Seme

Seme (攻め, lit. "top", as derived from the ichidan verb "to attack") is a term originating in martial arts, later being used in the Samurai Warriors fandom to describe the dominant or "pursuing" half in a male-male yaoi relationship (uke being the submissive or "pursued" half.) The term spread panfandom and is now used to describe this characterization regardless of fandom. The seme is typically the one who actively initiates the relationship, from subtle wooing to rape. It is used regardless of rating and a fanwork's sexual content.
In Japanese pairing names, the seme is always listed first, before the uke, which is considered a golden rule. on PixivEncyclopedia, circa. 10 January 2025 Many shippers have a preference for which character is the seme or the uke and may dislike the other order for the pairing, often referring to it as a "landmine" which should be avoided. Doujinshi are rarely labelled under both orders for this reason. Characters that are rarely ukes may be called extreme lefts (極左, lit. "extreme left") since they're always listed "left" in a pairing name. on paradisearmy, circa. 10 Janaury 2024 Fans of the less-popular order may consider it a rarepair.
The term seme is also used for NL female-male relationships, though it's expected that the female character is the uke unless she's a futanari or the male character is a child while she's an adult, so the term is used much more often in yaoi as a necessary descriptor. on PixivEncyclopedia, circa. 10 January 2025 The same can be said for yumejoshi works. Seme and uke may be used to describe female-female yuri relationships as well. It is used infrequently in yuri since pairing order is far less of an issue for yuri relationships. Tachi may be used as a synonym of seme, a term originating in Japanese gay culture; synonymous with top.
Seme is also a homophone of sadist in BDSM (せめ, lit. "top"). on PixivEncyclopedia, circa. 10 January 2025 In regular Japanese, these both refer to martial arts.
==Description==
Following the stereotyped and heteronormative precepts of this denomination, the active male characters of a relationship slash are usually presented as tall, older than their counterpart uke, sometimes exhibits stereotypical alpha male characteristics: overprotective, masculine like a macho type, and physically powerful. Artistically, they are often depicted with smaller eyes, more well-defined jawlines with more rigid humor, they almost never smile, and when they do, it's because their lover has done something stupid or romantic.
Ukes are often the favorite out of the two characters with fans. This is especially the case in NL fanworks, where the seme is usually seen as an "accessory" or "catalyst" rather than a fleshed out character in the fanwork. There's often discussion around the characterization of semes, which vary greatly, and how they can improve to focus more on them. Like with slash, there's the sense that character dynamics explores fantasies.
==Terminology==
=== Seme Variants ===
These terms may be used in Boys' Love media as a way to advertise the relationship dynamic focused on.
*オヤジ攻め lit. oyaji seme
**means the seme is old enough to be considered an oyaji, meaning father, and more commonly, father-esque.
* 俺様攻め lit. oresama seme
** means the seme is self-centered and arrogant
*かわいい攻め lit. kawaii seme
**means the seme looks and acts cutely
*鬼畜攻め lit. kichiku seme
**means the seme is reminiscent of sadists in BDSM
*筋肉攻め lit. kin'niku seme
**means the seme is muscular and macho. Possibly this is for yaoi that play out similarly to baras
* クール攻め lit. kuuru seme
**means the seme is kuudere or sunao kūru
*女装攻め lit. josou seme
** means the seme crossdresses.
*ショタ攻め lit. shota seme
** means the seme can be considered shota.
*スパダリ攻め lit. supadari seme
**means the seme is conventionally attractive, wealthy, mentally stable, tall, values leisure time and acts mature.
*総攻め lit. sou seme
**sou-seme is used to describe either multiship works in which a single character is depicted as the seme to numerous other characters, or to indicate that someone is a multishipper with a single character as the top in all cases. The term is variously translated as "total seme" or "cockslut". It's much more rarely used than its counterpart term, 受け lit. sou uke.
*年下攻め lit. toshishita seme
**means the seme is younger than their partner. The partner in a relationship like this is 総受け lit. toshiue uke, meaning a uke who is older than their partner.
*ノンケ攻め lit. nonke seme
**means the seme in a yaoi work who is otherwise straight. Nonke is Japanese slang for Straight.
*美形攻め lit. bikei seme
**translates to "beauty seme." Possibly this refers to conventionally attractive female seme.
*ヘタレ攻め lit. hetare seme
**means the seme is cowardly and weak-willed. Usually, the uke controls the relationship's stability.
*眼鏡攻め lit. megane seme
**means the seme wears glasses. This is often used in conjunction with kichiku seme.
*モブ攻め lit. mob seme
**when a mob character is the seme.
*ヤンデレ攻め lit. yandere seme
**means the seme is obsessed with their partner and/or is a yandere. 執着攻め lit. shuuchaku seme is synonymous with this
*わんこ攻め lit. wanko seme
**means the seme has a dog-like personality.
*尽くし攻め lit. tsukushi seme
**means the seme is dedicated to their uke to the point of it being notable.
*横攻め lit. yoko seme
**means the seme practices infidelity or otherwise may be in a love triangle.
*無邪気攻め lit. mujaki seme
**means the seme is innocent of heart or otherwise non-malicious.
*へっぽこ攻 lit. heppoko seme
**means the seme is considered "useless."
===Seme Alternatives===
In modern Japanese fandom, several other terms have arisen to replace "seme", although the term is still in use. Hidari, or "left", is sometimes used to refer to the top partner, while migi ("right") is used to refer to the bottom, with these terms deriving from the order of the ship name. More rarely, the term "tachi" (slang for a top among the LGBT community) may be used to describe the top.
==Fan Comments==
==Further Reading==
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==References==
Category:Yaoi Fandom
Category:Anime & Manga Fandom Glossary
Category:Character Archetypes
Category:Sexual Tropes & Kinks