Harem anime happens to be one of the most popular genres of anime at the moment; and it’s not just popular, but it’s also unique to the Japanese media industry as you won’t find this particular genre in the western media industry. So, what actually makes the harem anime shows so popular?
I am not exactly a big fan of this genre because the shows and the story gets repetitive after a certain time, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good shows to watch. In fact, there are quite a few solid harem anime series that you will enjoy watching; it’s just that the sheer number of the shows out there, most of them are utter trash, makes it tough for a new anime watcher to find the right title to watch. And that’s exactly why I ended up creating this list; to give you guys the anime recommendations you want if you are interested in the harem genre.
The harem anime genre is a genre that revolves around the main character, it’s male character most of the time, who is the potential love interest of more than one female character. These female characters love to be around him and directly or indirectly compete for his love. One of the cute things about the genre is that the main character doesn’t know how to respond to female advances and is usually very shy, but there are a couple of exceptions where the MC isn’t exactly shy.
So, with that being said, let’s not waste any more time and see the top anime shows in the harem genre that you can start watching right now! Pick one of the shows mentioned below based on the description that you like the most and see if the genre is something you’d like to get into; and believe me, you will!
Best Harem Anime Shows of 2021
21. Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls
This show is the perfect introduction you need to get into the harem genre. It has incredible amounts of ecchi perversion, but the way ecchi is portrayed here is unique. The plot of the show is simple. It is about a fantasy Japanese society where human beings discovered fantasy beings called “Liminals”. These liminals are encouraged to live with humans under an exchange system, but they must not cause harm to each other or make babies together.
The main character, Kimihito Kurusu, doesn’t want to be a part of this exchange program but had to when a Lamia named Miia was assigned to him by mistake. But it didn’t stop there because this was just the start as more and more monster girls started showing up at his residence and he had to take care of them all. All of these liminals love the main character and compete for his affection. His house became a harem, and as if that wasn’t enough, other liminals start getting attracted to as well.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]20. Is This a Zombie?
Right of the bat, this series is absurd and comedy of extreme proportions. Why? Well, there is a vampire ninja who can walk in the sun. The show mixes a number and themes, with ecchi and harem taking central positions, and there are a lot of ecchi scenes in this series.
In this anime, you would meet Ayumu Aikawa, a 16-year-old student who was murdered and was raised from the dead by a necromancer. A zombie Ayumu seeks to investigate his own murder and obtains magical powers from a female monster hunter by mistake when she tries to erase his memories. Now, he must investigate his murder and wear female clothes to hunt monsters.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]19. Arifureta: From Commonplace to World’s Strongest
I have to tell you that the anime doesn’t do justice to the manga, and it’s sad. This show is about Hajime Nagumo, a 17-year-old otaku, and his classmates who are summoned to another world where they are tasked with saving humanity. Unfortunately, Hajime isn’t as powerful as his classmates and is ridiculed and betrayed by them, and he he ends falling to his death while on a mission.
However, Hajime survives the fall but he faces menacing monsters at every corner, and this sets him off the edge and now the only thing on his mind is getting stronger and surviving; and he does just that. The anime might be a poor adaptation of the manga, but it has some endearing moments and many ecchi scenes, and is a good contender if you are looking to watch some harem anime shows!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]18. Maken-Ki!
The main character here, Takeru Ooyama, isn’t shy. He loves girls and boobies in particular and is not hiding the fact in the least. The lust that Takeru has should be considered a magical power. If you don’t mind extreme anime perversion, grab that popcorn and bury your eyes in luscious anime boobies. I mean that literally because you will see so much boobies-focused ecchi that you will drool. Unfortunately, the focus on boobies caused this anime to lose direction, and it hurts because it has an appealing concept.
Maken-Ki! is about a character who attends a co-ed school intending to check out boobs. The school turned out to be more as it was a school for training magicians to use the elements and Makens (magical crafted weapons). The students hone their skills through school-organized combat. Although, Takeru doesn’t have a Maken and can’t use the elements, he is still loved by the ladies who can’t seem to get enough of him, and thus, he has his little harem of comfort.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]17. Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches
This show is about a delinquent trying to turn a new leaf by moving to a new school but doesn’t find it easy to do so. Being a good boy bores him, but his life changed when he accidentally kissed a girl and swapped bodies with her.
Later on, he discovered that there are witches in his school, and their powers can only be activated with the power of a kiss. Interestingly, this harem anime has a respectable amount of ecchi, but it delivers the harem genre perfectly without much absurdity. A must-watch, I must say!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]16. Masou Gakuen HxH
Ecchi, more ecchi and ecchi forever. Here, the main character, Hida Kizuna, has a harem of women because doing erotic acts with him boosts the powers of other girls. For context, aliens invaded earth in the show, and humans can fight the invaders using HHG embedded in them. Hida Kizuna doesn’t have significant powers on his own, but his powers can improve other people’s own if he does something erotic with them.
