Although unthinkable in most modern relationships nowadays, harems have been around for an extremely long time and continue to flourish in certain parts of the world and the minds of many guys (and girls!). It is believed that in the 6th century BCE, King Tamba of Banaras (now modern-day India) had a harem of over 16,000 women whilst Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis, had four queens and over 7,000 concubines. To spice things up, Empress Wu Zetian of China (the only woman to hold the title of an emperor) had to establish an actual institute known as Kong He Jian to manage her large number of lovers.
Though history is full ofharems, the realm of animehas its fair share. Whilst many franchises dial down the numbers to focus on exploring the characters and developing relationships, others just want to amp up the numbers to ridiculous levels. So, let’s take a look at someanime protagonists with big harems, even if they might not always realize they have them.
Updated on July 11, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Harems often focus on quantity rather than quality, but these shows take things to the extreme. One ofWinter 2025’s best animespecifically revolves around a ridiculously massive harem, and it offers pure comedy gold. The entry related to that series has been updated to reflect the show’s current status. Furthermore, a reverse harem anime has been added, one that involves step-brothers.
Only shows that emphasize the harem aspect will be included; consequently,The Eminence in Shadowis omitted since Cid does not acknowledge the harem forming around him. Also,this is not a definitive list of the biggest harems in anime.
When spacequakes start occurring more frequently, and the world has suddenly been overrun by a hoard of sultry yet destructive Spirits, it’s up to Shido to save the day by flexing his rizz. If he manages to get the girls to fall for him, the day is saved! As most can tell by now,Date A Liveis a comedic feastdripping with enticing fanservice,as Shido struggles to juggle his ever-growing harem and survive the humiliating situations he constantly finds himself in.
Although this whole scenario paints Shido as a pervert, he is actually thinking with the right head, as these Spirit alliances are saving the girls from the clutches of the Anti-Spirit Team, Ratatoskr (the Spirit Response Force, ironically led by his sister) and the nefarious Deus.Ex.Machina Industries. Season 5 ofDate A Livehas been officially confirmed and is expected to join the 2023 anime line-up.
For the simple reason that they are far rarer than their male-centric counterparts, reverse harem anime tend to be overlooked and omitted from discussions relating to the genre. However, putting aside the gender reversal, both sides of the equation are very similar and tend to feature the same tropes, conventions, and plot hooks. Therefore, unsurprisingly, a few reverse harem anime exist that have such massive casts that they venture into the realm of absurdity.Brothers Conflictis one of the more well-known examples, even though the show is not beloved.
Ema’s father is remarrying, causing the high school student to get a new mother and a few siblings. To be exact, she suddenly has 12 new brothers, nearly all of whom seem to instantly start developing feelings for their new step-sisters. With just 12 episodes and a special,Brothers Conflictfrankly has way too little time to do justice to nearly any of its characters, resulting in pretty much all of them being reduced to one trait. Even Ema barely gets to do anything but react to the siblings.
Heaven’s Lost Propertytakes the term harem to heart, delighting the lustful senses of Tomoki with exceptionally seductive content and sexual angst. Keeping things PG 13 (unlikeHarem in the Labyrinth of Another World), this average Joe tries to score with the numerous celestial sensations (called Angeloids) that start falling from the sky, without forgetting his human companions, and while still somehow maintaining his good guy status, despite his perversions.
It’s safe to say that Tomoki’s heavenly lifestyle comes with a diverse array of fanservice, with a fetishized flavor for every palette. Whether the narrative is as captivating as the imagery is debatable, but if viewers haveharem fantasies on the agenda, satisfaction is guaranteed on that front!
In a world where mythical creatures and monsters attempt to integrate into society, Kimihito Kurusu is chosen as a ‘volunteer’ to entera monster exchange programand personally help Miia, a snake-like lamia assimilate into society. Like any romantic comedy featuring a harem, Miia instantly falls in love with the charming high school protagonist and wants him as a mate.
However, society has placed laws against interspecies copulation, which makes it hard for our aspiring young hot-blooded guy. To make matters worse (or better), Kimihito bumps into several other female creatures including a harpy girl and a centaur lady who also want him as a mate. Of course, each female character he encounters ends up moving into the house, vying to become his wife.
