Summary
Romance storiesusually prefer realistic situations and settings,with the most popular romance mangausually taking place in real-life places and involving normal people. This is mostly because romance as a genre generally tries to be relatable, which is easy to do when the characters and settings are more realistic.
Even so, that doesn’t mean that romance stories that take place in fantasy worlds don’t exist either. There are plenty of romance stories with a fantastical spin on them, whether they be stories that involve magical elements or that exist entirely in other worlds. Here are some of thebest fantasy romance mangaout there, ranked by their MyAnimeList score.
8Snow White With The Red Hair
MAL Score: 8.23
Shirayuki is a young herbalistwith brilliant red hair, a rarity in the Kingdom of Tanbarun. That red hair draws the attention of Tanbarun’s prince, who demands that she becomes his confidant. She escapes the country with the help of an unlikely ally: Zen, the prince of Clarines.
Snow White with the Red Hairfocuses on a Cinderella romance between the common-born Shirayuki and Prince Zen. There are many obstacles in the way of their romance, yet Shirayuki does her best to prove both her own ability as a pharmacist and that she is worthy of standing by Zen’s side.
7Red River
MAL Score: 8.30
Yuri Suzuki was a normal high school girl until a mysterious summoning ritual pulls her into the past, to the time of the Hittite Empire. Rescued from being used as a sacrifice by the handsome Prince Kail, Yuri gets wrapped up in the political drama of the time, soon becoming a major figure in the Empire herself.
Red Riveris an early example of the isekai genre, albeitone that goes to the pastrather than to another world. The series is an epic that chronicles both the story of Yuri’s rise as a heroic figure in the empire and her love story with Prince Kail.
6From Far Away
MAL Score: 8.34
After encountering a mysterious paper bomb, Noriko Tachiki finds herself transported to a world of magic and monsters. With the world in chaos over a mysterious being known as the Awakening, Noriko must rely on a young warrior named Izark, despite not being able to communicate well with each other. However, Noriko is unaware of one crucial detail: she is the Awakening, the only one capable of controlling the mighty Sky Demon.
From Far Awayis an isekai adventure manga from the ’90s,one that predates most modern isekai. While the adventure is the main focus of the story, the romance between the protagonist Noriko and the mysterious Izark is just as vital a focus.
5Cardcaptor Sakura
MAL Score: 8.37
Sakura Kinomoto discovers a set of magical cards known as Clow Cards in the basement of her home, and inadvertently releases them, scattering them all over her home city. Forced to gather them again by Cerberus, the Guardian of the Cards, Sakura soon becomes involved in the world of magic, sealing the cards and slowly learning to use them as her own.
Cardcaptor Sakurais a classic entry in the magical girl subgenre,and one of CLAMP’s most famous works. While the series mostly focuses on the many magical encounters Sakura has with the Clow Cards, there is also an ongoing love triangle that Sakura has with both her crush Yukito and her fellow classmate and Clow Card hunter Syaoran Li.
4Basara
MAL Score: 8.41
Sarasa has always felt inferior to her twin brother Tatara, who has been raised from birth as the child of destiny who would lead a revolution to topple the Golden Emperor, a cruel and vicious tyrant. However, an attack by the Red King ends with Tatara murdered, forcing Sarasa to masquerade as her own brother to keep the flames of revolution alive.
Basarais a fantasy adventure manga set in a version of Japan that suffered a catastrophe long ago. While campaigning to end the rule of the Golden Emperor, Sarasa falls in love with Shuri, a mysterious man she meets while on her travels. Neither of them are aware that they are each other’s worst enemy, as Shuri is the Red King that killed Sarasa’s family.
3Spice And Wolf
MAL Score: 8.45
Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant with dreams of opening a shop of his own. While traveling through a village, he discoversa girl with wolf ears sleeping in his wagon. She introduces herself as Holo, a goddess of harvest, and asks Kraft to take her back to her homeland now that the village no longer has need of her.
Spice and Wolfis a fantasy manga with a focus on economics and mercantile business. However, it also has a slow-burn romance between the two leads that runs throughout the story.
2Kamisama Kiss
MAL Score: 8.54
Nanami Momozono becomes homeless after the debts accrued by her gambling-addicted father cause debt collectors to kick her out. Fortunately, when she helps out a man named Mikage, who is being chased by a dog, Nanami is offered his home in gratitude. Nanami is overjoyed, until she realizes that his home is a shrine, and that Mikage was the former Land God, having now passed his title onto her.
Kamisama Kissis a romantic comedyinvolving traditional Japanese gods and folklore. While it largely involves Nanami getting used to being a god, it also focuses on her budding romance with her familiar, Tomoe.
1Yona Of The Dawn
MAL Score: 8.82
Yona has always lived her life as the spoiled and sheltered princess of Kouka, with her loyal bodyguard Hak and cousin Su-won always by her side. Yona always believed she would one day succeed her father and marry Su-won, but when the man himself starts a coup and kills her father, Yona is forced to come to terms with her new reality and fight to reclaim her kingdom.
Yona of the Dawnis an epic fantasy story taking place in a world heavily influenced by Chinese mythology. While the story is largely about her adventures to gain allies and reclaim her country, there is also an ongoing and tense love triangle between Yona, Su-won, and Hak.
