Yakuza Fiancé is the romance anime of the season, and it presents quite the questionable (yet addicting to watch) duo. Yoshino Somei and Kirishima Miyama are the grandchildren of two very high-ranking members of the Yakuza who've become engaged. Yoshino is a tough girl who stands her ground and possesses a head of beautiful red hair, and Kirishima is a masochistic young man with numerous red flags to match.
✕ Remove Ads
In spite of Kirishima's more concerning qualities, many fans have grown to love their uniquely compelling dynamic, as Kirishima's devotion to Yoshino is nothing short of endearing. And though their incredibly interesting and mildly problematic relationship is one that is hard to replicate, there are a great many anime couples with similar "enemies to lovers" dynamics.
Related
10 Popular Shojo Anime Couples That Are Actually Problematic
Many of shojo's most adored couples are actually very problematic and harmful as a result.
10 Kagome and InuYasha Were Like Cats and Dogs in the Beginning
InuYasha is Available to Stream on Netflix
Close
✕ Remove Ads
InuYasha is an early 2000's anime based on Rumiko Takahashi's manga of the same name, revolving around 15-year-old Kagome Higurashi after she's pulled into an ancient well that transports her 500 years into the past. Kagome is one half of the main couple of the series, with the other being the half-demon and hot-headed titular character, InuYasha.
InuYasha and Kagome don't exactly start off on the right foot upon meeting, as the latter wants nothing more than to return home and the former simply wants to covet the highly prized Shikon Jewel in order to turn into a full demon. They're at each other's throats in the beginning, but, over time, they become a duo who learn to work quite well together, much like Kirishima and Yoshino.
✕ Remove Ads
Inuyasha
TV-14
Comedy
Mystery
Action
Anime
Fantasy
Release Date October 16, 2000
Cast Ai Kobayashi , Kappei Yamaguchi , Satsuki Yukino , Koji Tsujitani , Ken Narita , Toshiyuki Morikawa , Taiki Matsuno , Kumiko Watanabe , Akiko Yajima , TARAKO , Houko Kuwashima , Kenichi Ogata , Cho , Noriko Hidaka , Yukana , Joji Yanami , Mamiko Noto , Hisako Kyoda , Izumi Ōgami
Writers Katsuhiko Chiba , Akatsuki Yamatoya
Network ANIMAX , Nippon TV , YTV
Directors Masashi Ikeda , Yasunao Aoki , Akira Toba , Hirofumi Ogura , Takashi Ikehata , Kunihiro Mori , Noriaki Saito , Naoki Hishikawa , Teruo Satou
Character(s) Akago (voice) , InuYasha (voice) , Kagome Higurashi (voice) , Miroku (voice) , Sesshomaru (voice) , Naraku (voice) , Koga (voice) , Shippo (voice) , Kohaku (voice) , Kirara (voice) , Sango (voice) , Myōga (voice) , Jaken (voice) , Kikyo (voice) , Kanna (voice) , Tōtōsai (voice) , Rin (voice) , Kaede (voice) , Kagura (voice)
Expand
9 Taiga and Ryuuji Break Their Partnership in Toradora!
Toradora! is Available to Stream on Crunchyroll
Toradora! is a well-known anime about Ryuuji Takasu and Taiga Aisaka, who both bear personalities that contrast heavily with their appearances; Ryuuji is a gentle boy with an intimidating face, and Taiga is a feisty girl with a wooden katana who looks like a delicate doll. After discovering who the other is crushing on, the pair make an unlikely alliance to help each other win over the objects of their affections.
✕ Remove Ads
Ryuuji and Taiga's partnership eventually leads to the two of them falling for each other. Taiga's fiery personality is akin to that of Yoshino's; they're both more than capable of fighting for and taking care of themselves. Fortunately for Taiga, her eventual love interest is a great deal less unhinged than Kirishima, so she doesn't have much of a need to defend herself against him.
Toradora!
TV-14
Comedy
Drama
Toradora tells the tale of Ryuji (dragon) and Taiga (tiger) helping each other confess to their crushes.
Release Date October 2, 2008
Main Genre Anime
Seasons 1
Studio J.C. Staff
Number of Episodes 25
8 Lovely Complex's Risa and Atsushi Were Made for Each Other
Lovely Complex is Available to Stream on Crunchyroll
✕ Remove Ads
Lovely Complex is a 2007 romance anime about teenagers Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Ootani, who want nothing more than to find the partner of their dreams. The struggle is that they are both hindered by their own insecurities -- Risa is an incredibly tall girl who struggles to find a boy taller than her, while Atsushi is a very short boy who wants to find a girl who doesn't challenge his height.
