16-year-old Kusanagi Godou wants to perform a good deed by returning a stone tablet that his grandfather had found in Italy and taken to Japan. On Godou's trip he gets caught up in a fight between a god and a beautiful young knight named Erica Blandelli. He quickly finds himself in combat. On a more surprising note, he is able to kill the rogue god and becomes a god-slayer or Campione! A Campione! has great strength and durability that allows him to gather special powers he can use to defeat rogue gods. The key to accessing the power is knowledge. If he understands the history of a god he can defeat it. Goudo, not being an expert on mythology, needs a little help now and then and that is where his growing harem comes into play. If Goudo is lacking in knowledge Erica, or any other girl, can can transfer important information with a deep–oh-la-la–French kiss. Erica says the kiss transfer is faster than a verbal explanation. The kissing trick works with other capable fighters and mystics that join him to fight the other rogue gods, other Campione!, and an oncoming potentially Earth-ending attack by one of the oldest gods in myth.

You can tell from the preceding description that this show has a lot of action. It has a good amount of romance, too. Erica, despite the other girls in Godou’s orbit, is actually in love with him. She wants to be his support and ensure he becomes one of the greatest Campione! in history. We also see Godou realize her feelings and he accepts and returns her affections. If you like myth, action, and romance and an aggressive female lead that actually kisses the boy, this is the anime for you.

A massive explosion of space-time devastates east Asia and kills a hundred million people. The “space quake,” as it is referred to becomes the first of many events, most significantly smaller, over the course of the next 30 years. Shidou and his younger sister Kotori live in an Asian metropolis that sees frequent space quakes. The city is designed with shelters for the citizens to evacuate to in case of a tremor. A quake alert sends him running across town out of concern for his sister – and that is how poor Shidou’s life goes off the rails. In his panicked search for his sister, Shidou comes across a young woman standing at the center of a crater who has been set upon by the mecha-wearing Spirit Strike Force. The confused girl under attack by the SSF seemed to be easily holding her own, but Shidou comes to her aid. He eventually corners her in a school building, talks her down from her violent rampage and gives her a name: Tooka. Shortly after the incident, Shidou is transported to an airship where he learns that the space quakes are caused by emotional instabilities in spirits that find themselves in our dimension. To complicate the mater the spirits are always young women. He also finds out that the team on the airship is in competition with the SSF. The strike force handles the spirits by killing them. The airship team wants to make them emotionally stable, by having them fall in love with Shidou. Did we mention that his younger sister is the commander of the airship? We then watch Shidou date and live with a whole harem of teenage girls trying to keep each of them happy and emotionally stable.

The story has a lot of battles; the biggest ones start near the end, but there’s a lot of just plain chaos in between. Date A Live is a fun adventure that involves high-stakes romance and is absolutely deserving of a spot on this list.

Orario is a city set in a fantasy world where many of the gods, bored with life in heaven, descended to earth and created families of humans. The city they chose sits over a labyrinth of caves that spawn monsters. The massive subterranean network is called the dungeon. When killed, the monsters leave behind magical stones and occasionally drop items, like in a modern dungeon-crawling video game. The gods send their families of adventurers into the caverns to kill the monsters and collect the items that are the heartbeat of the Orario economy. The story focuses on adventurer Bell and his impoverished Goddess Hestia (Greek Goddess of the Hearth). Bell toils each day killing monsters as Hestia works part-time to help them make their way in this tough world. The story has several arcs focusing on Bell and the challenges he faces in the dungeon and an epic battle deep in the labyrinth. The romance is between Bell and the women he worships, Ais the beautiful sword princess from a rival family that helps him train, and Hestia, the goddess he literally worships. Hestia loves her follower and wants him to succeed as any parent would have their child. She also has the hots for Bell and is extremely jealous when any other girl or woman pays any attention to him. We think Ais likes Bell but keeps her emotions close to her chest.

