Top 10 Anime Couples

It is time for a new top list. This is my top 10 anime couples. Not ships, couples. I have never been a fan of shipping and the culture around it, so I definitely will not be doing a top list on that. Instead I am going to rank my top 10 favorites couples.

Some of the these couples were in a romantic relationship throughout most of the series while for others it took till late in the series, or even the very end to become a couple. In the latter case, it’s what led up to the relationship that makes me appreciate it and is the reason why they might have made the list. I guess it can be ambiguous if a character is truly in a relationship, or if there is a high probability they will be in one, but I tried not to think too hard about it. If they kiss, they are in a relationship, even if the show doesn’t outright state they are in one.

As this is a top couples list, obviously these are all canon, so don’t get mad if your favorite ship isn’t on the list since I’m not even ranking that. And this list is my opinion. These are my favorite couples. If you want, make your own list. Also, I have not seen every anime, so if a certain couple doesn’t make the list, maybe I haven’t seen the anime they come from.

WARNING! This list will have spoilers for each couple. As this is a list on anime couples, there is no avoiding spoiling the fact that certain characters do become a couple. Despite that, if you do not want to be spoiled to the circumstances that led up to it, or other potential spoilers related to the plot, I recommend skipping couples from anime you haven’t watched. If you don’t care about spoilers, feel free to read ahead.

10 Rintarou x Kurisu (Steins; Gate)

Steins; Gate was pretty crazy. Through the wild time looping shenanigans, Rintarou was able to realize how much he cared for Kurisu. When he realized going back to the beta timeline would result in the death of Kurisu, it pained him. While that is technically the way it should be, Rintarou can’t accept it because he came to realize he loved Kurisu so he couldn’t let her die. You can truly feel his pain in Steins; Gate 0 where Kurisu is actually dead, and her death causes him to be very depressed. Also really liked how Kurisu warmed up to him over time. She is kinda a tsundere, although not a particularly violent or loud one. But she had to put up with a lot of his bullshit throughout the series. But it did get her to open up a little more and then they started to get closer to one another until they realized they were in love.

9 Andy x MIX (Aquarion Evol)

Aquarion Evol was a wild ride, with tons of corny dialogue and crazy plot twists but it also had some pretty nice romantic relationships. Andy starts out as a pervert who only likes MIX for her boobs and MIX starts out as a misandrist and she is kinda a tsundere. Over time Andy starts to realize he loves MIX as a person, and not just because of her boobs. He understands her struggle and why she hates men and he wants to help her, and fill the hole in her heart. MIX starts to realize that not all men are bad and that there is someone who truly cares for her. Through some ultra cringe scenes and awkward conversations, they eventually get together. At one point MIX gets turned into a guy due to the curse on Altair yet Andy still loves her no matter what happened to her body because he realizes there is more to love than one’s body and he truly cares for her as a person. I can only muscle so much cheese but in this anime, it worked, and I found their relationship very endearing.

8 Nice x Jacuzzi (Baccano!)

Up next is the most powerful of power couples. Nice and Jacuzzi lead a gang, with Nice being a total badass and Jacuzzi being a whiny wimp. I always loved this dynamic when the female is badass and the male is soft. Although Jacuzzi can be pretty badass when forced to. What really made me love this couple was their backstory. Nice fucked herself up with a bomb explosions, leaving scars all over her body and destroying one of her eyes. In order to not make her feel different from everyone else, he got a tattoo so they would both have very obvious marks on their face. So while he may be a wimp, Jacuzzi is very thoughtful. I also like how the roles were reversed when it comes to the actual romance, with Jacuzzi being the one to initiate the kiss and Nice getting embarrassed.

7 Souya x Nozomi (Planet With)

The best way I can describe their relationship is the power of empathy. Nozomi was always there for Souya, even in his darkest times. Even when she had no idea what was going on or what he had been through, she defended him and was willing to put herself in danger. Regardless of whether she knows what is going on, she is very perceptive to his feelings and acts as a great source of emotional support. It was because of her that Souya was able to find the will to live on, so it is no surprised they get together as a couple. Love how she stuck with him through the time skip and aided him in the final battle against the dragon. Most of all I love how their relationship shows how important empathy and emotional support can be.

6 Shinra x Celty (Durarara!!)

Up next we have this weirdo couple. I have a lot of respect for Shinra. Celty doesn’t even have a head and yet he still loves her unconditionally. When he says he will do anything for Celty, he means it. That includes getting his ass kicked many times. He cares so much about Celty that he fears her finding her head, as she might regain her memories and leave him. I find Celty being a tsundere because of Shinra to be pretty endearing. She tries to act cool or like she doesn’t care but she worries so damn much about him and it’s so obvious. And she will also do anything for Shinra, including chasing Kasane across the whole city for stealing Shinra.

