“Fantasy romance” is such a broad term.
A fantasy romance anime could be having a love affair with a ghost ala Dusk Maiden Amnesia. A fantasy romance could be falling in love with a girl slowly turning invisible like in Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai. A fantasy romance could be having more than one romantically interested girl on deck at any time, like all harem anime.
However, when I think of fantasy romance anime, I think of a romance that happens in an actual fantasy land rather than a Japanese school that just happens to be plagued with supernatural events.
If this too is your idea of fantasy romance anime, then you are in the right place for romance anime recommendations.
Best Fantasy Romance Anime
Snow White With The Red Hair
While Snow White With The Red Hair doesn’t have much in common with the fairy tale it shares a name with, it does carry itself like a fairy tale-inspired romance.
Snow White With The Red Hair follows an apothecary who is forced to flee her home country since she does not want to become the concubine of the prince there. Coincidentally, as she flees across the border to the neighboring country, she meets the prince of that country and comes to admire him. She decided to become an herbalist in the royal court and continues to get to know the prince on a more personal level.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride
The Ancient Magus’ Bride doesn’t start off with the most encouraging set up for romance, but while the series isn’t a romance at first, it grows into one. The series is more a fantasy anime first and a romance anime later.
The Ancient Magus’ Bride starts off with Chise, who was abandoned by her parents, and due to her unique magical abilities, has caused everyone in her life problems. She surrenders herself to be sold as a slave so she would not have to burden anyone or take care of herself. It is at auction where she is bought by a beast skull-faced mage named Elias.
He purchased her not so much to be a slave, but rather to be his apprentice so he can teach her to control her unique magics as a rare type of mage whose uncontrolled magical energy will lead to her early death. It is also off-handedly mentioned that he would like it if she would someday be his bride as well.
As the mage that purchased her is not traditionally human, there are some things of humanity that he doesn’t fully grasp, love being one of them. So in this romance you are sort of watching both the main characters grow and learn from each other as they grow into a love affair.
Spice and Wolf
Spice and Wolf is a fantasy romance anime for those who crave a more mature romance experience where the relationship isn’t all dashing gentleman and swooning moments. Instead, what you get is two people traveling in a cart, talking economics, and growing closer as they get pulled into various local shenanigans in the places they visit.
Spice and Wolf follows a wolf goddess named Holo that was once well revered in a small town for blessing the harvest. However, as belief waned and the villagers grew more self-sufficient, Holo decided to leave. As such, she sneaks onto the cart of a visiting merchant named Lawrence to hitch a ride.
Their journey has a destination for Holo, but the trip is not a short ride. There are many times that the series does not feel much like a romance, but it is what love should feel like – two people progressing to and through friendship towards love.
Maoyu – Archenemy and Hero
You know the old tale where the great hero goes to fight the demon king? It is pretty popular in isekai anime these days, but you find that rarely do the heroes ever make it to the final boss in any kind of expedience. However, Maoyu starts off with the destined hero rushing into the demon king’s palace, finding out the demon king is actually a pretty cute woman, and her telling him that she wants to form a romantic relationship to end a war.
Maoyu is a strange anime that is built on the foundation of the romantic relationship between the hero and the demon king, but it doesn’t actually focus on that relationship as much as you would think. They are dating throughout, but the meat of Maoyu is about the pair trying to set in motion innovations and advancements in agriculture and trade in order to bring peace to the long-waged war between humans and demons without crippling the economies of either realm.
The series does make moments for romance, though perhaps not as many as the hardcore romance anime junkie may like.
Earl and Fairy
As a romance, Earl and Fairy feels like part period piece and part fantasy romance thanks to its infusion of fantasy into its Victorian Britain setting.
The series follows a fairy doctor in Scotland who communicates with faeries and mediates disputes. Of course, everyone thinks she is rather odd and no one believes her. However, one day she is approached by a nobleman in need of someone with vast knowledge of fairy lore who recruits her to find a sword that will prove his lineage as the Earl of the Blue Knights, a peerage granted to the fairy folk by the king.
Of course, the man that hired her is presented as a scoundrel and a swindler, but as his dark past unravels, you see a little more nobility in his motives. In unraveling that, attraction between the pair blooms into actual love.
Romeo X Juliet
While Romeo and Juliet is a pretty good tragic love story, I think we – those who had to read the literature in school – can all agree that the prose is a bit dry for this day and age. It seems Japan also agrees that the classic tale of star-crossed lovers from rival families could use a little spicing up.
In this spiced up rendition, it turns the story between two feuding families into one where the Montagues slaughter the Capulets and seize the control of the kingdom on the floating continent of Neo Verona.
