We all have our preferences regarding the type of characters we like. For instance, sadistic seme characters have been a mainstay in BL for a long time, presumably because they’re popular. So have tsundere uke characters, or super shy, virginal, naïve uke. You might like sweet boys or soft boys or badass boys or buff boys. But one character type I find enduringly wonderful in BL is simply: incredibly dumb boys.
And thankfully, there’s a wealth of them.
While chatting it over with the rest of the BL team, we decided on five categories of Dumb Boys (TM): dick for brains, beefcakes, naïve boys, school boys, and guys who’re just… really stupid. I put together some recommendations in each category, so if you, too, are a connoisseur of Dumb Boys (TM), please read on.
Dick for Brains
“Dick for brains” describes the guys who’re so damn horny all the time that it slowly seems to melt away any ability for logic or reasoning. For this reason, they’re always finding themselves in strange or perverse situations. These manga tend to be a bit on the “ero” side ride than the story-driven side, but that’s honestly what makes them a fun romp. And, of course, you’ll usually get some cute or sweet moments as well, to even out the hot-and-heavy.
His Extra-Large, Ever-So-Lovely… by Omoimi
I already talked about and highly recommended this one for Dumb Boy (TM) connoisseurs back when we did our Ichijinsha showcase, but I’ll glad say it again: these two are so damn dumb and I absolutely love them. I can’t get over the premise that a guy would be willing to sleep with his acquaintance just because he feels bad that his dick is too big to put it in any girls. Amazing. Everything about that is amazing and I will never get enough of it. Then the fact that it feels so good that they keep doing it, and then fall in love? 10/10 perfection.
This Flower Only Blossoms For Men by Hon Toku
Admittedly much of Hon Toku’s content fits well in this category, but this one in particular fits the bill. After Ikuo fucks up at work for the nth time, Benio comes to his aid. As a thank you, he convinces Ikuo to let him dress him up in a skimpy, feminine outfit and stream them together. However, as things slowly escalate, Ikuo has no choice to give in when “Penio” decides this is going to become an x-rated stream. Very Hon Toku, very perverted, with a couple of guys whose brains seem dedicated to sex more than anything else.
Beefcake
Beefcake are boys who are so competitive or obsessed with winning that they can’t seem to see past the opportunity to be number one. You often see this in delinquent stories, or yakuza stories. These boys are peak himbo, and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
You Know You’re Cuter! by Roji Akira
It takes a special kind of dumb to think your bro is offering to get you off “just because” and this manga has a lot of that. Especially since Seiji makes it pretty clear that he has feelings for Kazuki quite early on. However, Kazuki is convinced that the reason Seiji keeps coming on to him is because Seiji doesn’t want him to be the first to pop his cherry and this is his only way of preventing Kazuki from touching any girls. (Kazuki… please…)
The Toughest Guy in School is an Omega!? by Wasabi Ochazuke
In this absurdist omegaverse tale, there’s a rumor that there’s one masterkey in existence that can remove any and all chastity belts used to protect omegas, and now groups of delinquents are fighting for ownership of this One Key To Rule Them All. Omegaverse plus stupid high school boys plus delinquents fighting for the ability to have sex? Very meathead-y, if I do say so myself. Wasabi Ochazuke’s sense of comedic timing is always great, and these boys are just ridiculous.
Hachi The Mad Dog by Miki Laika
This is a romance between a zero-education “King of Delinquents” and a stunning young man who sleeps with him because… he looks like his dog?? Absurd premise aside, this is the story of two incredibly silly and over-the-top delinquents finding comfort in each other after a life of trauma. But, that doesn’t mean either boy is smart at any point—whether it’s not understanding their feelings, comparing sex to soufflé pancakes, making absurd comparisons in the middle of sex, not being able to properly read or remember important people’s names… it’s a wild ride, but a very good one. (And incredibly sexy… all the ero scenes are full color.)