The story is a classic adventure it has an underdog hero and a girl (or two or three or four) that support him in the best way each of them can. Bell is a great character, too. He isn’t the strongest nor the fastest and he doesn’t have a special power that breaks the rules. He is a low-level adventurer trying to level up. Hestia, on the other hand, is funny, jealous, a bit of a tsundere, but she is all heart, willing to humble herself to help Bell succeed. We love watching their relationship and hope you will, too.

Yoshino Takigawa has made a fatal friendship mistake: he’s secretly dating Aika, the younger sister of his best friend Mahiro. Aika becomes the victim of a mysterious murder and the two boys go their separate ways as they deal with their grief. Mahiro becomes obsessed with finding the culprit to make him pay for his crime. Yoshino does his best to move on. A girl Yoshino doesn’t know contacts him and charges him with saving her life. From this point, Yoshino’s life will spin up and up until he is swallowed by a mystery that will bring him full circle.

Blast of Tempest is filled with drama, and when you’re dealing with teens that drama is usually derived from romantic entanglements. The story also has a mystery and supernatural element that play heavily in its favor. The story is filled with action and romance and broken hearts and broken people, giving it a solid spot on our list.

The future has more crime than today and in response to that, the government of Japan has decided to create a high school to start training future crime fighters. Tokyo Butei High is the home of these young law enforcement officers. The student officers go by the name Butei and one of the officers is Kinji Tooyama, of the Logistics School. He hopes to live out his days quietly with planning and management classes because he doesn’t want to do any tiresome chasing of bad guys. The calm and quiet of his life is destroyed when he is targeted by the Butei Killer. He is saved by the prodigy detective Aria Holmes Kanzaki. The scarlet-haired twin tailed and twin gunned dirty Harriet can tell he’s hiding something and demands that if she is going to protect him he has to become her partner. Aria the Scarlet Ammo has plenty of gun-wielding badassery and impossible shots as the two chase down the villains and uncover the truth about the Butei Killer. The romance comes in Aria and Kinji’s relationship as it grows in a classic first-comes-hate, then-comes-love as often happens with action stories. We get a look at their emotional baggage and are given reasons for the two to find comfort in each other’s arms, which is enough to find a place on this Action/Romance list.

A mysterious plague known as the Var Syndrome is spreading across the Brísingr Globular Cluster, a distant section of the Milky Way Galaxy. The disease lies dormant in much of the population and once it is triggered it can turn the masses into a violent, murderous mob. The discovery that music sung by people with a particular trait can calm and even inoculate people from the infection leads to the creation of Walkure, a singing group, and Delta Platoon, an aerial combat squad, that performs airshows during their concerts and protects the singers with lethal force when called upon. The globular cluster is thrown into further chaos by the planet of Windmere declaring war. With their elite Aerial Knights, they quickly gain control of much of the cluster. We watch battle after battle in the space and in the skies of the various planets, all set to some amazing music easily filling out the action requirement of this list. The romance of Macross Delta involves a love triangle. The Macross Delta triangle is made up of a rookie pilot in Delta Platoon, Hayate Immelmann; Windermere exile Freyja Wion, a member of Walkure; and Mirage, Hayate's training officer. We also have romance in other areas as well, Makina and Reina two members of Walkure, are in a committed relationship. While ace pilot Messer has a crush on Walkure-member Kaname, who has a crush on Arad, the leader of Delta Platoon. The main action revolves around the relationship between Hayate and Freyja, but gives the other relationships their own moments in the sun along the way. Macross as a franchise filled with action and romance and this latest series doesn’t disappoint.

Oda Nobuna may be one of the most frequently visited historical figures in Japanese history. The 16th century warlord has been visited by time travelers in countless anime and dramas. The Ambition of Oda Nobuguna is a Rule 63 version of those adventures. Rule 63 states that for every character there is also the same character of the opposite gender. So, in this version of the story, Nobuguna and all his lieutenants are female. The story focuses on a 17-year-old student named Sagara Yoshiharu who time travels to the Sengoku period and become a member of the Nobuguna court. This time, the warlord is a beautiful teenaged girl who is smart, brave in battle, and wants nothing more than to unite Japan under one ruler. The two of them have a great rom-com relationship as they learn to like, trust, and love each other. We watch Sagara with his knowledge of the future help Nobuguna gain the military advantage and possibly change history. The Ambition of Oda Nobuguna could be more accurately described as a harem anime if it wasn’t for one thing: Sagara’s undying love and devotion to Nobuguna. The other girls are just eye candy for the viewer.