Juliet was hidden away as true heir to the crown, and takes up vigilantism to protect the citizens from tyranny. In doing so, she meets Romeo, the more selfless son of the cruel tyrant king, and the love affair begins to take a more familiar form.
Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World
From Romeo and Juliet re-imagined to a star-crossed love story not using the brand name. Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World is a Romeo and Juliet-style love story, but between two warring fantasy nations instead of families.
In Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World, the Empire continuously persecuted those able to wield magic until they allied together and created their own nation. Now, the empire fights the Nebulis Sovereignty, and on one such battlefield, our main characters, a knight of the the empire and a powerful witch of Nebulis, essentially fall in love at first sight.
This series could have used a little more fleshing out in its world and characters, but it still tells a swoon-worthy romance with plenty of action in between.
Yona of the Dawn
There are quite a few royal romance anime, but usually you see those royals pretty politically secure and safe on their estates. Yona of the Dawn decides to focus on Yona, a young princess who is suddenly forced to flee her castle with her bodyguard after her crush staged a coup.
While that fact that she was romantically interested in the man that ultimately killed her father and took her kingdom adds an interesting element, it is not the actual romance of the series. Instead, a romantic relationship blooms between her and her bodyguard as she tries to gather several men that legend says will help her reclaim her kingdom.
Record of Grancrest War
If you enjoy your fantasy romance anime with a decent amount of action and a good plot to follow, Record of the Grancrest War provides in spades.
This series takes place in a world embroiled in war and also imperiled by the corrupting convergence of dark energy that appears destructively throughout the world. The story follows a young mage woman that meets a warrior on the road that she soon discovers possesses a mysterious crest that allows him to banish instances of dark energy.
The warrior hopes to become a noble to liberate his town from both the dark energy and from its tyrannical ruler, and so the mage forms a contract with him to help both achieve his dream and save the land.
Record of Grancrest War is your typical adventure-filled journey as the duo travel to new places and ultimately save them. All while doing that, it is feeding you moments of them growing closer romantically.
Chivalry of a Failed Knight
I left a large chunk of what I would call “magic school” fantasy anime off this list because, while having an element of romance, that element of romance also came with a harem. Chivalry of a Failed Knight dared to look pretty similar to the masses of magic school anime, but takes a firm stance of having an actual single romance – though it often waves its harem sensibilities menacingly at you from the sidelines.
Chivalry of the Failed Knight takes place exclusively at a magic school where those who can manifest weapons based on their souls train to wield those weapons in battle. They are ranked based on aptitude and, as is tradition in this set up, the main character is considered the weakest. Still keeping with tradition in magic school anime in general, the way of measuring power at this school is simply not compatible with his more unique abilities.
He duels and beats a princess who is also his roommate, after which they come to admire each other’s hard work-honed abilities. From there, a romantic relationship forms and actually makes more progress than it usually does in this type of anime.
WorldEnd: What do you do at the end of the world? Are you busy? Will you save us?
WorldEnd follows the last human taking care of human-like fairies that are used as sacrificial pawns to defeat monsters that humanity unleashed hundreds of years ago. The beast races fled to cities on floating island in the sky, but they still have to take out monsters that pose a risk to them with these small girl soldiers.
While WorldEnd features some interesting world-building, it builds that out by exploring the relationship between the last human and one of the older fairy girls that is getting to the age where death becomes imminent. It threatens to become a tragic romance often as she is forced to choose between her duty to her comrades and her newfound love.
The Familiar of Zero
While many isekai anime choose to become harems, The Familiar of Zero only threatens being a harem while following a progressing main relationship. However, this is a fantasy romance for those that are “long-haul” sort of anime fans since it takes four seasons to see how this tale ends.
The Familiar of Zero takes place in a magic school where self-absorbed Louise earns the nickname of Zero for being unable to cast magic properly. In one attempt to summon a familiar, she ends up summoning a boy from Earth, thus believing she messed up again. However, she notices a brand that is the mark of powerful legendary familiar, Gandalfr.
Typical of any isekai, the boy is indeed powerful so they form a relationship as master and familiar. Of course, The Familiar of Zero comes with a caveat as a romance. Louise is a big tsundere and is often a domineering master to her familiar, which is a dynamic that is not for everyone.
Inuyasha
Inuyasha will always be remembered as more of an action romance anime. As it has moments in the modern world, it seems a rather dubious entry into my specific definition of a fantasy romance as well. However, its plot keeps things just disconnected enough from the real world to make it seem fantasy enough.
