Love has a way of creeping up on people when they least expect it. Anime has seen many kinds of love stories, from tender and sweet to completely wild, but they’re all unique in their own ways. That said, quite a few anime couples take their “uniqueness” to new and unconventional levels.
Whether it’s the circumstances that have drawn them together, the conflicts between them, or even because they’re different species, these anime couples have managed to swim where others would end up sinking. Whatever the case may be, these relationships put the “odd” in “odd couple.”
10/10 A Vampire & A Vampire Hunter Living Together, What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
The Vampire Dies In No Time
Not all odd couples are of the romantic variety, some are just very different individuals who get stuck together. That’s a good way to describe Draluc the vampire, and Ronaldo the vampire hunter from The Vampire Dies in No Time. After Draluc’s home is destroyed, Ronaldo finds himself taking in the easily-disintegrating vampire.
Ronaldo and Draluc are a classic oil-and-water team, disagreeing on everything from housekeeping to hedonism. Despite it all, they share a good amount of trust in each other, even if Ronaldo threatens to kick Draluc out pretty regularly.
9/10 Kobayashi And Tohru Are A Story Of “Girl Meets Dragon”
Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid
“Boy meets girl” might be one of the most basic starts to any story, but Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid turns that on its head with “girl meets powerful dragon.” After Kobayashi saves the dragon Tohru from death’s door, Tohru falls in love with her and becomes her personal maid as thanks.
Tohru’s feelings are very open and intense, bringing some much-needed positive energy that Kobayashi’s mundane life was missing. For her part, Kobayashi is a lot more reserved and usually acts as the anchor to Tohru’s chaos. They have a strong, layered relationship. They not only care for each other deeply, overcoming traditional hate between humans and dragons, but they form a cute found family along with another young dragon, Kanna.
8/10 Popuko & Pipimi Are A Chaotic Comedy Duo Who Go Together Like PB&J
Pop Team Epic
Pop Team Epic has never really been about romance except when they make fun of it. Its two main leads, Popuko and Pipimi, are a comedy duo that’s at its best when they’re working off each other. Whatever else is true, they’d absolutely burn down the world for each other.
There’s no way to tell if Popuko and Pipimi are best friends or romantic partners. What sends their bond into the strangeness stratosphere, however, is their propensity for comedic and destructive shenanigans and their ability to egg each other on. The results are surreal, but their oddness and affection can’t be denied.
7/10 Loid And Yor, A Cover Marriage Between A Spy And An Assassin
Spy X Family
On the surface, Loid and Yor Forger from Spy x Family appear to be an average married couple, but looks are deceiving for the Forger family. In reality, Loid is secretly a spy on an undercover mission that required him to have a cover family. For her part, Yor is a deadly assassin who uses their marriage as a cover for lethal activities.
Neither Loid nor Yor knows what their partner is doing in the shadows, and they’re more like roommates than a married couple. However, they do care about each other and their daughter Anya to some extent, making their fake family edge slowly toward becoming the real deal.
6/10 Kimihito Has One Monster Of A Household
Monster Musume
In the world of Monster Musume, where monsters and humans co-exist, Kimihito Kurusu originally let the love-struck lamia, Miia into his home. Just as Kimihito was getting the hang of living with one monster girl, he ended up taking in a bunch more, and they’re all head over heels for him, too.
Ranging from centaurs, harpies, and many more, Kimihito’s monster household has become something of its own found family. While the group is still in need of a reliable mother figure, Kimihito cares for them all and always treats them like people, willing to defend any of the girls with his bare hands if necessary.
5/10 Kaguya And Shirogane Played A Lot Of Mind Games Before Getting Together
Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War
There’s playing “hard to get” and then there’s playing the meticulous mind games that Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane play with each other in Kaguya-Sama: Love Is War. Both at the top of their respective student food chains and both with an unyielding sense of pride, neither one’s willing to risk humiliation by confessing their love first.
The resulting manipulations and tricks are the basis for the show’s comedy, but despite their weird rivalry, they admire each other for qualities they feel they themselves lack. Eventually, they confess their feelings to each other and officially become a (very strange) couple.
4/10 Legoshi And Haru Are A Star-Crossed Animal Romance
Beastars
There’s a clear divide between herbivores and carnivores in the world of Beastars. Society looks down on any relationships that seek to bridge this gap. Legosi the wolf and Haru the rabbit might love each other but it’s going to be tough going.
Very different in both species and size, by all accounts their romance shouldn’t work out. However, the heart wants what the heart wants. Their relationship isn’t built on the most stable ground, but they stay strong together in spite of what the world thinks of them.
3/10 Celty And Shinra Are Two Of Ikebukuro’s More Eccentric Residents
Durarara!!
Durarara!!’s version of Tokyo’s entertainment district, Ikebukuro, is full of unorthodox characters who are more than they seem to be. This includes Celty, the motorcycle-riding dullahan with a missing head, and Shinra, the eccentric doctor who’s absolutely obsessed with her. Celty and Shinra have known each other and lived together for a long time, and they are practically inseparable.
There are some strange notes in this series, including the fact that Celty is immortal and Shinra’s been smitten with her since he was a child. However, the two seem to complete each other, knowing each other’s thoughts and feelings despite living in almost literally separate worlds.
2/10 Nagate And Tsumugi, A Romance Of A Distant Future
Knights Of Sidonia
Even in a strange sci-fi future like Knights of Sidonia’s, full of clones and shapeshifting aliens, love can come in unexpected forms. No one expected Nagate Tanikaze to and the half-human chimera Tsumugi Shiraui to fall in love.
There’s a size difference to overcome in this relationship as well as some serious physiological challenges. Tsumugi’s a giant, and extends a worm-like appendage as a kind of puppet to interact with humans. To their credit, though, their differences seem to bring them together rather than driving them apart.
1/10 Midori And Seiji Are Quite Attached… Literally!
Midori Days
Midori Days centers on a tough delinquent names Seiji and a quiet girl named Midori who secretly has a crush on him. On the surface, they’re too different to ever get together, but Midori’s inexplicable transformation into Seiji’s right hand overcomes their differences.
Since the two are quite literally attached to each other, and Midori has taken the place of Seiji’s punching hand, they start to change each other. Seiji is forced to hold back his usual violent impulses while Midori learns from Seiji’s example. Over time, Seiji learns to keep his temper and Midori learns self-confidence, making room for the two to form an actual romance.