History Main / HaremGenre

The protagonist may take it as an UnwantedHarem, react as a HaremSeeker, or be ObliviousToLove; but he almost ''never'' [[WillTheyOrWontThey actually enters a consummated romantic relationship]] with any of them, except perhaps [[WeddingFinale as the grand finale]]. Particularly pure examples of the set-up, where the plot is designed to keep the "race" for the male protagonist's heart in a perpetual dead heat, are known as the BalancedHarem subgenre. Other possible dynamics include the "Harem Route", where the girls choose to share the lead character amicably rather than risk losing him and their friends completely, or the "Shuraba" ("Bloodbath") route, where ThereCanBeOnlyOne and the contenders ruthlessly sabotage each other to secure mastery. There is also the hybrid option where the harem is "led" by a female lead in a conventional OfficialCouple relationship with the MC and "backed" by a SupportingHarem. In such cases, the work usually indicates only one or two girls as the main characters, in contrast to the standard harem works.

Contrast RoyalHarem, which is about the literal, traditional sort of harem as found in a royal palace. See our [[SoYouWantTo/WriteAHaremAnime handy-dandy guide]] if you want to write one of your own. Often overlaps with StarringSmurfette, though the presence of that trope doesn't necessarily mean a harem story is taking place. The "haremlit" subgenre shares many aspects of the classic Harem Genre, but with several key differences - it's usually written by Western authors, often self-published on sites like Amazon and Royal Road, and rather than exploring WillTheyOrWontThey romantic tension, it revolves around full-on [[MarryThemAll polygamy]].

* WillTheyOrWontThey

* ClingyJealousGirl -- in order to perpetuate [[LoveTriangle the triangle]] and [[WillTheyOrWontThey romantic tension.]]

!! {{Harem}} genre tropes:

* CoolLoser -- Very often the protagonists, regardless of gender.

Not surprisingly, Harems frequently go hand-in-hand with the {{Ecchi}} genre and gratuitous {{Fanservice}}. That said, outright {{Hentai}} harems are rarely seen and often poorly exemplify a genre where WantingIsBetterThanHaving and UnresolvedSexualTension is a primary source of dramatic interest.

* ''LightNovel/MagiciansAcademy'', which features ''both'' the UnwantedHarem and a HaremSeeker.

Contrast RoyalHarem, which is about the literal, traditional sort of harem as found in a royal palace. See our [[SoYouWantTo/WriteAHaremAnime handy-dandy guide]] if you want to write one of your own. Often overlaps with StarringSmurfette, though the presence of that trope doesn't necessarily mean a harem story is taking place. The "haremlit" subgenre shares many aspects of the classic Harem Genre, but with several key differences - it's usually written by Western authors, often self-published on sites like Amazon and Royal Road, and rather than exploring WillTheyOrWontThey romantic tension, it revolves around full-on [[ExoticExtendedMarriage polygamy]].

Contrast RoyalHarem, which is about the literal, traditional sort of harem as found in a royal palace. See our [[SoYouWantTo/WriteAHaremAnime handy-dandy guide]] if you want to write one of your own. Often overlaps with StarringSmurfette, though the presence of that trope doesn't necessarily mean a harem story is taking place.

* ''LightNovel/HaremPrince'' deconstructs and parodies a lot of tropes associated in the genre a la ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows'' and ''Literature/{{Toradora}}''.

* ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'': Here the main guy turns into a girl thanks to a magical MacGuffin. Who's probably hotter than the rest of the main girls. Problem is that the girl he loves is 100% lesbian [[spoiler:and the BigBad of the series]].