Hey there, nice to see you for another Top 10 list of mine.
This time I’m going to present to you my all time favorite yuri pairings from anime, manga, visual novels and other games. What was really hard about this was not to come up with the pairings, but to bring them into an order, but I think I’m quite happy with how it turned out.
Please note that my rating for almost all of the mentioned pairings is usually influenced and sometimes even completely based on some doujinshi about the characters and not the original ones from the anime or game they are from.
With that said, let’s continue with my list, enjoy~
10. Ymir x Christa (Shingeki no Kyojin)
Even though Shingeki no Kyojin is like the most popular anime right now, there surely are some people that either don’t know the show or simply don’t know this pairing yet. The anime didn’t really make things very clear between them, so it will take some time until we’ll see some more subtext or even actual yuri going on, but the time will surely come. The internet is already full of Ymir x Christa stuff, so in this case it’s absolutely the fault of all the nice fan art and doujinshi that I’m already absolutely in love with these two.
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| by 鳩湯 |
9. Marisa x Alice (Touhou)
Even though Marisa can basically be paired up with anyone, I still love this pairing the most. In this case it’s mostly the fault of an artist called Ichinose, who drew some bittersweet and awesome doujinshi about these two. If you’re a fan of the pairing, definitely check out these doujinshi by clicking here.
If you’re in for more, check out these artists: Ichinose, Cloud Palette
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| by Ichinose |
8. Meiling x Sakuya (Touhou)
And another Touhou pairing~
Actually this isn’t that surprising considering the fact that almost all important characters in these games are female…
Meiling and Sakuya share a very special kind of relationship with each other in most doujinshi they are paired up in. Sakuya is usually a tsundere that just can’t show her feelings properly and always ends up scolding her crush for the smallest things. And Meiling, well she’s happily going along with it, always hoping for some special moments to come by. And when they do, it’s SO satisfying.
If you like this pairing, check out these artists: Pigeon Blood, Ichinoseand Usacan
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| by Usacan |
7. Shizuku x Eris (Sono Hanabira 8 and 10)
Shizuku and Eris are not just my favorite SonoHana couple, they’re actually my favorite couple of all visual novels I’ve ever played. Both of them are two of the most gorgeous yuri characters ever, they’re a great comedy duo and in general they’re just so cute together.
Furthermore Shizuku is probably one of the most adorable yet sexy tsundere characters ever and she surprisingly doesn’t even come with a loli body like most tsundere characters do. Eris on the other hand is very open with her feelings, maybe even a little too much, but it’s exactly this combination that leads to so many enjoyable and funny moments~ Oh and I should probably mention that Erisu is also a slightly dense and very perverted girl, which are of course some very promising character traits as well.
I absolutely can’t wait until the 10th SonoHana installment will be fully translated~
6. Nao x Reika (Smile Precure)
When I read the first few doujinshi about these two, I didn’t even know what kind of anime Precure was. And now that I know, it’s a little surprising just how many fantastic looking NaoReika doujinshi there are out there. I would even go so far as to say that it’s almost impossible to not have stumbled across NaoReika as a yuri fan. Since I’m in love with them so much, I already started watching the anime, which by the way was a bad idea and a waste of time since there is no yuri subtext really, so this is one of the pairings that solely reached such a high ranking because of the great artists that draw doujinshi about them.
If you want to see some of them, check these out: Mura Mura Pocky, Waterfall, Niratama, Sweet Pea
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| by Mura Mura Pocky |
5. Shizuru x Natsuki (Mai Hime/ Mai Otome)
When it comes to Natsuki and Shizuru, my love for them partly originates in the anime and partly in all the great fanfictions. This is probably the yuri couple with the biggest amount of fanfiction available. On fanfiction.net alone there are almost 4000 stories about them (number growing) and I can definitely understand why people would want to write about Shiznat. I mean a badass tsundere and a sexy stalker? How promising does that sound?
Ah well anyway, there is a reason why these two have such a huge fanbase, so if you don’t know them already, why not check them out now?
Here are some nice artists: Nanazaki Iku, Waterfall
4. Chikane x Himeko (Kannazuki no Miko)
Speaking of famous yuri anime couples, Chikane and Himeko are probably one of the most famous if not the most famous yuri couple in anime ever, which is absolutely no surprise. Just look how gorgeous they are and how well they fit each other. It’s almost a crime that there is no second season of Kannazuki no Miko and unfortunately there aren’t even many doujinshi about them.
