The video game loving Keita Amano has been living an uneventful high school life engrossed in the world of video games. One day, while shopping for new games, Keita bumps into a girl from his school who is known as the school's idol, Karen Tendou. Seeing Keita's love for games, Tendou invites him to join her video game club at school. After seeing a completely different side of gaming than the calm and joyful one he has known, he turns down Tendou's invitation. Despite turning her down, Tendou continues to pursue Keita in hopes of getting him to join the club. Now with the attention of the most popular girl in school, Keita tries to become better at socializing with people, while keeping up with his gaming schedule.

Both Gamers! and 3D Kanojo: Real Girl features a stereotypical video game loving protagonist that changes for the better throughout the series by having their characters build up both their social skills and having them experience love for the first time. Keita and Tsutsui both start out as being outcasts who are looked down upon for playing games, but after meeting their love interests, they begin to open up and start to make more friends. The characters also get to go through darker moments where they become jealous and being to doubt themselves. Both series also have their share of dramatic and comedic moments that keep each episode fresh and exciting. With endless comedy and a lot of romantic hijinks, Gamers! is perfect for anybody looking for an anime that matches the tone and style of many of 3D Kanojo: Real Girl's upbeat moments.

26-year-old Narumi Momose has just started a job at a new company and hopes to be seen by her co-workers as a perfectly normal woman. In her personal life, Narumi is an otaku that tries to hide the fact that she is a fujoshi and enjoys manga and cosplay. On her first day at work, Narumi sees Hirotaka Nifuji, an old acquaintance she hasn't seen since middle school that knows all about her fujoshi lifestyle. Hirotaka is a gamer otaku and was one of the reasons Narumi became an otaku. Narumi and Hirotaka decide to go out for drinks and Hirotaka promises not to reveal Narumi's secret because he knows how hard love is for an otaku. After another drinking session, Hirotaka asks Narumi out and she happily agrees to go out with him. Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii follows the awkward romance between the two otaku as they experience the highs and lows of being in a relationship.

Unlike many of the anime on this list, Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii takes place outside of a high school and features characters that are in their 20's. Despite these differences, Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii still has many of the same great elements that are seen in 3D Kanojo: Real Girl. Both shows handle a range of emotions from the comedic social interactions involving otaku nature of the main characters, to more serious situations involving the characters love lives. The otaku nature of the main characters serves as the driving force in the show, as the otaku tendencies of both characters end up being the reason for the connections between the characters and being heavily involved in most of the scenes whether it's affecting the characters positively or negatively. Although both Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii and 3D Kanojo: Real Girl rely heavily on this character trait, the way they use it never makes the story feel repetitive or boring.

After 11 years at her job, Moriko Morioka has quit her job. Now unemployed, Moriko spends her days in the world of the MMO Fruits de Mer, where she plays as the male character Hayashi. As the outgoing and friendly Hayashi, Moriko lives a life completely different from her real life. Shortly after joining Fruits de Mer, Moriko meets a kind young girl clad in pink named Lily and quickly befriends her. With Lily at her side, she dives deep into the world of Fruits de Mer ignoring her real-world responsibilities and only leaving home when it is absolutely necessary. One day, Moriko meets a good looking man named Yuuta Sakurai while at the convenience store. This chance meeting would end up being more important than either of them could have imagined.

Net-juu no Susume features the same style of awkward social interactions with its main character that is seen in 3D Kanojo: Real Girl. Both Moriko and Tsutsui are bad at interacting with others but are able to to find solace in the worlds of video games and anime. After meeting more outgoing individuals, Moriko and Tsutsui grow as characters and how they are not as bad at interacting with others as they originally seemed. Net-juu no Susume features a romance that is vastly different from the romance seen in 3D Kanojo: Real Girl in both style and execution, but both romances are still heart-warming and feature likable characters you want to root for.

After growing fond of a girl in an online game, Hideki Nishimura decides he is going to profess his love and propose to her. Hideki is surprised when the girl not only rejects him but also reveals that in real life, she is actually a middle-aged man. After this incident, Hideki decides that he will never trust another girl while playing an online game again. Three years later, Hideki is proposed to by a girl from his four-person guild. At first, Hideki is reluctant due to his previous experience, but he eventually decides that as long as the in-game character was cute, it didn't matter who they were in real life. After accepting the marriage proposal and talking to his guildmates, Hideki discovers that not only are his guildmates all female, but they all attend his school as well.

Both anime feature heavy amounts of comedy that are centered around the interactions between the main male character and their female love interests. Although both anime have heavy otaku influences, it is never used as a consistent inspiration for the comedy in the anime. Hideki and Tsutsui both have grown up as otaku and have lost their trust in girls and people in general. Throughout Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? and 3D Kanojo: Real Girl, Hideki and Tsutsui learn to trust and interact with other people. Netoge no Yome wa Onnanoko ja Nai to Omotta? captures the better comedic and otaku themes seen in 3D Kanojo: Real Girl and combines it with a comedic plot that plays with the stereotypes of otaku culture.

Tomoya Aki is an otaku that has spent his life collecting various anime memorabilia and now wishes to spread his love of anime to everyone by making a game they can enjoy. Knowing he can't accomplish the task by himself, Tomoya sets out to form a team to help him build the game. He gets his childhood friend and illustrator, Eriri Spencer Sawamura, acclaimed author Utaha Kasumigaoka, and the beautiful Megumi Katou who serves as the inspiration for the games main character. Despite building up his doujin circle consisting of talented individuals, making a game that can touch the hearts of the masses isn't as easy as Tomoya had thought it would be. Tomoya must figure out how a person who has never experienced love truly express the same emotions in their game.

Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata is a romantic comedy with an otaku lead similar to 3D Kanojo: Real Girl. Although the romance in Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata takes the shape of a harem with a dense main character, the comedy in both series is very similar. Both anime feature a good balance between the comedy and the other story elements that give off a few good laughs per episode but don't take away from the more serious moments. The main characters from both series are all deeper than they originally appear as well. The main girls in both series seem to be almost perfect on the outside, but as the series delves deeper into their characters, we learn that they all have flaws that make them unique and relatable.

Kaoru Tsunashi is an ordinary 25-year-old working in an office. Her husband, Hajime Tsunashi, is a hardcore otaku that stays inside all day making a living off of his blog. The seemingly impossible happened when love blossomed between these two people who seemed to be total opposites. Kaoru and Hajime show that love is deeper and more complex than most people think. Surrounded by friends that have their own personal quirks, Kaoru and Hajime live a crazy life filled with romance and crazy situations.

While most of the anime on this list are told from the perspective of the otaku main character, Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai Ken flips the roles around and follows Kaoru and how she deals with her husband's otaku nature. Kaoru and Iroha are able to see the good sides of Hajime and Tsutsui and don't judge them like everybody else did. The relationships between both couples are enjoyable to watch and makes you want to see them succeed in their romantic endeavors. Both anime also feature a heavy dose of comedy that often involves the otaku characters awkwardness. Due to its shorter run time, Danna ga Nani wo Itteiru ka Wakaranai doesn't have the time to develop its characters like 3D Kanojo: Real Girl does, but the anime still manages to show off a similar comedic and heartwarming romance to 3D Kanojo: Real Girl.