The reverse harem genre has often been criticized for its female leads being nothing more than — for lack of a better word — doormats. They exist only because they have to, and their inclusion adds nothing to the plot, except having hot guys inexplicably fawn over them.
However, with the passage of time, the genre has seen a more feminist take on its main characters. These girls are spunky, feisty and never take “no” for an answer. They fight for what is right, and this is something that intrigues fans of the genre.
10 The Seven Metamorphoses of Yamato Nadeshiko
Due to a certain set of circumstances, Sunako is forced to live with beautiful boys who are tasked with one job – to turn this goth-loving girl into a "lady."
The girl is shown to have strong beliefs and she will often fight with other people when things don’t go her way. However, she is shown to be sly enough to “compromise” on certain things if it means she gets her way in the end.
9 Magic Kyun Renaissance
Kohana Aigasaki is a student at a school where art turns into magic. As one of the few girls in the school, she is understandably surrounded by attractive guys.
Kohana is shown to be kind and a genuinely good person, but she also doesn’t hesitate to speak her mind and share her point of view, whenever needed. The moments she shares between all the boys all seem organic and heartwarming, with the highlight of the anime being its stunning animation.
8 Vampire Knight
Yuuki Cross is part of the disciplinary committee at Cross Academy, but what she doesn’t know is that half of the committee is filled with vampires. Her best friend Zero loathes these creatures, but Yuuki cannot help but be drawn to them.
Despite being cheerful and easygoing, she is very capable of finding her way in and out of fights. Her favorite weapon is Artemis Rod and she has no problems slaying those who stand in her way.
7 Kamigami No Asobi
Yui Kusanagi is perhaps one of the most relatable reverse harem girls out there. This high school girl is passionate about martial arts and was shown to have a soft spot for kendo.
One fine day, she is transported to the world of Gods. There, she is told that she has to teach 6 Gods the importance of relationships and bonds. This strong-willed girl instantly accepts the challenge and more than lives up to her end of the bargain.
6 Dame x Prince Anime Caravan
Princess Ani Inako is tasked with making a peace treaty happen between her rival countries. With the princes being stubborn and eccentric in their own ways, Ani soon realizes traditional methods of negotiation won’t work on them.
She then resorts to using her charm and intelligence to influence their decisions, as well as getting them out of sticky situations, thanks to her pragmatic and efficient decision-making abilities.
5 Arcana Famiglia
Enraged at her father giving away her hand to the winner of the Arcana Duell, Felicità decides to enter the contest herself and win her own freedom. This feisty young girl is shown to be strict, often letting her harshness spill onto her attitude towards others.
She is usually calm even under stress and hates being offered help to do things she is capable of doing on her own.
4 Aoharu x Machinegun
Due to her short hair and androgynous appearance, Hotaru is often mistaken for a boy. She is shown to have a strong sense of right and wrong.
Thanks to her brute strength, she can often be seen getting into petty fights (and winning them) because the people involved were indulging in “evil” activities. She is usually confrontational but apologizes immediately whenever she realizes she was in the wrong.
3 Dance With Devils
After her mother’s kidnapping, 17-year-old Ritsuka inadvertently gets caught up in the world of devils and vampires. Granted, she acts like a typical reverse harem lead in the beginning, but she shows great resilience and maturity towards the end of the series.
Without posting any spoilers, she makes a terribly brave decision to take matters into her own hands, and then unlike most female leads, makes the right (and most logical) decision in the end.
2 Kenka Bancho Otome -Girl Beats Boys-
One day, Hinako is approached by her twin brother who forces her to go to the all-boys Shishiku Academy, famous for all the delinquents it houses.
She has only one job: to fight each one of the boys there and beat them in order to claim the spot of the toughest bad boy there. Thankfully for her twin, Hinako is an excellent street fighter and she takes on this challenge head-on.
1 Phantom Of The Twilight
Baileu and her best friend, Shinyao, travel to London, but Shinyao gets kidnapped. Assisted by four mysterious but exceptionally good-looking boys, Baileu has only one thing in mind: to rescue her friend Shinyao, come what may.
Throughout the series, she is shown to fight (physically and verbally) to get what she wants, and she often has to be physically restrained by her male friends in order to stop her from getting into more fights!