Romance stories usually prefer realistic situations and settings, with the most popular romance manga usually 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.

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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 the best fantasy romance manga out there, ranked by their MyAnimeList score.

8 Snow White With The Red Hair

MAL Score: 8.23

• Written & Illustrated by Sorata Akizuki
• Published in LaLa
• 26 volumes

Shirayuki is a young herbalist with 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 Hair focuses 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.

7 Red River

MAL Score: 8.30

• Written & Illustrated by Chie Shinohara
• Published in Sho-Comi
• 28 volumes

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 River is an early example of the isekai genre, albeit one that goes to the past rather 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.

6 From Far Away

MAL Score: 8.34

• Written & Illustrated by Kyoko Hikawa
• Published in LaLa
• 14 volumes

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.

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From Far Away is 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.

5 Cardcaptor Sakura

MAL Score: 8.37

• Written & Illustrated by CLAMP
• Published in Nakayoshi
• 12 volumes

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 Sakura is 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.

4 Basara

MAL Score: 8.41

• Written & Illustrated by Yumi Tamura
• Published in Betsucomi
• 27 volumes

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.

Basara is 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.

3 Spice And Wolf

MAL Score: 8.45

• Original novel by Isuna Hasekura; Manga by Koume Keito
• Published in Dengeki Maoh
• 16 volumes

Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant with dreams of opening a shop of his own. While traveling through a village, he discovers a 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.

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Spice and Wolf is 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.

2 Kamisama Kiss

MAL Score: 8.54

• Written & Illustrated by Julietta Suzuki
• Published in Hana to Yume
• 25 volumes

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 Kiss is a romantic comedy involving 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.

1 Yona Of The Dawn

MAL Score: 8.82

• Written & Illustrated by Mizuho Kusanagi
• Published in Hana to Yume
• 43 volumes

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 Dawn is 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.

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