Bara means “rose” in Japanese and it was originally a derogatory term for the English word, 'pansy,' which was directed towards gay men. However, bara has a dark etymological history. What makes bara different from yaoi and shounen-ai is that these stories are created by gay manga artists ( mangaka) for a gay male audience and have a unique art style where male characters are “hairy and muscular,” contrasting from the “pretty boy” physique in BL manga.

Bara is a sub-genre in Japan's gei manga (gay manga) world.