Personally, the romance in anime hasn’t always interested me. When I was younger I found the romance to be annoying. However, as I matured I appreciated them more. Most of these couples come from Shonen as my anime diet consists mostly of that genre. However, I think all series are in the mainstream, at least to anime fans. Anyway, let’s get to it.
Yuri and Victor (Yuri on Ice)
I’ll admit that I still not sure that Yuri and Victor are officially a couple. This confusing seems deliberate, as I imagine that the creators didn’t want to lean into the gay relationship. Or I could be dense. Regardless, I read them as a couple. Victor feels much older than Yuri, but he’s 28 to Yuri’s 24. At the end of season 1 of the series, Yuri and Victor are engaged. They’re a cute couple with Yuri and Victor having the opposite personalities.
Yusuke Urameshi and Keiko Yukimura (Yu Yu Hakusho)
Keiko and Yusuke are childhood friends. Having grown up together they eventually became a couple. They like Yuri and Victor are opposites. Keiko is calm, kind, and doesn’t like to use foul language. Unlike Yusuke, she was a top student. When Yusuke becomes offensive, she often scolds him. Regardless, she is always supportive of him despite his behavior. Yusuke is very protective of her like most of the people he values. At the end of the series, Yusuke and Keiko are engaged.
Inuyasha and Kagome (Inuyasha)
Inuyasha and Kagome were on the anime couple that annoyed me the most growing up. There’s a commercial mocking how often Kagome and Inuyasha call each other. This relationship leans on the will they or won’t they trope. I don’t think that you could even call them a couple through most of the series. It’s not helped by the fact that Inuyasha still loved Kikyo, even though she wanted him dead. Inuyasha is often juvenile, resulting in Kagome having to yell at him. The dynamic in this relationship is Kagome being the scold and Inuyasha being an idiot. It’s funny sometimes, but it can be a drag.
Bulma and Vegeta (Dragon Ball Z)
This relationship is the most surprising. Vegeta not only started as evil, but he also kills several of Bulma’s friends. As death is rarely permanent in Dragon Ball, I guess the emotional pain isn’t either. Regardless, they meet on Planet Namek during the Freiza Saga. During this meeting, Vegeta threatens to kill both Bulma and Krillin. So he didn’t start on a good note. The first hint that Bulma was attracted to was when she told Vegeta that he was “cute and he should lighten up a bit.” Vegeta and Bulma’s relation remains rocky despite the birth of their first child Trunks. Eventually, they got along better and married. Their relationship is the most loving during the Dragon Ball Super series. When Beerus slaps Bulma, Vegeta flies into a rage becoming stronger than Beerus for a small period. Coming from Vegeta that’s a sign of love.
Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba (Sailor Moon)
The relationship between Usagi and Mamoru was the first anime romance I was exposed to. Mamoru or Tuxedo Mask is an incarnation of Prince Endymion. He was the sole survivor of a tragic car accident that killed both his parents. The relationship starts playfully. With Mamoru calling Usagi pet names like “Bunhead”, a reference to her hairstyle. Usagi fell in love with the Tuxedo mask, not Mamoru at first. Once they got together, the two had their ups and downs. However, they eventually get married and have a daughter name Chibiusa Tsukino.
Spice and Wolf. Chise and Elias 🙂