Integra in Hellsing count as this

Hibari in Katekyo Hitman is married to the job.

Train from Black Cat is disgusted by the idea

Taikoubou from Houshin Engi. being around since the beginning of the earth will do that to you.

Lloyd from code geass. explained by cecile that he doesn't give any second thought about matter of the flesh.

Oh, Edward Gorey was totally asexual; he's on record as having confirmed it.

Thank you to everyone else! Although I'd ask you to remember recommending protagonists, only, not side-characters.

Edit: Although if the character is "major" enough to appear in every single page (or almost every single page) of the manga, that should be okay, too.

I'm sure you've already read these, but if it's just for the sake of listing, then Klaus from Eroica fits this definition like a glove.
Also- and this may come out a bit controversial- Ash Lynx... My reasons for thinking so:

A. He's been traumatized by sex for a lifetime, a fact we're constantly reminded of.
B. It never is insinuated that his attraction to Eiji is also a sexual one, in addition of course to the fluffy romantic friendship they share.BTW, it's fully possible for asexuals to form these kinds of attachments.
C. Although it was hinted at a certain point that Ash is in fact a well oiled sex machine (I believe by Alex and the gang), nothing was given to sustain this theory above the purely theorethic level as, again, Ash has never shown sexual interest in anyone throughout the series (19 volumes, roughly two years in manga time!) I know he was busy being chased around and threatened, but you know it would have happened to anyone else! Manga-kas live for plots as over-the-top as this one.


Now in case you were wondering, yes, I am having my slash googles on. Yet their relationship still reamains ambiguous!.

Great topic by the way.



Last edited by altilye at 5:27 am, Aug 17 2010

________________
<a href="http://www.tonecartoons.co.uk/Shop?affiliates=4">you know you want it</a>

@altilye, you know what? I think you're TOTALLY right about Ash Lynx. I never noticed it before, but there's certainly no depiction of him being desirous of sex with another human being!

I feel compelled to add that Hercule Poirot from Agatha Christie's mystery novels is like this as well. I suppose you could argue that it's due to his age...but since there are plenty of lecherous old men in fiction, that argument is hardly logical. He has never been married, and in the whole of 33 novels and a large collection of short stories, there were only two very brief instance (in just the one novel and one short story) where he showed an (apparently romantic, but definitely not sexual) interest in a certain woman...and that was barely noticeable.

I completely agree with you, calstine! Hercule Poirot was SO asexual. Perhaps all great detectives are? It does offer a certain detachment, and a kind of tactical advantage... Ever the spectator, and thus ever-alert to clues and stratagems, as opposed to being down in the mosh-pit of confusion with the rest of us.

I can't think of any manga with asexual protagonists, but the television show The Big Bang Theory has an asexual character as one of the main characters.

He's really obvious about it too and constantly makes fun of the other characters for having sex drives. He has no interest whatsoever in women or men and completely ignores the women who try to flirt with him.

@Tartufo
If we're talking about external media, the webcomic "Boy Meets Boy", had a character that was strictly a-sexual, before falling in love with his male best friend. It was either gay or nothing in that world.

P.S. I had such fun reading Ash as an a-sexual. It felt natural. The realization that he might be one struck me when he arrived to that guy's rented appartment disguised as a call-boy, and strarted bitching about the champagne he wasn't allowed to have as a child, being just a lowly prostitute at the time. In case you needed even more reasons to feel sorry for him.


________________
<a href="http://www.tonecartoons.co.uk/Shop?affiliates=4">you know you want it</a>

You know, thinking about it (and if you're alright with none-manga/anime),
Liz Lemon from 30 Rock seems to be a pretty asexual person.
She has little interest in sex and seems to do it just because she's supposed to,
and not enjoying it in the process.
Also a rather major supporting character, Kenneth the page.
Not sure about him, but he's pretty close.
XD.

Well, I tried. >.<;



Sheldon? : D
I recently started enjoying it... Somewhat...
When I started running out of other things to watch... ._.

________________
Hrodulf and Bjornolfr, you will not be forgotten.

And if the world were black and white,
you would be my rainbow in shades of grey.

Click 'n Play!

If I had a fantasy self, it'd be a tentacle monster.

Yeah, the reason I wouldn't think of Rai (or Frank, come to that) as asexual is because it isn't that he is not desirous of romance - it's that the thought never seems to have crossed his mind, not even once There are very few things he seems to be interested in, and romantic love is not one of them. So, I suppose he still counts? In fact, his child-likeness is so sweet that I really hope there will never be any romance involving him.
Oh- but I can't imagine how anyone could call him 'young' - 'cause he's obviously well over a thousand years old He just looks like he's 20.



True - the lack of sexual desire is one thing that is absolutely essential for maintaining a balanced mind and an unbiased viewpoint...which explains why very few people have the talent to become real detectives
However, I wouldn't say all detectives are asexual - just the ones from the early days of crime fiction. Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and Parker Pyne; Maurice Leblanc's Arsene Lupin and Edgar Allen Poe's Auguste Dupin are the most well-known.

It's pretty much impossible to find even a single asexual character in most modern-day novels; but I believe they were quite common in books written in the time period of 18th to the 20th century - back in the good old days when stories didn't need to have sexual content in order to be popular.

Edit -
I just remembered someone else who obviously qualifies (can't believe I forgot about him before o_o); Ginko from Mushishi. He travels to so many different places, helping a lot of women on the way - and some of them try to flirt (very innocently and subtly, of course ^^) with him; but he politely turns them down. He is close friends with a woman whose line of work often intersects with his - but there is no romance at all between them. No wonder he's my favourite manga character ever!

Speaking of which - is it just me or are there fewer female asexuals than male ones (in fiction, of course- not RL)?

Last edited by calstine at 2:17 pm, Aug 21 2010

Not sure if this is what your looking for but here are a few:

Natsume from Natsume Yuujinchou - pretty uninterested in romantic relationships, despite the compassion and empathy he often shows

Heisuke from Flat. Maybe he's just too lazy? Edit: I just reread it and he distinctly says he isn't interested so there you go ~

And this is the dubious one but Oga (and Hilda but she's a demon so meh) from Beelzebub

Last edited by talli at 11:24 am, Aug 23 2010

And since Calstine and Talli mentioned these supernatural series, I would like to add Hyakki Yakoushou's Ritsu to the list. For a teanager he sure is very chaste and sterile. Though what goes on with the two female cousins is a tad suspicious at times...

New scanlation, please

________________
<a href="http://www.tonecartoons.co.uk/Shop?affiliates=4">you know you want it</a>