"All great heroes always have beautiful and strong female partners fighting by their side."
— Dr. Juuzo Kabuto, Mazinger Z, "Episode 38"
- Toru and Julie in Absolute Duo. Their school uses a special Duo system in which students are assigned figthing partners. Toru handles the defense with his shield, while Julie handles the offense with her dual blades. They will do anything to protect each other. And did we mention their Duo oath sounds like wedding vows?
- Haru and Kuroyukihime from Accel World. In the OVAs, they have developed good battle combos and even merge together to give Kuroyukihime the ability to fly.
- All You Need Is Kill: In the manga and Light Novel, Keiji Kiriya and Rita Vrataski fight together in the final battle, and then fight each other.
- Deunan and Briareos from Appleseed. The couple gained attention for their combat prowess, and were recruited into an anti-terrorism unit together.
- Ross Sylibus and Naomi Armitage in Armitage III. They are police and their romance is a plot point.
- Krista and Ymir from Attack on Titan have shades of this, especially during a climatic battle outside the Walls. They launch into battle together, with Krista declaring she won't fear anything as long as Ymir is with her. Word of Gay confirms Ymir's romantic feelings, while Krista's remain slightly more ambiguous.
- Baccano!:
- Elfin and Preyas from Bakugan, complete with Belligerent Sexual Tension and Cannot Spit It Out. They constantly argue about which one of them is Marucho's guardian, as well as other things, but when the time to fight comes, they make a great team. Whatever you do, do not, repeat, NOT attack Elfin, or else Preyas will go Ax-Crazy on you.
- Basara has pirate leader Chacha and her lover and first mate Zaki.
- Hayami and Touha Bashin, the parents of the title character in Battle Spirits Shonen Toppa Bashin, used to be a husband/wife tag battle team.
- Downplayed with Oga and Hilda in Beelzebub. They're not a couple though almost everyone assumes Oga and Hilda are this trope. As of now, they definitely fight well together and are the surrogate parents of Baby Beel. So, it's a bad idea to mess with Baby Beel if Papa Wolf and Mama Bear are here.
- Guts and Casca in Berserk in the first part of the manga. They share a particularly memorable Back-to-Back Badasses moment, which is why they are a couple in the first place. Guts even says he prefers a girl who can fight like this, to one that can *only* clean up nicely; Casca can do both.
- Due to the explosively violent nature of Zanpakutō releases, this isn't a common trope in Bleach. However, towards the end of Thousand-Year Blood War arc Ichigo Kurosaki and Orihime Inoue face the ascended Yhwach in this manner, with Ichigo attacking while Orihime heals and shields, and Yhwach has to make quiiiite the effort to disrupt their shared teamwork. As for the romance part, Orihime is in love with Ichigo, he swore that he would protect her and the Ship Tease between the two increased through the arc itself, so despite them not being an Official Couple they fight together as if they had done so for years. The Distant Finale has them Happily Married with a little son.
- Saya Otonashi and Haji from Blood+ have been fighting chiroptera together for decades, though they don't admit their feelings for one another until the finale.
- Buso Renkin: Due to them mostly being involved in individual fights for the majority of the series, the Official Couple of Kazuki and Tokiko only fight together a couple of few times, the main times being their defence of the school at the end of the L.X.E. arc, and their brief attack against Victor when they join the final battle that has a more emotional ending.
- Cardcaptor Sakura: Sakura and Syaoran Li start out as rivals, but fall in love during the second season. Syaoran decides to stay in Japan so he can help Sakura transform the Clow Cards into Sakura cards. On another note, Meiling would like to be this with Syaoran and they work well together but she's an Unlucky Childhood Friend.
- In the End of the manga of Claymore, Raki has become a strong fighter, and it is strongly suggested that he and Clare eventually become a couple.
- Dauf and Riful also qualify for this. They met when they were both warriors, Dauf fell in love immediately, and Riful liked him at least. Perhaps they soon became a love couple. Later, however, they are seen only as Awakened Beings, which is why it is more a case of Unholy Matrimony.
- Kiri and Elraine in Double Arts. They even developed the Titular Double Arts fighting style to fight while constantly connected. They are the official couple of their series and will never let go of each other. No matter what. Elraine is afflicted with a special disease that killed a third of the world's population, and the only reason she isn't dead yet is because of Kiri's mysterious ability.
- Dragon Ball:
- At the end of the original Dragon Ball anime, the newly engaged Goku and Chi-Chi have a Filler Arc together where they go on a quest to find the Bansho Fan, to save the Ox-King whose trapped in his burning castle.
