Which Anime Have the Best Forbidden Loves? (2024)

The romance genre has given anime fans countless beloved tropes that have enjoyed longevity despite their outdated nature. From enemies-to-lovers to childhood friends-to-lovers clichés, these romance anime tropes have been entertaining fans and giving the anime community some of the most iconic love stories and couples. Another fan-favorite trope that has always attracted the audience is the forbidden love angle, which creates a sense of yearning and bittersweet love in the story. Fans can’t help but root for the main couple and hope for their victory against social segregation, tragedy, and fate.

Forbidden love is all about defying the odds; sometimes, it’s a happy ending, while other times, it causes tears. Stories where characters can’t have a normal relationship or live in a dystopian world where their races are pitted against each other can produce one of the most memorable romances of all time.

10 The Duke of Death and His Maid Is a Fine Tale of Longing

Bocchan & Alice

The Duke of Death and His Maid

TV-14

Comedy

Drama

A cursed duke who kills everyone he touches lives in a mansion in the forest, with only a butler and a seductive maid for company. Will he free himself of his curse?

Release Date

July 4, 2021

Creator

Hideki Shirane

Cast

Natsuki Hanae , Wakana Kuramochi

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

3 Seasons

Producer

Yuu Ito, Sayaka Iwasaki, Hidetaka Kondo, Tomoyasu Sakakibara, Sota Shioiri, Toru Umemoto, Tomoyuki Ôwada

Production Company

J.C. Staff

Number of Episodes

25 Episodes

The Duke of Death and His Maid is one of the best and most accurate depictions of the forbidden love trope. As the Duke of Death, Viktor, or Bocchan, was bestowed with a killing curse; if he touched someone, they’d die. As a result of his condition, he is shunned by his family and society, and the only people living with him are his butler and his zesty maid, Alice. Despite knowing that a single touch would take her life, Alice tries her best to cheer up her master by flirting with him and getting close to him without touching him.

Alice's advances initially scare Viktor, but he soon starts to return the feelings. Frustrated by his inability to touch the person he likes, the Duke of Death focuses all his resources on finding a cure. Even though the anime’s tone is light and comedic at most times, it never fails to highlight the pain of not experiencing intimacy, especially with a person who accepts you for who you are.

9 Love After World Domination Tells a Romantic Tale During War

Fudo & Desumi

Love After World Domination

TV-14

Action

Comedy

In the public eye, the leaders of the heroic Gelato 5 and the villainous organization Gecko are sworn enemies. In reality? They're pursuing a forbidden romance.

Release Date

April 8, 2022

Creator

Hiroshi Noda

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Characters By

Yûsuke Kobayashi, Ikumi Hasegawa, Lindsay Seidel

Production Company

Project No.9

See Also

10 Anime Characters Who Love Their SistersTop 10 Anime Sisters [Best List]10 Nicest Shonen Anime Sisters, Ranked10 Best Sibling Relationships In Anime, Ranked

Love After World Domination is a classic case of forbidden love between mortal enemies who are supposed to hate each other but end up falling in love at first sight. The story revolves around the leader of a group of heroes who strangely ends up giving his heart to the “Reaper Princess,” a ferocious warrior fighting for the villains aiming for world domination.

The anime is chock full of cute moments between the two protagonists as they struggle to keep their relationship under wraps while maintaining pretenses for their respective sides. Love After World Domination is a light-hearted take on the forbidden love trope that highlights the comedic shenanigans of dealing with such a romance rather than the frustrating aspect of it.

8 Romeo x Juliet Is a Different Take on the Classic Tale

Romeo & Juliet

Romeo X Juliet

TV-PG

Drama

Family

Roughly based on Shakespeare's original, this fantastical tale is set in Neo Verona that houses the Capulet's and their rival's, the Montague's. Amidst the rivalry, Romeo and Juliet fall in love.

Release Date

March 18, 2007

Creator

Reiko Yoshida

Cast

Brina Palencia , Chris Burnett

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Producer

Daisuke Gomi, Tsutomu Kojima

Production Company

Chubu-nippon Broadcasting Company (CBC), G.D.H., Sky Perfect Well Think, Gonzo

Number of Episodes

24 Episodes

Romeo and Juliet are the poster couple for all tales of forbidden love since it’s the most renowned telling of unfulfilled romance. Romeo x Juliet is the anime version of the classic love story in which Juliet grows up an orphan because the Montague family conquers the kingdom and slaughters Juliet’s family. Even though she was brought up in secrecy, Juliet yearned to seek justice for the atrocities she faced.

However, when Juliet got the chance, she met the kind Romeo, who changed her perspective. Of course, they fall in love, but how can they survive in a world where Romeo’s family is out for blood? Romeo x Juliet is an action-packed retelling of two star-crossed lovers caught in war between their families, and they must work together if they wish to have a future together.

