Best Yaoi Manhwa, Ranked

Key insights

• Shonen-ai in Yaoi depicts healthy, non-sexual male relationships with compelling storylines.
• Yaoi manhwa are characterized by complicated storylines despite focusing on explicit content, offering readers diverse narratives.
• Various subgenres within Yaoi, such as the supernatural or school life, offer a range of stories that go beyond traditional love stories.

Yaoi, often referred to as BL or Boys Love, is a genre that focuses on romantic relationships between two men. As with any romance genre, there are different subgenres such as supernatural yaoi, school life yaoi, and comedy yaoi, to name a few. The Yaoi category includes Shonen-ai, a subgenre that focuses on non-sexual relationships between same-sex male partners. While Shonen-Ai is significantly less popular on reading platforms than straight yaoi, it does contain some great stories that revolve around connection and emotional intimacy or even consist of romantic subplots, with the story focusing more on action or mystery.

Some of the best performing yaoi are Shonen-ai because the readers aren't quite what you would expect them to be in the world of BL. From serial killer neighbors to lifelong friends turned into something more, Yaoi's wholesome little brother has something to offer all readers and fans of the genre.

Updated on October 1, 2024 by Ahmed Rehan Nasir: While this category is often confused with its BL counterpart, Yaoi Manhwa feature a completely unique range of narratives. Despite its slightly stronger focus on explicit content, Yaoi Manhwa manages to provide a good balance between plot and fan service. Although most yaoi manhwa can be bogged down by unnecessary fanservice, these few titles have a steamy subtext without compromising on the plot. For fans of the theme looking for new manhwa to enjoy, this list has been updated with some more exciting entries.

10 No love zone

Anime Planet Rating: 3.83/5

No love zone is a yaoi rendition of the classic office romance between an intern and his new boss. As with any affair involving power dynamics, Eunkyum's relationship with his boss can be somewhat controversial, especially given the manhwa's guiding theme of powerful intimacy.

Because of their deep-rooted history, Jihyuk can sometimes be petty both in the office and in bed. While this aspect of his personality makes him a little unpleasant, his eventual growth makes up for it to some extent.

9 Monstrous heart

Anime Planet Score: 4.1/5

Jonathan is the first-year representative at Agustine Academy, a prestigious and expensive private school that happens to be full of monsters. Jonathan is one of the few special people chosen to attend Monster School to help them adjust to living with humans after graduation. On his first day of class, he is woken up by a mysterious boy who he later meets in class. His name is Lucien.

Their world is full of secrets and violence, but sharing life with someone makes it much easier. Or is it? Monstrous heart there is something to read about tapas.

8 Murderous Lewellyn's candlelight dinner

Anime Planet Score: 4.3/5

Murderous Lewellyn's candlelight dinner is a historically based suspense drama. The focus is on Shavonne, a ghostwriter working on a deadline, and Lewellyn, a mysterious newcomer to town. Shavonne constantly receives creepy letters and knocks on his door, but when he goes to the police, they laugh at him because there is a serial killer on the loose.

When Shavonne meets the raw onion-eating Lewellyn, things don't go as planned and Lewellyn invites Shavonne to his apartment for dinner. Will Shavonne face the local serial killer?

7 Salt friend

Anime Planet Score: 4.3/5

Thomas is a bully who was suspended from school for fighting, and Zachary is at the top of his class. When Zachary cries at Thomas in gym class, Thomas fears that Zachary will tell the entire school that he cried. After a day of fear of his secret being spread, Thomas decides to confront Zachary about bubble tea, hoping to get him to not say a word. This plan backfires and Thomas ends up doing Zachary's homework.

In this romantic dramedy about school life where opposites attract, a bad boy and the best student are introduced as potential romantic partners. Only, Zachary's reason for interacting with Thomas more than necessary is a little more complicated than it seems.

6 Between the lines

Anime Planet Rating: 4.32/5

Baek Dohu is a college student who writes BL novels on the side, and his favorite character archetype is cheesy, manipulative scumbags. When he finds out that nice guy Juheon is actually an idiot, Dohu becomes obsessed with making him his muse for his novel.

While Juheon starts out as a problematic character, he softens towards Dohu as their unconventional acquaintance develops into something much deeper. Even as a Yaoi Manhwa with many explicit scenes, Between the lines is largely a meaty account of two men gently falling in love.

5 Killer Crush

Anime Planet Score: 4.3/5

Taeman is an assassin, and a good one. Dahyeok is an actor who recently went from being the male lead in romantic comedies to wanting to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. To expand his possibilities as an actor, Dahyeok seeks inspiration from Taeman. The only thing that could ruin their mutually beneficial arrangement would be if one of them fell in love with the other.

Killer Crush is an action comedy about two people from different worlds who come together for something completely epic. It can be read in Lezhin.

4 The pizza delivery boy and the gold palace

Anime Planet Rating: 4.35/5

The pizza delivery boy and the gold palace is another yaoi manhwa that forgoes the usual racy antics and instead offers a more nuanced plot. Despite their completely opposite backgrounds, Woo-Wan and Seo-An find refuge in each other and ultimately heal their past wounds by being vulnerable with each other.

From mental health issues to past traumas, The pizza delivery boy and the gold palace covers all sorts of nuanced topics while presenting a budding relationship between two men. Since the manhwa primarily focuses on the two characters and their struggles, the story can often feel like a slow-paced manhwa, although the eventual pairing is definitely worth the wait.

3 Uncanny charm

Anime Planet Score: 4.4/5

When Yoon Jae meets his new neighbor, things are not what they seem. In the middle of his moving boxes is a box full of talismans, and when Yoon Jae falls near this box, something strange happens. Now Yoon Jae is haunted by voices claiming to be his brother, sleep paralysis, and a dark shadow. Will his new neighbor be able to do anything about the mysterious events?

Uncanny charm is a supernatural drama about two college-aged men and their relationship while dealing with dark spirits. It can be read in Lezhin.

2 Salad Days/Pirouette Into My Heart

Anime Planet Score: 4.4/5

Shen is a male ballerina and Jinyi is a boxer. They met at the age of 12 when their studios were next to each other and got along well despite their major differences. Shen comes from a rural town and Jinyi comes from money. Both circumstances make them outsiders in their studios. Luckily, they have each other to rely on when things get tough.

Salad days, also called Pirouette into my heart, follows Shen and Jinyi through their youth and explores their respective careers as the two support each other in their endeavors. It can be read on tapas.

1 Our sunny days

Anime Planet Rating: 4.52/5

Unlike most yaoi manhwa, Our sunny days subverts expectations with a narrative that remains wholesome until the end. With the theme of childcare, the manhwa largely revolves around a single father's new beginning in a faraway village, which leads to an unexpected encounter with a passionate man.

Childcare themes are rare in the yaoi landscape, making this manhwa one of the few comics that does the theme justice. Sung Ho and Haebom's playful yet gentle dynamic is enough to captivate readers, even as the manhwa emphasizes the wholesome side of things with its parenting themes.