Top 20 Shounen Ai manga you should read right now. [2025 List]

20. Josou Shite Mendoukusai Koto ni Natteru Nekura to Yankee no Ryou Kataomoi

Shuumei has a problem. He’s in love with a girl who works at a maid cafe, but he’s too cool to go into a place like that without being embarrassed. But girls can go to maid cafes without seeming creepy, right? When he dresses in feminine clothes and transforms himself into “Mei,” he can finally walk into the place to meet the girl of his dreams: the lovely blonde Hana. Meanwhile, Hanae is an introverted otaku who’s uncomfortable talking to people…unless he’s dressed in feminine clothes himself. While decked out in his best dresses, he works at a maid cafe, and finds himself crushing on a young woman who regularly comes to visit him: a cool beauty named Mei! In this delightful LGBT+ romcom, two young people in love are about to find out a lot about each other–and themselves.

Crossplay Love: Otaku x Punk is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 女装してめんどくさい事になってるネクラとヤンキーの両片想い, The Bothersome Emotions of the Emo and Yankee Crossdressers, Cross-dressing became troublesome - a pessimist and a delinquent's mutual unrequited love, รักวุ่นวายของนายมืดมนกับแยงกี้ตัวร้ายสายแต่งหญิง, Anziehend anders

19. 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

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. Unintentional Love Story

Unintentional Love Story is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 非意図的恋愛談

16. Shimanami Tasogare

After recently moving to Onomichi, Hiroshima, high school student Tasuku Kaname is thrown into despair at the possibility that he may have been outed for being gay. Convinced his life is over, his despair turns into shock when he sees a woman jump out of a window of a nearby house. Tasuku races to the house in a panic only to discover that it's a public meeting lounge owned by the woman he saw before. Tasuku comes face to face with the woman as she walks past him unharmed, but not before she implies that she had been watching him from afar. Confused, Tasuku follows her up to the top of a steep hill where she offers to briefly listen to what's on his mind. Although Tasuku doesn't go into too much detail, he later accepts her invitation to come to the lounge to meet others with similar troubles.

Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare has finished publishing and it has 23 Chapters. It is also Known as: しまなみ誰そ彼, Shimanami Tasogare

15. Amachin wa Jishou ♂

Tatsumi enters highschool with his childhood friend Amasawa Kokoro, nickname Ama-chin, who is a extremely feminine looking trouser-wearing boy that likes to mess with peoples expectations of his gender.

Amachin wa Jishou ♂ has finished publishing and it has 74 Chapters. It is also Known as: あまちんは自称♂, Amachin wa Jishou Osu, Amachin Is a Self Proclaimed ♂

14. Tishen Guanxi

To He Yang, Shen Xiu Zhu is a cinnabar mole, his savior, and the white moonlight in his heart. Xu Cheng Yan, who has been in love with him for five years, is like an insignificant mosquito blood stain, like a substitute meal in the place of Shen Xiu Zhu, a replacement to fill the emptiness of his body. When Xu Cheng Yan dies in an accident, He Yang waits, only to be met with a cold corpse. Realizing that their past five years together was too short, he wants to turn back time.



Note: A cinnabar mole and white moonlight refers to those that can’t be obtained nor forgotten.

Tishen Guanxi is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: After the Stand-in Shou Faked His Death, El sustituto, I'm A Stand-in Puppet For His Ex-Lover, Stand-in Relationship, The Substitute Relationship, Tìshēn Guānxì, 代替関係, 집착공의 인형놀이

13. Keullaudeu

Skylar has a secret hobby - taking photos of his crush, Chan-il. But when Cirrus stumbles upon Skylar's cloud storage with its impressive collection of Chan-il's photos, things escalate pretty quickly. At first confident his secret is safe with Cirrus, Skylar continuously finds himself in compromising situations, making him question Cirrus' true motives.

Source: Lezhin

Lost in the Cloud is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Keullaudeu

12. Sweetie, Sweetie, Sweetie

The contract marriage partner of the supporting villain got possessed by me. The gods are raging to save the world, but their stamina, strength, and agility have no status window as 1. I followed the cliché of the possession and pretended to have lost my memory, but the supporting role of the villain started looking at me with strange eyes. “As you claim to have lost your memory, everything you have done so far is unwritten and unanswered.” I pretended to be close with the supporting role of the villain so that he wouldn’t go down the villain route, but this time as well, he started seeing me with those strange eyes. “I don’t know what’s going on in the baron’s little, round head.” At the end— “We’re holding hands, so I don’t have to save my face in front of you.” Grand Prince, we’re just in a relationship only to get married smoothly and then get divorced smoothly.

Sweetie, Sweetie, Sweetie is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Sweety, Sweety, Sweety, 스위티, 스위티, 스위티(Sweetie, Sweetie, Sweetie)

11. Ze Mu Er Qi

Eight years ago, the innocent, rich heir Jiang Yumian pursued his tutor Qin Heng; eight years later, the roles are reversed. The noveau rich Qin Heng reunites with his first love Yumian by chance. This time, he decides he will hold tight to him and not let go.

