Summary
- Shonen anime often feature adorable romantic couples that add depth to the story and attract a wider audience.
- Couples such as Izuku and Ochako from
My Hero Academia
showcase their willingness to support each other through difficult times. - Other cute anime couples like Riza and Roy from
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
teach young viewers about the importance of loyalty and love in relationships.
Though anime fans might associate relationships with classic shojo and romance titles, the best anime couples come from a wide range of demographics, including classic shonen. In fact, it’s pretty common for shonen series to feature a romantic interest for their lead characters, as well as side characters. Including relationships not only helps the anime to draw in other demographics, but also makes the story feel more real, as these characters grow closer to one another throughout the hardships, trials, and tribulations that they face.
Often, it’s this willingness to stick together through thick and thin that makes many anime couples so cute in the first place. Anime couples also tend to be young and new to love, adding a cute layer of shyness or insecurity that they must work through in order to get together.
These couples aren’t always models for great relationships, but they do look awfully cute together and have more than their fair share of adorable moments worth calling out.
15 Izuku Midoriya & Ochako Uraraka
My Hero Academia (2016)
While Midoriya and Uraraka haven’t quite gotten together yet in the anime, the hints of attraction and their strong friendship have already set Deku and Uraraka up to be a great couple. Uraraka is a caring young girl who worries over Midoriya, who constantly injures himself due to his body being poorly adjusted to his Quirk.
In season 6, Uraraka took their relationship forward in a big way by publicly defending Midoriya when the assembled crowds of refugees wanted to chase him off, fearing he might attract villains to their location. By being willing to put herself on the line to give Midoriya a much-needed break, Uraraka proved the depths of her love, even if she hasn’t said it out loud yet.
14 Kagome & Inuyasha
Inuyasha (2000)
Inuyasha follows Kagome Higurashi, a modern-day fifteen-year-old girl that finds herself transported to the Sengoku period of Japan. There, she meets Inuyasha, who is half-dog demon, half-human. Their fates are bound together by the Shikon Jewel, and the pair are sent off on a quest to recover the shattered pieces of it.
Fans of Kagome and Inuyasha’s dynamic might also enjoy the anime Kamisama Kiss, which shares similar fantasy elements and follows the romance between Nanami, a regular high schooler, and Tomoe, a fox spirit.
Inuyasha and Kagome often face difficulties communicating, as both of them are strong-willed individuals who tend to hide their true feelings. Still, when danger rears its head, the true weight of this couple’s love will rapidly become apparent, and may the gods have mercy on anyone who threatens one of them. In the sequel series Yashahime, Inuyasha and Kagome are married and have a daughter, Moroha.
13 Miroku & Sango
Inuyasha (2000)
Kagome and Inuyasha aren’t the only cute couple in Inuyasha. After Kagome shatters Shikon Jewel, Kagome and Inuyasha meet up with the demon slayer Sango and the cursed monk Miroku, who join their band with the intention of defeating the evil Naraku, who has ruined both their lives.
While Miroku starts off as a womanizer, which annoys Sango to no end, the two develop a strong bond over their travels, and eventually fall in love. Miroku and Sango also end up married in the Yashahime sequel series, and have several children of their own, including a young demon slayer named Hisui.
12 Riza Hawkeye & Roy Mustang
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Riza Hawkeye is Roy Mustang’s loyal follower, a fact that has greatly complicated their relationship. Both are members of the military and as such there are certain restrictions on the kind of relationship they’re allowed to have.
Despite that, though, it’s clear that they care about each other very much, and there’s a smoldering attraction between them present for much of the series. Roy is even willing to do the unthinkable when Riza’s life is threatened, even knowing the consequences for himself.
11 Ritsuka & Mafuyu
Given (2019)
One of the most iconic couples from the boys’ love genre, Ritsuka and Mafuyu’s relationship is one that, like many real-life relationships, wasn’t easy in the beginning. Mafuyu was still struggling after the loss of his previous partner, and in his struggle with dealing with his grief, turned to learning the guitar that was left behind. In this endeavor, he meets Ritsuka, a young musician who plays in a small band. Ritsuka begins to bring him along to rehearsals, and the pair’s bond begins to grow.
Over the course of their relationship, Mafuyu slowly begins to open up more to Ritsuka about his struggles with grief, and in this, the two’s bittersweet beginnings turn into something that is truly admirable, and has completely shifted many of the preconceived notions regarding the genre.
10 Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba
Sailor Moon (1992)
Sailor Moon‘s Usagi and her masked boyfriend Mamoru Chiba are a couple whose destiny is written in the stars. Usagi and Mamoru are reincarnations of the Neo-Queen Serenity and Prince Endymion, rulers from the distant future who were once joined in marriage.
While Usagi and Mamoru aren’t exactly the same people as their former selves, they still have some incredible chemistry. No matter what happens to them, their souls will always find each other again, a romantic idea if ever there was one.
9 Yuki & Itsuomi
A Sign of Affection (2024)
Marking itself as an instant smash-hit shojo series from the Winter 2024 season, A Sign of Affection‘s main couple, Yuki and Itsuomi, have stolen the hearts of anime fans around the world. The couple is also incredibly unique, as Yuki is a young deaf woman navigating university, and Itsuomi is a world-traveler who speaks multiple languages already. While their relationship begins with Itsuomi simply expressing an interest in learning sign language, it quickly grows into something much deeper.
Yuki experiences many firsts with Itsuomi, and he proves himself time and time again over the course of the anime to be the perfect partner for her. His keen interest in learning sign language not only helps the pair communicate, but, within the story, it also works as a beautiful metaphor for their devotion and love for one another.