7 Aquarion Evol Depicts a World Where Love Is Forbidden

Amata & Mikono

Aquarion EVOL

TV-14

Action

Romance

The protagonists live on a planet called Vega, while most of the antagonists originate from its "sister planet", Altair. The main character, Amata Sora, a young man that has kept his ability to fly a secret since youth, meets a girl named Mikono Suzushiro, and they become fast friends.

Release Date

January 8, 2012

Creator

Shōji Kawamori, Satelight

Cast

Koki Uchiyama , Yûki Kaji , Brina Palencia , Jessie James Grelle , Caitlin Glass

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Producer

Osamu Hosokawa, Makoto Itô, Masako Iwamoto, Atsushi Iwasaki, Hisanori Kunisaki, Shûsaku Uba, Kentarô Yoshida

Production Company

8bit, Bandai Namco Games, Bandai, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Media Factory, Overlap, Project Aquarion Evol, Satelight, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC)

Number of Episodes

26 Episodes

Aquarion Evol is an underrated mecha romance anime that does considerable justice to unsanctioned love. The anime is the direct sequel of the original Genesis of Aquarion anime and takes place almost twelve thousand years later when a planet named Vega is under invasion from another planet. In such turbulent times, young boys and girls with special powers are recruited to pilot giant mecha robots to fight against the invasion. The gifted students are enrolled in an academy where interaction between the opposite sex is forbidden.

The prohibition is due to the complications of piloting the robot. Still, Amata and Mikono trample over all restrictions when their mutual attraction causes them to merge and pilot a powerful Aquaria. Throughout the series, the protagonists are forced to keep apart, but their connection tries to defy all odds, including an ongoing invasion and death itself.

6 Bubble Offers a Visually Stunning Love Saga Between Different Races

Hibiki & Uta

Bubble

TV-PG

Action

Adventure

After bubbles that broke the laws of gravity rained down upon the world. Cut off from the outside world, Tokyo has become a playground for a group of young people who have lost their families.

Release Date

April 28, 2022

See Also

10 Best Sibling Relationships In Anime

Cast

Jun Shison , Mamoru Miyano , Yûki Kaji

Main Genre

Animation

Producer

Genki Kawamura

Production Company

Story (II), Wit Studio

Runtime

1 Hour 40 Minutes

Writers

Gen Urobuchi

Bubble follows the story of a post-apocalyptic Tokyo where an inexplicable phenomenon has completely cut off the city from the rest of the world. Gravity-defying strange bubbles infiltrated the whole city, but instead of despair, the place became a playground for extreme sports and for youngsters stuck in the city competing in dangerous games. On a seemingly normal day in Hibiki’s life, a mysterious girl appears out of nowhere and saves him from drowning in the ocean. It later turns out that the strange girl, Uta, is not a human and is part of the ecosystem that makes up the Bubbles.

Uta is made from the strange bubbles and came to be only to save Hibiki from the sea. As expected, both Hibiki and Uta develop feelings for one another, but unfortunately, whenever Uta touches him, her body transforms into bubbles. The anime does an impressive job of making the audience experience the longing and heartbreak of being unable to be with the person you want.

5 86 Is an Impressive Telling of Longing and Separation

Shin & Lena

86: EIGHTY-SIX

TV-MA

Animation

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

War

The Republic of San Magnolia is at war with its neighboring country, the Empire of Giad. Both sides use unmanned drones to conduct a "war without casualties". The story follows Lena as she commands a squad of drones called the 86.

Release Date

April 11, 2021

Creator

Toshiya Ōno

Cast

Ikumi Hasegawa , Shoya Chiba , Natsumi Fujiwara , Seiichiro Yamashita , Saori Hayami , Sayumi Suzushiro , Riho Sugiyama , Misaki Kuno , Haruka Shiraishi , Haruki Ishiya , Hiroki Maeda , Kana Ueda , Shinei Ueki , Daiki Yamashita

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1

Producer

Miyako Mayu, Nobuhiro Nakayama, Kiyose Takao

Production Company

A-1 Pictures, Aniplex, Bandai Spirits

Number of Episodes

24 Episodes

Whether it’s the story, the visuals, the characters, or the pace, 86 is truly one of the best modern anime to watch right now. Set in a world where a neighboring empire’s autonomous drones relentlessly attack the Republic of San Magnolia, two hearts collide amid a devastating war. Shin heads the military squadron of “Eighty Sixers,” a group of second-class citizens treated only as a means to an end. At the same time, Lena is their “handler,” a first-class military personnel with high values.

As Lena helps Shin and his group survive the onslaught, an unspoken connection forms between them. With only their voices as a means to remember one another, Shin and Lena are thrown into impossible circumstances with only a slight hope in their hearts that one day they might survive all this and meet. 86 is a beautiful journey about forbidden love where hope and survival instinct are the only tools to rely on.

4 Scum’s Wish Is a Controversial Age-Gap Romance

Mugi & Hanabi

Scum's Wish

TV-MA

Drama

Romance

A perfect couple struggles with a secret longing each has for someone else.

