What is this genre all about? Shounen Ai means boys love, and thus explores what happens when two boys (or men) fall in love. This is not to be mistaken for Yaoi which is (or, at least, how this term is often used by the western audience) used in adult works. This is not; that means there is no graphical sex.
The female version is Shoujo Ai.
We present you the list of Shounen Ai manga you should read right now.
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Top 20 Shounen Ai manga you should read right now. [2025 List]
- 20. Hero vs. Villain
- 19. love rival is getting prettier everyday
- 18. Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
- 17. High School Boys Trapped in a Fantasy World
- 16. Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko
- 15. Kimi Dake ga Hontou
- 14. Xiandai Mo Nan Shoulie Jihua
- 13. Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata
- 12. Musume no Iede
- 11. Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai
- 10. Jipchakgwanggongui Appaga Kkosim Danghaneun Jung
- 9. Seolgongchanjeon
- 8. Ring
- 7. Iutjim Guild-won
- 6. Boy Girlfriend
- 5. 10 Dance
- 4. Take Off
- 3. Semantic Error
- 2. B-geup Guide
- 1. Amahara-kun+
20. Hero vs. Villain
They couldn't be more different. Ridley is a knight in shining armor. Prince Vandel, the Demon Prince of Darkness, is the sworn enemy of the kingdom. The two young men are right out of a fairytale, practically made to be archenemies... but what if they ended up falling in love instead?
- MU
Hero vs. Villain is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Hero vs. Villain
19. love rival is getting prettier everyday
Traversing into a novel as the 2nd male lead that can die easily, Shen Jin Tai is determined to be reborn, to finish the system, Xiao Ai’s quest, to be prettier, to fight for the top place in the entertainment circle, and to get between male lead Yan Qiu Chi and his partner Bai Qing Quan so that Yan Qiu Chi will focus on his career. Top Yan Qiu Chi originally is extremely disgusted with Shen Jin Tai, but why is his attitude towards Yan Qiu Chi getting more and more ambiguous?
love rival is getting prettier everyday has finished publishing and it has 92 Chapters. It is also Known as: More Evil More Beautiful, Your Rival in Love Gets Prettier Every Day, 情敌每天都在变美[穿书]
18. Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
"So, Hikaru is no more... If that's true then..."
Yoshiki and Hikaru are two boys who live in a certain village. They're the same age and have always been together growing up. But one day, Yoshiki noticed that "something else" has taken Hikaru's place. Even after learning of this, Yoshiki still wants them to be together. And so, his life with the "something" that looks like his friend begins.
At the same time, strange incidents keep occurring in the village...
The Summer Hikaru Died is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 光が死んだ夏, Hikari ga Shinda Natsu, The Summer Hikaru is Dead, The Summer the Light is Dead
17. High School Boys Trapped in a Fantasy World
School rivals, Charles and Kai, unexpectedly get transported to a fantasy world and discover details about themselves.
- Webtoons
High School Boys Trapped in a Fantasy World is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: High School Boys Trapped in a Fantasy World
16. Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko
One day, the protagonist realizes that he lives inside a "world of BL."
As he likes girls, he fights back against any hot guys that might draw near, but this is a "world of BL"... he's still assailed with the sight of people in lovey-dovey situations one after another!
A World Where Everything Definitely Becomes BL vs. The Man Who Definitely Doesn't Want To Be In A BL is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 絶対BLになる世界VS絶対BLになりたくない男, Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko
15. Kimi Dake ga Hontou
High school boy, Rikimaru, is unable to touch women due to childhood trauma. He has a pair of childhood friends who are siblings. The older sister, Kagami, and then the younger brother, Kyou. Between the two of them they share a similar height and appearance. Under these circumstances a unique twin love romance begins to bloom.
Kimi Dake ga Hontou has finished publishing and it has 13 Chapters. It is also Known as: きみだけがほんとう, Kimi Dake ga Hontou
14. Xiandai Mo Nan Shoulie Jihua
The protagonist, a modern wizard (male), has lived for 168 years. He has always lived alone and strictly adhered to refraining from contact with human beings. Living such a life has naturally resulted in him being single. But one day, a dashing blond man appears at his company and inexplicably launches a passionate pursuit of him. What will he do?
Source: Pocket Comics
Modern Wizard Hunting Project has finished publishing and it has 47 Chapters. It is also Known as: Xiandai Mo Nan Shoulie Jihua
13. Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata
A popular guy that's secretly interested in cosmetics asks to practice makeup on his dull childhood friend and he ends up looking cute?!
Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 恋する（おとめ）の作り方, How to Make a "Girl" Fall in Love, I turned my childhood friend (♂) into a girl, Osananajimi(♂) wo Onnanoko ni Shiteshimatta Hanashi, Transformei meu amigo de infância (♂) em uma garota, Gue Mengubah Teman Masa Kecil (♂) Gue Jadi Cewek, Convertí a my amigo de la infancia (♂) en una chica
12. Musume no Iede
The remarried mother. After their divorce, the father who has gone to live with his boyfriend. Living surrounded by such a family, high schooler Mayuko is now at the height of her adolescence. Beginning with Mayuko's "runaway", various lives intersect; these are the runaway stories which will seep into your heart. Musume no Iede is very much so a collection of "the life and times" of the multitude of characters we are introduced to. From the group of friends that are children of broken families calling themselves "the Divorcees", to the overweight boy who has a chubby-chaser girlfriend, to the girl who suddenly loses her place in school and the teacher who tries to help, to the gay brother whose sister discovers she's not so different, to the idol mulling over re-uniting with his estranged mother, and so on. These are all varying tales thinly connected by a thread, tangling all over to bring forth an organic, messy, cluster of characters from the mind of Shimura Takako.