An asteroid is on a collision course for Earth. The world has known about this potential planet killer for 20 years and spent that time preparing. The creation of the Solar System Development Agency (ISDA) has a sole purpose, to quote Pacific Rim “... cancel the apocalypse.” The agency thinks it has finally found its solution when a dragon egg is discovered on the ocean floor. The agency’s relative calm of having everything in hand is shattered when a new threat appears, dragon-like creatures that also seem to want to destroy the Earth. The protagonist of the series is Jin Kamishina. He witnesses an attack by one of the rogue dragons and is nearly killed before a girl by the name of Toa saves him before he might have plunged to his death. Jin, after his rescue, is partnered with his savior and is quickly pulled into the top-secret program to stop these rogue dragons. He becomes a Dragonaut; a pilot of dragons.

We watch a relationship between a loner and a girl with a mysterious past gradually develop as they learn to trust each other in order to save the world. The gradual building of the relationship is one of the best parts of this series. You don’t get everything all at once or a big behind the school confession. The partners grow together and fall in love which is one the most romantic ways a relationship can happen.

What if you could weaponize the power of your soul? What would you do with that power? What would you fight for? Honor? Love? To change the world? Ikki Kurogane is on a quest to become one of the esteemed Mage-Knights of the world. On a scale that ranks them in terms of power from A, very powerful, to F, almost no power, he unfortunately ranks F. Yet, he will hone the skills he has to prove it’s not the magical power that makes a powerful magic Knight. You could describe Chivalry of a Failed Knight as an action-rom-com. Ikki, upon entering his room at the beginning of the new semester, stumbles upon a partially dressed Stella Vermillion. Stella is an A-ranked student and an actual princess. She feels the need to uphold her honor so she challenges him. The duel is fierce, but he wins and as per their agreement the loser becomes the other’s slave. The roommates seem to quickly fall for each other. The two also become partners in the arena, a national competition between student knights. We watch the couple face off against stiff competition again and again in typical overpowered battle anime style. The romance feels honest and true. You have a princess and her knight working together to overcome all the odds stacked against them. A couple that occasionally acts affectionately toward each other going to the extreme of holding hands in private. The show is funny and fast-paced and we highly recommend it.

Chaos rules the continent of Atlatan. Chaos is a magical force that twists the laws of nature causing demons, monsters, and spirits to appear. The nobility was given the duty and power to quell the chaos through power known as crests. You become a lord through gaining a crest by defeating a lord, having someone give it to you, or if you're strong enough you can defeat a Chaos demon and seize its core. The route of defeating a demon is often the way a self-made lord comes into being. The lords are not always noble and one by one they quickly decide to abandon the purpose of the crests, defeating the chaos, and begin waging war upon each other, trying to steal each other’s crests to gain dominion over one another.

The anime focuses on Theo, a young self-made lord who wants to gain enough power to quell the chaos of his homeland. He meets Siluca Meletes, a prodigy mage that hates what the world has become and wants to remake the lordly order and rid the world of Chaos. We now have boy-meets-girl, the classic setup for romance. He decides to come to her aid when she is set upon by bandits on the road. She doesn't really need his help, but lets him defend her to see what he is made of. She is intrigued by the young lord and decides that service to him might help her achieve her own goals. The two are basically joined at the hip and have unwavering faith in each other. She guides Theo through the trials of making alliances and fighting for survival as he increases his rank, climbing the ladder of nobility and getting closer to his goal. The series is filled with adventure and epic large-scale battles on land and sea. We see several heroes fall and villains rise through the course of the show, making you worry that one of the two won’t make it to the end. The best part is you get a feeling that the two are indeed in love. You don’t even need to wait until the end of the first season for them to kiss. You even get to see an epic side romance between the leaders of the two largest warring factions. If you want an anime that is filled with romance and action on a Game of Thrones scale this is definitely one you should be watching.