Release Date

January 12, 2017

Creator

Makoto Uezu

Cast

Brittney Karbowski , Nobunaga Shimazaki , Molly Searcy , Aya Hisakawa , Kenji Nojima

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

1 Season

Producer

Naokado Fujiyama, Gō Wakabayashi, Shōta Komatsu

Production Company

Aniplex, Dentsu, Fuji Television Network

Number of Episodes

12 Episodes

Scum’s Wish portrays forbidden love in the modern sense, where two teenage high schoolers are in love with two adults. Both Mugi and Hanabi make a pact of dating one another to overcome their respective crushes. Mugi is in love with his former tutor, who seems to be the type of person who doesn’t mind mingling with young boys. Meanwhile, Hanabi has long been in love with her older childhood friend, who happens to be Mugi's homeroom teacher.

Since it's only a mere possibility that accomplished adults would look towards teenagers for intimacy,Mugi and Hanabi decide to become an “idol” couple in hopes of having their unrequited loves return their feelings one day. Scum’s Wish tells a story of a different kind of forbidden love that would never have worked out.

3 Plastic Memories Hails Love Between a Human and an Android

Tsukasa & Isla

Plastic Memories

TV-14

Science Fiction

Drama

Romance

Tsukasa fails his high school exams and ends up working with Isla, a Giftia, android that feels emotions.

Release Date

April 5, 2015

Creator

Naotaka Hayashi

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

1

Studio

Doga Kobo

Number of Episodes

13

Main Cast

Sora Amamiya and Yasuaki Takumi

Plastic Memories offers fans several tearjerkers throughout its bittersweet journey. The story focuses on the unusual relationship between a human and an android in the unlikeliest of circumstances. Tsukasa lives in a world where humans have created androids called Giftias with limited lifespans and almost human-like qualities. After failing his exams, Tsukasa lands a job at an android company where he must work with Isla, a Giftia approaching the end of her lifespan.

Working together, Tsukasa and Isla start to fall in love, both being fully aware of the unnaturalness of their relationship. This is precisely what Plastic Memories is about — a longing that can never be fulfilled. It’s a forbidden love that was doomed from the start, but it’s also the kind that’s worth having memories of.

2 Beastars Reflects Deeply on Love and Acceptance

Legoshi & Haru

Beastars

TV-MA

Drama

Fantasy

Romance

In a world of anthropomorphic animals, a reclusive wolf's complicated relationship with a kindly rabbit is tested by a classmate's murder, a charismatic deer's influence, and his own burgeoning predatory instincts.

Release Date

October 10, 2019

Creator

Paru Itagaki

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

2

Studio

Orange

Number of Episodes

24

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

Beastars cleverly depicts a divisive world focused on a society that’s filled with tension between herbivores and carnivores—that is, predators and prey. Like many stories with a similar backdrop, two people from the wrong sides fall hopelessly in love. In Beastars, Legoshi, a gentle yet ferocious-looking gray wolf, falls in love with a timid dwarf rabbit named Haru, but their determination to be together is severely challenged by social pressure.

Haru is constantly being judged, while Legoshi falls under suspicion when an alpaca is murdered. Their genuine romance is an accurate reflection of the complications of love between natural enemies. Despite the two defying their true instinct and giving in to love, they face several issues in their union, which makes their story a worthwhile forbidden saga.

1 To the Forest of Firefly Lights Will Give Viewers Heartache

Gin & Hotaru

To The Forest Of Firefly Lights

Drama

Fantasy

Hotaru is rescued by a spirit when she gets lost in a forest as a child. The two become friends, despite the spirit revealing that he will disappear if he is ever touched by a human.

Release Date

September 17, 2011

Cast

Koki Uchiyama , Ayane Sakura , Shinpachi Tsuji

Runtime

45 Minutes

Main Genre

Animation

Story By

Producer

Akira Aoki, Yukio Kawasaki, Makoto Nakamura, Kôichirô Natsume

Production Company

Aniplex, Brains Base, Hakusensha, Hotarubi no Mori e Production Committee, Nihon Ad Systems (NAS), TV Tokyo

This short 45-minute story may perhaps be the saddest romance anime of all time. To the Forest of Firefly Lights lays the tragic foundation of what a forbidden love affair is truly about. Fighting against family is nothing compared to the devastation of knowing that a single touch can take away the person one loves the most. When Hotaru was six years old, she got lost in an enchanted forest, but a friendly spirit named Gin helped her. She was so inspired by his kindness that Hotaru came to visit Gin every summer until she grew up.

The problem with their love is that the moment Gin is touched by a human, he will disappear. Despite knowing that, Hotaru continued to love and cherish her time with Gin, living with the truth that he may never be there the next second. To the Forest of Firefly Lights is a heartbreaking depiction of love and acceptance at its purest.

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