Bara can be compared to Yaoi, which is Boys’ Love or BL. Bara however is the love and romance between men who are often manly, muscular or hairy. Bara is written for men, by men. They take a step away from Boy love, and highlight the passion that two men can share together, sometimes only on a whim. Get stuck in these saucy stories, and dive into the world of bara.

If you are looking for a good bara manga to get into, below are some of the best out there.

Did you decide these guys are too buff and manly for you? Get your fix for pointy chins and enormous hands with these gay and BL manga!

Want more of the juicy scenes? Check out these gay and BL anime series!

1. Akkan Complete

Yasuo has finally become the master of his own home and gets to move into his own condo. Life changes for him when he meets his new next door neighbor, Ichijou. Ichijou comes across as a gangster, but Yasuo is soon drawn in by his neighbors cute kitten and open shirt. Ichijou reminds Yasuo of his favorite wrestler, Phantom Cross. He notices that Phantom Cross isn’t quite the same in the ring anymore, and Yasuo quickly puts two and two together.

Everybody loves a muscular, wrestling man, and this manga is no exception.

2. Sanzensekai no Karasu o Koroshi

Karasuma is a construction worker. One day on the job he receives an odd request from his top boss, Hato. Hato isn’t just any boss, he has close ties with the Yakuza family. Karasuma soon gets tied up in this world. Hato borrows him for three days, all while buying him expensive suits and exquisite jewelry. Karasuma knows his boss expects something in return, but what could it be?

3. Darkness Hound

A runaway soldier, Lozzo tends to keep to himself. He learns one day that in order to recapture him, the army has sent Darkness Hound, one of the best assassins at their disposal, to kill him.

The story takes a turn when assassin and prey meet, and there is more to the both of them than what meets the eye.

4. Ookami Shounen To Hamu No Hito

Yudai is not open about his feelings towards other men, he considers himself ‘in the closet’. To everyone who knows him, he puts up a straight and perverted act, but that really isn’t who he is. He meets Kimikazu, who he soon develops a crush for. The problem is that he has been lying to everyone about his feelings for so long, that he can’t admit his feelings to Kimikazu, even after Kimikazu shows interest.

Yudai needs to learn to accept himself, and show others who he truly his, hopefully starting a romance with Kimikazu as well.

5. Itai Itai Itai

This manga isn’t necessarily about burly men, but it doesn’t follow young boys either. Three high school male students find themselves stuck in a love triangle. Tachikawa, the Judo club president, Narumi Shusaku, a member of the Judo club, and Shikou’s best friend and classmate. The three have to work their way through these new feelings and romances, and only two of them can find a happy ending together.

6. Priapus

This is a godly romance manga. Zeus, God of thunder, is sick of all the sin, envy and violence done by humans on earth. He sends Priapus down to earth and tasks him with making all males homosexual. He does this in order to stop humans from reproducing, and therefore no children will be born, wiping out the human race. Will the love between men be stronger than the willing to reproduce and continue the human race?

7. Tabun Sore ga Love Nanjanakarou ka

Keita has been in love with Hiroto for 7 years. They are classmates, but Hiroto has a reputation for sleeping around, especially with people who pay him to do so. The two do share a past, but Hiroto doesn’t seem to remember this. Keita finally finds the courage to confess his feelings for Hiroto, but Hiroto responds thinking that Keita is like all the other guys, and even offers him a freebie.

Things change one night when Keita witnesses how true the rumors about Hiroto might actually be.

8. One Fourth

This is an unusual bara manga. Ooshima is somehow shrunk to a miniscule size, and the only way to cure his new predicament is to have sex with the one person he truly loves, who he soon discovers to be his best friend Suga. It is a tale of overcoming an obstacle, all in a saucy and sensual way.

9. Popular Baseball Club Boys

The manga follows two guys on the same baseball team at school. Matsuda cannot stand teammate Sonohara, who is a hit with the girls at school. One night, Matsuda finds Sonohara reading a text from Miki, the popular girl, rejecting him.

In order to promise silence, Matsuda convinces Sonohara to strip. What happens after that is still to be discovered.

10. Monster

This manga follows a darker story line. A teacher finds out the student he is romantically involved in is being abused by his father. He needs to decide where the lines of teacher and student involvement are drawn, and how he can save his student.

11. First Class Daddy

A single father of a teenage boy Hideroi, Douzyo Hideyosi is lazy, laid back, and constantly getting drunk. He often passes out from drinking but still manages to be a dad when the time comes. Things become complicated when Hideroi brings home his friend Tsukamoto, who doesn’t have a father of his own. Hideyosi takes on the role of teaching this boy everything a father should, but boundaries soon become distorted.

12. The Melancholy of GOGO-BOY

Atsushi and Maki are cousins. Atsushi remembers the scrawny and fragile Maki from his childhood. Many years later, Maki ends up living in his cousins apartment, but he is not the Maki that Atsushi remembers. He is now a giant, muscled man, exactly Atsushi’s type. Atsushi finds himself overjoyed that his cousin is living with him, but is troubled by the feelings he now has for his blood relative.

