The best anime traps in the anime community are those that confuse and surprise you until the end. Sometimes, it's too late before you learn that your favorite anime character is a trap!
It is quite disappointing, but most of the time, it is so funny you'd want to know how people would react to the truth. The anime industry is surely a diverse community with many funny shows.
What is a trap character in anime?
By default, anime traps refer to boys pretending to be girls. They could be drag queens, a florist, or simply just a high school student cross-dressing.
There are also girls pretending to be boys, which you can refer to as reverse traps (more of this in the later section).
Here are examples of the best anime traps from different series.
1. Ana Gram (Phi Brain)
Ana Gram has long brown hair and green eyes. At first glance, Ana looks like a female. But, in the story, he is a boy. Yes, Gram is a male in the anime Phi Brain.
Interestingly, he has a feminine voice and a flamboyant personality. These characteristics are very girly-like. People mistake him for a girl most of the time.
This cute young man loves art. He is known to skip classes and never leaves the school’s art room.
Ana loves cross-dressing, too! Combined with a long hair and timid attitude, you definitely would think that he’s a girl.
2. Rui Ninomiya (Gatchaman Crowds)
Load Galax is Rui Ninomiya’s pseudonym and is an intelligent programmer in Gatchaman Crowds. This young programmer likes to wear girly clothes and wears a blonde wig when out for a mission.
Many times, Rui has fooled other people, including anime fans. Yes, this young individual is a boy who uses his girly face and feminine vibes to save Japan.
According to him, the country is flawed and needs saving.
So, if you haven’t seen Rui in men’s clothes in the first few episodes, you wouldn’t think he’s a boy at all. Such a pretty face for a boy, eh?
3. Hayate Ayasaki (Combat Butler)
Light blue hair in a bob cut, blue eyes, butler clothes are the outer appearances of Hayate Ayasaki. This young man knows how to fight and is skilled in many things. He is strong, has a keen eye for authentic works of arts, and is a mechanic.
One of his secrets? Cosplaying as Belldandy (in Ah! My Goddess anime).
Also, this kick-ass combat butler who looks like a girl knows how to cook delicious food and is a great housekeeper (which looks more like a girl’s characteristics than a boy).
But, his biggest flaw is being dense! Hayate couldn’t recognize a direct upfront of lovey-dovey moves from girls who have a crush on him.
This young man who has a dark past is one of the certified trap characters when he’s at it.
4. Ritsu Sohma (Fruits Basket)
The first time I saw Ritsu Sohma, I thought he was a girl. How could you not? He is wearing the traditional kimono dress for girls. Ritsu is also sporting long hair and talks like a girl.
But, when Ritsu accidentally turns into Zodiac Monkey, I know instantly that he is one of the cross-dresser anime traps. According to him, cross-dressing calms his nerves.
Fruits Basket is really home to weird anime characters, but each person has their own quirks that you’d come to love, including this pretty boy.
5. Kaoru Hanase (Tamako Market)
Kaoru Hanase is a florist in Tamako Market. This beautiful florist has long blonde hair and really looks like a girl. But, when he talks, you know he’s a man or a transwoman.
Such a manly deep voice! Plus, he’s a florist from Tamako Market with lovely green eyes and a beautiful smile. Whatever he likes to portray, Kaoru Hanase is definitely an anime trap.
You wouldn’t know he is a (maybe, former) man until you hear him talk.
6. Hideri Kanzaki (Blend S)
This anime trap intentionally changes his appearance and tries his best to sound like a girl. However, his true nature comes out whenever he’s tense and nervous.
Always wearing girl’s clothes and long silver hair, Hideri Kanzaki of Blend S knows how to become the ultimate trap character.
Unlike other anime traps, this ambitious young man uses this cross-dressing thingy to his advantage, in a good way.
This silver-haired male just wants to be called cute and be regarded as an idol, even though he’s not a singer.
7. Tsukimiya Ringo (Uta No Prince Sama)
Pink curly hair, blue eyes, and pretty face: these are the words to describe Tsukimiya Ringo of Uta no Prince Sama. Unfortunately, this sexy teacher is a male.
Despite regarded as a woman, he still wants others to recognize him as a man. Ironically, Ringo only uses this female alter-ego when he is teaching. Sometimes, he dresses in a man’s clothes.
8. Kurapika (Hunter x Hunter)
This red-eyed character in Hunter x Hunter is one of the best anime traps I have seen so far. Kurapika is tough and quite a skilled hunter.
He looks like a female with that bob-cut golden hair the first time he appeared. Plus, his voice is female (Yep! The Japanese voice actor is really female.)
There’s nothing to tell whether he’s a male or female because Kurapika is withdrawn and aloof from people. Later on, the anime series reveals his gender.
