Dhruv Sharma
Even though the whole idea of interspecies relationships has been popularized by anime, the phenomenon has been here for ages. Take look back at classics like ‘The Beauty and the Beast‘ and ‘King Kong,’ and you’ll realize that the portrayal of “love has no boundaries” has been here all along. The reason why it has become so prominent and noticeable in anime is that these involve an excessive number of eccentric characters like vampires, zombie-girls, cat-girls, monsters, and humanoid robots.
In real-life, anyone would go panicky if someone even brought up the term “Interspecies relationship” because, in people’s perception, it simply translates to bestiality. But in a fictitious world where interspecies could mean aliens, supernatural beings and even humans in animal form—everything turns out to be a lot less creepy.
As complicated as normal human relationships can be at times, “interspecies relationships” have some otherworldly problems (pun intended!) of their own. But at the same time, these relationships prove that true love knows no boundaries and goes way beyond the confinements of language barriers, communication gaps and various discrimination.
So we decided to make a list of the best of these relationships that have been portrayed in your favorite anime shows. All the couples or threesome in these relationships are from entirely different species and one doesn’t necessarily need to be human. As long as they are different, they qualify for this list. Also, we’ve made sure that the romance between the characters being mentioned in this list is either very prominent, or it has had a significant impact on the overarching plot. You can check out several of these interspecies relationships in anime on Netflix, Crunchyroll or Hulu.
10. Inuyasha (Inuyasha and Kagome)
Inuyasha and Kagome are one of the most well-known couples in the history of anime. Even though the moral side of their relationship is quite debatable, it is a significant twist in the plot. Inuyasha is more of Demon God who appears to be a hybrid of human being and dog. Being from a demonic heritage, Inuyasha also has supernatural abilities that make him much stronger and faster than a normal man. Whereas, Kagome is a normal human girl who has no supernatural powers. She also comes from a very different and modernized era while Inuyasha hails from the Sengoku Period.
Read More: Best Harem Anime
9. Spirited Away (Haku and Chihiro)
‘Spirited Away‘ is Studio Ghibli’s one of the most successful and internationally acclaimed animated films. It tells the story of a young girl named Chihiro who finds herself in a magical world where she is forced to work at a massive bathhouse of spirits. Her world turns upside down and everything seems to be against her at the workplace. Her only friend Haku, helps her to survive in the mysterious world of paranormal activities. Chihiro is just a normal human girl and there are several instances in the film that imply her humanity is confirmed.
On the other hand, though Haku sports the appearance of a normal human boy, he is an enormous white dragon who can fly and a spirit pretty much like everyone else at the bathhouse. He is somewhere around the same age as Chihiro. Despite being entirely different species, a very cute childhood relationship develops between the two and Haku tries to do everything he can to protect Chihiro. Within a short period of time, they establish a very strong bond which they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
8. Chobits (Hideki and Chii)
The interspecies relationship in ‘Chobits’ is a lot like Joaquin Pheonix’s relationship with his OS in ‘Her.’ The only difference is that, in the anime, instead of just being a mere AI software, the female protagonist is a full-fledged humanoid robot with an actual physical presence. Unlike most others on this list, ‘Chobits‘ entirely revolves around the relationship of the two protagonists. The romance is not just a side story that runs along with the main plot.
Chii, who is called Persecom, is a lifelike robot with functions of an ordinary computer. But unlike other Persescoms of her kind, she lacks the hardware to store information and thus, she cannot learn things by simply downloading data. She has to learn everything by solely absorbing information around her, in a way similar to human beings.
Another interesting thing about her is that she is one of those rare versions of Persecoms who can have actual feelings like humans. So later, it comes as no surprise that she starts falling for Hideki who is the only human she spends all of her time with. Their relationship is the heart of the anime while the story further explores if it is truly possible for a human to have a meaningful relationship with a robot or not.
7. Eureka Seven (Renton and Eureka)
Touted as a touching love story, the sci-fi anime ‘Eureka Seven‘ shows how discrimination can exist even in a fantasy world of interspecies relationships. Parasitic alien species known as Sub Corals have taken over the entire planet of Earth in this show, They have forced humans to move to a different planet. But even after the invasion, the Sub Corals are instrumental in hunt down all over outer space.
On the other hand, the humans fight back with burning wrath and revenge. Eureka, the female protagonist, is just another Sub Coral who lives among humans by disguising herself as one of them. When she starts working with Renton, she instantly falls in love with him and even reveals her true self to him. Although reluctant at first, Renton accepts her in her true form and with all secrets. But the rest of the world despises the alien species and is completely against the relationship. Their love is tested to its absolute limits while the unlikely couple struggles to break through everything that hold them back.
