In any case, it might not be a good idea to just do an eenie-meenie-miny-moe in Netflix’s or other anime streaming sites’ harem section. Some of the titles in this anime theme or genre can rather be too “daring” or worse, a crass representation of harem. As such, if one wants to start with harem, the most popular titles such as these are advised.
Updated January 17th, 2023 by Sid Natividad: Harem anime has always been popular, which is why there’s usually a new title coming out every year. Hence, it can get hard picking the best harem anime, especially for fans who have limited viewing time. The harem genre is on a roll even this year and is finally getting the quality it deserves with all the new additions to its catalog. Some of them are quality titles that cater to the ecchi audience while also delivering thoughtful romances.
As such, these good harem anime additions will surely reinforce the genre’s positive points. With 2023 just starting out, more anime titles are bound to be introduced. Some of these also fall into the best harem anime category, so there’s even more harem anime for everyone to watch during the start of 2023 and in winter, perfect for a bit of fleeting digital warmth. As promised, here are five additional titles, one of which is a newly released harem anime with a promising start. Others are established heavyweights in the genre to keep viewers busy and occupied while they wait for more.
Tsugu Tsugumomo
Release date: 2020 Other themes/genres: Action, Comedy, Supernatural, Mythology Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Tsugu Tsugumomo seems to start out like the old harem anime of the 2000s where an ordinary boy suddenly attracts powerful maidens and is then tasked to fight evil. However, the art quality, fluid action, and decent story set it a tier higher compared to the usual harem offering.
It starts off with the “ordinary boy” named Kagami Kazuya meeting the household object spirit named Kiriha. Turns out Kagami wasn’t so ordinary after all and he eventually receives orders from the gods to exorcise evil forces. Along the way, he meets even more of these household object spirits, otherwise known as tsukumogami.
Amagami SS
Release date: 2010 Other themes/genres: Romance, School Where to stream: Hidive
Amagami SS offers a more relatable and grounded main character for harem. It’s about Junichi Tachibana who was suffering from social anxiety after getting stood up on a date a couple of years back. His luck at romance turned around when suddenly, several girls started showing interest in him once again.
To add to Junichiro’s dilemma, all of them are interesting stereotypes of high school girls in anime. This is a more wholesome take on a more mature harem anime without the fan service, which for some, is too annoying for the plot and the story.
Saber Marionette J
Release date: 1996 Other themes/genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Mecha
An oldie but a goodie, Saber Marionette J is a childhood classic for a lot of millennials today. This harem anime is also 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 an expedition failure that killed off the female part of the colony.
Marionettes were inherently emotionless, but one day, a special boy found three Marionettes who were different since they were more empathetic than others. So it’s up to the boy to teach the three Marionettes what it means to be human while preventing war as much as they can.
Ah! My Goddess
Ah! My Goddess’ status as a harem anime is still debatable to this day since one of the girls pledged herself to the main guy already, but a lot of fans still consider it to have dominant harem elements. It’s about a young adult named Keiichi who suddenly finds himself entangled with a goddess named Belldandy, and she’s in love with him, surprisingly.
Joining the fray are Belldandy’s sisters, Urd and Skuld who sometimes toy with Keiichi. Generally, Keiichi is also surrounded by girls ever since his chance encounter with Belldandy. The name mostly focuses on Keiichi and Belldandy’s relationship but it also introduces several conflicts along the way, including more girls.
The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter
Release date: 2021 Other themes/genres: Fantasy, Action, Adventure Where to stream: Crunchyroll
While it sounds like an isekai title, The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter is no such thing. It’s set in its own fantasy world with a protagonist who didn’t get introduced to Truck-kun, thankfully. This title is a rags-to-riches story where the protagonist is a boy named Noir who was suddenly given the power to change reality.
The catch is that this power costs life expectancy, and Noir needs to decide how well he uses it. Too bad the anime also introduces some kind of a cheat code for Noir since he can increase life points through worldly activities and pleasures. One can probably guess where he used those powers.
