Animes have always loved the plot of powerful friendships to carry forward their storylines. Over the years, many animes have had great characters with strong friendships, but only a few reached legendary status.
In this post, I’ll be sharing with you a list of 20 Passionate Anime Friendships that are well renowned among the anime fandom. The list is subjective and based on my likings. There’s a big chance that I missed or ignored some good choices while making this post.
Hope you like the effort. So without further ado, let’s go.
20. Naruto And Sasuke
Anime: Naruto
About Naruto
On his birth, a nine-tailed fox was sealed within Naruto. Due to this incident, Naruto had to face humiliation and was seen as a disgrace. His only goal in life is to bring happiness and prosperity to the people of his village and he attempts doing so by becoming the Seventh Hokage.
About Sasuke
Popular among girls Sasuke Uchiya is a dangerously silent boy. His goal in life is to get stronger and kill his brother Itachi who is responsible for the slaughtering of the Uchiya clan. Fire of vengeance leads him to leave the ethical ways of training and join hands with the dark forces.
Naruto and Sasuke Relationship
Of all friendships on the list, this one is the most peculiar. The truth is that Naruto and Sasuke never get off as “best friends” neither does the story emphasize them being friends. They are portrayed more like partners with a competitive spirit always focused on getting more powerful.
19. Mamoru and Shuuya
Anime: Inazuma 11
About Mamoru
Mamoru lost his parents in a car accident on his sixth birthday. This incident left him with amnesia, which disabled him to recall his life before the accident. Eleven years later Mamoru grew up to be a tall and handsome man with blue eyes and jet black hair. He has mysterious dreams about a girl who asks him to find the “Silver Crystal”, which he thinks, correlates to his memory.
About Shuuya
Gouenji Shuuya has shown extraordinary skills for football since childhood. His mother’s sudden demise was a huge setback for him. His father expected him to leave football and study medicine. However, after vowing not to play football ever, one day, when he encountered Endou training in the practice field, he couldn’t resist it and jumped onto the field. That day he pledged to become the champion of the Football Frontier.
Mamoru and Shuuya Relationship
Mamoru and Shuuya are two names among a total of five best friends. Others include Kidou Yuuto, Kazemare Ichirouta, and Kabeyama Heigoru. Though each member of this group is equally important, Mamoru and Shuuya share the most significant bond. When their distinct abilities join forces they are able to bring down the strongest opponents.
18. Handa and Takao
Anime: Handa-kun
About Takao
Takao is a very chilled-out dude who likes to have fun. He is easygoing and doesn’t take things too seriously. He likes to tease his friends but deep down cares for them and protects them from difficult situations.
About Handa
Handa is a master calligrapher and that makes him a very popular guy in school. But he is very insecure and assumes that the whole school hates him and thus stays away from everyone. He is a kind guy but his insecurities often lead to him feeling lonely and discarded.
Handa and Takao Relationship
The two met in middle school and have been friends since. But Handa hides their relationship from others to protect Takao’s reputation as he thinks everyone will have Takao for being friends with him.
Takao knows that Handa is popular, but he acts oblivious and has fun watching Handa being unaware of his popularity. it is one of the funniest anime friendships on this list.
17. Oz and Gilbert
Anime: Mochijun
About Oz
Oz is a handsome youngster who has faced a lot of bad scenarios in life and as a result, he has become cold-hearted. He rarely cares about anything and doesn’t get too attached to anything easily. He is a fearless fighter and likes to tease and flirt with others.
About Gilbert
Gilbert was adopted by Oz’s family when he was a child and he spent his early years serving and Oz’s valet with full devotion. In his childhood, he acted weak and cowardly but when he grew up, he tried to take control of his vulnerabilities and remove or hide it from the world.
Oz and Gilbert relationship
Gilbert is totally devoted to Oz, so much so that it comes out as borderline obsessive. Oz too is very fond of Gilbert and loves to tease him from time to time. Despite being in a master-servant relationship, their bond with each other is very strong and an ideal to be added to this list of great anime friendships.
16. Osamu and Atsushi
Anime: Bungo Stray Dogs
About Atsushi
Atsushi has lived a very traumatic life since childhood. He is an orphan treated badly in the orphanage which leads to him having a lot of trauma and insecurities. He is self-conscious with no confidence and trust in himself. He is very gullible and kind at heart. He values others’ lives over his own.
