It’s the biggest open secret in games journalism: I’m a freak for futanari. It’s one of my favorite genres to read and watch in hentai, second only to anything about giant women. Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s room to criticize how the Western anime fandom relates to futanari, as I’ve discussed in some of my video essay work. But futanari content itself? That stuff is incredible. And I’m eager to throw a spotlight onto futanari in the h-games realm.
So, starting today, I am announcing a brand new column for Waypoint called “Futa Fridays”. Every Friday, I will be writing a short feature story spotlighting one futanari-themed adult game. The column will start Friday, May 16th, and it will talk about futanari titles new and old alike. From Japan to Jersey, itch.io to DLSite, I’m eager to spotlight futanari hentai games that are worth your time and money — even if you know very little about anime girls with penises.
You might not know what ‘futanari’ really is
There are many myths, misconceptions, and half-truths about futanari floating around on the English-speaking side of the internet. So before I even talk about the “Futa Fridays” column, let’s address the elephant in the room: Are futanari transgender women, and is it okay to use the term “futanari”? I will speak authoritatively here as a transgender woman specializing in adult games journalism, as well as an ASMRist who creates futanari content.
First of all, if you’re a Western anime fan, there’s a high chance you’ve been using the term “futanari” wrong. Futanari, or futa for short, does not mean “a girl with a penis.” According to Japanese artist Yana of doujinshi circle Nekoarashi, futanari is a Japanese term to describe a fictional character “who has both male and female genitalia.” It is not a term signifying a person’s gender, nor is it a word that should ever be used to describe real people; Yana warns this could “lead to misunderstandings or even cause you to discriminate against or harass another human being.”
“In short, regardless of whether they present other typical male or female anatomical characteristics, an individual is a futanari if they possess both sets of genitalia,” Yana notes in the explainer Futanari? What’s that? “In conclusion, even though futanari is an umbrella term that collects several varieties of character, definition of their gender can vary wildly depending on the rules of the fictional worlds futanari inhabit.”
Wait… are futanari trans women?!
As I discussed in my video essay on futanari and their relationship to transgender women, the futa genre has its earliest roots in trans women’s bodies. Trans sex workers’ bodies, to be precise. The female and femme-coded character with a penis came about in adult manga after Japanese eromanga creators viewed American trans porn, per Erotics Comics in Japan. “From there,” author Nagayama Kaoru notes, “artists such as Kitamimaki Kei, known for his emphasis on big breasts, imported it into the Japanese eromanga world.”
Does that make futanari transgender women? No. No doubt, trans porn inspired both the “futanari” genre, as well as the “dickgirl,” which Yana describes as a fictional character with “typically female secondary sexual characteristics” that are not the “result of gender-affirming procedures.” However, neither of these characters are explicitly intended to be transgender women in their respective genres. Rather, characters who undergo gender transition emerged in eromanga thanks to exposure to American trans porn as well; Kitamimaki Kei introduced one such trans character in “The Human Ranch,” per Kaoru.
So, in short: Futanari characters exist in anime and manga because of trans porn. No trans women, no trans porn. No trans porn, no futanari hentai. But under the original Japanese definition, futanari characters are not intended to be transgender women.
Futanari is a bit like a photocopy of a photocopy. That leads me to conclude that futanari is trans-coded, playing with transfeminine-like bodies by nature of the content’s history. As a transgender woman, the futa genre has a history with my body that I want to expand on and explore. A genre that now has some global element in society, from indie futa games created in Europe to classic visual novels that flourished in Japan on Windows XP.
Lastly, to be explicitly clear, I do not believe the term “futanari” is innately offensive to trans women. Yana’s message on discrimination is one I share: “Futanari” is not a term that should be applied to real people in real life, lest you cause sexual harassment and discrimination. As a trans woman, I also insist that “futa” should not be used as a catch-all term for any female character with a penis. For example, Guilty Gear’s Bridget is best described as transgender, so labeling her “futa” would be offensive.
So, what kind of ‘futa’ are you covering for ‘futa fridays’?
In Japanese anime and manga, a futanari character is one with “both male and female genitalia.” However, “futanari” has taken on an enormous life of its own in the U.S., becoming an umbrella term for any female character with a penis in animated or voice-acted porn. So, while I do want to reiterate that a female character with a penis sans vulva is not a futanari character as understood in Japan, Western adult artists, animators, and voice actors don’t really adhere to the original terminology. The Western anime community has essentially developed its own relationship with the term, widening futa’s scope far beyond its original meaning in Japan.
Therefore, for “Futa Fridays,” I’m interested in covering any game that explicitly describes itself and its characters as “futa.” Whether in its title, description, or tags. Games where characters are intended to be transgender women will not be included, as I believe it would be deeply offensive to describe these characters as “futanari.” Adult games that set out to represent transgender female characters should receive their own special, in-depth articles that go beyond the scope of what this column would entail.
As an aside, I plan to clarify in every article whether a game fits the Japanese definition of futanari. I will also draw on literature from Japanese critics to discuss and analyze these games, with Yana and Kaoru both being good examples.
is this just an excuse to play futa games?
Where’s that emote… ah! Here it is.
Yes, I’ll admit it. I’m doing this column because I think futanari are hot. I love penetrative women, I love women with big penises, or just any artistic depiction of a woman with a penis. The stylized nature of futa is super fascinating to me because it’s so ubiquitous in online adult artwork today. And, you know, girls are pretty, and that includes girls with penises. Hence my interest in the subject matter.
I’m sure this sentiment is shared among women in Japan as well. I happen to know a fellow futanari fan who visited futanari doujinshi convention Futaket in Tokyo, and this source reported back to me that “about 40% of artists were women.” Additionally, “plenty of female visitors” attended the convention. I suspect in Japan, many women also love futanari for the same reasons I do: Because they’re also attracted to women, and they’re interested in what the futanari character offers and represents. That Futaket attendee’s experience leads me to believe that there may be some affinity for futanari among transgender women in Japan, too.
Personal interest on the topic aside, futanari is important to discuss and analyze because the “futa” character has legs of its own. An import from America led to an export from Japan. That export returned to the West and gave birth to a brand new stylistic direction for adult artwork of women with penises, launching the careers of many NSFW artists. Today, there are plenty of illustrators, writers, voice actors, and game developers around the world creating futa content, all parallel to futa mangaka still producing smut in Japan.
Meanwhile, futanari is one of the most popular subgenres in adult gaming, yet adult game developers are regularly shut out of the mainstream games journalism industry. Consider this column my way of exploring one of my interests while also spotlighting the incredible work of so many wonderful adult devs putting their blood, sweat, and tears into futanari content. These folks deserve a weekly spotlight showcasing their work.
So, if you’re an adult dev focusing on futanari, hit me up. I want to hear what kind of futa content you’re cooking up. You can reach me on Twitter, Bluesky, or via email at: [email protected]
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