Supporting Harem: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

A Subtrope of the [[Harem Anime]] genre, a [[Romantic Comedy]] with one male protagonist, one female [[Love Interest]], and a bunch of female side characters who also happen to be in love with the protagonist.

== Anime and Manga ==

 

** Not to mention he confessed his love to her on the second season, {{spoiler|and they even got married at the end of ''F''}}. It doesn't stop three more girls from joining in the third season.

* ''[[Rosario to Vampire]]'' has Moka as the only girl Tsukune clearly loves. The other girls try but there's nothing they can do.

** Until someone suggests the [[Tenchi Solution]], that is. Other than the [[Official Couple]], everyone thinks it's a great idea.

* Keitaro and Naru from ''[[Love Hina]]'' are a very good example of this. It was obvious by the end of the first manga volume that Naru was Keitaro's "Promise Girl" and not even the "complications" that came with Mutsumi and Kanako could put a dent in it.

* ''[[Negima]]'' is a very complex case of this since there is only one pairing that is really presented as it might be serious that is Negi and Nodoka early on which slowly became a Triangle with Yue, others are not that serious at all (besides Ako which is a whole other can of worms. {{spoiler|Recently struck down in a good way}}). The early Magical World arc gave a lot more focus to Chisame than to most of the other girls, though not in a romantic way.

** {{spoiler|Ultimately, most of the harem is unresolved at the end of the manga}}

* ''[[Urusei Yatsura]]'' became this, although it started out as more balanced between Lum and Shinobu, only later Lum become more popular and Shinobou got an alternative [[Love Interest]].

* Similarly subverted in ''Ichigo100%''; while Junpei does initially express feeling in Satsuki, Tsukasa, and Aya, it becomes clear that Aya is his primary love interest. {{spoiler|In the end, he chooses Tsukasa instead}}. Fans weren't happy.

* Gender-inverted in ''[[The Wallflower]]'', where it's blatantly obvious that the only real love interest for Sunako is Kyohei, especially when all the other guys get love interests of their own and begin trying various ways of getting Sunako and Kyohei together.

* ''[[Mayo Chiki]]'' has Subaru as the clear lead girl. How clear? [[Even the Girls Want Her|Even the other haremettes love her!]]

* It's pretty clear from the start of ''[[Ranma One Half]]'' who is going to be Ranma's love interest. While Shampoo and Ukyo get screen time here and there, Akane is on screen almost as much as Ranma is. She also gets his attention far more than the other girls. At the end of the series, {{spoiler|Ranma [[Anguished Declaration of Love|inwardly declares his love]] for Akane and there is a [[Maybe Ever After]] ending.}} Take that as you will, [[Shipping|shippers]].

 

== Literature ==

 

* A [[Gender Flipped]] example from the ''[[Mahabharata]]'': Draupadi is married to 5 men at once (the Pandavas brothers), and though she does care for all of them one way or another, Arjuna is her favorite. {{spoiler|This is because Arjuna is the incarnation of the god Indra, and Draupadi is the reincarnation of his wife Indrani.}}

 

== Western Animation ==

 

 

{{reflist}}