About Osamu
Osamu is an enigmatic character who lives a life of facade. He was a ruthless mafia leader but gave up on that life and chose to join a group that protects people. He now lives lazily, making jokes and teasing others and occasionally trying to attempt suicide as a fun routine.
Osamu and Atsushi Relationship
Osamu helped Atsushi from his dark life and gave him a purpose to live and allowed him to join his team. He helps him in coping with the trauma. This anime friendship is much more than a friendly bond, it is more like a sibling relationship.
15. Spike Spiegel and Jet Black
Anime: Cowboy Bebop
About Spike
Spike is a bounty hunter with a dark past. He used to work for a crime syndicate but left the work and joined Jet Black. He is a tall, lean dude with expertise in martial arts. He is very lazy and rarely shows interest in anything. He has a caring nature but tries hard to not show it.
About Jet
Jet Black is the leader of a bounty hunter group. Earlier he used to work for the Police. Jet is a tall, muscular man and has a bionic left arm. He is a wise, intelligent man who is also very responsible. He is like a father figure to the entire group.
Spike and Jet Relationship
The two characters share a brotherly bond. Jet is always worried about Spike’s stubbornness and often scolds him for that. Both guys trust each other enough to share dark secrets of their pasts. This anime friendship between two grown-up men is mature and childish at the same time, which makes it beautiful to watch.
14. Lelouch and Suzaku
Anime: Code Geass
About Lelouch
Lelouch is one of the legendry anime characters when it comes to popularity. Lelouch was born in an aristocratic Britannian Empire family. Supposedly, he is the only heir of the empire. He reflects a high sense of intellect. Tall stature, chiseled jaw, and deep violet eyes suit his cold and stoic personality.
About Suzaku
Suzaku was a secret child of Japan’s prime minister. Suzaku used to be sober and playful until one day he accidentally murdered his father in a heated argument. Fortunately, Suzaku is spared. However, this incidence changed him for life.
Lelouch and Suzaku Relationship
Unlike the above two friendships, this one has a cold start. At first, Suzaku thinks of Lelouch as an impudent Britanian Prince who likes to show off his powers. After plenty of face-offs between the two, the situation starts to settle, and both accept each other despite their uneven methods. Both work together to achieve great feats and displayed a great show of power, intelligence, and understanding.
13. Sunakawa and Takeo
Anime: Oremonogatari
About Sunakawa
More widely known as Suna, Mokoto Sunakawa is a popular high school student. He is a cool, composed, and confident person. His charming personality has made him famous among school girls. Despite all this, he loves to live a low-key life and doesn’t wish to expand his circle beyond his best friend Takeo.
About Takeo
Opposite to Suna, Takeo’s appearance is not an appealing one. He is taller than most boys in school and carries a load of muscular weight on his body. He is a pretty straightforward person. Takeo gets angry with people who do hurt others.
Sunakawa and Takeo Relationship
Takeo and Suna are each other’s, first friends. They met in kindergarten and have been friends since. People often question them about their friendship as they differ heavily in appearance and personality. The anime highlights many incidents of their friendship from childhood. Their friendship is one of the sweetest kind, good enough to warm your heart.
12. Eren and Armin
Anime: Attack on Titans
About Eren
Eren is a strong-willed, passionate young boy who hates living inside the walls like caged animals. After a certain tragedy in his life, he decides to take action and free himself and the world from the curse of Titans. Eren deeply cares about his friends and is selfless when it comes to risking his life for a greater cause.
About Armin
Armin is a young boy who looks weak from his appearance and behavior but is brave and smart. He cares a lot about his friends and is also very kind in general. He dreams of living a peaceful life filled with freedom. Despite all the tragedy and suffering, Armin still holds on to his humanity strongly.
Eren and Armin Relationship
Both boys have known each other since they were little kids. Eren and Armin have always stood for each other in all the tough times. Both consider each other their family and along with a girl named Mikasa, the trio form one of the strong anime friendships.
11. Kaneki and Hide
Anime: Tokyo Ghoul
About Kaneki
Kaneki was a shy and reserved young boy but an accident led him to turn into a half-human and a half-ghoul. This sudden and big change made Kaneki accept his fate and become a different being altogether and leave behind his previous life.
About Hide
Hide is the complete opposite of Kaneki. He is a young energetic boy around the same age as Kaneki. He is optimistic and carefree and lives a chilled-out life. But at the same time, he is very observant and acts very maturely when it comes to sensitive issues.
Kaneki and Hide Relationship
Kaneki and Hide have been best friends since childhood. Hide deeply cares for Kaneki and always tries to support him in whatever way possible. It is one of those anime friendships that makes you envious of the fictional world.
