Summary
Anime is an entertainment medium with a great variety of options. Fans of action can enjoy a traditionalShonen Jumpexperience likeDragon Ball Z.Those interested in psychological thrillers can delve intoDeath Note, but fans ofRent-a-Girlfriendmight prefer a solid romantic comedy.
After being dumped, Kazuya Kinoshita starts renting a girlfriend, Chizuru Mizuhara. A complicated chain of events draws the two together outside the dating app they met on. If someone is looking for a show with a similar feel, one that mixes romance and comedy, these upcoming recommendations are thebest anime likeRent-a-Girlfriend.
Updated June 30, 2025 by Mark Sammut:Rent-a-Girlfriend will be making its big comeback in 2025, with season 4 launching at some point during the year. While it remains to be seen whether it ends up being the best harem anime of 2025, the series will almost certainly be among the most discussed. To pass the time until season 4 drops, fans can check out someanime similar to Kanojo, Okarishimasu, including a currently airing harem that started in Fall 2024 and will continue throughout Winter 2025.
A lot can be said aboutRent-a-Girlfriend’s storytelling and characters, both bad and good; however, the manga and anime are not conventional attempts at rom-com harems. Technically, Kazuya finds himself surrounded by girls who are interested in him to an extent, but there is never any question regarding his end-goal. Chizuru is, first-and-foremost, the main girl, and everyone else is just a distraction to add flavor en route to the finale. Admittedly,Rent-a-Girlfriendhas stretched itself out to the point of diminishing returns, but that is primarily a consequence of the manga grind to maintain a successful project rather than anything else.
Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sistercomes in at the opposite end of the spectrum, delivering a traditional harem narrative that does not contain all that many surprises. An orphan who wants to be a doctor, Uryuu is allowed to live at the local shrine. However, his good fortune is undermined by the reveal that he can only stay if he marries one of the shrine maidens (Yae, Yuna, and Asahi). None of them are particularly excited by this potential future, although they are willing to get to know each other.
Tying the Knot with an Amagami Sisterhas a rough start that does not do a particularly good job of highlighting the characters' originality, with the girls especially coming across as bland archetypes (Yuna is particularly bad). However, the anime improves as it goes along, allowing the girls to showcase unique traits that flesh them out from their many, many contemporaries. Uryuu is a decent male lead too.
Arguably the nicest surprise ofSummer 2024,Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!is a charming rom-com that emphasizes a different part of the usual routine. In harems or love triangles, there are always those girls (or guys) who fail to capture the protagonists' hearts, dooming them to a sad end.Makeine: Too Many Losing Heroines!revolves around three characters who lose at love, and they end up gravitating toward a fairly nondescript male student who lends them a shoulder to cry on.
While romance is a big part of the equation,Makeineprimarily focuses on the friendships that form between these girls and Nukumizu, the male protagonist. The latter does not have the biggest personality, but he does grow a bit throughout the season. Similar toRent-a-Girlfriend, the female characters are the main reason to watchMakeine.
Rent-a-Girlfriend’s Kazuya is a polarizing figure due to his hesitant nature when pursuing his main love interest, Chizuru, leading to a lot of stalling in their relationship’s potential growth. If someone wishes to watch a harem that develops at a quick pace and cuts out the typical conflict between the contenders, they can do no better than100 Girlfriends, a parody series that still manages to be a fantastic entry in the genre. Due to a mistake by a god, Rentaro has 100 soulmates, and he plans to satisfy them all.
100 Girlfriendswould not work if its male lead was not convincing or charming, and the manga (and anime) completely works. Direct, passionate, and likable, Rentaro is an absolute delight and a contender for the best protagonist in the harem genre.100 Girlfriends' partnersare also great in their own right, and the show gets progressively more chaotic with each new arrival.
Rent-a-Girlfriendhas a strange premise for a rom-com, butMore Than a Married Couple, But Not Loversmight have it beat. The story revolves around a school program that pairs students up and forces them to live together as “married” couples, and they are scored depending on their commitment to these roles. If they are successful enough, they are rewarded with a divorce and the possibility to marry somebody else, which seems somewhat counterintuitive. The popular Akari Watanabe is matched with the quiet Jiro, a pairing that satisfies neither student as they are interested in other people. Nevertheless, they are required to co-exist, a process that gradually allows them to build a friendship that threatens to leak into romance.
