If you're an LGBT kid that grew up with anime, you probably found a show or two that had some pretty validating characters when it came to gender and sexuality.

There were some anime characters out there that represented us is different ways and had the romances that we really wanted. Let's go back to the coolest LGBT couples in anime world.

1. Ushio Kazama and Sumika Murasame - Whispered Words

Based on the manga series of the same name, Whispered Words shows us a relationship with typical themes that you'd find in any teen romance. Except that romance is between two openly lesbian high school students.

The story is incredibly relatable, and any closeted girl growing up could probably find parallels between her life and the events in Whispered Words.

2. Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune - Sailor Moon

For U.S. audiences, Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune weren't together. The official English dub of Sailor Moon completely changed their relationship and made them cousins. However, in the original Japanese-language series, not only are the two clear about the fact that they are dating, but they would often playfully joke about it with subtle lines throughout the show.

They had the cutest teen romance ever, kicked ass together, and remained loyal to each other until the very end. A very inspiring gay couple, indeed. The beauty behind these two is that neither one overpowers the other, but works in tandem to achieve their goals.

3. Shinji Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa - Neon Genesis Evangelion

Though as far as including same-sex romance in popular sci-fi anime goes, you can't get more popular than Evangelion!

Kaworu only appeared in one episode of the original TV series, but this mysterious romantic made an instant impression, while Shinji, who up until that point had been very unsuccessful in his relationships with women, found momentary happiness with Kaworu before Evangelion did its thing and made heads explode.

4. Ymir and Krista Lenz - Attack on Titan

Ymir and Krista Lenz have such an interesting dynamic and each has such complex personality. The cute affectionate moments the two have together are few and far between, as is any solid idea of their history, but what makes this couple so cool is how distinct and complex their personalities are.

On the surface, Krista seems very sweet, but simmering underneath is a young woman with a lonely, nihilist, dark nature. On the surface, Ymir seems flighty, insensitive, and cruel, but she is actually much more sensitive and emotional than she lets on.

5. Utena Tenjou and Anthy Himemiya - Revolutionary Girl Utena

While the movie did amp up the lesbian themes more than the series, anyone watching the TV show could see that these two had something going on; even if it was more subtle about it.

Utena fulfills more of the traditionally masculine role in the relationship whereas Anthy is more of the traditionally feminine. It is the fact that these two are such polar opposites, working off one another, that makes them so fascinating.

6. Shuichi Nitori, Yoshino Takatsuki, Makoto Ariga, and Hiroyuki Yoshida - Wandering Son

Wandering Son is a realistic coming-of-age story focusing on two transgender adolescents, Shuichi (male-to-female) and Yoshino (female-to-male). Shuuichi's friend Makoto is also a closeted trans girl, while the fully-transitioned trans woman Hiroyuki serves as an adult mentor to Shuuichi and Yoshino.

Note the anime only covers a sliver of the manga, and Fantagraphics is still unsure if they'll continue translating the manga in English past volume 8 due to low sales, so if you want the full story released you might want to consider raising those English manga sales numbers.

7. Shion and Nezumi - No.6

Shion and Nezumi's relationship was a subtle and subversive but important moment in anime when it came to how gay romance was portrayed, especially in the science fiction genre. Their relationship was not explicit, but it generated a ton of hate among anime fandoms that were not happy with the gay overtones bleeding over into a not-so-shounen-ai sci-fi series.

The controversy these two caused upon No. 6's release was something notable. But No. 6's legacy shouldn't be how many homophobes it pissed off, but rather its captivating storytelling, surreal concepts, and endearing same-sex relationship.

8. Tomoyo Daidouji, Touya Kinomoto and Yukito Tsukishiro - Cardcaptor Sakura

CLAMP started off writing yaoi doujinshi, and have continued to include gay characters in their stories as they've become manga superstars. In this magical girl series, Tomoyo has a serious crush on her friend Sakura, and Touya and Yukito are officially a couple.

9. Shion Karanomori and Yayoi Kunizuka - Psycho-Pass

Shion Karanomori is a total babe, forever glamorous and never seen without her bright red lipstick. If you blinked, you might just have missed the scene in episode 22 which shows Shion lying naked in bed with the equally naked Enforcer Yayaoi Kunizuka as they reflect on the events that have happened in the series.

The fact that both Shion and Yayaoi are femme also works to break down the misconception that in a girl-on-girl couple, one of them has to be the "man".