The manga and anime might not be there yet, butThe 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love Youwill eventually eclipse nearly every other harem animein terms of participants. At least, that is the goal. While, technically, some protagonists have harems with more than 100 characters, usually only a few members are given any sort of spotlight and the rest are just a number.100 Girlfriendsactively presents every girl as a bona fide addition to the harem, and they become part of the cast moving forward. So far, the anime has introduced 11 girls, and season 2 is not done yet. The manga has over 30 girls.
Due to a celestial error, Rentarou has 100 soulsmates instead of just one. More importantly, if he rejects any of the girls, he will doom them to a life of pain. Consequently, he will make every one of them happy. Rentarou is the most OP harem MC. Despite relying quite heavily on tropes, the girls are surprisingly well-developed and have fun dynamics with each other. Karane is straight-up one of the best tsundere characters of all time, and she is hardly the only great love interest.
Ah,Conception, a show that almost threatens to be “so bad, it’s good” but arguably falls short of passing that threshold. The concept is convoluted but also strangely straightforward: Itsuki Yuge has to impregnate 12 Star Maidens so they can give birth to Star Children, who are required to save Granvania. While the mechanics of the pregnancies are peculiar and the world is bizarre, the anime adheres to a very strict formula. Nearly every episode revolves around Itsuki getting to know one of the girls before they eventually do the deed and welcome a bunch of quickly-formed kids.
Honestly,Conceptionis a difficult harem isekai anime to recommend. The animation is not great, the story is repetitive and uncomfortable, and the characters rarely offer anything more than superficial traits. To the show’s credit, it does try to include most of the girls in every episode, creating a genuine “everyone wins” arrangement; however, none of them are memorable.
Haruhi Fujioka presents a uniqueanime haremcase, whereby her striking good looks have amassed both male and female admirers, making her the hottest thing to hitOuran High School since, well, Tamaki!After surviving an unfortunate incident with a wad of bubblegum, Hahuri makes her big debut under the guise of a male, and inadvertently winds up indebted to the boys' reputable Host Club.
When her co-hosts eventually discover Hahuri’s feminine roots, they bubble over with excitement at the prospect of becoming her paramore. However, there was no elaborate gender reveal party, as she is urged to keep up the masculine facade for the sake of business; Hahuri certainly attracts plenty of attention from well-paying (presumably straight, for the most part) female clients.
At the start, Issei Hyoudou was just your typical high school pervert who didn’t do much with his life. Dreaming of cute girls and his harem, Issei gets the chance of a lifetime when a beautiful girl asks him out on a date. Too bad it was his last (he gets killed as she’s a fallen angel who likes killing).
Having been revived by the equally gorgeous Rias Gremory who also happens to be a powerful devil, Isseigets a new lease on life,as Gremory’s servant. Issei must now settle into his new life and train to become powerful enough to survive in the brutal world of devils and angels. Thankfully, Issei can also now fulfill his dreams of creating a harem as beautiful women begin to flock toward him.
While not a harem,DanMachitends to end each arc with another girl or two falling in love with Bell. The routine generally involves the protagonist risking life and limb to save the girl, which causes them to fall in love (to an extent, most of them will likely move on in due time). Now, Bell is utterly oblivious to these types of stuff, and he has shown almost no romantic interest in anyone. The exception is perhaps Ais, but Bell mostly regards her as a role model and idol rather than a real love interest.
Although this pattern can grow tiresome after a while,DanMachihas mostly managed to make it work. The girls are all well-written, have strong personalities, and have clear goals beyond Bell. They are not just there to be the protagonist’s cheerleaders, and their “love” manifests in unique ways and comes in a wide variety of flavors.
The Demon King of Tyrannymay have to fight for his claim to the throne after his two-thousand-year reincarnation period left a convenient gap for an imposter to make themselves comfy. Fortunately, many wide-eyed women could see Anos Voldigoad for who he really is: their alluring, omnipotent, and rightful leader.
Anos is rarely without his bevy of babes at his beck and call, each devoted to taking down the tyrant who antagonizes hybrids for sport. Anos himself has an assortment of stunning companions, from the Necron Demon twins to humans, Spirits, Goddesses, and more. Moreover, aselect group of hybrid girlshas devoted all their energy to forming an Anos Fan Union, spurring on their Demon King with their unexpectedly powerful praise.
