Best Reverse Harem Anime

If harem stories are rare, then reverse harem anime are endangered. Despite being common enough in the manga and light novel industry, these types of romance stories tend not to receive adaptations. Most years might produce two or three shows that fit the reverse harem descriptor, and even that minuscule supply is not guaranteed. In fact, 2024 has ignored this subgenre entirely, and this dry spell looks set to continue until Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You debuts in 2025.

Even if the options are not abundant, there are still enough reverse harems to keep fans busy for a while. They might not all be great or complete, but there are plenty of gems out there. Consequently, let’s take a look at the best reverse harem anime ever.

Updated November 11, 2024, by Mark Sammut: While lacking in proper reverse harems, Fall 2024 has a couple of shows that might still hit the mark.

Fall 2024 Anime That Reverse Harem Fans Should Check Out

Fall 2024 is shaping up to be an almost perfect season. The lineup is incredibly well-rounded, not only covering most genres but also delivering a degree of quality in most.

Romance fans are spoiled for choice thanks to Blue Box, Dandadan, and 365 Days to the Wedding. The action genre has Bleach, Shangri-La Frontier, Blue Exorcist, and Mecha-Ude: Mechanical Arms. Isekai is well-covered with a plethora of big sequels, including Re:Zero, Arifureta, and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles. Meanwhile, standard fantasy fans can check out DanMachi, Dragon Ball Daima, and Let This Grieving Soul Retire. Sci-fi has Demon Lord 2099, and there is even a fantastic historical anime (Orb: On the Movements of the Earth).

Harem has representation as well, with Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sister being a safe but solid entry in the genre. Arifureta and Seirei Gensouki: Spirit Chronicles are also harems, so the genre is not too light on content. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for reverse harem anime.

Honestly, Fall 2024 does not have any proper reverse harems, which is a shame. However, a few shows might be able to scratch a similar itch.

• I’ll Become a Villainess Who Goes Down in History – This villainess isekai anime comes the closest to qualifying as a reverse harem, but it does not quite cross the line. As always, the protagonist finds themselves living as an otome game’s villainess, and they want to try and be “bad” so they can ensure that the Saint’s path is clear. Despite trying to be evil, the protagonist is mostly adored, and she quickly attracts the attention of the game’s main love interest. While a few other characters comment on the female lead, they are not real contenders.
• Yakuza Fiancé: Raise wa Tanin ga Ii – Primarily for people who want a somewhat darker romance than usual, Yakuza Fiancé lives up to its name by focusing on an arranged marriage between two rival gangs, with the female lead being forced to move to Kanto and to live with her future husband for a year. Yoshino and Kirishima are plainly presented as the story’s leads, but the anime includes very strong hints of a love triangle involving the former’s childhood friend. That said, it is not explicit and they have an almost sibling-style dynamic.
• Ranma ½ – An all-time classic is back and still as hilarious as ever. Despite predating modern harem anime, Ranma ½ is a surprisingly effective parody of the genre. Now, even though they spend most of their time arguing, Ranma and Akane are made for each other and never really consider any of their other suitors, which pop up on occasion. Therefore, the reverse harem aspect is mostly played for laughs.

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Now, onto the best reverse harem anime ever…

23 La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia

MyAnimeList: 6.27

La storia della Arcana Famiglia should have been better. Derivative as it is, the story has potential since it revolves around a mafia-run tournament to determine the female main character’s partner; understandably, Felicita also enters the competition to claim her hand and destiny. The rest of the contenders are all attractive male gangsters with fun designs, cool outfits, and either stylish or strange hair (Exhibit A: Dante). J.C.Staff was a good pick for this visual novel adaptation, and the studio’s resume is packed with fantastic anime (Bakuman and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.).

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Everything sounds wonderful on paper, but La storia della Arcana Famiglia does not come together satisfyingly. For one, a 13-episode cour is way too short for this type of narrative, especially when one of them is an OVA that mostly adds nothing. More importantly, the series wastes a shocking amount of time messing about with silly antics and banter, none of which is all that funny or entertaining. To be fair, r everse harem anime should prioritize relationships over action, but the former relies on three-dimensional characterization to work, something that is mostly absent in La storia della Arcana Famiglia. Honestly, a harem anime revolving around the mafia should be a blast, and this series just seems like it’s playing dress-up.

22 Vampire Knight

MyAnimeList: 6.87 (Season 1)

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Vampire Knight offers something more than other reverse harem anime: mystery and action. It follows the story of Yuuki Cross, who thankfully isn’t a clueless human girl; she’s a fully-fledged vampire after being rescued from death by Kaname Kuran, a vampire. Ten years later, she then acts as a peacekeeper at Cross Academy, which has both a day class for humans and a night class for vampires. Despite being one of the vampires, Yuuki still refuses to see humans as prey which makes her one-of-a-kind among her peers, most of whom are enigmatic vampire males with sharp fangs and even sharper bangs.