Inuyasha follows a Japanese schoolgirl who gets pulled down a well and sent back in time to the Feudal period of Japanese history. There, she discovers that the demons that she thought mere folklore were actually quite real. After unsealing a half-demon boy from a tree and getting attacked for the jewel inside her body – shattering the jewel and sending shards throughout the country – the pair set out on a journey to collect the powerful shards from demons who covet its power.
Selling Inuyasha by its initial plot synopsis is always a strange thing to do. It is an older school action romance anime, and has the plot of such. However, it is also one of the most long-beloved fantasy romances for a reason. The main couple forms a likably contentious duo whose relationship grows and deepens over time.
The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion
This isekai fantasy romance dares to twist the set up away from being another adventure of wish fulfillment for the audience in another world. Instead, it follows a mystery-laced romance where the main character is often dodging her own fated murder.
The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion follows a modern Japanese woman who was mysterious pushed off a roof and reincarnated into the world of a fantasy novel. She realizes that she is Raeliana, a noblewoman whose murder kicks off the story of the novel for the heroine.
Determined not to just die, she breaks off the engagement that would lead to death by blackmailing a mysterious Duke who is his own political maneuvering in the world into a romance with her. At first the pair are using each other, but he is charmed by her actions and she becomes enchanted by his mysterious allure.
If you enjoy your male love interest brooding and mysterious, then The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke’s Mansion is really made for you. It switches between building its romance and playing out the various intrigues of the plot that slowly unfold around the couple.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale is one of the latest entries into the genre of fantasy romance and it embraces the sensibilities of older fantasy romance anime. It features the earnest and hard-working shoujo heroine falling in love with a brooding bodyguard. Now, there is a lot of that on this list, but it actually isn’t a set up you see in a lot of modern romances anymore, and I guess that now makes it unique.
Sugar Apple Fairy Tale takes place in a world where humanity enslaves fairies by stealing one of their wings, thus holding their lives literally in their hands. The story follows Ann who wants to be a silver sugar artisan like her mother. This silver sugar is spun into ornate confections that are beloved by humans for their designs and beloved by fairy folk for their unique taste.
While traveling on an unsafe road, she buys a fairy bodyguard and offers to set him free when she reaches her destination. As is common in romance, they meet danger on the road, but also get to know and understand each other better. Thus, a love begins to form.
Sword Art Online
While Sword Art Online follows characters in a VRMMO and not necessarily in an actual fantasy world, it might not fit this specific definition of fantasy romance anime in a whimsical setting in the strictest sense, but the moments where the characters are in their actual reality are few enough that I figured I would count it.
Sword Art Online follows a gamer who had beta tested and logged into the official launch of a virtual reality MMO. However, he and all the other players get stuck logged into the game and die for real if they die in the game.
On his quest to beat the game and escape, he meets a powerful female player of a well known guild that he, a solo player, teams up with. They build out their relationship in the the usual action romance anime way where they fight together and she comes to admire his strength.
Of course, Sword Art Online actually moves past being trapped in an MMO pretty quickly as they escape within the first season. However, while they end up in other games and scenarios, the relationship between the main character and his love interest persists and is often a central element to his motivations.
The World is Still Beautiful
The World is Still Beautiful may have a simple premise, but not every romance needs to have a wildly intriguing plot or a strong focus on action. Sometimes you just want to see a couple get to know each other and navigate a political climate that teeters on dangerous, you know?
This series follows the daughter of a dukedom where the women in the family posses the ability to call the rain. She is sent to marry the young conqueror of the world and emperor in the Sun Empire where it never rains.
You’d think the story would be about her ability being a necessary thing for them, but it is actually more of a novelty. They seem to be doing okay for never receiving any rain. Instead, the story focuses on this girl meeting her betrothed, discovering that he is more boy than menacing man, and them building a relationship together despite the political maneuverings that threaten both of them.
While the series has its intrigues, it is actually nice to see a royal romance where the couple isn’t immediately in love. They get to know each other and build those feelings over time in a relationship that may have an unconventional age gap, but still ends up as a pretty nice romance.
Bibliophile Princess
If you are a fan of blindingly beautiful royalty, then prepare to be dazzled by the main couple in Bibliophile Princess, because they turn the dial up to eleven.
Bibliophile Princess follows a bookish noble’s daughter who was engaged to the crown prince. She believed their engagement to be a sort of placeholder to prevent scheming around the prince, thus enjoying unrestricted access to the royal library instead. However, the prince’s feelings were in earnest, and when she thinks their relationship might be dissolved, she learns her feelings were too.
Now, a main character realizing she is actually in love with her love interest is typically the climax of many romance anime series. So the fact that Bibliophile Princess actually starts with that is refreshing and it makes it exciting to see what it does next.
