Anime genres and tags

These anime are based on an Eroge: a Japanese visual novel that contains erotic content. Eroges are also known as hentai games or H-games.

These anime are based on an Otome Game: a story-based game targeted at a female audience. Otome Games are usually visual novels or dating sims, but also can be video games.

These anime are based on a novel or a children's book.

These anime are based on a picture book: a book for children that contains many illustrations.

These anime are based on a play.

These anime are based on stories or parables in a religious text such as the Bible, the Quran, or a Buddhist scripture.

These anime have a story based on song lyrics or a music video - whether they are inspired by classic songs, or by more modern works, such as Vocaloid songs.

These anime are based on a live-action TV series.

These anime are based on video games that can be played on consoles, on the computer, or in specialized machines such as arcade games or Pachinko machines. For phone and other games, see Based on a Mobile Game.

These titles are based on a Visual Novel: an interactive game with anime-style artwork and an abundance of static graphics. These computer-based games have minimal gameplay, and usually have multiple storylines and endings. Visual Novels are sometimes Eroges.

These titles are based on a Web Novel. Web Novels are novels published online by websites such as Shousetsuka ni Narou.

These anime are based on a Webtoon.

Basketball is the focus of these anime. Training and competing in tournaments or championships are common themes in sports titles, as well as team spirit, or being an underdog who goes against the odds to succeed.

These anime focus on or primarily take place in a bathhouse. Public bathhouses are known as sento (銭湯) in Japan. Bathing facilities are usually divided by gender and have separate showers to wash before soaking in the communal bath.

These anime are like Hunger Games: a group of players are pitted against each other (PVP) until only one remains. Battle Royale-style anime typically feature a High Stakes Game that's Play or Die: a battle to the death.

Characters in these anime participate in BDSM: erotic activities and fetishes such as bondage, domination and submission, sadomasochism, and roleplaying.

Bears are the focus of these anime, whether they're grizzlies, polar bears, or panda bears.

Characters in these anime suffer through a serious betrayal from someone they trust or care about. It may involve Infidelity, being Framed for a Crime, or even the murder of themselves or someone they love.

Billiards, or Pool, is the focus of these anime. Training and competing in Tournaments or championships are common themes in Sports titles, as well as being an underdog who goes against the odds to succeed.

A biography is a story that recounts a person’s life, written by another person. These anime are biographies that are either factual or fantastical in nature; even if the story is loosely based on the person’s life, it is marked as a biography.

Birds are the focus of these anime, whether they're ducks, finches, or birds of prey.

BL (short for Boys' Love) is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men, written by women, for women. BL is the predominant term in Japan. In the West, the term Shounen-ai categorizes romantic stories that focus on emotional aspects of relationships, while Yaoi categorizes more of the sexual aspects such as Smut or explicit content.

These anime have a black and white palette. Occasional colored sequences might appear, but the majority of the animation is solely black and white.

Blackmail is forcible coercion, convincing someone to do something they'd rather not by threatening to reveal something privileged or secret, or some other form of harm. These anime typically focus on a single instance of blackmail that is central to a story, delving into how and why the situation comes about or its eventual effects on both the blackmailer and the victim.

Board game anime feature traditional-style board tabletop games such as chess, checkers, or mahjong. Characters may simply enjoy games among friends, be shown preparing for or competing in professional matches, or engaging in the shadowy world of underground gaming.

Characters in these anime live in a boarding house: a large building or complex that houses multiple individuals or renters, usually with shared areas for the community. Off-campus, shared dormitory buildings qualify for the tag as well, as long as the housing situation is similar to a traditional boarding house.

These anime take place at a boarding school: an institution that acts as both a dormitory and a school for students who live on-premises.

These anime feature bodyguards: personnel hired or appointed to protect a specific person or group of people.

These anime showcase characters that have two or more personalities inhabiting the same body through some form of fantastical means, such as possession. Unlike a character with a Split Personality, these consciousnesses are two entirely different 'people' sharing the same body.

In these anime, two characters' consciousnesses transfer into each other's physical bodies, whether by scientific or supernatural means.

These anime take place in, or focus on, bookstores. Booksellers and shop customers are common protagonists.

These anime include frequent, explicit sexual content predominantly aimed at a male audience in Seinen, Yuri, or Bara titles. Sex is used as a plot device and is a primary focus in many of these anime. Like Hentai, Borderline H anime show prolonged sexual acts; but Borderline H anime censor genitalia and other elements with white outlines, mosaics, or opacity.

These anime focus on a romantic or sexual relationship between a boss and their subordinate. The bosses might be CEOs, company presidents, or simply the manager in charge. Employees might be secretaries, assistants, or simply a direct report.

These anime follow bounty hunters as they travel the land or the galaxy, tracking criminals or targets, capturing or killing them, and collecting the bounties on their heads.

Boxing is a Hand-to-Hand Combat sport featuring two unarmed opponents fighting with their fists, and has its origins in prizefighting competitions. These anime typically focus on characters training and then traversing amateur or professional circuits, earning fame and fortune with their skills.