First up is a recommendation that combines romance and action with an ancient Japanese tale.

High school girl Tamaki Kasuga leads a normal life until she is sent to live with her grandmother in a remote village. As soon as she arrives there, mythical beings start attacking Tamaki and she has to rely on a group of mysterious guys to protect her. As it turns out, Tamaki was born into a family of powerful women and is now expected to carry on the roles of the Tamayori Princess together with her group of male guardians. Can she fulfill her destiny?

Hiiro no Kakera is often named as one of the better Reverse Harem anime out there. The dynamics between Tamaki and her (of course) good-looking guardian's promise a lot of drama and romance. The action aspect of Hiiro no Kakera, too, doesn’t have to hide and is especially entertaining for all fans of fantastic and supernatural stories. The mythical Tamayori Princess is our first recommendation!

Moving on to a show that most of you should be familiar with, next up is Date A Live.

Student Shidou Itsuka only has one goal on his mind: protect his little sister and lead a simple life. But this turns out to be harder than expected when Shidou is sucked into a world he wasn’t even aware existed. Thrown into a war between mankind and Spirits, mythical beings from a different dimension, he finds his own way of creating peace: he makes the Spirits fall in love with him.

If you haven’t heard of or watched Date A Live yet, then you might be scratching your head at this point. True, Date A Live’s storyline might seem a little bit over the top, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t entertaining. You’ll definitely get more than enough action (often combined with Mecha and/or Sci-Fi elements) and a rather unique look at romance. Date A Live is a fun adventure that you shouldn’t take too seriously, so check it out if you haven’t already.

Next up is a show completely different from Date A Live. We are talking about the historical drama Hakuouki.

Set in Edo Japan, this anime tells the story of 16-year-old Chizuru Yukimura as she sets out to find her father who has gone missing in Kyoto. The long journey is already dangerous enough for a girl her age, but matters get worse once she reaches the capital. There, Chizuru is attacked by human-like monsters and taken hostage by the fierce samurai group called Shinsengumi. Life as Chizuru knew it is about to change.

Hakuouki is a definite must watch for all fans of historical dramas. While Chizuru’s story is a work of fiction, the background information given throughout the show is historically accurate. Even if the idea of a history lesson in anime form bores you, the romance and action components of Hakuouki are more than enough to make this show entertaining. If your idea of action involves samurai, epic sword fights, and old-school virtues, then Hakuouki is the show for you.

You like romance, but are looking for a little bit more Ecchi? Then pay close attention to our next recommendation, Campione!.

Once again, the story begins with a high school student who has led a normal life up until now. Everything changes when Kusanagi Godou receives the title of God Slayer or Campione! and is expected to fight and kill ancient gods. On top of that, he suddenly finds himself surrounded by a fellowship of good-looking and overly attached females. Looks like the dream of any 16-year-old boy becomes a reality for Godou.

Ancient monsters? Check. Grand-scale fights? Check. Lots of large-breasted women? Triple check. Campione! might not reinvent the wheel, but it brings a lot of well-established elements to the table. The action of Campione! keeps a good pace and the Romance/Ecchi parts are always good for a quick laugh or a few butterflies in your stomach. Campione! is an all-rounder when it comes to Action/Romance anime so definitely check it out!

Next up is an oldie but a goodie, the timeless classic Shakugan no Shana.

What would you do if you found out that the universe you’ve known is not the only one out there? Yuuji Sakai has to find an answer to this question since he not only has to accept that dangerous beings are emerging from a parallel universe but also that he has been reduced to a so-called “Torch” and the only thing he can do now is wait for his entire existence to be extinguished.

Shakugan no Shana is a definite recommendation if you are not looking for a romance between a main and a side character, but rather one between two main characters. Yuuji and Shana are connected by fate and slowly get closer to each other as the story unfolds. The action of Shakugan no Shana offers a lot of supernatural and fantastic elements, so check it out if that’s what you are looking for in a good show.

