History Main / SupportingHarem

* In the [[{{Hentai}} h-manga]] ''Slutty Elf Sisters Seeking a Husband'', at the very end, the male protagonists, a human, ends up with a harem of four elf women, comprised of two sisters, a member of a neighboring tribe, and a middle aged matchmaker, as well as a human woman who had a crush on him. They decide that the eldest sister, since he met them fist when they were transported into his world, [[TopWife would be his legal wife]], but the other women would be his concubines. When he says that he'll make them as happy for as long as he lives, the elf women respond that since [[LongLived elves live for so long that they sometimes end up becoming "magic trees,"]] so the harem informs him that they'll just take [[AppliedPhlebotinum a magic medicine that will shorten their lifespans]] to [[ProportionalAging that of a human's so there's no worries of them far outliving him]].

* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' has Moka as the only girl Tsukune clearly loves. The other girls try (with one of them aiming for a threesome with Moka and Tsukune), but there's nothing they can do. Until someone suggests he MarryThemAll, that is. Other than the OfficialCouple, everyone thinks it's a great idea. At while point Moka [[CatchPhrase tells them to know their place]] and [[OneWomanArmy knocks them all out with one kick]]. The manga gets the trope {{deconstructed|trope}} with Kurumu refusing to give up her love for Tsukune even though she knows succubi can literally ''die'' from unrequited love, but it gets [[{{Reconstruction}} reconstructed]] because even though Tsukune only loves Moka romantically, he also cares a great deal for all his female friends and they care for him in return, while the girls also form [[TrueCompanions genuine bonds of friendship]] with one another.

* ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'': The series is built around Raku and Chitoge going from fake lovers to truly falling in love with each other. Raku may have about 5 other girls vying for him, but only [[RomanticRunnerUp Onodera]] seems to actually have a chance against Chitoge. Even then, no matter how much he tries to deny it, Raku's preference for Chitoge becomes painfully obvious even to him.

* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' has Moka as the only girl Tsukune clearly loves. The other girls try (with one of them aiming for a threesome with Moka and Tsukune), but there's nothing they can do. Until someone suggests he MarryThemAll, that is. Other than the OfficialCouple, everyone thinks it's a great idea. At while point Moka [[CatchPhrase tells them to know their place]] and [[OneWomanArmy knocks them all out with one kick]].
** It gets deconstructed. Kurumu and Mizore know they don't have a chance, but they still love him... and it becomes really complicated: [[spoiler:Kurumu's nature as a succubus means that unrequited love is literally killing her, while Mizore is a biological OldMaid and due to her love for him and no one else, she'll sooner or later end up barren, which is a big deal for her people.]]

* Haruyuki from ''Literature/AccelWorld'' is very clearly in love with Kuroyukihime. Not only does she reciprocate his feelings, but she was the one to confess her love to ''him'' right from the start. The only reason they are not an OfficialCouple yet is because Haruyuki has too [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe many self-esteem issues to believe any girl could ever love him]]. While Haruyuki is often put into various... "situations" with many other girls, the series never acts like anything will come of them.

* In ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'', "Louise The Zero" is not just the title character, but also connected to the protagonist [[MadeASlave with a magical contract]] [[AMagicContractComesWithAKiss sealed by a kiss]]. 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 more girls joining in with each succeeding season, for a grand total of four extra girls all in all.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': Bella has Eric, Tyler, Mike, and Jacob all in love with her, but her One True Love is Edward. Not even Jacob giving her a ForcefulKiss in a later book could seriously challenge this.

Certain character types like the HotTeacher or the {{Ojou}} are likely to be members of this, as a straight romantic story with them at the center often wouldn't work at all, or at least it would invite too many unusual plot points for a ''standard'' series. Not that it hasn't been done; the LittleSisterHeroine was nearly ''always'' a hopeless minor haremette before ''LightNovel/{{Oreimo}}'' made it popular to put her in the lead or let her win.

* ''LightNovel/MayoChiki'' has Subaru as the clear lead girl. How clear? [[EvenTheGirlsWantHer Even the other haremettes love her!]]

* ''Fanfic/MarriageOfHeavenAndHell'' forgoes the BalancedHarem of ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'' and focuses on what is initially a LoveTriangle that eventually is resolved to a single love interest. The rest of the harem usually doesn't pursue Makoto and even helps him when he [[CannotSpitItOut struggles to make a confession.]]

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' subtly balances on the verge of this and WillTheyOrWontThey, because although Miyuki is the only girl who has a full-fledged ShipTease with Tatsuya and more romantic moments than all the other girls put together, she is his own sister and he sees in her only his little sister, although he is [[spoiler: ready to try [[BrotherSisterIncest love her like a woman]], when the plot [[RoyalInbreeding creates suitable conditions]].]] Moreover, she is literally the only person to whom Tatsuya is able to experience real emotions, which initially almost leaves no chance for other girls.

