Upon his first moments of transferring into Seidoukan Academy, Amagiri Ayato stumbles upon the mother of all harem tropes. Stop me if you’ve heard this one: a tsundere threatening a guy with physical violence for seeing her panties. That is our first introduction to transfer student Ayato and his said tsundere Julis. However, the plot takes a surprise turn, as in the midst of being challenged by the #1 tsundere on campus, Ayato turns the tables on her and even saves her life when he foils an assassination attempt. Things aren’t as they seem at Seidoukan Academy, and the world of Asterisk War is rife with overarching schemes by the powerful looking to stay in power.

On a mission to discover what happened to his older sister who was last seen at the school, he finds himself becoming sympathetic to Julis’ goal of winning the upcoming Phoenix Fiesta and sending her winnings back to her impoverished country. As a princess, she has taken it upon herself to become a strong warrior, and her strength so far has only been matched by Ayato himself. Together with a host of other female students, they compete in spectacular battles that go beyond traditional harem action scenes. If you want an anime with some flash, Asterisk War is a must-watch.

Nekomimi (cat ear) girl lovers unite! Omamori Himari pits the hesitant, cat allergic Amakawa Yuto against the forces of evil. Protected by his ancestral guardian Himari, a cat demon that has watched over him since he was a child, Yuto tries to bridge peace between the warring demons and the overzealous exorcists who hunt them. Yuto’s harem consists of demon girls and humans, and while he himself is usually under their protection, he does have a considerable amount of power waiting to be unleashed. If you’re interested in the prospect of monster girls battling for the fate of the world, Omamori Himari is your next watch.

In a world beset with vicious demonic beasts, Haimura Moroha has entered Akane Academy on a mission to defend the powerless. Trained to be Saviors, these students are actually reincarnations of their past lives, having access to powers that they possessed hundreds or thousands of years ago. In Moroha’s case, he is a rare type that has reincarnated twice, and each time has possessed overwhelming strength.

On his third life at Akane Academy, he is reunited with not just a lover from his past life, but his sister as well. While regaining the memories of his past lives, he achieves power that quickly places him among the most powerful beings on the planet. Motivated by his reconnection with his past loves, he seeks to destroy the monsters that plague the world. World Break offers a wide array of elements that make it a solid choice for this list, so be sure to investigate it for yourself

Based on an eroge visual novel of the same name, Majikoi follows Naoe Yamato as he seeks to become an influential leader in the world. Students at Yamato’s school place a strict adherence to the code of the samurai, dictating how they behave and fight at school. He commands his classmates as a shogun, and his military brilliance has made him the center of attention, especially to the girls.

Unfortunately, his heart is only set on his senpai and elder sister figure Kawakami Momoyo, the strongest girl at school who has brutally rejected him twice, feeling nothing for him as a man. Yamato is dejected, but still focused on achieving his goals of becoming a man worth following. He continues his days as the leader of a group of modern day samurai girls who want nothing more than to win every battle for their heartbroken shogun. If you want a funny harem show with a good dose of action, give Majikoi a watch.

Imagine being the nicest guy in the world but everyone treating you like you’re Satan incarnate. Welcome to the world of Sai Akuto, who has just become a high school student at the Constant Magical Academy. There, his future aptitude test scores him as Demon King, a role that has gone unfilled since the previous one tried to take over the world and was slain.

Being the Maou isn’t all that bad. For one, he discovers he has near limitless magical ability, and despite all the misunderstandings and attempts to behead him, the girls keep falling for him. Sometimes it’s just easier to conform to others’ expectations, and when it comes with this many perks, Akuto might as well do so. If you want a funny protagonist who is just as badass as you expect, give this one a viewing.

