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Protagonists with various romance routes and vague romantic labels have always been a popular trope in fiction. Anime, however, ups the ante with its harem genre. This sitcom formula has withstood the test of time, and viewers can now consume a plethora ofharem animein case they want to see some hyperbolic gender dynamics and exaggerated attraction.
Some of the shows in this theme or genre can be rather “daring” or, worse, a crass representation of harem. However, there is also nothing wrong with an anime that aims to deliver more mature content, as long as it is handled well. If you are looking to start your journey, you should check out these upcoming shows since they are thebest harem animeon the market. They cover everything, from dramas to parodies and action shonens.
Reverse harem anime have their own discussion.
Also, the rankings of the best harem anime are updated monthly, so things can and do change.
Want to know what new harem anime are coming out?Check out this rundown of all of 2025’s shows.
Updated June 05, 2025 by Mark Sammut:I love harem anime, and I feel no shame saying it. Summer 2025 has a decent enough selection of shows, and there is one series in particular that deserves to be highlighted below. Also, Monster Murume has been added as a recommendation, just in case you are craving a more risque series.
Full disclosure,The Three Mikadono Sisters Are Surprisingly Easyis only about halfway done as it is airing as part of theSummer 2025 season, so I cannot really rank it yet. However, it is shaping up to be the lineup’sbest harem anime, and I definitely recommend it.
A harem’s main selling point is the lineup of girls who are fighting for the lead’s affection. At least, that sounds right on paper, but in truth, a show’s quality is often directly related to its male protagonist. If the MC sucks, the anime sucks. If the MC rules, the anime tends to be pretty good.
Dealing with Mikadono Sisters Is a Breezeserves as a recent example of this relationship, as Yuu Ayase, the guy at the heart of the harem, hard-carries the anime on his (narratively) mediocre shoulders. Don’t get me wrong, the sisters – Niko, Miwa, and Kazuki – are perfectly fine love interests who come pre-installed with passions that give them something to chase besides Yuu’s attention. However, they are not interesting enough on their own to justify recommending this series, especially since they are mostly going through the same arc.
However, Yuu is awesome. Now, to be clear, he is pretty oblivious when it comes to noticing the girls' growing interest in him, although this cliché is explained by an inferiority complex stemming from his failure to live up to his mother’s celebrity status. Besides that, Yuu is a driven guy who stands his ground when faced with the sisters' initial arrogance and resistance, since they look down on him for not being gifted. He tries hard, knows his limitations, does not turn into a bumbling idiot around girls, and calls out bad behavior. Honestly, he is the best boy and girl rolled into one.
Naoya is living with his two girlfriends, Saki and Nagisa, a situation his partners are not equally thrilled about. He is also stalked by another girl, Rika, who refuses to take a hint and is not afraid to break a few laws to get her way. To make matters even more complicated, Saki’s friend, Shino, moves in with Naoya to try and ensure he does not hurt her bestie; naturally, she also develops feelings for the lead.
Girlfriend, Girlfriendis at its best when highlighting its characters' charming stupidity, an element heightened by Naoya’s blunt and earnest nature. Saki and Rika are both capable of producing hilarious moments and tend to overshadow the more subdued Nagisa. Shino’s increased involvement in season 2 was a mixed bag, but she helped keep the story moving.
OK, this series is a bit difficult to discuss.Love Flopsshould be experienced blind and with patience; consequently, if a sci-fi mystery harem sounds remotely interesting, skip this section and just give this one a try.
Love Flopsdoes not leave a great initial impression, with the first half telling almost exclusively cliché stories as a bog-standard male lead finds himself saddled with a harem of archetypes. However, this predictability is purposeful and eventually goes somewhere unique for the genre, resulting in an interesting final stretch of episodes that recontextualize the whole season.
Just to be clear,Love Flopsis not some overlooked masterpiece that dissects the harem concept, nor does it gradually reveal a hidden darkness akin to something likeMadoka Magica. Honestly, describing it as “good” might even be an over-exaggeration that sets way too high expectations. However, in a genre that tends to play things very safe,Love Flopsdeserves credit for taking a risk and seeing it through. It is also an original anime that tells a complete story.
Plenty ofisekai animelean into harem territory, but they do not always bring out the best in each other. These stories have a habit of emphasizing the most generic traits of both themes, resulting in forgettable slogs likeIn Another World With My SmartphoneorThe Fruit of Evolution. That said, exceptions exist that not only do justice to both isekai and harem conventions but also heighten their strengths. A few comedy series even manage to parody both genres quite well.
WhileThe Eminence in Shadowis arguably the most popular example and has a huge roster of female characters, Cid (the male protagonist) is so far removed from a traditional harem lead that he disqualifies the show from a recommendation. Fortunately,Trapped in a Dating Simqualifies as aharem animethat confidently pokes fun at the theme’s tropes along with isekai and otome games.
