What's Up With The Comically Large Hands In Yaoi Media? Yaoi Hand Syndrome, Explained

Comically large Yaoi hands are a unique anime phenomenon that has been noted and joked about in meme culture for over a decade.

The entry on the phenomenon was first added to KnowYourMeme's database over 10 years ago and remains an astute insight into what makes the gay genre of yaoi cartoons so appealing to women. Here's a history of the way artists have been drawing their manga heartthrobs to have hands that rival the size of their own faces.

What Is Yaoi Anime And Manga?

Yaoi is the name used for a specific genre of Japanese anime and manga that depicts a romance between two male characters. This genre is sometimes also called Shōnen-Ai or Boy Love. Historically, yaoi manga has been directed toward female audiences who are attracted to gay-coded male romance stories.

But yaoi romance stories are still differentiated from "Bara" romance comics in that yaoi protagonists are typically young, slender, and feminine-looking boys. Bara comics, on the other hand, feature older men with facial hair and muscles and are typically enjoyed by gay audiences.

What Is Yaoi Hand Syndrome?

Yaoi hand syndrome is a term used to describe the phenomenon where male protagonists in a yaoi comic are shown to have comically large hands in relation to the rest of their body. While large hands are typically seen as an attractive trait in men, a combination of skewed perspective and exaggerated proportions in yaoi comics has led to fans of the genre dubbing the art style as "yaoi hand syndrome."

What Are Some Examples Of Panels Featuring Yaoi Hands?

For the full history of Yaoi Hands, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.