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss
Girls being isekai’d into otome games and ending up as the villainess is kind of a growing trend, but I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss is unique in that it commits itself to one single romance and resists all urges to become the obvious reverse harem.
I’m the Villainess, So I’m Taming the Final Boss is about exactly what it says in the title, helpfully enough. A girl dies, ends up in an otome game as the villainess, and is dumped by her fiancee – the crown prince – for the heroine of the otome game. To avoid her eventual death, she decides to romance the crown prince’s brother, the demon lord, so he doesn’t undergo a transformation that will lead to her death.
While the series does have some reverse harem vibes to it, it never wavers for its singular romance plot. In fact the romance between the main couple is very often the motivating factor for the plot itself. While it takes some turns towards relationship drama, this series enjoys quite a few light-hearted moments that never let anything feel too dire.
Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts
This isn’t the first beauty and the beast romance anime on this list, but it is probably one of the more on-the-nose ones. Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts follows a human girl sent to the king of beasts as a sacrifice that the humans send to keep the peace. With no home to go back to and no real reason to live, her lack of fear charms the king. She soon learns that he was only pretending to be fierce in order to keep his subjects in line and had been sparing the sacrifices. She also learns that he is only half-beast and occasionally returns to a human form.
Charming him and learning his secrets, the king decides to take her as a bride. However, even a king cannot choose to marry a human without issue from his subjects. The series focuses, in part, on their growing relationship, but also on the troubles that their love causes the kingdom.
The Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotent
The Saints Magic Power is Omnipotent is an isekai anime with shoujo romance sensibilities. It follows an older office lady who gets summoned to another world. She discovers that the prince meant to summon a saint that would purge the darkness, but they accidentally summoned two girls. The prince chose the younger girl and our main character is just sort of set adrift.
She ends up using her newfound magic to create powerful potions and enjoys having a fulfilling job. This job also ultimately introduces her to a young knight, whose life she saves and the event starts their growing relationship.
The Saints Magic Power is Omnipotent is one of those fantasy anime where the romance is an element, but not the central element. You are very much following the main character’s journey here, and romance is only one part of that.
Maria the Virgin Witch
When the major threat wielded in this series is that the titular witch will lose her magic if she loses her virginity, you know she is in imminent danger of falling in love.
Maria the Virgin Witch is about a witch living in medieval France during the Hundred Years’ War against England. As war is often most destructive for the common folk, she uses her magic to try to disrupt it. The heavens, upset with her intervention, make the threat that they will take away her powers if she does not stop and loses her virginity. She does not stop.
Maria The Virgin Witch focuses more on her exploits than the romance. However, she does develop a relationship with a young common man that is enamored with her and shares her idealistic viewpoints. This is one of those rare fantasy romance anime where the actual non-romantic plot of the series is actually really amazing.
Chillin’ in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King’s Army
Perhaps “romance” is a strong word for this particular anime, but in all technicality, it does progress its romantic relationship far further than most other fantasy romance anime on this list.
Chillin’ in My 30s after Getting Fired from the Demon King’s Army follows a man who was forced out of the demon king’s army after years of loyal service by a jealous new boss. He wanders and is eventually taken in by a struggling human town where he discovers that he is also a human rather than a inept demon like he thought.
There, he starts to help the human town flourish by solving various problems. Of course, he is also the target of the affection from the human girl that he saved. She is particularly aggressive with her love, and that’s probably why the romantic relationship progresses so fast and so far.
While the romance moments are cute, they aren’t really the focus of this anime. It is more an action/slice of life fantasy series with romance in it rather than a strictly fantasy romance anime.
Banished From The Hero’s Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside
You know what’s weird? The light novel for Banished From The Hero’s Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside is actually a pretty action-dense series. So it is weird that the anime condensed that action down quite a bit to create what is distinctly more of a slice of life fantasy romance focusing on the main couple, but it works, because for the romance fans – that was the good stuff anyway.
Banished From The Hero’s Party, I Decided To Live A Quiet Life In The Countryside is another case of being about literally what it says in the title. A guy was convinced he was holding his sister, the hero, back by a jerk in his party, so he left to go start an apothecary. An adventuring companion from his past meets him there and declares that she is going to live with him.
So they do slice of life things together to get their business up and running, and you watch as that relationship deepens into romance.
The biggest surprise is that this is one of those ultra-rare fantasy romance anime where they actually take things to bed. Things don’t often progress that far in this genre of fairy tale romance, and I certainly wasn’t expecting this one in particular to go there.
Do you have more fantasy romance anime recommendations for interested love junkies? Let fans know in the comments section below.