* With ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'', you know that Nyarko's the one who's going to win in the end -- she's the title character, after all. Unfortunately for [[OnlySaneMan Mahiro]] that doesn't spare him the affections of [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Hasuta]] and later [[DefrostingIceQueen Cuuko]]. The "budding romance" part is also given a twist in that Nyarko tends to do things "three steps forward, two steps back", annoying Mahiro by being too goofy and clingy, but pulling him back from the brink at the last moment with honestly heartfelt expressions of love.

** It gets deconstructed. Kurumu and Mizore know they don't have a chance, but they still love him... and it becomes really complicated: [[spoiler:Kurumu's nature as a succubus means that unrequited love is literally killing her, while Mizore is a biological ChristmasCake and due to her love for him and no one else, she'll sooner or later end up barren, which is a big deal for her people.]]

* ''Manga/RosarioPlusVampire'' has Moka as the only girl Tsukune clearly loves. The other girls try, but there's nothing they can do. Until someone suggests he MarryThemAll, that is. Other than the OfficialCouple, everyone thinks it's a great idea.

* ''LightNovel/ChivalryOfAFailedKnight'' has Ikki and Stella [[FirstKiss getting together]] by the end of the first volume of the light novel / first arc of the anime adaptation. The other girls still develop romantic feelings for the protagonist, but, while he cares about them, the romance is one-sided.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': Bella has Eric, Tyler, Mike, and Jacob all in love with her, but her One True Love is Edward. Not even Jacob giving her a ForcefulKiss in a later book could seriously challenge this.

[[folder:Light Novels]]

* ''LightNovel/TheAsteriskWar'': From early on, Ayato chooses Julis as the girl he loves and wants protect the most. He may have several other girls vying for his attention, but it's obvious none of them have a chance.

* In ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', "Louise The Zero" is not just the title character, but also connected to the protagonist [[MadeASlave with a magical contract]] [[AMagicContractComesWithAKiss sealed by a kiss]]. 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 more girls joining in with each succeeding season, for a grand total of four extra girls all in all.

* Kirito and Asuna of ''Literature/SwordArtOnline'' actually get ''married'' in-game before the end of the first book, with them continuing to date in the real world. This doesn't prevent each subsequent arc from introducing more and more girls who fall for Kirito, who are presented as quiet tragedies, since they never had a shot with him in the first place. Asuna also has other men interested in her, but most of those with names are her husband's friends.

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Literature/CradleSeries'': Lindon has a more subtle harem than most. While almost every named female character is crushing on him at least a little, not much comes of it. It's implied that he was supposed to marry Jai Chen in the original timeline, Akura Mercy is [[MistakenForRomance mistaken for his girlfriend]], and Akura Grace offers an ArrangedMarriage to tie him to the clan. It's immediately clear that none of them have a chance compared to Yerin, the [[FirstGirlWins first girl he met from outside his clan]]. They spend basically all their time together, get notably antsy when they're apart, and several people assume they're already together. Even Grace's marriage proposal is largely treated as a last-ditch Hail Mary that she knew wouldn't work.
* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': Bella has Eric, Tyler, Mike, and Jacob all in love with her, but her One True Love is Edward. Not even Jacob giving her a ForcefulKiss in a later book could seriously challenge this.

[[/folder]]

* Haruyuki from ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'' is very clearly in love with Kuroyukihime. Not only does she reciprocate his feelings, but she was the one to confess her love to ''him'' right from the start. The only reason they are not an OfficialCouple yet is because Haruyuki has too [[ICantBelieveAGuyLikeYouWouldNoticeMe many self-esteem issues to believe any girl could ever love him]]. While Haruyuki is often put into various... "situations" with many other girls, the series never acts like anything will come of them.

* Kirito and Asuna of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' actually get ''married'' in-game before the end of the first book, with them continuing to date in the real world. This doesn't prevent each subsequent arc from introducing more and more girls who fall for Kirito, who are presented as quiet tragedies, since they never had a shot with him in the first place. Asuna also has other men interested in her, but most of those with names are her husband's friends.

* With ''LightNovel/NyarukoCrawlingWithLove'', you know that Nyarko's the one who's going to win in the end -- she's the title character, after all. Unfortunately for [[OnlySaneMan Mahiro]] that doesn't spare him the affections of [[CuteShotaroBoy Hasuta]] and later [[DefrostingIceQueen Cuuko]]. The "budding romance" part is also given a twist in that Nyarko tends to do things "three steps forward, two steps back", annoying Mahiro by being too goofy and clingy, but pulling him back from the brink at the last moment with honestly heartfelt expressions of love.