13. Terpenoid

Takahashi’s neighbor is the blue-collar Shige. Takahashi is very much in love with his neighbor. Shige takes in his nephew Haru, who was abused and neglected as a child, and therefore left unable to speak. Shige helps him regain his confidence and love. Takahashi’s feelings become stronger for Shige seeing this love for Haru, but he catches Shige in the car, embraced with another. How will he overcome his one-sided feelings for this blue-collar who obviously has a very different side to him.

14. Senya Ichiya – Shitone no Himegoto

Shouta is always being tossed around and used by Aoi, the bartender. Aoi decides when he feels like being embraced, and is not open to feeling good about himself. Shouta swears to try and help Aoi feel good about himself again, not just by using his body.

15. The Man of Tango

Although Angie is known as the Man of Tango, he has never truly experienced the deep and fiery connection and passion with Latin dance. The chance presents itself when he meets Hiro, a man born to a Latin mother, who lives with his Japanese grandfather. Hiro finds himself drawn towards Angie because of his Latin roots, but it soon develops into the both of them opening their hearts and body to the heat of Latin dancing, and their partners.

16. Raiatea

A photographer is stricken with lupus, and loses sight in one eye. He feels the urge, due to his prognosis, to revisit the South Pacific island that gave him the inspiration he needed to begin his career as a photographer. He now tries to convince the man he met there three years ago, who practices as a medical researcher in Southern California, to take the trip with him, and back down memory lane.

17. Kyokan Hunter

A thief has been busy at work passing through all security functions and stealing many pieces of valuable art. He soon takes a liking to the maidenhood, and a guard grants him passage to escape, as long as he leaves the art behind. This guard and the thief engage in contractual sex in order to pay each other for their service, but this soon turns into something much more than a business agreement.

18. Hide and Seek

Takeru is incredibly possessive and obsessed with his sister, so he completely loses it when he sees her out on a date with his rival Wanigawara. He fights him on the street, which only attracts the attention of police. The two are forced to run and hide closely together in the alley, but the energy and chemistry between them is not at all what they expected. Soon they embark on a journey of hide and seek, but it becomes harder than they would think to hide the passion they discover for each other.

19. Sailor Men

Maki and Kana have always been best friends, and nothing more than that. One night, Kana dresses up in a sailor uniform for some entertainment, and Maki soon finds he has feelings for Kana that he has never felt before. Maki’s story is one of the many in the manga, and there are many other hot romances to keep you turning pages.

20. Carrot & Stick

Naruse works at a leisure facility. He has been tasked with keeping a close eye on the new employee, Kousaka. Kousaka is besotted with Naruse, and realizes how deeply he feels for him the night before his final day at work. Kousaka finds himself drunk, and babbling to Naruse about how he truly feels about him.

21. Bachi Bachi (Hyougo Kijima)

Tsudanuma is the captain of the soccer club, and Toui is the vice-captain. Both hide their feelings of love towards each other. Ichita, their Kouhai finds out about their love for each other and tries to support them, but finds them both confessing to him on one day!

22. Hey Doctor!

A high school boy trips and falls into a river on his way home after school. He develops a fever and needs to go to the hospital for treatment. However, he falls under the treatment of a very unorthodox doctor.

23. Bespoke

This story follows a seductive tailor, a good yakuza, a bad yakuza, a tattoo artist and some more hunky men. Read as their stories and lives intertwine with each other in a very interesting way.

24. Omae to Dynamite

Ashina is a comedian, and he happens to have nipples that are way more sensitive than most people. During a performance, he decides to undergo a special nipple training from his partner Kamiya – this does not go as anyone plans.

25. Ore ni Honey Trap

Higashiyama went from being a security guard stationed at a gay beach to now working part time at a Sentai show. He decides to become a bodyguard, but has no idea what might be awaiting him in his new role.

26. Takuhai Spirits!!

Mitsuo is an earnest man who starts working at a delivery company. He is assigned to follow Shouta, who seems intimidating, but is actually laid back and lazy, which makes Mitsuo’s job tough. Mitsou is always forced to eat lunch in remote places, take the stairs and carry the heavy stuff, he starts doubting Shouta. One day he hears Shouta talking to a customer, and then stumbles upon Shouta having sex with one of their customers. This throws him off track and he needs to reevaluate what it all means.

27. Fisherman’s Lodge

An old mysterious watchman of a sea lodge needs to entertain a male mistress. Together, the two men must discover their new feelings of desire and sexual needs towards each other.

28. The Confession

A gangster is sent on a suicide mission to catch a cop that is at the center of his case. However, their night together turns into one of romance and sexual bliss, far from what was meant to happen.

It is hard to come across bara manga that is enjoyable and that features a good storyline. These bara manga have all got romance, lust, and heat, along with good storyline that will keep you flipping the pages for more and more.