BL Trope Tourney 2025: A Retrospective!

Recently we’ve been trying to brain storm how to change our BL Twitter so it’s more fun and interactive! Over the past year, through conversations with readers and community members, we’ve been doing a lot of trial and error regarding what our followers do and don’t like about our social media presence. “Stop posting the same series over and over and over again”? Got it. “We want more culture and recommendation posts”? Working on it! We want to make the BL Twitter as fun to follow as it is to run.

As part of our push to have a more engaging Twitter presence, this last spring we hosted the “BL Trope Tourney”! This was our take on the incredibly popular March Madness men’s college basketball tournament, which we’d wanted to do for a while. Initially, we wanted to face specific popular series off against each other, but that was understandably shot down by our licensing team since it could potentially be upsetting/negative to the publishers and artists. So we shelved the idea for some time—until we realized there were other ways to have a fun bracket without making our wonderful partners uneasy!

Thus, the BL trope Tourney: 16 popular BL tropes were pitted against each other, and over the course of 15 days we held a poll to slowly eliminate the tropes one by one until only a single trope reigned supreme.

We tried to choose tropes that are not only popular within the fan community, but particularly common in Japanese BL manga. (As I’m sure many hardcore BL fans know, the most common tropes between Japanese, Korean, and Chinese BL can be vastly different.)

The bracket was kindly made by team member Yomogi, who said there was a “madness behind his madness.” He put the Big Four that were assumed most likely to win (Omegaverse, Beast People, Enemies to Lovers, and Old Man Yaoi) into the four far corners, and for the rest just tried to not put anything too similar next to each other. “After that, it was all just vibes.”

After each poll, we offered a single recommendation for the winning trope from within the Renta! catalog! Below, I’ll showcase each winner and its subsequent recommendation from Twitter, then some interesting stats and thoughts as we continue to share the results with the other teams in Renta!, and—finally—our new recommendations for the tropes that didn’t make the initial cut (no matter how close the poll ended up being…).

ROUND ONE:
Omegaverse vs. Childhood Friends

Winner: Childhood Friends

Smoky Nectar by Akira Minazuki
“Anna’s been in love with Mitsuru since they met in kindergarten. But, despite how close they’ve always been, he’s been keeping a secret: he’s a biter.”

ROUND TWO:
Delinquents/Yakuza vs. Crossdressing

Winner: Delinquents/Yakuza

Honey Bunny Boy by Kurage
“Arashi” acts like a badass at school, but he’s actually a bunny demihuman. When attractive classmate Shizuka triggers his heat, Arashi can’t keep his bunny traits hidden!”

ROUND THREE:
Mutual Pining vs. Yandere

Winner: Mutual Pining

A Romantic Comedy Between Two Ex-Boyfriends by Kishimoto
“Naoto and Tomoki are no longer dating–not because they don’t love each other, but it just fizzled out. What can they do to convey their feelings?”

ROUND FOUR:
Mpreg vs. Enemies to Lovers

Winner: Enemies to Lovers

I’m Banging My Rival in a Parallel World!? by Yuo Yodogawa
“Amatatsu can’t STAND the smug & popular Sen. But then he gets knocked in the head and wakes up in a world where the two of them are dating!”

ROUND FIVE:
Beast People vs. Office Romance

Winner: Office Romance

I Want to Spoil You by Nobiru Hoshi
“Wataru longs to be praised, but his boss Reiji has nothing but harsh words. So why, when he can’t afford his rent, does Reiji invite him to live together!?”

ROUND SIX:
High School Romance vs. Threesome

Winner: High School Romance

Pittosporum by Shino Mikami
“At a prestigious school on a scholarship, as lonely as he is, Yano needs to buckle down and focus on his studies. Alas, his playboy dormmate Odajima has other ideas.”

ROUND SEVEN:
Idols vs. Hosts

Winner: Idols

What We Do When the Curtain Comes Down by Same Zarame
“Aiming to become top idol, omega Mitsuki’s bitter toward the alphas who have it easy. He avoids alpha Mahiro, but he can’t control his body’s urges…”

ROUND EIGHT:
Old Man Yaoi vs. Dom/Sub

Winner: Old Man Yaoi

Should I Really Not Have Listened…? by schwinn
“Shouma’s been dating Kei for 6 months, 3 of which have been sexless. Worried he’s too immature to appeal to an older man, he decides to step it up.”

ROUND NINE:
Childhood Friends vs. Delinquents/Yakuza

Winner: Delinquents/Yakuza

Amateur Delinquent On The Brink!! by Yao
“A cute and spicy love story between Kaito, a playful porn star, and Ryuji, a tsundere delinquent who turns out to be loveable!”

