The anime world is full of dynamic couples. From bitter rivals turned friends to instant bonds born of shared hardships, the medium is packed to the gills with memorable pairings, and longtime fans usually have their personal favorites. Appearing together for the first time after two decades, Dragon BallGoku and Vegeta are widely popular, with Goku's undying heroism and Vegeta's rise from villain to savior making the pair's relationship all the more inspiring. As enemies, they push each other to become stronger, and as friends, they share the burden of being the last of their kind—in their universe, after all.
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However, as popular as the couple is, many other beloved anime couples continue to shine, with the Power Five in particular coming quickly to mind. Some of these couples are fast friends, while others continue their heated rivalry until the end of their days, and others must fight the forces to stay true to each other. No matter how these characters came together in the first place, they represent some of the most beloved teams in anime today.
Gon & Killua (Hunter x Hunter)
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The fantasy adventure series has been going strong in manga form since 1998 Hunter x Hunter Tells the story of, one can guess, the hunter. These adventurers spend their days searching for priceless treasures, tracking bad guys, finding rare animals, taking on dangerous monsters and much more. Gon and Killua meet during the prestigious Hunter Exams, and the pair immediately hit it off, cementing their friendship immediately. Training together and both boasting incredible strength, the two have different ways of looking at the world, but as they say, opposites attract.
At first, Killua appears as a mischievous child, but as it turns out, he is a ruthless and skilled assassin who has been trained as an assassin since birth. Desperate to escape his family and leave the bloodshed behind, he joins Gon's quest to find his missing father, and as the pair continue on this long journey, they become more and more inseparable. It's this pure camaraderie that makes the pair incredibly popular almost 30 years after they first hit the scene.
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Yugi and Kaiba (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
The Yu-Gi-Oh The franchise has been a mega-hit for decades, with the Dual Monsters card game taking the real world by storm and still maintaining a huge fanbase of players. Several anime series have aired since the manga was initially dropped in 1996, but the 2000 series Yu-Gi-Oh! Dual Monsters Running for over 220 episodes and introducing the world to the game-loving main protagonist Yugi and Kaiba, his cold-hearted rival, the series remains a fan favorite. While the two have very different ambitions and goals, their on-screen chemistry is undeniable. They may be rivals, but by the end of the series, it's clear that they respect each other's strengths.
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Yugi's Millennium Necklace features Atem, an Egyptian pharaoh who appears in the middle of a card battle to become the hero needed to win the day. Yugi and Atem both value friendship and respect, while Kaiba's motivations are a bit more selfish. The KaibaCorp CEO just wants to be the best Duel Monsters player on the planet, for that to happen he has to stomp someone. It's worth noting that, when it comes to taking on a common enemy, this pair is more than willing to team up to overcome a major threat. After all, they are the best.
Kageyama and Hinata (Haiku!!)
Keeping with the rivalry theme, Shoyo Hinata and Tobio Kageyama definitely fit the bill due to their storied history. As the main characters of the game anime series haikuThe couple's relationship touches on what's possible when someone else aspires to heights already reached. In middle school, Hinata became obsessed with volleyball after watching the game on TV. Unfortunately, he is on the short side and wildly inexperienced when it comes to sports.
As time passes, Hinata practices with all her might, desperate to find other players to help her achieve her goals. Competing in a tournament at the end of his middle school career, he and his friends are completely crushed by the opposing team, which boasts the eccentric Tobio Kageyama known as the 'King of the Court'. Unexpectedly, the pair end up at the same high school, and as such, they have to play on the same team. Although initially having trouble working together, the pair learn to put aside their differences, push each other to reach their full potential, and develop a powerful setter-spiker relationship.
Lelouch and Suzaku (Code Geass)
After his mother is murdered by a member of the Britannian Imperial family, Lelouch Lamprose, known as one of the wisest anime characters of all time, goes on a journey of revenge against the Empire. He boasts a power called Gas, which allows him to command complete obedience, as long as he can look others in the eye. His single-minded efforts do not make him completely ignorant of human connection, as his childhood friend, Suzaku, is the only person who keeps him from using this power selfishly. Suzaku is on a quest of his own, but instead of bloodshed, he seeks to change the system from within, making a pair of allies who must share the burdens they accept.
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It can be said that Suzaku was Lelouch's first and last true friend, and this makes their relationship even stronger. While spending some time as an enemy Code GuessThe pair share some measure of understanding, and their deep bond is never truly broken, despite Lelouch's heinous acts. That kind of unconditional love and care is what makes this couple endearing to this day.
Yusuke and Kuwabara (Yuyu Hakusho)
One of the most beloved anime series of the 90s, YuYu Hakusho Follows Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who is unceremoniously hit and killed by a car when he decides to do a good deed to save a child's life. After being judged worthy of the afterlife, he comes back to life, this time as a spirit detective tasked with investigating supernatural activity in the human world. When first introduced, Kuwabara is not Yusuke's friend, constantly bickering with him and making fun of him at every turn. However, this soon changes, as Kuwabara's sixth sense makes him a useful ally.
Beginning as school rivals, Yusuke and Kuwabara become loyal friends through a series of gruesome battles and difficult challenges. The two soon become willing to risk their lives for each other, and by the end of the series, it's hard to see them as siblings. In recent years, many fans have called the couple the perfect example of a non-toxic male relationship, and one that should be aspired to today.
