Futanari

Futanari (二成, 二形; ふたなり, literally "dual form") is the Japanese word for androgyny or hermaphrodite. Until 1644, the appeal of sexually ambiguious, futanari characters portrayed by onnagata actors was a popular element in Japanese drama, and there is a flourishing futanari anime and manga genre in Japan today.

History of futanari in Japanese culture
In Japanese society, interest in futanari dates back many hundreds of years, and may have roots in the worship of Dosojin, who was portrayed as a phallus, despite being neither male nor female. Until 1644, when Japanese onnagata actors were required to adopt male hairstyles regardless of the gender they were portraying, actors playing characters such as female warriors capitalised on the interest in the futanari quality, which was common in both samurai and commoner society.

Futanari in anime and manga
There is a specific futanari genre within hentai (pornographic anime or manga), which depicts hermaphrodite characters. Other common terms used to describe futanari characters are "dickgirls" or "shemales", although these are often considered vulgar and incorrect. (The terms "dickgirl" and "shemale" is typically used incorrectly, since an accurate futanari character possesses a vagina). Futanari, along with "newhalf", are more polite terms having come into recent use, with futanari tending to refer specifically to actual hermaphrodites and "newhalf" tending to refer specifically to characters with female bodies but only male genitals.

Futanari have been described as "hermaphroditic characters with enlarged male and female parts".

Description
The term futanari is usually reserved for characters drawn in an anime art style. Female characters that share similar characteristics with futanari but are drawn in a Western style are usually simply referred to as "dickgirls".

"Futas", as the female characters are often called, fall into several categories:


 * The traditional form of futanari in which the female character is depicted as having both male and female sexual organs (the penis sprouting out above the clitoris and vagina).
 * A variation on this form in which there is a penis instead of a clitoris.
 * A variation on the two above forms in which the testicles are omitted (i.e. the character will have a penis but no testicles).
 * Enlarged or hypertrophic clitoris in which the character has no set of male sexual organs per se. This is arguably still included under the blanket term futanari.

Futanari characters can be (and often are) paired with various types of partners. Most often, the futa is paired with cisgender women. This is usually done in the same way other forms of hentai pair men and women. Variations on this theme include multiple futanari on one woman, futanari with other futanari, and futanari on males (often done for a femdom fetish, although more ordinarily male/female sexual interaction can be depicted as well).

In some cases, the futanari character is depicted as having a penis and/or testicles that have grown to a size which is physically implausible. This is somewhat similar to what is seen in some bakunyū characters, whose breasts are of a similarly implausible size.

Another specific fetish involving futanari is the depiction of some object being inserted into the urethra. In many cases, this is an inanimate object, and the futa derives sexual pleasure from this in a way that is similar to when female characters in hentai insert an object into their vaginas or nipples.

However, a far less common variation includes two futanari characters, with urethral insertion by one futa of her penis into the other's urethra. Then sexual intercourse occurs as though the penis of the first was in the vagina of the second.

In most types of hentai, there is some overlap between fetishes, and futanari is no exception. Futanari is often used with bukkake, BDSM, catgirl, lolicon and tentacle sex.

Origins
Futanari manga appeared in the 1990s and quickly became a pervasive part of the industry, cross-pollinating every genre. Toshiki Yui's Hot Tails has been described as the best known exponent of the genre in the West.

There are many hypotheses as to why and how the theme of futanari came into being. The most obvious is the close relationship that the futanari fetish shares with Western "shemale" pornography. However, due to the way it is executed, futanari probably shares more in common with the yuri genre. Futanari can be seen as an extension of the lesbian theme where it is used instead of a strap-on dildo or equivalent. Except in cases involving anything other than a futanari character and a cisgender woman.

Only a very small subset of futanari characters "become" futa due to male to female transformations; most are developed by other, more outlandish means, often from normal females. This allows story lines to take a more lesbian context which is more palatable to straight males.

Futanari may also be seen as a way in which male empathy can be inserted into a predominately lesbian scene. Obviously, one of the main difficulties that male observers have with lesbian scenes is that it is difficult for them to empathise or see themselves in the situation. In the futanari fetish, this becomes possible and this may appeal to a part of the futanari community.

In normal anime, the gender bender or cross-dressing storylines have always been popular. Popular examples include anime such as Ranma ½ and Futaba-Kun Change! (in which the main character changes from male to female) and I My Me! Strawberry Eggs (which takes on a more cross-dressing theme).