Anime has entertained fans in more ways than one can imagine with action, adventure, and comedy. When it comes to romance, the industry takes off. Shojo, harem, slice-of-life, and the like have shown fans new flavors of romance and brought new potential to the date night formula that mainstream media can get all too comfortable with.
There is no greater example of how surreal, metaphorical, and outright strange anime romance can get than its supernatural couples. Anime has paired all combinations of ghosts, werewolves, and zombies, fueling and somehow surpassing all the weirdness of fanfiction. As Valentine's Day draws near, audiences should watch these special romances that show how otherworldly love can be.
Updated on February 13th, 2023 by Alexandra Locke: Romance is one of the most beloved anime genres because of how versatile it can be. In the anime realm, love can come from anyone, anywhere with little regard for science or reality. Though it is one of the strangest, supernatural romance anime let audiences explore never-before-seen pairings with the stakes of their relationships ranging from distance to death. These anime are so beloved because they can highlight humanity by stretching the limitations of what it means to be human. With so many popular titles in the genre, this article has been updated to include even more of fans' favorite supernatural anime romances.
15 Usagi Tsukino & Mamoru Chiba Are Destined For Each Other
Sailor Moon
Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba are a love story across time in Sailor Moon. Their past lives as the Moon Princess and Earth Prince are not initially known to them, yet they are drawn to each other anyway. Though they do not immediately get along in their new lives, it is only a matter of time before Usagi and Mamo realize their true feelings for each other.
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask are an enduring love story because of the sacrifices they make for one another - especially on Sailor Moon’s side. Additionally, this couple always manages to find each other no matter how much distance or time is between them.
14 Hotaru & Gin Must Stay Apart
Hotarubi No Mori E
Summer romance is such a transcendental and nostalgic period for budding young lovers. It is a fleeting, heated time filled with passionate meetings and hard goodbyes. Such is the story and romance of Hotarubi no Mori e. As a young girl, Hotaru was entranced by the legend of a spirit living within the forests of her uncle's home. When she ventures out at the tender age of six, she actually finds the mysterious Gin.
After meeting Gin, Hotaru learns that she cannot touch him lest she risks making him disappear. Despite this, every year when she visits her uncle, Hotaru and Gin become closer and closer, creating a love that makes Gin's curse more difficult to endure. It is a quiet, distant tale that personifies the melancholy of summer love.
13 Nanami Momozono & Tomoe Learn To Get Along
Kamisama Kiss
Nanami Momozono is down on her luck until a genteel stranger offers her a place to stay. Unfortunately, the dilapidated shrine is more occupied than she was led to believe, and soon, Nanami becomes the new god of the shrine.
The shrine familiar, Tomoe does not take kindly to newcomers - at first. Yet, the more Nanami does for the shrine, the more Tomoe begins to feel that she might not be such a bad god after all. Kamisama Kiss’s endearing supernatural romance full of spirits that audiences cannot get enough of.
12 Sophie & Howl See Past Their Flaws
Howl's Moving Castle
Hayao Miyazaki knows how to characterize the subtleties and intimacy of a quiet life with surprising and expressive spectacle and movement. With his talent for comforting magic and emotion, Miyazaki has created a romance that delights fans to this day.
Howl's Moving Castle, showcases the strange, budding relationship between the humble Sophie and the great wizard Howl. Starting on a less-than-traditional foot, Sophie meets and connects with Howl, as she tries to break a curse that makes her appear old. Slowly, Sophie builds a relationship with him and his castle's wards by being a loving caretaker. Howl and Sophie fit together perfectly as one brings a world of magic, while the other makes a cold castle into a warm home.
11 Chihiro & Sanka Prove There's Love After Life
Sankarea
is a strangely enticing romance. Chihiro Furuya's unorthodox love for zombies comes in unexpectedly handy after he meets a lonely girl. Wanting to escape her abusive household, Rea Sanka takes a special potion of Chihiro's creation and becomes a zombie herself.
After surviving the zombification process, Sanka hopes to gain Chihiro's affection now that she has transformed. In this undead romance, the two begin to learn more about each other's worlds, as they also work to figure out what to do with Rea's decaying body.
10 Tohru Honda & Kyo Sohma Find Each Other's Plums
Fruits Basket
Though both Kyo Sohma and Tohru Honda have been through a lot, they both find comfort and companionship in each other. Each knows the pain of loss and they help each other see the good inside. Tohru especially helps Kyo know that he has a light inside of him since Kyo despises the fact that he turns into a literal monster without a special bracelet.
Though they cannot initially embrace without Kyo transforming into a cat, he and Tohru share small moments that build up their relationship throughout Fruits Basket. Tohru and Kyo’s love for each other is so strong that it trumps Akito’s hold on Kyo - finally breaking his spell.
9 Sakuta & Mai Never Let The Other Slip Away
Rascal Does Not Dream Of Bunny Girl Senpai
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl-Senpai brings a menagerie of high school tribulations to light when a group of girls begins to manifest their problems as supernatural abilities. Thankfully, they have Sakuta Asusagawa to help them, as he seems to be the only one unaffected by their sudden powers.
