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A "trap character"[(UrbanDictionary entry, may be **NSFW**
)](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trap&defid=2584134) is a
character who appears to be a girl until you get in close enough (plot-wise)
to discover they are, in fact, a boy. The inverse trope exists as well; a
"reverse trap" character is a girl who appears to be a boy.

( **Note** : The word _trap_ here is not intended to be offensive, or a slur;
it is only used to refer to fictional characters of this type.)

Some examples are [Ruka Urushibara](http://steins-
gate.wikia.com/wiki/Ruka_Urushibara) of _Steins;Gate_ and Sora Kamomeya of
_[Tsui☆Teru](http://vndb.org/v454)_ (pictured below):

[![Profile image of Sora
Kamomeya](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qfYJJm.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qfYJJ.jpg)

Who was the first trap character in anime and/or manga, and what media did the
trope originate from?


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tropes
Who was the first "trap character"?


Tezuka's 1949 manga,
[Metropolis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_%28manga%29), features
Michi, a synthesised human with a _gender switch_ which can turn it from a boy
into a girl and vice versa which is used as a plot device.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cOxZ6m.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/cOxZ6.jpg)

Tezuka's 1953 manga, [Ribbon no
Kishi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Knight) (Princess Knight)
features a reverse trap with a girl pretending to be a guy:

> Taking place in a medieval European-like fairy-tale setting, Princess Knight
> is the story of young Princess Sapphire who must pretend to be a male prince
> so she can inherit the throne (as women are not eligible to do so). This
> deception begins as soon as she is born, as her father the King announces
> his baby is a boy instead of a girl. The reason for this is that the next-
> in-line to the throne, Duke Duralumon, is an evil man who would repress the
> people if he were to become king, and because of this the King will go to
> any length to prevent him from taking over.

Similarly, [The Rose of
Versailles](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rose_of_Versailles) (1972) is
another that has a girl, pretending to be a guy, Oscar François de Jarjayes.

For a "straight" trap, 1973's _Ara Waga Tono!_ appears to be the first to fit
the bill.

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/qQjWEl.jpg)

> This is a slapstick romance, where girls and boys clash in a ‘modern’ co-ed
> high school. There is a lot of romantic intrigue, quite a bit of gender-
> bending and some teenage angst when adults Just Don’t Understand. (source:
> goldbird)

Then there's 1974's _[Oira
Sukeban](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oira_Sukeban)_ :

> Oira Sukeban (おいら女蛮?), sometimes called Sukeban Boy, is a Japanese manga
> created by Go Nagai in 1974. It is a comedy with several erotic touches,
> where the protagonist Banji Suke (or Sukeban) has to disguise himself as a
> girl in order to be able to attend an all-female school. As Suke Ban is a
> rebellious boy, this situation creates several comedic troubles.
>
> The manga was adapted to an OVA in 1992 and was released by ADV Films in the
> US under the name Delinquent in Drag.

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/PFRQs.jpg)

But my guess is that the trope really took off only after the publication and
airing of [Ranma ½](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranma_%C2%BD) in the late
80s.

> The story revolves around a 16-year old boy named Ranma Saotome who was
> trained from early childhood in martial arts. As a result of an accident
> during a training journey, he is cursed to become a girl when splashed with
> cold water, while hot water changes him back into a boy.
>
> Ranma ½ had a comedic formula and a sex changing main character, who often
> willfully changes into a girl to advance his goals. The series also contains
> many other characters, whose intricate relationships with each other,
> unusual characteristics and eccentric personalities drive most of the
> stories. Although the characters and their relationships are complicated,
> they rarely change once the characters are firmly introduced and settled
> into the series.


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