But still we have at least something similar to a second season and even though I didn’t really like “Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora“, it was definitely worth watching if only for some more Himeko x Chikane Himiko x Kaon goodness.
3. Madoka x Homura (Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica)
Are you surprised that I didn’t choose Kyouko x Sayaka? I was considering putting them in the list as well, so let’s just say they’d be my number 11, but I think the relationship between Madoka and Homura is somehow more dramatic, more intense and also a little more enjoyable for me to watch. It’s also a huge plus that in doujinshi, Homura can be presented as either her cute and clumsy self or as her badass and sexy self. Either way I love it and Homura is definitely one of my favorite yuri characters in the first place.
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| Awww~ |
2. Nanoha x Fate (Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha/ A’s/ StrikerS)
Somehow NanoFate is really everywhere; We got a lot of nice yuri subtext in each of the 3 anime seasons, some yuri subtext in the original manga, a huge amount of fun/cute/sexy NanoFate doujinshi and a whole lot of really well written fanfictions. So what else can we ask for? Oh right, there’ll be a 3rdMahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha movie coming out soon, so I’m hoping to see at least some yuri moments in this movie as well~
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| by Tokoharu |
1. Mokou x Keine (Touhou)
I think in this case it’s absolutely Vivit Gray’s fault, that these two characters are even mentioned in this list. You see, if it wasn’t for this artist, I wouldn’t even know about the greatness of MokouxKeine and that would be such a shame. But why are these two my number one?
I remember reading my first doujin about them some years ago and after finishing it, I immediately started to search the internet for more. There is something special about Mokou and Keine that I just can’t get enough of. They match each other so perfectly, they’re just too cute together and their beautiful yet so tragic love story has managed to earn this couple the first place in my list.
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| by Vivit Gray |
If you don’t know these two yet, then here’s a music video that should explain their relationship pretty well. Music by RegaSound Art by Vivit Gray
That’s my list and I’m pretty sure other people have completely different favorite pairings than I do, so feel free to leave your favorites as well, I’m always happy to read other peoples’ opinions.
YuriReviews and More 
What a coincidence, I just read MariAli by Ichinose and really loved it. Never heard of it before.
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It's great, isn't it? If I remember correctly there are some more Touhou doujinshi by this artist, I think even a really nice adult one about Marisa and Alice 😉
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So half of your choices are based around fanfics and fan appeal rather than being factual couples. I understand your choices. I guess that's why for some Marika X Chiaki is more popular than the canon Lynn X Jenny. Ah well, more power to the nation and their creativity.
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MariAli ♥ MeiSaku ♥ MokouKeine ♥
I think we always know the same thing about three couples that one is immortal (Alice, Mokou, Meiling) and one is human (Marisa, Sakuya) or half-human (Keine) ^_^.
That's why Touhou make the most beautiful couples for Yuri World ♥♥
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It is a little weird seeing half of the picks based around Doujinshi and fanfictions rather than canon Yuri, but this site has been heavily about the doujinshi to begin with. It's what I expect, and to be honest, not enough sites seem to talk about the doujinshi.
Now to pick Ymir x Christa from Shingeki no Kyojin… that is iffy to me. For one it's a really early pick, the anime isn't even done yet. So many things can factor into this. I am just doubting whether or not this pairing is a heavy fad or not… Or whether it's just being carried on the fandom of the anime and not it's own credit.
It's sort of like how in Major League Baseball in order to enter into the Hall of Fame you have to wait 5 years after he stopped playing, so that the emotions of the moment don't cloud your judgment.
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Also, I forgot to mention, but I'm glad to see Shizuku x Eris get a mention up here. They are underrated, and easily the best the Sono Hanabira has to offer.
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For me, it's sometimes like there is something missing in the actual anime or games. Let's take Mai Hime for example:
The relationship between Natsuki and Shizuru looked so promising and even though we got to see some kissing, there was just so much more I wanted to see.
Or how about Touhou, a game with tons of interesting and great looking female characters. I don't even play the game but I think it would be a waste if artists didn't take the opportunity to produce great (yuri) doujinshi about them.
And these are exactly the stories and pairings that I sometimes like better than some “real” yuri couples in anime.
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Haha that's true, but for some reason it's mostly just MokouxKeine that really takes this topic very seriously (even though I have read some MariAli doujinshi about this as well)
But Meiling x Sakuya? I didn't even know Meiling is an immortal, maybe it was just never important for the story, but I think it's an interesting “problem” to add into such stories.
