What is this genre all about? Romance describes a story that deals with love between two or more characters typically also having an optimistic ending. Romance is also a difficulty encountered when creating a harem.
We present you the list of Romance anime you should watch right now.
Try our anime quiz: Anime Characters Guessing Quiz/Game
Top 20 Romance anime you should watch right now. [2026 List]
- 20. Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari
- 19. Koe no Katachi
- 18. Otome Kaiju Caramelise
- 17. Spirited Away
- 16. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season
- 15. Oni no Hanayome
- 14. Toradora!
- 13. Sword Art Online
- 12. Dandadan 2nd Season
- 11. Jigokuraku 2nd Season
- 10. Dandadan
- 9. Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru
- 8. Tokidoki Bosotto Russiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san
- 7. Darling in the FranXX
- 6. Detective Conan
- 5. Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
- 4. Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
- 3. High School DxD
- 2. Ranma ½
- 1. Futsutsuka na Akujo de wa Gozaimasu ga Hinamiya Chou Nezumi Torikae Den
20. Super no Ura de Yani Suu Futari
Sasaki is an overworked salaryman drifting through the corporate grind, sustained by cigarettes and the cheerful service and smile of Yamada, the clerk at his favorite supermarket. But one night after a grueling shift, he arrives late to find Yamada nowhere to be seen. With nowhere left to smoke, his spirits sink—until a pierced young woman calls out to him: “You can smoke here.”
Note: Episodes 1-6 had an early release by ABEMA and Crunchyroll on June 3rd, 2026, in a mini-episode batch format that splits 6 episodes into 12, ahead of the TV broadcast, which starts on July 9th, 2026.
Smoking Behind the Supermarket With You has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: スーパーの裏でヤニ吸うふたり, A Story About Smoking at the Back of the Supermarket, スーパーの裏でヤニ吸う話, Super no Ura de Yani Suu Hanashi, Behind the Supermarket, Smoking with You.
19. Koe no Katachi
Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the school, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late?
A Silent Voice has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: 聲の形, The Shape of Voice, A Silent Voice: The Movie
18. Otome Kaiju Caramelise
Kuroe Akaishi just wants a normal high school life—but that’s impossible with a rare condition that turns her into a giant kaiju whenever her emotions spike! Things get even worse when she falls for Arata Minami, the most popular boy in class. Now every blush, heartbeat, and crush could trigger a monster transformation. Can Kuroe survive high school love before it destroys everything around her?!
Kaiju Girl Caramelise has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 乙女怪獣キャラメリゼ, Otome Kaiju Caramelise
17. Spirited Away
Stubborn, spoiled, and naïve, 10-year-old Chihiro Ogino is less than pleased when she and her parents discover an abandoned amusement park on the way to their new house. Cautiously venturing inside, she realizes that there is more to this place than meets the eye, as strange things begin to happen once dusk falls. Ghostly apparitions and food that turns her parents into pigs are just the start—Chihiro has unwittingly crossed over into the spirit world. Now trapped, she must summon the courage to live and work amongst spirits, with the help of the enigmatic Haku and the cast of unique characters she meets along the way.
Vivid and intriguing, Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi tells the story of Chihiro's journey through an unfamiliar world as she strives to save her parents and return home.
Spirited Away has finished airing and it has 1 Episodes. It is also Known as: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi, 千と千尋の神隠し, Sen and Chihiro's Spiriting Away
16. Kusuriya no Hitorigoto 2nd Season
The second season of Kusuriya no Hitorigoto.
Maomao and Jinshi face palace intrigue as a pregnant concubine's safety and a looming conspiracy collide.
The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: 薬屋のひとりごと 第2期, The Pharmacist's Monologue, Drugstore Soliloquy
15. Oni no Hanayome
A Japanese-style ayakashi Cinderella story! "You're the bride I've been searching for all this time." The ayakashi and humans coexist in harmony. The ayakashi, having superior abilities and beautiful appearances, sometimes find their partner among human women, making them their "bride". The bride, in exchange for bringing prosperity, receives absolute love from the ayakashi. Yuzu is constantly compared to her sister, a bride of a demon fox, and is resented by her family every day. One day, when Yuzu just couldn't take things anymore, a man appears before her on a bridge. This man is the most beautiful man Yuzu has ever seen... and he's calling her his wife?! "Just be quiet and let me hold you." The most powerful, "cold-hearted" ayakashi is pouring his heart out for Yuzu?!
