History LauncherOfAThousandShips / AnimeAndManga

** Shizuru leads the way in a fandom filled to the brim with [[GirlsLove yuri]] fanfic and fan art, having been paired up with the likes of Natsuki, Nao, Mai, Haruka, Arika, and Tomoe.

*** And when you add in State-tan OCs and ''especially'' if you believe in HomosexualReproduction...it's no wonder that the Website/LiveJournal Hetalia Kink Meme involves ''so many'' of these fics, and that ''this'' line from ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/17094743 Matchmaker, Matchmaker (make me a match)]]'' (a [[FanNickname Statetalia]] fic) has been cited in summary to the entire ordeal of this ''particular'' genre:

* Hyodo Issei of ''Literature/HighSchoolDXD'' fame has been paired with literally almost everyone in the cast. The fact that he's a HaremSeeker probably helps and the author hasn't really been discouraging it. This is to mean mean EvenTheGuysWantHim is in full effect for him as he's paired with his group harem ([[HeroesWantRedheads Rias]], [[AllLovingHeroine Asia]], [[TheTease Akeno]], [[DefrostingIceQueen Koneko]], [[AmazonianBeauty Xenovia]], [[PatientChildhoodLoveInterest Irina]], [[HotTeacher Rossweisse]], [[{{Tsundere}} Ravel]], [[DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu Ophis]], [[DarkActionGirl Kuroka]], [[CuteWitch Le Fay]], [[AsianFoxSpirit Kunou]]), [[AmbiguouslyGay Kiba]], [[DudeLooksLikeALady Gasper]], [[FoeYayShipping Vali]], [[MrsRobinson Grayfia]], [[BadassAdorable Serafall]], [[{{Fangirl}} Bennia]], [[HoYay Sairaorg, Saji]], literally any named character has been paired with him. [[spoiler:Not even him becoming an OfficialCouple with Rias has stopped this sentiment.]]

** Ash has been paired with everything from every [[UnwantedHarem female]] lead, to every [[HoYay male]] lead, to [[InterspeciesRomance Pikachu]], to [[InterspeciesRomance Bay]][[ClingyJealousGirl le]][[WhenTreesAttack ef]], to ''[[OlympusMons Latias]]'' (who if you want to get technical, is actually tied for the furthest anyone's ever gotten with him.) Have some actual numbers: As of October 2011, the list referenced below contains 495 named ships involving Ash. Plus 11 involving Ashley (Ash as a WholesomeCrossdresser). Plus 13 involving Ashachu (Ash as a Pikachu ([[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer it's canon]])).

** ''Lust'', because of [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin her high intelligence and good looks which makes lusting after her incredibly easy.]] and, because with the exception of Scar in the first anime, and Jean Havoc in the second anime, she has had no romantic interests with the cast, and the latter was for intelligence gathering and not even a real relationship. With these [[EvilIsSexy two factors]] Lust can, and will go with anything in the fandom. [[PerverseSexualLust Plus anything x Lust is just plain hot]].

** In ''Anime/DigimonTamers,'' there is Rika Nonaka/Ruki Makino. Every single possibility has a fanbase. Rika/Takato, hotblooded girl and sweet boy who can help each other soften/toughen up, respectively (this is the one with the most character derailment, as Rika often becomes a backboneless DistressedDamsel for Takato to save in fanfic. Most popular evidence: Takato's dream of her in the premiere.) Rika/Henry (Jenrya, Jianliang, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS et cetera]]), hotblooded girl and calm, levelheaded boy (most popular evidence: any of the brief moments where she'd try to properly butt heads with him and it didn't work. The balance would do them -- mostly her -- some good, it's held.) Rika/Jeri (Juri), not just 'cause GirlOnGirlIsHot: Jeri makes a good damsel in distress for Rika, and could be someone she'd take under her wing (the one softens/one toughens dymanic is present in almost ''every'' ship for her.) Rika and Renamon -- between Renamon's sultry voice and CuteMonsterGirl-ness, GirlOnGirlIsHot ''definitely'' applies with the two even if Renamon's not humanoid. There's also Renamon's total devotion to Rika, and it clearly going both ways (Rika not being the type to constantly ''state'' it, but it's just as obviously there.) Now, as a Digimon and human partner this is expected, but Renamon is by far the most fleshed-out Digimon partner character, so it shows with her that it's every bit as voluntary as it would be with two humans, and not just "the critter follows the human around 'cause that's how an ABoyAndHisX series goes." (It's considered to be ''true'' with all partners in all series, but with Renamon it shows in every episode.) Finally, Ryo Akiyama, only person ever to beat her at the card game, and with a great love of flirtatious banter usually directed at her, with her being annoyed by it all -- the best in SlapSlapKiss, every scene in which the two are together are considered evidence; unlike so many of the others, there's no one scene you can remove and ''many'' an OfficialCouple starts out the way they started; Digimon was just never as romance-oriented a series as fandom wants it to be. About the only pairings for her without a fanbase are her and Kazu or Kenta (ThoseTwoGuys, paired with each other or no one.)

