Top 10 Iconic Love Triangles in Anime
#10: Jinta, Meiko & Naruko “Anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day” (2011)
Love triangles tend to create tension within a group of friends – even when one of the friends is no longer living. Five years after a tragic accident, teenage recluse Jinta Yadomi comes face to face with the ghost of his childhood crush, Meiko. In an effort to help her move on by granting her last wish, he gathers their old companions, the “Super Peace Busters.” As the friends strive to help Meiko, secrets are revealed and old feelings are reawakened. Jinta struggles to let go of Meiko’s ghost, while Naruko wrestles with her own feelings for him - along with her jealousy and guilt towards Meiko.
#9: Rui, Natsuo & Hina “Domestic Girlfriend” (2019)
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What’s a guy to do when he knows that his love is doomed to fail? According to Natsuo, a high school student who pines after his English teacher, distract himself by going out and sleeping with a mysterious girl. While we can’t fault him for trying to move on, it just so happens that he couldn’t have picked anyone worse: Rui, the girl he slept with, turns out to be the younger sister of Hina, the very teacher he has a crush on. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Natsuo learns that his father is getting remarried to the two girls’ mother, thus making them his new stepsisters. When Natsuo finds himself living under the same roof as Hina and Rui, he finds it hard to keep his feelings for either of them under wraps.
#8: Chihaya, Taichi & Arata “Chihayafuru” (2011-)
A shared passion is often a great foundation for a lasting friendship – or something more. As a little girl, Chihaya becomes friends with Taichi Mashima and Arata Wataya through their mutual love for the card game, karuta. Unfortunately, their friendship is cut short when they graduate to different middle schools. Years later, Chihaya is reunited with Taichi: their friendship is quickly reignited as they form the Mizusawa Karuta Club together and introduce karuta to their classmates. But despite their closeness and Taichi’s obvious feelings for her, Chihaya yearns to see her other friend again: bit by bit, she realizes that she sees Arata as something more than a friend or a role model in karuta.
#7: Harima, Tenma & Karasuma “School Rumble” (2004-06)
There’s nothing like a little love triangle to spice up your school days… not that that was necessary for the students of the lively 2-C class. Although she’s too shy to confess her feelings, sweet innocent Tenma Tsukamoto tries her best to catch the attention of her crush, the quiet and eccentric Ouji Karasuma. Little does she know, she has a secret admirer of her own: Kenji Harima may not be the brightest bulb, but his devotion to Tenma knows no bounds. The former delinquent even goes to school every day for the sole purpose of seeing her! Sadly for him, his awkward attempts to confess his love keep getting cut short by misunderstandings and embarrassing situations. Meanwhile, Ouji seems too absorbed by his passion for curry to pay attention to Tenma.
#6: Tai, Matt & Sora “Digimon: Digital Monsters” (1999-2003)
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You would think that taking care of Digimon and protecting the Digital World would leave one with little time for love triangles; you’d be wrong. Tai and Matt may look like total opposites: one is a natural, if somewhat reckless leader; the other is a cautious loner. But the one thing they do share is their concern for the well-being of their friend and teammate, Sora Takenouchi. When the two boys start butting heads, it often takes Sora’s intervention to make them come to their senses. As they grew up, Tai finally had the courage to ask Sora out… only to be rejected in favor of his rival. Ouch.
#5: Yuki, Kaname & Zero “Vampire Knight” (2008)
Twilight isn’t the only story that features a love triangle between a handsome vampire, a human girl, and a vampire hater. As a student at the elite boarding school Cross Academy, Yuki is no stranger to vampires: in fact, her classmates are constantly swooning over the gorgeous boys of the “Night Class.” It just so happens that the most popular among them, the kind and mysterious Kaname, has his sights set on none other than Yuki. But he’s got competition: his attempts to court the girl are often thwarted by Zero, a fierce hunter who wants to protect Yuki from all vampires. The plot thickens when Zero starts experiencing a thirst for blood that makes him fear he’s becoming the very thing he hates.
#4: Kyo, Tohru & Yuki “Fruits Basket” (2001)
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Kyo and Yuki Sohma are the literal embodiment of “fighting like cat and mouse;” so when a shared love interest is thrown into the mix, you’d expect things to get even more explosive. When sweet orphan Tohru Honda moves in with the Sohma family, her life changes drastically: she becomes close friends with hothead Kyo and well-mannered “prince” Yuki, despite the fact that the two are sworn enemies. It doesn’t take long until both boys develop feelings for her. Fortunately, this actually encourages them to get along better, as they know that Tohru hates seeing them fight. In a surprising display of maturity, these two learn to put their differences aside from time to time – for Tohru’s sake.
#3: Rem, Subaru & Emilia “Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World” (2016-)
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When seventeen-year old Subaru Natsuki lands in a fantasy world on his way home from the convenience store, his whole life is about to change – including his love life. As he adjusts to this strange new realm, Subaru inadvertently earns the attention of two different women. One of them is the beautiful half-elf Emilia, who is constantly threatened by the evil Witch’s Cult. The other is Rem, a demon maid whose initial wariness towards him turns to love, after he shows his inner strength and compassion. Rem grows deeply devoted to Subaru, despite knowing that he’s in love with Emilia; she even encourages him to confess his feelings to the other girl. It just goes to show true love is about putting someone else’s happiness above your own.
#2: Naruto, Sakura & Sasuke “Naruto” franchise (2002-17)
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Alternatively comrades and rivals on the battlefield, Naruto and Sasuke have their fair share of fights over the course of the popular series: from petty squabbles, to full-blown epic duels. Among many others, one point of tension between them is their pretty friend and teammate, Sakura Haruno. While Naruto loudly and frequently pines for her, Sakura only has eyes for the mysterious, brooding Sasuke… who seems mostly indifferent to her. After Sasuke leaves the village in search for revenge, Naruto vows to bring him back for Sakura’s sake. This proves to be no easy task, as Sasuke drifts further and further from his childhood friends, and Sakura struggles to recognize the man she loved.
#1: Kagome, Inuyasha & Kikyo “Inuyasha” (2000-04)
Question: is it really a love triangle when a guy is torn between one woman and her literal reincarnation? When Kagome meets the half-dog demon Inuyasha, it’s far from love at first sight – especially since Kagome is the reincarnation of Kikyo, the priestess who trapped Inuyasha under a tree for fifty years. After going through countless adventures together, the two develop romantic feelings… only to run into a standstill when Kikyo is brought back to life. The situation only gets more confusing, when it’s revealed that Kikyo and Inuyasha were once lovers who got tricked into betraying each other. The dog demon finds himself at a crossroads between his feelings for Kagome, and his lingering love for the undead priestess.