Naïve Boys
Sometimes the boys are dumb, but they’re incredibly sweet and lovely and well-intentioned. Maybe they’re just sheltered. Or maybe their sense of justice or righteousness means they’re missing some of the darker aspects of the world. Perhaps they grew up with a single-minded goal that they dedicated themselves to and thus missed out on a lot of other parts of life. Who knows? But it’s very cute and I love them very much.
Kneel Before Me Hero!! by Mizu Kisaragi & RAIDEN
A silly, cute isekai story about a stunning and glorious prince. However, while Prince Urban knows he was reborn into another world, he’s pretty clueless about most other things. Such as sex. And understanding other people’s (Kyle…) feelings for him. Or, a lot of other things outside the fact that he needs to gather a party and move the plot along. Well, his face is stunning, so it’s fine. Also, Kyle will more than gladly teach him about all the other stuff he’s not so skilled with.
There’s Fanfiction About Us? by Tsubame Koshiora
Having dedicated most of their late adolescence and early adult years to becoming idols, it makes sense that these two have missed out on a lot of important life experiences. But their dedication to being idols while forgetting about much else is what makes these two so damn endearing. I’m glad that doujinshi eventually taught them about things they can enjoy together other than just singing and dancing on stage.
School Boys
Young people are kind of just expected to lack a certain level of intelligence, especially considering most of them don’t have the life experience that leads to good decision making, strong confidence, etc. A lot of emotional, social, and worldly intelligence comes with age. But, as a grown person, there’s still a certain level of endearingness (?) and nostalgia that comes with watching young people being unsure and fumbling through life. Thankfully, they always get there eventually.
Shun, Look Over Here! by Sanma Tarou
This is the story of two high school boys who’re madly in love… but just can’t seem to take that last step. Shun is too obsessed with always feeling one-upped by his stunning, intelligent, and incredibly popular childhood friend Haruto, to the point where he mistakes the constant dirty dreams and fantasies as anything other than the romantic and sexual attraction they are. But if he can’t get his shit together, Haruto is going to end up moving on to greener pastures…
Training Tape by minoru
Fumito has been uploading dirty photos of himself jacking off online, so when a commenter recommends he try fingering himself as well, he’s tempted. But he just can’t get it to feel good, so when his friend Kazuharu catches him red-handed and offers to help, well… why not? Thus starts two dumb boys ignoring and dancing around their feelings in the pursuit of pleasure, but hidden feelings can only stay that way for so long.
Just Stupid
This category only has two because it takes a special kind of dumb to be just impossible to categorize. These two are here because the whole premise is built off how dumb the boys are, and that’s the entire appeal. They’re dumb, and not particularly good people (well… Makoto is a Very Good Boy) but that’s what makes them so lovable. Somehow, you still end up wanting to cheer them on. Maybe give them some life advice that they won’t follow. Yet we still love them anyway.
Happy Shitty Life by Harada
This is the story of two men who are extremely similar in every way, down to the fact that they love to take it up the ass. Kyotaro is booksmart and Yoshiyuki is… well… okay, maybe Yoshiyuki isn’t smart at all. Well, actually, he’s got good social skills! Yeah! But those things aside, these two are incredibly dumb, incredibly arrogant (mostly Kyotaro), incredibly naïve, and incredibly horny at all times. I know it sounds like I’m not praising them, but just know there’s a reason the announcement Tweet for volume five got over 20K likes. These two being painfully stupid together is incredibly funny and unbelievably endearing.
Picked Up By A Sly Man by Shippo Usui
Makoto runs away from his bad home situation into the arms of an older man named Hazuki, who isn’t much better. Hazuki is lazy, selfish, and a total dumbass. However, when this is contrasted with Makoto’s naivete, you have two absurdly dumb but lovable guys. You worry about them both in different ways and for different reasons, but thankfully they somehow get through with the single braincell shared between them.
Are you a connoisseur of Dumb Boys (TM)? What are some of your favorite titles and categories? Let me know what I missed, because I’m always in the market for more ridiculous boys for me to root for!
rentaBLog 
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