Contrary to popular belief, despite being oversexualized in some cases, shota do not have to revolve exclusively around being the object of sexual desire. Yes, these lovable young boys don’t have to make you feel like a pedophile, girls! Sometimes, much like lolicon, it can be overexcitement over how moe the characters can be! And no, moe does not have to be all about sex either. Some people just really like shotas because of how cute they are and the energy they exude. Little boys are full of gusto! And the people who enjoy watching these little boys still count as shotacon because they may have a slight obsession over shotas. They just really enjoy doting on little boys, but do not mistake anyone who likes kids as a shotacon and/or lolicon. There is a fine line, but that does not mean it is easy not to cross it. Do not underestimate the power of cute. It could convert you into a shotacon as well!

Life has left Komiya Chihiro in a lurch after the death of his mother. He has no home or place to go, until one day, a rich stranger comes along and offers Chihiro a place to call home. This man is Takatori Madoka, supposedly Chihiro’s uncle. Chihiro agrees to live with Madoka and immediately makes himself the maid, determined to keep the entire mansion clean! And so, let us show you our first shotacon: Takatori Madoka! His obsession over his own little nephew just goes to show you how much of a shotacon he is, even if he does not dote on the other shotas that are in the anime, and boy, are there a lot of shotas! You can’t deny that Shounen Maid is a shota anime. However, our main focus is on the shotacon Madoka who would do anything for Chihiro! He even loves dressing Chihiro up in frilly outfits. Just look, Chihiro wears a maid outfit! Yet, it is the deep bond which Madoka and Chihiro form that really draws us in. Yes, Shounen Maid can be very silly, but the relationship between Madoka and Chihiro is one that you can’t miss even between all the punchlines.

There are shotas that are sure to confuse many of us. One such shota is the shota who is actually an older boy (or man…?) with the appearance of an adolescent child. Wait, what? Yes, you heard right. Some anime characters who may be older in age may still possess the countenance of a young child, but regardless of age, these anime boys still qualify as shota characters. Now, that may be alarming for many people who quite like the cute characters but stray from those who are young in age for fear of being deemed as a pedophile, which many would be quick to deny if they were a shotacon or lolicon. However, this does not have to be a sexual attraction at all. In fact, many shota characters who are actually older boys but have the bodies of younger boys can be quite moe! Why wouldn’t you just adore their tiny physiques and sunshine like disposition? Do you remember Momiji from Fruits Basket? Now, Momiji is most definitely a shota character that can turn many of us into shotacon with his bright personality and overeagerness!

Fujioka Haruhi is the scholarship student at the prestigious yet expensive Ouran High School. In an attempt to find a quiet place to study, Haruhi stumbles upon the Host Club where rich boys entertain bored rich girls for profit. Unfortunately, Haruhi accidentally breaks an expensive vase and must work for the Host Club to repay back the debt! Haruhi started off as the Host Club’s dog and then it was discovered just how attractive Haruhi could be if he were a host. However, Haruhi is actually a girl! Can she fool the rest of the school into thinking she is a male host to pay off her debt? While Ouran High School Host Club has featured two different shota characters and a loli character, the one we want to focus on is none other than Haninozuka Mitsukuni, otherwise known as “Honey-senpai!” Honey is an adorable young boy who uses his cute appearance to charm the Host Club’s guests and get cake. Lots of cake. However, do not forget that Honey is, in fact, older than the rest of the Ouran High School Host Club, which is why they all call him “senpai.” Man, Honey can be so cute! How can you even think about denying him or Usa-chan cake? It just is not right! With Honey being an older male anime character with the appearance of a vibrant young boy, do you think that might confuse a few guests? Well, the Host Club is meant to fulfill fantasies and for all the closet shotacon that are at the school, Honey has helped to fulfill the desires of all the shotacon guests to dote on his charming self. Just don’t forget to bring him sweets!

Shotacon are not as prevalent in hentai anime or even ecchi anime, but when it comes down to shoujo anime, there are quite a few shotacon and shota under the yaoi genre! That is not to say that shoujo lacks any non-BL shota pairings, but a vast majority of shota pairings in shoujo are in the BL genre. Yaoi, shounen ai, and BL are all genres or subcategories of anime that involve romantic pairings between male anime characters. We can take a look at the shounen ai anime Loveless where the main characters, Ritsuka and Soubi are partners that fight together as well as romantic partners. Ritsuka is the young shota character that Soubi develops a romantic interest in despite his more mature age. Soubi helps ripen and bring out the loving side of Ritsuka that he didn’t know before. However, Loveless is not the only anime in this genre to play around with the idea of a shotacon x shota pairing.

Pico is spending his summer working at Cafe Bebe, which is his grandfather’s shop. He is fairly effeminate and soft in nature. Then Pico meets Tamotsu, a salaryman who is discontent with his life. The two of them are drawn together by a strong feeling of lust, but can love spark from such a relationship? Boku no Pico is incredibly infamous in the world of anime from its shock value alone. Pico is rather feminine in nature, which tricks the audience to at first believe he is female, only to shock the viewer when it is revealed that he is a young boy instead! Tamotsu, on the other hand, is inexplicably drawn to the young pico, drawn in by his soft nature. As the two engage in a carnal relationship, it is more than evident that Tamotsu is a shotacon who does have a sexual attraction to young boys rather than possessing a desire to dote on them. This goes to show you that there are other facets to shotacon. They have many different natures and for Tamotsu, it is a sexual one! If you are interested in seeing just why Boku no Pico has taken the anime world through a flurry, you would have to watch and find out. However, just how willing are you?