Xeross

These anime showcase a relationship where the characters are in two different age groups, based on societal norms. While not always the case, these characters sometimes must overcome challenges or societal stigma associated with the Age Gap.

BL (short for Boys' Love) is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men. 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 feature Siblings with a Brother Complex: they want nothing more than to ensure the well-being and happiness of their beloved brother, often to an unhealthy or even romantic degree. They're known to be over-protective and jealous of their brother's suitors.

These anime contain cannibalism: the act of a species eating all or part of another individual of their species.

These anime usually have original Chinese dialogue and/or were first released in China. This type of animation is referred to as Donghua. For Chinese manga, see Manhua.

These anime contain scenes of domestic abuse where characters commit acts of violence against their family members, spouse, romantic partner, or other people they live with.

Characters in these anime suffer Emotional Abuse at the hands of others, whether they're Bullied or cruelly teased by a classmate, are the victim of gaslighting, are abused by a relative, or anything in between.

GL (short for Girls' Love) is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between women. On Anime-Planet, Shoujo-ai categorizes romantic stories that focus on emotional aspects of relationships, while Yuri categorizes more of the sexual aspects such as Borderline H or explicit content.

A harem includes three or more characters who potentially show romantic interest in a male protagonist. The sex, gender, or orientation of the harem members is irrelevant as long as they exclusively, or at least primarily, are vying for the affections of the same individual - who may or may not reciprocate towards one, several, or none of these romantic rivals.

Incest is defined as romantic or sexual relations between people classified as being too closely related to marry each other. On Anime-Planet, we apply this tag when: 1) the characters are related by blood, or 2) the characters are related through adoption or marriage and have a long history together. If characters have just met through marriage and develop a romantic relationship, even if the taboo aspect is discussed, we do not apply this tag.

These anime usually have original Korean dialogue and/or were first released in Korea. For Korean manga, see Manhwa.

These anime have an LGBT theme as a strong focus. Examples include gender or gender identity themes; an LGBT relationship as a primary focus; or an LGBT character as a protagonist, especially if their gender or sexual orientation is showcased as a back story or plot point. Read more about how we tag LBGT-related content on Anime-Planet.

A love triangle is a set of interconnected romantic relationships between three people. These anime focus on the trials and tribulations of characters who may at first be in love, uninterested, or completely oblivious, as they untangle their feelings, make their choices, and try to win the heart of their beloved. More complex sets of relationships involving more than three people, sometimes called love polygons, may also be included.

Characters in these anime suffer Physical Abuse at the hands of others, whether they’re Bullied and beat up by a classmate, struck by a relative, sexually abused, or something worse.

A reverse harem includes three or more characters who potentially show romantic interest in a female protagonist. The sex, gender, or orientation of the harem members is irrelevant as long as they exclusively, or at least primarily, are vying for the affections of the same individual - who may or may not reciprocate towards one, several, or none of these romantic rivals.

These anime contain scenes of self-harm: the act of purposely cutting, burning, maiming, or otherwise injuring oneself.

An act of sexual assault occurs in these anime.

Yuri is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between women. Japan typically uses this single category for all forms of these relationships, sexual or not. In the West, the term Shoujo-ai categorizes stories that focus on the emotional aspects of the relationships, while Yuri categorizes more of the sexual aspects and explicit content. As Anime-Planet's audience is mostly based in the West, we use the Western definition for both Yuri and Shoujo-ai.

These anime are categorized as Shounen-ai. Boys' Love or BL in Japan, is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men. Japan typically uses this single category for all forms of these relationships, sexual or not. In the West, the term Shounen-ai categorizes stories that focus on the emotional aspects of the relationships, while Yaoi categorizes more of the sexual aspects, such as Smut or explicit content. As Anime-Planet's audience is mostly based in the West, we use the Western definition for both Yaoi and Shounen-ai. See BL for a list of both titles.

These anime feature Siblings with a Sister Complex: they want nothing more than to ensure the well-being and happiness of their beloved sister, often to an unhealthy or even romantic degree. They're known to be over-protective and jealous of their sister's suitors.

These anime focus on a romantic or sexual relationship - usually forbidden and taboo - between a teacher and their student.

Suicide, the act of killing one’s self, is attempted in these anime, or is a central theme overall. Suicide scenes attempts may contain graphic or upsetting images of violence and self-harm.

Characters in these anime are dealing with an unrequited love for someone. Their feelings may be reciprocated later on, or they may have to come to terms with the fact that the object of their affection is not interested and move on. In some cases, characters may never confess their love at all.

Yaoi, also known as Boys' Love or BL in Japan, is a genre that depicts homosexual relationships between men. Japan typically uses this single category for all forms of these relationships, sexual or not. In the West, the term Shounen-ai categorizes stories that focus on emotional aspects of relationships, while Yaoi categorizes more of the sexual aspects, such as Smut, or explicit content. As Anime-Planet's audience is mostly based in the West, we use the Western definition for both Yaoi and Shounen-ai. See BL for a list of both titles.

Characters in these anime have excessively large hands, often reminiscent of Facehuggers or having fingers that are tentacle-like in nature. This sort of character design is most common in Yaoi anime (though isn't exclusive to the genre), and thus is referred to as Yaoi Hand Syndrome or simply Yaoi Hands.