

An adorable and heartwarming one-shot about a trans little girl who is rescued from bullies by a heartbroken lesbian woman.

NOTE: Happy

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read, recommended

TRANS FEMALE

A collection of lesbian short stories. In one of them, a woman's presumed-boyfriend comes out to her as a trans woman.

NOTE: Lesbian romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Unread

TRANS FEMALE

A collection of seinen romance stories with dark, serious themes. The ninth, Love Horizon, features a young woman who runs into her former school crush at the train station, who has since begun transitioning.

The subject is treated with accuracy, respect, and a surprising thoroughness for a 22-page one-shot.

NOTE: Lesbian romance*

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation completed

MY STATUS: Read**, reccomended

*heterosexual romance in other stories **relevant one-shot only

TRANS FEMALE AND MALE

A collection of one-shots by Takako Shimura, the mangaka of Wandering Son.

To be completely honest, I misunderstood what the titular one-shot, He said 'I'm a Girl' in English, was about when I added this to the list. In it, everyone on Earth changes sex at the onset of the new millennium. However, unlike most stories with similar premises, it addresses the effects of the event on trans people.

SPOILER FOR WANDERING SON

and at least there's one Takako Shimura manga where a trans boy gets a happy ending

More relevantly, the seventh story, The Flower, is about Yuki, a minor trans character from Wandering Son. It follows her on a train ride she takes to visit her family back home.

NOTE: Happy; heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation complete

MY STATUS: Read*, recommended

*relevant one-shots only

TRANS FEMALE

A short collection of shoujo romance short stories. In one of them, a trans woman falls in love with a hairdresser who asks her to be his hair model.

NOTE: Heterosexual romance

ANIME: No

STATUS: Completed

TRANSLATION STATUS: Unlicensed; Unofficial translation complete

MY STATUS: Unread