Defining “Hentai”
In 2011, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) officially added the term “hentai” to its vocabulary ranks, granting it the following definition:
“A subgenre of a Japanese genre of manga and anime characterized by overtly sexualized characters and sexually explicit images and plots.”
While the definition adheres to how the term is used in popular culture, its etymological roots and usage in the Japanese language are a tad more rich and complex than OED makes the word, “hentai” out to be.
The first Kanji character in “hentai”, 変, literally translates to “curious” or “strange”, while the second character, 態, translates to “state” or “condition”. Put together, the word can mean “curious state” or “strange condition”.
In Japan, the term, when employed as an adjective, is used to refer to people who are “perverted” or “abnormal”. When used in the spheres of science, “hentai” can mean “metamorphosis” or “transformation”, especially when referring to larvae and pupae making their transition to adults.
Hentai’s Etymological Origins
Interestingly enough, “hentai” can trace its roots back to the fields of Science and Psychology where the term made numerous appearances in publications and journals describing unusual or abnormal traits in humans during the Meiji Era. The term later expanded to also describe and explain supernatural abilities and various psychological disorders.
Sometime during the 20th century, “hentai” was paired up with the term, seiyoku, meaning “sexual desire”. This formed a new term, hentai seiyoku, which was defined as “sexual perversion”; and became normalized and commonplace in everyday Japanese vernacular after World War II when Japan took a new interest in the fields of sexology and human sexuality.
In how “hentai” is used now in English, to describe what is basically cartoon porn, the term gained traction in the 90s as a general umbrella term to describe a genre of Japanese anime and manga pornography.
Hentai’s Demographic Audience
It probably comes as no surprise that this genre of pornography is most popular among Millennials and Gen Zs, both of which are more likely to be exposed to and interested in the influences and trends of J-Pop Culture and K-Pop Culture.
What may come as a surprise is that hentai also has an audience in the older demographic, specifically those who have been long-time porn users and have hit a certain level of tolerance when it comes to the type of porn they consume. Studies imply that they turn to hentai in search for more uh, stimulating material that deviates from the norm in order to feel a different kind of arousal and intensity.
The (Possible) Psychology Behind Hentai’s Popularity
Hentai was one of the most popular and searched for terms on PornHub in 2022.
According to Dr. Leon Selter, psychologist and Psychology Today blog contributor, hentai’s popularity and allure can be credited to how the genre offers unlimited fantasies – not even the saying, “the sky’s the limit” works because there are hentai anime and manga featuring space monsters and aliens. The fact that hentai isn’t limited to the shackles of reality is a huge draw for many and contributes to why the genre is so popular.
Studies also suggest that consumers of hentai feel “less guilt” when consuming more extreme porn featuring taboo scenarios of rape, incest, non-consent, bestiality, infidelity etc. when the characters are 2-dimensional aka. not real. A kind of detachment from reality and mental distance from guilt is more possible when engaging in porn starring characters that are demons, monsters, animals, witches, or other supernatural entities.
Research fellow, Justin J. Lehmiller at The Kinsey Institute in Indiana University also proposed that an individual’s gender and sexual orientation played a role in one’s interest in hentai related fantasies. He found, in a study, that 12% of straight heterosexual women, 27% of straight heterosexual men, 26% of lesbian and bisexual women, 39% of gay and bisexual men, and 40% of transgender and non-binary individuals had hentai related fantasies.
Using this data, Lehmiller concluded that those with a higher interest in hentai and more likely to have a hentai related fantasy were men and gender diverse individuals. A possible reason for this is that for men, a large chunk of pornography is made for them in mind; and for gender diverse individuals, the lack of pornography catered with them in mind led them to porn of the fictitious and fantastical kind.
Countries With A Hankering For Hentai
In 2021, the most popular porn category searched for on PornHub in the USA was hentai. According to a study, the pornography genre is also heavily consumed in the following countries:
- The Philippines (92.6%)
- Indonesia (90.8%)
- Vietnam (90.7%)
- Malaysia (90.5%)
- El Salvador (90.3%)
- Peru (90.2%)
- Bolivia (89.5%)
- Chile (89.5%)
- Singapore (87.9%)
- Costa Rica (86.2%)
Must be something in that hot, humid air that has citizens and residents of these countries lusting after some tentacle action…
Subgenres of Hentai
As previously mentioned, “hentai” is a generic catchall for pornography that is in animated or manga form; and can actually be broken down into subgenres and categories.
The genre of hentai can be categorized according to gender and age of the characters and perhaps for the audience it’s intended for:
- Bara or men’s love, which heavily features hyper-masculine men (think Bears)
- Yaoi or boy’s love that focuses on homoerotic relationships between its male characters but surprisingly is written for a mostly female audience
- Yuri or girl’s love, which focuses on intimate relationships between its female characters, whether they be romantic or intense friendships
Hentai can also be categorized according to fetishes:
- Bakunyu, which features female characters with (sometimes comically) large breasts
- Futanari, which features characters, usually female, that are hermaphrodites or transsexuals
- Incest (no explanation necessary)
- Tentacle erotica, which is possibly the most infamous subgenre of hentai and features tentacled monsters, demons, and other such creatures engaging in sex or rape with mostly female characters, and more uncommonly, male characters.
Which Subgenre of Hentai Is The Most Popular?
It’s debatable and dependent on who you talk to and where you are in the world but according to various surveys and studies, futanari is arguably the largest and therefore most popular subgenre of hentai.
Many futanari themed hentai anime and manga features female characters with an extra penis-like appendage either in place of or in addition to their female genitalia. These characters are often seen engaging in sex with other female characters.
Other popular and often searched for subgenres of hentai include:
- Chikan, which features male characters publicly harassing and sexually assaulting mostly female characters on public transport
- Netorare or cuckold, an interestingly controversial subgenre of hentai
- Paizuri, which is characters engaging in breast sex
- Tentacle porn (self-explanatory)
Why you or any other individual engage in hentai to get off is entirely due to preference, interest, curiosity etc. but it is interesting to note that the genre of porn does hold a higher appeal to some demographics over others. If you are someone who regularly gets their rocks off to hentai or are new and curious to this wild, weird, and wacky world, why not check out some anime and manga themed toys to get your engines going? Check out ecchiTOKYO’s online store where they sell a variety of adult products that may pique your interest.