You will certainly remember the hit show with the incredibly long name, right? If not, let us refresh your memory of Danmachi.

Orario is a mythical city which is better known as the Dungeon. What might look like a normal city above ground actually hides a huge labyrinth filled with traps, monsters and treasures underneath its surface. Danmachi tells the story of a group of adventurers as they explore the hidden labyrinth together.

Danmachi is a fun show, there is no other way to describe it. The idea of a dungeon (as most of us know it from video games) is interesting and the characters of this show are simple yet somehow charming. Once again, we have a show which doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but rather brings together a lot of different genres that work well together. With Danmachi you can expect lots of comedy, good-looking female characters, and a fantastic adventure. Doesn’t sound too bad, if you ask us.

Our next recommendation brings us back to the pre-2010 era and reminds us why vampires are so popular in modern entertainment. It’s time for Vampire Knight!

Cross Academy looks like a common elite boarding school at first glance, but it hides a dark secret: The students of Cross Academy are divided into Day Class and Night Class and only a few individuals know that the students of Night Class are in fact powerful vampires. Yuuki and Zero are two of the few students aware of their identities and it’s up to them to protect their secret. But nothing has prepared them for the dangers heading towards Cross Academy.

Think of vampires what you want, but you have to admit that Vampire Knight is a highly popular show that many people still enjoy to this day. The action in this little gem is solid and keeps you guessing of what might happen next. More importantly, the romance of Vampire Knight does not disappoint. The love triangle between Yuki, Zero and Kaname adds a nice touch to the storyline and makes you wonder how Yuki will decide in the end. Watch Vampire Knight if you want to find out!

For the first recommendation on our Top 3, we have another classic in the anime world with Kaze no Stigma.

Yagami Kazuma was born into a powerful family of fire magic users but is soon disowned due to his weak magical abilities. Who would have thought that he would reappear years later as a powerful user of the wind arts? Definitely not his family members who are still not ready to accept Kazuma with open arms. Together with tough girl Ayano, he is thrown into a war between two opposing families.

Here we have another show that highlights the relationship between two main characters. Both of them are powerful, strong-willed and rough around the edges, so you can expect a lot of unexpected twists and turns with this show. As you’ve probably already guessed from the synopsis, Kaze no Stigma offers more than enough action and is especially entertaining for all fans of magic and fantasy. Kaze no Stigma seems to never get out of age.

We continue our list of older shows that still deserve some recognition with Blood+, the action-filled hit show from Fall 2005.

Saya Otonashi grew up believing she was a normal girl, with the exception of her inability to remember any events of her life up to one year ago. However, the peaceful life she knew soon comes to an end when blood-thirsty monsters show up in her city - and she fights them with powers she didn’t know she possessed. Soon Saya has to learn the truth about her existence and who she has to become in order to protect the ones she loves.

Blood+ is a definite must-watch for all fans of good action and bloody battle scenes. On top of that, you can also enjoy drama, horror elements and a strong heroine who defies the stereotype that all female anime characters need to be saved. The romance in this anime is subtle, yet harmonizes perfectly with the rest of the show. 50 episodes are more than enough to last you for a while, so check out Blood+ if you haven’t already.

Our last pick and final recommendation for his list is nothing other than Zetsuen no Tempest.

Yoshino Takigawa leads a simple life, with the exception that he’s secretly dating the younger sister of his best friend Mahiro. But when she becomes the victim of a mysterious murder, Mahiro sets out to find the culprit and make him pay for his crime. Yoshino, on the other hand, tries to forget about the past. This changes when a strange girl contacts him and asks for his assistance to save her life. Now, nothing remains as it was before.

Just like Blood+, this show doesn’t only offer action and romance, but also drama, mystery, and some other intriguing elements. One of the things that make Zetsuen no Tempest stand out from all the other anime out there is the uncommon constellation of the main cast. Here we don’t have a love triangle, but four teenagers whose lives are intertwined with each other. Not only does this mean lots of drama, but also a lot of action that will make you wonder about what will happen next. Zetsuen no Tempest is a great combination of action and romance and that is why we put it as our top recommendation.