** Ash has been paired with everything from every [[UnwantedHarem female]] lead, to every [[HoYay male]] lead, to [[InterspeciesRomance Pikachu]], to [[InterspeciesRomance Bay]][[ClingyJealousGirl le]][[WhenTreesAttack ef]], to ''[[OlympusMons Latias]]'' (who if you want to get technical, is actually tied for the furthest anyone's ever gotten with him.) Have some actual numbers: As of October 2011, the list referenced below contains 495 named ships involving Ash. Plus 11 involving Ashley (Ash as a WholesomeCrossdresser). Plus 13 involving Ashachu (Ash as a Pikachu (it's canon)).

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'': The other world of ships that are powered by a thousand episodes of a large cast interacting with each other, usually on friendly terms.

* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':

** Tsunade has also been been paired with several other characters, usually ignoring the fact that [[OlderThanTheyLook she's a 50-something using ninja magic to appear 20 years younger]]. While she's had a canon love interest in Dan, who's been dead years prior to the start of the series, she's most usually paired with Jiraiya (who canonically had a one-sided crush on her during their younger years), Orochimaru, the Third Hokage (who's both her jonin-sensei and a DirtyOldMan), Naruto (often ignoring the huge age difference and the fact that [[TangledFamilyTree they're technically cousins]]), Shizune, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, Mei, and Killer Bee (who openly lusted after [[BoobsOfSteel her big rack]] in canon).

** The English-speaking fandom does the same with America as the Japanese do to Japan, to a slightly lesser extent. 'Slightly lesser' meaning that there's more of a tendency to pair him with select characters that have the most canon/historical basis with him ([[BelligerentSexualTension England]], [[FoeYayShipping Russia]], and [[{{Twincest}} Canada]]) than with apparently random characters. Keyword being ''slightly'': you still see him being paired every now and then with the likes of [[AnythingThatMoves France]], [[HeterosexualLifePartners Japan]], Prussia, [[OCStandIn Vietnam]], etc. He's not as much of one in the Japanese fandom, naturally, but considering that there are tags on Pixiv for pairings like America/Spain, America/Taiwan, and America/Seychelles...
*** The above is supported with ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmmC_4wIFtU this]]'' video, which ships America with [[SmallNameBigEgo Prussia]], [[AnythingThatMoves France]], [[BelligerentSexualTension England]], [[CoolOldGuy China]], [[FoeYayShipping Russia]], [[TwinCest Canada]], [[LovableCoward Italy Veneziano]], [[SirSwearsALot Italy Romano]], [[PerpetualSmiler Spain]], [[HeterosexualLifePartner Japan]], [[DrillSergeantNasty Germany]], [[NiceGuy Lithuania]], [[TheGenericGuy Estonia]], [[HotBlooded Denmark]], [[AloofBigBrother Netherlands]], [[ElegantClassicalMusician Austria]], [[TheComicallySerious Norway]], [[CuteBruiser Finland]], [[SugarAndIcePersonality Iceland]], [[KindheartedCatLover Greece]], [[BoisterousBruiser Turkey]], [[ThePollyanna Romania]], [[CloudCuckooLander Bulgaria]], [[HopelessWithTech Portugal]]; and even the UsefulNotes/AmericanRevolution, UsefulNotes/ColdWar, Farmer, 2P and ''Uncle Sam'' versions of ''[[ScrewYourself himself]]'' -- in just over ''two minutes''. It has to be seen to be believed, and it is ''epic''.

** [[AnythingThatMoves France]]: He gets some with ''[[DepravedBisexual everyone]]'', and some fanworks just list France/Everybody as one of the included pairings.

* Kuran Kaname from ''Manga/VampireKnight'' has been shipped with Yuuki, [[FoeYayShipping Zero]], Aidou, Ichijou, Haruka, Ruka, Rido, [[FoeYayShipping Shizuka]], [[MysteriousPast an unnamed woman]] and [[AnythingThatMoves more]]. The ''canon'' Incest makes this even more easy to do.