ROUND TEN:
Mutual Pining vs. Enemies to Lovers

Winner: Mutual Pining

Hooked on Being Dumped by Taka
“Keita sleeps around with straight men, desperate to forget his feelings for his friend Ryu. But when Ryu says he’s okay with “comforting” Keita, it becomes a vicious cycle.”

ROUND ELEVEN:
Office Romance vs. High School Romance

Winner: Office Romance

Turns Out My Online Friend is My Real-Life Boss! by Nmura
“A cute story between a clueless office worker and his boss/gaming friend! It’ll leave you feeling all warm and fluffy!”

ROUND TWELVE:
Idols vs. Old Man Yaoi

Winner: Old Man Yaoi

My Dearest Cop by Niyama
Follow the story of Shin and Seiji in this manga that perfectly balances cute, feel-good moments and tender yet spicy scenes!

ROUND THIRTEEN:
Delinquents/Yakuza vs. Mutual Pining

Winner: Mutual Pining

Pedigree by Michi Tange
“When Mashu suddenly calls off their engagement as children, Akemitsu is distraught. He wants revenge when they meet again as adults–or, that’s what he TELLS himself.”

ROUND FOURTEEN:
Office Romance vs. Old Man Yaoi

Winner: Old Man Yaoi

Naughty Models -A Sensual Picture Book Of Beefy Guys In Suits- by Satomichi
“Arata’s attraction to his older coworker Makoto HAS to be more than rivalry–why else would he have these sexy dreams!?”

ROUND FIFTEEN:
Mutual Pining vs. Old Man Yaoi

Winner: Old Man Yaoi

I’ll Never Moan for You!! by Hyogo Kijima
“Renya, who’s at the top of the BL VA charts, is ready to throw down when some old man threatens to take his throne–but he’d better not make zaddy mad.”

BL Trope Tourney 2025 Winner:
Old Man Yaoi!

There are a LOT of things to say about the Trope Tourney results.

First of all, when I mentioned earlier the “most obvious winners” being put into the four corners… as you can see, TWO of those didn’t even make it past the first round. That’s probably because what sells well on Renta! isn’t necessarily a reflection of the BL fanbase as a whole. Omegaverse and Beast People are consistently some of our top-selling and most-clicked tags, and we would have expected them to at least make it to round two.

I wasn’t surprised about crossdressing (one of my personal favorites…)—not because it’s not amazing, but because it’s definitely more niche. Yandere (one of Yomogi’s faves) and Mpreg (a trope Sou would protect with their life) as well. Threesome can be pretty hit or miss depending on the rest of the story, and Dom/Sub is one of those verse situations that make some people uncomfortable. Hosts, admittedly, was a bit unexpected since it’s such a BL staple, but I guess Idols are just that strong.

One by one, the horniest tropes were knocked from their pedestal, with the semifinalists being:

– Delinquents/Yakuza
– Mutual Pining
– Office Romance
– Old Man Yaoi

And then, only Mutual Pining and Old Man Yaoi remained…

The polls were posted at 10AM JST and ran for 24 hours, and for the entire initial workday the poll was posted, it looked like Mutual Pining had it in the bag. However, by the time we came in the next day Old Man Yaoi had completely taken off—with between two to four times the amount of votes on the previous polls. We’re not sure if a passionate Old Man Yaoi lover RT’d it to their community of Old Man-loving followers, or if the fandom is just that passionate about retirees, but Old Man Yaoi bested Mutual Pining with ease.

I must admit, I’m not really a fan (I like my men looking as androgynous as possible, which becomes less common as they get older and older, so Old Man Yaoi does not tickle my pickle) but Yomogi was incredibly happy. The only thing that was difficult is that, quite honestly, Renta! doesn’t have anywhere near enough actually old men in our catalogue. I saw one user say if we treated any men under 40 as Old Man Yaoi they’d riot, and… sorry. My apologies. We’ll try harder to license more older guys in the future. 😭 It’s a bit hard considering Japanese media often considers アラサー (arasaa or “around 30”) old—which, FYI, includes people in their late 20s. 🙃 Yomogi was tasked with finding recommendations with men of the well-seasoned variety, and it was actually pretty hard even though we only needed FOUR!

While the English natives on the team who’re pretty well-versed with Western fandom weren’t all that surprised by Old Man Yaoi’s victory (it’s been a pretty well-established preference by now, to the point where it’s become a meme), the JP side of our department seemed pretty shocked by the results. Like I said, going by sales data we would have expected Omegaverse or Beast People to SWEEP. But that could just be a sign that it’s the audience we’ve cultivated by the licenses we’ve picked up, and maybe there are places we can broaden our reach in the future.

