Harem manga keep readers guessing by giving their leads multiple romantic options, each arguably as good as each other. Though most of the time, they’ll throw in a drawback or two to make the harem more complicated and engaging, and the series' One True Love™ will stand out over the other rivals.
This trope made the likes ofUrusei Yatsura,Tenchi Muyo, andMartian Hunter Nadeiscointo cult shōnen classics, and the genre is still going today viaChitose is in the Ramune Bottle,Mushoku Tensei,and more. Some are even made for older audiences, or the seinen demographic, where the drama (and the content) amps up. If readers want to check outthe best seinen harem manga,they can start with these suggestions.
8Oh My Goddess!
MyAnimeList Score: 7.29
Fans might recognizeOh My Goddess!from its various anime series and OVAs made throughout the 1990s and 2000s. But the original manga lasted 26 years with nary a hiatus, which is a long time to see how mechanic and motor enthusiast Keiichi dealt with having a goddess by his side 24/7. It starts when he accidentally calls the Goddess Help Line one day, causing the goddess Belldandy to appear before him and offer to grant him a wish.
Thinking it was a joke, Keiichi wished she could stay with him forever. As a result, he found out the hard way that she was the real deal, which gets him kicked out of his all-male university dorm. Now residing in a shrine, things only get more difficult when Belldandy’s divine sisters Urd and Skuld turn up and test his affections.
7Umi no Misaki
MyAnimeList Score: 7.38
Fumizuki’slesser-known strip,Umi no Misaki, retains the maturity of his prior work while offering more mystery about who its lead will end up with. When Goto travels to the island of Okitsushima to learn about his late mother’s birthplace, he discovers she used to be a Cape Maiden, a woman the Okitsushima locals chose to be with the incarnation of their Dragon God. It’s a role he becomes familiar with when the locals discover he was born on the day the last Dragon God died.
They accept him as the new incarnation and, as such, he must choose one of the three Cape Maidens to eventually marry. The story makes each Maiden a fully developed character, and depicts Goto as someone sweet and caring enough to earn their love. But he can only choose one of them, leaving readers guessing who it’ll be until the last chapter.
6Ai Yori Aoshi
MyAnimeList Score: 7.53
As strong asUmi no Misakiis, Kō Fumizuki’s prior workAi Yori Aoshiis his most popular strip. Kaoru, the heir to the Hanabishi Zaibatsu, runs away from home after the death of his mother. After he and his mother were abused for being illegitimate, Kaoru would rather take his chances living on the streets than live with the Hanabishi clan.
He was also due to marry Aoi, the daughter of the owner of the Sakuraba Department Store. She genuinely cared for Kaoru and chose to stick with him. Unsure how to make a living together, Aoi’s caretaker suggests they head to the Sakuraba clan’s summer home. There, Kaoru meets other women, like his old childhood friend Mayu, and the outgoing American Tina, but he only has eyes for Aoi. Though that doesn’t stop her getting jealous on occasion.
5Sekirei
MyAnimeList Score: 7.54
Some series mix their tropes up, butSekireiplays them straight. In the far-off year of 2020, in Shintō Teito (formerly Tokyo), Minato fails his college entrance exam for the second time. He’s smart enough to pass, but his confidence issues cause him to falter. But when he’s at his lowest, he finds out his life is going to change forever.
A girl named Musubi, one of the ‘Sekirei’ alien race, drops on top of him out of the blue. She makes him her ‘Ashikabi,’ a human with the right genetic pattern to unlock her full power via a kiss. She needs this to help beat the other Sekirei in the MBI Corporation’s ‘Sekirei Plan.' This would be simple enough, if five other Sekirei didn’t also make him their Ashikabi. NowMinato must survivetheir battles against each other.
4Haganai: I Don’t Have Many Friends
MyAnimeList Score: 7.55
At St. Chronica’s Academy, Kodaka finds himself isolated due to his brownish-blond hair and stern expression, which make him look like a delinquent. Meanwhile, Yozora is moody and abrasive, and only has an imaginary friend called Tomo.
Seeking to improve their social skills, the two set up the ‘Neighbors’ Club’ for others struggling with making friends. There they meet the arrogant Sena, pretty boy Yukimura, and the pervy scientist Rika, who each have their own interest in Kodaka. While there’s plenty of comic mischief, their clashing personalities and cross-interestsmake things more tense.
3Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
MyAnimeList Score: 7.61
In the fantasy city of Orario, the Gods have limited their powers to aid small groups of adventurers called ‘Familias.’ The Familias must enter the dungeon underneath the city to fight monsters and retrieve crystal shards to earn treasure, prestige, and extra skills they can use in battle. In short, Orario’s gods turned the town into an RPG.
Bell is the sole member of the Hestia Familia and hopes to become a great adventurer. His big advantage is the Liaris Freese, a power that boosts his skills based on his feelings. It not only helps him ‘level up’ fast, but it gradually earns him many admirers. Whether they’re fellow adventurers, monsters, or even the gods themselves, Bell has more to deal with than combat, as he asks himself,Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?
2The 100 Girlfriends Who Really, Really, Really, Really, Really Love You
MyAnimeList Score: 7.88
After being rejected by 100 girls, Rentaro prays that he’ll get a girlfriend once he moves up to high school. The God of Love decides to grant his wish, but ends up granting him 100 soulmates instead of one. Rentaro must keep each one happy too, or they’ll be destined to either die in an accident or live out their lives alone.
It starts off simple enough, as Rentaro is stuck between rich girl Hakari and tsundere Karane and manages to convince the two into entering a polyamorous relationship. But things get out of hand as Hakari’s own mother and her maids join his polycule, alongsidea host of different women. As of this writing, he’s on Girlfriend #27, and has 73 more to go.
1D-Frag!
MyAnimeList Score: 7.97
Kenji is one of the most feared delinquents at his school, and head of his own gang. While he’s a good fighter, he isn’t low enough to attack a woman.The Game Development Clubuses this against him when they recruit him after he puts out a fire in their room.
The club consists of four strange girls, from the taser-wielding Minami, to Chitose, who has a habit of burying people up to their necks. The most formidable is Roka, who has a keen interest in Kenji, despite his attempts to distance himself from her and her club. But no matter how far he goes, he’ll either bump into someone from the Club, or someone else from school.
