The world of anime has no shortage of popular love stories and classic pairings, and for many series, such romances drive the entire plot, or at least play a major role, whether the characters are adolescents or adults. But not all relationships turn romantic, nor do they have to. Many healthy male-female friendships can be found in anime, too.
Boys and girls can become friends without any internal or external pressure to make things romantic, and it sets a good example for viewers of any age. These friends might be romantically involved with someone else, for example, or they might not be looking for love or might have too little chemistry in that department. But they can build their relationship on other shared interests, such as a hobby or even their line of work.
10 Ichigo & Rukia Had Friendship Chemistry (Bleach)
Countless Bleach fans wanted the shonen hero Ichigo Kurosaki to get together with his Soul Reaper friend Rukia since they were both major characters and they played off each other so well. It was fun to imagine, but this romance was doomed to never be. Their lifestyles were too different.
While Season 1's episodes teased a romance between them, the story never committed to that, and Rukia married her old friend Renji Abarai while Ichigo settled down with his high school sweetheart, Orihime Inoue.
9 Negi & Asuna Were More Like Brother & Sister (Mahou Sensei Negima!)
The Mahou Sensei Negima! anime made it clear that while Negi Springfield the wizard and Asuna Kagurazaka were on the same team, they were definitely not going to become lovers, and not just because of their age difference. Their friendship was more akin to a sister and her little brother.
The original Negima! manga explored this friendship more deeply, and the two of them became action co-stars rather than lovers, and either of them would risk their lives to rescue the other. In the meantime, many of Asuna's classmates happily speculated on who would actually become Negi's lover someday.
8 Hirotaka Nifuji & Hanako Koyanagi Get Along As Fellow Geeks (Wotakoi)
Hirotaka Nifuji is generally an aloof kuudere who loves games, but he does start dating his old friend Narumi Momose, and she becomes very special to them. They have plenty of mutual friends too, including Hanako Koyanagi and Taro Kabakura, who work in the same office as them.
Hirotaka and Hanako are platonic friends, and they get along mostly because of their shared love of geek culture. Hirotaka even agreed to do crossplay with Hanako, and Narumi was shocked and amused by the end result. Hirotaka is a great sport sometimes.
7 Alphonse Elric & Winry Rockbell Are Dear Friends & Allies (Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood)
In the end, Winry Rockbell fell in love with her childhood friend Edward Elric, and they made a great couple despite their constant bickering. Alphonse Elric didn't mind being the third wheel -- once he got his body back, he was more interested in traveling around the world than finding a partner.
Still, Al is very important to Winry, and they look out for each other. Winry has also promised to bake an apple pie for Al to celebrate Al's return to his original body, and Al can't wait. There's no sign that Al is jealous of his brother's budding romance with Winry, so the drama is kept to a minimum.
6 Toph Beifong & Aang Are Friends But Have Very Different Personalities (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Toph Beifong had a crush on her teammate Sokka, and in adulthood, she was involved with two different men, resulting in the half-sisters Lin and Suyin Beifong. Meanwhile, Toph had an enduring friendship with her fellow hero, Avatar Aang, and they didn't try to make their relationship something it wasn't.
Neither of them would have wanted to try that, anyway. They respected each other as fellow bender heroes, but their personalities were simply too different, and they had totally different goals and plans for life. Aang ended up choosing Katara as his wife, a move that was telegraphed well ahead of time.
5 Tohru Honda & Yuki Sohma Are Allies Against The Curse (Fruits Basket)
Early in the story of Fruits Basket, it seemed equally likely that the heroine Tohru Honda would end up with either the fierce tsundere Kyo or the cool-guy Yuki, and later, it became clear that Kyo would win the race for Tohru's heart. Actually, there were few signs of Yuki being romantically interested in Tohru anyway.
Yuki and Tohru respect each other as good friends, and they share the goal of defying the Sohma curse and Akito to find true freedom. Yuki did thank Tohru for inspiring him, but that heartfelt moment did not lead to romance, nor should it have.
4 Shinra Kusakabe & Maki Oze Keep It Professional (Fire Force)
Shinra Kusakabe received a warm welcome when he arrived at the FFS company 8 HQ, and one of the fire soldiers who made him feel the most welcome was Maki Oze, a second-gen pyrokinetic. She and Shinra get along well, but there is no real spark between them, romantic or otherwise.
It's true that Maki is a big fan of romance stories and happily-ever-afters, but she doesn't make more than one or two comments about Shinra before moving on. To her, Shinra is a respectable and powerful friend and co-worker, and not much more than that, and Shinra feels the same way about her.
3 Soma Yukihira Inspired Megumi Tadokoro In The Kitchen (Food Wars!)
Soma Yukihira is a bit of a troublemaker and rogue, but he always means well, and he is happy to inspire and coach any friend who needs his help. Early on, Soma inspired Megumi Tadokoro to be more confident in herself, and Megumi finally realized her potential. Soma is a vital ally of hers.
Megumi is quite fond of Soma as a friend, but there's no solid evidence that her warm, fuzzy feelings blossomed into love, and there's even less evidence that Soma feels that way toward her or anyone else. They both know that cuisine is their first love.
2 Valac Clara & Asmodeus Alice Are Strictly Friends, Mostly Through Iruma (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-Kun!)
Asmodeus Alice and Valac Clara are friends, primarily through their mutual friendship with the isekai hero Iruma Suzuki. Ordinarily, the two of them would avoid each other, but they learned to get along a little better by having Iruma with them.
Clara may annoy Alice with her energetic and childish ways, but Clara always means well, and she has even helped soothe Alice to sleep during a sleepover at the Valac household. They are often seen walking Iruma to school, too.
1 Luffy & Nami Are Shipmates & Friends (One Piece)
No one can blame One Piece fans for having fun imagining Monkey D. Luffy and Nami the navigator as an oddball couple, but so far in canon, nothing like that is taking place. Instead, Luffy sees all his crewmates as dear friends and trusted comrades, nothing more or less. Nami likes money better than loud, rubbery boys, anyway.
Luffy can easily make friends, but he seems to have little interest in romance with anyone, not even Boa Hancock, who absolutely idolizes him as her perfect man. Based on that, there's no way Luffy would end up falling in love with Nami or even dating her on a peaceful island. This ship won't ever set sail.