Though there are plenty of amazing romance anime that feature healthy couples and exciting love stories, the same cannot be said for every single title in the medium. Not all of anime’s love stories are created equal. Some were set up to be epic romances but ultimately fell flat due to overreliance on outdated tropes, like unrequited love. Others are straight-out unhealthy and wouldn’t last in real life.
Many anime love stories depict toxic relationships and glamorize unhealthy dynamics. Others are just poorly-written and didn’t have much of a buildup in the series, making it difficult for fans to support the relationship.
This article contains mention of sexual assualt and emotional abuse.
10 Sasuke & Sakura (Naruto)
Sasuke and Sakura’s relationship in Naruto is notoriously one-sided and unhealthy, and it’s still unclear why they needed to be together at the end of Shippuden. Sakura hopelessly pined after Sasuke since they were kids. However, Sasuke constantly treated Sakura like dirt and didn’t seem to care about her feelings.
Sasuke was more focused on his own goals — something Sakura should have taken note of and done herself. Not only that, but Sasuke often withholds important information from Sakura and is a prime example of a relationship built on a total breakdown of communication skills.
9 Mikasa & Eren (Attack On Titan)
Mikasa and Eren’s relationship is Attack On Titan is a point of contention in the fandom. On the one hand, they’re childhood friends who’ve always fought alongside each other and had each other’s backs through thick and thin.
On the other hand, Mikasa’s codependent on Eren and basically joins the Survey Corps to look after him because she knows how reckless and impulsive he can be. Eren’s safety is the top priority for Mikasa — which is fine, but her love for Eren prevented any meaningful character growth from occurring.
8 Kirito & Asuna (Sword Art Online)
Kirito and Asuna’s relationship in Sword Art Online seemed like an epic, heroic love story after the two characters met. Unfortunately, they became codependent on each other, and it ultimately seemed like a relationship of convenience rather than one of mutual respect and love.
Any potential improvements were stunted as their lackluster love story took center stage, ultimately doing a major disservice to both Kirito and Asuna. Before their relationship started, Kirito and Asuna barely interacted in Sword Art Online, making their love story feel like it came out of left field.
7 Light & Misa (Death Note)
In Death Note, Light and Misa’s relationship serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of becoming obsessed with a significant other, to the point of ignoring blatant manipulation and abuse. Misa didn’t care about Light treating her as a doormat.
Light took advantage of Misa’s love for him and used her as a pawn in his ultimate scheme of becoming God of the New World. Their relationship is defined by obsession, lovesickness, abuse, and overall toxic behavior. A relationship like theirs isn’t something anyone should strive toward.
6 Kureno & Arisa (Fruits Basket)
Kureno and Arisa‘s relationship in Fruits Basket is questionable solely because of the age gap between the two characters. Though they may have instantly hit it off, Kureno is 26, while Arisa was still in high school when they met. Age gap relationships aren’t anything new in anime — but how a series handles it matters.
Fruits Basket could have handled this relationship more responsibly in a way that mirrored how Kimi Ni Todoke handled Chizu’s feelings for Ryu’s brother. Instead, Fruits Basket went all-in on this unhealthy power dynamic between an adult and a minor.
5 Yuno & Yukiteru (Future Diary)
Yandere anime characters are popular because they’re extremely compelling and offer a unique element in their respective series. However, nobody should fall in love with a yandere. As is the case with Future Diary’s Yuno Gasai, yanderes are dark, abusive, and utterly obsessed with their love interests.
Throughout Future Diary, Yuno’s obsession with Yukiteru was portrayed as protective but violently obsessive — Yuno literally killed people for Yukiteru. Yukiteru is afraid of Yuno but keeps her around for his own survival in the series. Their relationship is ultimately defined by obsession, fear, power, and control.
4 Kyousuke & Kirino (Oreimo)
In Oreimo, Kyousuke and Kirino’s relationship is one of anime’s foulest examples of stepcest. Though they aren’t blood-related, this kind of relationship is still extremely unhealthy and generally frowned upon. Even worse, Kyousuke and Kirino’s relationship is built upon manipulating and keeping secrets from everybody around them.
They understand their relationship is wrong — otherwise, they wouldn’t be hiding their feelings from their friends and family. Not only is their relationship controversial, but it also stunts Kyousuke’s character development in Oreimo because he puts Kirino on a pedestal above his own needs.
3 Kyoya & Erika (Wolf Girl & Black Prince)
In Wolf Girl & Black Prince, Kyoya is often emotionally abusive and manipulative toward Erika. Erika has expressed feeling trapped in their relationship and feels afraid of him. Though Kyoya may seem like a prince at school, there’s a reason why he’s one of shojo’s most controversial male leads. Their dynamic made many fans uncomfortable.
Even though they eventually fell in love, many fans found Kyoya’s cruel and meanspirited behavior toward Erika at the beginning of Wolf Girl & Black Prince unforgivable. Their relationship definitely doesn’t set a good example and is defined by abusive behavior.
2 Meliodas & Elizabeth (The Seven Deadly Sins)
In The Seven Deadly Sins, Elizabeth’s potential was utterly wasted as she was reduced down to fan service — seemingly for Meliodas’ sake. Even though he loves her, Meliodas tends to treat Elizabeth like dirt and rarely shows her the respect she deserves.
Even though they’re soulmates who were bound to reunite at some point, Elizabeth barely remembers Meliodas, who keeps trying to interject himself into her life. Meliodas feels like he’s allowed to sexually assault Elizabeth, which the series plays off as a running gag even though it makes viewers extremely uncomfortable and perpetuates toxic relationship dynamics.
1 Yukako & Koichi (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)
Yukako Yamagishi is revered as the first yandere anime character. Her debut in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was chaotic and instantly made fans realize that she’s untrustworthy and not the most mentally stable character in Morioh. She was obsessed with Koichi and didn’t know how to express her love in healthy ways.
Yukako stalked, kidnapped, and physically harmed anybody who tried getting closer to him. Yukako is possessive, easily jealous, and deeply insecure as she tries to win Koichi’s heart — she even tries changing her face entirely to make Koichi love her. Many fans still express confusion as to why she and Koichi wound up together at the end of Diamond is Unbreakable.
