Summary
- Codependency in anime relationships can lead to dangerous situations and unhealthy behavior patterns.
- Some anime couples, like Hiro and Zero Two, exhibit destructive codependent behaviors in their relationships.
- Characters like Misa Amane and Light Yagami show how toxic codependent relationships can be in anime narratives.
Codependency is a psychological concept that explores the world of unbalanced relationships in which the two parties in a relationship have an extreme level of reliance on one another. While codependency is not considered an illness or condition, it is something which could result in some devastating situations.
The Best Psychological Anime, Ranked
There are many shows with brain-bending plots and intense battles of the mind are iconic within the world of psychological anime.
Anime is diverse enough that it caters to different sorts of couples, with some being cute, and others being a tad worrying. There are some codependent relationships in anime where one party enables the other in their behaviors, which, most of the time, is detrimental to both people.
7 Hiro And Zero Two (Darling In The Franxx)
Zero Two Pushes Hiro To His Limits
Darling in the Franxx
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- January 13, 2018
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- A-1 Pictures, Trigger, CloverWorks
- Number of Episodes
- 24
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
Darling In The Franxx was released in 2018, and for a while was the talk of the whole anime community. It followed child soldiers who had to pilot mechs by partnering with members of the opposite sex.
The big romance in the show was between Hiro, a former prodigy who could no longer sync with his partner, and Zero Two, an elite pilot who was dubbed the ‘partner killer’. After initial friction, Zero Two takes a liking to Hiro, but the relationship does feel a little too intense sometimes, as Zero Two sees Hiro as the only person she can be with, while Hiro himself develops something of an obsession with her.
6 Sawa And Takao (Flowers Of Evil)
Sawa Manipulates Takao To The End
Flowers of Evil
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- April 5, 2013
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Zexcs
- Creator
- Shūzō Oshimi
- Number of Episodes
- 13
Takao is a normal student with a crush. When he does something he isn’t supposed to, he is blackmailed by the class creepy girl, Sawa, who saw him in the act. She more or less forces him to become her friend. What comes after is a steady descent into madness for Takao, as he is pushed and prodded to reveal his ‘true self’.
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With sinister and gloomy atmospheres, along with relationships that are anything but healthy, these are some of the darkest romance anime ever.
While Sawa acts like she doesn’t care about Takao, it becomes evident that she is dependent on him in order to avoid being alone anymore, and is willing to push him to some very dark places in the hopes that she never returns to her solitude.
5 Miria And Isaac (Baccano)
These Two Lovebirds Are Inseparable
Baccano
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- July 27, 2007
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Brain's Base
- Creator
- Ryōgo Narita
- Number of Episodes
- 16
While codependency is typically considered problematic, it does have a tendency to look cute in some scenarios. For instance, Isaac and Miria from Baccano are a criminal couple who seem besotted with one another and incapable of being apart.
The two don’t seem to ever age, and they provide a lot of the comic relief in Baccano. It also seems clear that the two cannot do without each other. For Isaac, he constantly depends on Miria to support just about any idea he has, while Miria seems to cherish the time they spend together, never wanting to be apart. One could easily imagine how this could get dark over time.
4 Hanabi And Mugi (Scum’s Wish)
These Two Use Each Other While They're In Love With Other People
Scum's Wish
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- January 12, 2017
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Lerche
- Creator
- Mengo Yokoyari
- Number of Episodes
- 12
- Streaming Service(s)
- HIDIVE, Amazon Prime Video
Hanabi is a young high school girl with a massive crush on her homeroom teacher, Narumi, while Mugi is a dashing young man in love with his music teacher, Akane. The two can’t have who they want, so they more or less settle for each other.
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These romance anime protagonists engage in questionable romance and drama.
Scum's Wish was a twisting maze of love, unrequited feelings, forgiveness, and change. Mugi and Hanabi’s relationship was all fake, and they only depended on each other to stave off loneliness. This caused a lot of trouble for the people around them and there were quite a few broken hearts as a result.
3 Satou And Shio (Happy Sugar Life)
A Psychopath And A Girl With Abandonment Issues Don’t Mix Well
Happy Sugar Life
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- July 14, 2018
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Ezola
- Creator
- Tomiyaki Kagisora
- Number of Episodes
- 12
Happy Sugar Life is one of those shows that has a moe esthetic, but covers a much darker premise. The show follows Satou, a beautiful girl who seems perfect and well-adjusted, but who is actually a psychopath. She meets, takes in, and falls in love with a young girl, Shio.
15 Anime Heroes Who Are Extremely Manipulative
A hero is not without fault, and the following anime characters are a good proof of that given their highly manipulative personalities.
The relationship between the two seems cute, but Satou is obsessive, and would do anything for Shio, including murder. The show delves into the darkness of this character, and viewers will find that even the much-loved Shio isn’t as innocent as she seems.
2 Yuno Gasai And Yukiteru Amano (Future Diary)
Yandare Characters Always Make For Poor Soulmates
Future Diary
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- October 10, 2011
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Asread
- Creator
- Sakae Esuno
- Number of Episodes
- 26
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Hulu
Amano discovers that his diary, which he uses to keep track of his daily activities, is able to tell him events that happen in the near future, and he then finds out that the pretty girl in his class, Gasai, has a dairy that does the same. Shortly after, the two discover that they have been pulled into a deadly game where the winner gets to be called a god.
Future Diary was really popular in the 2000s, but the duo of Amano and Gasai were always a bit problematic. Amano was a pushover that let himself be used on numerous occasions, while Gasai was a manipulative and deeply disturbed individual who had decided to wholly attach herself to Amano. The two were together, but there wasn't always a sense of genuine care between them, as each had something they wanted from the other.
1 Misa Amane And Light Yagami (Death Note)
A Toxic Relationship To Trump All Others
Death Note (2006)
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The Light Yagami/Misa Amane relationship dynamic is a crazy one as soon as it's put under scrutiny. In Death Note, the audience is presented with a cold-hearted megalomaniac, Misa, who is then stalked and forced into a relationship even when it is well known that she will only be used for the psychopath Light's ends.
Some fans argue that Misa deserved better, but it is clear that she was not a good person herself and was fully in cahoots with Light in his murderous activities. Interestingly, the two characters depended on each other in the most unhealthy way possible; Misa to fulfil her fantasy, and Light to further his ends.
Death Note: Every Version Of Light Yagami, Ranked
With many variations to the popular manga, Death Note, there is a lot of different depictions of the story's main character, Light.