The catch is, this erotic act is the key to saving the lives of these ladies and can only be used during battle. Kizuna is in for a life that revolves around sexual intimacy. Is he lucky or going to be embarrassed all the time? You will have to watch the show to find that out!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]15. The Familiar of Zero
The harem content in this show isn’t absurd. It makes the show a bit relatable. The show’s heroine is from a prestigious magical family, but she has zero magical skills. At the point of summoning her familiar, which should have made everything better, she summons a seemingly powerless human boy from Japan.
Our heroine hates her familiar and maltreats him, forcing him to clean her clothes and eat off the ground and the like. But there’s something unique about the summoned boy, and as the show goes on, the two start to bond, and it turns out that things are not exactly as they seem!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]14. To LOVE Ru
You should watch this harem anime show only if you can handle hot steamy anime moments with sexy human and alien beauties! The plot is simple, straightforward, and fun, and is packed with ecchi moments that will have you binge-watch the show.
The main character accidentally came to have a flock of women pining for him when he was declared the fiancé of a powerful alien princess who wants to marry him in order to avoid entering a political marriage. But the MC also has a girl he loves, and all the attempts to declare his feelings always end up in a comedic epic fail. With a lot of ecchi moments, this anime is soothing and fun to watch!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]13. Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends
This harem show is about a group of socially awkward students who form a club to deal with their inability to socialize due to how society has stereotyped them. The main character, Kodaka Hasegawa, transfers to a new school where he immediately earns a reputation of being a delinquent due to his appearance and his stiff expressions, and this hampers his ability to make friends. But things change when he finds Yozora Mikazuki, who happens to be a fellow loner and the two start a sort of club for people who don’t have friends.
The anime has a lot of fun moments, but it still manages to pass the message that you don’t need to be a different person from who you are in order to make friends. There will always be people who would love you for who you are.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]12. Rosario to Vampire
The main character, Tsukune Aon, gets accidentally enrolled in a school of monsters by his parents because no other school was accepting him due to his poor grades. But this school is filled with monsters, but in human appearance, who are learning how to coexist with humans.
Tsukune settles into his new school enthusiastically and must avoid being discovered as a human because if the school authorities find out the truth, they would kill him. But it’s quite hard being an MC in a harem anime show because Tsukune immediately has a run-in with Moka Akashiya, the hottest girl on campus, and he also becomes a hot item among the other female students who admire him for one reason or the other. Despite being different, Tsukune vows to continue in the school and hopes to profess his affection to Moka someday.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]11. Heaven’s Lost Property
Angels exist in this anime. Okay, not angels, winged aliens. Go through a fantastic journey with the perverted Tomoki Sakurai, who wants to have peace in his life and dreams of an angel. His dreams come true as a winged alien crashes nearby him and starts calling him master.
With his dream coming true, Tomoki loses his treasured peace and has to ensure the safety of the earth against threats as he and his friends begin to learn more about the “Angeloids” that have started appearing on Earth.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]10. The World God Only Knows
This show is a harem genre with a twist, but doesn’t exactly a unique plot that you have never seen before. The main character is an expert at making ladies fall in love with him, but only in dating sim games and not in real life. He prefers 2-dimensional girls over 3-dimensional girls and spends most of his time on such games.
However, things start changing in his life when he has to help a naive demon from hell in retrieving the evil spirts who have escaped hell and scattered all over the human realm. The MC has to use his skills as a gamer who conquers virtual ladies in real-life in order to prevent the rise of demons. The fun part is that the MC in real life is a nerd and isn’t found attractive by people. The joy of watching this show is to see the humorous ways the MC implements to complete his missions.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]9. IS: Infinite Stratos
This anime should have been named the IS: Infinite Harem because that just makes much more sense! The show tells the story of a 15-years old teenage boy who is the only male that can pilot a mecha suit that only women are skilled enough to navigate. And this means that the boy has to attend an academy, the Infinite Stratos Academy, which just so happens to be an all-girls boarding school!
As expected, our main characters becomes a sensation among the girls, and he has a lot of moments where he walks in on girls changing and has all sorts of awkward moments. This can be too much for a young man with raging hormones, but this is definitely something that folks like us will enjoy watching.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]8. The Fruit of Grisaia
Unlike other shows listed here, this is not your average harem anime show! Here, the male protagonist transfers to a school where only five girls are students. For someone who wants just to live an ordinary life, the male protagonist is forced to question his ideals as when he interacted with these girls, he found out that each had their traumatic experiences.