10. Worick And Nico
Anime: Gangsta
About Worick
Worick is the main character from Gangsta. He has a cheerful and macho personality which leads to him working as a gigolo. He is good with guns and his tall stature helps him dominate his opponents physically. Worick appearance is slightly deceiving as he reflects gloominess more than his real sense of friendliness.
About Nico or Nicolas Brown
Nicolas is the quiet one. A true follower of stoicism. Shredded muscles, hair spikes, and black attire give him the perfect look that matches his personality. Similar to Worick, Nicolas is also soft-hearted and protective towards people close to him.
Worick and Nicolas Relationship
Worick and Nicolas share a 22-year long bond. Both being each other’s first friends have a sound mutual understanding. Their relationship is mostly marked by hard feelings their lies a thin line of complexity as Nicolas is responsible for killing Worick’s family.
9. Mikado And Kida
Anime: Durarara
About Kida
Kida is carefree, charismatic, and a very friendly dude. He spends most of his free time cracking jokes and hitting on women. He is very close to friends and will do anything for their sake. But behind all the fun acts is a guy, who is insecure and hides it with a smiling face.
About Mikado
Mikado is a shy and timid small-town boy who moves to the big city on invitation by Kida. He is a normal guy with strong will and conviction. He has a deep desire to be more powerful which led to him become a little cold-hearted and manipulative as the series progresses.
Mikado And Kida Relationship
Mikado and Kida have been friends since elementary school. After Kida moves to the city, years later both meet again in high school. Kida wishes to keep Mikado away from his bad gang affairs but Mikado wants to joins Kida which causes friction between the two. Both care for each other and want to protect each other.
8. Ryuuichi and Hayato
Anime: School Babysitters
About Ryuuichi
Ryuuichi is a kind and gentle high school student and a member of the babysitting club. His soothing personality is loved by all his classmates and the kids in the daycare. He is popular among girls but is oblivious to it. He is easygoing but doesn’t shy away from voicing his opinion when he sees anything wrong.
About Hayato
Hayato is very much different from Ryuuichi. He is a quiet guy who rarely shows his emotions and doesn’t like to talk if it isn’t necessary. He loves baseball and wants to be a professional. Though he doesn’t show outright, he deeply cares for his friends and family and does everything to protect them.
Ryuuichi and Hayato Relationship
Despite being in the same class, the two rarely interacted, until both ended up together in the babysitting club. As both got to know more about each other, both develop mutual respect and slowly the two become good friends who look out for each other in rough times. One of the sweetest anime friendships on this list.
7. Kuroko and Kagami
Anime: Kuroko no Basuke
About Kuroko
At first glance, Kuroko doesn’t look like a basketball player. His built is small and fragile. His love for basketball emerged when he saw a basketball match on T.V when he was 5. Since then he has practiced hard and found a place in the team.
About Kagami
Kagami is a ferocious basketball player. He enjoys competition and gets bored of weak opponents. He seeks thrill and excitement through basketball. His muscular body intensifies as he gets filled with rage during the game.
Kuroko and Kagami Relationship
Like most friends mentioned in the list, Kuroko and Kagami are too, opposites. However, this polarity works for their benefit when they are in a game. Their playing style complements each other and sets a tough wall of defense and attack in front of opponents. They love to deceive their opponents with creative moves that they devise spontaneously out of their coordination.
6. Yato and Yukine
Anime: Noragami
About Yukine
Yukine died as a young boy and got turned into a weapon for Yato. He resented Yato in the beginning but became softer later. He acts like a naive kid and is very insecure. He has a fear of abandonment because of the events of his past life. He acts tough but deep down is always looking for validation.
About Yato
Yato is a God who is not at all popular and tries hard to increase his following and become a super famous God one day. He is very childish and gullible and act stupidly but when the situation demands, he becomes serious and wise. He is just and despite his greedy nature, he is kind at heart.
Yato and Yukine Relationship
Technically Yato and Yukine are in a master-servant relationship but both have huge egos and are always at odds with each other. Despite all that, both deeply care for each other and always back each other in a tense situation. This anime friendship is surely one to look out for.
5. Luffy and Zoro
Anime: One Piece
About Luffy
Commonly known as Straw Hat, Monkey D. Luffy is a legendary MC from One Piece. His optimism is reflected in his big round eyes. He is slim but his striking abilities are undefeatable. His goal in life is to become a pirate king by finding the hidden treasure.