More than a Married Couple, but Not Loversis primarily a romance, with the anime generally resisting the temptation to drift into harem territory. Akari and Jiro’s relationship takes center stage throughout the available season, and their discussions are simultaneously wholesome and risqué. LikeRent-a-Girlfriend, the 2022 anime starts with almost nothing but stereotypical characters, before systemically peeling away their layers to reveal they have much more to offer. Akari is especially well-written, while Jiro is fine as the male lead with very little self-confidence.
Part ofWinter 2024’s anime lineup,Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!andRent-a-Girlfriendshare a strange similarity that, frankly, is more of a negative than a positive. Both series instantly identify their main couple and set the stage for a rom-com; however, they eventually introduce other girls and shift into harem territory, despite not having the “who will win” element that makes that genre so exciting.
Now,Hokkaido Galskeeps its relationships more platonic thanRent-a-Girlfriend, so the tone is closer to a slice of life than a competitive harem. Still, the other girls do distract from Minami, the main girl who is by far the best part of the anime. While her character is nothing like Chizuru’s, she is also a big and enigmatic personality who dominates the spotlight. Tsubasa,Hokkaido Gals' male lead, is somewhat similar to Kazuya, in the sense that they are both fairly hesitant to take action.
Looking to capture that inner child? Then, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions is one to watch. This series follows Yuta Togashi, a freshman in high school trying to forget his time as a Chunibyo. He used to pretend he had superpowers, dress up in class, and put off other classmates.
After moving to a new school, he meets Rikka, a girl who hasn’t left this childish phase of her life behind yet. When Rikka learns that Yuta used to be like her, she becomes interested in him. It’s aheartwarming storythat’s sure to make viewers laugh.
Similar toRent-a-Girlfriend,Bottom-Tier Character Tomozakican be polarizing due to its male lead. A loner who seemingly hates the real world and prefers to focus all his energy on playing a fighting game, the eponymous character can be very frustrating during the opening few episodes. However, Tomozaki slowly begins to change as he starts to learn a thing or two from Aoi, a popular girl who wears a mask to “game” everyday life. Bordering on antagonism at first, their dynamic is weird but entertaining, especially since both characters are fairly self-centered.
Bottom-Tier Character Tomozakifocuses heavily on character development, and its male protagonist grows a lot as he steadily becomes more sociable and gains new friends. Although arguably becoming less likable as the story progresses, Aoi is a fascinating character with a twisted outlook born out of self-preservation, and she can be incredibly mean-spirited if a situation allows for it.
People interested in a more pessimistic take on romance should check outMy Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU.In this anime, Hachiman Hikigaya and Yukino Yukinoshita are taking part in the school’s service club, despite their aversion to dealing with other people.
They’re joined by the preppy Yui Yuigahama and experience many of the ups and downs of adolescence together, seeing some romance along the way. Compared toRent-a-Girlfriend,SNAFUtakes a more reflective look at its characters and relationships in general.
Haganaitakes a ton of interesting ideas and condenses them within thestandard harem/romcom format. Unlike many shows within the genre,Haganaidoesn’t play it especially safe when it comes to its main character and the dynamics that form throughout the narrative.
The series revolves around transfer student Kodaka Hasegawa, who has trouble making friends due to his delinquent-like appearance. The series mixes in standard comedy and harem elements while tackling some interesting character dynamics. That said, the adaptation was short-lived, lasting only 12 episodes; consequently, it leans more into comedy than romance.
There’s nothing like young love, few anime capture that sensation as thoroughly asTsuredure Children.This short series follows several sets of high schoolers trying to navigate their first crushes.
Each couple has its own quirks and dynamics that make for a varied view of adolescent attraction. With 12 episodes averaging about 12 minutes each, viewers will be able to binge the series in no time.
