The appeal of Date A Live is a unique and compelling blend of high-stakes action and harem romance. These 15 anime like Date A Live have same appeal too. At its core is a fantastic premise: a protagonist, Shido Itsuka, who holds the singular power to save the world from destructive “Spirits” not by fighting them, but by making them fall in love with him. This “save the world through dating” trope creates a dynamic narrative that perfectly balances cataclysmic sci-fi battles with the heartfelt (and often hilarious) challenges of managing a growing cast of powerful, supernatural women.
If you’re looking for other series that capture this specific magic—stories where romance is the key to defusing a threat, or where a seemingly ordinary protagonist is thrust into a high-stakes conflict surrounded by extraordinary female allies—you’re in the right place. The following 15 titles explore this same intersection of the supernatural, the romantic, and the chaotic, each offering a distinct take on a protagonist tasked with navigating a world far beyond their control.
Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai (The World God Only Knows)
Keima Katsuragi exists as a celebrated virtuoso in the digital realm, lauded as the “God of Conquest” for his encyclopedic mastery of dating simulations. This expertise, however, is a shield for his profound disdain for the complexities and perceived flaws of real-world relationships. His insulated 2D-centric existence is shattered by a deceptive contract with the naive demon Elucia “Elsie” de Lute Ima, binding him to a critical mission: locating and neutralizing runaway evil spirits from Hell.
The central irony of his task is that these spirits hide within the “empty” hearts of real-life girls. The only method of exorcism is the one thing he detests—genuine emotional conquest. Now, under threat of death by a demonic collar, Keima must apply his theoretical strategies to the unpredictable, three-dimensional human heart.
IS: Infinite Stratos
The “Infinite Stratos” (IS) represents a paradigm shift in global power, a technologically advanced exoskeleton weapon system operable exclusively by women. This monopoly has fundamentally altered the international balance of power, leading to an international treaty that dictates its non-military use. The global equilibrium is disrupted by the singular discovery of Ichika Orimura, the world’s sole male capable of piloting an IS. Consequently, he is forcibly enrolled in the prestigious, and previously all-female, Infinite Stratos Academy. Under the tutelage of his legend-in-her-own-right sister, Chifuyu, Ichika must navigate a high-stakes environment of intense training, burgeoning international rivalries, and complex relationships with his female peers—all while the unique nature of his existence makes him a focal point for dangers unknown.
Sekirei
Minato Sahashi is a 19-year-old adrift, a rōnin defined by his repeated academic failures and a crippling lack of self-worth. His trajectory of mediocrity is irrevocably altered by the celestial arrival of Musubi, a being known as a “Sekirei.” These humanoid extraterrestrials possess extraordinary combat abilities that are “winged”—or fully awakened—through a symbiotic bond with a human partner known as an “Ashikabi,” a bond initiated by a kiss.
Minato is dragged from obscurity into a clandestine, high-stakes tournament known as the “Sekirei Plan,” a survival-of-the-fittest battle royale pitting 108 Sekirei and their partners against one another. As he and Musubi navigate this dangerous new world, they begin to uncover the sinister truths and profound stakes hidden beneath the surface of the deadly competition.
Ore no Nounai Sentakushi ga, Gakuen Love Comedy wo Zenryoku de Jama Shiteiru (My Mental Choices Are Completely Interfering With My School Romantic Comedy)
Kanade Amakusa’s high school life is a minefield of social humiliation, governed not by his own free will but by a divine curse known as “Absolute Choice.” This system, imposed by a capricious god, materializes in his mind at random, presenting a series of often-ludicrous, crude, or socially-suicidal options that he is compelled to enact. His reputation is in ruins, and his daily life is a desperate exercise in damage control against this absurd affliction. The curse’s machinations escalate from mere embarrassment to life-altering chaos when one fateful choice results in a mysterious girl descending from the sky, her arrival heralding an even more complicated, and hysterically hellish, entanglement in his cursed existence.
