In the world of anime, love is practically a supernatural force that can accomplish anything. Depending on the story, it can break dark spells, bring the deceased back to life, and even save reality regularly—and it doesn’t have to be a romantic type of love, either.
This is especially common in magical girl anime, where love is often treated as one of the classic elements. And when it is, it’s usually treated as the most powerful and the supreme leader of the elements. Dark and cynical anime isn’t against letting love save the day on occasion, however.
10 Pretear: Himeno Is Brought Back To Life By Hayate’s Love
The series—especially the anime—isn’t against portraying the negative effects of love. The villain turned evil after being rejected by the man she loved, and the knight who loved her betrayed the heroes on her behalf. But in the end, Himeno’s love helps her unlock her ultimate form, the White Pretear, and save the day, at the cost of her own life.
Hayate, the knight who loved Himeno all along, kisses her and asks, if there is such a power called love, for it to bring back her smile. Somehow, this is able to revive Himeno. There is no explanation on him sharing his power or her energy accomplishing this. It’s simply a miracle attributed to love.
9 Sailor Moon: Sailor Venus Is The Sailor Scout Of Love
There have been times when love has taken nearly supernatural properties in the Sailor Moon universe, from restoring powers, breaking evil spells, and even bringing the dead back to life. But, for one Sailor Senshi, love is virtually her element—Sailor Venus.
Artemis even outright says Minako is the literal reincarnation of her namesake Venus, the goddess of love. This is reflected in quite a few of her attacks: Venus Love-Me Chain, Venus Love and Beauty Shock, and Rolling Heart Vibration. This was even the case back when she was Sailor V and she had attacks like “Venus Power, Love Crescent Shower” and “Venus Love Megaton Shower.”
8 Cute High Earth Defense Club LOVE!: The Battle Lovers Are Powered By Love And Affection
This series added a twist to the typical magical girl formula by having a group of magical boys who transform into heroes called the Battle Lovers. As the name of their group and the title of the series implies, love is a central part of their power.
While most of the Battle Lovers correspond to the classical four elements of wind, earth, fire, and water, the leader, Yumoto Hakone, also known as Battle Lover Scarlet, is powered by love. He wields the Lumiere of Love, attacks with “Love Shower” and “Love Attack,” and even compels his targets to say, “So, this is love.”
7 Wedding Peach: Love Converts The Devil Queen
Wedding Peach and the Love Angels all get their powers from love, with romance and weddings being a central theme to the series. One of Momoko’s famous attacks is “Saint Crystal Love for You!,” where she sends out powerful waves of love. Proving love is stronger than evil, she’s even able to purify various devils rather than having to kill them.
Momoko’s love gets tested all the more when it turns out the boy she loves, Yousuke, is a devil himself. In a literal sense, it’s also her and Yousuke’s love that finally purifies the main villain of the story, Reine Devila, the evil queen of the devils.
6 Princess Tutu: Love Prevents The Tragic Ending From Happening
This isn’t a series that shies away from the cruelty of love. Ahiru is destined to disappear because of her love and the boy she loves and he’s in love with someone else anyway. Even when she’s willing to make this sacrifice, her despair nearly causes her to take her own life.
But in the end, love still saves the day. Fakir’s love frees Ahiru from her despair and allows her to restore Mytho’s heart. Rue’s love frees Mytho from the Raven’s control and Mytho’s love allows him to save her in turn. Rue and Mytho get their fairy tale ending. And, even at the story’s end, with Ahiru just a duck, love still keeps Fakir at her side.
5 Haruhi Suzumiya: A Kiss Saves Reality From Being Rewritten
Haruhi is a reality warper essentially terrified of having a normal life. And, throughout the story, Kyon seems to have an effect on her, even inspiring her to start the SOS club.
Kyon’s influence on her turns out to be a powerful thing by the first season’s climax. Haruhi starts attempting to destroy the universe without even realizing it and Kyon is able to stop her, and save reality itself from being rewritten, with a kiss. That said, this is by no means the start of an immediate happy ending: Haruhi thinks it was a dream and Kyon is in denial about what happened.
4 Fushigi Yugi: Suzaku Represents The Power Of Love
In this series, various characters are priestesses and guardians of Suzaku, the vermillion bird and beast god, who represents the power of love, effectively making him the God of Love.
Naturally, the characters’ love also plays an important role at times. Tamahome is exposed to a poison that alters his memories, causing him to turn on the Suzaku Seven. It’s Miaka’s love for him that breaks the poison’s power. It’s even mentioned after the fact that there shouldn’t have been a cure for the poison.
3 Tuxedo Gin: Love Makes Becoming A Penguin Worth It
Ginji is killed before he can go on a date with the girl he likes, Minako. But in the afterlife, things are a bit complicated—he wasn’t meant to die and his body is still alive. He is given the option of being reincarnated as an animal and he’ll be allowed to return to his body once he dies naturally.
Being reborn as a penguin, he gets to befriend Minako all over again. The one catch is he cannot kill himself or he’ll lose his body. Of course, he ends up sacrificing his life all over again to save Minako. It’s decided to allow him to return to his body anyway. And a woman Ginji meets in the same position is given back her body, too.
2 Inuyasha: Kagome’s Love Save Inuyasha From Kaguya
In the second movie, Kaguya seals away Inuyasha’s humanity, leaving him a full yokai, which also renders him ruthless and bloodthirsty.
Kagome tries to stop the transformation by confessing her love for him and hugging him, which stops him from attacking, but isn’t enough to break the spell. She kisses him, which is enough to restore his humanity.
1 Tokyo Mew Mew: Both Halves Of The Main Couple Die, But Kiss To Bring Each Other Back To Life
As the leader of the Mew Mews, Ichigo’s element could be said to be love itself, as she uses a heart-shaped weapon. That said, love is hard for her when the boy she likes is the alter-ego of the series’ main villain, Deep Blue.
By the finale, Deep Blue has finally destroyed Masaya’s consciousness and begins to destroy the Earth. Fortunately, Masaya’s spirit appears and tells Ichigo to kill both of them to save the Earth. Ichigo sacrifices her power in the hopes it will allow Masaya to return, which kills her in turn. Masaya kisses her and manages to bring her back to life as well.
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