The harem genre is well-known amongst anime fans, and sometimes viewers aren't happy with who wins. Fans often choose their favorite romance option, much like visual novel games, and hope that the main character eventually chooses them. A lot of the time it's quite obvious who'll win the attention of the main character, but some anime shows can shake it up a bit by throwing a spanner in the works.
In some cases, the main love interest isn't that popular with fans, or the relationship is just plain wrong (more on that later). There's a wide variety of harem shows out there, whether the main premise of the show is the harem, or it's hinted at throughout the anime.
10 Vampire Knight
Vampire Knight is one of those animes that anime fans either love or hate. It's a nostalgic vampire anime and manga for many and has quite the controversy. However, many viewers were not happy about who eventually won, for a variety of reasons.
Kaname Kuran wins the heart of Yuki Cross, and while he was a popular character amongst viewers, it's ultimately revealed that he's her brother. Zero was a fan favorite in Vampire Knight and many viewers wanted him to win, especially since he isn't Yuki's direct blood relative.
9 Rent A Girlfriend
Rent A Girlfriend was one of the most popular harem shows of 2020. The cast was likable and viewers could empathize with Kazuya's struggles. In the show, Kazuya clearly has feelings for his rental girlfriend Chizuru, but, due to her rejecting him, he decides to date Ruka.
This is because Ruka confesses her love for him and offers him the relationship he's always wanted. However, he still has feelings for Chizuru, who he believes at this time has absolutely no interest in him. While many viewers loved Ruka's character, Chizuru was the fan-favorite overall.
8 Girlfriend, Girlfriend
Girlfriend, Girlfriend is one of those unforgettable shows because of its chaotic premise. Naoya is dating Saki, his tsundere childhood crush and they're in a pretty stable and happy relationship. Then Nagisa comes along and confesses her love to him on the rooftop of their school.
Naoya is taken aback by Nagisa's confession and finds it hard to say no to her. Problematic as this is, he then decides that the best option is to date both Saki and Nagisa. To top it off, he even informs Saki of this decision and the three of them end up living together.
7 The Quintessential Quintuplets
While anime fans don't actually know who wins yet, The Quintessential Quintuplets is an extremely popular series. It's a typical harem anime with lots of comedy and wholesome moments sprinkled in. All girls eventually start to develop feelings for Fuutarou, much to his ignorance. He's too busy helping them to study to realize that all five of these girls have caught feelings for him.
As Nino is considered the most forward sister out of them all, it would have been nice to see Yotsuba and Fuutarou have more of a romantic side to their relationship. Yotsuba is much loved by the fans of the show because of her outgoing personality and the fact that she is more secretive when it comes to her feelings for Fuutarou.
6 Ouran Host High School Club
Ouran Host High School Club is one of the most popular and well-known reverse harem animes out there to date. While its main purpose is to be a parody of the typical harem archetypes, the main girl Haruhi does indeed end up with one of the club's members.
If it wasn't obvious from the implications throughout the show, Tamaki wins. While Tamaki is a fan favorite due to his expressive personality and dedication to Haruhi, it would have been great to see Hikaru or Kaoru win her over as a twist.
5 Re: Zero
Arguably one of the most popular Isekai animes ever, the female characters of Re: Zero captured the hearts of many viewers. Whether fans preferred Emilia or Rem, it was a tough decision between the two of them due to their likable personalities. During the shower, viewers see Rem and Subaru bond through battles and hardships.
However, it's clear from the start of the show that Subaru only has eyes for Emilia. Towards the end of the first season, Rem finally confesses her feelings for Subaru. This made Rem fans have a glimpse of hope, which was soon dissipated by his rejection.
4 Oreimo
Oreimo is one of the shows that many anime fans don't like to admit they've watched, mainly because of the odd relationship between siblings Kyousuke and Kirino. After dating everyone's favorite gothic lolita character, Ruri, Kyousuke decides that he would rather date his sister instead.
Controversial for obvious reasons, a lot of viewers would have preferred that Kyousuke had chosen Ruri. This would have been a more normal ending and wouldn't have put a bad taste in fans' mouths after finishing the show. While Kirino does become a likable character later in the show, Ruri would have been the better option.
3 Oreshura
It's quite obvious from the get-go that Masuzu was going to be the girl that won the heart of the main character, Eita. The pretty girl who recently transferred to the school is always the main love interest of the main character in the majority of animes.
However, many fans of the show believe that Ai should have won due to the fact that she has known Eita since their childhood. Ai is the typical tsundere archetype with a soft side for the guy she likes. She's clearly had feelings for Eita for quite a few years, but, alas, the childhood friend hardly ever wins.
2 High School DxD
High School DxD is widely known in the anime community, whether fans have watched it or not. It's one of the main harem shows that people think of when they think of the genre. Even if anime fans haven't watched the show, it's more than likely that they've seen the red-haired Rias. She's the character who tends to be drawn by fans and is on a lot of the manga covers.
Rias ends up stealing the heart of the main character, Issei. This ending was quite obvious from the start as it's heavily implied throughout the show that Issei has feelings for her. Akeno was a strong contender, and a lot of fans think an alternative ending with Akeno capturing Issei's heart would have been better. After all, she made more of an effort to catch his attention.
1 Shuffle!
Shuffle! is a romance comedy that turns pretty dark towards the end of the series. The girls in the show all fight for Rin's attention, but, alas, he chooses Asa after they both find a connection with each other.
Sia and Nerine were strong contenders for the romance options, mostly because they were introduced as characters from another realm whose sole purpose was to love Rin. He clearly catches feelings for them at first, but, by the end of the show, it's Asa that he has eyes for. These two mystical girls did everything they could to make Rin fall in love with them, but, sadly, it just didn't work out.