9. Haku (Naruto)
Haku is another of the best anime traps! His graceful and serene beauty rivals those goddesses you see in most anime series.
This serenity is all thanks to his assassin skills. Indeed, Haku is a trained assassin who later fights Naruto. Naruto even mistook him as a girl. Imagine that!
Well, his calm demeanor is really something you can associate with a woman.
10. Saika Totsuka (Oregairu)
This sporty young man has a soft side that makes Hachiman, the main protagonist, at a loss for words most of the time. Saika Totsuka loves tennis and has great leadership skills.
Many times, people think he is a girl but this pretty boy always reminds everyone what he really is. Unintentionally, he is a trap character who doesn’t even know he is one.
11. Hideyoshi Kinoshita - Baka & Test
A drama club member, Hideyoshi Kinoshita is one of the best anime traps. You can’t really distinguish his gender if not for his school uniform. He looks like his fraternal twin sister.
A lot of people think he is a girl. But, this drama addict always corrects those who mistake him for a girl. He isn’t a fan of cross-dressing.
Ironically, this stoic person ends up wearing girl’s clothes for the sake of acting in a drama.
12. Aoi Futaba (You're Under Arrest)
This beautiful crossdresser identifies himself as a transwoman later. Aoi Futaba once said that he might be born male but his heart is a woman.
Despite his sexual inclination, this police officer turns down many proposals. Still, he remains calm and romantic.
Aoi changes his appearance for some reason. Whatever that reason is, this sexy young man is a trap character through and through.
13. Shiota Nagisa (Assassination Classroom)
This blue-haired person is not a girl, despite having long hair. Nagisa never cuts his hair because his mom wants a daughter.
A skilled assassin in the anime, he is one of the trap characters who has a sad backstory. In the end, Shiota convinces his mother that his dreams and feelings are important, too.
Throughout the first few episodes, his classmates think he was a girl until an outing. In this outing, many of his classmates were surprised to find out his true gender.
14. Kuranosuke Koibuchi (Princess Jellyfish)
This wealthy son of a politician crossdresses for the sheer fun of it. Kuranosuke uses female clothes to hide his identity. Despite this, he’s a real man who happens to have many girlfriends in the past.
Kuranosuke Koibuchi is quite good at fashion. He does a makeover with Tsukimi, the female protagonist of the anime Princess Jellyfish and succeeds.
His character is one of the best anime traps because when he turns into a woman, you can’t really see him as a man.
15. Felix Argyle (Re: Zero)
Half-human, half feline, Felix of Re: Zero anime takes advantage of his feminine appearance.
He intentionally turns into an anime trap. Interestingly, this cute boy likes to see how others react when they learn about his true identity.
Wearing girl’s clothes, most of the time, this sexy crossdresser likes people to call him Felix-chan. With his grace and beauty, he exudes a calm demeanor that is associated with water magic users.
16. Arikawa Hime (Himegoto)
Often, anime traps are supporting roles. Not in Himegoto. Hime Arikawa has the main role in the series.
Unlike other trap characters, the student council forces this lonely young man into crossdressing. The reason is quite saddening. Hime wants to repay the student council for paying off his parent’s debts.
Later on Himegoto, you could see that Hime Arikawa seems to enjoy cross-dressing.
17. Souta Takanashi (Working!!! (2010))
A 16-year old cross-dresser, Souta Takanashi loves cute things from dress to accessories, from living things to nonliving things. But, he hates individuals who are over 12 years old.
This picky person looks slim, tall, and quite athletic when he’s not wearing girly apparel. When he’s in a trap personality, Souta loves to wear pink hair with bangs.
His appearance changes drastically and his nickname becomes Kotori.
18. Honjō Kamatari (Rurouni Kenshin)
A skilled samurai! That's what Honjō Kamatari is. His other skill? Being one of the best anime traps.
This skilled young man uses a woman's disguise to get out of trouble. But, most of the time, his disguise puts him in trouble, too.
Whenever Honjō reveals his true identity, people around him are shocked. Well, I always forget that he is a man, too, with all that elaborate kimono and graceful moves.
19. Gasper Vladi (High School DxD)
At first, Gasper Vladi seems like a weak and cowardly person. He dresses in a girl’s uniform to hide his flawed personality. Besides, this hermaphrodite thinks women's clothes are cute.
Later in the episode, his character develops into a brave person who stands up and fights like a man. Gasper Vladi learns the act of courage from his friends.
20. Kenjiro Hato (Genshiken Nidaime)
Hato Kenjirou prefers boy love and relationship. But, he’s afraid that others will discover who he really is and bully him for this. So, his solution is to cross-dress and pretend he’s a girl.
This act transforms Hato Kenjirou completely. Being already attractive as a man, he’s totally beautiful as a woman. The girly fashion and makeup really suit him well.