The girls' internal struggles to deal with pressure and confusion during adolescence turn into strange, powers that can change time, clone people, and make someone invisible. When Mai Sakurajima wishes to disappear from the public eye, Sakuta is the only one who can see her - not just physically, but emotionally as well. Mai and Sakuta - though very different - form an enduring romance that overcomes Mai fading from existence.
8 Hana & Ookami Start A Family
Wolf Children
Wolf Children is the humble yet tragic romance of two college lovers. Hana meets Ookami sitting in on one of her class lectures and becomes intrigued by his demeanor. Despite his best efforts to keep his distance from her, the two begin to fall in love, forcing Ookami to reveal his darkest secret: He is the last werewolf.
Hana sees past this and decides to build a new, unusual life with the wolf man, showcasing a love that transcends species. The couple starts a family, and though they are not together long, Hana and Ookami show that deep love can come from the most unlikely of places.
7 Elias & Chise Practice Magic
The Ancient Magus' Bride
affinity for the magical world has created several complications in her everyday life. Not even understood by her own mother and especially the foster family she was left with upon her mother's death, Chise has always felt isolated and ashamed.
That all changes when she is bought in an auction by the cow-skulled magus, Elias. Though her life is subject to his per their contract, Elias introduces her to an entire world that not only welcomes her magical abilities but also nurtures them. Elias shows Chise a world where she not only belongs but also provides a home that she is not afraid to come back to. Elias also finds comfort in Chise as she is one of the few people who can understand him and is brave enough to quell his darker side. Needing and supporting one another, the two are a magical pair in The Ancient Magus' Bride.
6 Jintan & Menma Overcome Regret
Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day
The relationship between Jinta “Jintan” Yadomi and Meiko “Menma” Honma began when they were children. Yet now that Jintan is a teenager, their relationship is a lot more complicated, as he is haunted by Menma’s specter in Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day.
Menma and Jintan are a tragic romantic couple. Their pairing not only highlights Jintan’s grief but his regret about not openly reciprocating Menma’s feelings when they were revealed to him. Now that he seemingly has this second chance, Jintan is reluctant to let go of Menma, but he knows he has to in the end.
5 Akihito & Mirai Come Together By Accident
Beyond The Boundary
Kyoto Animation has acted as host to a variety of cute and decadent shojou series that entertain with their strong emotion and breathtaking animation. Beyond the Boundary is no exception. When the trials and tribulations of high school mix with an ongoing conflict with demons and magical girls who can manipulate blood, two students find themselves unexpectedly linked.
When Mirai goes on the alert and hunts down a demon that she senses nearby, she accidentally strikes one of her classmates, Akihito. Fortunately enough, not only is Akihito understanding but is immortal as well. From there, the two get closer as Akihito serves as practice for Mirai's training, and Mirai enters the school's Literary Club at Akihito's behest.
4 Inuyasha & Kagome Search For A Jewel
Inuyasha
One of the most fundamental supernatural romances across all anime, the time-tested tale of Inuyasha and Kagome is one of the major influences for a lot of budding anime fans. Kagome is the reincarnation of the priestess who sealed Inuyasha's abilities long ago in the anime, Inuyasha.
However, instead of just quelling the demon dog again, Kagome befriends him and joins his journey to collect the shattered remnants of the Shikon Jewel. From there, they grow a relationship as Kagome learns more about the softer side of Inuyasha, and he lets his guard down to a human being. It is a love story for both the history books and many otaku's first fanfictions.
3 Shinra & Celty Are An Eccentric Pair
Durarara!!
!!'s Ikebukuro District is a city filled with a thousand people with a thousand stories each. Every tale is more strange and less traditional than the one before it. Above all the other kooky things that go on in town, its landmark mystery is the elusive motorcyclist with the missing head. A rumor at her best and a demon at her worst, Celty is not exactly the most relatable figure in Ikebukuro.
However, what she lacks in society is more than made up for within her little apartment, when a long day's work brings her back to the doctor who has loved her since childhood. Celty is everything that Shinra has ever wanted. Shinra is unafraid and even fascinated by her entire being. In a relationship whose personality is louder than even Celty's bike, there are a lot of stories going on in the apartment.
2 Taki Tachibana & Mitsuha Miyamizu Transcend Distance, Time, and Death
Your Name
Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu meet under bizarre circumstances, as they suddenly begin switching bodies. Though they are separated by a great distance, the pair comes to learn a lot about each other, and they slowly start to fall in love.
However, Taki and Mitsuha are separated by more than just distance, leading Taki to go on a quest to find Mitsuha and bring her back somehow. Even when his plan succeeds, the two remain apart, but Taki never gives up hope - even into his adulthood when he recognizes a familiar face. Your Name shows how the power of love can transcend time, space, and even death.
1 Araragi & Senjougahara Star In Their Very Own Love Ghost Story
Monogatari Series
The Monogatari Series is famous for its surreal animation, introspective dialogue, and its wide cast of characters that are eccentric in every molecule of their being. Case in point: The series' romance entry for this list started when the half-vampire Araragi offered Senjougahara assistance to remove a curse that made her near lighter than air.
Having to fight off a ghost crab in the process, the two soon start a romance that has the duo cross and combat both supernatural and high school nonsense. This series is known for its unusual cast of characters, but Araragi and Senjougahara take things to the next level as boyfriend and girlfriend.
Post a Comment