Mirza Aaqib Beg
Harem is a genre of anime that consists of polygamous relationships. While in some societies polygamous relationships are acceptable, it remains a taboo topic in most societies, where having multiple partners is even frowned upon. Different societies may have a different stance on the matter, but in the anime world, shows focusing on polygamous relationships have a huge fan following to the extent that they are divided into two niche genres — harem and reverse harem.
While the former revolves around a male protagonist with multiple partners, the latter focuses on women-centric stories where the main character has a multitude of male love interests. Although both of them are super entertaining, we would be focusing our entire attention on harem shows. Most of these harem anime are available for streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, Funimation, Hulu, and Crunchyroll.
12. Kanojo mo Kanojo (2021 -)
‘Kanojo mo Kanojo’ is definitely a controversial choice as it does not boast a massive fanbase like other shows on the list. However, the harem romance show is very promising, and it will hopefully garner the viewership it deserves in the coming years for its hilarious and entertaining premise. The anime follows Naoya Mukai, a teenager whose romantic advances are rejected by his childhood crush Saki Saki until she finally accepts him as her boyfriend in high school.
But when his classmate Nagisa Minase confesses her feeling for him, Naoya can’t gather the courage to reject her and convinces Saki-chan to let her become his second girlfriend. As the trio tries to keep their three-way love affair a secret, their lives are complicated by the unexpected arrival of a third girl. You can watch the show on VRV.
11. Kanokon (2008-2009)
After living most of his life in a village, Kouta finally gets to move to a big city to enroll in a high school there. Understandably nervous, he takes small steps to adjust to the commotion and the challenges that lie in his path. Unfortunately, he is unprepared for Chizuru and Nozomu, a fox and wolf spirit who are not afraid to make sexual advances toward the country boy. The sexually tense and hilarious drama that follows makes Kanokon one of most of the memorable harem shows that you will ever watch. All the episodes are available on Crunchyroll.
10. Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san (2018)
Yuragi-sou once used to be a famous hot springs inn but became a cheap boarding house over time because of the rumors that a vile ghost lives there. While the gossip may be enough to make most people cancel their visit to the place, it turns out to be the ideal house for the broke and homeless psychic, Fuyuzora Kogarashi, who can’t wait to exorcise the ghost that lives there.
However, when he finally meets the infamous spirit, it turns out that she is a kind silver-haired girl, Yuuna, who has no memories of her life before her untimely death. Ignoring the chaos and rumors around him, Kogarashi vows to help her find the secret that is keeping her attached to the world of mortals. While ‘Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san’ has a great storyline and tons of hilarious scenes to entertain the viewers, it also has a lot to offer to the harem anime fans. The show is available for streaming here.
9. The World God Only Knows (2010 – 2013)
Keima Katsuragi has spent most of his free time playing galge games and conquering girls’ hearts in the 2-dimensional world instead of venturing out and experiencing romance in person. But when he is tricked into a pact to help a demon from hell find evil spirits hiding in girls’ hearts, Keima is forced to put his gaming tricks into practice in the real world.
As he meets a multitude of real-life girls, he finally learns the true meaning of a romantic affair which challenges all his previous convictions. The supernatural-comedy anime is a rollercoaster ride of emotions, and we recommend adding it to your watchlist. You can find all the episodes here.
8. Rosario + Vampire (2008)
Youkai Academy may look like an ordinary boarding school, but it trains monsters to coexist with humans. Although its goal may eventually be assimilation, humans are not welcome on the school’s premise, and those who are identified are to be immediately executed. When Tsukune Aono, a teenager with bad grades, cannot get into any other school, his parents send him to the perilous realm hoping to secure his education.
Surrounded by voluptuous young women, Aono realizes that he must work hard to focus on his studies and keep his identity a secret. But the presence of curvaceous classmates makes it hard for him to get anything done. In order to find out how the story unfolds, you can watch the anime here.
7. The Testament of Sister New Devil (2015)
Basara Toujou used to be a former member of a hero clan who now leads a normal life away from conflict and violence. However, his life takes an unexpected turn when he runs into a girl in his bathroom. Basara later learns that his father has brought home two stepsisters — Mio and Maria. Although the protagonist accepts the duo, he is taken aback when he finds out the girls are demons, the sworn enemies of the clan he was once a part of.