How Not To Summon a Demon Lord
Release date: 2018 Other themes/genres: Fantasy, Comedy, Isekai Where to stream: Funimation
Going back to isekai territory, How Not To Summon a Demon Lord is about a shut-in gamer who got isekai’d into his own game. Instead of being a normal guy though, he got to assume the role of Demon King Diablo, the most powerful character in the game. Sure enough, as soon as he travels his newfound world, he accidentally enslaves a few people who happen to be pretty girls.
However, despite being a demon king, Diablo agreed to help these girls unbind their contract though the journey to get there might be more troublesome than expected. Anyone who has watched Overlord would be familiar with this anime, except it’s a little wackier and more romantic.
Lord Marksman And Vanadis
Release date: 2014 Other themes/genres: Fantasy, Action Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Lord Marksman And Vanadis is one of the few harem fantasy anime that has a somewhat serious undertone. It’s an anime that regards its plot in high respect since it’s about an ongoing territorial war in a fictional version of Europe. Thus, the series has plenty of political undertones and subplots.
At the heart of this conflict is the unfortunate Tigrevurmud. He’s one of the archers of a faction whose army was decimated by Elen or Eleonora of the opposing faction. In a strange twist of fate, Tigre was spared by Elen, and thus began the former’s turbulent struggle as a defector/prisoner of war for a female general.
Strike The Blood
Release date: 2013 Other themes/genres: Fantasy, Supernatural Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Strike The Blood combines many elements of contemporary fantasy into one, action and mystery-packed harem package. It’s mostly about the story of a potential vampire lord named Kojou Akatsuki. After a powerful organization feared his potential, they sent an elite girl swordsman to monitor and eventually eliminate Kojou in the event that he becomes too powerful.
Kojou eventually found out but came to terms with his new guardian and leash-holder. It just so happens that both he and his new guardian are concerned with keeping the world safe, so they formed an uneasy alliance. Along the way, other girls join the fray, complicating the two’s unholy union.
Is This a Zombie?
Release date: 2011 Other themes/genres: Supernatural, Comedy Where to stream: Funimation
It does have ecchi elements, but a lot of viewers can find it in their hearts to forgive Is This a Zombie? as it tackles a peculiar premise. The main hero, Ayumu Aikawa is a 16-year-old who died at the start of the anime (typical, yes) but he had the luxury of being turned into a zombie.
That’s because Ayumu was revived by waifu candidate Eucliwood Hellscythe. She’s a necromancer, but at least she gave Ayumu the chance to go after his killer. As luck would have it, Ayumu ends up meeting the rest of the waifu candidates in his quest to solve his predicament.
A Couple Of Cuckoos
Release date: 2022 Other themes/genres: High school, Comedy Where to stream: Crunchyroll
A Couple of Cuckoos is another standout harem anime since it features a conservative dose of fan service. It’s also one of the few harem anime where the main male protagonist actually deserves the harem. That would be the straight-A student, Nagi Umino. He was supposed to be rich but the hospital accidentally switched him with another baby after birth.
When he did turn 16, he finally met his real parents and the girl he inadvertently switched lives with at birth. The problem is, his adoptive and real parents now want him to marry the girl. Other problems arise when Nagi starts pursuing someone else he genuinely likes and on top of that, his adopted sister also has eyes on him.
Oresuki
Release date: 2019 Other themes/genres: Comedy, School Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Oresuki starts off with a high schooler named Jouro who at first, appears to be painfully average and friendly. Underneath, however, he’s a schemer and plans to win either of his crush’s affection with a weird but straightforward love-triangle plan involving his best friend.
When all seems to be going smoothly for Jouro, another girl enters the fray and she’s a sharp one. She immediately sees through Jouro and thus complicates his plans and his relationship with his two target girls and his best friend.
We Never Learn: Bokuben
Release date: 2019 Other themes/genres: Comedy Where to stream: Crunchyroll
In We Never Learn, an impoverished student named Yuiga gets a chance to be admitted to a top-ranked university on a full scholarship. But there’s one condition: he’ll have to tutor the school’s geniuses each in their weakest subjects.
