One of the most groundbreaking genres within the anime industry, science fiction has granted the medium some of its most iconic and pivotal moments. For decades, it has brought fans epic, giant robot fights, harrowing time travel dilemmas, and adventures across the stars. And, as great of a rap as the genre has gotten for innovations within action and adventure, it doesn't get enough credit for what it has done for romance.
Whether that means larger passions that outgrow the sun itself or two lonely souls finding each other across the endless void, sci fi anime have created plenty of scintillating romances to give even love an upgrade. This list will be going through some of the best, as it ranks the all time best romances in sci fi anime.
10 Kyon & Haruhi (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya)
When Kyon meets Haruhi Suzumiya, he finds that he's the only person to can really connect to her and get her to come out of her shell; and by "shell," this series means Pandora's Box. Having been encouraged and inspired by Kyon, Haruhi starts the school's SOS Brigade, a club dedicated to finding and investigating abnormal circumstances in the world.
And, as Kyon would soon find out, Haruhi herself, from some amalgamation of her own wishes intertwining with the greater physics of the world, is the root cause of several supernatural and strange circumstances going on in town. And while she could certainly mistakenly destroy the world with her whimsy, Kyon often arrives to show her the adventures of just being with another person.
9 Dandy & Scarlet (Space Dandy)
Shinichiro Watanabe is a romantic through and through. With his special brand of sci fi spectacle, he creates massive worlds in the stars that, at one end, could've just been used to host a variety of high concept adventures but are given a much more realized, cultured tone to bring them down to Earth.
One of the cutest examples of this is within his sci fi/comedy Space Dandy. In which, Dandy takes a break from alien hunting to pose as the fake boyfriend for his long time inspector, Scarlet. However, the two develop true feelings for one another, showcasing it in an episode that features various cute dates between the two only to see it tragically end with Watanabe's idiosyncratic sense of regret.
8 Spike & Julia (Cowboy Bebop)
However, if there was ever a sci fi romance of Watanabe's to outclass Dandy and Scarlet's wonderful date, it would be the entire opera going on between Spike Spiegel and Julia. Where Dandy and Scarlet's romance lasted merely an episode in Space Dandy, Cowboy Bebop would use Spike and Julia's intertwined fates as the crux for its existential yet lonely expanse of space.
Spike was in love with Julia but issues of circumstance and a conflict with Vicious would break them up. Now, the only thing that can get Spike kicking out of his listless void is the mere mention of Julia and the potential to meet her once again.
7 Shu & Inori (Guilty Crown)
Love can do wonders for a couple of teenagers, especially when the tumultuous, shifting world of high school meets a sci fi filled epidemic. Shu was once just a shy, near faceless high schooler who was only going through the motions, never taking a chance to define himself.
That all changes when a chance encounter with the lead singer of Egoist, Inori, sets him on an entire adventure filled with terrorists, corrupt government regimes, and magical, crystal swords coming out of Inori.
6 Rintarou & Kurisu (Steins;Gate)
While Steins;Gate may have been an ambitious and gritty sci fi adventure, a huge part of what attracted fans was the sheer personality and rapport between its characters. And while the membership of the Future Gadget Laboratory presented plenty of fun-filled, Slice-of-Life interactions, what really grabbed fans was the adorable banter and sexual tensions between Rintarou and Kurisu.
It was a classic dynamic between the reluctant tsundere and her overzealous compatriots which did wonders to both break the tension of the story as well as add stakes to it, as Rintarou and the fans grew progressively worried about Kurisu's fate.
5 Shinji & Asuka/Rei (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
It's rare to see a shipping feud within the industry that has the comparable heat and longevity of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A majority of its story is dedicated to revealing and personifying the decaying mindset of one teenage boy who has the entire fate of the world thrust on his tired shoulders.
A major element that went into him finally finding solace in the world was his prospective relationship between either of his female partners, Asuka Langley and Rei Ayanami. Asuka was the bright tsundere living with Shinji whose passion and rapport with him has helped him break out of his shell. However, Rei is the mysterious vanguard of their team who can relate to Shinji's issues in a way that no one else can. In an effort to deter any heat from readers, this entry isn't even going to choose between the two.
4 Lelouch & C.C. (Code Geass)
In the wake of Evangelion, tons of sci fi/mech anime tried to emulate the beloved anime's propensity for deeper themes and emotion. And while Guilty Crown and its story between Shu and Inori was plenty popular, it doesn't compare to the overall fan devotion between the shipping of Lelouch vi Brittania and C.C.
The core duo of the series, their interactions as military strategists and close confidants was pivotal for the series' narrative. C.C. was the quiet, sci fi witch who slowly began to find feelings again (or, at least, thinking that she does) after her time with Lelouch. To Lelouch, C.C. was the push he needed to bring revolution to Japan, as well as his one, consistent companion across his ever changing relationships. In a corrupted world filled with so much hatred, the potential love between these two was refreshing.
3 Simon & Nia (Gurren Lagann)
Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann was a pivotal series for both animation and science fiction as a whole. Managing to congest an entire adventure across the stars and years of friendship to challenge even the most historied Shounen anime, this series knew how to get fans invested in the most creative and efficient ways possible.
As Simon set upon his journey to free the galaxy and find himself, Nia was the one, consistent thread that was there to back him up. A guiding light, their relationship helped bring a bright future to the revolution. However, after that, there was only an even greater, even more spectacular tragedy awaiting their love that is still getting fans to this day.
2 Naho & Kakeru (Orange)
Orange was an emotional rollercoaster that really had its fans asking what the consequences of choices and time can really mean for one's relationships. In a world that is simultaneously young and nostalgic, Naho begins to befriend a lonely boy in her class, Kakeru. However, she would soon learn that a great tragedy awaits him, as she starts to receive letters from her future self.
With Naho alancing both her want to save him as well as an established future that she may be sacrificing, Orange presents a romantic adventure the likes of which the industry hasn't seen before.
1 Hiro & Zero Two (Darling In The FranXX)
When Darling in the FranXX entered the anime scene, it delighted fans with its unique world, intense action, and consistent dialogue with human relationships. At its forefront was the romance and long standing meme bait that was between Hiro and Zero Two.
Hiro was a young student who found that he wasn't good enough to pilot any one of the series' mechs. Zero Two was the alien, supersoldier who's too wild to keep a partner for very long. When the two would fatefully meet, they would find exactly what they had been missing in life with each other, as well as unlock a long forgotten promise of their childhoods.