- In Dragon Ball Z, Gohan as Great Saiyaman is joined by his girlfriend Videl as Great Saiyaman 2 (called Great Saiya-Woman in the US). Their relationship is reflected in their In the Name of the Moon speeches.
- Krillin and Android 18 pull this off in Bio Broly and do it again in Dragon Ball Super notably during the Tournament of Power.
- Also in Super Future Trunks and adult Mai are this in the Bad Future of the "Future Trunks" Saga. Well, Mai uses mostly a gun, but still. Humorously, they deny being in any special sort of relationship despite it being obvious to everyone (including Goku).
- Further example, Vikal and Sakunka from Universe 2. Their goddess Helles even calls their love "The face of universe 2"!
- Eureka Seven:
- Eureka and Renton's preferred method of fighting is piloting their shared mech while holding hands.
- Also, Ray and Charles Beams are a more conventional example of this trope than Renton and Eureka. Instead of holding hands, they watch each other's back in a fight.
- Fairy Tail: Alzack and Bisca are partners in the wizard guild and go on many missions together. Eventually, Bisca proposes to Alzack during the seven year time skip and they are shown enjoying the family life ever since.
- Yaoi Genre example: Dee Laytner and Randy "Ryo" McLean from FAKE. Both of them are highly-skilled policemen from New York, and both can fight very well.
- Saito and Louise from The Familiar of Zero used to be the page image for Sword and Sorcerer. That alone should tell you about how awesome a Battle Couple they are. Similar to the Negima example, Louise summoned Saito to be a warrior/bodyguard for her in battle.
- Freezing has this as the main premise, with an older female Pandora and a younger male supporter called a Limiter. One of their abilities, the "Ereinbar Set", specifically requires that the Pandora and Limiter have a relationship based on deep, mutual trust. It's not so surprising then that, as Violet mentions, many Pandoras end up marrying their Limiters. As per the trope, these couples are particularly vulnerable to losing one half during battle (they fight Eldritch Abominations, after all), and the manga does show the psychological and social effects of losing a partner in combat.
- Fullmetal Alchemist:
- The Curtis family. Izumi Curtis, a powerful and impatient alchemist, and her husband, the seven foot tall Sieg Curtis. Together, they run a butcher shop and kick so much ass, you could fill the ocean with it... unless they're being lovey-dovey... and sometimes even then.
- Roy and his bodyguard Riza are this in all but name, since the biggest obstacle to a Relationship Upgrade is something out of their reach (anti-fraternization laws in the military). Their mutual feelings are more or less clear, however, plus in the manga and in Brotherhood they get a scene that screams this: when Roy is blinded after being forced to open the Gate and Riza is greatly weakened after barely surviving a Slashed Throat, they manage to remain in the war game by having Riza guide and correct Roy's aim, letting her keep on fighting and allowing him to keep using his powers despite his lack of sight.
- Future Diary:
- Yuki and Yuno qualify as this after they finish with the 7th; she's the heavy hitter while he's The Strategist.
- Ai and Marco (the couple that comprises the 7th) qualify as this as well. That's their gimmick, after all.
- Renais and Soldat J from GaoGaiGar. They may or may not be "official" but they do get a power up when they hold hands and undeniably work as an amazing team.
- Ghost in the Shell: They would both deny it until the day they die, but the Major and Batou of Public Security Section Nine definitely fall into this trope. Even their voice actors agree that the series is in part, a romantic story.
- Rookie Warrior and Apprentice Cleric from Goblin Slayer are not yet officially together, but they are moving in the direction of becoming a Battle Couple. The two go on adventures together, fight side by side, reaffirm their loyalty to each other, and each of them puts each other's needs above their own. For the rest of the guild, they act like an old couple.
- Just about every mecha pilot in Godannar. Yes, even the one with two female pilots and the one piloted by siblings. Deconstructed, as the main Battle Couple of Go and Anna has to handle domestic problems coming from their big age difference, and these do reflect in their performance.
- Haseo and Atoli in the final volume of .hack//G.U.+, fighting against Cubia together using their Avatars. Ditto for Kuhn and Pi.
- Hellsing:
- Badass Normal Pip Bernadotte and Friendly Neighborhood Vampire Seras Victoria. Even more so after Pip dies and Seras drinks his blood to become a true vampire, absorbing his soul. The resulting carnage is both terrifying and epic.
- Alucard and Integra are more of Lady and Knight couple, with her determining which target he is to "seek and destroy", but he scene of them in the middle of the last battle was epic; and then she shoots the Major while he is fighting Walter. They are an Official Couple, according to Word Of God.
