Summary
Some people take the ‘magical’ feeling of falling in love a bit too literally. While plenty of fantasy anime have romantic subplots, some series make the romance front and center, whether they’re set on Earth or in a fantasy realm the protagonist gets “isekai’d” to. Fantasy works provide fans with a world where anything is possible, so its settings are ripe for some truly spellbinding love stories.
As expected, a lot of these stories focus on the growing relationships betweenhumans and supernatural or fantastical non-humans. Others barely acknowledge the ‘fantasy’ part, focusing more on character development and the characters' romantic relationship(s). Let’s check out thebest fantasy romance anime.
Only anime series will be included. The focus will be on anime that scream “fantasy,” rather than shows that incorporate a few fantastical or supernatural ideas. For example,Fruits Basketwill not be included.
Updated on June 14, 2025, by Mark Sammut:Winter 2025 has been going on for roughly three weeks by this point, and a few fantasy romance anime are starting to make waves.
Sharing the scriptwriter and director forSpice and Wolf,Maoyusimilarly follows the developing relationship between the two leads in a fantasy realm. However, unlike Holo and Lawrence, the romance between the Hero and the Demon Queen is more of a slow burn. The story is about a hero (who is never named) who sets out to defeat the ruler of the Demon World and bring peace to the world, which has been divided into two warring factions, the Human World and the Demon World.
To his surprise, the Demon Queen (who is also never named) is a kind and caring ruler, who lends assistance to the Hero to end the war between humans and demons. Thus begins the unlikely alliance between the Hero and the Demon Queen, working to come up with a plan that’ll benefit both realms. Lovers from opposing sides is a tried-and-true formula for romance, andMaoyucovers the concept well by featuring two protagonists who quickly transcend an initial adherence to tropes. While their relationship serves as the story’s beating heart, Yuusha and Maou’s romance is more the fuel behind change rather than the priority. The anime also ends too soon, leaving the love story incomplete.
Fantasy romance animeoccasionally revolve around questionable power dynamics or age gaps, andSugar Apple Fairy Talehas both. Set in a fantastical world where humans have mostly enslaved fairies, the story follows Ann Halford, a 15-year-old aspiring sugar confectioner who wants to become a Silver Sugar Master. To help her on this journey, she buys Shall Fen Shall (aka Challe), a warrior fairy who has been around for 50+ years. They have a fairly volatile relationship at first, which makes sense due to humans' historically terrible treatment of fairies, but they grow closer as Ann’s desire for equality warms Challe’s heart.
Sugar Apple Fairy Taleis well-rounded. Theshojo animehas gorgeous animation, an interesting world that is relatively well-established, and great characters, including a few very easy-to-hate antagonists. Challe and Ann’s romance is kept as subtext for most of the anime’s run, and they are kept apart for nearly all of Part 2. That said, when they are together, their chemistry shines through.
Set in a fantastical version of England,The Ancient Magus' Bridefollows a fifteen-year-old orphan girl named Chise Hatori, who decides to sell herself at an auction just to find a home. She gets bought by an enigmatic mage named Elias Ainsworth, a centuries-old, seven-foot-tall humanoid with a deer skull for a head.
The magus, impressed with Chise’s innate magical abilities, makes her his apprentice and future bride. They form a complex and multifaceted relationship, with Chise learning to hone her magical abilities and Elias learning about human emotions and behavior. With gorgeous artwork and animation, the series is a must-watch for fans of classic fantasy stories. However, it should be said that romance is not necessarily the best way to describe Elias and Chise’s relationship. The magus does not experience emotions like humans, so he does not feel traditional romantic love towards Chise. They are still great partners though.
Set in a fantasy world inspired by Japanese, Korean, and Chinese cultures,Yona of the Dawnfollows Princess Yona of the Kouka kingdom, who, after witnessing her cousin murder her father, escapes the palace with her childhood friend and bodyguard Son Hak.
To reclaim their kingdom, Hak and Yona embark on a journey to recruit the four Dragon Warriors. Throughout her journey, Yona sheds her sheltered upbringing, learning to wield a bow, becoming a capable, responsible leader, and developing a romance with Hak.
Yona of the Dawnis an all-around fantastic fantasy anime, but romance is (ultimately) a relatively small part of the equation. Just to be clear, Hak and Yona have a stellar dynamic that shines in every one of their scenes, but they have way more pressing issues taking up their attention than love. The anime contains a few romantic moments, but they are not that common.
