You've probably spent hours scrolling through fan art or deep-diving into Reddit threads wondering where the guys are. It's the big elephant in the room for anyone playing the game or watching the anime. If the world of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby is built on the legacies of Japan’s greatest racehorses, where is the uma musume male horse counterpart? Honestly, the answer is a weird mix of corporate branding, licensing headaches, and the specific "idol culture" DNA that makes Cygames what it is.
The short version? There are no male horse girls.
Wait. That sounds like a contradiction. But in the lore of the franchise, "Uma Musume" are a specific biological species. They aren't just girls wearing ears; they are beings born with the souls of horses from another world. Does that mean there were no male souls? Not exactly. It just means that in the universe Cygames built, those souls—regardless of whether the original horse was a stallion or a mare—manifest exclusively as high-energy, carrot-obsessed girls.
The Licensing Nightmare Behind the Uma Musume Male Horse Mystery
Let's get into the weeds of why we don't see "Uma Musuko" or horse boys running around. It isn't just a creative choice. It's a legal minefield.
Cygames has to get permission from real-world horse owners to use the names and likenesses of famous thoroughbreds. If you know anything about the Japanese racing industry, you know it's incredibly conservative. Legends like Deep Impact or Orfevre aren't just animals; they are multi-million dollar brands. For a long time, the owners of these horses—specifically the big powerhouses like Kaneko Makoto Holdings or Shadai Stallion Station—were hesitant.
Imagine trying to explain to a traditional Japanese billionaire that you want to turn their champion stallion into a cute anime girl. It’s a tough sell. Now, imagine trying to sell them on a "horse boy" who might be marketed in a way that leans into otome or BL (Boys' Love) tropes. The industry is protective of the "dignity" of the horse. While the franchise has finally cracked the seal on some Shadai horses recently (like Neo Universe and Bucephalus), the path to a male counterpart remains blocked by these branding sensitivities.
✨ Don't miss: Appropriate for All Gamers NYT: The Real Story Behind the Most Famous Crossword Clue
Some people think the "male" equivalent is just the Trainers. But that's not quite right. The Trainer is the player surrogate. They don't have ears. They don't have the "soul."
Why the "Horse Girl" Label Covers Stallions Too
It’s easy to forget that almost all the top-tier characters in the game are actually based on male horses. Special Week, Silence Suzuka, Tokai Teio, and Gold Ship? All stallions in real life.
When you see a character like Vodka or Daiwa Scarlet, you're looking at a rare instance where the real-life horse was actually a mare. But for the most part, the "uma musume male horse" concept is already baked into the girls themselves. They inherit the personality traits of the stallions.
Take Gold Ship. The real horse was a chaotic menace who once cost bettors 12 billion yen by jumping at the start of a race. The anime version is a chaotic menace who drops kicks and plays with cubes. The "maleness" of the original horse is translated into "tomboyishness" or eccentric personality traits rather than a gender swap back to male.
The Case of the "Secret" Male Characters
Are there actually any males in this world? Yes, but they aren't horses.
🔗 Read more: Stuck on the Connections hint June 13? Here is how to solve it without losing your mind
In the Cinderella Gray manga, which focuses on Oguri Cap, we see plenty of male humans. We see male trainers, male fans, and male officials. But we never see a male with ears and a tail. This creates a weird biological vacuum. If Uma Musume only give birth to more Uma Musume (or human children), the genetics of the world get real complicated, real fast.
There’s a persistent rumor among fans that the "male" versions exist in a different professional league, or maybe they just don't race. But there is zero canon evidence for this.
Why Cygames Sticks to the Script
- Target Audience: The game launched targeting the bishojo (beautiful girl) collector market. Adding males risks "diluting" the waifu appeal for the core spenders.
- Idol Dynamics: The game is as much about The Idolmaster style performances as it is about racing. Male idols and female idols usually don't mix in these types of mobile games because of "purity" expectations from certain segments of the fanbase.
- Consistency: Introducing a male horse character now, four years into the game's massive success, would require a total rewrite of the world's biological lore.
What About the "Butch" Characters?
If you’re looking for a uma musume male horse vibe, Cygames usually leans into the Prince archetype. Characters like Fuji Kiseki or Vodka are designed to appeal to that specific aesthetic. They are "ikemen" (cool/handsome) style girls.
Fuji Kiseki, in particular, is often seen as the "dorm leader" figure who acts chivalrous and masculine. This is the closest the game currently gets to acknowledging the male energy of the original stallions. It satisfies the fans who want that masculine dynamic without breaking the "no boys allowed" rule of the character roster.
Could the Future Hold a Spin-off?
The racing world is huge. There are thousands of horses with incredible stories that haven't been touched yet.
💡 You might also like: GTA Vice City Cheat Switch: How to Make the Definitive Edition Actually Fun
There is a non-zero chance that we eventually see a standalone project—maybe a different manga or a separate game—that features male horse characters. Think of it like how Fate/stay night eventually branched out into every possible demographic. But for now, if you're looking for an official uma musume male horse in the main game, you’re out of luck.
The focus remains on the "Pretty Derby."
Actionable Insights for Fans and Players
If you're trying to navigate the lore or find content that satisfies that "male horse" curiosity, here's how to look at it:
- Study the Real Pedigrees: To truly understand why a character like Symboli Rudolf acts like a "King," look at the real-life stallion’s dominance in the 80s. The "male" history is all there in the stats.
- Follow the Manga: Cinderella Gray and Star Blossom offer a much grittier, less "idol-focused" look at the world. You’ll see more diverse character designs that lean away from the standard cute tropes.
- Watch for New License Announcements: Every time a new "owner" signs on (like the recent breakthrough with Mejiro Bright or the Shadai horses), the door opens a crack wider for different types of representations.
- Appreciate the "Prince" Archetypes: If you want the masculine energy, focus on the "Winning Ticket" or "Tanino Gimlet" storylines. They capture the stallion spirit better than any gender-swapped design could.
The reality is that "Uma Musume" is a brand built on a specific fantasy. It’s a world where the gender of the horse doesn't define the spirit of the runner. Whether the original was a Triple Crown-winning stallion or a record-breaking mare, they all become part of the same sisterhood on the turf. It’s weird, it’s legally complex, and it’s uniquely Japanese. But it works.