And I absolutely agree with you, Touhou is something like yuri paradise 😉
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There are a lot of canon yuri pairings, but still far too few if you ask me and this is partly the reason why half of my picks are based on doujinshi and fanfictions.
And well, I just can't help it, in many cases I prefer the story of doujinshi over the real story of a (canon) yuri couple.
When it comes to Ymir x Christa, my rating is not based on what we've already seen in the anime, which is almost nothing. It's partly based on the manga, that has been around since 2009, and partly on doujinshi and fanart.
And I think the fanart they already received is far more than what some other yuri canon pairings will ever receive.
But you're right, it's probably still a little early for that, but then again this is not an unchanging list, it's just how I temporarily see things.
Oh and you couldn't be more right about Shizuku and Eris 😉
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Again, favoring fan art and fanfics, which is hunky dory with me.
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I entered to the yuri world with ShizNat so they have a very special place in my heart /o/ there are a ton of fanfictions out there with great material but most importantly… they are canon /o/ yay!
Mmh, i would add some Sumika x Kazama here… how about it? The anime did not get into the good part but the manga left me a sweet impresion of them, so i love the pairing.
I love KyoSaya but i know ;_; they're not as loved as HomuMado (with obvious reasons, that's ok for me) although they do have quite a lot of good doujins.
It came to my mind Miku x Luka, Cynthia x Dawn (btw, i don't even have idea where the fuck this came from but … what the hell, it's yuri, let's spread it around the world!).
And i could be up all night writing about other yuri manga couples…
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Hmm Sumika and Kazama… well before reading Sasameki Koto, I watched the anime and just like you said, it was not that satisfying when it comes to romance between Sumika and Kazama. The manga on the other hand is pretty awesome, I still haven't finished it though, but I would say this pairing is definitely in my Top 20.
Same goes for KyoSaya, they're just so fun together and there are so many great doujinshi about them~
But I have never heard of Cynthia x Dawn and it seems those two are Pokemon characters? Hm I think I have to look that up 😉
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About Nanoha 3rd Movie, it's not about StrikerS, but something different. (Something between A's and StrikerS, probably?) Although I think you probably know about this by now though. o A o
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Oh that's right, I should change some things in here, thanks for mentioning this 😉
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I can understand how you can start shipping something because of the fan media, haha. Aki Eda got me hooked on Marisa x Reimu and it doesn't look like I'm going to let go of this pairing in the foreseeable future!
I'm also loving the fact that Aki Eda's also one of ZUN's canon mangakas.
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I actually had to look up Aki Eda, but I've read some of her works and Marisa x Reimu sure is a great paring 😉
I hope you've also found MariAli doujinshi by other artists, because we have quite a lot of nice works about them.
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Nice list. I don't have a top 10 but here are the ones I'm infatuated with:
ShizNat (MaiHime/MaiOtome), KonoSetsu (Mahou Sensei Negima), HisaMiho (Saki), NanoFate (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha), Chikane x Himeko (Kannazuki no Miko) and the Hanabira couples.
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Shiznat, NanoFate and ChikanexHimeko are probably the most famous yuri couples out there and I also have to agree on HisaMiho.
I just recently read some doujinshi about them and they were great~
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True. Shiznat is probably the first pairing I came to like but Konosetsu is still my fave.
When it comes to doujin, Shiznat wins hands down. HisaMiho second. I am really particular about the drawings, so the rest kind of pale in comparison. There are some really good Konosetsu and NanoFate doujin but not enough. I really wish there are more Konosetsu doujinshi even though there are tonnes of fanfics.
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To be honest, I had to google Konosetsu, because I really didn't know what pairing this could be.
I know them, but they don't see to be all that popular.
If you're going by popularity and the quality of the art, I'd recommend you to check out pairings such as ManaxRikka, KanadexHibiki, NaoxReika (Pretty Cure) and MarisaxAlice, SakuyaxMeiling and MokouxKeine (Touhou).
These pairings are very popular and most artists that release doujinshi about them are very very skilled.
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The anime itself is not popular. By luck I came across it. Konosetsu is very similar to Shiznat in a way, character wise. If you haven't watch it, I recommend the remake version/season 2.
Precure is still in my watchlist. Winter break just began, so I'm catching up. Touhou on the other hand… I read quite a number of them but doesn't quite spark my interest. Usually I just wanna drown myself with my fave pairings. Still hunting for more potential yuri anime.
