Love Hina watch order
Keitaro Urashima has failed the Tokyo University entrance exam twice, but he's still chasing a childhood promise to meet a girl there. When his grandmother hands him her old inn, he finds it has become a girls-only dorm, and he ends up as its live-in manager. A harem romantic comedy based on Ken Akamatsu's manga.
First time? Watch the TV series (24 episodes), the bonus episode 25, the Christmas Special, the Spring Special and the three Love Hina Again OVAs, in that order. The specials carry the main story, so don't skip them.
Release order
Release order is also story order: the TV series, the bonus episode 25, the two specials and then Love Hina Again each pick up where the last left off.
- Love Hina
Keitaro arrives at Hinata House, meets Naru, Shinobu, Motoko, Kitsune and Su, and studies for another try at Todai. A loose adaptation that reorders the manga and adds anime-only characters; it ends before his second exam, with Naru convinced Mutsumi is the promise girl.
- Love Hina: Motoko's Choice, Love or the Sword: Don't Cry
An extra episode that never aired on TV and came out on home video, often counted as episode 25. Motoko's older sister Tsuruko arrives to hand over the family dojo, and Motoko must beat her or marry Keitaro. A side story; watch it after episode 24.
- Love Hina Christmas Special: Silent Eve
A 46-minute special that follows the series. A rumour says a Christmas Eve confession will come true, so Keitaro sets out to finally tell Naru how he feels, and he isn't the only one with that plan. Reviewers tend to rate it well above the TV series.
- Love Hina Spring Special: Kimi Sakura Chiru Nakare!!
A 46-minute special adapting manga volume 8: Keitaro takes the Todai exam again, convinces himself he failed and runs away, ending up on a Pacific island with Seta and Nyamo while Naru and the residents chase after him. Follows on from the Christmas Special.
- Love Hina Again
Keitaro is now a Todai student, but he leaves on a dig with Seta and his sister Kanako takes over Hinata House and turns on the tenants. Adapts the manga's Kanako arc (roughly volumes 11–12), skipping volumes 9–10, and gives the anime its own ending.
Explained
Can I skip the specials?
No. The Christmas and Spring specials move the story further than most of the TV series does: the TV run ends before Keitaro's exam, and the Spring Special is where it happens. The Spring Special also builds on the Christmas one, so watch them in order. Only the 2001 Final Selection, a recap digest paired with concert footage, is safe to skip.
What is episode 25?
A bonus episode made after the TV run and released on home video instead of airing. It's a Motoko side story about her sister Tsuruko. The English DVD sets include it, sometimes on the Christmas Special disc.
Does the anime finish the story?
No. The manga runs 14 volumes, and the anime stops around volume 12 with Love Hina Again, which also ends differently from the manga. The manga's real ending, and the arcs in volumes 9–10 and 13–14, were never animated. Because the TV series reorders and changes so much, start the manga from volume 1 if you want the full story.
How close is the TV series to the manga?
Not very. It introduces the residents one at a time instead of all at once, softens Naru, adds anime-only characters such as Kentaro and Mei Narusegawa, and uses many of its own episode plots.
Is there an English dub, and where can I watch it?
Yes, everything was dubbed: Bandai released the series, episode 25, both specials and Again, and Funimation later reissued the series. In the US the TV series isn't streaming as of October 2026 (discs only); Love Hina Again streams free with ads on services like Pluto TV and RetroCrush.