Romance plays a big role in many anime series. However, not every anime love story has a happy ending. Some of the best romances in anime are the ones that never come to be. Passionate and heartfelt, these stories tell of star-crossed lovers who will never get their happily ever after.
Whether it’s due to outside forces or something within, many anime couples don’t end up together in the end. From Gurren Lagann’s Simon and Nia to Inuyasha and Kikyo, anime is full of couples who just aren’t meant to be. These tragic tales are an emotional rollercoaster of ups and downs, but despite their heartbreaking outcomes, they’re often the most memorable.
10 Most Romantic Anime Couples Of All Time, Ranked
Most romantic couples care for each other so deeply that their love is palpable to audiences.10 Korra & Mako (The Legend Of Korra)
When The Legend of Korra first aired, the budding romance between Korra and Mako felt like a match made in heaven. Their undeniable chemistry made fans instantly fall in love with them. However, it didn't take long for this love story to take a wrong turn.
Korra and Mako's romantic relationship became irreparably damaged by the frustrating and unwanted love triangle forced into the story. By Book Two, any chemistry this pair had slowly faded and they became a disastrous couple no one could root for. However, their relationship improved immensely after their break up, proving they just made better friends in the end.
9 Princess Emeraude & Zagato (Magic Knight Rayearth)
Princess Emeraude is the ruler of the magical land of Cephiro in the classic series Magic Knight Rayearth. Acting as her world's pillar, Emeraude must devote herself entirely to her realm and kingdom. But despite her duties, she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with the high priest Zagato, which leads to Cephiro's downfall.
To keep her world from ending she summons the Legendary Magic Knights to kill her and choose a new pillar. However, they slay Zagato instead, thinking he had kidnapped the princess and caused Cephiro's suffering. With this tragic end, Emeraude and Zagato's love came to a sudden and heartbreaking end. Torn apart by their roles, this doomed couple can only be together in death.
10 Anime Characters Who Lost Their Soulmate
There are few more tragic moments in anime than when fate or circumstance rips a pair of soulmates apart.8 Shinji Ikari & Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Though short-lived, the relationship between Shinji Ikari and Kaworu Nagisa is one of the most complex and interesting in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Kaworu only spends a brief moment with Shinji, but he leaves an undeniable impact on him through their connection. He shows Shinji more compassion and understanding than anyone else around him, something he desperately needs more than he realizes.
Sadly, though they form an incredible bond in such a short time, their relationship can't last. As the events of the Third Impact begin to unfold, the two are torn apart. Though they're destined to become enemies, the fleeting love they share is real and could have been just what they both needed under different circumstances.
7 Ahiru & Mytho (Princess Tutu)
Princess Tutu is the story of a duck who turns into a girl named Ahiru and is granted the power to transform into the titular ballerina heroine. As Princess Tutu, Ahiru uses her ballerina magic to collect the shards of Prince Mytho's shattered heart.
As Ahiru performs her duty as Princess Tutu, she can't help but fall in love with the storybook prince.
However, the two can never be together, for if she ever confesses her love to Mytho, Ahiru will vanish into a speck of light. Thus, this tragic heroine has no choice but to put her feelings aside and restore her prince's heart, even if it means he'll end up giving it to another.
6 Eren Yeager & Mikasa Ackerman (Attack On Titan)
Eren Yeager and Mikasa Ackerman are the tragic main couple of Attack on Titan. Joined at the hip since childhood, Eren and Mikasa have always adored each other. As they grew older, their friendship quickly became something more.
But though they could have easily become the power couple of AOT, Eren and Mikasa's romance was destined for disaster.
Slowly but surely, Eren pushes Mikasa away, hoping she'll live on without him. Their once-great relationship is strained as the series progresses, and it only gets worse as Eren becomes a shell of the person he once was. By the final arc, it's clear that a happy ending is impossible for them and their love will only end in heartbreak.
5 Hatori & Kana Sohma (Fruits Basket)
There are many tragic characters in Fruits Basket, but few have stories quite as heartwrenching as the forbidden romance between Hatori and Kana Sohma. Years before the series began, Kana worked as Hatori's assistant. As the two became closer, they fell in love and hoped to marry.
However, their hopes were shut down after Akito refused their engagement. In a rage, the Sohma family head attacked Hatori, leaving him permanently damaged. Kana blamed herself for Hatori's pain and spiraled into a depression she could never escape. To free her from her suffering, Hatori erased her memories of him. From then on, the two became complete strangers, though Hatori forever shouldered the burden of knowing what could have been.
10 Best Romance Anime For Beginners
Series like Yona of the Dawn and Kamisama Kiss combines romance with other genres, creating captivating stories with well-developed characters.4 Naho Takamiya & Hiroto Suwa (Orange)
In the series Orange protagonist Naho Takamiya and her friends receive messages from their future selves, urging them to change the past and save their friend Kakeru from suicide. But to do so, they must sacrifice the futures they built in that alternate reality.
In the future, Naho is married to Suwa, and the two have a child. However, Suwa must give up this happy future and bring Naho and Kakeru together in order to save his best friend. By saving Kakeru, he and Naho never end up together and the future love they share never comes to fruition. It's a bittersweet end to a forgotten love story, but it's undoubtedly the best outcome for all.
3 Usagi Tsukino & Seiya Kou (Sailor Moon)
Usagi Tsukino and Seiya Kou may not be the endgame couple in Sailor Moon, but that hasn't stopped fans from falling head-over-heels for this pair. Their chemistry and compatibility are unmatched, and many Moonies prefer them together over the classic Usagi and Mamoru romance.
Usagi and Seiya fit together like a glove, and to many, they seem like the perfect couple. Unfortunately, they can never be together since Usagi is already destined to be with Mamoru. By the time Seiya appears, she's already completely devoted to him and there's no chance for the two to be anything more than friends. But even while these two can't be a couple, their loving and supportive relationship is one of the best in the series.
2 Inuyasha & Kikyo (Inuyasha)
Before Inuyasha's titular hero ever met Kagome, he and the beautiful priestess Kikyo shared a doomed love that would never come to be. Though this romance happens long before the series even begins, it remains a vital component of the story and drives Inuyasha's actions in most situations.
While pursuing the Shikon Jewel, Inuyasha meets Kikyo and though they start out as enemies, the two soon fall in love. However, their romance ends before it can even begin due to Naraku's interference. He drives the two apart and pits them against each other, resulting in Kikyo's untimely death. This traumatic event stays with Inuyasha long after Kikyo is gone and even after she's resurrected. But even when Kikyo returns, their love is never the same and is destined to fail.
10 Ways InuYasha Feels Like A Shojo Anime
InuYasha combines action and romance, appealing to both shonen and shojo audiences with its blend of fantasy and emotional depth.1 Simon & Nia Teppelin (Gurren Lagann)
Simon and Nia are the iconic power couple of Gurren Lagann and seem destined for each other from the start. But even though they share a love stronger than any other, they're easily one of anime's most tragic couples. Separated by forces outside their control, Simon and Nia spend much of the series fighting to be together.
They never give up on each other and through the power of their love, they finally reunite in the end and even get married. Sadly, this reunion doesn't last, as Nia shockingly dies right after they say their vows. Despite everything Simon and Nia do to be together, fate has other plans and forces them apart forever.
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