What is Harem manga?

Harem is an entertainment-related trope which is characterized by three or more characters, normally female, who for some reason are in the presence and under the influence of one character, generally male, according to a few genre-defining guidelines; here it will be assumed, for simplicity of language, that the harem lead is a male character and the members are female characters. Though that is the rule, there are exceptions; a story in which there is one female character and several male characters is normally called a "reverse harem", or sometimes also "male harem". Aside from the swapping of the characters' genders, the trope's details are mostly the same, with the majority of the changes relating to the differences in behavior between men and women of the characters' age range. It is also possible to create harems with homosexual relationships, again with very few changes to the main antics themselves. The harem may not have more than only one lead, as that would be a love polygon, or less than three members, as one would form a couple and two would make a love triangle. As a defining rule of harem, the interactions between the lead and each of the individual members are filled with romantically or sexually loaded content, either implicitly, through innuendo or subtext, or explicitly, through text or actions, and those actions are a key plot element. Generally, the female characters' looks and personalities will vary a lot among the ones present in one single series, but quite rarely will they actually differ from the common stock archetypes, which are known, well-defined, and easy to copy; for this reason, the genre as a whole is often considered repetitive. Usually, the characters involved directly in this trope are in the late teenager to young adult age range, but that is not mandatory. Sexually charged behavior on the lead's part pretty much can't be avoided, and it's typical to see him stamped as a pervert by some or all of the members, regardless of whether he is one; the sexual tones also applies to the depiction of the harem members, often leading the genre to labeled sexist. The lead will often suffer very violent retribution for his behavior, which has attracted criticism of gratuitous violence as well. Most of the harem members will be romantically or sometimes sexually interested in the one male character, and in him alone; that, however, is not an absolute rule, and indeed sometimes none of the female characters are really interested at first, so the protagonist has to build relationships with them from scratch. That idea comes in large part from visual novels; it is quite common for visual novels to revolve around controlling the male lead and have him build relationships with either as many female characters as possible or with one of them, the latter being more common for visual novels with branched story paths; a large portion of those visual novels also feature erotic content, which may be hard to adapt to TV series. It may be also possible that the harem is only a support to the existing or predictable relationship between the lead and the most important member; additionally, the lead may end up in relationships with most or all of the harem members, with the agreement of all, in a setting normally called "harem ending".

Newest Harem Manga You might like

Sotsugyou Album no Kanojotachi

(The Heroines in my Graduation Albums)

0

Description:

"A love that was supposed to be just a memory starts moving all at once!!" Movie otaku Meguru Kanae had potential love interests in elementary, junior high, and high school, but he never made a move due to his lack of experience in love. Disillusioned by his past experience, he vows to devote all his energy to the Movie Club at university and forgo romance altogether. However, his resolution is short-lived, as he falls in love with Sora Ootsuka as soon as he walks into Movie Club. This is the start of a romantic comedy that will sweep all the love flags away!
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2025-02-02

Pipye Yeokarem Namjudeurui Mangnae Cheoje-ga Doeeotda

(I Became the Male Leads Youngest Sister in Law in a Ruined Harem)

0

Description:

Reincarnated in a ruined reverse harem novel, her on marry the male leads while she’s left dealing with their overwhelming attention..
Type

manhwa

Status

current

Started

2025-01-15

Sono Akuyaku Kizoku, Mama Heroine ga Suki Sugiru: Shinshi na Doryoku de Saikyou to Nari Fuguu na Oshi Chara Tasukemakuru

0

Description:

The mature female characters in this game were relegated to supporting characters, doomed to unfortunate endings. "Why...... must the cute mommy die?" Our protagonist spent days seeking a redemption route for these women, but he was disappointed when it didn't work out. However, one day, he was suddenly transmigrated into this game world as a villainous aristocrat who only appears on the bad-end route. The man who loves in-game MILFs, in order to save them (and himself), must find a way to escape certain death, while living a happy harem life!!!! (Source: ComicWalker, translated)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2025-01-08

The Villain Wants to Live

(The Villain Wants to Live)

0

Description:

The Middle Boss of the AAA-CLASS game. The villain who dies 999 times out of 1,000 times. Deculein. That person, was me now. “You’re Going To Die On Almost Every Route.” Deculein, like all villains, inevitably dies. [First And Foremost Survival Goal : Be what the game requires you to be]. I’ll have to survive even if it means twisting my fate if I am destined to die.
Type

manhwa

Status

current

Started

2025-01-01

Love Letter From the Future

0

Description:

Ian Percus, a third-year student from the Academy's swordship department, wakes up one morning to find a flip calendar on his desk and a letter he doesn't remember receiving. The letter contains a cryptic message: "If we don't protect the future, the world will perish." When he goes to the Academy, he finds out that, unbeknownst to him, a week has passed and that during that time, he defeated a previously undefeated junior. At first, Ian is skeptical, but as the events described in the letter begin to unfold, he gradually starts to believe what is written. What on earth happened during the week he has no memory of...? Will Ian be able to protect the future?
Type

manhwa

Status

current

Started

2025-01-01

Kyou Kara Tsukaeru Isekai Renai Manual

(A Love Manual You Can Use From Today)

0

Description:

Just as Haruchika Isezaki was confessing to his first love, he is suddenly summoned to another world. His summoner, the goddess Clementine, gives him an unusual mission: to make seven girls, destined to become the mothers of the next generation of heroes, fall in love again. These girls have lost their ability to love due to a curse cast by the Demon Lord. In other words, Haruchika must convince them all to fall in love with him! To return to his world and hear the answer to his confession, Haruchika accepts this mission and sets out to save another world through love. Having mastered the art of romance through his study of female psychology, his journey to fulfill their first loves begins — a romantic tale about saving another world through the power of love! (Source: Nico Nico Seiga, translated)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-11-29

Perhaps Invincible

(Perhaps Invincible)

0

Description:

Yu Hyeol, a third-rate warrior infamously nicknamed "The Star of the Dark Arts" due to his menacing appearance, lived a life plagued by false rumors and endless misunderstandings. One day, Seolhwa—the woman he once vowed his future to—reappears before him, no longer the gentle figure he remembered but a formidable master of martial arts. From that moment, his name becomes entangled with the lives of countless warriors, spiraling his already infamous reputation. As his so-called "notoriety" spreads, the Murim Alliance, the Demon Cult, and even the royal court take notice of him. "No, really… it’s all just a big misunderstanding!" But can he convince the world otherwise? Or will he unintentionally become the legend he never aimed to be?
Type

manhwa

Rating

Teens 13 or older

Status

current

Started

2024-11-23

Senki Survival Saga: Isekai no Unmei wo Kaketa Mujintou Fujun Isei Kouyuu

0

Description:

Anastasia, an elf renowned as a once-in-a-millennium magical talent, faces the final battle of a three-way war in another world. In the midst of battle with her arch enemies, the demon race, Anastasia is enveloped in an intense light and, when she awakens, finds herself on an uninhabited island. As Anastasia strolls around the island, a mysterious human appears before her, but she can no longer use magic...!? A survival comedy featuring the most powerful and beautiful girls from another world and an old man washed ashore on an uninhabited island! (Source: Kadokawa, translated)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-11-21

Eiyuu to Majo no Tensei Love Come

0

Description:

Choose the world or choose the girl? Shiraishi Gomichi, an ordinary high school boy, has a “secret." He has memories of a previous life. He was a "hero" who defended mankind in another world, very different from this one. However, that was all in his past life. In this life, he was supposed to be just a normal student, until a new girl, Mai Shiina, comes into his life. "I can't live without you!" The boy who was once a hero and the girl who can't be honest about her feelings, in a grand romantic comedy! (Source: Pocket Comics, translated)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-11-18

Valhalla Saga

(Valhalla Saga)

0

Description:

A professional gamer dies unexpectedly during an E-Sports tournament and is sent to Valhalla, a heaven reserved for only the greatest of warriors. The warriors of Valhalla are pitted against a struggle for survival in the face of a common enemy. Fortunately, within each warrior lies the roots to their own saga, a legendary tale of their ascendence to fame and feats of great achievement alike. Witness the birth of an epic saga as this gamer challenges legends and carves a path toward the ultimate glory. The story itself revolves around Nordic mythology and incorporates a gaming system alongside magical wizards and mighty warriors. (Source: MU)
Type

manhwa

Status

current

Started

2024-11-05

Naze ka S-kyuu Bijotachi no Wadai ni Ore ga Agaru Ken

(For Some Reason, I'm a Topic of Conversation Between S-Rank Beauties)

0

Description:

High school girls Sara Himekawa, Rin Kohinata, and Yuna Takamori are called “S-class beauties,” admired by everyone for their unparalleled beauty. While the school is abuzz with questions about the mysterious guy that the girls are talking about, Haruya Akasaki, a quiet boy in the class, is feeling anxious. In fact, the subject of the girls' talk is Haruya! He definitely does not want to draw that much attention at school, so he tries to make the girls lose interest in him, but it all backfires and… This is a school harem comedy between a plain guy and “S-class beauties."
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-10-11

Isshou Watashi no Joshu de Ite!

(Be My Assistant for Life!)

