a white, Western viewpoint, Tagame's depiction of hyper-masculine Japanese men can be considered to break down the stereotype within many Western gay cultures that Asian men in general are skinny, small-dicked, effete weaklings who are fucked for the pleasure of big-dicked, buff macho white guy." Sadomasochism and sexual violence Though not all sexual depictions in Tagame's manga involve sadomasochism and sexual violence, it is a common theme in his work, with White writing that "in Gengoroh Tagame's world, no man is ever penetrated willingly." Tagame's BDSM-focused works often depict other taboo subject material, such as rape, bestiality, incest, and body modification. Despite the often graphic subjects of his works, critics have generally not considered Tagame's art as ero guro, or "erotic grotesque" art that focuses on material that is disgusting or horrific. Rather than depict gore and horror overtly, Tagame states that he draws inspiration for his BDSM stories from Shakespearean tragedy, German opera, and Japanese folktales that depict the "beauty of destruction" and a "person who’s falling apart". For example, in his manga Missing, a man frees his kidnapped brother by killing the corrupt military officers who have captured him, though the murderous act is intentionally not directly depicted. Tagame's works focused on BDSM frequently depict a protagonist who goes through a process of self-discovery as a result of his participation in a BDSM or otherwise fetishistic relationship. Most often, these stories involve a masculine man whose engagement with BDSM transforms him from a dominant to a submissive sexual role, such as stories featuring "alpha" men who are sexually dominated and tortured or who allow themselves to be sexually debased out of a sense of responsibility or duty. Kolbeins argues that by depicting BDSM as a process of self-discovery, Tagame's stores are framed "within a relatable framework of human drama," while Kidd notes that "a typical Tagame character can be seen as the ultimate mature brute symbol of authority for whom the tide has abruptly turned." Examples of these themes include Endless Game, where a man taken as a sex slave comes to enjoy his new status and forces his captors to obey his desires, and Arena, where a Japanese karate champion becomes involved in an American fighting tournament where the winner of each match sodomizes the loser. Japanese traditionalism Tagame's works often depict Japanese historical settings, or draw heavily on traditional Japanese aesthetics in plot or subject material.