It has often been said that “love is many a splendored thing.” There are as many varied ways to express, receive, and share that most sought-after emotion as there are individuals who wish to revel in its embrace. But what all One True Pairs share is that their mutual love, however it is expressed, transcends all obstacles. Whether they be other people, geographical distance, time, or even death, with these things in mind, here is our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list.
Spoiler Warning: The Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list includes spoilers for the series it talks about.
6) 2b & 9S – NieR Automata ver1.1a
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Most entries in a One True Pairs list don’t include a couple where one of the two parties murders the other. Let alone do it repeatedly. But, much like every other aspect of creator Yoko Taro’s approach to storytelling, the relationship between the story’s starring androids breaks the mold in our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list. The revelations concerning 2B would lead one to expect their automatic exclusion from such a list. But what the pair are meant to represent earns them a spot.
As mentioned above, the bonds formed between One True Pairs can surpass any obstacle. In this case, the barriers that 2B and 9S must overcome are themselves. 2B’s primary purpose upon design was to kill 9S. To keep him from asking questions he shouldn’t. This sin is lessened by the fact that androids are routinely brought back to life. 2B’s struggle with her programming and her ultimate rejection of it, which results in her death, shows how much 9S truly meant to her. After all, rejecting something that is baked into your very essence is never an easy thing to do. How an android rejects programming is something a human can’t fully comprehend, but it sounds complicated.
By contrast, 9S’ feelings towards 2B become apparent pretty quickly. While their presence is known early on, the actual depth isn’t revealed till much later. In one of the series’ closing episodes, we learn that 9S knew what 2B had been doing. Despite YoRHa command’s attempts to obfuscate the truth, he always knew. And yet, he still cared about her so much that her death sent him over an emotional cliff.
After all the battles and killing, NieR Automata ver1.1a leaves the duo unconscious, lying beside each other, awaiting their next start-up. Neither the series nor the original game reveals what lies in store for the couple, but we now know. Thanks to a short story written by Taro for the recent NieR Concert series “[The End of Data],” we now know that the duo eventually awakens to travel the world together, fending off many hostile enemies. But this time, it’s not for the glory of Mankind or the orders of their Commander. Instead, it is for each other.
5) Fern & Stark – Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End
Fern and Stark deliver one of those romances in which, while their initial encounter quickly establishes them as polar opposites in many ways, their bond feels fully formed and unbreakable when they walk off into the sunset at the end of season one—even if the two of them haven’t fully realized it yet.
From significant moments like their waltz at the lord’s soiree to small moments like Stark helping Fern traverse rugged terrain where Frieren once did, the show allows the two to collide naturally. Like everything in Frieren’s orbit, there is no rush. This couple’s budding romance is all the better as the show’s leap-frogging approach to the passage of time further helps the pair’s growing emotions for each other feel believable.
Spoilers for Season Two: Those who keep up with the manga will be aware that recent threats have further brought the depth of these two’s feelings to the forefront. Fern responds with uncharacteristic aggression when an attack puts Stark’s life in danger. Frieren has to restrain the ever-cool-in-combat Fern from causing massive damage to an entire city when she looks to counterattack. Fern is so upset that Frieren goes so far as to state that she doesn’t trust her judgment till she can calm down. And if there is one person alive that Frieren always trusts without reservation, it’s Fern. That Stark means that much to her speaks volumes that words cannot.
4) Himiko Toga and Ochako Uraraka – My Hero Academia
As stated at the beginning of our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list, love can take many forms. And while we can never know exactly what shape the bond between Toga and Uraraka would’ve taken, it feels plain to see that there was far more between the two than a crush from a villain and the standard hero’s desire to save someone in trouble.
The depth of her love for her would-be savior is apparent on Toga’s side. Not only does she give her life to save Uraraka from the severe gut wound she sustained earlier in their fight, but she does so in an agonizingly slow way. By giving Uraraka a whole blood transfusion, she allows her life to slowly slip away, never once voicing doubt or regret about her choice. This form of sacrifice takes on a double meaning for Toga. After all, blood is intrinsic to how Toga shares affection with others. By choosing to give all her blood to Uraraka, she doesn’t just give her life to the young woman. She also gives every last drop of her love as well.
Spoilers for Season 8: We must look forward to the future to confirm Uraraka’s side of this pairing. After the Final War Arc, Uraraka has one significant moment in the series. As you might guess, it’s all about Toga and how she feels like she failed her. In tears and struggling, this moment delivers the most broken version of Uraraka we see throughout the entire series. Also, her only mention in the final time skips chapter that provides a glimpse into the future sees her as the driving force behind open quirk therapy centers—a reaction to her feelings about Toga.
We’ll never know what relationship this duo may have had if Toga had survived the season. Still, given the evidence, it assuredly would’ve been deep enough that labeling it “friendship” wouldn’t be doing justice.
3) Momo Ayase & Okarun – Dan Da Dan
“He was a boy, and she was a girl. Can I make it any more obvious?” While these song lyrics can be applied to a wide range of couples, the way the spirit-believing punk Momo comes to meet and grows attached to the alien-seeking Okarun makes the quote feel right on the money. The pair of outcasts come from highly different yet similar worlds. What makes the bond between the two protagonists feel exceptionally special is the urgency the two often show toward their need for each other.
