10 Hottest Bara Anime You Need To Watch
Bara is a genre made primarily by gay men and sometimes bisexual men, for gay and bisexual men audience. The term ‘Bara’ however was used as a slur for gay people, not much unlike the word ‘fag’. For that reason, Bara isn’t known as such in Japan and original Japanese artists prefer to call their work ‘men’s love’ or ‘gei komi (gay comics).’
It is characterized by distinctively masculine in appearance characters with varying degrees of muscle, body fat, and body hair, akin to bodybuilding culture. Bara is extremely niche since many gay men are still closeted and most times it’s mistaken for Yaoi, which is made primarily by women for women audiences. However, since there have been no anime adaptations of Bara manga, I will amalgamate Yaoi with Bara for this particular case (which I will refer to as Bara anime).
I strive to satisfy any curiosity of information one might have and as such, I have created a list of the 10 Hottest Bara anime you should not miss if you are a fan of the Bara genre. Caution, beware of spoilers.
10. Antique Bakery
Where Can I Watch It: Buy/Rent
Tachibana is an heir to a huge and successful corporation. He can speak five languages, play musical instruments, and has even passed the bar exam, so naturally, he’s now running a bakery?! At the Antique Bakery, Ono, known as the ‘Gay of demonic charm’ serves as the head patissier; ex-boxing pro-Eiji works as Ono’s apprentice; and Tachibana’s bumbling henchman and shadow, Chikage, helps out to the best of his rather limited abilities.
As a carefree ladies’ man, Tachibana is always ready to turn on the charm if it means getting a sale, though aside from his love of women, no one really knows why the grandson of a successful businessman would suddenly decide to open a bakery. Could a traumatic event in Tachibana’s past have anything to do with why he set up shop?
9. Koisuru Boukun
Where Can I Watch It: Buy/Rent
Tetsuhiro Morinaga is in love with his upperclassman Souichi Tatsumi. He even manages to confess his love. Too bad it turns out that Tatsumi is an aggressive, self-centered, and outspoken homophobe.
Yet somehow Tetsuhiro managed to fall in love with Tatsumi, the ‘walking personality disorder,’ who is the kind of man who declares that all gay men should be wiped off the face of the planet. An unfortunate accident with an aphrodisiac drug brings the two men physically together against Souichi’s will. The experience has a life-changing effect on both men, but will it ultimately bring them closer, or drive them apart?
8. Hybrid Child
Where Can I Watch It: Buy/Rent
Hybrid Child is a collection of three short love stories, depicting the relationship between artificial humans and their owners. The skilled craftsman Kuroda created artificial humans called Hybrid Child, creatures who are neither machines nor dolls, but rather a reflection of the love shown to them. While they can feel human emotions and have their own consciousness, they are not real humans and require love to grow.
Kotarou Izumi is the young heir to the noble Izumi family, so it is frowned upon when he brings an abandoned Hybrid Child he found in the garbage into their household. His family even attempts to throw away Hazuki, Kotarou’s name for the Hybrid Child, multiple times when he is not paying attention. But through overcoming these obstacles, their love and the bond connecting them grow stronger.
However, ten years pass before a horrifying realization dawns on them: a Hybrid Child might not have an endless life span.
7. Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi – World’s Greatest First Love
Where Can I Watch It: Funimation Now
After having to deal with jealousy from his co-workers for working under his father’s name, prideful literary editor Ritsu Onodera is determined to establish himself in the industry. To accomplish this, he quits his job at his father’s publishing company and transfers to Marukawa Publishing. But instead of being placed in their literary division, Ritsu finds himself working as the rookie manga editor for the Emerald editing department, a team that operates under extremely tight schedules in order to meet deadlines.
There, Ritsu is introduced to the infamous editor-in-chief Masamune Takano, a persistent man who strives for results. As it turns out, Takano is actually Ritsu’s high school love, and it is the aftermath of that heartbreak that has caused Ritsu’s reluctance to fall in love again. Now with the two reunited after several years of separation, the reestablishment of their relationship is marked by Takano’s vow to make Ritsu say that he loves him again.