Of course, all of these geniuses are girls with dynamic and eccentric personalities, meaning it’s quite a monumental task for someone like Yuiga. While there’s nothing that stands out with this rom-com, it does everything decently and is generally an entertaining watch.
Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles
Release date: 2021 Other themes/genres: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Isekai Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Seirei Gensouki is quite the handful. It’s also an isekai anime and it is somewhat more serious compared to the other romance harem titles. As is customary in isekai, Haruto Amakawa dies. Then he gets revived as a destitute kid in a fantasy world where he immediately saves a princess.
The princess thus gives him a chance to study at a royal academy where he’s surrounded by nobles. A majority of these are pretty and sheltered women and most of them will inevitably be drawn toward Haruto and his new character.
Girlfriend, Girlfriend
Release date: 2021 Other themes/genres: Comedy, School Where to stream: Crunchyroll
A lot of harem situationships could easily be fixed with polyamory and that’s what Girlfriend, Girlfriend (Kanojo mo Kanojo) tried. It begins when male protagonist Naoya was granted a rain of luck after his childhood friend confessed to him. As the two of them were going out, another girl also confessed to Naoya.
Naoya, being the stud he is, refused to let down the other girl, so he proposed to date them both at the same time — with consent. But it doesn’t stop there! Two more girls join the party but unsurprisingly, they all got jealous of one another despite their arrangement.
Motto To LOVE Ru
Release date: 2010 Other themes/genres: School, sci-fi, romance, comedy Where to stream: Hidive
Motto To LOVE Ru is a harem classic where a typical boy MC named Yuuki Rito actually has an ideal partner who’s also his childhood friend. Things get complicated, however, when an alien girl from another planet lands on Earth and sets her eyes on Yuuki.
To make matters worse, the said alien girl’s sisters also want a piece of Yuuki and have uprooted themselves and now live in his house. Oh, and there’s also a weapon girl who wants to kill Yuuki but also serves as a potential romantic tangent for him. But hey, Yuuki still loves his childhood friend no matter what. Sort of. Maybe.
The Familiar Of Zero
The Familiar of Zero initially appears to be a cliched harem ecchi anime but it sets itself apart rather early. The MC here, named Saito, is actually a slave since he’s a familiar accidentally summoned by an inept budding sorceress. Turns out he is a powerful familiar, but his circumstances have forced him to be weakened.
Hence, Saito has to come to terms with his new life while struggling to stay loyal to his master as other magicians and sorceresses turn his life upside down in a way that only a harem anime can. In any case, it’s harem with magic involved. That premise alone should make it interesting.
Date A Live
Release date: 2013 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, sci-fi, mecha Where to stream: Funimation
Speaking of a harem with a unique setting, how about a post-apocalyptic one? Date A Live explores that opportunity. It begins several decades after a massive devastating earthquake killed 150 million people on Earth. These quakes have subsequently been happening on a smaller scale and are seemingly caused by pretty girls called Spirits.
Luckily for the MC, Shidou Itsuka, his little sister is working on a plan to prevent these further disasters by rehabilitating the Spirits. And what better way to tame them than to make them fall in love with a boy? That’s Shidou’s job from there henceforth; saving the world by flirting like the mythical Chad.
Monogatari Series
Release date: 2009 (Bakemonogatari) Other themes/genres: Supernatural, comedy, romance Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Buckle up your seatbelts as this is a long and wild ride. The Monogatari series, starting with Bakemonogatari, is a lengthy franchise revolving around the ridiculous and outlandish harem and mystery scenarios. This all started after the male MC survived a vampire attack.
He managed to retain some of the vampiric powers and has since made it a duty to help other people suffering from supernatural conditions. It just so happens that most of these are pretty girls. The whole story consists of several series, movies, and OVAs so there’s plenty of Monogatari to go around.
