Friendships often go above and beyond in anime. Characters fight to protect and save one another, rivals push each other to do better despite being adversarial, and characters build intense and emotional bonds with their friends in ways that go much deeper than most of the other relationships around them.

RELATED: 10 Best Childhood Friend Romances In Anime, Ranked

Friendships in anime can be riddled with tension too, and characters are forced into bitter positions of opposition, but this does not always ruin the friendship. Sometimes, this tension only deepens the bond. From friendships that stand the test of time and trials to friendships that are the epitome of pure, there are plenty of heartwarming friendships in anime.

10 Naruto Uzumaki And Sasuke Uchiha Were Star-Crossed Friends And Rivals

Naruto and Sasuke competing overr who can eat more and faster

When anime fans think of iconic rivalry-friendships, it's hard not to think of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Both were deeply traumatized and orphaned children, but Sasuke was a prodigy, while Naruto was cursed. They hated and loved one another, but they pushed each other to grow stronger and showed each other what it was like to be accepted.

Naruto stopped at nothing to bring Sasuke back to the good side and from the pit of despair, in which Sasuke wanted to break his bond with Naruto. Naruto never gave up, and eventually he succeeded, after which Sasuke was greatly indebted to his friend.

9 Hunter X Hunter's Gon And Killua Were A Dynamic Duo

gon and killua smiling at each other

Like the relationship between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, Gon Freecss and Killua Zoldyck were rivals and best friends. Their friendship was complicated, as they were often at odds or forced to reconcile with negative things that the other had done. But for the most part, it stood the test of time.

There was a lot of tension. Killua left Gon on his own multiple times, and Gon said things to Killu he did not mean. Though their friendship was not separated by the pains of star-crossed fate as Naruto and Sasuke's was, their friendship followed a similar pattern.

8 Battle Tendency's Joseph Joestar And Caesar Zeppeli Had A Deep Bond

joseph holding caesar jojo

The friendship between Joseph Joestar and Caesar Zeppeli, started as enemies and rivals. They're both descendants of many heroes from the first part of Jojo's Bizarre AdventurePhantom Blood. Each hated the other's ego. However, as they learned the power of Hamon together, they formed an unbreakable bond that followed them until Zeppeli's death.

RELATED: Anime's 10 Most Heartwarming Friendships

The two fought the Pillar Men together, but Zeppeli died after storming their lair without thinking. This led to one of the saddest moments of the series wherein Zeppeli gave up the last of his lifeforce to give Joseph an antidote to a poison he  ingested earlier, and Joseph mourned the loss of his best friend.

7 Tomoyo Is There For Sakura During Times Of Danger In Cardcaptor Sakura

Cardcaptor Sakura Tomoyo And Sakura

When Sakura Kinomoto became a magical girl tasked with collecting all of the Clow Cards, she was not sure who she could trust, but she eventually opened up to people. However, one of the first people she tells was also one of her fiercest supporters –her best friend, Tomoyo Daidouji.

Tomoyo roots for Sakura, accompanies her on some of her endeavors, makes costumes for her, and records videos of Sakura's adventures. Their friendship ran so deep that it even spanned across time and dimensions, as seen in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

6 Shouko And Shouya Deeply Affected Each Other In A Silent Voice

Shoko and Shoyo in A Silent Voice

Shouko and Shouya were not friends when they first met. In fact, Shouya was a bully who targeted Shouko and traumatized her due to her hearing disability . This even caused her to move schools. However, because of this bullying, Shouya was taught a hard and long-lasting lesson. He was ostracized and traumatized, himself. This experience deeply changed him.

When he ran into Shouko when he was older, he tried to make amends for his actions. Together, they worked through their respective trauma and forged a new friendship built on respect, forgiveness, and acceptance.

5 Natsu And Happy Were Always There For One Another In Fairy Tail

Happy Saving Natsu

Natsu Dragneel and his talking-cat best friend, Happy, were a duo that went everywhere together. They were both eccentric characters. Happy was obsessed with fish and mischief but was highly intelligent and guided Natsu. Meanwhile, Natsu was strong, determined, and willing to take risks. Together, they were a dynamic magical duo.

Later, more joined their group including Lucy Heartfilia and Gray Fullbuster, but Natsu and Happy were an inseparable pair. They protected and took care of one another even in incredibly dangerous situations.

4 The Promised Neverland's Norman, Ray, And Emma Changed The World For Each Other

Ray Emma Norman from The Promised Neverland

Even darker shows like The Promised Neverland have deep and beautiful friendships. Emma, Norman, and Ray were three of the oldest and smartest kids at Gracefield House. Together, they staged the biggest and most successful breakouts the demon farms had ever seen. They even subverted the entire power dynamic of the world.

RELATED: 10 Of The Best Female Friendships In Anime

Despite the horrors they endured, the trio never gave up on trying to save one another. At one point, Norman was even torn away from the group and experimented on. Still, he never gave up on Ray and Emma.

3 Hanako, Kasumi, And Olivia Kept Each Other Going In Asobi Asobase

The Pastimers Club In Asobi Asobase

Hanako Honda, Olivia, and Kasumi Nomura were three girls who formed The Pastimers Club, a club in which the girls engaged in random activities of the day. They were each eccentric and strange in their ways, and as such, they made a close-knit group of people who might not have been accepted elsewhere.

Together, they learned about acceptance, friendship, and supporting one another. Though the show took on absurdist qualities and the girls got themselves into trouble frequently, their friendship was touching and wholesome.

2 Kiba Inuzuka And Akamaru Were In Separable Across All Naruto Series

Kiba Inuzuka pets Akamaru in Naruto Shippuden.

Dog's are called "man's best friend" for a reason, and the relationship between Naruto's Akamaru and Kiba Inuzuka depicts this aptly. Kiba and Akamaru became friends when Akamaru was given to Kiba as his puppy and ninja companion. Together, they went through the ninja academy, participated in the chunin exams, went on countless missions together, and even fought together in a war.

They were inseparable, and one was never seen without the other. Even into the events of Boruto, the two are still inseparable best friends. They are so close, that they can merge together to form a giant multi-headed wolf.

1 The Straw Hat Pirates Of One Piece Are Found Family

Straw Hats celebrating

Found family is incredibly important, especially for those who either don't have parents, or don't have a relationship with their biological family. For Monkey D. Luffy, his lineage was somewhat complicated, and he was on his own. However, he built a pirate crew and formed the Straw Hats.

The Straw Hats became one of the closest found families in anime, and it was an iconic friendship that has lasted in fans' minds for years. Their collective friendship is inspiring and heartwarming.

NEXT: 10 Best Anime Best Friends, Ranked