Related
Lovely Complex English Dub Hit by Controversy as Contractor Gets Blacklisted by Discotek
Discotek Media has issued an official statement regarding the controversial English dubbing of the classic 2000s rom-com anime Lovely Complex.
Risa and Atsushi may not have as many red flags as Yakuza Fiancé's main couple, but they bicker almost as much as Yoshino scolds and argues with Kirishima. Risa and Atsushi have personalities that often clash with one another, and this paints them as a comedic duo in the eyes of their classmates and teachers. Surprisingly, they end up having numerous similarities, which results in them becoming friends and, eventually, a couple.
✕ Remove Ads
Lovely Complex
TV-PG
Comedy
Drama
Romance
Anime
Risa and Otani are always being laughed at as the comedy duo. Risa is taller than the average girl, and Otani is shorter than the average boy. However, Risa has feelings for Otani despite their height differences, and that comes as a shock to him.
Release Date April 7, 2007
Cast Akemi Okamura , Akira Nagata , Yasuhiko Tokuyama , Saori Higashi , Masaya Onosaka , Fujiko Takimoto , Yuki Matsuoka , Kazuko Kojima , Hiroki Shimowada , Junichi Suwabe , Kenjiro Tsuda
Writers Aya Nakahara , Yumi Kageyama , Midori Kuriyama
Network TBS , MBS , CBC
Directors Konosuke Uda
Producers Hiromi Seki
Character(s) Koizumi Risa (voice) , Ootani Atsushi (voice) , Nakao Heikichi (voice) , Ishihara Nobuko (voice) , Fukagawa Haruka (voice) , Kotobuki Seishirou (voice) , Kanzaki Mayu (voice) , Tanaka Chiharu (voice) , Kohori Kazuki (voice) , Maitake Kuniumi (voice) , Suzuki Ryouji (voice)
YouTube Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nt3bOmkljc
Expand
7 Mao and Emi are Literal Arch-Enemies in The Devil is a Part-Timer!
The Devil is a Part-Timer is Available to Stream on Crunchyroll
The Devil is a Part-Timer! follows the story of the Demon Lord Satan after his plans of conquering the world of Ente Isla are fooled by the holy maiden warrior named Emilia. On the brink of defeat, he flees Ente Isla to Earth, where he assumes the name Sadao Mao and takes on a job as a fast-food worker. Mao begins to enjoy his new life disguised as a mortal, but it's soon disrupted when Emilia (Emi), who followed her enemy to defeat him once and for all, finds him.
✕ Remove Ads
Like Yoshino, Emi is a hot-headed redhead who wishes to take down a devilish man (in Emi's case, literally) who can't seem to take a hint. However, while Kirishima is hopelessly in love with Yoshino, Emi is actually the one who harbors an obsession with defeating Mao. It takes a while for any romantic tension to begin, but their relationship begins to grow less antagonistic over time as Emi realizes the kind soul that Mao actually is.
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
TV-14
Animation
Comedy
Fantasy
Hilarity and fun ensues when Satan ends up in modern day Japan without any magic to return, and starts working part time in a fast food joint.
Release Date April 4, 2013
Creator(s) Satoshi Wagahara
Cast Ryōta Ōsaka , Yoko Hikasa , Nao Tôyama , Yuki Ono , Hiro Shimono , Kanae Itô , Hina Kino , Yumi Uchiyama , Asuka Nishi , Yûichi Iguchi , Azumi Asakura , Takehito Koyasu , Madoka Asahina , Tomokazu Sugita , Megumi Han , Chikahiro Kobayashi
Main Genre Animation
Seasons 2
Creator
Number of Episodes
Directors Naoto Hosoda
Character(s) Sadao Maō , Emi Yusa , Chiho Sasaki , Shirō Ashiya , Hanzō Urushihara , Suzuno Kamazuki , Alas Ramus , Mayumi Kisaki , Rika Suzuki , Mitsuki Sarue , Emeralda Etuva , Gabriel , Acieth Alla , Farfarello , Erone , Camael
Expand
6 It Took Time for Tomoe to Like Nanami in Kami-Sama Kiss
Kama-sama Kiss is Available to Stream on Prime Video
✕ Remove Ads
Kami-sama Kiss is about a high schooler, Nanami Momozono, who, after becoming homeless, unexpectedly becomes the replacement deity of a shrine that was abandoned by its former god. This new position comes with two shrine spirits as well as a handsome and proud fox-familiar named Tomoe, who unfortunately holds a distaste for humans like Nanami.