I'm a Runaway Girl. has finished publishing and it has 36 Chapters. It is also Known as: 娘の家出, The Daughter's Running-Away
11. Isekai no Sata wa Shachiku Shidai
When the efficiency freak corporate slave continued to work even in the other word—
He won the heart of the Knight Captain!?
Kondou Seiichirou was a salaryman who chased after work. When he was dragged into a saint summoning and transferred to another world, he still didn’t change and continued to work. But as he did so, he seemed to have unexpectedly raised a love flag with the “Ice Prince”...
The Other World's Books Depend on the Bean Counter is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 異世界の沙汰は社畜次第, The Affairs of the Other World Depend on the Corporate Slave, This World's Affairs Are up to the Corporate Slave
10. Jipchakgwanggongui Appaga Kkosim Danghaneun Jung
Seungyeon, a frustrated writer, wakes up one day in the body of the father of a character from a BL novel written by his sister. Woojin, who saved his life from imminent danger, is the father of the obsessed protagonist who pursues the novel's love interest. Seungyeon discovers that he and Woojin are the parents of the main BL characters.
Seungyeon tries to follow the original plot, but soon realizes something is wrong. His relationship with Woojin becomes increasingly intimate and different from what he expected. Will Seungyeon be able to return to his normal life, or will he be trapped in his sister's romance forever?
- MU
The Yandere Top's Father Is Being Teased has finished publishing and it has 73 Chapters. It is also Known as: Jipchakgwanggongui Appaga Kkosim Danghaneun Jung
9. Seolgongchanjeon
Ghosts aren't real... right? Gongchan has a wild imagination as a horror-novel author with a knack for turning his mundane life into a harrowing ghost story. These spooks live only in his head... that is until he meets Youngmin, a man haunted by the supernatural specters in Gongchan’s novel! With everything around him suddenly turning into an eerie mess, is Gongchan's growing love for Youngmin the reason why his heart is racing? Or is it the bloody ghost behind him?
Source: Tapas
The Spooky Love Tale of Gongchan Seol has finished publishing and it has 57 Chapters. It is also Known as: Tales of Seol Gongchan
8. Ring
A sweet story between a little angel and a big angel~
Ring is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Ring (Dong Ye)
7. Iutjim Guild-won
After a stalking incident, Yoon Ji-gu has become understandably wary of strangers. So when an odd man moves in next door, he immediately suspects the worst. Little does he know, Yeowoon is just a regular guy trying to land a job and enjoy his free time—until he finds himself dealing with a hostile neighbor. As their real-life misunderstandings escalate, the two unknowingly team up in their favorite online game, forming an unexpected duo. Get ready to log in to a new adventure full of hilarious mix-ups, a distrustful tsundere, and an unwitting flirt with a heart of gold.
Note: Season 2 is rated R19
Virtual Strangers is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Guild Member Next Door, My Guildmate Next Door, Neighbor BF, 鄰居是公會成員, 隣のギルメン, 求饶不成就求婚, Vecinos Virtuales
6. Boy Girlfriend
An idiot convinces his male childhood friend to dress up and act like his girlfriend so he’ll show his crush that he’s mature and cool
Boy Girlfriend is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Boy Girlfriend
5. 10 Dance
Shinya Sugiki, the dashing lord of Standard Ballroom, and Shinya Suzuki, passionate king of Latin Dance: the two share more than just a first name and a love of the sport. They each want to become champion of the 10-Dance Competition, which means they’ll need to learn the other’s specialty dances, and who better to learn from than the best? But old rivalries die hard, and things get complicated even further when they realize there might be more between them than an uneasy partnership…
10 Dance is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: テンダンス, 10ダンス
4. Take Off
Two men on a plane, what could possibly go wrong?
Take Off is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Take Off
3. Semantic Error
You're an error in my perfect world.
Sang-U Chu is a stickler for rules. So when his classmates free-ride on a group project, he doesn't credit them. But this prevents one senior, Jae-Yeong Jang, from graduating. And like oil and water, Sang-U and Jae-Yeong don't mix. Can Sang-U debug Jae-Yeong — a semantic error in his perfect life?
Note: Chapter count includes a Christmas Special.
Semantic Error has finished publishing and it has 94 Chapters. It is also Known as: Semantic Error
2. B-geup Guide
A dizzying office love affair between an S-class esper and a B-class guide! Lee Jaeha, a B-class guide, had an office relationship with an esper at the same center for 3 years, but was recently done wrong. Despite breaking up with his lover, he finds himself forced to still guide him, and he applies for a transfer to a high-risk area. Surrounded by all kinds of rumors and stares, all he wants is a quiet and peaceful work life in the new center! However, Jaeha takes on the task of guiding Do Jiyoon, an S-class esper, on the verge of a rampage, and Jaeha’s work life is getting farther away from peaceful…!
B-Class Guide has finished publishing and it has 56 Chapters. It is also Known as: B級ガイド〜S級エスパーが俺に恋をした!?〜, B级向导, Class B Guide, Guide de rang B, นายไกด์คลาส B ระงับพลังครั้งนี้ต้องได้รัก
1. Amahara-kun+
The main character is a trap, whose sole purpose is to convert others into trap by whatever means possible. He seeks boys with feminine features or behaviors and through very comedy based tactics convinces them to embrace the trap life style.
Amahara-kun+ has finished publishing and it has 7 Chapters. It is also Known as: あまはら君+, Amahara-kun Plus, Amahara-kun Tasu