High School DxD
Issei Hyoudou is a directionless high school student whose ambitions are overwhelmingly defined by his adolescent perversions and the dream of acquiring a harem. His mundane life of voyeurism is brought to a brutal and sudden end when his first-ever girlfriend reveals herself to be a fallen angel and murders him. Issei is given a new lease on life when Rias Gremory, a high-ranking devil and the school’s idol, resurrects him as her demonic servant.
Inducted into the Occult Research Club—a front for her demonic “peerage”—Issei is thrust into a violent, clandestine war between angels, devils, and fallen angels. He must rapidly adapt and train to survive, navigating a new reality of supernatural combat while contending with his own base desires.
Trinity Seven
The fabric of Arata Kasuga’s reality is torn asunder by the “Breakdown Phenomenon,” a catastrophic event triggered by a mysterious “Black Sun” that annihilates his town and everyone in it. In his grief, Arata unknowingly uses a magical grimoire, a parting gift from his cousin Hijiri, to artificially reconstruct his idyllic life. This fragile illusion is shattered by the arrival of Lilith Asami, a mage who confronts him with the truth.
Given the choice between death or cooperation, Arata enrolls in the Royal Biblia Academy, a top-secret school for mages. There, he discovers he is a candidate for Demon Lord and that his only path to saving Hijiri is to master his powers and ally himself with the “Trinity Seven,” the seven most powerful mages in the school.
Kore wa Zombie desu ka? (Is This a Zombie?)
Ayumu Aikawa’s life as a typical high school student concludes with his own murder at the hands of a serial killer. He is abruptly resurrected, however, by an enigmatic and mute necromancer, Eucliwood Hellscythe. Now an immortal zombie, Ayumu attempts to investigate his own death but instead stumbles into another supernatural conflict. He encounters Haruna, a “Magical Garment Girl” (Mahou Shoujo), and inadvertently absorbs her powers, leaving her stranded and powerless. Stripped of her abilities, Haruna commands Ayumu to take her place, forcing the zombie to don her magical uniform and hunt down strange monsters known as “Megalo,” all while navigating his bizarre new domestic life with the necromancer and magical girl who upended it.
Sora no Otoshimono (Heaven’s Lost Property)
Tomoki Sakurai, a resident of a small town, is plagued by a recurring dream of an angel whose face he can never recall, a dream that always leaves him in tears. His scientifically-minded, eccentric upperclassman, Eishirou Sugata, theorizes that this dream is connected to a mysterious anomaly in the sky known as the “New World.”
During an attempt to observe this phenomenon, a UMA (Unidentified Mysterious Animal) descends from the sky—an “Angeloid” named Ikaros. She promptly imprints on Tomoki, referring to him as her “Master.” This event marks the beginning of Tomoki’s chaotic new life as he and the “New World Discovery Club” grapple with the arrival of more Angeloids and the powerful, dangerous technology they bring to Earth.
Engage Kiss
Bayron City is a futuristic metropolis floating in the Pacific, built on the promise of prosperity fueled by a newly discovered energy source, Orgonium. However, this progress casts a dark shadow: “D-Hazards,” possessions and attacks by demonic forces. Shuu Ogata runs a small Private Military Company (PMC) specializing in demon extermination, but his perpetually disastrous finances keep him on the brink of poverty. His life is supported, and complicated, by Kisara, a powerful demon who has entered a contract with him. She aids him both in combat and in his domestic life, though her devotion is dangerously possessive. Their partnership, fueled by a deep and costly bond, is the city’s primary defense against the escalating demonic threat.
Choujigen Game Neptune The Animation (Hyperdimension Neptunia: The Animation)
The world of Gamindustri is divided into four realms—Planeptune, Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox—each presided over by a goddess, or “CPU” (Console Patron Unit). Their strength is derived from “Shares,” a manifestation of their people’s faith. After eons of conflict known as the “Console War,” the four goddesses have finally signed a friendship treaty, banning the acquisition of Shares through military force. Despite this, Neptune, the CPU of Planeptune, remains an incorrigible slacker, causing her nation’s Shares to plummet. This series follows Neptune and her counterparts as they attempt to foster peace and manage their realms, all while a new, insidious external threat emerges to challenge the very existence of both Gamindustri and its goddesses.
Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo (Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches)
Ryuu Yamada is a second-year student at Suzaku High School, known only for his delinquent reputation, poor grades, and profound boredom. His alienated existence takes a dramatic turn when he accidentally tumbles down a staircase and kisses the school’s top honors student, the beautiful and aloof Urara Shiraishi. Upon waking, they discover they have swapped bodies.
This bizarre phenomenon attracts the attention of Toranosuke Miyamura, who recruits them into the Supernatural Studies Club. They soon learn that their body-swapping is just one of seven distinct supernatural powers, all activated by a kiss and held by seven different female students—the “Seven Witches.” The club embarks on a quest to identify all seven witches, uncovering a school-wide mystery far larger than they anticipated.
C³ (C Cube)
Yachi Haruaki is a high school student with a unique constitutional immunity to curses. This trait makes him the ideal caretaker for “Cursed Instruments,” objects of intense historical trauma that gain sentience and often-malevolent powers. His father, a paranormal researcher, sends him a mysterious, heavy black cube. That night, the cube transforms into Fear, a naked, silver-haired girl who introduces herself as the human form of the instrument—a device of torture. Haruaki is drawn into the world of curse-bearers and purification organizations, forced to fight alongside Fear to protect other Cursed Instruments from those who would misuse their dark powers.
Gokukoku no Brynhildr (Brynhildr in the Darkness)
As a child, Ryouta Murakami was obsessed with finding aliens, a quest he shared with his friend Kuroneko. This search ended in a tragic accident that claimed Kuroneko’s life and left Ryouta injured. Ten years later, Ryouta lives with the guilt, dedicating his time to the astronomy club in her honor. His life is thrown into turmoil with the arrival of a transfer student named Neko Kuroha, who bears a striking resemblance to his deceased friend.
Neko, however, is anything but normal; she possesses supernatural abilities and appears to have escaped from a clandestine research laboratory. Ryouta is pulled into a deadly conspiracy, finding himself the unlikely protector of a group of escaped “witches” being hunted by the very scientists who created them.
Strike the Blood
The Demon District of Itogami Island, a sprawling artificial metropolis, serves as a sanctuary and prison for all manner of supernatural creatures. Kojou Akatsuki is an ordinary high school student living a normal life in this extraordinary city until a fateful encounter transforms him into a vampire. He soon learns he is not just any vampire, but the “Fourth Primogenitor,” a legendary and immensely powerful being of mythical status. His emergent power immediately flags him as a high-level threat. The Lion King Organization, a secret government agency, dispatches an apprentice sword-shaman, Yukina Himeragi, with a single directive: to observe him, and, should his power spiral out of control, to eliminate him.
Kami nomi zo Shiru Sekai: Megami-hen (The World God Only Knows: Goddesses)
The stakes for Keima Katsuragi have evolved from a contractual obligation to a genuine crisis. His previous successes in exorcising runaway spirits have unexpectedly become the foundation for his most critical mission yet: locating the six Jupiter Sisters, goddesses who previously sealed Old Hell and are now dormant within the very girls Keima once “conquered.” His mission is complicated by the fact that he must essentially re-win the hearts of these girls, this time while contending with their past memories. A new, sinister organization, Vintage, is actively hunting the goddesses, turning Keima’s “game” into a lethal race against time. He must leverage his intellect and confront the profound emotional consequences of his past actions to prevent a catastrophe.
The Enduring Appeal of the High-Stakes Harem Anime Like Date A Live
As these 15 series demonstrate, the spirit of Date A Live—that electric mix of high-stakes action and heartfelt romantic chaos—is a powerful and enduring subgenre. While the premises may change, from sealing goddesses to surviving supernatural tournaments or commanding alien technology, the core appeal remains the same.
These stories place an often-ordinary protagonist at the epicenter of extraordinary events, making their personal relationships the key to saving the world. What unites them is that captivating blend of high-concept sci-fi or fantasy with the unpredictable, and often hilarious, challenge of managing a cast of powerful women. Whether you came for the world-ending battles or the complex romantic entanglements or just anime like date a live, you’re now more than ready to dive into your next great binge. For short romance anime suggestions, you can take a look at this article.