11+ Types Of HAREM Cliches You're Always Bound To Come Across

Harem cliches and the types of cliches appear all too often in these anime shows.

They’re related to:

The characters.
How they behave.
The male MC.
Tropes that harem anime are known for.

And elements that either make harem anime much better when all is said and done, or worse because they’re oversued or abused to the point of harming overall quality.

Let’s focus on all of it.

Common types of harem cliches:

1. Big oppai

This one is a given. You can’t name too many harem anime shows that aren’t without the oppai cliche.

You’ll have those characters who balance it out or those without the oversized chest, but there always has to be that ONE obvious character who’s overly energetic, extra, or extroverted.

The blonde girl Shera from How Not To Summon A Demon Lord is the perfect example of this.

2. Indecisive MC

No main character in any anime is more indecisive than the harem MC. Not even the shounen MC who can also be indecisive at times.

In a harem anime, the setting is always about the guy and the girls who are attracted to him for his “Nice” personality. And that leads to the many girls essentially fighting over the MC.

The MC is usually so indecisive and lacks any real set of balls, that they never make a decision. And that impacts the romance in a harem series more than the writers of these shows are aware (or are they?)

3. Isekai setting

Ever since the SAOs of the world blew up and led the way for Isekai anime in the 2010s, not to mention No Game No Life, Isekai has been full of harem elements.

Sometimes the harem elements aren’t even a natural part of the show, meaning it’s not in the harem genre. But the harem is so on point and obvious that it’s hard to dissociate a series from its harem aspects.

The Eminence In Shadow can fit into this box in a more hilarious, parody sort of way. And Tensei Slime with Rimuru can also fit into this box with plenty of room for more Isekai harem shows.

4. Teenage characters (usually not adults)

A lot of the time Japanese anime focuses a lot on teenage characters, kids, and those who are in the prime of their youth. This is deliberate since that’s what the Japanese audience loves and appreciates for what it is.

So seeing this in a harem series or one mixed with Ecchi isn’t too surprising, but it’s still relevant when it comes to harem cliches and the types you’ll always come across.

5. A girl or older woman who says “Ara Ara”

Date A Live is a classic example of this. It doesn’t matter whether the female character in question is a yandere or otherwise. Or even a villain.

All that matters is there will be a woman who will say “ara ara” or she’ll have that type of energy and vibe based on her mannerisms and worldplay.

This isn’t completely exclusive to the harem genre, but you have it in these shows so much it’s a cliche.

It also extends to Hentai as well.

6. Tsundere personality

The classic Tsundere. They can be a cliche within a cliche, and they fit into all sorts of cliche types of anime shows, not just harem.

In a harem setting, you’ll have a Tsundere who might fight, argue, or or get flustered because other girls are “hitting” on the male MC of the series. And she may feel left out or try to cope for dear life.

7. Overpowered MC

This one is a given, especially if it’s in an Isekai setting. How many male mcs and in fact, female isekai mcs are overpowered at this point? There’s an endless list of them.

In a harem setting when Isekai is at the forefront, the main characters like Mochizuki from Another World With My Smartphone are a common cliche that won’t stop anytime soon.

Even if it’s for the best.

8. Female characters of all races, faces, and shapes

Monster Musume is always a good example to use when talking about harem cliches and cliches in general. The MC is surrounded by girls of all shapes, faces, and races.

Snake girls, monster girls, slime girls, and all kinds of girls who are clearly designed to be as sexy as possible (aesthetically).

High School DxD has this, and so do countless other anime shows.

9. Virgin MC

When the harem anime in question is in a school setting and there aren’t any crazy powers involved (not always), the main character can be a virgin a lot of the time.

In fact, this is more common than you think.

Date A Live is a good example again with Shido Itsuka.

Despite getting so much attention the MC lacks any sexual experience or experience with women in general, and all that has the potential to change now that girls are unrealistically drawn to the cliche harem MC.

10. Promoting polygamous relationships

Some anime, not all anime, promote polygamous relationships. And of course, these anime are almost always in the harem genre rather than anything else.

The anime In Another World With My Smartphone is an obvious choice on this topic. The MC marries multiple girls instead of being the cliche, indecisive MC that the harem world has gotten so used to.

And so, this anime fits the idea of polygamy perfectly.

11. MC with a bland design and hardly memorable

This could go for almost every single harem anime on the face of the earth. But there are obvious exceptions since I’m exaggerating a bit.

Date A Live, again, is a perfect example. Shido isn’t anything special as far as design goes. Sometimes this is on purpose in the case of Cid Kagenou in the anime Eminence In Shadow.

School Days has an MC who’s bland also, and he’s one of the biggest assholes of any of these series combined.

When the MC is bland, it’s usually the case to make the girls overwhelmingly hot and attractive in comparison, making you wonder how the F the MC is able to pull so many girls in the first place if viewed superficially.

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