Read More: Anime Like Attack on Titan
6. Dragon Ball Z (Vegeta and Bulma)
If you’re a ‘Dragon Ball Z‘ fan then I can already see the excitement on your face right now. Almost all relationships in this anime fall under the interspecies category in one way or the other. But Vegeta and Bulma are really special because their relationship ends up transforming Vegeta into something unexpected. If you go by appearance, both of them look like ordinary humans of the same species. But they’re actually from two entirely different planets that are light years apart!
Throughout the series, Vegeta, who is from a planet named after him, has been portrayed as an arrogant and self-centered man who rarely shows his vulnerable side to anyone. Whereas, Bulma completely contrasts this as she is a friendly and emotion savvy person. But later, after he loses a fight to Frieza, Bulma lets him stay with her. Soon, their relationship starts to flourish. Vegeta’s personality goes through a radical transformation while he becomes a caring and loving family man.
Read More: Best Anime Dragons
5. Wolf’s Rain (Kiba and Cheza)
‘Wolf’s Rain‘ is set in a post-apocalyptic world where most humans have accepted their fate and the only thing that gives them hope is death as a salvation. They believe the heaven’s gates will open up right in front of them and will welcome them to a paradise. But ironically, only the wolves can find these gateways to paradise. It is believed that wolves have already reached extinction but they still exist in human form. One of these mythical creatures is the male protagonist Kiba.
Cheza, the female lead, is a human girl who has been artificially created using the forbidden “lunar flower.” She holds the key to access the promised paradise. Upon finding this, the wolves take her with them and it later turns out that she possesses the ability to heal them. Of all the wolves in the pack, she handpicks Kiba because she sees something very different in him and the two develop an undying bond. If you think about it, they’re both non-human species, nonetheless, not the same species as each other.
4. The Ancient Magus Bride (Chise and Elias)
Many anime viewers might argue that the relationship between Chise and Elias from ‘The Ancient Magus Bride‘ is downright creepy. It is true that Elias is a weird creature who has a tall dark body and a cow’s skull as his face. Chise is just a human girl who possesses magical abilities. The two first meet when Elias buys Chise from a slave auction, not with an intention of enslaving her but to teach her his magical abilities. He also wants to marry her in the future/
Initially, their relationship is a slow-burning flame that gradually gets better when Chise learns to advance her magical abilities and also gets the sense of someone being there to protect her. Meanwhile, Elias, who seems to be all hollow inside, starts to understand the meaning of being a human being, The whole idea of their marriage makes many fans uncomfortable but what they don’t understand is that the anime never refers to their relationship or marriage in a “sexual” context. So imagining the possible appearances of their kids would look like is just pointless.
Read More: Best Anime Demons
3. Tokyo Ghoul (Nishiki and Kimi)
Ghouls are supernatural creatures that feed on human flesh to survive and co-exist with humans by disguising themselves as one of them. Nishiki is a ghoul who has more of a predator/prey relationship with humans but despite this, he falls in love with a human girl named Kimi. Now considering who he is, ha can easily feed on her whenever he is blood-thirsty.
But instead, he chooses to protect her from all the other creature like him. Earlier, Nishiki didn’t like to expose his true identity in the human world while trying hard to blend in with human society. Later, when Kimi finds out who he truly is, to his surprise, she accepts him for who he is and this is where their relationship starts to flourish. Both of then show unbelievable determination towards committing to each other and don’t let anything get in their way.
2. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid (Tohru and Miss Kobayashi)
During one of her drunken endeavors, Miss Kobayashi, a nerdy computer programmer ends up inviting a dragon named Tohru to her home. Tohru gets all excited about her invitation and decides to move in with her as a maid. While Tohru is madly in love with her owner, Miss Kobayashi has to deal with the eccentric and annoying habits of the dragon. Moreover, she has to hide her dragon maid as her friends often turn up at the doorstep unexpectedly. But even after all this, Kobayashi remains patient and lets Tohru live with her. Soon, she starts warming up to her. By the end of the series, they are seen visiting each other’s interspecies families, hand-in-hand.
Read More: Best Anime Maids
1. Fullmetal Alchemist (King Bradley and Mrs. Bradley)
King Bradley, also known as Pride in ‘Fullmetal Alchemist‘ and Wrath in ‘Fullmetal Alchemist Brother,’ is one of the main antagonists of the series who is actually a homunculus. As a powerful leader, he uses his enormous authority protect others of his kind and also to protect himself from danger. He is a ruthless leader who even resorts to violent measures when the sutuation demands that. All these anger and power politics is just one facet of hie enigmatic personality with the other side being a homely character.
Mrs. Bradley’s first name is never revealed throughout the series and even her background is mostly unknown. When King Bradley is around her, a very different side of his personality can be seen which might even make you question the fact that he’s an antagonist in the plot. King Bradley despises the whole of humanity but his wife is the only exception. What makes this unlikely relationship so special is how it shows that despite King Bradley’s villainous tendencies, he still has some emotions and love buried deep inside him.
Read More: Best Romance Anime