Tomoe's dislike of Nanami is prevalent in the early episodes of Kami-sama Kiss, but his ties to her (because she is the new land god) give him no choice but to help and look after her -- much in the same way Yoshino is forced to put up with Kirishima because of their arranged marriage. But, like Yoshino, Tomoe slowly warms up to Nanami's presence and even comes to love her.
Kamisama Kiss
TV-PG
Comedy
Fantasy
Nanami is left homeless after her father runs away due to debts. When she saves a man named Mikage from dogs, he gives her his house which turns out to be a shrine and she becomes the new deity.
Release Date October 2, 2012
Main Genre Animation
Seasons 2 Seasons
Characters By Tia Lynn Ballard, J. Michael Tatum, Luci Christian
Creator Julietta Suzuki
Production Company Dax Production, Dentsu, Hakusensha
Expand
✕ Remove Ads
5 Takumi Causes Misaki a World of Grief from Maid-Sama!
Maid-Sama! is Available to Stream on Hulu
Having aired in 2010, Maid-Sama! is a shojo romance about a girl named Misaki Ayuzawa, a tough girl who has become the student body president of what was formerly an all boys' school. Secretly, she has a part-time job as a maid in a maid cafe, which is discovered by the school's infamous playboy, Takumi Usui.
Related
10 Ways Maid-Sama! Embraces Shojo Clichés
Shojo like Maid-Sama are unapologetically romantic & full of fan-favorite romance tropes. Just because a cliche is common doesn't mean it's boring.
✕ Remove Ads
This secret becomes a sword over Misaki's head every time Takumi visits her place of work. Aside from teasing her, Takumi also has a habit of crossing the line of her boundaries, something that often flusters Misaki in the same way Kirishima's casual advances tend to unsettle Yoshino.
Maid-Sama!
Seika High, once an all-boys school, undergoes a transformation into a co-ed institution. Misaki Ayuzawa, the first female student council president, maintains a strict and disciplined image at school while secretly working at a maid café to support her family. Her hidden life is discovered by Takumi Usui, a popular boy, leading to an unexpected romance that faces challenges due to Usui's complicated familial background, eventually culminating in their marriage ten years later.
Author Hiro Fujiwara
Artist Hiro Fujiwara
Release Date December 24, 2005
Genre Romantic Comedy , Shojo
Chapters 85
Volumes 18
Publisher Hakusensha, Tokyopop (former), Viz Media
Expand
4 Princess Mononoke's San and Ashitaka Fight for the World
Princess Mononoke is Available to Stream on Max
✕ Remove Ads
Princess Mononoke is the legendary Hayao Miyazaki's love letter to nature. It's a beautiful and thrilling film about Ashitaka, who, after becoming cursed when a tainted god attacked his village, comes across a girl who was raised by a wolf deity. His destiny ends up being tied to her in his quest to heal his own curse, but he also ends up falling for her along the way.
Ashitaka quickly fixates on San in the same way Kirishima's curiosity leads him to uncovering Yoshino's sharp personality, which is as fiery and defensive as San's. Unlike Yoshino and Kirishima, however, San and Ashitaka are a pair that come together to fight for the greater good, while Yoshino and Kirishima are simply together for their own separate agendas.
Princess Mononoke
PG-13
Action
Adventure
On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke Hime.
Director Hayao Miyazaki
Release Date December 19, 1997
Studio Studio Ghibli
Cast Yôji Matsuda , Yuriko Ishida , Yûko Tanaka
Writers Hayao Miyazaki , Neil Gaiman
Runtime 2 Hours 14 Minutes
Main Genre Animation
Production Company DENTSU Music And Entertainment, Nibariki, Nippon Television Network (NTV)
Expand
✕ Remove Ads
3 Haru Loves Shizuku to Death in My Little Monster
My Little Monster is Available to Stream on Crunchyroll
My Little Monster is an early 2010's shojo about Shizuku Mizutani, a girl so cold and apathetic that she has been nicknamed "dry ice" by her classmates, who earns the attention of the trouble-making Haru Yoshida. Neither of the two do very well when it comes to making friends at school, but when Haru proclaims that he will become Shizuku's best friend, both their lives begin to change for the better.