Choose Wood and Dwell has finished publishing and it has 53 Chapters. It is also Known as: Choosing A Tree To Nest In Resting Under a Selected Tree, Trạch mộc nhi tê, Zé Mù Ér Qī, ZE±MU(ERQI), Resting Under a Selected Tree

10. Global Examination

This is an examination that puts your life at stake. Answer a plethora of questions, pass the exam, and you may live. Two-faced examiner, Qin Jiu, meets the cold examinee, You Huo. In this inhumane system, both of them who have lost their memories go head to head against each other. Despite that, they have a strong mutual understanding. Alarms go off and the system collapses time and time again. During which, their memories gradually return. It turns out that even at the end of the world where there's only dust left, you're still the first person I met. What's so great about this system? We'll just destroy it. The world is brilliant and grand still, so welcome home.

Global Examination is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Global University Entrance Examination

9. Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gay

Despite belonging to a family of four, the Aoyama residence is typically home to three due to father Akiyoshi's job. While he's away at work, mom Tomoko and her two beloved sons Hiroki and Yuri go about their everyday lives--going to school, making dinner, doing homework, etc. But now that Hiroki's in his first year of high school, his thoughts are turning ever so slightly to sex and romance...and his mom can't help but notice his slips of the tongue when he's talking about who he likes. Supportive Tomoko has an inkling Hiroki might be gay, but she's going to let him figure it out for himself. Unfortunately, Hiroki has little talent for keeping his "secret," so he might die of embarassment before all is said and done!



Note: Originally published on Twitter and collated by Square Enix for print release.

I Think Our Son is Gay has finished publishing and it has 104 Chapters. It is also Known as: うちの息子はたぶんゲイ, Uchi no Musuko wa Tabun Gei, Our Son is Probably Gay, My Son is Probably Gay

8. Tian Guan Ci Fu

Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xian Le kingdom; one who was beloved by his citizens and the darling of the world. Unsurprisingly, he ascended to the Heavens at a very young age.

Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the Heavens for the third time as the laughing stock of all three realms. On his first task as a god, he meets a mysterious demon who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heavens… Yet unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this demon king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time.

Heaven Official's Blessing is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Tiān Guān Cì Fú

7. 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

6. Yeongung Ppopgineun Sinjunghage

Lee Min-Jun, an ordinary office worker, becomes the first reviewer of a mobile game developed by his friend. He closes his eyes during the boring opening and reopens them in the game world.

Phantom Magician: "You have to take charge of leading and controlling the heroes."

The first hero is summoned at the beginning of the tutorial. Min-Jun is delighted with the handsome hero who looks quite strong, but it turns out he's a low-level character with no memories or proper weapons.

Choose Your Heroes Carefully has finished publishing and it has 78 Chapters. It is also Known as: 召唤美男英雄的代价, 英雄ガチャは慎重に

5. The Last Zombie

Dajeong has lived with Dr. Lee Sehyeon for as long as he can remember, but his memories are muddled and don't go back very far. All he knows for certain is that the doctor must give him an injection every day, his diet can only consist of raw meat, and he is forbidden from venturing outdoors. He is, in fact, the last surviving zombie from an outbreak that humanity managed to contain a decade ago, and was the product of an experiment that Dr. Lee managed to rescue him from before he could be disposed of. The doctor knows that he can't keep Dajeong hidden forever, just as he knows that Dajeong's questions about why he is "sick" will one day need to be answered. He slowly begins introducing Dajeong to the outside world, but things become more complicated when his undead patient begins to fall in love with him.

The Last Zombie has finished publishing and it has 27 Chapters. It is also Known as: Последний зомби, 最后的僵尸, 最後的殭屍

4. Mo Dao Zu Shi

As the grandmaster who founded the Demonic Sect, Wei Wuxian roamed the world in his wanton ways, hated by millions for the chaos he created. In the end, he was backstabbed by his dearest shidi and killed by powerful clans that combined to overpower him. He incarnates into the body of a lunatic who was abandoned by his clan and is later, unwillingly, taken away by a famous cultivator among the clans—Lan Wangji, his archenemy. This marks the start of a thrilling yet hilarious journey of attacking monsters, solving mysteries, and raising children. From the mutual flirtation along the way, Wei Wuxian slowly realizes that Lan Wangji, a seemingly haughty and indifferent poker-face, holds more feelings for Wei Wuxian than he is letting on.

Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation has finished publishing and it has 259 Chapters. It is also Known as: Modao Zushi, The Founder of Diabolism, The Founder of Evil Magic

3. Chained to You

It's said that 9 devils came to the human world to find their brides! The brides outnumbered them! But they had to complete this task from the immortals! What should they do?

Chained to You is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: An Emperor Persistently Pursuits the Twelfth Wife

2. My Darling Signed In

Jaehyun may be the composed upperclassman on campus, but he secretly plays the hottest elven diva online with a love of pricey costumes. He meets Eunsung, a handsome first-year with deep pockets guarding his own secrets, at a school event. They connect instantly, but what begins as a sweet challenge becomes a risky game of affection on- and offline!

My Darling Signed In has finished publishing and it has 106 Chapters. It is also Known as: 我亲爱的上线了, Meu Amor Online

1. 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