History Main / SupportingHarem

* Kirito's "harem" in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is unquestionably this. Kirito and Asuna actually get ''married'' before the end of the first book, so there's really none of the normal WillTheyOrWontThey or ShipTease you'd get in a real HaremSeries. Most of the girls who fall for him are presented as quiet tragedies, since they never had a shot with him in the first place. Asuna also has a harem of her own, but most of the named members are her husband's friends, so again, there is no ShipTease.

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' in which every boy who knows she's a girl (not quite, but close) falls for Haruhi, but it's obvious she's going to end up with Tamaki, the host club president. It's not over done though, and only one or two actively seek to win her over, and even for them it's more of a journey of character than anything. It's Lampshaded by Tamaki in one episode in which he famously (and unwisely) pegs himself and Haruhi as the romantic leads and the rest as the homosexual supporting cast.
* 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. She also gets his attention far more than the other girls. At the end of the series, [[spoiler:Ranma [[AnguishedDeclarationOfLove inwardly declares his love]] for Akane and there is a [[MaybeEverAfter Maybe Ever After]] ending.]] Take that as you will, [[{{Shipping}} shippers]].

* 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.

* ''Manga/AkatsukiNoYona'' may qualify as a gender-swapped version of this, though its status as a reverse harem is arguable. Yona has Hak, Kija, Jae-ha, Tae-jun, and even possibly the series' antagonist, Su-won, all in love with her to varying extents. Despite this, [[ChildhoodFriend Hak]] is pretty clearly pegged as the main love-interest from the very start. Ironically though, he actually spends a sizable chunk of the story as a HopelessSuitor.
* ''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.

* ''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.

* 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.

* 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."

* ''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.

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

* ''Manga/{{Nisekoi}}'': From the start, it's very clear that the primary relationship is between Raku and Chitoge. Raku may have about 5 other girls vying for him, but only [[RomanticFalseLead Onodera]] seems to actually have a chance against Chitoge. Even then, no matter how much he tries to deny it, Raku's preference for the latter becomes painfully obvious even to him.

* Kirito's "harem" in ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' is unquestionably this. Kirito and Asuna actually get ''married'' before the end of the first book, so there's really none of the normal WillTheyOrWontThey or ShipTease you'd get in a real HaremSeries. Most of the girls who fall for him are presented as quiet tragedies, since they never had a shot with him in the first place. Asuna also has a harem of her own, but most of the named members are her husband's friends, so again, there is no ShipTease.

* ''Manga/ToLoveRu'' started out as this, with Lala and Haruna getting all the screen time, with WordOfGod claiming they were intended to be the main focus of the story. However, as time went on, more girls were introduced and screen time evened out and it became much less clear who Rito would choose (it was a bit Lala-centric at first); in other words, it evolved into a BalancedHarem. In fact, the sequel ''To Love-Ru Darkness'', is aiming for the MarryThemAll (or at least, one of the harem members is actively trying to make it happen) and Lala and Haruna have been OutOfFocus, aside from ADayInTheLimelight stories.

* A GenderFlipped example from the ''Literature/{{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.]] This comes back to bite her in the ass later, because she collapses on the mountain climb to {{Heaven}} as a result of "playing favorites."
** In the Javanese version (heavily influenced by the spread of Islam), Draupadi is married only to Yuddhisthra, but collapses on the mountain because she has feelings for Arjuna.

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 ''Manga/{{Oreimo}}'' made it popular to put her in the lead or let her win.

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 ''standart'' series. Not that it hasn't been done.

A romantic story with {{Tsundere}} is usually very likely to get into this trope, as the authors like to use some of the support girls for RomanticRunnerUp in the love story between the protagonist and the extremely jealous PatientChildhoodLoveInterest or LittleSisterHeroine.

** 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''.]]

* ''Manga/TalesOfWeddingRings'': Krystal got out of a magical ArrangedMarriage by marrying her childhood friend Satou instead. The problem is that this means that Satou is now the Ring King, and must gather a harem of four more princesses so that [[LevelUpAtIntimacyFive gain enough power to defeat the Abyssal Lord]]. Satou explicitly tells the other princesses that Krystal is far and away number one; they are mostly fine with it, and just want the two idiots to hurry up and have sex so the rest of them can have their turns. After [[InterruptedIntimacy various]] [[MomentKiller delays]], Krystal finally tells the other girls she's not going to insist on being first any more. She's still going to ''try'' to be first, but she's going to try to win on her own merits instead of just bashing her way through by enforcing FirstGirlWins.

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* ''Manga/AkatsukiNoYona'' may qualify as a gender-swapped version of this, though its status as a reverse harem is arguable. Yona has Hak, Kija, Jae-ha, Tae-jun, and even possibly the series' antagonist, Su-won, all in love with her. Despite this, [[ChildhoodFriend Hak]] is pretty clearly pegged as the main love-interest from the very start. Ironically though, he actually spends a sizable chunk of the story as a HopelessSuitor.

* ''Manga/AiKora'' is this, as it seems clear that Sakurako is in the lead, with Yukari trying to make this a LoveTriangle but not quite. Tsubame, Kirino and everyone else is just there to have one of Hachibei's beloved [[FetishFuel parts]].

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 probably wouldn't work at all, or at least it would invite too many unusual plot points.

* ''LightNovel/CatPlanetCuties'' is a variant: While there is a female lead, she's an alien CatGirl who has no problem with sharing her boyfriend with the other haremettes.

