Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-37185619-20181020220225/@comment-35248429-20200402202945

Harems don't generally have canon relationships that other girls in the series recognize and respect. They generally don't have the girls give up on a relationship with the main character. And most harems involve having all the main girls constantly around the main character, which also isn't a thing with SAO.

There are harem elements sure, but SAO is clearly not like any harem series I've ever watched or read.