- Highschool of the Dead: Saya's parents, Soichiro and Yuriko Takagi, have turned their estate into a veritable fortress and are last seen preparing to face an army of "them" together.
- Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere: The lesbian witch couple Margot Knight and Malga Naruze. Working together they can take down a God of War which is generally considered impossible by anything other than another God of War or a battleship.
- Played with in How to Treat a Lady Knight Right. Houli declares his love for Leo at the very beginning and becomes her battle partner on missions for the kingdom, but the two of them technically aren't a couple because Leo's upbringing has left her completely cluless in anything beyond combat (let alone romance). That said, Leo does come to realize her own feelings for Houli as the series progresses, and story ends with them still going on missions together as a married couple.
- Inuyasha:
- Inuyasha and Kagome have the Guys Smash, Girls Shoot dynamic; Kagome often will ride piggyback like an archer on horseback.
- Miroku and Sango, eventually, form a more Back-to-Back Badasses couple; her demon fighting skill and his holy power is a formidable combination. They effectively subvert the Guys Smash, Girls Shoot trope, as both of them have long range (Sango's Hiraikotsu and Miroku's Wind Tunnel) and short range (Sango's sword and Miroku's staff) attacks.
- Inukami!: Youko would like to be this with Keita, and from the perspective of everyone else, they are. From his perspective, she's just his demon-busting assistant.
- Kazuma and Ayano from Kaze no Stigma. He is a super Wind Contractor, she is a literal Fiery Redhead. They are often paired up for missions.
- Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple has Kenichi and Miu, who, due to having sparred together for a long period of time, naturally fall into this slot whenever they have to fight side by side.
- Hiroshi and Miwa in Kotetsu Jeeg, to a degree: she's more of an Ace Pilot than an Action Girl, but she is the one who must deliver the parts of Jeeg itself as Hiroshi transforms into its head and then puts them all together.
- Lyrical Nanoha:
- Nanoha and Fate, but the fact that they're a couple has only been confirmed by Word of Gay from the writer and their voice actresses (not that it wasn't obvious to anyone who watched the show). They're even raising a kid together. While we, the audience, see them work together, they're actually something of an subversion. Being in separate branches of the TSAB and having very different jobs (Nanoha as a Combat Instructor in the Air Force and Fate as an Enforcer in the Dimensional Navy) means that they're rarely in the same place at the same time while on active duty. Nanoha even points during the first battle in StrikerS that it's been a long time since they've fought side by side.
- Erio and Caro from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha StrikerS. While other ships had fought together, they're the two that are rarely seen in battle without the other. They're also a lot more dependent on each other than the other pairs; Caro powers up Erio and serves as the primary transportation, while Erio handles the actual combat. Finally, they're one of the few couples that's official, rather than just loads of Ship Tease. They also double as a Sibling Team (both were adopted by Fate, but they didn't meet each other until they were ten).
- Max and Milia/Miriya from Macross/Robotech are probably one of the earliest examples in anime. Their races were at war. Max is a human, and Milia is a Zentradi, but after she defects, the two end up marrying and Milia gets a red variable fighter to match her husband's blue one. They even lead different squadrons together for a time span of about 30 years after the events of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross.
- Taki Reizen and Klaus von Wolfenstadt of Maiden Rose are a Boys Love example since Taki is a powerful commander in his country's army, Klaus is his also very badass "personal knight", and they kick copious amounts of ass either separately or when they fight together.
- Mazinger Z: Sayaka and Kouji and then again, in Mazinkaiser and Shin Mazinger. This trope was invoked by The Professor Dr. Kabuto, who created Minerva-X to be Mazinger-Z's Battle Couple because he thought all great heroes fight alongside strong and beautiful Action Girls. The flaw in his logic that Kouji and Sayaka's Belligerent Sexual Tension often hindered their effectiveness on the battlefield, specially when one got so mad at the other that they refused to help them out.
- When Kouji and Sayaka get Put on a Bus in Great Mazinger, Kouji's adoptive older siblings Tetsuya Tsurugi and Jun Honou pick up the mantle and continue with the tradition, fighting together in the titular Great Mazinger and in Venus-A respectively.
- Duke and Hikaru eventually become this in UFO Robo Grendizer. At first Duke fought alone in Grendizer, but later Hikaru went through an Adrenaline Makeover and Took a Level in Badass, piloting one of the companion shuttles that help Duke out in battle later (the other two are piloted by Duke's friend Kouji and Duke's sister Maria Grace.)