One of the more popular reverse harems, Vampire Knight has not aged especially well, although it works well enough as a romance with some action. Although Yuuki has a more interesting setup than many leads in the subgenre, she can be a bit too passive at times.

21 Yona Of The Dawn

MyAnimeList: 8.03

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The beauty in Yona of the Dawn, apart from the main character and her male warrior entourage, is that it subverts some prevalent reverse harem tropes. Yona stars off as a naive and vulnerable person who needs to be regularly protected; however, she refuses to remain that way for long, and she works hard to try and change. She’s a budding warrior and an inheritor of the throne, one that has been usurped by an uprising driven by someone Yona believed to be a friend.

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The anime also doubles as a coming-of-age adventure where Yona embarks on an epic journey to reclaim her kingdom after her father, the king, gets murdered. Her sheltered nature makes sense considering her upbringing, and her development naturally stems from the grave situation she finds herself in. Unfortunately, the anime only scratches the surface of the source material’s content, making it little more than a footnote in the overall franchise.

20 Cheeky Angel

MyAnimeList: 7.42

While not a hard rule, most reverse harem anime are based on shojo properties; however, a few exceptions exist. Cheeky Angel is a minor cult classic that was quite envelope-pushing for its era, especially when it comes to gender norms. A boy named Megumi transforms into a girl thanks to a trickster genie, and they remain that way for years. As they enter high school, the protagonist quickly finds themselves attracting the attention of nearly every guy around, be it delinquents or straight-laced students. Eventually, a proper relationship develops, but Cheeky Angel has the foundation of a reverse harem anime during its earliest chapters.

Aged as it might be in places, Cheeky Angel is still a fun watch all these years later. While primarily a comedy, the anime leaves a good account for itself when shifting focus to romance; more importantly, the story does not rush this element, allowing any relationships to strengthen naturally.

19 Code: Realize – Guardian Of Rebirth

MyAnimeList: 6.66

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Code: Realize – Guardian of Rebirth has one of the most outlandish and ridiculous plots ever in a reverse harem anime. Its heroine, Cardia Beckford was born with what can only be described as an atomic bomb in her heart. Now, a terror organization, as well as the army, wants to keep her because she’s a weapon. Moreover, her heart makes it so that everything organic gets melted in contact with her skin. Still, that didn’t prevent a dashing thief from stealing her, who also promised that he would steal Cardia’s heart, both literally and figuratively. Now, thousands of men are chasing her, but mostly because she’s a walking time bomb.

Based on a visual novel, Guardian of Rebirth has a cool steampunk aesthetic that sets it apart from the crowd, along with an over-the-top premise that produces quite a few exciting moments. That said, the anime is quite inconsistent in terms of quality, and plenty of episodes drag.

18 Angelique Franchise

MyAnimeList: 5.72 (2000 OVA Series)

Ah, Angelique, a franchise that seems to have been forgotten over the last decade, at least when it comes to the anime. Starting as visual novels, the games eventually received an OVA adaptation, producing multiple fairly weak seasons that are difficult to recommend to anyone but reverse harem completionist. That said, these episodes have a certain charm to them and do a decent job of establishing Angelique‘s central concept, which is generally fascinating. Basically, this is a multiverse story where each universe is governed by a queen, who is aided by nine male guardians. The OVA follows two girls who have been picked to become queens, chronicling the relationships they develop with their handsome support figures.

Now, to Angelique‘s credit, the anime adaptations generally improve with each new season. Except for tracking down the far-better visual novels, Loving Angel Angelique is the best entry point for newcomers, and the TV series shifts focus to a new female protagonist, serving as something of a fresh start (the guys carry over from the OVAs, though). The animation is decent for the era, and Ange (the new MC) develops quite a bit throughout the two seasons.

Neo Angelique Abyss largely does its own thing and shares very little in common with its predecessors, including a shift towards action and a story revolving around Purifiers charged with eliminating monsters. While watchable, this spin-off is a bit more generic than Loving Angel Angelique.

17 Tricks Of The Gods

MyAnimeList: 7.01

In Tricks of the Gods, the female protagonist isn’t a destitute homeless girl with no choice. Yui Kusanagi is a cushy high school student who pulls a sword in her family’s storehouse unironically expecting nothing to happen despite the pop culture suggestion. Lo and behold, she gets transported into another realm.

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It’s not just any realm, but rather a god academy that Zeus (Greek mythology) himself created to teach five handsome, lean young men how to get in touch with humanity. And what better way to reconnect them to their human side than introducing a high school girl to them? It’s up to Yui to teach the five divine wayward gods some human manners. Yui is a likable main character in general as she constantly tries to solve her own issues rather than settling into the damsel-in-distress role.

