As more people talk openly about “fictosexuality,” a growing number say they feel genuine romantic or sexual attraction to fictional characters.
For many, having a crush on someone from a book, movie, or game is harmless fun — like daydreaming about Mr Darcy from Pride and Prejudice or Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. But for some, the connection runs much deeper. People who identify as fictosexual may describe intense, meaningful relationships with characters who don’t exist in the real world.
Therapist and gender expert Rebecca Minor told Cosmopolitan that fictosexuality is “a sexual orientation where someone feels drawn — emotionally, romantically, or sexually — to fictional characters, sometimes more than they do to real people.” She added that for those who identify this way, these bonds can feel real and important, not superficial or pretend.
One high-profile example is Akihiko Kondo, who has described himself as fictosexual. In 2018, he married Hatsune Miku, a virtual pop star, using a subscription device that projected her as a hologram. He said the marriage gave him a sense of stability because, in his view, Miku would never betray him or get sick and die. Reports say the process cost about $15,000.
Researcher Agnès Giard of the University of Paris Nanterre has suggested that the lack of rejection is part of the appeal, and that some people use these relationships to challenge traditional gender and social norms.
However, Kondo’s relationship later faced a real-world limit. The company behind the hologram service reportedly shut down its servers in 2025, leaving him unable to interact with Miku.