One of the causes for this set-up might be if it is the adaptation of a RomanceGame, where every girl got the focus of attention in her own route, but only one route got an adaptation. In fact, even in {{Dating Sim}}s and romance {{Visual Novel}}s, this trope can still occur if the game is [[StoryBranchFavoritism clearly biased in favor of a specific love interest]].

* Kirito and Asuna of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' actually get ''married'' before the end of the first book, so there's really none of the normal WillTheyOrWontThey you'd get in a real HaremSeries. There are still several girls who fall for Kirito, who are presented as quiet tragedies, since they never had a shot with him in the first place. Asuna also has other men interested in her, but most of those with names are her husband's friends.

* ''Manga/RosarioToVampire'' has Moka as the only girl Tsukune clearly loves. The other girls try, but there's nothing they can do. Until someone suggests he MarryThemAll, that is. Other than the OfficialCouple, everyone thinks it's a great idea.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'': Kirito has a few girls become attracted to him both before and after he falls in love with Asuna. For his part, [[FirstGirlWins Kirito never really has eyes for anyone besides Asuna]]. The other girls individually decide to root for them and to just try to get over their crushes (one even does this a couple episodes ''before'' they become the OfficialCouple).

* Kirito and Asuna of ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' actually get ''married'' before the end of the first book, so there's really none of the normal WillTheyOrWontThey you'd get in a real HaremSeries. There are still several girls who fall for Kirito, who are presented as quiet tragedies, since they never had a shot with him in the first place. Asuna also has other men interested in her, but most of them with names are her husband's friends.

* Subverted by ''VisualNovel/AkaneIroNiSomaruSaka'', of all things. The entire series makes [[{{Tsundere}} Yuuhi]] the main haremette and it's clear she'll win... But at the end, the main choses [[NotBloodSiblings his sister Minato]] instead. There were ''some'' hints of this, but it mostly [[ShockingSwerve came out of nowhere]].

* It's pretty clear from the start of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' 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, and he actually lives in her house. Akane also attracted affection from Ryoga, which she never notices, and by the manga's end he's found another girl he's begun to move onto. Both also have a number of suitors whose affection is outright reject, including Kuno, Kodachi, and many one-shot antagonists. At the end of the series, [[spoiler:Ranma [[LoveEpiphany inwardly declares his love]] for Akane and there is a MaybeEverAfter ending.]]

* With ''LightNovel/HaiyoreNyarkoSan'', you know that Nyarko's the one who's going to win in the end -- she's the title character, after all. Unfortunately for [[OnlySaneMan Mahiro]] that doesn't spare him the affections of [[CuteShotaroBoy Hasuta]] and later [[DefrostingIceQueen Cuuko]]. The "budding romance" part is also given a twist in that Nyarko tends to do things "three steps forward, two steps back", annoying Mahiro by being too goofy and clingy, but pulling him back from the brink at the last moment with honestly heartfelt expressions of love.
** Arguably [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] in one episode where Nyarko and Cuuko [[ShoutOut paraphrase]] [[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Heero Yuy and Zechs Merquise]] while brawling:
-->'''Nyarko:''' "Cthuko! Except for me, no one is a leading role! All evil gods are supporting roles! You and Hasta are both supporting roles!"\\
'''Cuuko:''' "I still don't acknowledge myself as a supporting role."

* It's pretty clear from the start of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' 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, and he actually lives in her house. Akane also attracted affection from Ryoga, which she never notices, and by the manga's end he's found another girl he's begun to move onto. Both also have a number of suitors whose affection is outright reject, including Kuno, Kodachi, and many one-shot antagonists. At the end of the series, [[spoiler:Ranma [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove inwardly declares his love]] for Akane and there is a MaybeEverAfter ending.]]

One of the causes for this set-up might be if it is the adaptation of a RomanceGame, where every girl got the focus of attention in her own route, but only one route got an adaptation.

* Despite "the ability to pursue multiple love interests" being the main drawing point of nearly all {{Dating Sim}}s and romance {{Visual Novel}}s, this trope can still occur in them if the game is [[StoryBranchFavoritism clearly biased in favor of a specific love interest]].
* One example of the above is ''VisualNovel/SweetPool'' in which Tetsuo, Makoto, and Zenya are all interested in Youji and have endings with him, but Tetsuo gets the most development and backstory with Youji, ''four'' endings with him including the game's True End and all his endings manage to have at least a [[BittersweetEnding bittersweet tinge]] to them, whereas Makoto and Zenya each get only one ending with Youji that can't qualify as anything other than a {{Guro}} [[DownerEnding Horrific Ending]] by any reasonable standard.