Top 10 Anime Partnership

Each character has their own set of unique identities that help them to be recognizable and memorable to us viewers. But there are times certain situations that partnerships between characters must be done in order to achieve their same desired goal. Interestingly enough, we see them shine more when we see them paired together.

Partnership comes in many forms; from being enemies, rivals, friends, lovers or even between mentors and their apprentices, family ties and more. One thing is for certain, they work together to overcome situations together. In this list, we will show you some anime partnership duos that support each other, give astonishing results in their team up, and a partnership that will help them develop more as a character.

It should be known that there are tons of partnerships in anime, so we made sure that this list hosts some of these duos of the anime community while mixing it up with some of our own choices to make it a bit diverse as possible. Now onto our TOp 10 Anime Partnership list, Enjoy!


10. Tenjou, Utena & Himemiya, Anthy from Revolutionary Girl Utena (Shoujo Kakumei Utena)

  • Episodes: 39
  • Aired: Apr. 1997-Dec. 1997

Inspired by the prince that she saw when she was young, Utena decided to be a prince herself. Fast forward to the future, she is now a student in Ohtori Academy where she displays herself more differently, which is a bit closer to her ideal during her childhood. As the girls at school fall for her, she witnesses Anthy being abused by her current partner. Mustering up her courage, Utena fought to protect Anthy without any knowledge that she is getting herself involved in a revolutionary duel.

Anthy being the rose bride, shows herself to others as emotionless with no will to do anything on her own. She must present herself as someone obedient and well-mannered until she meets Utena that is. Utena can be considered brave, who will fight for what is right and has a great sense of responsibility. Utena helped Anthy to be really who she is and protected her from any malicious people that hurt her. In turn, Anthy encourages Utena and willingly lets her use the power of revolution. They started off quite rocky but through the course of the anime, they began a relationship that can be more than just friends but less than that of lovers. They are good partners with a fresh new view outside expectations and norms.


9.Mashiro, Moritaka & Takagi, Akito from Bakuman

  • Episodes: 25
  • Aired: Oct. 2010-Apr. 2011

After the dark masterpiece of Takeshi Obata & Tsugumi Ohba that is Death Note, they again presented us with another superb piece that is Bakuman. Much like Obata & Ohba, Bakuman tells the journey of two people who teamed up together to create a hit manga series and dream to be the number one mangaka in Japan. It is an informative anime that gives us a little sneak peek into the process behind manga, seiyuu, and anime in general.

Meet Mashiro who has really nothing in mind for his future, but on the other hand, we have Takagi who is set on having an easy way to have cash; his brilliant idea? To be a mangaka. These two don't seem to likely be paired together, but with Mahiro gifted with drawing skills and Takagi blessed with his writing skills, it’s a perfect match! Together they become known as Ashirogi Muto. As the two try to make a name for themselves, they became sincere friends that constantly strive to be the best. Both share what is on their minds and never fail to appreciate/motivate one another when one starts to feel insecure due to the line of work they have. The growth that is shown in the anime little by little is the most wonderful part in Bakuman..


8. Natsume, Takashi & Madara from Natsume’s Book of Friends (Natsume Yuujinchou)

  • Episodes: 13
  • Aired: Jul. 2008-Sept. 2008

Not everyone had an easy childhood and Natsume is a prime testament of this. Since childhood, he had the ability to see youkai. Natsume mostly grew up being isolated from people as he was either being ignored or being bullied because of his ability. He loathed this and appeared cold and distant to other people. Until he accidentally broke a seal that concealed a powerful youkai in the form of a maneki-neko (meaning lucky cat). Madara, or Nyanko-sensei as our protagonist calls him, promises to get the book of friends once Takashi dies and becomes the boy's bodyguard.

Now with Madara by his side, Natsume learns that not all youkai are evil at all. He accepts them with wide open arms and gives help when necessary. Natsume became more open to his foster parents and even gained friends through it. Madara, who is most of the time with Natsume, became friendlier to some characters in the show despite him saying he doesn’t care about them. While Natsume realizes more about himself and his new forged understanding around him, Madara becomes attached to him and is even protective of him. Madara shares some minor insights here and there to help Natsume return the names in the book of friends albeit will diminish its power because of this.


