Globalizing Fandoms: Envisioning Queer Futures from Kunihiko Ikuhara and Rebecca Sugar

Ristola illustrates how queer representation Steven Universe is directly linked to the influence of anime director Kunihiko Ikuhara. The chapter begins by examining queer characters and narratives in Ikuhara’s works Sailor Moon (1992–1997) and Revolutionary Girl Utena (1997) and how they inspire similar queer representation in Steven Universe. Ristola then examines how the animation and character design in Steven Universe recalls Revolutionary Girl Utena and Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity in demonstrating gendered rituals of the body. Finally, Ristola illustrates how participation by the production staff of Steven Universe in a fandom shaped by the increasing transnational distribution of anime since the 1990s enabled the series’ transnational anime influences, with contemporary understandings of fandom shaping the series’ production as well.