For the record, the BL team (Ames, Sou, and Yomogi) all made our own “ideal” brackets:

Now, let’s move on to the tropes that have yet to receive recommendations! Just a note: the fact that these tropes are on the bracket at all shows that they’re staples within the BL fanspace, so please don’t feel bad if any of your favorites didn’t make it past the first round. As I already noted, each BL team member had a first round disappointment with one of their favorite tropes. Here at Renta! Corp we firmly believe all BL tropes are valid regardless of popularity or personal preference, and we look forward to you pushing extra hard for your favorites next year!

Anyway, to the recommendations!

Round One: Omegaverse

How to Deal When Your Intimidating Neighbor is Actually an Omega by Nikuya Inui (Yomogi)
If I were in charge of the M*rriam W*bster dictionary, I would add the phrase gap-moe to it and list this manga as an example. The soft expressions that Miyanaga, the seemingly-intimidating omega, makes when he’s in heat is adorable. To add to that, Kouta, the alpha, is a walking green flag. I love how he checks in on Miyanaga to see if he’s feeling okay, if his suppressants are working, etc. This major hit manga’s got everything covered, from cute neighborly interactions to super steamy ero scenes.

Round 2: Crossdressing

I’ll Die If My Boss Finds Out That I Crossplay by Kuzu Saito (Ames)
Ex-shut-in Yuto high key hates his boss Sayama, but he blows off steam outside work crossplaying for the magical girl anime that gave him the will to live again as a teenager. Now a popular cosplay influencer, Yuto’s racked up over 500k followers. One day, when he makes plans to meet up with a popular cosplay photographer “Saya,” when he shows up to their agreed-upon spot… it’s his awful, lazy, womanizing boss!? What’s worse is that Sayama takes him for a woman, and keeps hitting on him. And the icing on the cake is… Yuto actually… kinda likes it…???

This is a really fun series because it uses a lot of otaku elements that are going to be clearly relatable to my fellow nerds out there. Sayama and Yuto’s relationship is really endearing both in and outside of their crossplay “will-they-won’t-they” because Sayama just loves to push and prod Yuto’s buttons. Yuto is super endearing (and incredibly high strung) and it’s a joy seeing him in all his cute little outfits. The only thing it’s missing is the actual crossdressing sex, but all the other parts of this manga are cute enough to make up for it.

Round 3: Yandere

My Cute Stalker by Hedoro Isaji (Yomogi)
Gosh, I have a soft spot for yandere characters… What I enjoy about this manga is the setting and characterization. It puts a unique twist on the stalker trope by making the stalk-ee be the yandere, not the other way around. While the story starts out with a non-con situation, I enjoyed seeing the main characters get to know each other and gradually accept each other exactly as who they are, including their quirks. Putting aside the morality regarding how their relationship started (😅), I found Kirisawa—the yandere top—to be more and more endearing!

Round 4: Mpreg

My Bias Is A God!? by Fuyu Touji (Ames)
You would never know by the title nor by a quick glance at the cover, but this is a manga where breeding kink is in full swing. (Us prepping the cover to get it sent for cleaning/redesign: “does the caption say… 子作り…???”)

While gods used to use mountainside shrines and prayer, as people stopped believing and concentrated in the cities, they had to find new ways to attract and lead their people—such as using influential positions to garner support and power from their followers. Influential positions such as pop idols. Mamori doesn’t respect these god idols who use their powers to garner their fanbase, but little does he know that his oshi,—Gods’ Kamui—is, in fact, a god himself. And Mamori just happens to be the ceremonial vessel Kamui has been looking for in order to bear children.

Mamori is absolutely against it at first. He loses all respect for Kamui for hiding the fact that he’s a god from his fans, and taking advantage of their admiration and support. But Kamui will not take “no” for an answer—Mamori will bear his children, whether he likes it or not.

This manga has pretty heavy dubcon, as well as tropes like hypnotism and breeding. Kind of a kinky concept, but a rare gem for those who’re into it. Also, in the end it’s actually incredibly sweet as Mamori comes to understand Kamui’s intentions and fall in love with him all over again.

Round 5: Beast People

Mr. Wolf Is Violently Smothering Me with Love by Abuku (Sou)
This series leans HEAVILY toward the “beast” part of “beastmen” — meaning its titular beastly seme character is practically ALL wolf — ears, tail, claws, knot (🍆), and all — and this aspect of him plays a big part in how he ends up entangled with the cute, unassuming uke character who’s actually overflowing with desire… for knot.

One of the reasons that beastmen BL is so popular is surely because of the animalistic sex scenes and the physical characteristics that give said sex scenes an extra oomph. This series is particularly exciting because you don’t just get to see a wolfman going wild on a cute twink, but also said twink — who has a self-proclaimed “beastman fetish” — enjoying every second of it and thirsting for more. But, who says beastman love is only good for the spicy content? We also get to see Sakutarou and his beastman partner Yamato gradually fall for each other, overcome the difficulties of being an interspecies couple and grow all the stronger for it, and even start a family together (did I mention I like mpreg? Well, let’s just say I was well fed in the latter half of the series 😳).