7. Watanuki, Kimihiro & Doumeki, Shizuka from XXX HoLiC

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: Apr. 2006-Sept. 2006

Much like Natsume from above, Watanuki can also see ghosts. Watanuki started out his story in XXX HoLiC when he pleaded to remove the ghosts clinging onto his back to Ichihara, Yuuko. She does remove it, asking for a payment for her services. With nothing to pay her, he began working odd jobs for Yuuko; and there he meets Doumeki.

Since both of the boys have clashing personalities, it seems it is expected already that they will not get along. Watanuki views Doumeki as his rival with Himawari but these are merely one of his crazy assumptions. Despite this, they are fated to work together and eventually finish the different tasks that are given to them by Yuuko. In their ghost related jobs, these two are well matched in terms of their abilities. Doumeki cannot see ghosts but can sense it and exorcise it, while Watanuki can see them and attract them, which helps heaps in their two man team. Their relationship started with Watanuki bickering to Doumeki (most especially his impossible food demands and Doumeki’s constantly showing up out of nowhere). But as the story goes on, both matured and grow as a character. They formed a deep subtle friendship that made these two unlikely characters to heavily trust on one another and care for each others well being.


6. Motoi, Ryuuko & Senketsu from KILL la KILL

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: Oct. 2013-Mar. 2014

After the death of her father, Ryuuko transferred to Honnoji Academy to find answers to who is the killer of her father. After her overwhelming defeat in the hands of one of the student council members, she flees from the battle and meets her homeroom teacher Mikisugi, Aikuro. Through him, she meets Senketsu and from this point on starts with their rough relationship.

Ryuuko and Senketsu didn’t start out as close as it looks, in fact, Ryuuko only saw Senketsu as some piece of clothing that can help her achieve her thirst for vengeance. As the series progress through, Ryuuko acknowledges Senketsu as her friend after he sacrificed himself in order to protect his wearer. Even though they are believed to be friends, they act more of like a father to his daughter. Senketsu is level headed and can think critically which helps a lot with Ryuuko’s impulsiveness. He advises Ryuuko in times of her confusion as well as nags her when she does something careless. Both are protective of each other and work in sync in their en devours. Each time their bond goes deeper, they become even stronger. And just like how Senketsu will always be inside Ryuuko’s heart, these two will also be in ours, too.



5. Kamina & Simon from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann

  • Episodes: 27
  • Aired: Apr. 2007-Sept. 2007

Before Simon became a well-known hero, he started out as a 14-year-old meek boy that has little to no self-confidence at all. In their humble beginnings in the underground, Kamina and Simon treated each other as blood brothers. Unlike Simon, who sees nothing good about himself, Kamina sees a lot of potential inside the shy boy. He is often giving Simon inspiring speeches to get the child going and learn to fight his insecurities. Even during battles, he urges Simon to show all that he has and believed that it was his little brother who helped him attain extreme victories. Besides viewing Simon as his little brother, Kamina treats Simon too as his partner in everything they do.

On the other hand, Simon immensely admires his big brother Kamina. The way he views things and what his beliefs are; are mostly inspired by Kamina’s will and resolve. Especially in bad times, Kamina’s words are what resonates to Simon to stand up again and find himself once more. Their partnership is based on brotherhood and support, hence, why they are on our list.


4. Mustang, Roy & Hawkeye, Riza from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (Hagane no Renkijutsushi)

  • Episodes: 64
  • Aired: Apr. 2009-Jul. 2010

This dynamic duo is often overshadowed by the Elric brothers. As we look deeper though, you will see how their partnership gave a lot to them to improve as a person and as great supporting characters to our main ones.

Roy has set his mind on being the next Amestris and to change the ways of the military, which is good and beneficial to Riza. Their bond is so strong that Roy has let Riza become his conscience, bodyguard, and his executioner. They balance out very perfectly. With Riza being the voice that Roy needs and Roy being the source of Riza’s hope for a better future. They equally respect each other and show their weakest side to one another only when they are alone. Roy and Riza are devoted duos that are willing to put each one's life on the line even if it means saving the other.


3. Albarn, Maka & Evans, Soul Eater from Soul Eater

  • Episodes: 51
  • Aired: Apr. 2008-Mar. 2009

Their partnership couldn’t be any better than it is. With their different intentions in mind, both were partnered with Maka as the cool Meister and Soul Eater as her trusty weapon. They often clash due to their personality differences, nonetheless, they are rarely seen without each other and both have a lot of chemistry between them.

