Top 10 Unrequited Loves in Anime

Young love, how innocent. Elizabeth has known Ciel practically his whole life as they were born cousins, however the fate of their family's wealthy estate would soon rest on the two becoming betrothed. Ciel, more concerned with seeking revenge on his previous slave owners, carries little to no interest in pursuing marriage with Elizabeth, as due to his pact with the demon Butler Sebastian, he'll soon pass after his vengeance is achieved. Unknowing of Ciel's fate, Elizabeth loyally exhibits unconditional love for the young head of the Phantomhive family.

Being rescued from a life of slavery and potentially a much more heinous fate, Casca decides to follow the ambitious founder of the mercenary group, Band of the Hawks. Believing in his vision and simply enamoured by the soldier's demeanour, Casca soon secretly falls in love with Griffith, while willingly swearing her life to his cause. Griffith uses his hold over Casca to take advantage of her, and it’s clear that his motivations are far from pure.

Sometimes our hearts makes fools of us all and we fall in love when we least expect it, however in Saber's case it was perhaps fate. Being summoned as a servant to Shirou, Saber guards her master with her life in an effort to win the Fifth Holy Grail War. While her pride and honor as a knight initially prevent her from exhibiting any emotion, her partnership with Shirou soon brings both their true feelings forward, but in the end, Saber chooses her sworn duty over her potential romance.

There's a reason that romances in the workplace are often taboo. The eccentric ACROSS officer Excel harbours one intense crush on her commanding officer Il Palazzo, a man that has little to no tolerance for Excel's incompetence and airheaded nature. While Excel does a poor job hiding her fanaticism for her boss at work, she is often seen swooning over a picture she keeps of him at home. Not creepy all.

Think love triangles are difficult? Try and sorting out this complicated four way affair. The shy and timid ninja of the Hyuga clan has had a crush on Naruto ever since their first encounter at the Ninja academy, however he remains ignorant to this truth for a number of years as his infatuation with Sakura blinds him. Lucky for Hinata, Sakura finds Naruto to be a total clown and only has eyes for the silent and mysterious Uchiha clan ninja Sasuke. Talk about some reality TV drama.

Ranma just can't seem to keep the girls off him, or guys for that matter. However the Kuno heiress Kodachi has got be the cursed teenager's most relentless admirer. After being saved from a grievous tumble off the Tendo Dojo's roof, Kodachi falls in love with her savior at first sight. Ignoring the fact that Ranma is publicly engaged with Akane Tendo, Kodachi employs her charm, affluence, and even trickery to coax Ranma into marrying her. Persistence is most certainly key with this one.

Hancock's disdain for men disallowed her from ever developing feelings for one, but upon meeting the selfless sea pirate Luffy, her principles are soon cast aside. Her infatuation with Luffy has stricken her with 'love sickness,' a disease that has befallen Empresses before her, however Hancock's acceptance of her feelings is what prevents her from succumbing to it. Hancock has becoming a vital ally and friend to Luffy, and despite him not returning the same affection, he has displayed an immense amount of appreciation and respect for her.

When it comes to playing games with your heart, the universe has the worst sense of humour. Knowing each other for quite some time, the two mercenaries have developed a strong trust, as Shiris is one of the few that knows of Orson's berserkerism curse, and is the only one that can break him out of the spell once it takes over. When Orson finally has the freedom to express his feeling for her, she rejects him in favour of a man whose already all but hitched.

Some say close friends make for the best couples, although it hasn't yet come into fruition for these two. Upon discovering her supernatural abilities and joining Ichigo on his Soul-Reaping crusade, Orihime Falls in love with him. This fact was foreshadowed fairly early on in their relationship, as Orihime has always possessed the innate ability to sense Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure and when he's experiencing emotional turmoil. Despite the great team they've made and the amount fans who ship em’, Ichigo has never exhibited the same kind of feelings.

Before we unveil our pick for Top Unrequited Love in Anime, here are a few honorable mentions:

Brock and Every Girl
“Pokemon” (1997-)

Nodoka Miyazaki and Negi Springfield
“Negima!?” (2006-2007)

Hikigaya Hachiman and Yui Yuigahama
“Oregairu” (2013)

Tenchi and Ryoko
“Tenchi Muyo” (1992-)

Tessa and Sousuke
“Full Metal Panic!” (2002)

There’s a reason Death Note is so popular, and that’s because it does everything at 11. Those blinded by love can be forgiven a few unwise decisions, but allowing yourself to become an accessory to the world's most powerful terrorist really takes the cake. Upon hearing that her family's murderer receiving Kira's judgement, she instantly becomes obsessed with the self-proclaimed “god of the new world” and immediately seeks his identity. Taking advantage of every aspect of this love struck idol, Light exploits her to the absolute fullest. Light is a mass murderer, but the way he takes advantage of Misa’s instability is probably the most sickening thing he ever does.

Do you agree with our list? What relationship did you find completely one-sided? For more awesome Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.