16 La Corda D’oro: Primo Passo

MyAnimeList: 7.42

Here’s another romance anime that takes place in a music school, specifically Seiso Academy. The main girl, Hino Kahoko, wasn’t meant to be meant for great things in the music academy, but she joined a school-wide music competition. Luckily, a fairy gave her a magic violin so she could compete against the male heavyweights of Seiso.

As ridiculous as it sounds, that’s really what happened. But anyone who likes a dash of classical music to go along with the usual reverse harem shenanigans will find La corda d’oro a satisfying serving and a bit of an odd cocktail.

15 Magic-Kyun! Renaissance

MyAnimeList: 7.01

If someone were to reduce the reverse harem genre to its base ingredients, they would end up with Magic-Kyun! Renaissance. Sunrise’s anime is a quintessential representative of these sorts of stories, to the point of containing most of its basic tropes and character archetypes. As such, it is an easy recommendation for people who are just searching for another reverse harem anime to digest; however, the series will likely not impress anyone who is not already enamored with the genre.

Hoshigei High centers around magic that takes the form of sparkles, and they seem to be tied to the arts. Kohana joins this school to follow in her mother’s footsteps, and she quickly starts a project working with a few of the academy’s most popular bachelors. Naturally, they have some disagreements at first, but the boys quickly fall in love with their female schoolmate.

14 Meiji Tokyo Renka

MyAnimeList: 7.03

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An ordinary high-school girl named Mei Ayazuki gets whisked away to the Meiji era by a handsome self-proclaimed magician. To her surprise (or delight), a group of handsome historical Meiji figureheads were expecting her.

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Mei learns that she can see ghosts, and this makes her automatically more attractive to the aforementioned men. A decent reverse harem anime that caters to the Josei demographic, Meiji Tokyo Renka benefits from having a fairly unique setting for the genre, along with a solid roster of male leads.

13 Kiss Him, Not Me!

MyAnimeList: 6.96

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One of the most popular reverse harem anime, Kiss Him, Not Me! leans heavily into comedy, and the show can be pretty hilarious at times. Obsessed with BL stories, Kae retreats into her shell (and room) when one of her favorite manga characters dies. When she emerges, she looks quite different, a change that attracts the attention of a few guys at school. However, Kae would much prefer to focus on boys’ love than be the center of a harem’s attention.

Kiss Him, Not Me!‘s manga is not only beloved but also generally great, and the anime only scratches the surface of its source material’s content. That said, Brain’s Base still put together a charming and entertaining series that highlights the manga’s positive qualities, even if it is not a complete experience.

12 Fena: Pirate Princess

MyAnimeList: 7.07

For those who prefer their reverse harem main girls to be more awesome or special, Fena: Pirate Princess offers more of that in spades. It’s about the titular princess, Fena, who is doomed to an arranged marriage, but lucky for her, her hot male childhood friend and a couple of other warriors rescue her from such a predicament.

What follows afterward is a swashbuckling tale as Fena and her boyband male bodyguard group jump from one adventure to another in search of a place called Eden, her father’s legacy. It’s similar to tales like Fushigi Yuugi, one of the more popular reverse harem staples.

11 Uta No Prince Sama

MyAnimeList: 7.02 (Season 1)

For a music-themed reverse harem anime, one cannot go wrong with Uta no Prince Sama. It’s about the goals and aspirations of protagonist Haruka Nanami. As usual, she’s a country girl with big dreams, and she plans to get her senpai idol to notice her. The only problem is that the guy is an elite rock star and musician. That doesn’t deter Nanami one bit. She enrolls in a music and arts academy with her goal of being a great composer. To her surprise, however, everyone else in the academy was either an idol, composer, or poet. Of course, the most handsome among them gravitated toward Nanami’s awkward provincial girl mannerisms.

Story-wise, Uta no Prince Sama does not offer much in the way of excitement, and it plays things too safe for its own good. However, the show shines in its music and voice acting.

10 Hanasakeru Seishounen

MyAnimeList: 7.70

Hanasakeru Seishounen is a lovely and idyllic tale of another rich girl who must choose a husband in a coming-of-age story. Unlike the other reverse harem anime, there’s no pretense or pretext here, as picking a lifelong partner is Kajika Louisa Kugami Burnsworth’s mission from the get-go.

She’s tasked with this seemingly monumental goal after her rich industrialist father shelters her on her own private island, only to be yanked out of her bubble after she turns fourteen. Everything about her and her father’s life now hinges on how well Kajika can choose a husband.

9 Kakuriyo: Bed And Breakfast For Spirits

MyAnimeList: 7.54

Aoi Tsubaki from Kakuriyo has always had a special vision where she can see and communicate with man-eating spirits. For fear that these spirits might consume her, she regularly feeds them and has honed her cooking skills well enough to keep the dangerous souls fed.

