Romance in a story can bloom in myriad different ways, from a swift and magical love at first sight to a nerve-wracking enemies-to-lovers arc. Yet, some of the sweetest love stories in anime begin as tender friendships, only to gradually develop into something more. Couples who start as friends have added depth and understanding to their relationship, which makes such romances that more engaging and realistic.
Be it a pair of childhood friends blind to their mutual affection or once-close companions who lost touch and rekindled their bond with a newfound appreciation for each other, friends-to-lovers romances always have profound, emotive stories to tell. Their preexisting meaningful relationship only makes the possibility of romance more exciting, even with the added danger of sabotaging a platonic kinship in the process. Nevertheless, the couples who pull through all the tribulations of taking their relationship to a different level are some of the most heartwarming in anime.
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Winry enters Ed's life in Fullmetal Alchemist during one of the lowest points in the boy's adolescence to develop his new limbs after the horrific failed Human Transfiguration attempt. Since then, Winry supported the Elric brothers both as a close friend and a personal automail mechanic for Edward. Both hotheaded and short-tempered, Ed and Winry find themselves constantly bickering.
Yet, their banter lacks genuine animosity and suggests a great level of trust and understanding between the two. While Winry acknowledged her slowly developing love for Ed all along, the boy took longer to accept the romantic implications of their bond. Thankfully, they eventually figure their feelings out and end up married with kids after the events of the show.
9 Risa Koizumi & Atsushi Ootani (Lovely Complex)
Koizumi and Ootani from Lovely Complex initially bond through their shared inability to find love, sure that an unnaturally tall girl and an extremely short boy would never win the affection of anyone. Little did they know that true love was never out of reach, initially disguised as a close friendship. Both wild and eccentric, Koizumi and Ootani start as bickering rivals but become the best of friends, forming their school's most iconic comedy duo.
The competitive banter and mean humor never truly leave their relationship, even after they became a couple. Yet, love manifests in their bond in mutual support and protectiveness — profound feelings no amount of offhand jokes can downplay.
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8 Tamako Kitashirakawa & Mochizou Ooji (Tamako Love Story)
In the prequel to Tamako Love Story, Tamako Market, the titular heroine and her love interest, Mochizou Ooji, are simply childhood friends. With Mochizou's graduation steadily approaching, he has limited time to confess his feelings to Tamako before leaving for Tokyo.
Despite their fathers' rivalry as the owners of competing mochi shops, Mochizou and Tamako developed a tender friendship which, for the boy, had the potential to bloom into romance. After all the will-they-won't-they the pair went through in the prequel series, the movie finally delivered the climax to their love story, a promise of a new chapter in Mochizou and Tamako's life as a couple.
7 Haruka Takayama & Yuu Sonoda (Sakura Trick)
Haruka Takayama and Yuu Sonoda of Sakura Trick have been best friends since middle school and planned to stay inseparable even in high school. Yet, the new stage in their lives comes with new friends and obstacles that drive the pair apart.
Jealous of Yuu's new friends, Haruka wants to make her bond with her childhood friend more special, introducing romantic elements into their relationship. Gradually, innocent kisses grow into genuine feelings, and the two girls realize that they can no longer be simple friends, opening themselves up to the opportunities of romance by the end of their story.
6 Marin Kitagawa & Wakana Gojo (My Dress-Up Darling)
Slow-burn romances are always excruciating to follow. Yet, these kinds of slow and steady love stories usually have the most satisfying conclusions. The protagonists of My Dress-Up Darling, cosplayer Marin Kitagawa and her friend and craftsman behind her costumes, Wakana Gojo, initially come together to work on Marin's creative projects.
Their friendship helps both teens bloom and grow into their hobbies, with Gojo transforming especially drastically after Marin drags him out of his shell. Yet, it's Marin who falls for her friend first, openly acknowledging the romantic tension existing between them. While the conclusion of My Dress-Up Darling is still not in sight, the series has already established itself as one of anime's best friends-to-lovers romances.
5 Narumi Momose & Hirotaka Nifuji (Wotakoi: Love Is Hard For Otaku)
Narumi Momose and Hirotaka Nifuji from Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku began their journey together as childhood friends, united by their shared nerdy hobbies. Now adults who have spent years apart, Narumi and Hirotaka collide again after discovering they work at the same office.
With Narumi's otaku nature previously costing her a relationship, she is reluctant to make her hobbies public. Yet, with fellow otaku Hirotaka, she can be herself, which makes their romance all the more endearing. Former friends who are still engrossed in the things that made them get along as kids, the two make a perfect otaku pair.
4 Touya Kinomoto & Yukito Tsukishiro (Cardcaptor Sakura)
One of CLAMP's most endearing Soul Pairs, Touya Kinomoto and Yukito Tsukishiro from Cardcaptor Sakura, act as adult mentor figures and protectors for the series' cast of children. Yet, they also have a romantic substory of their own, even if it's mostly delivered through subtext.
Sakura's older brother, Touya, and his best friend, Yukito, spend all their time together, sharing a bond that crosses the line between friendship and romance. And CLAMP's canonic paring of the couple as soulmates only proves that Touya and Yukito, while beginning their relationship as friends, eventually transitioned into lovers.
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3 Naru Narusegawa & Keitaro Urashima (Love Hina)
One of the most iconic friends-to-lovers couples in anime, Naru Narusegawa and Keitaro Urashima from Love Hina, prove that the childhood friend can win even in a harem series. As kids, Naru and Keitaro made a promise to meet up again at Tokyo University. Yet, as time passed, Keitaro forgot all about his childhood friend and also failed to pass the university exams.
Retreating to study in his grandmother's hotel, Keitaro finds it renovated as an all-girls dorm, where he reconnects with Naru. From there, their forgotten relationship blooms into something romantic despite Naru's short temper and Keitaro's pervertedness.
2 Guts & Casca (Berserk)
A tragic yet heartfelt story of a doomed romance, Guts and Casca's love tale begins with the female knight resenting the swordsman for stealing Griffith's attention. Yet, they forge a solid camaraderie on the battlefield, eventually becoming close friends.
This newfound trust and understanding gradually transform into love, with Guts and Casca willing to open up to each other, body and soul, despite the horrific scars of their past. Unfortunately, like any other tale in Berserk's cruel world, Guts and Casca's romance doesn't have a happy ending, as Casca's mind was shattered during the events of the Eclipse.
1 Yoshikazu Miyano & Shuumei Sasaki (Sasaki To Miyano)
The slow-burn romance of Sasaki to Miyano is one of the most gentle and genuine in BL anime, depicting a naturally growing kinship between two boys falling in love for the first time. Initially bonding over Miyano's willingness to share his passion for BL manga with Sasaki, who unexpectedly didn't judge the boy for being a fudanshi, the pair never intended to take their relationship to the next level.
Yet, love works in mysterious ways. As their friendship became more intimate, Sasaki and Miyano developed mutual romantic feelings for each other, confessing them in a heartfelt moment at the end of the series.
