With so many varieties of manga and anime out there, the “magical girl” subset seeks to combine elements of fantasy, action/adventure, and romance into one package. Cardcaptor Sakura does that extremely well. Though Sakura Kinomoto’s life turns upside down when she discovers her own magical abilities and the Clow cards, she still has time for a normal life of school, clubs, friends, and crushes.

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Throughout the series, in fact, love plays an important part. Some characters sacrifice their own magical standing for those they love, while others learn they can’t selfishly keep someone to themselves just because they love them. With so much focus on love, not all of the relationships in the series are created equal.

10 Worst: Nakuru And Touya

Touya And Nakuru In Cardcaptor Sakura

Nakuru is the civilian form of Ruby Moon. When she poses as a high school student after moving to Japan, she becomes a bit obsessed with Touya. This “relationship” never gets off the ground, but it lands amongst the worst because of the way Nakuru approaches Touya.

She constantly invades his personal space, draping herself over him, trying to get a rise out of him or Yukito. Ruby Moon does genuinely care about Touya’s well being, but she’s attracted to what makes him “special” before he gives up his magic to save Yukito’s life.

9 Best: Tomoyo And Sakura

Sakura And Tomoyo In Cardcaptor Sakura

Though it’s never explicitly stated that Tomoyo is in love with Sakura, the series, in both manga and anime forms, never hides that fact. Sakura is the person Tomoyo cares for most in the world, and that’s part of the reason she works so hard making costumes for her and recording her encounters with new magical cards.

While some fans find her commitment to filming Sakura creepy, Tomoyo tries not to press Sakura too hard. In fact, she cares more about Sakura’s happiness than she does her own in the anime, becoming the supportive friend that helps to make sure Sakura and Syaoran are able to confess how they feel for one another.

8 Worst: Yamazaki And Chiharu

Yamazaki And Chiharu In Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc

Initially in the series, Yamazaki and Chiharu are simply friends who have known one another since kindergarten. The English dub of the anime even rewrites them as family. By the end of the original series, however, it’s clear that the two are in a relationship because it’s Chiharu that Sakura goes to for advice on love.

Chiharu is an interesting choice for advice. After all, even though she and Yamazaki care for one another, they show it in odd ways. Yes, there are the occasional gift exchanges, but more often than not, Yamazaki intentionally annoys her and Chiharu attempts to strangle him to get him to stop making up stories. It’s not the healthiest relationship.

7 Best: Touya And Yukito

Yukito And Touya In Cardcaptor Sakura

Sakura spends a lot of her childhood with a bit of a crush on Yukito, her brother’s best friend. When he gently turns her down, explaining that they’re like family, Sakura pretty quickly figures out that Yukito has feelings for Touya.

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Unlike the one-sided relationship with Nakuru, Touya returns Yukito’s feelings. Not only does he give up his magic to keep Yukito alive, but Yukito’s other form, Yue, makes sure to protect Touya as well. The two take care of one another in a relatively even keeled relationship considering one of them is a magical being created by a wizard. Yukito is also the only person Touya is truly himself with, discussing his worries about his little sister with only him. They definitely have one of the best relationships in the series, not just one of the best romantic ones.

6 Worst: Rika And Mr. Terada

Rika And Mr Terada In Class In Cardcaptur Sakura

For fans most familiar with the series thanks to the English dub, this will seem like a strange addition to the list. Rika, after all, was intimidated by her teacher Mr. Terada, right? Not exactly. Their relationship was censored in the English version of the series.

The anime made it clear that Rika had a crush on her teacher, and he always accepted her gifts, though it never went any farther than that. In the manga, on the other hand, Mr. Terada gifts Rika with a ring and goes on secret outings with her. She’s ten years old, but always touted as “so mature” by friends. He’s her teacher. No matter how you examine their relationship, there’s something definitely wrong there.

5 Best: Meiling And Syaoran

Meiling And Syaoran In Cardcaptor Sakura Clear Card Arc

Meiling is a character created exclusively for the anime, as is her relationship with Syaoran Li. Cousins, Syaoran saves Meiling when they’re very young. She decides, unless he falls in love with someone else, she’s going to marry him one day.

At first, Meiling can be grating with her constant butting into conversations and boasting about Syaoran. Eventually, however, she shows her softer side. Meiling helps take care of Syaoran while he’s away from the rest of his family, and Syaoran tries to spare her feelings despite not wanting a relationship with her. She also can see Syaoran’s developing feelings for Sakura before he can himself, and she braces herself for heartbreak. Despite being upset, she proves herself a great friend to both of them, and encourages Sakura to figure out her own feelings.

4 Worst: Sonomi And Nadeshiko

Sonomi Daidouji In Cardcaptor Sakura

Tomoyo’s mother Sonomi isn’t around the house much, but she makes sure Tomoyo could never want for anything. She also has a soft spot for Tomoyo’s best friend because Sakura’s mother Nadeshiko was her cousin. Much like Tomoyo, she harbors feelings for her cousin, but unlike Tomoyo, she doesn’t have her cousin’s best interests in mind.

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Instead, Sonomi is obsessive and possessive. When Nadeshiko falls in love with someone else, Sonomi has no interest in Nadeshiko’s new life. She no longer has anything to do with her cousin because she’s hurt that Nadeshiko would “choose” to fall for someone else. It’s not until Sonomi meets Tomoyo’s friend that she realizes her mistake - more than a decade later.

3 Best: Fujitaka And Nadeshiko

Nadeshiko Kinomoto In Cardcaptor Sakura

The Cardcaptor series has a lot of problematic student-teacher relationships in it, but this one, surprisingly, isn’t one of them. Nadeshiko and Fujitaka actually meet right before school, not knowing immediately that he’s going to be her teacher. The two are smitten right away, despite her being 16.

While we only see their relationship via flashback, it’s clear that Fujitaka is respectful of Nadeshiko and that they share in the responsibilities of their relationship, and later family. There isn’t an imbalance of power here. Even after Nadeshiko’s death, her spirit remains at her home to look out for her husband and children.

2 Worst: Touya And Miss Mizuki

Touya And Miss Mizuki In Cardcaptor Sakura

Touya and Miss Mizuki’s relationship is the exact opposite of his parents. When they meet, Miss Mizuki is just starting her career as a teacher and Touya is the equivalent of a seventh-grader. Most of their relationship is seen in flashback as well, but it just seems odd.

The two meet in secret on a regular basis, and when he tells her that he loves her, she decides to pursue her studies to be a teacher away from Tomoeda. She also is pretty flippant about knowing there’s someone else out there for him. When she does return to town during Sakura’s pursuit of the Clow cards, Touya is immediately hostile around her, and it seems like he regrets their previous relationship.

1 Best: Sakura And Syaoran

Sakura And Syaoran In Cardcaptor Sakura Movie Sequel

When Syaoran Li is introduced, he alternates between standoffish and outright hostile toward Sakura. He believes it should have been his destiny to retrieve the Clow cards, so he becomes increasingly competitive with Sakura until somewhere along the way, he begins working with her and teaching her about the magic itself.

The two evolve from reluctant teammates to genuine friends as they work to capture all of the Clow cards. That friendship is part of what makes their fledgeling romance so appealing. The high-stress nature of their magical work means Syaoran and Sakura have to save one another’s lives pretty often, but it also means hanging out for their first official date at the aquarium is bound to go wrong. These two always find a way to support one another and make the best of bad situations.

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