✕ Remove Ads
Haru quickly develops feelings for Shizuku and grows a concerning attachment to her, while Shizuku (at first) wants nothing to do with him -- a situation quite similar to that of Yoshino and Kirishima. Kirishima and Haru are both characters who have a protectiveness and an unsettling possessiveness over the girls they've fallen for. Haru, however, is at least a great deal less manipulative and dangerous than Kirishima.
My Little Monster
TV-14
Animation
Comedy
Romance
Shizuku, a hardworking student who isn't interested in socializing, finds an unlikely friend, Haru, an emotionally volatile boy at her school.
Release Date October 2, 2012
Cast Haruka Tomatsu , Tatsuhisa Suzuki , Atsumi Tanezaki , Ryōta Ōsaka , Tomoyuki Higuchi , Yuki Ono , Takuma Terashima , Kana Hanazawa , Atsushi Abe , Nozomi Sasaki , Yuichi Nakamura , Takehito Koyasu , Yûichi Iguchi , Yusuke Shirai , Sayuri Yahagi , Junichi Yanagita , Kanehira Yamamoto , Ayumu Murase , Atsushi Tamaru , Minami Takahashi[
Main Genre Animation
Seasons
Studio
Creator
Number of Episodes
Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll
Character(s) Shizuku Mizutani , Haru Yoshida , Asako Natsume , Sohei Sasahara , Mitsuyoshi Misawa , Tomio , Kenji Yamaguchi , Chizuru Oshima , Mabo , Saeko Ninomiya , Yuzan Yoshida , Takashi Mizutani , Shimoyanagi , Terashima , Yuu Miyama , Seta , Examiner , Takaya Mizutani , Male Student , Female student
Expand
2 Noah and Raeliana are Kirishima and Yoshino in Another Life
Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion is Available to Stream on Crunchyroll
✕ Remove Ads
Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Duke's Mansion is a romance reincarnation isekai, in which Rinko Hanasaki is reborn as Raeliana Mcmillan, a minor character from a romance novel. As Raeliana, Rinko finds herself in a fake engagement plot with the handsome duke, Noah Wynknight, so that she could avoid the character's pre-written death. But things start to stray further and further from the novel's original story when Noah begins to take a genuine interest in her.
Related
10 Best Romance Isekai Anime, Ranked
Isekai plunges its heroes into new worlds, but series like Kamigami no Asobi and The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent even let them find new love.
Kirishima and Noah share many things in common. The two of them are both outwardly very charming but are secretly quite cunning and manipulative. They are also both trying to woo the red-headed women that they have fallen for, only to be pushed away because neither of the women trust them or their questionable natures. Despite this, both Noah and Kirishima remain devoted and fiercely protective of their respective fiancées.
✕ Remove Ads
Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion
TV-14
Fantasy
Action
Drama
Living in a fairy tale may seem like a dream, but for this young heroine it is more like a nightmare.
Release Date April 10, 2023
Cast Jun'ichi Suwabe , Yūichirō Umehara , Saori Hayami , Ami Koshimizu
Main Genre Animation
Seasons 1 Season
Studio Typhoon Graphics
Creator Milcha
Production Company AT-X, Typhoon Graphics
Number of Episodes 12
Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll
Expand
1 The Toxic Romance Between Fruits Basket's Akito and Shigure Can't be Beat
Fruits Basket is Available to Stream on Crunchyroll
skito
Close
Fruits Basket is the beloved shojo classic, famous for its bizarre premise as well as its heartfelt and incredibly dramatic romances. It is about a young high school girl, Tohru Honda, and the predicament she finds herself in: somehow, Tohru has ended up living at the household of the notorious Sohma family, whose members have been afflicted with a strange and wildly inconvenient curse.
✕ Remove Ads
Akito and Shigure are an extremely problematic romantic pair who have hurt each other deeply yet are still drawn to each other. Their strained relationship is full of tension and power moves, similar to how Yoshino and Kirishima try to stay one step ahead of one another. The difference is that while Akito and Shigure have many issues to overcome, Yoshino and Kirishima seem to have no interest in helping each other better themselves.
Fruits Basket
TV-14
Drama
Release Date April 6, 2019
Creator(s) Yûichirô Kido , Natsuki Takaya
Cast Laura Bailey , Eric Vale , Jerry Jewell , John Burgmeier , Elizabeth Maxwell , Mikaela Krantz , Colleen Clinkenbeard
Main Genre Animation
Seasons 3
Writers Natsuki Takaya
Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll
Franchise(s) Fruits Basket
Directors Yoshihide Ibata
Expand
✕ Remove Ads