0

Description:

"The relationship between a detective and their assistant is not unlike romance!" Due to his natural tendency to assist others (a "helper type" personality that makes him constantly want to lend a hand), Mitomo Tasuku had always lived in the shadows. To break out of this, he made it his life's mission to "become number one." However, at the high school he transfers to, he encounters three detective girls, who happen to be his rivals from elementary school with whom he formed a detective club together. Thus begins Tasuku's fierce battle for the top detective spot! However... these girls seem to harbor passionate feelings of a different kind...!? (Source: MU)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-10-06

At the End of the Hidden Greenery

0

Description:

She dedicated five years of her life serving as the Akarna of the temple while she was the crown prince’s lover. “Do you not understand? If you cannot give birth to an heir, then you can’t become the empress. It’s just… It’s just a political marriage. But you must understand that I love only you.” And yet, it’s as if he gave her something that’s perhaps nothing more than alms—the position of a concubine. ‘Are you telling me that you’re going to marry another woman and make me a concubine? And you’re expecting me to just accept that?’ When the carriage she was riding in rushed towards a cliff, she impulsively let herself fall. And when she opened her eyes again, she found herself at that place. The forest where the empire’s most despised species lived.
Type

manhwa

Rating

smut

Status

current

Started

2024-09-12

Taida na Akujoku Kizoku ni Tensei Shita Ore, Scenario wo Bukkowa Shitara Kikaku-gai no Maryoku de Saikyou ni Natta

0

Description:

He's been reincarnated as Weiss, the villainous nobleman of a favorite video game. What awaits him is a hopeless ruinous end. He wants to avoid that at all costs! So he must acquire overwhelming power for which even the protagonist of this is no match. (Source: Kadokawa, translated)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-09-05

Shi ni Modori Oujo wa Ikinobiru Tameni Yuri Harem wo Tsukuru Koto ni Shita

(No Lily, No Life!!)

0

Description:

Marie, a dictatorial and selfish princess, has earned the antipathy of her people and ends up executed by guillotine! Or so it would seem, but she returns one year into the past. Over and over again, she keeps dying, returning, and repeating the cycle. Knowing that in order to avoid her execution, she must conquer countless women who will become her "women troubles," Marie decides to use her innate "charisma" to build a yuri harem! The survival yuri fantasy of the princess who returns from death begins! (Source: Hero's, translated)
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-08-30

Ato wa Gojiyuu ni Douzo! Tutorial de Kami-sama ga Last Boss wo Taoshi Chatta node Watashi wa Suki Houdai Ikiteiku

(The Rest Is up to You: Since God Defeated the Final Boss in the Tutorial, I’m Going to Live My Life However I Want)

0

Description:

An ordinary Japanese male office worker is suddenly brought to the divine realm. After being transformed into the body of a beautiful girl by the hobby of a goddess present there, I am given the mission of defeating the final boss in order to settle the god’s personal grudge… or so I was supposed to do. Soon after my reincarnation, the goddess who possessed my body killed the final boss in an instant, and my final target disappeared in an instant!? And after that, I’m told to do as I please in this world. Wait, seriously? I can really live however I want!? Thus begins the isekai life of a reincarnated beautiful girl, who was originally a man, faithfully indulging in her desires in a world where the final boss was eliminated in just one minute.
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-08-27

Sininryu Love

0

Description:

The main girl's older twin brother is an enhanced human. People like him are genetically engineered as a human survival project. She is constantly being compared to him and is always trying her best to catch up to her twin. She meets another enhanced human, Iron. They fell in love with each other. But there are many obstacles: an accident making her to live her brother twin's life. Such as the conspiracy to create a super human commanding all enhanced humans. And the candidate is Iron. Such as Iron is unconsciously turning into a beasty killing machine. (Source: Baka-Updates Manga)
Type

manhwa

Volumes

9

Status

finished

Started

2024-08-25

Irotsuku Monochrome

0

Description:

Type

manga

Rating

Ecchi

Status

current

Started

2024-08-21

Kasanegasane no Hatsukoi Desuga

0

Description:

Hassaku Tamao came back to his hometown to teach and fulfill a promise he made when he was younger. However, he's not the only one who remembers a promise he made...
Type

manga

Status

current

Started

2024-08-09

Man Ji Chuanyue De Wo Weisheme Shi Mushi Xiaojie A

0

Description:

A top-level player accidentally transmigrates into the game character "he" was playing, a max-level priestess. She will team up with a dragon-maid to venture into this brand new world! However — why do all these girls keep looking at her in this funny way?! (Source: Bilibili, translated)
Type

manhua

Status

current

Started

2024-08-07

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