The Ogre's Bride has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 鬼の花嫁, Oni no Hanayome
14. Toradora!
Ryuuji Takasu is a gentle high school student with a love for housework; but in contrast to his kind nature, he has an intimidating face that often gets him labeled as a delinquent. On the other hand is Taiga Aisaka, a small, doll-like student, who is anything but a cute and fragile girl. Equipped with a wooden katana and feisty personality, Taiga is known throughout the school as the "Palmtop Tiger."
One day, an embarrassing mistake causes the two students to cross paths. Ryuuji discovers that Taiga actually has a sweet side: she has a crush on the popular vice president, Yuusaku Kitamura, who happens to be his best friend. But things only get crazier when Ryuuji reveals that he has a crush on Minori Kushieda—Taiga's best friend!Toradora! is a romantic comedy that follows this odd duo as they embark on a quest to help each other with their respective crushes, forming an unlikely alliance in the process.
Toradora! has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: とらドラ！, Tiger X Dragon
13. Sword Art Online
In the year 2022, virtual reality has progressed by leaps and bounds, and a massive online role-playing game called Sword Art Online (SAO) is launched. With the aid of "NerveGear" technology, players can control their avatars within the game using nothing but their own thoughts.
Kazuto Kirigaya, nicknamed "Kirito," is among the lucky few enthusiasts who get their hands on the first shipment of the game. He logs in to find himself, with ten-thousand others, in the scenic and elaborate world of Aincrad, one full of fantastic medieval weapons and gruesome monsters. However, in a cruel turn of events, the players soon realize they cannot log out; the game's creator has trapped them in his new world until they complete all one hundred levels of the game.
In order to escape Aincrad, Kirito will now have to interact and cooperate with his fellow players. Some are allies, while others are foes, like Asuna Yuuki, who commands the leading group attempting to escape from the ruthless game. To make matters worse, Sword Art Online is not all fun and games: if they die in Aincrad, they die in real life. Kirito must adapt to his new reality, fight for his survival, and hopefully break free from his virtual hell.
Sword Art Online has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: ソードアート・オンライン, S.A.O, SAO
12. Dandadan 2nd Season
The second season of Dandadan
Momo, Okarun, and Jiji head to Jiji's house in rural Byakuja Village to investigate the supposed curse hanging over the house. The trio is soon confronted by the eerie Kito Family, the landlords for most of the village. Momo is attacked at the local hot spring while the Kitos question Okarun and Jiji. An all-out fight reveals a hidden, cursed room within Jiji's home and the underground domain of the area's ancient god. And if all that isn't enough, Jiji soon loses control of himself to the Evil Eye, a vengeful entity ready to take Okarun, Momo, and all of Byakuja Village down with it.
DAN DA DAN Season 2 has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ダンダダン 第2期, DAN DA DAN: EVIL EYE
11. Jigokuraku 2nd Season
The second season of Jigokuraku.
In search of clues to the elixir, Gabimaru and his group arrive at the castle of Tensen, the monsters who rule the island. Meanwhile, the shogunate sends additional expeditions to Shinsenkyo led by Yamada Asaemon Shugen, which are joined by the Iwagakure. Gabimaru must try to find the elixir and escape from the island as an all-out showdown between humans and celestial immortals looms near.
Hell's Paradise Season 2 has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 地獄楽 第二期, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2, สุขาวดีอเวจี, Адский рай
10. Dandadan
This is a story about Momo, a high school girl who comes from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate Okarun, an occult fanatic. After Momo rescues Okarun from being bullied, they begin talking. However, an argument ensues between them since Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens exist, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts exist.
