Anime Couples Fans Love to Hate

There are a lot of couples to ship in the world of anime.

Whether a series is said to be shojo or not, romance can be found in every corner of the industry. Even the most hardcore shonen titles don’t shy away from unrequited crushes, and some leads are even lucky enough to score the lover of their dreams.

However, some of these couples are not the ones fans wanted to see go steady.

Here at ComicBook, we are counting down four of the most controversial – and even hated – lovers in recent years.

Lelouch x Shirley

When viewed separately, Lelouch and Shirley are two beloved characters by fans. Despite the former being a bit too angsty, Lelouch is respected for his calculated wit while Shirley’s bright personality endears her to all. However, fans just can’t deal with the heroine’s obsessive crush on Lelouch. Shirley never takes her affections too far, but fans seem flabbergasted that the lady would want anything to do with Lelouch’s vindictive self.

Light x Misa

To be more specific, Light really shouldn’t be allowed to date any woman. The lead of Death Note is sociopathic at best, and Light is not afraid to manipulate people to suit his needs. So, when a young girl named Misa falls for Light because of he moonlights as the serial killer Kira. The whacked-out lead becomes infatuated with Kira/Light and lets herself be seduced by the killer with ease.

Ichgio x Orihime

For some fans, Ichigo and Orihime are meant to be. However, for other Bleach enthusiasts, the pairing left them scratching their heads. When Tite Kubo’s popular shonen title ended, fans were on-edge about the state of Ichigo’s love life. Many audience members came to ship the boy with Rukia whilst others thought he was better off single for the time being. However, when the manga ended, fans learned that Ichigo ultimately got married to Orihime – and a massive ship-war ensued.

Sasuke x Sakura

When it comes to Naruto, there is no couple more controversial than Sasuke and Sakura. The reason lies with several factors: fans can’t stand either character, the two are simply mismatched, etcetera etcetera. While the ship does have its diehard supporters, some fans were left stunned with Masashi Kishimoto ended the Naruto manga with these two together. Sasuke and Sakura had by no means sorted out all their issues, but they did have a daughter together – and some fans were left slack-jawed by the discovery.