Best Yaoi Manhwa, Ranked

Yaoi, often referred to as BL or Boys Love, is a genre that focuses on romantic relationships between two men. Like any romance genre, there are various sub-genres, like supernatural yaoi, school-life yaoi, and comedy yaoi, to name a few. Within the yaoi category lies shonen-ai, a sub-genre that focuses on non-sexual relationships between same-gender male partners. While shonen-ai is notably less popular on reading platforms than pure yaoi, it features some great stories that center around connection and emotional intimacy or even consist of romantic subplots, having the story focus more on action or mystery.

Some top-performing yaoi are shonen-ai because readers aren’t all that they’re stereotyped to be in the world of BL. From serial killer neighbors to life-long friends turned something more, yaoi’s wholesome little brother has something to offer all readers and fans of the genre.

Updated October 1st, 2024, by Ahmed Rehan Nasir: While this category is often conflated with its BL counterpart, Yaoi manhwa feature an entirely unique range of narratives. Even with their slightly heavier focus on explicit content, yaoi manhwa manage to present a sound balance of plot and fanservice. Though most yaoi manhwa can be bogged down by unnecessary fanservice, these select few titles feature a steamy subtext without compromising on the plot. For fans of the theme looking for new manhwa to binge on, this list has been updated with a few 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 trope between an intern and his new boss. As with any affair with a power dynamic, Eunkyum’s relationship with his boss can be a bit controversial, especially with the manhwa’s running theme of forceful intimacy.

Due to their deep-rooted history, Jihyuk can be petty at times, both on the office floor and in bed. While this aspect of his personality makes him a bit unpalatable, his eventual growth redeems him to an extent.

9 Monstrous Heart

Anime-Planet Score: 4.1/5

Jonathan is the first-year student representative at Agustine Academy, a prestigious and expensive private school that happens to be filled with monsters. Jonathan is one of the special few humans who was chosen to enter the monster school to help them assimilate to a life shared with humans after graduation. On his first day of classes, he is rudely awoken by a mysterious boy that he later meets in class. His name is Lucien.

Their worlds are full of secrets and violence, but sharing a life with someone makes it that much easier. Or does it? Monstrous Heart is available to read on Tapas.

8 Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner

Anime-Planet Score: 4.3/5

Murderous Lewellyn’s Candlelit Dinner is a historically set suspenseful drama. It centers around Shavonne, a ghostwriter working on a deadline, and Lewellyn, a new-in-town mysterious creep. Shavonne has been receiving spooky notes and knocks at his door at all hours, but when he goes to the police, they laugh him off due to there being a serial killer on the loose.

When Shavonne meets the raw-onion-eating Lewellyn, things don’t go as planned, and Lewellyn asks Shavonne over for dinner at his apartment. Will Shavonne come face to face with the local serial killer?

7 Salt Friend

Anime-Planet Score: 4.3/5

Thomas is a ruffian who was suspended from school for fighting, and Zachary is at the top of the class in grades. When Zachary walks in on Thomas crying in PE class, Thomas fears that Zachary will tell the entire school that he was crying. After a day of anxiety about his secret being spread, Thomas decides to confront Zachary with bubble tea in hopes of fooling him into not saying a word. This plan backfires, and Thomas ends up doing Zachary’s homework.

This opposites-attract school-life romantic dramedy presents a bad boy and the top student as potential romantic partners. Only, Zachary’s reason for interacting with Thomas more than he had to 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 trashy, manipulative scumbags. When he finds out that the nice guy Juheon is actually a jerk, Dohu becomes obsessed with making him his muse for his novel.

While Juheon starts off as a problematic character, he softens up to Dohu as their unconventional acquaintanceship starts turning into something much deeper. Even as a yaoi manhwa with plenty of explicit scenes, Between the Lines is largely a wholesome account of two men gently falling in love.

5 Killer Crush

Anime-Planet Score: 4.3/5

Taeman is a killer for hire and a good one at that. Dahyeok is an actor who recently switched over from being the male lead in romcoms to wanting to be taken seriously as a dramatic actor. In order to expand his scope as an actor, Dahyeok looks to Taeman for inspiration. The only thing that could possibly ruin their mutually beneficial arrangement is if one of them fell for the other.

Killer Crush is an action comedy about two people from opposite worlds coming together for something totally epic. It is available to read on Lezhin.

4 The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace

Anime-Planet Rating: 4.35/5

The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace is another yaoi manhwa that forgoes the usual racy antics for a more nuanced plot. Despite their polar opposite backgrounds, Woo-Wan and Seo-An find refuge in each other, eventually healing from their past wounds by being vulnerable to one another.

From mental health issues to past traumas, The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace tackles all sorts of nuanced themes, all 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-burn manhwa, though the eventual pairing is certainly worth the wait.

3 Uncanny Charm

Anime-Planet Score: 4.4/5

When Yoon Jae meets his new neighbor, things aren’t all that they appear. Amidst his moving boxes is a box covered in talismans, and when Yoon Jae falls near that box, something strange happens. Now, Yoon Jae is being haunted by voices claiming to be his brother, sleep paralysis, and a dark shadow. Will his new neighbor be able to do something about the mysterious happenings?

Uncanny Charm is a supernatural drama about two college-aged men and their relationship as they deal with dark spirits. It is available to read on 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 hit it off despite their vast differences. Shen comes from a rural town and Jinyi comes from money. Both of their circumstances make them outcasts within their studios. Luckily, they have each other to lean on when things get tough.

Salad Days, also called Pirouette Into My Heart, follows Shen and Jinyi through adolescence and explore their respective careers as the two support each other’s endeavors. It is available to 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 till the very end. With a childcare theme, the manhwa largely revolves around a single father’s new beginning in a far-off village, one that leads to an unexpected encounter with a passionate man.

Childcare themes are rather scarce within the yaoi landscape, making this manhwa one of the few comics that do the theme justice. Sung Ho and Haebom’s playful yet gentle dynamic is enough to hook readers, though the manhwa doubles down on the wholesome side of things with its parenting themes.