- Mobile Suit Gundam 00: Allelujah Haptism and Soma Peries/Marie Parfacy, after Marie returns to action in the GN Archer, which combines with Allelujah's Arios Gundam to form the Arios Archer. In The Movie, they co-pilot Gundam Harute.
- Mobile Suit Victory Gundam: Renda de Baroma and Duker Iku are an anti villainous example. Both are skilled pilots and rather fearsome in the battlefield, not to mention pretty high-ranked members of the Zanscare Empire, and they hope to settle down in peace when the war's over. And to finish the war, they'll fight our heroes. After they both kick it in battle, their souls are seen riding together in a Harley-like motorcycle to the afterlife.
- Naruto:
- The first Hokage (Hashirama) and his wife (Mito) are Implied to be this, considering she was the original Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tails and Kushina's Old Master.
- Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki were this, which is proved when they come up with an awesome and heartbreaking Thanatos Gambit to seal the Nine-Tails inside Naruto at the cost of their lives, so they can save Naruto's life and their village.
- Iruka's parents are mentioned to have been this, though they died when Kurama was unleashed.
- Naruto becomes this with Hinata in the Canon movie The Last: Naruto the Movie. Naruto's own chakra has no effect on Toneri, and the only way to cause harm comes from the specific chakra that Hinata obtained from Hamura Otsutsuki. However, Hinata's own chakra levels are not strong enough to stop Toneri on her own. So by Holding Hands, Naruto and Hinata share and combine their unique chakra to defeat and destroy Toneri's Weapon of Mass Destruction, by combining Naruto's Rasengan with Hinata's Eight Trigrams Twin Lions Crumbling Attack.
- Sasuke becomes this with Sakura in Naruto Gaiden. When their daughter Sarada is threatened, they both spring into action. Messing with two-thirds of the Second Coming of the Legendary Sannin was a bad idea on Shin's part.
- Negima! Magister Negi Magi: Generally speaking, the setting requires something like this because most mages are squishy and need a physical-fighting warrior to protect them. It was invented to be practical more than anything, but Negi says two Pactio partners often end up marrying each other. Because of this, the Pactio system has heavy romantic undertones in magical society, though we are shown several examples of non-romantic Pactios. Character-specific examples of this are:
- Negi and his partner Asuna; he's the mage and she's his athletic and protective fighter. Interestingly for this trope, Negi decided to train as a Magic Knight so he wouldn't have to rely on and put her in danger as much.
- As of chapter 252, The Medic Konoka and her bodyguard Setsuna form a Pactio. They are a Lady and Knight pairing instead of the more-or-less platonic Negi and Asuna.
- In the backstory, Negi's parents, Nagi and Princess Arika, once went to annihilate an enemy base together.
- Neon Genesis Evangelion Shinji and Asuka at their best. The episode "Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win" sees them undergo syncronization training so they can fight like this against a double angel. It involves a great deal of personal bonding in addition to combat training. It is reinforced in Super Robot Wars, where they are given combination attacks when they show up: as seen
right here. - Girls Love (sorta) example: Noir, with Kirika and Mireille. Chloe wanted to have Kirika as her partner and it almost works, but then she attacked Mireille...
- In One Piece during the Ice Hunters arc, Salchow and Arbell from the Quirky Mini Boss Squad are a married Battle Couple On Ice that prove to be very effective in a fight. They're also Sickeningly Sweethearts who either disgust people or make them (namely Sanji) jealous, the Straw Hats separate them to defeat them with of course Nami fighting Arbell.
- Oscar and Andi from Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire are a spoof of the trope. They are efficient as a team-up (and the same goes to their Nidoqueen and Nidoking), but they also are huge Shippers On Deck who claim to be able to spot couples in love a mile away and thus try to hitch Ash with May and Jessie with James.
- Ranma ½:
- You'd think Ranma and Akane would be one of these but that is often not the case. For starters, Akane's typically a bystander in any battles Ranma gets involved in — if she isn't back at home while Ranma's out in the middle of nowhere beating on whoever's ticked him off, she's sitting on the sidelines and watching while he does all the fighting... or is hypnotized, kidnapped, tied up, or turned into a doll and otherwise incapable of joining in. When Akane does join in the fight against an opponent, assuming she and Ranma fight the same foe, they tend to get in each other's way more than anything (or, at least, Akane herself is overwhelmed and Ranma has to pull her fat out of the fire). This is because Akane resents the way Ranma assumes "I'm the greater martial artist, so I gotta protect Akane", which typically leaves them wide open to the exploits of their enemies. The one exception in the series, the one time they really pulled the Battle Couple deal off, was during their face-off against the Orochi. There's a reason why Rakane shippers in particular like to see that story as THEIR best moment in the whole series.
