One of the most popular tropes in romance anime is turning friends into lovers, but enemies-to-lovers might be even more popular. The romance genre thrives off of tropes that have dominated the industry, with enemies turning into lovers becoming one of the most beloved storylines. No matter if it is in anime, manga, or light novels, fans cannot get enough of enemies becoming lovers.
Watching two characters who loathe each other fall in love is strangely satisfying, and stories have been using this setup in classic and modern anime. From characters who hated each other since childhood to true enemies throughout the series, there is an abundance of characters who have fallen in love with their enemies.
Updated by Alexandra Locke on June 15, 2023: Romance anime feature many character dynamics, but few are so beloved as the enemies-to-lovers trope. Fans cannot help but love seeing two enemies grow together throughout a story, learning more about each other, and eventually opening up and falling in love. As there are countless enemies-to-lovers couples throughout anime, even more great titles have been added to this list.
25 Misaki Ayuzawa & Takumi Usui (Maid Sama!)
Misaki Ayuzawa has a lot on her plate as the first female president of her school and working part-time. Unfortunately, Takumi Usui becomes another liability when he discovers that Misaki works at a maid café in Maid Sama!. The two then begin a strange, secretive friendship as Misaki tries to prevent Usui from revealing her job to the school, and Usui enjoys knowing Misaki’s true nature.
Usui and Misaki eventually develop a romance based on their shared secret and increasingly frequent proximity. Though Misaki tries to fight it, she cannot help but fall for the handsome, and flirtatious Usui—just as he falls for the girl who seems to have her life all figured out.
24 Chu Sangoo & Jang Jaeyoung (Semantic Error)
Chu Sangwoo is the main character of the BL Manhwa, Semantic Error. Chu Sangwoo is a rigid computer science major who takes his education and time seriously. When he becomes the only one to complete a group project, he angrily erases his teammates’ names. Unfortunately, this act had consequences that have now made enemies of Chu Sangwoo and Jang Jaeyoung.
Due to Chu Sangwoo’s actions, Jang Jaeyoung is barred from studying overseas. Though they are angry with each other, the two men find themselves inexplicably drawn to one another. Logic and creativity come together in Semantic Error as straight-laced Chu Snagwoo and artistic Jang Jaeyoung become closer.
23 Sadao Maou & Emilia Justina (The Devil Is A Part-Timer!)
In The Devil is a Part-Timer!, Sadao and Emilia are the true definition of “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 acting more humanely 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. 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.
22 Fudo Aikawa & Desumi Magahara (Love After World Domination)
Fudo Aikawa and Desumi Magahara are on opposite ends of a global conflict in Love After World Domination. As part of the Gelato 5 sentai group, Fudo and his friends are determined to stop the terrorizing reign of Secret Society Gekko. Yet, things become complicated when Fudo falls for one of the Gekko members: Desumi Magahara.
Not wanting to alert their respective colleagues, Red Gelato and the Reaper Princess try to keep their relationship under wraps. They sneak off during battles to have dates and never act in love when they are with others. It is a tough balancing act, but the arrangement seems to work for the two former enemies.
21 Chitoge Kirisaki & Raku Ichijou (Nisekoi)
Chitoge Kirisaki and Raku Ichijou from Nisekoi were both born into mafia families. Chitoge and Raku are no way in like or in love with each other when they first meet, but they end up fulfilling the fake marriage trope their parents set before them.
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.
20 Yolei / Miyako Inoue & Ken Ichijouji (Digimon Adventure 02)
No one would have thought these two would end up together at the end of Digimon. Yolei Inoue, (whose name was changed from Miyako Inoue in the English dub) the eldest and most confident new DigiDestined, and Ken Ichijouji, the blunt and cold boy who has family issues, were married at the end of Digimon Adventure 02 (the second season of Digimon: Digital Monsters in the dub).
Yolei and Ken have three children: two boys and a girl. They look happy in the picture with their Digimon, and both have jobs that fit their personalities. Although viewers were unable to see their relationship grow, fans enjoyed seeing how they ended up together.
19 Fakir & Ahiru Arima (Princess Tutu)
Ahiru Arima was not 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.
Ahiru’s 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 versa, with Fakir not caring that she was initially a duck and them ending up together.
18 Shouko Nishimiya & Shouya Ishida (A Silent Voice)
Shouko and Shouya from A Silent Voice are a complicated case of enemies-to-lovers, as they never truly date despite Shouko having feelings for Shouya. When they were small, Shouya and his friends used to bully Shouko for being deaf.
Because of how bad the bullying became, Shouko moved away before moving back, with Shouya eventually befriending her to make up for his past bullying. The pairing 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.
17 Takato Saijo & Junta Azumaya (Dakaichi)
Takato Saijo has been in the acting industry for years. Now as an adult, Takato has become accustomed to winning the title of “Sexiest Man of the Year,” for five consecutive years. Unfortunately, his reign comes to an end when Junta Azumaya enters the scene.