5 Theo x Siluca (Record of Grancrest War)

One of my main concerns coming into Grancrest was the possibility of Siluca being a generic tsundere. Well she wasn’t that at all. She was pretty amazing. I was also concerned about what would happen to her if she became attracted to Theo and how their relationship would be portrayed. Glad to say they executed it right every step of the way. The way they get together feels very natural. While Siluca gets shy and embarrassed all the time, it isn’t over the top and obnoxious. It feels like she is getting used to feelings she has never had before and they did a great job at not making it diminish her character. Theo is such an amazing partner. He gave up everything to keep Siluca with him when he joined up with Villar. From there, they were pretty much destined to be together. Since these two characters are great, they make such a great power couple. Siluca is the tactician who leads Theo until he is capable of making decisions for himself. And once he is, Siluca supports him with everything she has. Their love isn’t just to get people interested in the main characters. It even plays a vital role in the story, inspiring others to fight for love and peace.

4 Athrun x Cagalli (Gundam Seed)

At first they seemed to be pushing Cagalli with Kira but it turned out he was her brother so that was off the table. Then they started pushing her with Athrun and by the end of the first season they fell in love. I really like how the anime handled their relationship. They both basically want the same thing, for war to end, but are on different sides. Eventually they achieve piece but then Destiny happens. Despite them being engaged, circumstances pushed them apart and put a strain on their relationship. Athrun was with Zaft again and Cagalli was being forced to marry an asshole from the military industrial complex in order to push Orb, which was once a neutral state, into a warring state. They realize they may have been rushing their relationship, but once they team up again, they both play their roles to end the war. This anime kinda stressed me out when it came to their relationship. I just want them to be happy.

3 Kirito x Asuna (Sword Art Online)

Obviously they had to be on here. I really came to appreciate their relationship more on my rewatch. They both provided for the other what they were lacking and helped each other out so much. Kirito suffered from depression due to some of the things that happened to him in the death game and because of his real life issues. Asuna helped him open up and become more sociable. Asuna’s family issues made her feel powerless so she played VR so she could become strong. That was really just a facade. With Kirito, she could just be herself and be happy without trying to seem tough. It is so easy to root for these two and I always want to see them succeed. In the movie, we see yet again how much they truly care for each other. The scene when Kirito read her diary was so freaking emotional. Even in the newest season, we have Asuna doing everything she can to save Kirito. It seems I can only like them more and more as I watch this series.

2 Shiage x Rikou (A Certain Magical Index)

Once it was established that these two were a couple, they shot up my rankings. Shiage was just a punk loser who blamed other people for his weakness. He used level 0 oppression as an excuse to lash out until Touma talked some sense into him. He joined ITEM and started getting attached to Rikou Takitsubo. When she was in danger of dying, Shiage finally realized Touma was right and that he should do what he can to help those he cares about even if he is powerless. And he ends up going on a journey in which he risks everything to save the girl he loves. I got so freaking emotional when Rikou kissed him on the jet plane as they were running from Academy City. It wasn’t just escaping, but he searched desperately to cure Rikou from her illness. I was on the verge of crying after he had finally saved her. They didn’t just end it there, they both risked everything to help resolve the conflicts of the WWIII arc. This easily has to be one of my favorite anime redemption arcs on top of them two being one of my favorite anime couples.

Also this scene is perfect.

1 Shiki x Mikiya (The Garden of Sinners)

It was really hard to pick number 1 because this one is basically tied with number 2. So here is number 1. The Garden of Sinners is easily one of the best supernatural mystery series ever made, but it is also kinda a love story if you really think about it. All of the conflicts of the show are largely due to the love between Shiki and Mikiya. Mikiya fell in love with her at first sight, while Shiki slowly came to love him over time. Due to her position, she felt she couldn’t fall in love with him, or else he might get murdered so she tries to kill herself so she doesn’t end up killing Mikiya, but she ends up losing her male personality.

Many of the other conflicts are centered around this love. Shiki defeats the ghosts that captured Mikiya’s soul so he could be released and come back to normal. In the final movie before the epilogue, she says she needs to kill Rio which Mikiya desperately doesn’t want her to do. He fully believes she has never murdered anyone and feels she could never go back if she did. She eventually gives up on killing Rio, not wanting to abandon the love and trust Mikiya gave him, but once she believed Mikiya was killed, she gave up all hope and killed him. She could never go back from murdering a person, and it turned out Mikiya was still alive, so he swore he would share the burden of murder with her and stick with her to the very end because he truly loves her no matter what happens.

This anime really was just a tragic love story with some horrific supernatural stuff throw into it and they executed their relationship phenomenally.

On the bright side, at least they got a happy ending.

Conclusion

Well that is my list. Maybe one day I will remake this list and expand it to be larger if I feel like it. But for now, this is my top 10. I don’t normally get super excited over romantic relationships in anime, but when one hits all the right notes, it can be pretty satisfying. So hopefully you enjoyed this top list and thanks for reading.