Loving the essay
this is so weird to me, no story need to explain why there’s a muscular bottom, many gay men in real life switch regardless of their physical appearance. like honestly what are you chatting about in yaoi most of the time the muscular character is the uke. also there is no uke personality or a certain way that they should act, if they like it up the ass then they’re a uke regardless of appearance OR personality.
Do you see these characters switching roles in this story anytime soon? Also, if that were true, why aren't there any more translated stories where there is a buff guy topping someone who's less his size? I'm sending this on 11/5, if you literally go click the "create date" and "update date" tabs of the Yaoi section of this site right now, you will literally see that there are more stories that contain buff ukes and smaller sized semes than the latter and it will continue to be like that later in the future because scalation groups/individuals will literally pick and choose stories to translate this site because it fits "their preferences". （￣へ￣）I can literally give you lists and hyperlinks mangas/mahnwas to help prove my point as well.
In real life, I'm a man, I'm gay, I top, and I'm in physically great shape (at least I think so). Even though this genre is mostly liked by women, I like the genre because it's a unique storytelling about romantic relationships with gay porn mixed. I have a few friends that I'm close with that have huge pro-bodybuilder like physiques if you look at them. I'm close with a couple of them and one of them is gay and one of them is bi-sexual that has been in relationships with guys in the past. They will literally give you a different perspective because both of them are tops (and they both didn't hesitate to show me evidence of it) (づ￣ ³￣)づ
My friend that's gay got introduced to the genre as well as this site not too long ago and literally fucking cackles and shit talks at stories that have a buff uke like "Charming Scarface" or "Melt at Night" or "Safari Game" (just spitballing from what he said he read) literally makes fun of how the buff character is easily characterized as a submissive bottom type. He more active on the dating scene and has made friends over time, including guys that have an almost similar build to his that bottomed in relationships. I was introduced and became frineds with them as well and they share from relationships they've experienced that contradicts the stereotypes these stories perpetuate.
I get your viewpoint and agree that in real life, there is no direct correlation between a guy's physical appearance and their sexual role or preferences. Gay guys in relationships are entitled to their roles that feel right for them, and indeed, many people don't fit into traditional or expected roles based on their looks or personalities. However, when discussing Yaoi or any fictional media, we often encounter tropes and character archetypes that are used for storytelling purposes. The uke and seme dynamics in Yaoi, while not representative of real-life dynamics, are part of a narrative device that has been historically used within this genre to portray relationships.
While it's true that there is no one-size-fits-all "uke personality," Yaoi as a genre has often played with these roles, sometimes reinforcing, other times subverting expectations. Tropes are used as a shorthand to convey certain dynamics and to play with the readers' expectations. In some cases, the muscular character being the uke can indeed be a subversion of traditional roles, challenging the idea that physical strength correlates with dominance.
Y'all be complaining when uke looks too much like an "uke" and you also complain when they don't look like an "uke" but a seme instead like please just stop being unsatisfied with everything in these stories
Mate where's this abundance of buff ukes. You find a couple and they're taking over yaoi what?
I srs dont get y'alls problems because for a matter of fact 90% of yaoi is just big scary hot top and small cute innocent feminine bottom and nowadays we are finally seeing manly gay couples and its amazing if you dont like it dont read it go back to your 90s yaoi where semes hand is bigger than ukes body
Yaoi home page of this site, along with a filtering algorithm of genres of Yaoi on this site, and a simple google result of some stories with some buff ukes that people tag in their lists.
Mate
My complaint is that type of pairing is translated more and I simply want more variety than just the same type of thing.
For example, someone LITERALLY just uploaded this manga:
https://www.mangago.zone/read-manga/kinou_tasukete_itadaita_dragon_desu/
There's literally cringe because the seme is literally looks like a 12 year old boy and the dragon guy is an uke
I mean seriously, tropes are used as a shorthand to convey certain dynamics and to play with the readers' expectations. Usually relationships in stories like Delivery Complete start out forced, challenging the idea that physical strength correlates with dominance.
This
Ok well, if I want to read something with a buff uke, I wouldn't complain in the comment section of a yaoi with a feminine uke.
Ridiculous.
First off, "manly gay couples"? This story is? I literally don't see the point when you literally get excited at the sight of a smaller guy with some fucked-up personality feeling another bigger guys "man tiddies" and with his shirt up on the cover thumbnail. That right there literally demonstrates who's on top and who's on bottom in the relationship and literally helps prove my point because there are so many stories that you can search for on this site that have that same type of element.
Secondly, I don't know what yaoi you read to depict that, but I can literally give you stories where the uke's personality is depicted to be: manly, tsundere, strong but submissive, player-like, or feisty
Thirdly, I'm just advocating for a bit more variety, hoping to see more mangas/manhwas that celebrate the buff seme x smaller bottom pairing or switch dynamic, which many fans, like myself, find particularly appealing. Variety is the spice of life and it would be wonderful to see this balance reflected more in future yaoi manga translation releases
And if I want to read something with a small pretty-boy faced seme, I wouldn't complain in the comment section of a yaoi with seme that has a fucked-up personality that takes advantage of people ╮(￣▽￣)╭
anonymous is just yapping for no reason
Oh, fart joined the chat. Well this conversation became a real blast!