The Quintessential Quintuplets
Release date: 2019 Other themes/genres: School, comedy, romance Where to stream: Netflix
Like most harem anime protagonists, Fuutarou Uesugi is a reclusive and socially inept young male. That’s almost mandatory for the genre now. He and his father are also facing financial difficulties. Uesugi, however, is a little more mature than other harem protagonists and decided to help out his father by entering a tutoring gig for a rich family.
Uesugi was initially baffled at why the wage was five times higher than the going rate. Little did he know, he was about to tutor quintuplets or a set of five children born in one birth. Oh, and all of them are cute girls with varying attitudes except they share the same pink hair, making the premise already odd since they all seem like different shades of the same person.
The Fruit Of Grisaia
Release date: 2014 Other themes/genres: Drama, romance, psychological, school Where to stream: Crunchyroll
The Fruit of Grisaia might seem like an ordinary harem anime with the typical cast of dynamic girls and a quiet boy, but it adds more stakes by featuring some deep-seated psychological issues. It begins when transfer student Yuuji Kazami enters a new school. Initially, he was excited to begin a new life but was soon disappointed on his first day.
He quickly finds out that the school is devoid of its student population save for him, the principal, and five other girls. The outlandish scenario did have a mystery and quirk that Yuuji eventually unearths by socializing with the girls and finding out their hidden trauma.
The World God Only Knows
Release date: 2010 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, supernatural Where to stream: Hidive
The World God Only Knows puts a wacky twist on an otherwise standard harem anime: the protagonist, Keima Katsuragi, is also to act as an exorcist or spirit hunter. It all began when a deceptively cute demon girl tricks him into the job. For some reason, the most effective way for Keima to capture spirits is to also capture the hearts of girls.
That would have been easy except Keima prefers dating sims and 2D girls to real ones. In fact, he’s a self-proclaimed God of Conquest where he can conquer any girl’s heart— in a dating simulator, albeit. Thus, his simulation skills are put to the test where he must woo to win back his freedom.
Tenchi Muyo! War On Geminar
Release date: 2009 Other themes/genres: Fantasy, comedy, mecha, isekai, ecchi Where to stream: Funimation, Hulu
Speaking of harem anime with an impressive choice of a premise, Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar takes the cake. It’s also somewhat of an isekai anime on top of the mecha and fantasy additions. In any case, protagonist Kenshi Masaki got spirited away into a bizarre land where he is tasked with assassinating a crown empress by piloting a mecha.
Only, he failed to do this but his gender— which has been unheard of for a mecha pilot in the land of Geminar, saves him. The empress refused to execute her killer and kept Kenshi around to train him as a bona fide mecha pilot among the other female pilots in the empress’ army.
Saekano: How To Raise A Boring Girlfriend
Release date: 2015 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, ecchi, school Where to stream: Funimation
Weird title choices aside, one might find delight in Saekano’s endearing (albeit predictable) plot. Otaku Tomoya Aki one day decided to fulfill his dreams of creating his own visual novel. So, he recruited a bunch of old friends and acquaintances (all of whom happen to be female) to help him with the project.
Sure enough, the visual novel he was concocting was romantic in theme. More than that, the visual novel game they’re making is more of a dating simulator. Hence, they all inadvertently pour their hearts and souls into the visual novel in the most genuine and “method” way possible.
Hayate The Combat Butler!!
Release date: 2007 Other themes/genres: Action, comedy, romance Where to stream: Hidive
One of the solid classics of the harem genre, Hayate the Combat Butler!! owes its success to a mix of genres and the fact that it’s a light-hearted approach to a rather disheartening plot. That’s because Hayate Ayasaki was abandoned by his parents after they accumulated a crippling amount of debt. He is then sold to the Yakuza and plotted his escape by trying to kidnap a rich girl to pay off his parent’s debts.
Luckily (or unluckily) for Hayate, the wealthy girl he kidnapped believed that her kidnapper was professing his love to her. So she forgave him and even gave him a job as his butler. Joining the chaos is the female entourage of the wealthy girl who keeps inadvertently falling for him.
