If there is one over arching agreement among harem anime, it is that the male character is not nearly as important as the female cast. You can have a absolutely boring main male lead, but as long as the female cast is done well enough then many people are willing to forgive it. There has been several harem and ecchi series that have had absolutely shitty male leads, but have such a strong female cast (or solid fanservice) that it doesn’t really matter. When it comes down to it, the male lead of a harem/ecchi show isn’t just a factor in its success.
—Shallow Dives in Anime, The Summer of Love: High School DxD’s Issei Hyoudou: A Cut Above the Rest