After the conclusion of their initial adventure, the duo find themselves back at school. While apart, all they can think about is being together. Not for any romantic purpose, just because they each want to talk to the other. They have a shared experience no one else would understand, and they want to explore it with each other. Momo, at one point, is seen rocking her desk while inwardly chanting, “I want to talk to Okarun” repeatedly. This eagerness for each other’s company feels like far more than friendship.
The other surefire sign that these two care deeply for each other is how protective one becomes when they catch someone mistreating the other. Momo doesn’t hesitate to drop a wash pan on Aira’s head when she catches her bragging about leading Okarun on. The heated hostility, coupled with the evil eye Momo shoots the downed girl as she walks away, arm in arm with Okarun, shows a side of the character we hadn’t seen before. That such a slight, one Okarun would never have even known about, would enrage her so much, which speaks to how much Okarun means to her.
For Okarun, there is an even more subtle indicator of how much Momo means to him. When in his transformed state, Okarun generally complains about having to do things. Commenting on how any demand makes him feel wilted or down, the character consistently exhibits a distinct disinterest in doing things after his transformation. That is unless it is invoked to protect Momo. Even if it is just her reputation at risk, like when Okarun finds out that people are claiming Momo put out, the lack of interest in taking action is nowhere to be found. This willingness to do for her without hesitation what he’d have to force himself to do for others shows her unique role in his life.
Whether human jerks, yokai threats, or visitors from other planets, Momo and Okarun have already shown that they will go to any lengths to protect each other, even if they may laugh at the other’s distress a bit too much now and then. However, even their ability to laugh at and support each other in the same scene is a further testament to how deeply connected the couple is.
2) Frieren & Himmel – Freiren: Beyond Journey’s End
If two people fall in love decades apart, are they falling in love? Of all the unorthodox entries on our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list, this one may be the most extensive stretch for some. But it is impossible to make a list like this without including Himmel, the Hero, and the mage who never honestly noticed him until he died.
What sells this extraordinary couple as One True Pair is how the show delivers Frieren’s growing realization of what she meant to Himmel and what he comes to mean to her. The way Frieren and the viewer learn about Himmel’s feelings gives the events a sense of vibrancy. They don’t feel like they happened before. Instead, they think Frieren is genuinely experiencing them for the first time. This makes her growing affection for her deceased comrade feel current and authentic.
Further giving these feelings a sense of legitimacy rather than unrequited heartache is that Himmel never seemed to mind Frieren’s obliviousness. It may have even been a boon for him. Could Himmel have gone down on one knee to slip a ring symbolizing eternal love on her finger if he had believed she would be fully aware of what the act represented? How much more openly was he able to speak with her, allowing him to be the charming hero legions of readers and viewers have fallen in love with, had she been more aware of him?
The final element that makes this unique situation feel like an active romance instead of sad memories is the ultimate end of Frieren’s journey. When she finally arrives at the Land Where Souls Rest, she will be face-to-face with Himmel again. Everything she has learned and every feeling she now harbors will be present between them. Even if she only gets one day with him after a ten-year journey, it seems like it will all be worth it, given what that day will likely mean to both of them.
1) Taiki Inomata & Chinatsu Kano – Blue Box
So we’ve talked about androids locked in unending struggles, fantasy characters experiencing loves that transcend time, and teens surviving the strange and dangerous thanks to each other. So, how, you may ask, do a couple of sports nuts come out on top over all that to land at the top of our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list? It wasn’t easy. And to be fair, any of our other entries could get nudged up here. But what separates Taiki and his senpai is how complementary their love is.
Every action that Taiki or Chinatsu makes that could affect the other is always done with the other in mind. There is never selfishness in their actions. Even a selfish need to protect will be set aside to consider how the other will feel. This constant consideration for the other makes their love for each other apparent even before they make each other aware of their feelings.
This desire to support each other mutually is made more accessible by how alike the duo is. Both are determined athletes. They are always aware of each other’s goals and can fully appreciate how actions can affect those goals. How they both pace their pursuit of each other around these shared objectives speaks to an understanding and healthy attitude toward love. Even if the couple becomes the center of each other’s worlds, the rest of the world will still exist.
Setting aside goals in basketball or badminton they had spent years pursuing would lead to regret. Rather than risk that, they take the slower and, at times, more challenging road to pursue their heart’s desires smartly and sustainably. They aren’t looking for a passionate fling that burns hot and fast only to fade. That’s not how these two work. When they commit, it’s for the long haul.
Another element that elevates these two is how they see each other. Thanks to the fabulous animation and lighting that Telecom Animation Film delivers, the viewer can fully appreciate how the duo sees each other. While terms like angelic feel inherently hyperbolic, there is no other way to describe the way the series delivers the couple through each other’s eyes.
The final element that lands this duo on the top of our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list is Chinatsu and Taiki’s mutual inspiration. More so than any other couple on this list, they are each other’s heroes, inspirations, and guiding lights. Seeing each other at morning practice, vigorously working towards their own goal, constantly challenges the other, even though they know that the other would never think less of them if they had a stumble now and then. Instead, knowing that their forgiveness is a forgone conclusion only inspires them more. They will stand shoulder to shoulder together. And it will be beautiful.
And that is our Top Anime One True Pairs of 2024 list. What did you think? Hopefully, you enjoyed this list and its approach to being a One True Pair. Stay tuned for even more great end-of-the-year content as we wrap up 2024!