8 Lucy & Natsu
Fairy Tail (2009)
Lucy Heartfilia and Natsu Dragneel area fan-favorite relationship in the Fairy Tail fanbase. Natsu helps Lucy to join the guild, and they form a strong and endearing bond throughout the series. Lucy and Natsu shippers are elated to know that the couple are married in the parallel “Edolas” universe.
While
Fairy Tail
leaves Lucy and Natsu’s relationship open-ended, the series features many other cute couples that do fortunately end up together, such as Gajeel and Levy, and Juvia and Gray.
While the series proper ended without any kind of confirmed relationship between the two of them, rumors of a sequel have fans hoping that the couple could at least be confirmed after the fact. Regardless of their official status, the two clearly have great affection for one another, and after all that they’ve been through together, a romance seems inevitable.
7 Ash & Eiji
Banana Fish (2018)
Based on the original manga that began serializing in 1985, Banana Fish features one of the most heartbreaking anime couples, as the relationship between Ash Lynx and Eiji Okumura is well-known among anime fans around the world for being more than just a little bittersweet. Taking place in the United States, Ash Lynx is a gangster searching for the truth behind the mysterious “banana fish” before meeting Eiji, a photographer’s assistant from Japan.
As the two grow closer, it becomes clear that Ash’s lifestyle is one that constantly pulls him close to being killed. Eiji begins to plead with Ash to return with him to Japan, even going as far as to arrange for the two to escape the violent underbelly of the city which Ash is involved with. Tragically, Ash never makes it in time for the pair’s runaway. However, the tenderness and tragedy shared between the “what-ifs” surrounding Banana Fish‘s ending just as memorable as the series itself.
6 Tohru & Kyo
Fruits Basket (2001-2021)
Fruits Basket is one of the most famous shojo manga ever published due to the iconic romance between the soft-hearted Tohru Honda and hot-headed Kyo Sohma. After Tohru begins living with the Sohma family, she quickly grows closer to Kyo and Yuki – who, at the beginning of the series, seems like a likely candidate for Tohru to end up with. As the manga continues, though, it becomes clear that the bond Kyo and Tohru have forged is unbreakable.
Tohru helps Kyo learn to love and accept himself, and the two are able to overcome generations of trauma hand in hand, and build a better future, together. The pair’s remarkably written relationship has remained one of the most iconic for well over twenty-five years.
5 Hinata & Naruto
Naruto (2002)
One popular Naturo relationship is that between Hinata and Naruto. They were introduced to each other during their Chunin Exams, and while at first Naruto thought Hinata was “weird” and “shy,” her behavior can be easily explained by her feelings for him.
Naruto begins to care for Hinata over the course of the series, stepping up to defend her when others are disparaging Hinata in public. While there is some debate within the fandom about who Naruto should have ended up marrying, he does eventually marry Hinata, who gives birth to his son, Boruto.
4 Misaki & Usui
Kaichou wa Maid-Sama (2010)
Kaichou wa Maid Sama!, or The Class President Is a Maid!, is a manga that was animated and released in 2010. The series begins as a former all-boys school transitions into a co-ed institution, where the girls still remain a minority. Misaki Ayuzawa becomes class president, who is secretly working at a maid café.
Fans of
Maid Sama
‘s romance should also try
Horimiya,
a charming high school romantic comedy with a male love interest just as dreamy as Takumi Usui.
Takumi Usui discovers her secret and becomes interested in her. They become a couple, but there are several obstacles in their relationship throughout the series. Their “opposites attract” dynamic is beloved by fans who advocate for their relationship.
3 Kaguya Shinomiya & Miyuki Shirogane
Kaguya-sama: Love is War (2019)
Kaguya-sama: Love is War is all about the conflicted courtship between Kaguya and Miyuki, two star pupils who also run the student council at a prestigious academy. As brilliant youngsters, both Kaguya and Miyuki are prone to overthinking situations, resulting in some hilarious antics as they both try to maneuver and force the other into admitting their feelings first.
Unlike many series where the focus is on romance, Kaguya and Miyuki do eventually get together before the series ends and are able to use their experience to help guide their friends into having a slightly easier time getting together.
2 Vegeta & Bulma
Dragon Ball Z (1989)
Out of all the pairings seen in the Dragon Ball franchise, by far one of the most beloved among fans is the relationship between Vegeta and Bulma. While Bulma saw Vegeta when he invaded Earth, the pair wouldn’t properly meet until the two ran into each other on Namek. Bulma was smitten by Vegeta’s classic “bad boy” persona, and was tired of waiting around for Yamcha.
There are plenty of hints and nods throughout Dragon Ball Z’s Namek saga and the Androids saga that imply Bulma has developed romantic feelings for the Saiyan prince, but it’s only truly revealed during the Majin Buu saga that the two are officially a couple and have a son, named Trunks. The iconic couple have supporters outside the Dragon Ball fandom, which undoubtedly makes them one of the best.
1 Winry & Edward
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009)
Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell are two of the series’ main characters, who gradually form a romantic couple throughout the story. Edward is the young State Alchemist in a world where alchemy is a revered scientific technique. Winry is one of his childhood friends, who is a talented automail mechanic responsible for Ed’s prosthetic arm and leg. Ed and Winry tend to bicker, but it is clear to fans from the beginning that they love each other.
Winry worries over Ed incessantly, and not without good reason, and Ed does his best to keep Winry out of danger throughout the story. At the end of the series, they confess their feelings and get married, which is a satisfying result of their shared history.
