One of the most popular tropes in romance anime is turning friends to lovers, but what about enemies to lovers?The romance genre thrives off of tropes that have dominated the industry with enemies turning into lovers becoming one of the most lovedstorylines.
No matter if it is in anime, manga, or light novels, fans cannot get enough of it. Something is satisfying about watching two characters who loathe each other fall in love, and stories have been using this setup in classic and modern anime. This list is going to tell you about the ten best enemies turned lovers in anime. Be aware of spoilers in this article about each coupling.
Updated by Brianna Albert on July 29th, 2020:Enemies to lovers is a trope that has existed since the beginning of fiction. The allure of a budding romance between two enemies is one that fans adore, as well as other tropes that include romance.
From characters that hated each other from childhood to true enemies throughout the series, there is an abundance of characters who have fallen in love during the flames of war, or from getting a helping hand from their former enemy. Here are a few more enemies turned lovers in anime, from those who were bitter enemies who fell in love by accident to those who simply could not deny their attraction to the other.
15 Sadao Maou & Emilia Justina (The Devil Is A Part-Timer!)
In The Devil is a Part-Timer,Sadao and Emilia are the true definition "enemies to lovers" as Sadao is Satan, while Emilia is the hero who must kill him. However, after being driven out by Emilia and falling to Earth, their relationship becomes a bit more complicated.
The more Emilia sees Sadao (who is known to have destroyed and killed many people as Satan) acting in a more humane manner than he ever has,the more her feelings for him grow. This is increased in the light novel, as Sadao and Emilia adopt a child and raise her as parents. Despite Sadao's feelings for Emilia being vague, it is shown that he cares for her and her safety a lot more in the human world.
14 Chitoge Kirisaki& Raku Ichijou (Nisekoi)
We are beginning this list with Chitoge Kirisaki and Raku Ichijou from Nisekoi. What happens when both of you are born into a family full of the mafia?Fake a marriage, of course. Chitoge and Raku are in no way in like or in love with each other when they first meet.
While Raku is in love with Onodera, the sweet and soft-spoken girl who likes him back, he must abide by his family's rules and fake date Chitoge. They do end up developing feelings for one another throughout the series and even get married at the end of the manga.
13 Yolei Inoue& Ken Ichijouji(Digimon)
No one would have thought these two would end up together at the end of Digimon, but here we are.Yolei Inoue, the eldest and confident daughter of DigiDestined, and Ken Ichijouji, the blunt and cold boy who has family issues, were shown to be married at the end of Digimon Fusion.
They have three children; a girl, a boy, and a baby boy. They look happy in the picture with their Digimon and both have jobs that fit their personalities. Although we were unable to see their relationship grown, it is nice seeing how they ended up together for many fans.
12 Fakir & Ahiru Arima(Princess Tutu)
Ahiru Arima wasn't always a squeaky-voiced young girl who attended school to dance. Loosely based on The Ugly Duckling, Ahiru, which means Duck in Japanese, lives her life as Ahiru Arima, a clumsy young girl who is in love with Mytho, the person she calls Prince.
Her alias is Princess Tutu, and she must find the missing shards of Mytho's heart. During this time, Ahiru comes into contact with Fakir, who frequently gets in her way. Later in the series, Fakir develops feelings for Ahiru and vice verse, with Fakir not caring that she was initially a duck, and them ending up together.
11 Shouko Nishimiya & Shouya Ishida (ASilent Voice)
Shouko and Shouya from A Silent Voiceare a complicated case of enemies to lovers, as they never truly date despite Shouko having feelings for Shouya.When they were small, Shouya used to bully Shouko for her being deaf, along with a couple of other kids.
Because of how bad it became, Shouko moved away before moving back, with Shouya befriending her to make up for his past bullying. It is complicated as Shouko does not seem to have any harsh feelings toward him, even falling in love with him after seeing how hard he is trying to make amends.
10 Yuzuru Otonashi & Kanade Tachibana (Angel Beats!)
Yuzuru and Kanade were not a tragic couple until the end, but that is beside the point. After Yuzuru dies in an accident and goes to the Afterlife, he joins the Afterlife Battlefront, which is composed of students in Afterlife School. The Afterlife Battlefront, or SSS for short in Japanese, is an organization for battling Kanade Tachibana, codenamed Angel, for her unique abilities.
Despite them fighting each other and being on opposite sides through the early episodes, they clear up their differences and become lovers, albeit for a short time. Not all is sad, however, as they are implied to reincarnate and become lovers once again.
9 Vegeta &Bulma (Dragon Ball Z)
Most seem to forget that Vegeta wasn't always on the good guys' side and has killed a lot of peoplethroughout the series, akin to Orochimaru.Vegeta has softened up a lot, however, thanks to his wife Bulma and his son Trunks and his daughter Bulla.Despite how well they get along now, Vegeta and Bulma's relationship began on a rocky start.
