With anime as the focal point, this essay examines how the view on the female gender in Japan, affects the artistic and narrative choices the foley and sound design. The study uses the male gaze, coined by Laura Mulvey, to analyse two series in the genres shoujo and shounen, that are targeted towards young women and men, respectively. By contextualising the anime series with literature about gender roles in Japan, the result of the essay found that the male gaze was prominent in characterisation of women (and men) through the pitch and timbre of the foley and sound effects. Women were defined through light and soft sounds, influenced by both Confucianism and the ie system, that favours men as breadwinners and decision makers.