- The best time they had good synergy, which was even recognized by the audience, was during Martial Arts Cheerleading. When Ranma wasn't even aware that he was supporting Akane who was wearing a mask.
- One example where the two actually cooperated and were able to actively combo their movies is the fight for the Tendo Dojo against Natsume and Kurumi, however this was only during their second match against the sisters. The first fight they were just as above: too stuck in their ego's to fight properly. It's only once they focused that they became an actual battle couple.
- Ranma also fights alongside his other fiancees, Shampoo and Ukyo, several times throughout the series.
- Tsukune Aono and Moka Akashiya from Rosario + Vampire are gradually developing into one of these, as Tsukune starts to develop the powers necessary to fight at or near her level. Fong Fong's parents are one as well, Yukari and Fong Fong himself are hinted at becoming one (they haven't officially gotten together, but it's pretty strongly hintednote and they've got the teamwork down pat).
- Tsukune and Moka have been deified for it.
- Sailor Moon: One would think Sailor Moon herself and Tuxedo Kamen would be this, being the main characters, but this trope instead goes to Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune, who arrive together and usually attack in tandem. The former couple do fight as a unit once in a while, and in the Sailor Moon S anime their strong bond is what allows her to get the first of her Mid Season Upgrades, but despite his efforts Tuxedo Kamen isn't up to par with Sailor Moon as much in the first anime.
- Shakugan no Shana:
- Yuuji and Shana develop into this over the course of two seasons, as Yuuji finds ways to make himself useful in battle. The first of which is to supply Shana with power of existence to boost her fighting power. Then there's "Snake Of The Festival", and even then, he is the Big Good.
- The incestuous Aizel siblings have a similar dynamic; "Love for himself" Sorath does the Leeroy Jenkins style attacking while "Love for others" Tiriel pulls power of existence from another location to heal him.
- Soul Eater: This trope is a common fandom interpretation of the meister-weapon partnerships. Shipping aside, canon does nothing to dissuade this whatever your pairing preferences in most cases. The only truly canon pairing of this nature is Maka's parents; her father was her mother's Weapon. As of the end of the series Marie being pregnant with Stein's child would suggest they are the second canon example.
- Kirito and Asuna become one in the first arc of Sword Art Online. Specially impressive in the anime, where seeing them fighting together, coordinating their attacks, is truly spectacular. Although it gets played down in the later arcs, as most of the stories usually keep them apart (most of the times, focusing on Kirito, although Asuna gets to be focus instead in the "Mother's Rosario" arc). However, whenever they do battle together, expect much pure, unadulterated awesomeness.
- Symphogear: Kirika and Shirabe from their introduction in Symphogear G are always together, forming a lesbian couple and perfectly complementing each other in battle.
- Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann:
- Kamina and Youko; she watches and protects his back while he takes the front for one battle.
- Simon and Nia are co-pilots in Gurren Lagann's final form in the climax.
- Leite, who does all the maintenance (being in the direct war zone) while hers truly, Makken, is in the battlefield.
- Tenyori Mo Hoshi Yori Mo has a more subdued example in Mio and Shou, who use their powers in tandem in the Grand Finale but focus less on fighting evil and more in protecting the city of Kamakura from being consumed by fire, an earthquake, and ultimately a tsunami. They succeed, but then they go the Together in Death way.
- Almost all the series that form the Time Bokan franchise, save for Ippatsuman and Yattodetaman, feature a battle couple as the leads. The better known ones are Tanpei and Junko from the original series, and Gan "Gan-chan" Takada and Ai "Ai-chan" Kaminari from Yatterman.
- Now that they have been indirectly confirmed, Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-'s Kurogane and Fai. They always fight together even at the start of the story and have a knowledge of the other's fighting style that is astonishing. Even with their problems during the Infinity Arc they're still back-to-back.
- Twin Star Exorcists is the title given to a married exorcist couple whose child will be The Miko, in this case Rokuro and Benio. While the two are more than a little bit against the couple idea, there's no denying that together they make an awesome team.
- Together, Larva and Miyu from Vampire Princess Miyu hunt down the demonic Shinma. It began with him merely acting as her Battle Butler after she defeated him, but he came to understand her plight and developed feelings for her over time; in turn, Miyu came to consider Larva as the only person she can relate to, therefore she's FIERCELY protective of him.
- The few times Sunako and Kyouhei from The Wallflower fight side by side major ass is being kicked.
- Wicked City: The demon woman Makie and the Badass Normal Renzaburo evolve into this as planned by the old man whom they were tasked to protect.