But since he has now accepted them into their family, Toujou vows to protect them. Over time, the trio slowly develops amorous feelings for one another and engages in intense, sexually explicit acts that make the borderline hentai anime an even more tempting watch. The series is available here.
6. High School DxD (2012-)
The inclusion of ‘High School DxD‘ on this list needs no justification as the series is arguably the highest-rated harem anime ever made. The show not only has a captivating premise but also includes several sexually provocative scenes that help the overall narrative. It revolves around the misadventures of a perverted high schooler named Issei Hyoudou, who is killed on his first date by a fallen angel.
Luckily, he crosses paths with the top-class devil, Rias Gremory, who reincarnates the teenager and decides to enslave him. It marks the beginning of his introduction to the violent world of devils and angels that have surprises waiting for him at every turn. You can find all the episodes on Funimation.
5. To LOVE Ru (2008 – 2015)
Based on Saki Hasemi’s Japanese manga series of the same name, ‘To LOVE Ru’ is a harem romance comedy anime. The series follows a younger adult named Rito Yuuki, whose life takes an unexpected turn when Lala Satalin Deviluke, the princess of a dominant alien empire, falls in his bathtub. It turns out that she is trying to avoid an unwanted political marriage and is willing to marry Rito even though he is not noble.
Rito’s otherwise daily affairs now become shockingly complicated, and to make matters worse, a legion of swooning beauties spoil all his efforts to confess his feelings to his crush Haruna Sairenji. Can he handle so many pretty girls who flock to him wherever he goes? In order to find out, you can stream the harem anime on Hulu.
4. The Fruit of Grisaia (2014 – 2015)
Yuuji Kazami joins Mihama Academy hoping to lead a normal life finally, but his desires are thwarted as his new high school is far from ordinary. Except for the principal, there are only five other female students on the campus, all of whom have a traumatic past and potentially have dangerous tendencies that pose a threat to their own well-being.
Yuuji must save them, but with his own internal conflicts, will he be able to accomplish the daunting task? Based on adult visual Japanese light novels by Front Wing, ‘The Fruit of Grisaia’ is a criminally underrated amalgamation of harem and psychological genres that never got the recognition that it deserves. You can find the series on VRV.
3. Nisekoi (2014 – 2015)
Raku Ichijou’s yakuza family background has always been a hindrance in finding a sense of normality in his life. But, it truly becomes a curse when the American Bee Hive Gang puts his family’s turf in dispute with their arrival. In order to prevent the escalation of violence in the region, Raku must pretend to be in a romantic relationship with Chitoge Kirisaki, the daughter of the Bee Hive chief.
Unfortunately, the two teenagers hate each other, and Ichijou’s problems get further complicated by the unexpected meeting with girls from his past and present. Based on Naoshi Komi’s manga series, ‘Nisekoi‘ is, without a doubt, one of the best harem anime ever made, and its chaotic yet hilarious premise makes for an entertaining watch. You can find all the episodes on Funimation.
2. Hundred (2016)
Humanity faces an existential threat when Savage, an extraterrestrial species, attacks humanity intending to eliminate it from the face of the Earth. In order to launch a counter-attack, a weapon known as Hundred must be adequately used; otherwise, the aliens will easily triumph. After several tests, it is revealed that the rare weapon is most compatible with a teenager named Hayato Kisaragi, who has previously survived a dangerous Savage attack.
Before a proper attack is launched against the enemies, Hayato is trained at Little Garden, a prestigious military academy. Suddenly gaining a high status as humanity’s greatest hope in an epic battle for survival, the teenager naturally attracts the attention of several female peers in the academy and is involved in numerous steamy encounters with a few of them. The series is available here.
1. The Quintessential Quintuplets (2019 -)
Although harem anime tend to garner a decent average fan following, very few of them are rated highly or have an entertaining premise. ‘The Quintessential Quintuplets’ have all of those things, so it’s not surprising that we have included it in our list. The show follows Fuutarou Uesugi, an intelligent high schooler who is tasked to teach eccentric quintuplet sisters.
With his family in financial distress, the young tutor is determined to help his pupil graduate, but the sisters not only detest studying but they also hate Uesugi. As the drama unfolds, the hilarious story takes a romantic turn while the tutor-student struggle continues to get intense. You can watch the anime here.
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