Netori: Meaning and Narrative Context

Netori is a Japanese term commonly used in manga, anime, and visual novel discussions. It refers to a story theme where a character actively takes another person’s romantic or sexual partner, often with intent and awareness. The focus of netori is usually on the person who does the taking, rather than the one who is betrayed.

Netori is closely related to NTR (Netorare), but the perspective differs. While netorare emphasizes the emotional pain and loss of the person being betrayed, netori highlights dominance, desire, or control from the character who steals the partner.

This theme appears mainly in fictional and adult-oriented media and is used to create emotional conflict, tension, or taboo drama. It does not represent healthy real-life relationships and is generally discussed in the context of storytelling tropes rather than real behavior.

Understanding terms like netori helps audiences better analyze narrative themes, genre conventions, and cultural differences in fictional media.