‘Harem’ is a subgenre of Japanese anime usually characterized by multiple female characters vying for the love of one male protagonist. This genre is often packed with drama, love, comedy, and varying levels of romantic and sexual content for less conservative viewers. It’s also one of the most controversial subgenres, polarizing many fans.
Regardless, the harem genre continues to rise in popularity with viewers. If watching a guy surrounded by several beautiful women fighting for his attention sounds exciting, or perhaps you simply enjoy the drama that comes with several women liking one man, then harem is the one for you.
Here is a list of the 15 best harem anime you can find today, ranked from least to best.
15. A Couple of Cuckoos
A Couple of Cuckoos is about a straight-A student named Nagi Umino who was supposed to live a life of luxury but was switched with another baby at birth. At 16, he gets to meet his biological parents, as well as the girl whom he was switched with. His adoptive and biological parents decide that the two should get married. While this is already a lot, it turns out that Nagi wants to pursue someone else and that his adopted sister has a crush on him.
14. Rent-A-Girlfriend
Rent-A-Girlfriend was released in 2020 and is about a college student left heartbroken after being dumped. To soothe the pain, he decides to hire a rental girlfriend through an app. A series of events leads to the student having to pretend that she is his real girlfriend, which makes for some unique situations. The series is a memorable one, and the fake relationship trope works well in this case.
13. How Not To Summon a Demon Lord
How Not To Summon a Demon Lord is about a young shut-in who plays as a demon lord in an online video game. He finds himself transported into the game’s world one day and is tasked with finding his way back to Earth. During this, he must also help the two girls who summoned him. The show is quite entertaining, though some argue that it lost its way in the second season.
12. Amagami SS
Amagami SS is about a high school student who faces a difficult Christmas Eve breakup but begins to love again two years later. When he begins to open his heart, he meets multiple girls who help change his fate forever. The show is a more comedic watch than other harem animes but still very much worth watching.
11. Chained Soldier
Chained Soldier is set in an alternate reality where the gates to a monster-filled dimension have opened all around the world. One character named Yuuki finds himself dragged down into this realm and is confronted by a scary beast. A member of an all-female military unit finds him, and they create a contract that Yuuki will become her slave. Yuuki is always surrounded by many powerful women, which puts him in some interesting situations.
10. Love-Hina
If you are new to harem anime, Love-Hina is a great introduction to the genre. It tells the story of a young man who tries to get into Tokyo University. He fails his entrance exams, and as the plot armor of this harem story would have it, is sent to live at an all-girls dormitory. There he’s surrounded by beautiful women who end up in a free-for-all competition for his affection and time. This lust-filled anime is packed with comedy, engaging characters, and a fun plot.
9. Demon King Daimaou
After spending some time in the world of harem, you will have come across some anime with hair-raising action and villains that look like they mean business. Then all of a sudden the screen is covered with nude women and closeup shots of panties from women who just can’t stop falling down. This anime is exactly like that.
When a young man is transferred to a magical school and becomes best friends with a member of the ninja clan, he learns that he is fated to be the demon king according to an ancient prophecy. Follow our hero as he tries to avoid this fate and deals with the attention that comes of it.
8. World’s End Harem
Reito Mizuhara wakes up to some incredibly horrific news—only 0.1 percent of all males on the planet remain alive. The consequences of this news mean that he is now one of the most valuable things in the world. Reito and four other men are given the mission of a lifetime and are tasked with impregnating every woman possible. We watch Reito navigate this new world and his crucial duty while searching for his one true love that disappeared a few years ago.
7. Kiss x Sis
In the land of controversial anime, this entry is a solid contestant with its incest-focused plot. Keita Suminoe is a high school student attracted to his twin stepsisters. Keita discovers his attraction to both his them despite their relationship and must now navigate this situation while dealing with attention from other girls.
Enjoy. If this is your sort of thing.
6. In Another World With my Smartphone
In Another World With my Smartphone puts a funny spin on a classic tale of adventure. The story begins when our main character, Touya Mochizuki, is mistakenly hit one day by a stray bolt of lightning fired by God. However, God being a gentleman, offers him one wish—the chance to live in a fantasy world.
Like every man in his right mind, Touya accepts but on the singular condition that he would like to bring his smartphone along with him. He explores his new lease on life as he navigates a new world with magical beings and cute girls vying for his attention.
5. How Not to Summon a Demon Lord
Imagine being warped into your favorite game as one of the strongest characters. This is the fate of Takuma Sakamoto, who becomes the Demon lord, Diablo. He encounters two girls who try to enslave him with a ritual that backfires and makes them his slaves instead. This great and cheeky story was adapted from a light novel that was popular enough to sell over a million copies.
4. Sekirei
In a land of incredible magic and wonder, school is still a pain in the rear for Minato, the main character in this popular series. He flunks his entrance exams for the second time, and when things can’t possibly get any worse, a girl drops out of the sky and lands on top of him. His life takes an interesting turn when he discovers he can make a contract with the girl, Musubi, a Sekirei in need of a partner.
A crazy battle ensues between all possessors of Sekirei, and he is in the thick of it. Packed with great battles and fan service, Sekirei is a fun anime with many other interesting angles.
3. Is it Wrong to Try to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon?
This is another popular light novel adaptation that is set in the fantasy city of Orario. Our main character is a lone traveler who was previously rescued by a swordsman. He serves under the goddess of Hestia and journeys while trying to make some money as the sole Hestia family survivor.
We join our hero as he faces new dangers on his journey while entirely oblivious to the love and affection that several gods and mortals possess for him.
2. High School DxD
This entry is one of the most popular harem anime titles worldwide. The main character is a schoolboy with his singular life goal being to control his own personal harem. Isse Hyoudou is a typical boring student until he is invited on a date and killed by a girl who turns out to be a fallen angel. He is then resurrected and taken care of by the beautiful Rias Gregory and strives to become stronger to protect her and her crew.
1. The World God Only Knows
The protagonist of this tale is called Keima Katsuragi. He has hobbies just like every other high school kid and is a highly skilled gamer. He is also tasked with helping girls who have been possessed by evil spirits. Life is good and everything is sweet, but there is just one problem—with every girl he helps, he becomes more popular with the opposite sex until he is surrounded with a ton of girls competing for his interest.
