I’m a big fan of yuri relationships in anime, and love watching shows that focus on girls finding love with other girls. Happily, the genre is well-supplied, and it seems there are always great new yuri anime series to watch. In this post, let’s explore the best anime lesbians, according to J-List’s customers of culture!
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Why Do Fans Love Yuri Anime So Much?
One thing I love about anime is that it’s a “big tent” filled with dozens of genres. If you get tired of mecha anime, or anime about idols, or the latest isekai-of-the-week, there’s always something completely new to discover. One genre I enjoy is yuri anime, about girls who love girls. And it’s great geeking out with J-List customers about the best yuri couples!
Why are stories about anime lesbians so relaxing to watch? Let’s break it down.
- The drama makes it better. There’s a tension created when girls break society’s rules to find love together that is interesting to watch unfold.
- Innocence in bloom. There’s something innocent about two girls discovering feelings for each other, unsure about how to proceed.
- Elevated complex emotions. Yuri stories are often told in school settings, which can make fans feel nostalgia for a simpler time when all that mattered was whether our crush would look at us today.
- An endless well of fan service. Anime studios that want to be successful know they need to provide a certain level of fan service, whether it’s sexy eye candy or emotional scenes that make fans gasp in wonder.
- Yuri brings the world together. Men and womens’ brains are very different, and each will focus on different visual aspects when it comes to sex. It seems to me that yuri is one of the few things both groups can be on the exact same page about.
- The safety of viewing as a non-participant. Then there’s the odd detachment males get when watching yuri anime — and which, I’ve been told, female fans experience when watching BL stories. Because we’re not invited into the relationship by definition, we can sit back and enjoy the stories without fear of rejection.
Who Are Your Favorite Anime Lesbians? J-List Customers Respond!
I asked J-List customers to give us their favorite yuri couples, and got a lot of great responses!
Yuri makes anything it touches better, so making a spinoff of Fate/stay night with girls who had to make out in order to recharge their mana was genius.
Why is “Yuri no Houseki” a hidden gem that fans should not miss? Read my blog post here!
Then there was Sakura Trick, and anime that focused more on kissing and physical touching than on the dramatic aspect of girls dating.
Citrus was another great show that explored lesbian relationships. It hopefully brought in a lot of new fans to the genre.
The first girls in anime who were officially “a couple” were Sailor Uranus and Neptune. Since that was too much for America at the time, they were turned into (kissing) cousins, because of course they were!
“Weaponized” Yuri Anime
Then came Valkyrie Drive Mermaid, with literally “weaponized” lesbian relationships. Strong fighters called Liberators partner with women who have been infected with the A-Virus, which enables them to transform into weapons when they get excited sexually.
One groundbreaking yuri anime was Revolutionary Shoujo Utena, made by genius director Kunihiko Ikuhara.
Another yuri-centric anime created by Ikuhara was Yuri Kuma Arashi, which used lesbian relationships to tell stories about social conformity and the struggle of those who refuse to conform. He also brought us the bizarre but enjoyable Mawaru Penguindrum.
I was a huge fan of the New Game! anime about an all-female game development company in which all the girls were pairing up with their co-workers (well, in the minds of fans, at least). While I, of course, rooted for Kou and Rin to tie the knot — which they eventually do — it was also fun following Aoba’s attraction to Kou.
The Influence of Sailor Moon on Yuri Anime
You couldn’t get through the ’90s as an anime fan without building a complex “shipping list” of which Sailor Moon girls were hooking up… and which girl was on top.
Sailor Jupiter, you useless lesbian!
Then we have Bloom Into You, a gorgeous yuri anime about two girls who find love together, despite one of the girls being senpai to the other.
You never forget your first anime lesbians, and mine were Sepia and Cobalt from the gorgeous Cthulhu-influenced horror anime Iczer-1. Give it a watch if you haven’t discovered this great show yet!
There were lots of great anime lesbian pairings in Gushing Over Magical Girls for fans to enjoy. Which couple was your favorite?
Thanks for reading this blog post about the best anime lesbians, and why yuri has become an important pillar of the anime industry. Which yuri shows introduced you to the genre?
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Happy New Year from your Friend in Japan, J-List! We hope 2026 is a year of happiness and peace for you. To get things off right, we’re having a huge site-wide New Year’s Sale through Jan. 6, giving you 15$ off all in-stock products. Start browsing now!