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My to-watch-list seems to grow bigger with every passing day, thanks for the recommendation 😉
With Touhou it's sometimes a hit and miss. It usually depends all on the author. I want to recommend you one author that you can check out whenever you have the time to do so.
http://dynasty-scans.com/authors/vivit_gray
The author is called Vivit Gray and he mostly releases MokouxKeine doujinshi. They are my favorite pairing of all time and this author is also my favorite, so if you like bittersweet love stories, try these 😉
(Most of them are linked stories, so start with blanket and go down the list)
You might not know this, so I'm just gonna tell you. In January the anime Sakura Trick will start airing. It's a pure yuri show~
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Wow, you got EriShizuku, ChiMeko, ShizNat, MadoHomu, and NanoFate in this list just like mine. That makes me glad and proud of them XD
Especially for NanoFate case, I didn't even watch the anime in the first place. I found many about them from fanarts and doujins, but I was not really interested at first. Once time I coincidentally found their videos in Youtube but only including their moments and watch. I love the moments when Vivio is near them, so irresistible X') And not long after that I found this topic and saw that NanoFate is your second top pairing, it bothered me to check out their doujins, fanfics, fanarts, etc. and now they become my otp in my top list 😀
I babbled too much about NanoFate, oh well, they're just too canon for me, even in Yuri world too. I love that pairing so much >_<
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Oh you got almost the same, nice 😉
At first I also only knew NanoFate from doujinshi and fanfiction. I didn't really want to watch the anime since Nanoha and Fate are little children in the first two seasons and I thought that I didn't want to waste so much time just to be able to watch StrikerS.
But at some point, I just watched them all and I really enjoyed it.
So maybe you should try watching the anime as well? 😉
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Hmm yeah I plan to, after seeing some NanoFate AMV. I think it would be interesting to watch. Thanks for your information anyway 🙂
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No problem, I hope you'll enjoy it 😉
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NANOHA X FATE AND YMIR X KRISTAARE MY OTPS ❤
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Great pics 😉
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YumiKuri is now canon this is the best day of my life
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Read about it and first thought that someone was just trolling me 😛
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Same so i went at investigated and found out it was true and i was happy for the entire day
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Still I'm kinda worried…
I feel like one of them will die soon in the manga, which would suck so much
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List 10 fav Yuri pairings?! I can't do it!!! ((\；゜Д゜/))
I love 'em all!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzleeppppppppppyyyyduuusssstt
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Maybe your Top 100 then? 😛
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After reading this and the doujinshi from vivit gray I felt like creating this.
https://addons.mozilla.org/de/firefox/addon/vivit-gray-makou-x-keine/
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Finally someone who understands the greatness of Shinoasa's MokoKeine doujinshi~
Also nice theme 😉
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Glad you like the theme. I made it for myself but it's nice to hear other people like it too.
The doujinshi from Vivit Gray are really warm and heartily. The obvious tragedy makes it all the more bright and hopeful. I intended to write more but for some reason it wasn't posted the first time so I cut short and say:
it's simpy beautiful.
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Exactly.
Nothing I ever read gave me a feeling like these doujinshi did and still do.
It's probably really this bittersweet, yet so bright and heartwarming feeling that I can't get enough of Shinoasa's stuff.
Though I have to admit, his or her newer works are not the same anymore.
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I only refer to his makou x keine doujinshi now and I can't really see your Point. Mind explaining it a bit more? I think they are cute hearthwarming Storys. Especially faster than paradise is a rather heavy chapter.
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I'm mostly referring to Shinoasa's older works, especially the few ones that were used in his/her story collection “Flower Bouquet and Prism” and of course Gentle Pulse.
These stories center around two things: How they fall in love and what the big problem in their relationship is.
In the newer works, it's more about fun activities, but the underlying problem is of course still there.
What is really missing, is the romance.
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I see where you are coming from. But don't you agree that those nice Little casual Storys really Show how much their relationship has progressed? They are living together an everyday life and find out new things about each other. It might not be classified as romance anymore but I think love is now a way more Fitting term for their relationship.
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I'm still enjoying the newer works. It's fun and cute, and just like you said, we can see how much their relationship grew.
However, I'm still missing the feeling of the older ones.
What would I give to have one like these again, or how about Gentle Pulse 2?
Well, in this case I want it for a slightly different reason too 😛
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Ah if that is the case all of my reasoning was off from the start. I'd like Gentle Pulse 2 too.
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