Junta is an outwardly charming young talent who seems to easily usurp Takato’s position as an acting heartthrob. However, he has a secret that works to his advantage when Takato picks a fight with him. With the perfect blackmail to realize his dream, Junta and Takato form an attachment in Dakaichi.
16 Mirai Kuriyama & Akihito Kanbara (Beyond The Boundary)
Beyond the Boundary from Kyoto Animation follows Mirai Kuriyama—a young warrior who can use her blood as a weapon. As the last of her clan, Mirai makes it her mission to defeat all the youmu she can. Yet, when she meets and attacks a youmu-human hybrid at her school, things become complicated.
Akihito Kanbara is not only a youmu and a human, but also immortal. Though their ancestors are bitter rivals, Mirai and Akihito strike up an odd friendship where Mirai practices her youmu slaying on her new, unkillable friend. As the world begins to take a turn for the worse, Akihito and Mirai find themselves to be not only friends but maybe even more.
15 Taiga Aisaka & Ryuuji Takasu (Toradora!)
Ryuji Takasu has always had a crush on Minori Kushieda. Likewise, Taiga Aisaka has had a crush on Yusaku Kitamura for a while. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding sets Ryuji and Taiga at odds, but they quickly learn that they can become allies, as they are each other’s crush’s best friends.
Throughout Toradora! Ryuji and Taiga work together to help each other win over their crushes. However, the more time they spend together, the more they see each other in a new light. Taiga may have come after Ryuji with a bokuto practice sword initially, but the two finally admit their feelings for each other by the end of the show.
14 Kiki & Tombo Kapoli (Kiki’s Delivery Service)
Kiki is a young witch who lands in a seaside town to start her own delivery business in Kiki’s Delivery Service. However, life in the big city is different than what she is used to, and Kiki almost gets taken in by the police—yet, a nearby voice saves her.
Tombo Kopoli is an aviation enthusiast who is fascinated by Kiki’s flying ability. Yet, Kiki feels that he is making fun of her, rather than being enthralled by her presence. The two have a few misunderstandings, but ultimately form an attachment after Kiki saves Tombo from a crashing dirigible.
13 Yuzuru Otonashi & Kanade Tachibana (Angel Beats!)
Yuzuru and Kanade were not a tragic couple until the end of Angel Beats!. 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 Yuzuru and Kanade 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.
12 Sana Kurata & Akito Hayama (Kodocha: Child’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 did not dare go against him. So when Sana challenged him and won, that ignited Akito’s interest in her.
Their relationship develops throughout the manga even more once they learn about their family circumstances. Despite Kodocha: Child’s Toy being targeted toward children as a “children’s manga,” the genre throws in quite a few mature topics, such as child abandonment and mental health issues.
11 Vegeta & Bulma (Dragon Ball Z)
Most Dragon Ball Z fans seem to forget that Vegeta was not always on the good guys’ side and has killed a lot of people throughout the series. Vegeta has softened up a lot, however, thanks to his wife Bulma, his son Trunks, and his daughter Bulla. Despite how well they get along now, Vegeta and Bulma’s relationship had a rocky start.
Vegeta and Bulma frequently fought before becoming a couple, and even after Bulma gave birth to Trunks, they were still estranged. It takes seven years for Vegeta and Bulma to live together and better their relationship with their son, Trunks.
10 Shizuku Tsukishima & Seiji Amasawa (Whisper Of The Heart)
Shizuku Tsukishima loves to read a boy named Seiji Amasawa appears to be checking out the same books she does. Deciding to search for him, she encounters a rude young man who teases her and takes the book she’s reading. Shizuku is hurt but still goes in search of the elusive Seiji Amasawa—only to discover that the rude boy who picked up her book is the boy in question.
Whisper of the Heart follows Seiji and Shizuku as they come to understand one another and inspire each other in their chosen fields. They may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but the two soon get swept up into one of Studio Ghibli’s most heartwarming romances.
9 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 of 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.
8 Maou & Yuusha (Maoyu ~ Archenemy & Hero ~)
The Demon King is supposed to be slain by the Hero who comes to kill them—or that’s 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 that 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 inevitably fall in love and make the world a better place together.
7 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.
However, Syaoran falls in love with Sakura as the series progresses. Sakura falls for him as well, albeit slower. They eventually become a couple in the second movie, Cardcaptor Sakura: The Sealed Card. They are dating in the sequel, Cardcaptor Sakura: Clear Card.
6 Casca & Guts (Berserk)
While Casca used to hold her alliance to Griffith alone because he saved her as a child, certain circumstances occurred where she diverged over to Guts. Although she was initially jealous of Guts because Griffith wished to recruit him, the more she came to know him, the more she became attracted to him, and vice versa.
The Berserkmanga delves deeper into their relationship. The manga also depicts more of the hell they have experienced throughout the years together. Many Berserk fans hail the original 1997 anime while disliking the 2016 adaptation for its poor use of CGI.
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