To prove to each other what they believe in is real, Momo goes to an abandoned hospital where a UFO has been spotted and Okarun goes to a tunnel rumored to be haunted. To their surprise, they each encounter overwhelming paranormal activities that transcend comprehension. Amid these predicaments, Momo awakens her hidden power and Okarun gains the power of a curse to overcome these new dangers! Their fateful love begins as well!?
The story of the occult battle and adolescence starts!
Notes:
- Worldwide premiere of Episode 1 before the Japanese television premiere occurred at Anime Expo July 6, 2024.
- Episodes 1-3 titled as DAN DA DAN: FIRST ENCOUNTER was pre-screened in advance in theaters on September 13, 2024. The regular TV broadcast begins October 2024.
DAN DA DAN has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ダンダダン, ดันดาดัน, 膽大黨, DAN DA DAN: FIRST ENCOUNTER, Dan Da Dan
9. Sono Bisque Doll wa Koi wo Suru
Wakana Gojo is a high school boy who wants to become a kashirashi--a master craftsman who makes traditional Japanese Hina dolls. Though he's gung-ho about the craft, he knows nothing about the latest trends and has a hard time fitting in with his class. The popular kids--especially one girl, Marin Kitagawa--seem like they live in a completely different world. That all changes one day, when she shares an unexpected secret with him, and their completely different worlds collide
My Dress-Up Darling has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: その着せ替え人形〈ビスク・ドール〉は恋をする, Sono Kisekae Ningyou wa Koi wo Suru
8. Tokidoki Bosotto Russiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san
Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou is Seiren Private Academy’s “solitary princess.” She’s a half-Russian beauty with silver hair, at the top of her class, student council accountant, and…completely unapproachable. For some reason, she’s also taken on the responsibility of reprimanding the slacker who sits next to her in class. Masachika Kuze is constantly frustrating her by falling asleep, forgetting his textbooks, and just being an overall unexemplary student. Or at least, that’s how it looks from the outside. She may put on a tough act, but she doesn’t mind Masachika as much as others would think. She even lets him call her by her nickname, Alya. Anyone hearing the comments she mutters in Russian under her breath might know how she really feels, but since none of her classmates understand the language, she’s free to say whatever she likes! Except…there is one person who knows what she’s saying. Masachika eavesdrops on her embarrassing revelations, pretending to be clueless, all the while wondering what her flirtatious comments actually mean!
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 時々ボソッとロシア語でデレる隣のアーリャさん, Roshidere
7. Darling in the FranXX
The distant future: Humanity established the mobile fort city, Plantation, upon the ruined wasteland. Within the city were pilot quarters, Mistilteinn, otherwise known as the “Birdcage.” That is where the children live... Their only mission in life was the fight. Their enemies are the mysterious giant organisms known as Kyoryu. The children operate robots known as FRANXX in order to face these still unseen enemies. Among them was a boy who was once called a child prodigy: Code number 016, Hiro. One day, a mysterious girl called Zero Two appears in front of Hiro. “I’ve found you, my Darling.”
DARLING in the FRANXX has finished airing and it has 24 Episodes. It is also Known as: ダーリン・イン・ザ・フランキス, Darling in the FranXX
6. Detective Conan
Shinichi Kudou, a great mystery expert at only seventeen, is already well known for having solved several challenging cases. One day, when Shinichi sees two suspicious men and decides to follow them, he inadvertently becomes witness to a disturbing illegal activity. When the men catch Shinichi, they dose him with an experimental drug formulated by their criminal organization and abandon him to die. However, to his own astonishment, Shinichi is still alive and soon wakes up, but now, he has the body of a seven-year-old, perfectly preserving his original intelligence. He hides his real identity from everyone, including his childhood friend Ran Mouri and her father, private detective Kogorou Mouri, and takes on the alias of Conan Edogawa (inspired by the mystery writers Arthur Conan Doyle and Ranpo Edogawa). Animated by TMS and adapted from the manga by Gosho Aoyama, Detective Conan follows Shinichi who, as Conan, starts secretly solving the senior Mouri's cases from behind the scenes with his still exceptional sleuthing skills, while covertly investigating the organization responsible for his current state, hoping to reverse the drug's effects someday.
