10 Love Triangles That Actually Made the Anime Better

The love triangle trope may not be absolutely essential for every anime, but some anime would feel emotionally hollow or simplistic without it. A good love triangle will challenge each character involved to show why they’re most worthy of someone’s affection, and ideally, the triangle will bring out the best in everyone. Or at least, it will bring out the most entertaining drama or comedy in those characters.

Even better, love triangles may appear in a variety of anime genres, not exclusively romance or drama. This delightful, heartfelt trope can pop up almost anywhere to add serious emotional layers to three characters’ arcs, and it may lead to someone’s ultimate happiness — or the bitterest disappointment. Either way, ten particular anime definitely powered up after having a love triangle put into them.

Berserk’s Emotional Core is Shaped Around a Breathtaking Love Triangle

Among other things, the Berserk franchise is a heartfelt romance. There is more to Berserk than the gore and trauma, since Guts is a human being with very real feelings — which sometimes confuse him. The 1997 Berserk anime did a fine job portraying the manga’s central love triangle during the Golden Age story arc, with Casca having amorous feelings for her rescuer, Griffith, while Griffith was far more interested in Guts.

Griffith’s feelings for Guts are somewhat ambiguous and quite intriguing, while the relationship between Guts and Casca evolved from annoyance and rivalry to intimate affection. Both of them had endured trauma that scarred them, meaning they understood each other more than anyone else could. That brought them together on the battlefield and ensured Guts would do anything to protect Casca, even fighting endless Apostles.

Inuyasha’s Love Triangle Gave Inuyasha Some Personal Stakes to Fight For

Being a half-demon who lost his parents and didn’t get along with his older half-brother, Inuyasha felt lost in the dangerous feudal era of Japan. That was exactly why he needed to meet not one, but two heroic young women who brought out the best in him. It wasn’t always simple or easy, though, since Inuyasha’s relationship with Kikyo eventually went sour.

Despite that, Inuyasha spent part of the Inuyasha anime pining for Kikyo, which showed his soft side but also made his emotions tangled and tense. Thus, when he met Kagome Higurashi, who resembled Kikyo in some ways, Inuyasha got another chance at love. Romance started to make a little more sense for him, and it eventually made Inuyasha and Kagome happy, though it still wasn’t easy — and that made it entertaining for anime fans.

Spy x Family’s Love Triangle Shows Just How Popular Loid Is

For the most part, Spy x Family touches viewers’ emotions with the false family of the Forgers in Berlint, but there’s an outsider trying to work her way in. While Yor Forger is figuring out if she loves her husband Loid, the WISE agent Fiona Frost is definitely in love with him. Agent Nightfall’s affection is one-sided, but that won’t stop her from trying to boot Yor out of the Forger household and replace her.

It’s mostly for comedy’s sake how the lovestruck Nightfall tries in vain to steal Loid from Yor, especially with Anya’s goofy reactions, but there’s a slightly serious side to it as well. Although she is a skilled and respected WISE agent, Nightfall seems rather lonely aside from her attachment to Loid, and that makes sense, given how isolating a spy’s lifestyle must be. This is evidently Nightfall’s only chance for personal happiness, but she can’t have it.

Nisekoi’s Love Triangle Gave Raku More to Think About Than Fake Dating

As a whole, Nisekoi is a messy harem anime that ended before the manga resolved Raku Ichijo’s chaotic love life, but fans can still see and appreciate the love triangle at the heart of it all. Many of Raku’s female love interests are superfluous to the plot, while Chitoge Kirisaki and Kosaki Onodera mean much more. Raku cares deeply for both girls, and Chitoge and Kosaki are both struggling to realize or express their affection right back.

This is where Nisekoi is at its best, with Raku trying to balance his important yet fake relationship with Chitoge and his genuine affection for Kosaki. The three of them have all kinds of tricky barriers keeping them apart, but the three lovestruck high schoolers won’t give up. It’s heartwarming and impressive to see the three of them work so hard to find true happiness while not ruining any friendships in the process.

Oshi no Ko’s Love Triangle Made Aqua’s Heart Feel Like a Puzzle

Romance may not be the central genre of the subversive Oshi no Ko anime, but it definitely plays a part. By the time Aqua and Ruby Hoshino started high school, they were ready to meet more people their own age, and some of them had amorous intentions. Ruby’s love life is minimal, but her brother Aqua has two charming girls on his hands, and Mem-Cho soon noticed.