He also found out that society has discarded these girls like rotten fruits. And like all the male protagonist in most of the anime shows, the hero here also finds himself at a crossroads as he has to choose between living in peace or helping these girls find peace.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]7. Trinity Seven
This is one of the best harem anime shows because it features a main character who isn’t a wimp like most of the other shows. Arata Kasuga is unapologetically perverted who often finds himself in ecchi situations, but he handles them with humor and honesty instead of stuttered apologies, unlike most of the dense harem protagonists. Arata is fortunate enough to be flocked by a bunch of hot busty babes, and he is powerful enough that he can protect himself while also passing lewd comments and teasing the girls around him.
The anime is high on comedic content, but the MC’s backstory is pretty sad. He loses the life he knows due to the sun turning black and destroying his hometown. He only survived by an act of sacrifice and he ends up joining a magical school where beautiful women help him in solving the mystery of his hometown’s destruction.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]6. Ouran High School Host Club
Not all harem has to be full of girls as this anime show focuses on a girl who suddenly finds herself become a part of a high school host club filled with boys. Unlike all the students at Ouran Academy, Haruhi is just a scholarship candidate without a title or rank; and she isn’t even rich like all her classmates. She just wants to study hard, but everything changes when she stumbles upon the Host Club run by the handsome boys of the academy with too much time on their hands.
Join Haruhi Fujioka, a tomboy who gets a scholarship into an elitist school and has to become the errand boy of some rich boys when she accidentally broke an expensive vase.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]5. Sekirei
Minato Sahashi is an academic loser who has failed his college entrance exams twice. He got his life changed when a hot busty lady referred to as a Sekirei fell on him and formed a contract with him. The contract made him her Ashikabi, and it would allow the Sekirei to use her full power in the battle with other Sekirei.
As if one bond isn’t enough, Minato becomes the choice of other Sekirei and must learn to balance his allegiance while surviving the fierce Sekirei battles. Minato should have worked hard for his college exams because now he has to live a pressure-filled high octane life. But at least there’s a saving grace as there are gorgeous girls all around him all the time!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]4. Mayo Chiki!
Sometimes, I think anime writers have a bit of sadism because that is how you can explain an anime like Mayo Chiki! The show revolves around Kinjirou Sakamachi, who has developed a fear of women due to taking the constant physical attacks from his professional wrestler mom and sister.
It is not all bad for Sakamachi as he has become resilient physically but not resilient enough to a lady’s touch, which can leave him with a bleeding nose or render him unconscious on rare occasions. He prefers to avoid women until he discovered that the most renowned student, Subaru Konoe, in his school is a lady. Now, in order to keep this a secret, she promises to help him get over his fear of women and cure him of his phobia.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]3. The Quintessential Quintuplets
This is one of the best harem anime shows and it focuses on Futaro Uesugi who was thrust into the harem life by necessity. Despite being academically brilliant, he has few chances to go to college as his father owes a considerable debt and his mother is no longer in this world.
In order to make ends meet, Futaro takes a high-paying tutor job of quintuplets who, to his shock, have no interest in studying at all. How will Futaro achieve his goals? Will he be sacked? Watch this wholesome anime to find out.
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]2. Nisekoi
Thumbs up to the writer of this Nisekoi for he has done an excellent job. The story of this anime is intriguing and despite being in the harem genre, it is quite an engaging tale to watch.
The male lead Raku is a hopeless romantic who is in search of the lady he made a promised to when he was young. But Raku happens to be the sole heir to the Yakuza family, and he finds himself in a situation where he has to sacrifice his romantic feelings to pretend to be in a romantic relationship with Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of the American Bee Hive Gang, to reduce the friction between the two groups. But the thing is, both Raku and Chitoge hate each other but have to play a loving couple so that peace is maintained!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]1. Highschool DxD
There’s no other harem anime show that deserves the first place, but Highschool DxD! The main character, Issie Hyoudou, gets thrust into a harem life when he becomes the pawn of a demon who goes to his high school, Rias Gremory. He joins her family and club, which is made up of super-hot girls and a cross-dressing effeminate vampire boy.
Our main character has to fight for his master and help keep the world safe while dealing with advances from the ladies in his life. And he does that with conviction because he gets rewarded in ways that would make guys all over the world jealous!
[divider style=”normal” top=”10″ bottom=”20″]What Are Your Favorite Harem Anime Shows?
That concludes my list of the top anime series in the harem genre that you should definitely watch. But like I said in the beginning of the article, there are probably thousands of shows in this genre, and more titles release all the time, so there never will be a dearth of a new show for you to watch. But of course, the quality shows will be rare as most of the shows are complete trash and not even worth your time.
In closing, I would like to know what do you recommend? You must have watched a show that you really liked; and if that’s the case, do let me know which harem anime shows are your favorite!