Detective Conan is currently airing and will have Episodes. It is also Known as: Meitantei Conan, 名探偵コナン, Case Closed: One Truth Prevails
5. Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
Iwatani Naofumi, a run-of-the-mill otaku, finds a book in the library that summons him to another world. He is tasked with joining the sword, spear, and bow as one of the Four Cardinal Heroes and fighting the Waves of Catastrophe as the Shield Hero.
Excited by the prospect of a grand adventure, Naofumi sets off with his party. However, merely a few days later, he is betrayed and loses all his money, dignity, and respect. Unable to trust anyone anymore, he employs a slave named Raphtalia and takes on the Waves and the world. But will he really find a way to overturn this desperate situation?
The Rising of the Shield Hero has finished airing and it has 25 Episodes. It is also Known as: 盾の勇者の成り上がり, Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari
4. Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
Two best friends living in a rural Japanese village: Yoshiki and Hikaru. Growing up together, they were inseparable… until the day Hikaru came back from the mountains, and was no longer himself. “Something” has taken over Hikaru’s body, memories, feelings… and everything they know begins to unravel.
The Summer Hikaru Died has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: 光が死んだ夏, Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
3. High School DxD
High school student Issei Hyoudou is your run-of-the-mill pervert who does nothing productive with his life, peeping on women and dreaming of having his own harem one day. Things seem to be looking up for Issei when a beautiful girl asks him out on a date, although she turns out to be a fallen angel who brutally kills him! However, he gets a second chance at life when beautiful senior student Rias Gremory, who is a top-class devil, revives him as her servant, recruiting Issei into the ranks of the school's Occult Research club.
Slowly adjusting to his new life, Issei must train and fight in order to survive in the violent world of angels and devils. Each new adventure leads to many hilarious (and risqué) moments with his new comrades, all the while keeping his new life a secret from his friends and family in High School DxD!
High School DxD has finished airing and it has 12 Episodes. It is also Known as: ハイスクールD×D, Highschool DxD
2. Ranma ½
Ranma Saotome is a top-class martial artist and prodigy at the Saotome "Anything-Goes" school of martial arts. While training in China, he and his father meet a terrible fate when they accidentally fall into a cursed spring. Now, Ranma is cursed to turn into a girl when splashed with cold water, and only hot water can turn him back into a boy.
Things are only complicated further when Ranma discovers that his father has arranged for him to marry one of Soun Tendo's three daughters in order to secure the future of the Tendo dojo. Though Soun learns of Ranma's predicament, he is still determined to go ahead with the engagement, and chooses his youngest daughter Akane, who happens to be a skilled martial artist herself and is notorious for hating men.Ranma ½ follows the hilarious adventures of Ranma and Akane as they encounter various opponents, meet new love interests, and find different ways to make each other angry, all while their engagement hangs over their head.
Ranma ½ has finished airing and it has 161 Episodes. It is also Known as: らんま1/2, Ranma 1/2, Ranma ½ Nettou Hen
1. Futsutsuka na Akujo de wa Gozaimasu ga Hinamiya Chou Nezumi Torikae Den
As maidens from the Five Clans battle for the Crown Prince’s heart, jealous Keigetsu uses forbidden magic to swap bodies with the beloved Reirin. Switching places does not guarantee happiness for Keigetsu with her new body's ill health leaving her hanging on the verge of death. Meanwhile, Reirin, now wearing the face of a scorned outcast, must answer for Keigetsu’s crimes in a dangerous trial.
The unlikely pair become increasingly entangled in each other’s lives and they will need to work together to survive after discovering the dark conspiracies brewing beneath the palace's genial surface. To confront the deadly threats lurking in the shadows, Reirin must embrace her new identity and defy their expectations of the court's inept villainess.
Though I Am an Inept Villainess: Tale of the Butterfly-Rat Body Swap in the Maiden Court has finished airing and it has 11 Episodes. It is also Known as: ふつつかな悪女ではございますが ~雛宮蝶鼠とりかえ伝~, Futsutsuka na Akujo de wa Gozaimasu ga Hinamiya Chou Nezumi Torikae Den