Nisekoi: False Love
Release date: 2014 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, school Where to stream: Funimation, Hulu
While on the topic of anime involving Yakuza, Niseoki: False Love makes the notorious gang instrumental in its romance tangle. At the center of that turmoil is Raku Ichijou, heir to the said Yakuza group. Raku was forced to be a rival gang’s representative’s boyfriend in order to maintain an uneasy peace.
Problem is, Raku hates her and the feeling is mutual. Also, Raku somewhat promised himself to a missing childhood friend who conveniently re-appears while he’s still in a pickle with a rival gang girl.
Yamada-kun And The Seven Witches
Release date: 2015 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, supernatural, school Where to stream: Funimation
Here’s a unique one: harem but the two main characters can swap bodies. Such is the case with Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches. It starts with a transfer student named Ryuu Yamada who accidentally kissed a beautiful honor student.
To their surprise, both learned that they could switch bodies after the kiss. Their newly learned power brings them into the circle of the Supernatural Studies Club where they made it their goal to find out who else among certain individuals shares the same ability.
Rosario + Vampire
Release date: 2008 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, fantasy, school Where to stream: Funimation, Hulu
Looking for another disorderly twist in a harem anime? Why not monster girls? Rosario + Vampire explores that notion. Protagonist Tsukune Aono enrolls in Youkai Academy thanks to his stingy parents but he soon discovers that it’s actually a school for supernatural monsters such as succubi, werewolves, and vampires.
Thankfully, he falls in the company of Akashiya Moka and other monster girls who view him as a precious friend since he’s the only human in the academy. It’s not all ecchi situations and opportune moments for Tsukune though as he also helps the girls address the school’s most glaring issues.
Beast Tamer
Release date: 2022 Other themes/genres: Adventure, Fantasy Where to stream: Crunchyroll
Beast Tamer is about Rein and how he coped with getting kicked out of his party since he couldn’t fight. The only thing he knew was taming beasts. During one fateful encounter though, Rein managed to win the loyalty of a cat girl. Turns out there’s no shortage of powerful beast girls in this anime world, and Rein is out to tame all of them like Pokemon.
It sounds bawdy, but the anime is surprisingly decent when compared to other harem titles. Plus, the beast girls are all more powerful than Rein. Hence, this is a tale of a boy who chased tails after being abandoned by humans.
Rent-A-Girlfriend
Release date: 2020 Other themes/genres: Comedy, romance, school Where to stream: Crunchyroll
One of the latest titles on this list, Rent-a-Girlfriend is likely unforgettable already in many people’s memories as it features one of the most catchy opening songs in contemporary anime. This time around, the protagonist is a college student named Kazuya Kinoshita. His girlfriend suddenly became his ex-girlfriend at the start of the anime so he sought comfort and rebound in the arms of a rental girlfriend in an app.
The two quickly found themselves to be incompatible but it was a little late for that as the both of them had to fake their relationship status to appease Kazuya’s ill grandmother. Along the way, more colorful and quirky girls appear to challenge Kazuya’s fake relationship.
The Best Winter 2023 Harem Anime
With the year starting off rather cold in 2023, viewers are now in the winter season. That’s still a good thing because it usually means the list of best harem anime has to expand. One notable new harem anime that joined in on the fun. It’s worth noting that these are still ongoing at the time of writing.
Viewers might want to watch it as soon as they can as each new episode is fresh, and doing so would be the best way to get ahead of potential spoilers. Here is one of the most memorable harem anime of winter 2023.
Farming Life In Another World
Release date: 2023 Other themes/genres: Isekai, Fantasy Where to stream: Hidive
Yet another combination of isekai and harem, Farming Life in Another World gives a 39-year-old man named Hiraku Machio another chance in another world after dying young in his original one. He was given several wishes and he chose to be a farmer in one of these, and of course, he’s surrounded by fantasy world girls.
Turns out he can make friends easily and charm women effortlessly, which explains his situation. Eventually, through his yearning for a peaceful life and a generally positive outlook, a village starts forming around him and the inhabitants include vampires, angels, and even dragons— some of whom are girls.
More: Longest Anime Of All Time, Ranked By Number Of Episodes
