History Main / ViewerGenderConfusion

* There are people out there who think the Newborn from ''Alien Resurrection'' is a female. For the record, it's a hermaphrodite. The actual prop used for the film had both '''male and female'' genitalia. This does not make the Newborn an "it", but it reminds us that English seriously needs better pronouns.

* Kurapika from ''HunterXHunter''. His/her gender is hidden for a large part of the manga and s/he is so perfectly androgynous that it's difficult to make up one's mind.

*** Be aware of linguistic confusion here... In the USA pants are trousers, but in the rest of the English speaking world pants are underwear. Odd mental pictures ensue (knights on horseback in the undies...

** [[TearJerker Don't mention Samantha. Just...don't.]]

*** It doesn´t help that he modeled his preferred form, the green-haired one, after Lust. In the American dub he also ''sounds'' like a woman, albeit one with a rough voice. This troper didn't realize that Envy was supposed to be male for a long time.

** This is the reason Zoisite was redubbed as a woman in some countries.

*** Trainers are actually programmed in the source code with a gender, which is reflected in their Pokemon. Bugsy having female Pokemon means he is actually PROGRAMMED AS FEMALE IN THE GAME'S SOURCE CODE.

*** SpoonyOne played a Boy or Girl game to find out if Kiros is a boy or a girl.

* Hansel and Gretel in ''{{Black Lagoon))''. By the end of their story arc, it's still not very clear if they were brother and sister, sisters, or brothers.

* During her first appearance in ''GirlGenius'' the female j�ger Jenka's gender was more ambiguous -- most notably her BreastPlate was much less pronounced and she was less attractive than the recently-introduced {{Bishonen}} j�ger Maxim. Later it became more obvious.
** Wait...there's a female j�ger?!

* ''{{Film/Tarzan}}'': Anybody else have to be reminded that the gorilla Turk (voiced by Rosie O'Donnell) is female? I had no frikkin' clue.

* Shinta Kikuchi from ''OsuTatakaeOuendan''. [[http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/Ouendan%202/Images/26-shintaface.png Look at him/her.]]

*** The playful toying extends to the dub where Johan apparently thinks that Tieria would make a pretty hot girl, OrSoIHeard.

*** That's the reason for heels on armor, yes. The reason for heels in fashion, on the other hand, is because King Louis XIV was [[TheNapoleon short and wanted to look taller]]... OrSoIHeard.

*** While "Haruhi" is indeed a name most commonly used for girls, it is possible for a boy to be named this. So it doesn't really help. At the same time, it underlines how easy it is for Haruhi to be mistaken for a boy in the right getup, by making people immediately assume she's male despite the rather feminine name. But really hardly anyone starts on this series without knowing [[YouShouldKnowThisAlready she's really a girl from the get-go anymore]].

** Some people confuse Chowder for a girl since he wears purple and pink shirt and is touchy-feely at times.

* Zaji of ''TegamiBachi'' is thought to be either a boyish-looking young woman or a man. It doesn't help that early on in the series, a girl named Nello who looks a little like Zaji is mistaken for a boy.

* An interesting case comes from ''GirlsSaurus''. [[http://www.onemanga.com/Girls_Saurus_DX/28/07/ That cute girl]] getting [[TheChikan molested by men on the train]] and is saved by the main characters? Yeah, [[DroppedABridgetOnHim that's a guy]]. But wait, he's got breasts and is wearing a skirt! [[SoYeah Uh yeah]]... not really: turns out that he's so feminine that the main characters (and, indeed, ''everyone who meets him, man and woman alike'') hallucinate that he's built and dressed like a girl. No, [[http://www.onemanga.com/Girls_Saurus_DX/28/30/ seriously]].

* Taylor Hanson from the teen pop group Hanson: ambiguously pitched voice, long hair, and gender-neutral name. [[SoYeah So... yeah.]]

** Also, [[EverythingsBetterWithBunnies Lo]][[KillerRabbit punny]]. There is a 50/50 chance that the Pok�mon is a male/female, and it doesn't help that (s)he has a [[FetishFuel feminine appearance]]. It helps even less that most people say the name is a caricature of '''[[PlayboyBunny Playboy Bunnies]]'''. [[SoYeah SO YEAH]]...

* The character of Snail in the children's cartoon series ''{{Franklin}}'' certainly caused a lot of confusion for viewers. The character was a soft lavender color and had a voice that sounded female causing people to think Snail was a girl. (Actually, it didn't just sound female -- it ''was'' female. Snail was voiced by Kristen Bone, Maggie of ''Maggie and the Ferocious Beast''.) However, Snail is a boy. OK, technically snails are hermaphrodites... but since this is a kid's show... [[SoYeah yeah...]].

* One of the most oddly persistent examples is the German-Austrian-Japanese co-production ''Wickie und die starken M�nner'', known as ''Chiisana baikingu Bikke'' in Japan. Many, if not most, of the German-language viewers would swear that the title character is a little girl. This is slightly jarring, as he is regularly referred to as male -- and the captain's son. There was even a scene where he was shown skinny-dipping, complete with a cutesy hint of male genitals. However, clothed, he certainly looks quite girlish. The impression is not only supported by the female voice actor, but also by a confusing bit in the title theme: one of the lines urges the character "Wickie, zieh fest die Segel an" ("Wicky, pull the sails tightly"). This was commonly misheard as "Wicky, sie f�sst die Segel an" ("Wickie, she f�sses the sails"). Sure, the word "f�sst" doesn't exist, but what do little kids know about sailing?

** I beg to differ: "f�sst (an)" is third person singular present of "(an)fassen" which mean "to take hold off" or "to grasp" or "to touch". Mishearing the line can be explained by some crappy songtext writer as it is perfectly normal German. No small wonder nobody was really sure about it...