They frequently fought before becoming a couple, and even after Bulma gave birth to Trunks, their relationship was estranged. It takes seven years for Vegeta and Bulma to live together and better their relationship along with their son, Trunks.
8 Sana Kurata & Akito Hayama (Kodocha: Children's Toy)
While Akito was heralded as the boss of her elementary school's classroom, Sana was the only one who acted against him. Even the homeroom teacher and other students didn't dare go against him, so when Sana did and won, that ignited Akito's interest in Sana.
Their relationship develops throughout the manga even more once they learn about their family circ*mstances, and they become friends. Despite Kodocha: Children's Toy being targeted towards children as a "children's manga," the genre throws in quitea few mature topics such as child abandonment and mental health issues.
7 Kaname Ohgi& Villette Nu (Code Geass)
The love story between Kaname Ohgi and Villetta Nu in Code Geass is both heartwarming and tragic.While Villetta is a Brittanian, Kaname is the leader of a Japanese resistance group. While the Japanese and Brittania are fighting against each other, despite their differences, Kaname cares for both sides.
Kaname saves Villetta after she is injured and loses her memories from being shot without knowing her identity. They fall in love with one another, but after she regains her memories, she leaves Kaname. Throughout the seasons, however, they do end up marrying one another with Villetta pregnant with his child.
6 Maou & Yuusha (Maoyu~ Archenemy& Hero ~)
The Demon King is supposed to be slain by the Hero who comes to kill them. That is how it always goes in the storybooks, at least. In Maoyu ~ Archenemy & Hero ~, the Demon King is the Demon Queen, and instead of fighting him, she proposes he become hers to stop the ongoing war between the Humans and Demon Realm.
Although the Hero denies her plans and thinks it is a trap, the Demon Queen is unrelenting in her efforts, and he eventually agrees. They eventually fall in love and make the world a better place together.
5 Sakura Kinomoto & Syaoran Li (Cardcaptor Sakura)
Although Sakura and Syaoran are a cute couple who blush at the sight of each other, they were not always this way in the original Cardcaptor Sakura.After Sakura becomes the Cardcaptor of the Clow Cards, Syaoran is introduced into the series in the fifth episode as an antagonist. He frequently gets in Sakura's way and even steals a couple of the Clow Cards she needs later on in the series.
However, Syaoran falls in love with Sakura as the series progresses. Sakura does as well, albeit slower, with them becoming a couple in the second movie, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card. They are dating in the sequel, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.
4 Casca & Guts (Berserk)
While Casca used to hold her alliance to Griffith alone because he saved her as a child, certain circ*mstances occurred where she diverged over to Guts. Although at first she was jealous of Guts because Griffith wished to recruit him, as she got to know him she became attracted to him, and vice-versa.
TheBerserkmanga delves deeper into their relationship, as well as the hell they'veexperiencedthroughout the years together.
3 Masamune Makabe & Aki Adagaki (Masamune-kun's Revenge)
When Masamune was a child, there was a girl who always bullied him and called him "piggy" because he was fat. This especially hurt because after befriending the girl named Aki Adagaki and having that as a response, he decided to go on a diet and get his revenge on her... by becoming handsome, making her fall in love with him, and then brutally rejecting her.
This, of course, backfires as he ends up falling in love with Aki once they meet again, and she ends up falling in love with him even after he reveals his plan. It turns out that Aki actually liked his chubbiness and had a crush on him, but didn't know how to express it. Luckily, they end up together in the end.
2 Arsène Lupin III & Fujiko Mine (Lupin The III)
Lupin III and Fujiko have been around the block together a lot, ever since August 10, 1967, whenLupin IIIwas created by the deceased Monkey Punch. Lupin and Fujiko have at times been partners, enemies, and even lovers during various circ*mstances. As Lupin is the greatest thief, Fujiko is a femme fatale who has used her wiles to escape from various situations or even gather information.
Since Lupin is completely in love with her, he will do anything for her - and despite Fujiko using this to her advantage, she does love him. Their relationship is just one wild ride.
1 Juliet Fiammata Asto Capulet & Romeo Candorebanto Montague (Romeo X Juliet)
Romeo and Juliet are a classic tragic couple, even in anime. Despite the series being a loose adaption of William Shakespeare's play, the core plot of the story remains. Leontes Montague murders the Capulet family with Juliet, the only daughter of Lord Capulet, to escape. She takes up a persona of The Red Whirlwind to stop House Montagues' oppression, which is different from the source material.
On the other hand, Romeo is the son of Lord Leontes Montague and heir to the Neo Verona throne. They are star-crossed lovers but still fall deeply in love with one another, with their passion exceeding the difficulties ahead of them.
NEXT:10 Amazing Romance Manga That Are Not Licensed In English