ε=ε=(ノ≧∇≦)ノ
Yeah I see that. Bro thinks is making a point
I've been around the yoai block and will tell you, it's just the website you're using. I frequent three websites and while here buff bottoms are prevalent, small bottoms dominate my other sites. Like buff bottoms isn't really an issue. It's simply a preference. Yoai, is never accurate to life in most cases. The amount of ripping condoms open with teeth, ass to mouth dick sucking, no lube, and completely inaccurate dick sizes (some of em be absolutely crazy) is testament to that. Reading for accurate portrayal in this story is outlandish at best. Irl this wouldn't even have gotten this far. Read the story not for accuracy, because yoai smut is far from it. Smut as a genre is nowhere near accurate, simply means to an end to draw sex, if you find a good story with the sex great! But you can't expect it from all of them.
No, I just think you're retarded to the point that you need a helmet for not getting understanding. Or a girl
I agree with you TheTransBiHimself. The prevalence of certain tropes can vary from site to site. That's why I also frequent different websites as well for possible manga chapter updates as well as new sories that are on other sites and not this one. You’re absolutely right that yaoi—and smut in general—often takes creative liberties that stray far from reality. The exaggerated features and scenarios are part of the charm for many readers, and the departure from real-life accuracy is often what fans look for in escapism fiction.
However, my point is less about seeking realism in yaoi and more about the need for a greater variety of types of parings that appeal to certain peoples fetishes that should be picked up for translations. For the record, I'm not judging anyone's preferences or fetishes in any way, shape, or form. While buff ukes x small semes have their place and are enjoyed by many (some including myself), I'm just simply bringing a point that there minimal, if any stories that have a buff seme x small uke pairing that don't get picked up, that's it. Like, on the cover thumbnail or when you read a new story or chapter translated that gets posted that includes guy with big muscular physique like a pro-bodybuilder that gives off a manly seme aura, he's always the uke. Why is that? You can even search for tags on this website and see a number of pages of results of stories that include that tag. If you look up "buff seme" and "buff Uke", the results "buff uke" tag outnumber the results for buff seme by by a long shot. It's the same with looking up peoples lists on mangago through Google. If you just simply look up "buff seme", the results for "buff ukes" outnumbers the results. Being an avid manga reader on this site for the last few years, consistently seeing small seme x buff uke pairings of stories on the "create date" and "update tabs" of this site day in and day out for the last few years, the repetitive nature of this particular trope just become stale for readers who are seeking new dynamics when they frequent this site. That's all I'm trying to say and yet I get comments dipshits that literally think I'm shitting on their fetishes and have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about.
I believe there’s something special about finding a story that resonates with you or offers a new perspective, which can be refreshing when it defies the norms we've grown accustomed to. When translation choices seem to disproportionately favor one trope over another, it can feel limiting.
I’m just advocating for is variety one in a while, okay. Just as there are many types of people and relationships in real life, I’d love to see a wider representation of pairings in the stories. It’s not that any one trope is the issue—it’s that the richness of yaoi could be more fully explored if a broader range of narratives were more accessible to the English-speaking audience. I think many readers would appreciate the breath of fresh air that comes with more diverse pairings and stories. While yaoi is indeed a fantasy, part of the magic is finding a story that feels new and different. By diversifying the types of relationships depicted in translated yaoi, we enrich everyone's reading experience.
I've come to notice a persistent trend in yaoi manga/manhwa that frankly gotten to the point where it just irritates me—the portrayal of buff guys as ukes. It's a creative choice, sure, but one that feels like it misses the mark on what makes characters truly appealing and multifaceted. The beauty of manga, especially within the yaoi genre, lies in the ability to explore a rich spectrum of personalities and dynamics, far beyond the traditional molds that society often imposes.
But this incessant pigeonholing of muscular/"bara" type characters into the role of ukes seems like a tired trope that's been overplayed. It's not about the physical possibility or challenging stereotypes—it's about the lack of creativity in storytelling. The fixation on this dynamic underestimates the complexity of relationships and reduces the depth of characters to mere physical attributes. There are literally so many stories that have buff characters have the seme appearance (literally), and it feels like a lost opportunity when they are continually cast as ukes, regardless of their personality or the story's context.
It's annoying because it feels like a shallow subversion of expectations—taking what is traditionally seen as a symbol of strength and masculinity and flipping it without adding anything meaningful to the narrative or character development. It's a superficial nod to diversity that doesn't actually celebrate the real diversity of human experiences and identities.
I’d love to see more balance and innovation in yaoi manga portrayals, where a character's physique isn't the be-all and end-all of their role in a relationship. It's high time that buff characters are given the narrative space to be just as varied and complex as their less muscular counterparts.