Mem-Cho is both anxious and excited by what she’s seeing, with Kana Arima almost definitely having a big crush on Aqua, while the brewing romance between Aqua and Akane Kurokawa is a little fuzzier. Aqua isn’t truly interested in romance as a vengeful man in a teenage boy’s body, but some part of him does care about Kana’s and Akane’s happiness, and that’s a fine expression of how Oshi no Ko blends weird lies with little nuggets of truth.

My Hero Academia’s Love Triangle Touched on Himiko’s Need For Acceptance

My Hero Academia is primarily rooted in the superhero genre and the eventual deconstruction of the same, but matters of the heart have a place in this shonen narrative, too. That’s part of the point, with romance humanizing both heroes and villains as people with real feelings. An early example was the innocent and amusing crush between Deku and Ochaco, which grew into a love triangle when Himiko Toga arrived.

What followed was one of anime’s strangest love triangles, with two heroes and a villain trying to sort out their ever-deepening feelings. It wasn’t just about which girl would win Deku’s heart, since this triangle was also based on Himiko’s desperate need for anyone to truly appreciate and understand who she is. To that end, Himiko even had certain feelings for Ochaco, not just Deku, and that helped inspire Himiko to give her life to save Ochaco’s in the end.

Jujutsu Kaisen’s Would-Be Love Triangle Explored a New Side of Nobara’s Character

Jujutsu Kaisen is yet another shonen action anime that may not be centered around romance, yet it still makes time for matters of the heart here and there. Season 1 of the anime gave Yuji Itadori a powerful and cool friend in Nobara Kugisaki, but there was no romantic tension between them — yet. Instead, the two of them had fun teasing Megumi Fushiguro, much to Satoru Gojo’s amusement.

A charming hint of a love triangle emerged early in Jujutsu Kaisen‘s second season, when Nobara saw a love rival in the form of Yuko Ozawa, a girl whom Yuji already knew. While it’s true not much came of this as the plot got underway, it was still amusing to see the characters indulge in something so innocent in such a dark, dangerous world of curses. Jujutsu Kaisen has better things to do with Nobara than make her a maiden pining for love, but there’s no harm in dabbling in the idea.

Fruits Basket’s Love Triangle Helped Kyo and Yuki Grow Up

As a dedicated shojo romance, Fruits Basket has a whole network of romances, from Arisa meeting Kureno Sohma to Kagura chasing after her love interest, Kyo Sohma. At the heart of it all is a meaningful love triangle centered around heroine Tohru Honda and the two boys who care most for her, Kyo and Yuki. Until they met Tohru, Kyo and Yuki had an unhealthy rivalry, but Tohru helped them grow past that bit by bit.

Over time, Tohru’s nurturing presence inspired both Kyo and Yuki to believe in themselves, take command of their lives, and find happiness on their own terms. Both boys felt like they owed Tohru a serious personal debt, and a love triangle started to take form. In the end, though, Yuki ended up with Machi, while Kyo won Tohru’s heart as his curse was broken at last.

Death Note’s Love Triangle Reinforced Light’s Manipulative Side

At a glance, Death Note might seem like the last anime that would benefit from a love triangle. After all, the genius hero Light Yagami dreams big as the new arbiter of justice, and he even made a note to himself not to fall in love with Misa Amane. What followed was the right kind of love triangle for Death Note, one where two women love Light, only for Light to coldly use them both as a manipulator.

Misa went first as Kira’s biggest fan, and she tried in vain to convince Light to love her. After the time skip, Light got involved with his college girlfriend Kiyomi Takada, meeting with her in secret and using her as an agent to advance Kira’s cause. It fit Light’s character for him to use and abandon his lovers like that, and it even brought out a sympathetic side to Misa. No matter Misa’s bratty behavior, any Death Note viewer would feel bad for her after seeing Misa fall apart in misery and heartbreak as she realized Light had abandoned her for Kiyomi.

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun’s Love Triangle Brought Out the Best in Two Demon Girls

On one hand, Iruma Suzuki is what anime fans call an ahodere, or a well-meaning person who is too dense and clueless to recognize other people’s affection for what it is. Iruma is charmingly oblivious about love in Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-Kun, but he didn’t need to be a romance expert to bring out the best in the two demon girls who loved him.

Overall, Iruma tended to bring out the best in all his new friends at Babyls, influencing them with his spirit of kindness, generosity, and patience. Above all, this benefitted Valac Clara, who went from an unpopular troublemaker to a happy demon student who enjoyed spending her days with Iruma the human. Azazel Ameri found happiness too, to the point she actually dated Iruma at Walter Park, even if Iruma only saw it as a friendly outing. In any case, all this flattered the characters and made them more than excused for comedy or action.