8 Most Iconic Otome Love Interests

Highlights

• Otome games offer a variety of charming love interests, from sweet lovers to cold tsunderes, capturing players’ hearts.
• Characters like Okita Souji, Sylus, and Artem Wing stand out for their loyalty and endearing love stories in their respective games.
• Love interests like Zen, Orlok, and Karma bring depth and complexity to their relationships, making players reevaluate their perceptions.

Otome games have capture hearts with their swoon-worthy male leads. Each game has a variety of men to choose from, all ranging in age, personality, and looks. The best thing about otome games is the options players get to peruse. The only downside is that, often, all the love interests can be equally charming and hard to forget. But, there are instances where certain men stand out.

From the sweetheart lover boy, to the cold tsundere, to the obsessive yandere, the one thing all these boys have in common is their loyalty and love for the heroine. They make everyone’s hearts beat a little faster. Here are some otome love interests who have the most endearing love stories in their respective games.

8 Okita Souji

Hakuouki: Kyoto Winds and Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms

• Release Dates: 2015 and 2016
• Platforms: PS2, PSP, PS3, Nintendo Switch, Mobile, PS Vita, DS
• Developer: Idea Factory

As the Captain of the Shinsengumi’s 1’st Division, Okita Souji is the snarky, uncaring hothead who has no problems throwing in death threats to pacify a situation. At first glance, he comes off as a brash, ruthless warrior. But in reality, he’s a good-natured person. Hakuouki players can see the complexity behind his character, and how his struggles shaped him into the person he is today.

To him, all that mattered was being useful to Kondou Isami. As he grew older, he began to lose his understanding of the value of life and when to take another. His moral compass is practically broken, and since he sees himself as nothing but a weapon, his protection over Chizuru (the heroine) is all about duty. It’s only later on, that players begin to see changes in his behavior towards her, breaking down his mile-high walls as he begins to relearn what it means to care for someone.

7 Sylus

Love and Deepspace

• Release Date: 2024
• Platform: Mobile
• Developer: InFold Pte. Ltd

Known for its spectacular 3D imagery and interactivity, Love and Deepspace presented their latest heartthrob Sylus in the summer of 2024. Sylus is the definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He’s the leader of Onychinus, a cutthroat underworld faction residing in the abandoned N109 Zone. He’s a walking red flag in comparison to the initial three love interests, but has managed to make the entire community pine after him.

Sylus is quite the elusive character and often more brash in his actions, coming close to hurting the MC when he first found out she entered the N109 Zone. It’s only when he finds out that she’s purposely suppressing her Evol out of fear for him, that he begins to take a more thoughtful approach. He’s rude, blunt, and downright obsessive on certain occasions, which makes his ‘gap moe’ even more attractive when he shows his undying loyalty and kindness towards the little things.

6 Artem Wing

Tears of Themis

• Release Date: 2020
• Platform: Mobile
• Developer: Hoyoverse

The heroine’s kind and older senior at work, Artem Wing, is the man to fawn after in Tears of Themis. He’s the most mature character of the lot, and knows how to treat a woman right. Artem too has quite the ‘gap moe’ when it comes to his actions towards the MC. He’s been called emotionless, and though that is due to his upbringing, the time he spende with Rosa (MC) proves his ability to change and grow.

He’s calm and logical in most situations, and only emotional when he opens up to Rosa. It is even more endearing to know that, despite his meticulous persona, Artem is actually a clumsy person (both in life and love). He has tried many times to pursue an office romance with Rosa, but something always goes wrong. The two of them have a mature and stable romance, as they see each other’s flaws as a learning opportunity.

5 Toma

Amnesia: Memories

• Release Date: 2015
• Platform: Nintendo Switch, PC, IOS, Android, PS Vita
• Developer: Idea Factory

Toma might be one of the most divisive love interests in otome game history. Some players praise his actions as acts of all-consuming love, whilst others think his route is trauma central. Toma, in all routes, is the classic example of the nice childhood friend who is secretly a yandere. His love is borderline obsessive, going so far as to trap the MC in a cage when she escapes the house in search of a way to help jog her memories.

He makes for an interesting love interest because of the complexity of his character. The minute he feels like the MC is going to be taken away, his true colors begin to surface. One can argue that his obsession can be viewed in an endearing sense, as his love is just a little twisted. He is the perfect definition of “people do crazy things when they’re in love,” and the development of his yandere personality depends on the ending players obtain.

4 Zen

Mystic Messenger

• Release Date: 2016
• Platform: Mobile
• Developer: Cheritz

Zen’s personality is that of the flirtatious and eccentric sweetheart. He often comes off as narcissistic, but deep down, he has very low self-esteem. His route is misunderstood because of his larger-than-life personality. Zen faced a lot of mental and emotional abuse growing up, being told by his family that he was ugly and could never amount to anything. Because of this, he’s quite sensitive to other people’s emotions and their views of him.

He constantly brings up his appearance because it’s the only way he knows how to convince himself he’s worthy of love. It’s a realistic depiction of trauma when the MC comes to understand the complications behind his personality and the struggles he faces with loving himself. Compared to the other love interests, Zen is extremely selfless in his actions towards the MC and always puts her first despite his own feelings.

3 Orlok

Piofiore: Fated Memories

• Release Date: 2018
• Platform: Nintendo Switch
• Developer: Design factory, Otomate, Idea Factory

Piofiore: Fated Memories is a classic otome that covers an intense whirlwind romance with members of the Mafia. Liliana, the heroine, is thrown into a world of chaos, and one of the more stable love interests is Orlok. Orlok and Liliana’s relationship can be described as the ‘found family’ trope. The relationship between the two of them is wholesome and heartbreaking, as they not only learn how to find their humanity, but also learn what it means to love and be loved.

Orlok captures hearts with his complicated backstory and the psychological effects it left. He’s an angel (character-wise), but has a heart-wrenching story. The heroine is paired with him exceptionally well, as the two of them have to learn and grow together. It’s a beautiful rendition of grief, loss, love, and hope for a future where happiness does not come at the expense of someone else’s sacrifice.

2 Karma

Cinderella Phenomenon

• Release Date: 2017
• Platform: PC
• Developer: Dicesuki

Everyone loves a knight in shining armor to save the day, and Karma from Cinderella Phenomenon is the perfect gentleman to take up the mantle. Karma, or Klaude, is the crown prince from a neighboring kingdom who comes to Angielle in hopes of breaking his Fairy Tale curse. He’s known for his exceptional beauty and elegant poise, and so people are easily fooled when he cross dresses as a woman. However, he’s also one of the most arrogant and vain love interests in the game.

Klaude and Lucette’s (MC) relationship is portrayed beautifully. She is wary of his flashy advances, while he has a habit of running away when things get too real. As the two of them spend time together, they both learn how to trust and respect each other, building on that before advancing to any feelings of love.

1 Ayato Sakamaki

Diabolik Lovers

• Release Date: 2012
• Platform: PSP, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch
• Developer: Rejet

Ayato Sakamaki might be one of the most controversial love interests in the otome game category, but something about him manages to capture a player’s interest. He’s extremely rude and loves to bully others, narcissistic to the core. He has had the roughest childhood out of all his brothers, and his mother’s parenting led to his twisted beliefs about love and compassion.

He has never known what it means to receive unconditional love, which is why his actions towards Yui (MC) can be atrocious. Ayato, despite his faults, is frozen in time, stuck in the mindset of that boy who never received his mother’s approval. Yui’s relationship with him slowly aids him in breaking free from that mindset, and he slowly begins to understand what it means to love someone without gaining some benefit.