Soul is very protective of Maka. They sometimes squabble about minor things but he genuinely cares for Maka. At times, he gives guidance to his meister to keep her out of trouble and shows Maka his undying loyalty towards her. Meanwhile, Maka is full on ready to fight for Soul. She heavily relies on him and wants nothing more but Soul to trust in her. She gets jealous when others seem to understand him more that she does, so she compensates this by reading books to know more about him. Each seeks to be stronger and better not because for the sake of it, but to support each other without being a burden to one another.


2. Izumi, Shinichi & Migi from Parasyte -the maxim- (Kiseijuu: Sei no Kakuritsu)

  • Episodes: 24
  • Aired: Oct. 2014-Mar. 2015

In a world where humans are deemed as prey under the hands of parasitic aliens, shows the story of a 16-year-old Shinichi, who tries to co-exist with his infected hand that is named Migi. Like all parasites, Migi should have infected Shinichi through his brain. Luckily for Shinichi, he was able to stop the parasite from taking over his brain albeit a price that cost him his right hand. Since both have their special circumstances, they are different from others who were infected by other parasites too.

Who says human and aliens can’t be a combo? This anime showed us that despite the differences between species, when goals are set, the combination can be badass. Migi wanted to live and will do anything to stop anyone who will give harm to him and his host. That’s not really easy though, not when Shinichi is set on saving humans from parasites, it took a lot on effort on Migi’s part to finally relent and help Shinichi in his task. As Shinichi learns to fight individually with Migi, Migi, on the other hand, begins to act more like a human. Migi even expressed how good it was that he failed to take over Shinichi and how thankful he is to gain wonderful memories with his host. Each has their back for each other and made a mutual friendship out of their unusual predicament.


1. Freecss, Gon & Zoldyck, Killua from Hunter x Hunter

  • Episodes: 148
  • Aired: Oct. 2011-Sept. 2014

We present to you the characters in our top spot who are Gon and Killua from Hunter x Hunter! Why not? They are the perfect embodiment of a solid partnership and true friendship. This list will never be complete without these two amazing child fighters. As we all know, Gon is a very friendly character, so it's not really a surprise when he befriended Killua, who is the same age as he is. Their dream to become a Hunter made these two characters meet, which in time formed a friendship that is full of fun and adventures.

Killua, in the beginning, was a bit guarded towards Gon but with his curiosity so strong, Gon seems to be the right person to go with. With Gon’s reckless behavior, it balances out with Killua’s good perception of his surroundings; putting a knack of some sense into Gon. We watched as they grew strong together, ventured in their quest together and, of course, on how they supported each other the most. In this friendship though, both of them have their own way to grow as a character in this ordeal. Whether their friendship sparked small changes in Gon or an even bigger change for Killua, both have learned and gained something during their time together. They continue to still improve, which is more evident in the later parts of the anime when they decided to part ways. Now that each of them have their own goals in mind, it's time to let go and venture out in the open and hopefully improve themselves yet again in time, separately. Gon and Killua are definitely friendship goals!


Final Thoughts

The characters above alone are interestingly fun to watch, but it’ll double the fun when two or more great characters team up together. It’s nice to see their interactions and how they view and act towards each other. Each has its own flaws but each has something that can fill what the other cannot. That’s it for our list!

With Gon and Killua topping our list, don’t you think it is such a befitting end? Sadly enough, we can only list 10 anime partnership. There are a lot more out there, and it’s overflowing actually. There are the lovebirds of Baccano! that is Isaac & Miria, the genius siblings Sora & Shiro from No Game No Life, the clashing frenemies Faravro & Kaiser of Shingeki no Bahamut, the reserved relationship of Chrono and Rosette from Chrono Crusade, and the list goes on and on. So why don’t you help us fill up our list with more? Who do you want to add? Is your favorite pair in this list? Please let us know in the comment section below!

Till next time! Signing off!

kill-la-kill-matoi-ryuko-wallpaper-700x479 Top 10 Anime Partnership

Writer

Author: Jopz "Yuuema"

I'm an anime and manga enthusiast who is also sinking deeper and deeper into the world of video games. I’m also a traveler by heart who goes out a lot in seek of adventures by studying/learning other histories and cultures of different places and people. Besides the above mentioned, my other interests include reading, writing, cooking/baking, listening to music, observing people, and imagining/appreciating all kinds of things. Oh, by the way, I don’t bite! :3

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