Also, cute twink in turtleneck. ‘Nuff said. 🥴

Round 6: Threesomes

Double Beastly Trouble by yanase seno (Ames)
yanase seno is no stranger to threesomes, having previously written the wonderful Aisaretagari no Gemini. Double Beastly Trouble follows Vice Captain Ewan, a stunning young man who’s been struggling since birth to carve out a place for himself. The illegitimate child of a high-ranking military man, he’s burdened with the weight of cruel judgment and high expectations. Against all odds he’s risen to the top, but many around him would love to tear him down.

His life changes, however, when he meets larga Seto and Zazie. Larga are a breed of human/canine hybrid, known for their wild nature and incredible strength. While Ewan is initially attacked by the larga, he’s able to best them—gaining their respect and admiration. “We’ll go with you if you’ll be our owner!” they proclaim, and just like that Ewan is tasked with training two incredibly unruly “dogs.”

It’s really sweet watching the relationship between Ewan, Seto, and Zazie transform into one of competition, then lust, then affection, then trust, then love. All of them having lived a life where they were shunned and belittled by those around them, they have a deep understanding of each other. Ewan is the only person Seto and Zazie will listen to, and he’s the one they want to protect more than anything—even if it means burning everything else to the ground.

There’s quite a lot of plot, but the ero scenes don’t disappoint, so make sure to read this if you like suspense, threesomes, and animalistic hunger. (Also, the last chapter comes out soon!)

Oh! And there’s DP.

Round 7: Hosts

Red-Light Trouble by Pzou Nicoyama (Ames)
I’ve recommended this one in the past, but I’ll recommend it again because I still love it. Desperate for money to help with his beloved little brother’s debt, Riya needs a high-paying job, STAT. however, one issue: he’s not qualified for shit. Searching through the job listings he finds the perfect job: no experience nor qualifications necessary, $10k a month salary, $5k signing bonus, uniforms provided in-house… If all that sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is. Without realizing it, Riya has found himself in a sex industry position. Plus, the job is weird as hell—standing on a mirrored floor, no underwear on, selling hotpot to customers and cuddling up to them while they make their food…? What the hell?

When host Takuto steps in for him, he thinks he’s finally saved—but no, Takuto’s just another pervert! Plus, no matter what bizarre sex shop Riya’s assigned to next, Takuto is more than happy to follow him and get handsy. As Riya gets used to Takuto’s advances, he can’t help but wonder why the other man always saves him. Surely, there’s no actual relationship forming between them…?

This manga is unbelievably bizarre and super funny, so if you feel like getting a great laugh while you get your rocks off I can’t recommend this one enough. Riya is as cute as he is dumb, and Takuto is very sweet in his own way. Also, every single sex industry covered in this book actually exists—including commando hotpot.

Round 8: Dom/Sub

Sit. Good Job. by Yoko Misumi (Sou)
This series is a great introduction to Sub/Dom BL if you’re a little nervous about dubcon elements — which is understandable, given the Sub/Domverse’s general setup that some people are physically unable to resist commands. It’s heavy on consent and communication, without sacrificing on the exciting control elements of Sub/Dom dynamics.
Itsuki’s a star soccer player who’s got it out for Shuji, a guy who frequents the same gay bar and often gets into heated arguments with Itsuki that sometimes end with them threatening to top each other (literally).

One day, Itsuki starts feeling unwell and ends up having to be taken care of by his sworn enemy Shuji. One thing leads to another, and before Itsuki knows it, he’s inexplicably submitting to Shuji’s each and every command. By the end, Shuji’s suspicion is confirmed: Itsuki, the macho athlete who exclusively tops, is a Sub (who, spoiler alert, evidently enjoys being fucked by the right Dom). Conveniently, Shuji’s a Dom, and when people with these secondary genders don’t participate in Sub/Dom “play,” it can affect their health negatively — so the two end up in a mutually beneficial arrangement. But then, feelings start to get involved…

I’m a sucker of the trope of an egotistic self-proclaimed “top” getting humbled and fucked good, and if you are too, I highly recommend this one! Shuji’s a loving and gentle top and Dom, and Itsuki makes for a very sexy Sub and bottom. Plus, the added spice of enemies-to-lovers just makes their chemistry all the tastier 🤤

====================

Anyway, apologies for taking so long to get this out! (Especially to the person who specifically requested recommendations for all tropes booted in the first-round… 😭) Things have been pretty busy here at Renta! with lots of new projects and plans all taking off at the same time—all while convention season ramps up!

Speaking of conventions, Citrus Con is this weekend! Funny enough, we’ll also be talking about BL trends—this time in the JP BL market—so don’t miss out!