Summary
There are many anime that involve the hero and the villain actually falling in love with one another. Though it may seem like it’s not something that can happen in anime, there are plenty of shows that involve two people at each other’s throats, eventually finding more than just rivalry in one another.
Of course, this is not easy to write, and some anime pull off the development of their relationships better than others. As such, viewers who like this particular trope will want to know which anime pulls it off better than most other shows.
Updated on August 06, 2025, by Oluwatokiloba Folami:Good and evil must always clash, with good overcoming evil, but there are a few exceptions. The exception is that evil triumphs over good. In the process of clashing feelings and emotions, usually anger, hurt, betrayal, maybe fear, and in some cases, love. Love is such a deep, complex, and somewhat selfish feeling because it pays no regard to the individual or the individual’s background. It is quite hard to control who an individual can fall in love with, but these protagonists or ‘good guys’ in these anime fall for some extremely questionable people, aka the villains. As much as they are villains, they are also humans with emotions, just like the heroes. Clearly on opposing sides, these characters try to make it work.
Fruits Basket
Akito is the antagonistofFruits Basket,and as much as she is the bad guy here, she is also a victim because of her upbringing as a child. At first, it was all roses and sunshine, but after her father’s death, things changed, and this sweet, kind girl turned into a cruel girl filled with insecurities.
Shigure, one of the protagonists of this anime, falls for Akito even before she is born. After her birth, he was extremely happy and expressed his love to Akito at a very young age. Their love is far from perfect, and they have so many ups and downs. Akito knowingly betrays Shigure by sleeping with another man, and this act breaks Shigure. However, he does not overlook her actions, as he sleeps with her mother to get back at her. This tumultuous love gets better over time, and in another version of this anime, they end up together and have a child.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Ohgi is part of the Japanese resistance group fighting against Britannia, making him the hero. As much as he is fighting against Britannia, he is still a compassionate person, so much so that he could not leave Villetta after she was left to die. Because of the severity of Villetta’s wound, she loses her memory, having no idea who she is or that Ohgi is an enemy of Britannia.
As Ohgi cares for and tends Villetta back to health, he falls for her. She feels the same way but is immediately disgusted when she regains her memories and realizes that she has fallen for the enemy, whom viewers might perceive as one of the heroes. Villetta fights against her feelings towards Ohgi, but in the end, she decides to let love prevail as they end up together and even have a child.
Rurouni Kenshin
Love is unpredictable, and Tomoe was not expecting to find love with her fiance’s killer, Kenshin. Tomoe joins Yaminobu, a group of assassins, and as they plan to take down Kenshin, Tomoe is already a captive of love, and instead of getting revenge, she tries to save him. On the other hand, Tomoe is Kenshin’s first and true love.
These two are on opposing sides, but unlike most heroes' and villains' love stories, they do not have a happy ending. Tomoe successfully saves Kenshin but at the expense of her life. To make matters worse, she dies by Kenshin’s sword. This act breaks Kenshin, and he vows to stop partaking in unnecessary bloodshed.
Studio
Project No. 9
One is part of a society that wants to protect Japan, and the other is part of an opposing society that wants to take over the world, but these two individuals manage to fall in love with each other. Fudo Aikawa is the hero, Red Gelato, and the leader of Gelato 5, while Desumi Magahara, the villain, is the Reaper Princess of the Gekko Society.
While Gelato 5 seeks peace, Gekko seeks chaos, but their different values and goals do not stop Fudo from falling in love with Desumi at first sight. These two start dating, and it is a roller coaster because they have to hide their relationship from their fellow organizations. Fudo and Desumi just want to be able to date and do things like an average couple, but unfortunately, they cannot, but they keep finding ways to do so.
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
After failing to start a war in Ente Isla, Sadao Maou has to leave for Earth against his personal wishes, and in the process, he loses his powers and status. His status changes overnight from being a Demon King to a part-time worker at MgRonald’s restaurant. What is even worse is that the hero who defeats him, Emilia Justina, follows him to Earth to verify he does not continue his evil plans.
Emilia becomes Emil Yusa on Earth, and she works beside him at MgRonald’s to keep an eye on him. As they spend time working together, they bond and forget the times when they were constantly at each other’s throats in Ente Isla. Although they are not dating, Sadou is freer around her, and they both enjoy spending time together as they watch over Alas Ramus, a little girl who has now become a daughter to them.
The love story between Vegeta and Bulma was not love at first sight like it was for Aikawa Fudo and Desumi Magahara inLove After World Domination.Their love story takes the enemy-to-lover path as Vegeta comes to Earth with the malicious intent of destroying it. In the process of carrying out his evil deeds, Bulma helplessly watches Vegeta mock and kill her boyfriend. Their few moments were scary for Bulma as she witnesses him kill individuals to get his way, and he even threatens to kill Bulma one time.
Months pass, and Vegeta is not the cruel villain he was when he came to Earth, and Bulma starts seeing him in a different light. As he begins to care for others, Bulma is able to see past his walls and develops feelings for him. They begin to grow closer, forming a deeper bond, and eventually, they marry each other. Their love story is quite an interesting one because it had quite a rocky and complicated start. As Vegeta spends more time on Earth and undergoes a major character change, Bulma starts seeing him differently, and they take their love to the next phase, getting married and having children.
Future Diary
One of the more popular anime,Future Diaryis a prime example of an anime featuring a hero who fell in love with a villain. Yukiteru Amano is a loner who writes a diary on his phone before it abruptly turns into a “Future Diary,” which can predict the future up to 90 days in advance.
After that,he’s forced into a battle royalewith 11 other people who wield a Future Diary, including his stalker Yuno Gasai. Eventually, the two of them fall in love together, but something about her is just a little bit amiss – there is more to Yuno than Yukiteru knows.
Gonzo
A morehumorous anime,Black Catis a story about Train Heartnet, who is an assassin who only cares about himself. He goes under the alias of “Black Cat” and is a killer who works for a secret organization known as Chronos.
Eventually, though, he meets up with a strange bounty hunter. This woman is named Saya Minatsuki, and soon enough, they end up developing a strange friendship with one another. Saya is a good influence on Train, and soon enough, he begins to wonder if his way of seeing life is wrong as his feelings for Saya develop into more than just friends.
asread
InBig Order, after a fairy that was called Daisy appeared, and a child named Eiji Hoshimiya was granted a wish, the world started to fall apart. Though nobody knows what Eiji had wished for, countless people died in what laterbecame known as the Great Destruction.
Ten years later, Eiji has no memory of what he had wished for – and just knows that he had caused the Great Destruction – and all he cares about now is his sick sister. He meets with Rin, who tried to kill Eiji for causing her parents to die in a fire during the Great Destruction. Unfortunately, he fell in love with her, but she doesn’t feel the same way.
Darwin’s Game
In the animeDarwin’s Game, Kaname Sudou receives a strange invitation to play something called “Darwin’s Game,” which his classmate describes as a mobile game (one that Kaname has never heard of). Soon, though, he learns thatthis game is far deadlier than it looksas it materializes his opponents in front of him.
At first, Karino Shuka is just another one of his opponents. They’re in the heat of battle for a while before Shuka abruptly decides to surrender for them both to live. Soon enough, they start to work together, and their relationship goes from simple partners to a newfound romance.