About Zoro
Infamous as the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro once worked as a bounty hunter. His uncanny skills with swords lead him to become the leading swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates captained by Luffy. While Luffy is the crowned captain of the Straw hat, Zoro works as an untitled vice-captain. He is the most loyal member of the team and everyone trusts him.
Luffy and Zoro Relationship
Zoro has shown the highest level of dedication for Luffy and Luffy in return respects Zoro’s efforts in making him the pirate king. Zoro can’t acknowledge disrespect towards Luffy and make sure that every member treats Luffy as their Captain. Both risk their lives for one another at alternate events. Their relation is deeply bonded with respect, care, and a common goal to find the treasure.
4. Joseph And Caesar
Anime: Jojo Bizzare Adventures
About Caesar
Caesar is a muscular handsome man who comes from an honorable family and takes pride in his family name. He uses his power to fight evil. He is very boastful of his power and looks down upon the weak. He is very short-tempered and gets into fights easily. He is also very flirtatious.
About Joseph
Joseph is a reckless and childish young man. He is ill-tempered and foul-mouthed. He is also very goofy and tries to act cool in awkward situations. He has an estranged relationship with his family. He is strong but hates to do hard work to hone his skills.
Joseph And Caesar Relationship
It is one of the most popular anime friendships and rightly so. Joseph and Caesar started out rough, trying to ridicule each other. But when they both start to know each other, they develop respect for one another and that later turns into a strong bond of friendship.
3. Rintaro Okabe and Mayuri Shiina
Anime: Steins;Gate
About Rintaro Okabe
Okabe is a tall, thin man with sharp jawlines and short black hair. He graduated from Tokyo Denki University to become a scientist and establish the Future Gadget Laboratory. He is overly enthusiastic about his inventions but despite his efforts, his Laboratory doesn’t receive the recognition he aims for.
About Mayuri Shiina
Mayuri Shiina is an overly polite and low-key person. As a child, she was shy and lacked confidence. Due to the sudden death of her beloved grandfather, her mental condition stopped developing in certain areas of life. he is undoubtedly smart but her characteristics are similar to a child. She is the co-founder of Future Gadget Laboratory with Rintaro Okabe.
Okabe and Mayuri Relationship
Though many believe Okabe and Mayuri share a romantic relationship, I say not. In every other anime, childhood friends turn into a couple but that isn’t the case with Steins; Gate. The show nowhere hints at a romantic relationship between them but rather emphasizes the relationship often overlooked in most shows- Friendship. Both have many other friends but the significance they have for each other is on the next level.
2. Hinata and Kageyama
Anime: Haikyuu
About Hinata
Hinata is a high schooler and an aspiring volleyball player for the Karasuno team. He got interested in volleyball at a young age when he says the name of a volleyball player- “Small Giant” on the TV screen. Hinata related to him as Hinata also lacked height. 5′ 4 in height, Hinata’s incredible determination and unwillingness to give up helped him enroll in the school of his dream school- Karasuno High where he meets his dear opponent- Kageyama.
About Kageyama
Tobio Kageyama is a volleyball prodigy who shows topped spiking skills and dominated the court while playing. He found his passion at an early age and in pursuit of perfection he became arrogant and peevish. The only thing he cares about is winning.
Hinata and Kageyama Relationship
Hinata and Kageyama met at a junior high school tournament. After an embarrassing defeat, Hinata vowed to revenge on Kageyama. However, Hinata’s aggression couldn’t last long as both find themself as teammates at the Karasuno High School. The rivalry still existed but couldn’t work to throw each other out. Instead, both pushed each other to limits, learning each other strengths and weaknesses.
1. Gon And Killua
Anime: Re: ZERO
About Gon
Short and petite, Gon is an 11-year-old rookie hunter. He has exceptional athletic abilities. Gon lost his father at an early age. Since then his primary goal has been to find his father and become a Hunter in this pursuit.
About Killua
Killua plays the second main lead in the anime. He is cunning, pragmatic, and rude. Along with Gon, he also is on a quest to become a hunter. Killua belongs to the family of Zoldycks. He started training at the age of 10 and he is one of the finest fighters of his clan.
Gon and Killua Relationship
Gon is proud of his friendship with Killua and confidently calls him his best friend in front of the whole world. Many people complain that Gon or Killua never says they are best friends. Only true fans notice that Gon and Killua call each other ‘most precious friend’, which in itself explains why their friendship is beyond a friendship.
