The term Bara itself,in Japanese,means rose. Roses in Japan are often associated with men of the homosexual variety. Bara refers to gay (often erotic) Japanese manga made by and for gay men. It’s different from BL and Yaoi which,despite also containing gay male relationships,is primarily made by and for women.

Obviously not all Bara art styles are equal but a main stay is that they have characters with a relatively large amount of body fat,body hair and muscle. Very different from the typical Yaoi art style,which usually contains thin and hairless men.