Everyone loves an odd couple. As they say, opposites attract, or at very least make media interesting to watch. They fight, they get into shenanigans, but ultimately in the end you discover they have things in common because – at their core – everyone is a human. Well…That’s not always true in anime, but you get the point. If you are looking for odd couples, anime has A LOT.
Best Odd Couples in Anime
Taiga and Ryuuji from Toradora
Tiger and dragon, different yet similarly vicious. Ryuuji is mean-looking but with the disposition of a great housewife. Taiga is adorable like a doll, but short and bad tempered. They bond over the fact they each love someone else, but after agreeing to help pursue their loves, they find out that they are, as the audience already knows, perfect for each other.
Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter
Many shounen series have odd couples, but none do them quite as well as Hunter x Hunter. Although the plot and mood in the series shifts, the friendship between these two remains endearing. As their two very different personalities and upbringings are different, they still grow together and support one another to become stronger.
Kyon and Haruhi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
This series is more of a show on how odd couples can go astray. As Kyon is the laid back straight man, he often falls easy prey to Haruhi’s various schemes as a hyper girl who is also unknowingly a god. It is what makes the show interesting, and adds in a bit of spice for the shippers.
Tiger and Bunny from Tiger & Bunny
You mind as well call this series Odd Couple: the Anime. The whole premise is essentially two very different people having to work together. However, you not only watch them make it work, but how their new friendship effects other aspects of their life as well.
Almost Every Captain and Lieutenant in Bleach
No, really. If you examine the characters, you can find an odd couple relationship between every captain and their lieutenant almost…as if it were PLANNED! Even at the top, Yamamoto and his lieutenant greatly contrast in their opinion on Japanese and European culture. Renji is a thuggish rebel and Byakuya is a straight-laced noble. Kyoraku is chill AF and his lieutenant is stiff and rigid. The list goes on.
Mei and Yamato from Say I Love You
The romance genre absolutely adores placing shy folk with popular folk. However, this particular series is excellent at highlighting how similar these two really are. After all, everyone has their trauma.
Nana and Nana in Nana
This is truthfully the whole premise of the show. One girl is a hardcore rocker the other is a bubbly social butterfly. They’re both named Nana, they live in apartment 7 (Nana in Japanese) and they are purposely seventh on this list for extra fun. You watch as their lives crash into each other and see how two very different girls offer support for each other.
Sunakawa and Takeo from My Love Story
You might look at My Love Story and think the main couple is the odd couple, and that might be true. However, the friendship between Takeo and Sunakawa is equally as odd. Takeo is loud and large, Sunakawa is quiet and beautiful. Yet, because they are neighbors, they have kind of stayed friends.
Kaoru and Sentaro from Kids on the Slope
Kids on the Slope plays this trope in a big way. Kaoru is anxious and a bit tight-laced, Sentaro, on the other hand, is laid back and has a reputation for being a thug. Yet through a chance meeting they end up building each other up and bonding through their shared love of jazz.
The Main Characters in Soul Eater
This one is actually explained in the show itself. It is suggested that those with opposite personalities will resonate better with each other, which explains why Maka is bonded with Soul when it appears Soul and Black Star would get along better.
Did we miss any more good odd couples in anime? Lay them on us in the comments section below.
