Creating romantic tension has never been a problem for anime, in general. However, creating romantic relationships that clearly shape narrative momentum and character evolution is something the medium clearly struggles with. From history, many of the anime’s most persistent partnerships are built primarily on mutual dependence, emotional synergy, and shared trauma.
But they are also rarely without obvious romantic tension. These bonds frequently prove to be of greater influence on character decisions than any declared love interest, even when the story stops just short of any formal confirmation or any acknowledgement of sorts. As a result, these relationships, left unresolved, become lasting points of debate among fans and viewers alike.
Not necessarily because of a demand for romance, but because the narrative already does enough work to justify the said ships. Hence, this piece highlights ten anime pairings whose character dynamics and interactions heavily suggested canon outcomes that really never materialise.
Yato & Hiyori Iki (Noragami)
For the first-time viewer, just watching Noragami, it is almost impossible not to recognise the unspoken chemistry between Yato and Hiyori instantly. From the moment Hiyori saves the stray god from a bus, the relationship between the pair becomes the emotional foundation for the Noragami series, as their fates become irrevocably intertwined.
Between the two, Hiyori is the first person to see Yato as someone worthy of loyalty and care truly. At the same time, for Yato, the half-phantom high school girl became his purpose for living, almost entirely because he cannot bear to see her unhappy.
However, despite the pair’s mutual devotion practically screaming ‘love story’, the story always manages to dance around explicit confirmation of their relationship until the end. Probably due to the cliche of the inherent tragedy of a god falling for a mortal, but for whatever reason, the series decides that a formal canonisation of their relationship simply was not necessary.
Guts & Casca (Berserk)
A relationship forged through survival, warfare, and shared isolation, Guts and Casca are the image of the most tragically complex relationships in the medium’s history. Notably kickstarting during the Golden Age arc, their relationship grows from mutual animosity into a deeply resonant love born of their shared experiences on the battlefield.
Built slowly on trust, the pair found solace in each other, each seeing beyond the other’s mask of rigidity and aggressiveness forged by their unforgiving realities. Though technically, they were, for a brief moment, officially together. However, that moment proved too short by Griffith’s heart-wrenching betrayal and the Eclipse, a harrowing event that ensured they would never remain the same.
Through the Eclipse, the narrative essentially denied Guts and Casca the enduring canon status their relationship so deserved. For what is the rest of the story, Guts is no more than a caretaker, and Casca is a shell of her former self, unable to recall her lover or the love they shared.
Ichigo Kurosaki & Rukia Kuchiki (Bleach)
Bleach’s constant chemistry oscillation between Ichigo, Orihime, and Rukia Kuchiki makes the trio perhaps one of the most volatile ‘shipping’ wars in shonen anime ever. Though the story eventually leans into Orihime and Ichigo’s eventual get-together, it is Ichigo and Rukia’s shared bond that kick-started the franchise. Rukia was the portal that opened Ichigo’s life as a Soul Reaper.
On the other hand, Ichigo singlehandedly turned the Soul Society upside down to save Rukia from execution showcasing a relationship that went beyond ‘just friends’. Through the story, the pair form a connection that is hard to measure with words but is intimately expressed in the dynamics of their interaction.
Ultimately, that connection is justified not to have meant as much given the story’s narrative choices down the line. Therefore, despite those choices, the bond between Ichigo and Rukia will remain for many as one of the most genuine things to come out of this series.