6. Tiger And Bunny
Where Can I Watch It: Netflix, Hulu, Hoopla
In Stern Bild City, those with special abilities are called NEXT and can use their powers for good or bad. A unique, organized group of NEXT appears regularly on Hero TV, where they chase down evildoers to bring limelight to their sponsors and earn Hero Points in the hopes of becoming the next ‘King of Heroes.’
Kotetsu T. Kaburagi, known as Wild Tiger, is a veteran hero whose performance has been dwindling as of late, partially due to his inability to cooperate with other heroes. After a disappointing season in which most of the other heroes far outperformed Tiger, he is paired up with a brand-new hero who identifies himself by his real name, Barnaby Brooks Jr. Though they mix as well as oil and water, Tiger and Bunny must learn to work together, both for the sake of their careers and to face the looming threats within Stern Bild.
5. Hyakujitsu No Bara
Where Can I Watch It: Buy/Rent
Two soldiers from warring countries are bound by a pledge as master and servant. Taki Reizen is a Commander of sublime beauty, shouldering the fate of his nation. Known as ‘Mad Dog’ because of his rough temperament, Klaus has sworn his loyalty to him as a knight.
Despite this, those around them are cold and disapproving, full of various misgivings. For all their genuine feelings, what will come of love made cruel by the violence of war?
4. Junjou Romantica
Where Can I Watch It: Funimation Now, Hulu, Crunchyroll
Junjou Romantica focuses on three storylines; the main couple, which comprises the bulk of the manga, and two other male couples that provide ongoing side stories. Misaki Takahashi has little hope of getting into a university, so his older brother Takahiro’s friend, Usami Akihiko, offers to tutor Misaki as a favor to Takahiro, for Usami is secretly in love with him. However, as time passes, Misaki realizes that he has uncomfortable and budding feelings for Usami.
Meanwhile, Hiroki is a man who can’t get over an unrequited love with Usami in the past, and with the help of Nowaki, he may finally learn to love again. These couples and more experience the joys and sadness of love between men under the most unlikely conditions.
3. Togainu No Chi
Where Can I Watch It: Buy/Rent
Once the undefeated champion of the street fighting game Bl@ster, Akira now fights for an entirely different cause. Having been framed for murder and given the choice of life in prison or exoneration for a price, he chose to take the latter, heading for the lawless district of Toshima. There, Akira is to fight in Igura, a game where the winner of each match receives special tags, and the loser loses his life.
Alongside his longtime friend Keisuke and experienced Igura competitor Rin, Akira must now battle it out in Igura, try to avoid the sadistic enforcers that roam the streets, and complete his mission: to defeat Il-Re and take down the drug company Vischio.
2. Doukyuusei – Classmates
Where Can I Watch It: Buy/Rent
Hikaru Kusakabe is a normal, carefree boy in a rock band who is always focused on the present. During the summer, his entire class is forced to participate in an upcoming chorus festival. By coincidence, he discovers his classmate Rihito Sajou, known for being an honor student with excellent grades, practicing his singing alone.
Sajou just cannot seem to get their class’ song right, and Kusakabe, delighted at seeing a new side of his straight-laced classmate, offers to help him prepare for the event. Although their lives and personalities are total opposites, they begin to grow closer as time progresses. But with the pressure of an unknown future, what will become of them and their growing relationship?
1. Yuri!!! On Ice
Where Can I Watch It: Funimation Now, Crunchyroll
Reeling from his crushing defeat at the Grand Prix Finale, Yuuri Katsuki, once Japan’s most promising figure skater, returns to his family home to assess his options for the future. At age 23, Yuuri’s window for success in skating is closing rapidly, and his love of pork cutlets and aptitude for gaining weight are not helping either. However, Yuuri finds himself in the spotlight when a video of him performing a routine previously executed by the five-time world champion, Victor Nikiforov, suddenly goes viral.
In fact, Victor himself abruptly appears at Yuuri’s house and offers to be his mentor. As one of his biggest fans, Yuuri eagerly accepts, kicking off his journey to make it back onto the world stage. But the competition is fierce, as the rising star from Russia, Yuri Plisetsky, is relentlessly determined to defeat Yuuri and win back Victor’s tutelage.