These days,most fantasy anime tend to be isekai stories, andThe Saint’s Magic Power is Omnipotentis no exception. Office lady Sei, after a long day at work, gets summoned to a fantasy world as a ‘Saint’ - someone who will restore peace to the kingdom. Unfortunately for her, she’s not the ‘true’ Saint. That title was bestowed upon Aira, a 16-year-old girl who was summoned alongside Sei.
With no way to go back home, Sei decides to make the most of her situation, studying herbs and potions and discovering her exceptional magical talents in the process, even saving a commander named Albert Hawke with a healing potion she made. Slowly but surely, they develop feelings for each other, resulting in an enjoyablefantasy romance isekai animethat plays out mostly like a slice of life. Sei is the star of the show here, but she has a fun dynamic with Albert, who is not reduced to just the perfect partner.
My Happy Marriageis a heartwarming josei romance set in a fantastical version of the Taisho era. It follows Miyo Saimori, a woman seemingly destined to live a tragic life. Born with no magical talents, her stepmother and stepsister brutally mistreat her, and her hopes of finally escaping are shattered when she discovers she is to marry an allegedly cold and cruel commander named Kiyoka Kudou.
Her hope comes back, however, when she discovers that Kiyoka is nothing like his reputation would suggest. After finally finding the kindness she has been craving all her life, Miyo slowly starts to build a new life with her husband-to-be. Miyo is the main attraction, with her growth anchoring and driving the story forward. Kiyoka serves as a great support figure who gives her the confidence to overcome her trauma, which is depicted in quite graphic detail. As solid as this series is,My Happy Marriagearguably does not quite manage to achieve greatness, at least not consistently. Still,Winter 2025’s sequel seasonis a pretty good continuation.
The World is Still Beautifultells the story of two lands: the Sun Kingdom and the Rain Dukedom. Nike Lemercier,the fourth princess of the Rain Dukedom, has the power to control the rain, and that makes her the top choice for a political marriage with the Sun Kingdom’s ruler.
The Sun King, Livius Ifrikia, is rumored to be a ruthless leader, making Nike apprehensive about the marriage. Much like Kiyoka fromMy Happy Marriage, however, Livius is not the tyrant he is rumored to be and actually cares deeply for his people. While the two initially get married for political reasons, they soon start to form an emotional bond with each other. The anime gradually chronicles their budding relationship, one that quietly transforms from a marriage of convenience to one of love.
Shakugan no Shanahas had a huge influence on fantasy romance light novels, specifically withits take on the ‘tsundere’ archetype. High school student Yuji Sakai gets caught in the middle of a conflict between powerful beings known as Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens, leading him to encounter a Flame Haze named Shana.
Crimson Denizens feed on the essence of living beings, and Flame Hazes like Shana are tasked with eradicating them. Discovering that Yuji has the power to restore the essence consumed by the Denizens, Shana vows to protect him and, together, they embark on a journey to restore balance to the Crimson Realm.
Blending action and romance,Shakugan no Shanais just an awesome thrill ride that gives both leads ample moments to shine as individuals and as a couple. The anime ramps up the romantic aspect more than the manga as well, resulting in a different but still worthwhile story.
The Vision of Escaflownehas ignited many debates about whatdemographic it’s aimed at, since it features bishonen characters and a romance plot typical of most shojo series, along with the action and adventure elements common in shonen. It follows an ordinary 15-year-old girl named Hitomi Kanzaki, who gets transported into an alternate dimension named Gaea.
Discovering a talent for fortune-telling, she soon becomes embroiled in a war and a love triangle between a young prince named Van Fanel and a knight named Allen Schezar. The anime has been praised for its genre-blending, production, and dramatic music. Both Van and Hitomi are given a lot to do and are not defined by their relationship, despite the latter very much influencing change in both of them.The Vision of Escaflownehas pacing issues that result in a muddled final few episodes, but the ride is still worth taking.
A modern classic in shojo anime,Snow White with the Red Hairtells the story of a herbalist named Shirayuki. Despite her name meaning ‘Snow White,’ she stands out in her kingdom because of her bright red hair, which has attracted some unwanted attention from the prince of a neighboring kingdom, who tries to force her to become his concubine.
Refusing to be treated as a possession, she cuts off her ponytail and flees her kingdom. During her escape, she meets Zen Wistalia, the prince of Clarines, who offers her sanctuary in his kingdom. Shirayuki, grateful for his help, decides to pursue her dream of becoming a court herbalist of Clarines while growing closer to Zen and his friends. Shirayuki is primarily driven by her passion for medicine, and she is always pursuing a desire to improve herself rather than defining her future through a partner. Zen is pretty similar too, as he comes to appreciate and love Shirayuki through shared experiences rather than an immediate infatuation.