At the behest of his sister, a guy is forced to complete a dating sim he hates. Once done, he quickly dies and reincarnates as a bit-part player in the same universe he detests. Armed with the required knowledge to live a cozy life, Leon sets out to play the game while also keeping out of trouble. That does not happen, and he soon finds himself attracting unwanted attention, including landing in the middle of a harem featuring the game’s heroine and villainess (who develop a surprisingly cute relationship).
Shows only get one chance to make a first impression, andArifuretastruggled to hit the mark. While the light novel andmanga are well-regarded, the anime notoriously stumbled out of the block during its first season, rushing through the story while delivering fairly substandard animation. The sequel seasons somewhat succeeded in steadying the ship, but the adaptation has yet to come close to matching the source material’s quality. Still, when viewed in a vacuum,Arifuretais a passable isekai power fantasy.
Arifuretais also kind of a weird harem, mostly because the story takes a while to go in that direction. The early episodes revolve primarily around Hajime and Yue, who build a fun dynamic that makes them seem like soul-mates. Consequently, when the other girls are introduced, they arguably get in the way of the core romance, despite being decent characters in their own right.
Amagami SSoffers a more relatable and groundedmain character for a harem story. It’s about Junichi Tachibana who has been suffering from social anxiety ever since getting stood up on a date a couple of years back. However, his luck at romance begins to turn around when suddenly, several girls start showing interest in him once again.
To add to Junichiro’s dilemma, all of them are interesting stereotypes of high school girls in anime.Amagami SSis a fairly wholesome take on the often mature harem genre, and the anime generally opts against fan service.
Look, there is no escaping that harem anime occasionally cross into the ecchi genre. Heck, some of the most popular releases rely VERY heavily on fanservice, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that when it is done in good taste.Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girlsis one of the more famous examples of this marriage, although it is not quite as perverse as some other shows that demand to be watched in the dark and with headphones.
As suggested by its title,Monster Musumeis about a guy who starts living with abunch of monster girlsin an attempt to help the latter integrate into human society. Rather than cycling through archetypes or hair colors, the anime puts together a roster of fantasy races, including classics like lamia, harpy, and centaur, along with more unusual ones like arachne. While their personalities are not really that atypical for harems,Monster Musume’s girls might have the most diverse and unique designs in the entire genre. After a few episodes, I was just having fun seeing what new race the anime would introduce.
Although not as common as rom-coms, the harem genre occasionally crosses over with action, delivering shows that attempt to blend fanservice with battle-shonen goodness. WhileHigh School DxDandDate a Liverepresent this marriage’s ideal, they are exceptions to the rule, with most battle harems falling flat. Anime likeBlade Dance of the Elementalers,Demon King Daimao,The Testament of Sister New Devil, andAesthetica of a Rogue Heroare difficult to recommend to anyone but die-hard harem fans, and their action setpieces are arguably their weakest points. Still, they are not terrible, just very niche.
Trinity Sevenserves as a better example of this type of show, one that can be enjoyed for both its harem and fights. Now, just to be clear, the action is nowhere near the level of some of that genre’s greatest offerings. However, when reviewed within the context of battle harems,Trinity Sevenfares better than most of its competitors. The power system is relatively interesting, if a touch convoluted, and the idea of basing the girls on the seven deadly sins is an intriguing one. Arata is a pretty great harem lead who is not afraid to be direct, and the girls are the same to an extent.
Due to being based on a manga by the author responsible forRent-a-Girlfriend,The Shiunji Family Childrenwas always destined to attract some attention, especially since the show also revolves around a harem featuring adopted siblings. If you are like me, you might have tuned into this series in the hope of seeing a glorious trainwreck, one that fits comfortably into the “trash” category. Just to be clear, I love a good trashy anime.
However,The Shiunji Family Childrenis surprisingly tame and, more importantly, ordinary. For the most part, this is a pretty by-the-numbers harem anime, taking very few risks beyond its sibling set-up. Even that aspect is somewhat underplayed, especially since all the girls seem to immediately develop an interest in somebody they believed was their brother for more than a decade.
While not the messy journey that some people might have craved,The Shiunji Family Childrenis a perfectly enjoyable genre representative. The characters are generally quite likable, and the girls are developed just enough not to fall squarely into archetypes. Arata is also a solid main lead who mostly wants to do right by his family.
An oldie but a goodie,Saber Marionette Jis a childhood classic for a lot of millennials today. Thisharem animeis quite a handful as it combines several other genres, ranging from mecha to comedy. It takes place on a colonized planet far from Earth where the women are merely androids called Marionettes due to a failed expedition that killed off the female part of the colony.
Marionettes were inherently emotionless, but one day, a special boy found three unique examples who showed the ability to be empathetic. Therefore, it’s up to the boy to teach the three Marionettes what it means to be human while preventing war.
