'I decide whether my characters are straight or gay or so on even when that's not the main theme of the story.'

Boruto writer Ukyō Kodachi shared his support for LGBTQ representation in fiction on Twitter on Saturday. He argued that LGBTQ characters ought to exist in fiction even when that aspect of their identities is not a plot point, and revealed that in his own stories he regularly decides on the sexual orientation of his characters as another way of making the story's setting come alive.

Kodachi was responding to a tweet that argued that the reason why LGBT elements don't tend to appear in anime and films is because of Chekhov's gun, which is a dramatic principle that states that every story element must directly contribute to the overall narrative. Kodachi wrote: "No, that doesn't explain it. If that were true, then heterosexual characters would also have no reason to be heterosexual. If you look at my work, there are cases where a character is LGBTQ even when it's not brought up in the story. It's the same thing as having a straight character, even when the plot doesn't delve into it."

He went on: "Loving somebody is natural, and you don't necessarily need a reason to portray something that's part of nature. Wouldn't you be bothered if someone told you not to write straight characters because there's no reason for them to be straight? It would bother me. After all, even putting aside sexual orientation, you establish characters by coming up with details about them.

"Oh, but it's not like I decide the sexual orientation of my characters randomly like I'm rolling dice. I just decide whether my characters are straight or gay or so on even when that's not the main theme of the story. In my opinion, it makes the world I'm depicting feel more natural and alive." (Translation by Anime News Network.)

Kodachi is best known for writing the story of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga and supervising the anime. He has also contributed to a number of anime screenplays, including series composition on Lord El-Melloi II's Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace note and Chaos Dragon. He is also well-known for writing and/or designing various tabletop RPGs, including Tenra War, as well as novels based on video games, TRPGs, and anime.

[Via @rei5131]