* A variant in ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'': It is clear to everyone, from the start, that however much he may care for the other girls he hangs out with, Issei is in love first and foremost with Rias, and his relationship with her gets the spotlight over anyone else. However, the rest of the girls still pursue him... with Rias' blessing, as she [[{{Polyamory}} doesn't mind Issei being with multiple girls]] as long as she's number one. The EX Novel shows that they do eventually end up like this: Rias is officially his wife, but several of the girls have taken the Hyoudou name (while Issei took the name Gremory), and most, if not all, of them had children with him.
* ''LightNovel/HorizonInTheMiddleOfNowhere'' has a similar variant to ''LightNovel/HighSchoolDXD'': It's perfectly clear to everyone from the beginning that Toori only has eyes for Horizon. His other two friends Asama and Nate also have feelings for him, but they never pursued him because they know he will always love Horizon first and foremost. Later in the light novels, however, Horizon gives Asama and Nate her blessing for them to further their relationship with Toori, even [[{{Polyamory}} proposing them to actively share him and live the four together]] so Toori can have the emotional support he needs from the people who love him the most.

* Subverted in LightNovel/ReZero, whhen you expect that Emilia will be obvious only love interest in the whole story. However, origin RomanticRunnerUp Rem gradually begins to receive a large dose of tease and even dub with Subaru all the romantic moments, which ultimately leads to her transformation into the second LoveInterest and awareness of the main hero of his sincere mutual love for her. While retaining the love to Emilia, and so, sincere equally loving both girls, although story continues to position Emilia as the only main female heroie and Subaru's OneTrueLove.

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' subtly balances on the verge of this and WillTheyOrWontThey, becouse 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.
* ''Manga/AkatsukiNoYona'' may qualify as a gender-swapped version of this, though its status as a reverse harem is arguable. Yona has [[spoiler: Hak; Kija; Jae-ha; Tae-jun; and even possibly the series' antagonist, Su-won; all in love with her.]] Despite this, [[ChildhoodFriend Hak]] is pretty clearly pegged as the main love-interest from the very start. Ironically though, he actually spends a sizable chunk of the story as a HopelessSuitor.

* In ''[[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]'', the attractive {{Lancer}} had quite a few admirers - [[DeterminedHomesteader Annie O]], [[BadassPrincess Maya of Tarkon]], crime boss Daisy O'Mega ("Renegade Rangers" all but stated they had a shag), his former friend Darkstar... but the biggest ShipTease was between him and [[ActionGirl Niko]].

Contrast with BalancedHarem, where several girls have equal prominence during the story.

* Subverted in LightNovel/ReZero, whhen you expect that Emilia will be obvious only love interest in the whole story. However, origin RomanticRunnerUp Rem gradually begins to receive a large dose of tease and even dub with Subaru all the romantic moments, which ultimately leads to her transformation into the second LoveInterest and awareness of the main hero of his sincere mutual love for her. While retaining the love to Emilia, and so, sincere equally loving both girls, while story continues to position Emilia as the only main female heroie and Subaru's OneTrueLove.

* Subverted in LightNovel/ReZero, whhen you expect that Emilia will be obvious only love interest in the whole story. However, origin RomanticRunnerUp Rem gradually begins to receive a large dose of tease and even dub with Subaru all the romantic moments, which ultimately leads to her transformation into the second LoveInterest and awareness of the main hero of his sincere mutual love for her. While retaining the love to Emilia, and so, sincere equally loving both girls, yes.

* Subverted in LightNovel/ReZero, When you expect that Emilia will be obvious only love interest in the whole story. However, gradually origin RomanticRunnerUp Rem begins to receive a large dose of tease and even dub with Subaru all the romantic moments, which ultimately leads to her transformation into the second LoveInterest and the awereness by the main character of a real love for her. Having kept the love to Emilia, and so, sincere equally loving both girls, yes.

* Subverted in ''Manga/StrawberryOneHundredPercent''; 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.

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' subtly balances on the verge of this and WillTheyOrWontThey, becouse 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 it only his little sister, although he is [[spoiler: ready to try [[BrotherSisterIncest love her like a woman]], when the plot [[RoyalInbreeding creates suitable conditions]].]]

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' subtly balances on the verge of this and WillTheyOrWontThey, becouse 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 it only his little sister, although he is [[spoiler: ready to try [[BrotherSisterIncest love her like a woman]], when the plot [[RoyalInbreeding creates suitable conditions]].]]

* ''LightNovel/TheIrregularAtMagicHighSchool'' subtly balances on the verge of this and WillTheyOrWontThey, becouse 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 it only his little sister, although he is [[spoiler: ready to try [[BrothherSisterIncest love her like a woman]], when the plot [[RoyalInbreeding creates suitable conditions]].]]

* A GenderFlipped 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.]] This comes back to bite her in the ass later, because she collapses on the mountain climb to {{Heaven}} as a result of "playing favorites."

A Subtrope of the HaremGenre, a RomanticComedy with one male protagonist, one female LoveInterest, and a bunch of female side characters who also happen to be in love with the protagonist(or at least like him very much).

A Subtrope of the HaremGenre, a RomanticComedy with one male protagonist, one female LoveInterest, and a bunch of female side characters who also happen to be in love with the protagonist.

* ''LightNovel/AccelWorld'': Haruyuki is very clearly in love with Kuroyukihime and not only she reciprocates, she confessed her feelings first from early on; the only reason they are not an OfficialCouple yet is because Haruyuki has too many self-esteem issues to believe any girl could ever love him. While Haruyuki is often put into a lot of various... situations with many other girls, the series never acts like anything will come of it.