Her life takes a twist when a violent king of the spirits suddenly wants to marry her as some kind of debt settlement. What does Aoi do? She vehemently refuses the proposition and instead tells the spirit king that she will open up a restaurant instead to pay off her debt. Her customers? Man-eating souls. Oh, and some of them are hot bachelors who are into the furry scene.

Kakuriyo has elements of romance as expected for the genre, but the show’s selling point is arguably its slice of life tone. The anime moves at a slow pace, allowing the audience to soak in the atmosphere as they gradually watch Aoi develop friendships with her patrons.

8 My Next Life As A Villainess: All Routes Lead To Doom!

MyAnimeList: 7.46 (Season 1)

It’s rare to find a reverse harem anime set in an isekai world, but My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! takes on that challenge. It’s similar to something like Re:Zero, where the main girl has died and gets resurrected as a character in her favorite dating sim game.

The catch is that she’s the villain in the game she used to play. To make matters worse, most of her actions accelerate her in-game death. She must tiptoe around her interactions with the characters in the game so that she gets a chance to live longer and also find some prospects among the slick and handsome bachelor selection.

Season 1 is the stronger of the two offerings since it emphasizes Catarina’s life-threatening situation, using it for comedic and dramatic purposes. The characters are allowed to shine beyond their archetypes, and they generally have big personalities. Although not terrible, season 2 is a bit directionless compared to its predecessor.

7 Kamisama Kiss

MyAnimeList: 8.10 (Season 1)

Anyone looking for a spiritual alternative to Fruits Basket should check out Kamisama Kiss, although it is only a borderline reverse harem contender. The anime incorporates a rather similar premise as Fruits Basket: A girl (named Nanami here) becomes homeless due to financial issues and gets “adopted” by a slender and feminine-looking man.

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The man turns out to be a fox god of some sort, and she gets bound to him by accident, which inadvertently turns her into a deity. Now, her life is never the same as she tries to live with her newfound life as a god of some sort as she fends off a snake man who wants to marry her, monsters who want to eat her, and also managing her feelings for her fox god familiar.

Featuring lovable leads and an engaging plot that expertly blends comedy and drama, Kamisama Kiss is just an all-around great anime that merely happens to include a reverse harem twist. That said, the story has a very clear main couple, so there is not much tension in the harem element.

6 Romantic Killer

MyAnimeList: 7.99

Romantic Killer is in a weird spot since it is an unapologetic parody of reverse harem, and its shonen-style humor might not hit the mark with everyone. However, the show should still appeal to fans looking for a piece that can scratch their genre itch.

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Anzu has no interest in boys, preferring to spend her time on games and junk food; unfortunately, a magical being suddenly appears and flips her life around, casting her as the unwilling lead in a harem universe. Despite initially seeming to mock everything that harems and romance stories stand for, Romantic Killer gradually develops into a surprisingly effective example of both genres. Anzu is a contender for the best female lead in the reverse harem world, and she is accompanied by male characters who have surprising depth. The premise seems uncomfortable at first since the guys appear to be mind-controlled, but this element is eventually subverted.

5 The Story Of Saiunkoku

MyAnimeList: 7.98 (Season 1)

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The main girl in The Story of Saiunkoku is the daughter of a noble family who dreams of becoming a government official. However, the show is set during a time when women weren’t even allowed to pick their husbands.

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Shuurei Kou, the main girl in question, found an opportunity when the new and lazy emperor asked her into a six-month fake marriage, so she could handle his government responsibilities in his stead. Together with the emperor’s all-male retinue, they transform the monarch into a responsible man, and whatever romance blossoms along the way is counted as bonus pay. The Story of Saiunkoku is notable for its proactive protagonist and historical setting, two elements that not only set it apart from many reverse harem anime but also elevate it above many of its contemporaries.

4 Hakuoki ~Demon of the Fleeting Blossom~

MyAnimeList: 7.37 (Season 1)

Tired of the usual hapless schoolgirl getting in debt or servitude to several gorgeous guys? Then Hakuouki is a breath of fresh air as it picks the Edo era of Japan (the 1600s to 1800s as the setting. In it, Chizuru Yukimura is looking for her missing father when she gets entangled with the Shinsengumi, Japan’s special police force.

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Turns out they are also looking for her father. Hence, she now has to work with them, which isn’t too bad considering how some of the members were single and ready to mingle. It also helps that they all represent several shades of masculinity with little to no physical imperfections. Who knew looking for one’s father could be a fun dating opportunity?

Hakuoki puts romance on the back burner for most of its run, allowing the main relationships to develop naturally rather than forcing their growth through melodrama. As a historical series with hints of fantasy, the anime is effective and engaging.