What is Fictosexuality?
In April 2022, a story about Akihoko Kondo, the man who married a hologram of a fictional character went viral. I was contacted by Newsweek to comment on the story, and though the story never went to print, I wanted to share this information about a lesser-known micro-identity.
Fictosexuality is an umbrella term for anyone who experiences sexual attraction toward fictional characters, a general type of fictional character, or whose sexuality is influenced by fictional characters.
The fictosexual umbrella
Animesexuality - which is the exclusive attraction to anime characters
Cartosexual – the attraction to cartoon/comic characters.
Booklosexual – the attraction to novel/visual novel characters.
Visualnovelsexual – the attraction to visual novel characters.
Gamosexual – the attraction to video game characters.
Imagisexual – the attraction to fictional characters one can never see (book characters, podcast characters, etc.)
Inreasexual – the attraction to live-action TV show/movie characters.
OCsexual – the attraction to original characters.
Teratosexual – the attraction to monster-related characters.
Tobusexual – the attraction to vampire-related characters.
Spectrosexual – the attraction to ghost-related characters.
Nekosexual – the attraction to neko-related characters.
Anuafsexual – the attraction to other animal and human hybrid characters.
Multifictino – a mix of exclusive fictional attraction. Example: being attracted exclusively to anime and cartoon characters.
Aliussexual – an attraction for fictionkin. The attraction to fictional characters from their source.
What terms are this confused with or compared to?
It is sometimes confused with or compared to demisexuality (people only feel sexually attracted to someone when they have an emotional bond with the person) or aegosexuality (someone who seldom feels sexual attraction to other people). Fictosexual is most associated with gray asexuality or greysexual which refers to people who experience sexual attraction very rarely or with very low intensity. Graysexual lies between those who are asexual and allosexual and supports the idea that sexuality isn’t black or white.
How is fictosexuality different from fantasizing?
The difference between it being a "fetish" or sexual fantasy is that one must ONLY be sexually or romantically attracted to fictional characters and not people. Often the attachment to the character goes far beyond sexual fantasy and may not include anything sexual at all. Fictosexuality is developed as an adult form of pretend play much like what Vygotsky observed in the imaginative play of school children and adolescents who play without action. It is important to note that fictosexuality is not inherently "straight" or LGBTQ+ and depends on the individual's orientation.
Are fictosexuals also asexual?
Fictosexuality is considered a micolabel of asexuality and is most closely associated with graysexuality. Fictosexuals can certainly identify with other orientations. Some fictosexual people identify as bifictosexual meaning they are attracted to male and female characters or will identify as aro/ace fictosexual meaning they are romantic, asexual, and fictosexual.
The fictophilic paradox
The individual is fully aware of the characters fictional status and the parasocial nature of the relationship but their feelings toward the characters can result in discomfort since they cannot interact with the characters in the same way as they do with humans.
Fictophilic stigma
Fictosexuality is not a diagnoseable disorder or mental illness but the stigma around it remains. The stigma of fictophillia is why the story about Akihoko Kondo went viral. People are simultaneously fascinated by, and judgemental of, fictophilic behavior because of the presumed sexual nature of the relationship and that there is something wrong with the fictophilic person. As cited in recent research, fictophiles often experience a stigma, which could be reduced by the mutual aid of peer support.
Is there science behind humans being attracted to fictional characters?
There is little research that has been done about fictosexuality but recent studies on attachment (Erikson, 2018) reference that objects of attachment may also be fictional. Most research that has been done on parasocial attachments has not explicitly investigated the parasocial characteristics associated with fictional characters.
Where can I learn more?
To read the latest research on fictosexuality, click here.
A great way to be an ally is learning the proper terms to discuss 2SLGBTQ+ topics.
To download a PDF of gender and sexuality terms, click here.
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