When this yaoi fan is dressing like a woman, you’ll definitely want him as an anime waifu if it’s possible.
21. Astolfo (Fate/Grand Order)
Pink hair, dressed in frilly and fancy clothes, you wouldn’t recognize a man with such tremendous magic power.
Astolfo is a legend, not only with his power but also with his handsome face.
Among the 12 Paladins of Charlemagne in Fate/Grand Order, this pretty boy is the most good-looking of them all. Anime fans would really be disappointed.
Astolfo, after all, dresses in girl’s clothes because he just wants it and they’re cute, according to him.
22. Aoi Hyoudou (Kaichou wa Maid-sama!)
This cute female-looking person loves to be the center of attention. In Kaichou wa Maid-Sama, Aoi Hyoudou captures the attention of everyone by dressing in girl’s apparel and acting like a female.
Girly Aoi Hyoudou works in Maid Sama and is a colleague of Misaki Ayuzawa.
All is well until the pretty boy begins to show signs of adolescence. His voice deepens and he grows tall as a teenage boy should.
Goodbye, trap character for Aoi Hyoudou! But I think, he’d make a way to continue his disguise, given the fact that he loves cross-dressing.
23. Kazuto Kirigaya (Sword Art Online)
Kazuto aka Kirito is not really an anime trap all the way. He only decided to claim he is a girl to Sinon. Well, this cool-headed girl believes him because of his long hair and his feminine-looking face.
But, this trap is only short-lived. When Sinon discovers Kazuto Kirigaya’s real gender, she slaps him really hard. That’s the end of Kirito’s trap character in Sword Art Online.
24. Ruka Urushibara (Steins Gate)
This anime trap is the most confusing ever. In Steins Gate, Ruka Urushibara is a man with girly features and attitudes.
His nickname is Lukako (or Rukako, depending on the translation), which seems more like a woman’s name.
Ruka Urushibara falls in love with Rintaro despite being a man. This pretty boy (or lady) keeps his feelings a secret for a very long time. Then, Lukako becomes a female!
Yeah, this is so confusing. So, I suggest you watch the anime to understand it better. Still, Ruka Urushibara is one of the best anime traps. She, I mean, he is so pretty.
25. Fisheye (Sailor Moon SuperS)
This person in Sailor Moon SuperS is a former fish! Yes, you heard me right. But because of magic, Fisheye becomes a man.
Matters become complicated when this former fish is as pretty as a woman can get. Not only that! He dresses like a woman and smiles like one.
Why do all these handsome men love to dress in women's clothes?!
26. Pico (Boku No Pico)
Don’t freak out! I know this anime is hentai but it is still part of this list because of how Pico portrays his anime trap character. Pico talks and acts like a girl!
Because of this, a pervert takes advantage of his naive personality. By the way, this little boy works as a part-timer in a bar.
His sexual encounter with the antagonist of the series changes how he views relationships.
Sad! But the Boku no Pico series is the epitome of some realities out there.
What is the reverse trap in anime?
A reverse trap in anime is when a female anime character pretends to be a boy. This is called the female trap.
Reverse traps are still rare. When you see one, it’s quite refreshing to watch and see how the anime characters handle exposure.
So, to answer your question: what is a female trap in anime, let me give you a few samples I have come across.
27. Kikuchi Makoto (The Idolm@ster)
Makoto is part of a group wanting to become an idol. While other group members are popular with guys, she is more popular with GIRLS!
Well, Kikuchi Makoto is a charming person. But, her appearance looks like a boy rather than being feminine. She uses this to her advantage. Still, this charming lady wants to be known as a girl idol, not a GUY!
28. Albus (The Grimoire Of Zero)
This is a reverse trap, not because Albus wants to, but because she doesn’t have a chance to make it clear. Or rather, the anime doesn’t focus much on her.
This mage is a female through and through. When others mistake her for a man, Albus doesn’t give care or correct them. Anyways, she knows her worth, so it doesn’t matter what people think of her gender.
29. Kashima Yuu (Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun)
Yuu Kashima is a cross-dresser girl. She dresses like a man and even acts like one. Surprisingly, this beauty knows how to win the heart of the opposite gender. Her "boyfriends" must have envied her.
Boys! You should learn from her. Anyways, pretty Yuu Kashima is tall with short hair and her features are more of a pretty boy than a girl. Any girl would really fall for her.
Why are there traps in anime?
Who knows? Perhaps, the anime creators want to play tricks on your mind. They wanted to see how keen your eyes are in distinguishing a male from a female or vice versa.
Maybe, they just want to create a character whom anime fans can relate to. Whether you like it or not, there are people who like to cross-dress because they feel secure and safe.
Some would identify themselves as transman or traswoman, whether they have a sex change or not.
We live in a complex world with diversified societies and personalities. And, traps in the anime world are ways for us to realize how complex the world is.
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