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.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 20 Shounen Ai manga you should read right now. [2025 List]
- 20. Tishen Guanxi
- 19. Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
- 18. Sweetie, Sweetie, Sweetie
- 17. Ze Mu Er Qi
- 16. Global Examination
- 15. Keullaudeu
- 14. Shimanami Tasogare
- 13. Kimi Dake ga Hontou
- 12. The Last Zombie
- 11. My Darling Signed In
- 10. Bokura no Hentai
- 9. Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata
- 8. Neighbor Guild Member
- 7. Dress Him Up!
- 6. Tian Guan Ci Fu
- 5. Inukei no Kareshi
- 4. 30-sai made Doutei dato Mahoutsukai ni Nareru Rashii
- 3. Bokura no Shokutaku
- 2. Zhujiao Zhi Xiang Tan Lianai
- 1. Seven
20. 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
19. 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
18. 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)
17. 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
16. 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
15. 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
14. 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
13. 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
12. 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
11. 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
10. Bokura no Hentai
Three boys in junior-high who cross-dress because of differing reasons meet each other through a cross-dressing community website, and decide to meet up in real life. "Parou" started cross-dressing because he wanted to attract a heterosexual boy he liked. "Marika" is transgendered and identifies as female. Lastly, "Yui" is an antagonistic boy who adopted the persona of his older sister after her death. In contrast to Parou and Marika, Yui is sorely disappointed at the meeting.
has finished publishing and it has 41 Chapters. It is also Known as: ぼくらのへんたい, Our Abnormalities, Our Transformations
9. Koisuru (Otome) no Tsukurikata
 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
8. Neighbor Guild Member
After suffering from a stalker, Yoon Ji-gu becomes extremely wary of people. Just in time, a man with a strange sexual orientation moved into the neighbor's house...?
"Looks like there's a pervert living next door..."
In reality, Lee Yeo-woon and Yoon Ji-gu are suspicious neighbors who are full of misunderstandings.
In the game, the couple neutaaaa (Lee Yeo-woon) and ji9byeol.
How will the relationship between the two change in and out of the game and reality?
Neighbor Guild Member is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: Guild Member Next Door, My Guildmate Next Door, Neighbor BF, 邻家公会成员
7. Dress Him Up!
Yeonwoo's plaid sense of style is a lost cause, but a Stylist for Hire ad just might save his social and romantic life. Designer Jaehee starts the makeover project of a lifetime, but can he transform this walking fashion no-no into a runway model for the graduation show -without falling for his handsome charms?!
Dress Him Up! has finished publishing and it has 24 Chapters. It is also Known as: Dress Him Up!
6. 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
5. Inukei no Kareshi
Kentarou is a gruff and stoic dogman who can't help but wag his tail whenever he sees his boyfriend, Inukai. Despite his stern exterior, he's an affectionate and doting boyfriend. Along with coworker Nekomiya and his feline boyfriend Shimada, Kentarou and Inukai enjoy days filled with sappy partners and heaps of affection!
My Boyfriend Is a Dog is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 犬系の彼氏, Inukei no Kareshi
4. 30-sai made Doutei dato Mahoutsukai ni Nareru Rashii
Adachi, a thirty-year-old virgin, has developed the power to read people's minds by touching them. After a brush with his very handsome colleague, Adachi realizes the guy has a raging crush on none other than Adachi himself!
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: 30歳まで童貞だと魔法使いになれるらしい, 30-sai made Doutei dato Mahoutsukai ni Nareru Rashii
3. Bokura no Shokutaku
Yutaka, who is not good at eating with people, meets a pair of siblings with a large age gap at the park one day. The three of them, Yutaka, Minoru and Tane begin to eat together...
Bokura no Shokutaku has been licensed in Polish by Dango.
Bokura no Shokutaku has finished publishing and it has 8 Chapters. It is also Known as: 僕らの食卓, Our Dining Table
2. Zhujiao Zhi Xiang Tan Lianai
System 067 encountered 13 awakened self-awareness systems, and as a supervisor, arranged for each awakened self-awareness system to go to a different novel, changing the original storyline of the protagonist of the novel. If the mission is successfully completed, the awakened self-aware system can become a “real person”.
Zhujiao Zhi Xiang Tan Lianai is currently publishing and has Chapters. It is also Known as: The Protagonist Just Wants to Be in Love, The Protagonist Just Wants To Falling In Love, Zhǔjiǎo Zhǐ Xiǎng Tán Liàn'ài
1. Seven
Nana has no memory of his childhood earlier than age 12 when a store owner took him in and named him Nana, meaning no-name in Japanese. Mitsuha is on a quest to find a missing childhood friend. The two meet when Mitsuha ends up crashing at Nana’s place at the insistence of a mutual friend. At first Nana loathes the very existence of Mitsuha. However, he gradually warms up to his sincerity and kindness and finds happiness in awakening beside him.
Seven has finished publishing and it has 4 Chapters. It is also Known as: セブン SEVEN, Seven