Toujou Basara has just been told by his father that he’s remarrying, and that he will have two new little sisters. After meeting Mio and Maria, his father leaves overseas for work, leaving the three alone, awkwardly. However, as soon as they’re alone, the two attempt to brainwash Basara into leaving the house, revealing they are demons who only used him and his father for a place to hide. Their plan fails, as Basara reveals he is actually a hero, a race of powerful warriors that slay demons. He pities them, and before killing them, spares their lives.

Basara’s father later reveals that he’d planned to have him protect them, as Mio is the daughter of the last demon lord who sought peaceful coexistence. Filled with a sense of duty, Basara decides to protect them from both the demons and other heroes who wish the daughter of the demon lord dead. Testament is easily one of the lewdest borderline hentai you’ll find, but it is also filled with action scenes to accent the ecchi. You’ll definitely see why this show made the list if you decide to watch it.

Masaki Kenshi, the younger brother of the legendary harem MC Masaki Tenshi, finds himself in another world filled with giant robots. In this world, women pilot Sacred Mechanoids as the number one tool of warfare. After being used and lied to in a plot to assassinate Princess Lashara, she recognizes his skill and makes him her servant as she attends an academy for pilots, of which he secretly is one.

Kenshi’s otherworldly abilities and mannerisms quickly make him a celebrity at school, and he finds himself becoming the object of affection for nearly every girl there. As a plot to overthrow Prince Lashara develops, Kenshi finds himself battling against an entire army to keep her safe, as well as trying to find his place in this new world and why he came to be in it. Not only does War on Geminar have a dubious amount of mech action, Kenshi quite possibly has the largest harem in anime, at one point extending to an entire school and beyond. A can’t miss if you’re a fan of these types.

Kasuga Arata lived a seemingly normal life with his cousin and childhood friend Hijiri, until he one day realized that the sun was black. The revelation that his world was merely a dream following an apocalypse of his own making led him to enroll at an academy for mages. There, he learns that the only way to control his power so that he will no longer be a threat to those he cares about is to gain the trust and support of the Trinity Seven, the greatest female magicians at school. Committed to unlocking his full potential and uncovering what happened to the real Hijiri, he fights demons and evil mages alike alongside the girls, with each fight bringing him closer to his goal.

Trinity Seven has probably the best harem MC bar none. Arata is cool, calm, and collected, and isn’t afraid to let his lust be known to the beautiful women that surround him. Although the results don’t usually pan out any better than for any other harem MC, he tries his best, and it usually results in an entertaining turn of events regardless. If you consider yourself a fan of harems and haven’t seen this, you need to correct that immediately.

Just try and think up a longer titled anime off the top of your head. You can’t, can you? That’s why we call it Danmachi. Bell Cranel, who is as green as a rookie adventurer can be, lives a humble life with his goddess Hestia. One day, his life is saved by a legendary adventurer named Ais Wallenstein, the encounter with which causes him to both fall in love with her and awaken to a new power within him.

Hestia notices this change and is motivated to push him forward on his desired path as an adventurer, albeit as far away from the “thieving” Ais as possible. Finally able to push past his limits, Bell meets new adventurers on his quest, and finds himself getting involved with many women both in and out of the dungeon. One of the most interesting fantasy action anime in recent years, Danmachi has it where it counts in spades.

Hyoudou Issei is confessed to out of nowhere by a beautiful girl out of his wildest fantasies. After their first date however, she’s standing over him as he lies in a pool of blood. He awakens from what he imagined was a bad dream only to find himself in bed with another beautiful girl, Rias Gremory, who informs him he’s now a devil. She saved his life from his ex-fallen angel and made him her servant after realizing his true potential. Motivated by her promise to help him become a harem king in his long future as a devil, he finds himself in a longstanding conflict between gods, dragons, demons and angels. Will Issei be able to squeeze his beloved oppai before he finally gets killed for real?

The ultimate in harem action, this series does the genre total and complete justice. Plentiful girls, epic fight scenes, and a heavy dose of ecchi comedy, DxD is exactly what makes the genre worth watching. Do yourself a favor and catch this one ASAP.