Chicks with Dicks
(also: dickgirl; short: futa) A hentai staple; essentially, a woman with a penis. Unlike real-life transsexuals, the general understanding is that futanari are naturally female; the penis is merely incidental, and might even be temporary.
The principle behind futanari, in general, is to depict fantasy lesbian relationships with the added benefit of penetration. Some people like the extra possibilities of mixed genitalia, beyond the traditional roles and templates of real-life sexual intercourse. Still others are merely pleased by the pairing of penis and female form, interpreting it as a coy, and rather neutral, distillation of everything sexual.
The Spice of Life
There are several ways futanari can be interpreted, and despite the concept's fantasy nature, the distinctions between one “flavor” of futanari and the next have been known to cause large arguments in certain corners of the Internet. Among the common varieties of futanari are:
- Penis and scrotum, no vagina (”new half” style)
- Penis and scrotum, with vagina (hermaphrodite with balls)
- Penis and vagina, no scrotum (hermaphrodite without balls)
- Engorged, penis-like clitoris (“clit dicks”)
- Penis that comes
outof the vagina
The Uncanny Valley
For many heterosexual men, the presence or absence of testes is a major issue. Some hentai afficianados require the presence of a vagina, else they reject the depiction as a mere “she-male”. Others prefer a temporary penis (either actual or “clit dick” style) that can be hidden away when not in use, so as to witness as little penis as possible while still retaining its practical benefits. Still others find all of this clutter distracting, and just prefer straight-out male genitalia, for the sake of simplicity.
With characters like Bridget, from the Guilty Gear series – a young boy dressed as a nun, who is commonly depicted in a submissive role, even in the rare cases he is paired with a woman – the boundaries of the futanari camp grow even hazier. Although, strictly speaking, any hentai featuring Bridget should be classified as shota or yaoi, Bridget is feminine enough, and popular enough, to be considered a sort of honorary futanari for the purpose of hentai depiction.
This brings to bear the question of underage futanari, who either lack breasts or have breasts of negligible size. Especially when these futanari are depicted without a vagina, it can be difficult to distinguish them from young boys. This uncertainty is a certain source of paranoia for some, who feel the need to know for certain that their object of arousal is indeed intended to be female. For others, this situation simply helps to blur the edges of traditional gender values: if it's alluring, then it's alluring.
Famous videogame futanari
- Poison (from Final Fight) - actually a “new half” or transsexual
