History Main / TheNotLoveInterest

* [[ObstructiveBureaucrat Ron]] and [[BeleagueredBureaucrat Leslie]] on ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' are very close friends despite their wildly [[GrumpyBear different]] [[GenkiGirl personalities]] and Ron's general [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold antisocial]] nature, but there is not a hint of romantic subtext in their relationship. Ron’s eventual wife Diane reveals that she feels far more threatened by Leslie than Ron’s ex-wife Tammy, who he is immensely sexually attracted to but also hates.

* President Jed Bartlet and Leo [=McGarry=] on ''Series/TheWestWing''. They act and bicker exactly like an old married couple, spend all the time possible together, tease and flirt (in a joking way), and play a blatantly spousal/parental role in the staff's nuclear family-modeled TrueCompanions. While Jed may have an excellent wife and family outside of the west wing of the White House, Leo is for all purposes the love interest in Jed's "other" family inside the west wing, with the thrill of politics in place of sex and romance.

*** On the flip side, the Japanese dialogue of ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3'' all but confirms that Sora is Riku's [[https://blowingoffsteam2.tumblr.com/post/178486694419/blowingoffsteam2-a-slightly-different most precious person/'the person that matters most' (taisetsu na hito).]]

** Alice is this to Oz. Oz adores her to no end, calling her "his sun" and taking his devotion to {{Yandere}} levels early on. In fact, [[spoiler:it was Alice who gave Oz life and a conscience of his own through love and care back when he was her stuffed rabbit]]. Their closeness leads many people to believe they are in love, but eventually WordOfGod confirms their relationship isn't of a romantic nature.

* Maka and Soul from ''Manga/SoulEater''. They're inseparable partners, their connection is really deep, they share a lot of intimate moments and they even live together. ShipTease aside, their relationship always remains that of very close VitriolicBestBuds and WordOfGod states he intents to keep it that way.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheBatman'', Batgirl and Robin are tweens/early teens at best and the two display almost zero romantic interest in each other, instead bickering and playing off each other as a brother and sister would, with a healthy dose of competition over who's the better sidekick thrown in. Although in the final season, Batgirl was shown to be in college while Robin was still in middle school.

* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': Rapunzel and Eugene are the OfficialCouple, but the [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl relationship between her and Cassandra]] is the one the show focuses on the most. WordOfSaintPaul says Cass is lesbian, but Rapunzel is weirdly smitten with her also. This is at its most overt in the [[Literature/RapunzelAndTheLostLagoon tie-in novel]] for the show. Later on in Season 3, Raps acts as a LoveMartyr for Cassandra and refuses to let her go. [[spoiler: Cass dies in the series finale after a HeroicSacrifice and Rapunzel brings her back with her MagicalTears, just like she did with Eugene, which only makes Cass's status as this even more blatant.]]

* The ''[[WesternAnimation/CaptainUnderpantsTheFirstEpicMovie Captain Underpants]]'' plays this sort of relationship between the two leads, focusing on their immense bond to one another and how separating them would be devastating. Some scenes, like their brief reunion at the bathroom, are even given romantic comedy clichés, so the writers did know what they were doing. But for the most part, it's one of the ''very'' few things treated seriously in the story.
* ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'' has Dory, a blue-tang fish with short-term memory loss who befriends Marlin the clownfish on his quest to find his son. Most of the movie consists of their dialogue with each other, they share body contact often, and even though she's not attentive most of the time she truly worries for him. Yet they never hook up, probably because interspecies dating is really weird. WordOfGod (aka Audio Commentary) states that Dory was introduced to serve as a [[LikeASonToMe surrogate child]] so Marlin could re-adapt his parenting approach.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' IntrepidReporter Roxanne Ritchie is always being saved by superhero Metro Man and is quite emotional when he's no longer there to protect the city. However, it turns out they were never actually involved, to the surprise of Megamind [[spoiler: (Roxanne's ''real'' LoveInterest)]].

** [[spoiler:{{Averted}} in the novelization. Wendy and Kevin discover that they do have feelings for each other, and even come to kiss. But they decide that they will talk about their relationship after they finish with the Death's plans.]]

** ''Film/QuantumOfSolace'': Despite Camille Montes nominally being a "Bond girl" and a major female ally to Bond throughout the film, in a rare subversion for the series she and Bond neither sleep with each other nor seem to have any overt romantic or sexual tension. Which makes sense, since she spends the entire film on an obsessive revenge quest against the man who raped and murdered her family, and Bond himself is clearly not even remotely over his trauma from the death of Vesper Lynd.

* Mako Mori for Raleigh Becket in ''Film/PacificRim''. The two of them quickly go from careful apprehension to mutual respect, culminating in the dojo sparring scene, which was intentionally shot in such a way as to [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything invoke a lovemaking scene instead]]. It is at this point that Raleigh realizes that Mako is "drift-compatible" with him (the film's TechnoBabble for "our brains are similar enough to be directly linked together" -- the only other person thus compatible with him was his late brother Yancy) and insists on her as his mech co-pilot for the rest of the film. Despite all this, however, their physical intimacy never goes beyond hugging each other tightly at the end of the movie.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRealAdventuresOfJonnyQuest'', the relationship between Jonny and Jesse Bannon becomes this, after its heavy implied, especially in the second season, that Jessie is attracted to Hadji.

** Gwen and Ben, who happen to be [[KissingCousins cousins]]. Depending on the series/incarnation, their dynamic hovers somewhere between close siblings, best friends, and [[VitriolicBestBuds best frenemies]]. While Gwen does get a love interest in Kevin during the classic continuity, Ben and Gwen still remain #1 Best Teammates until she moves out of town in ''Omniverse''.

* Naomi's role boils down to this for Elena on ''WesternAnimation/ElenaOfAvalor'' . They're always there for each other and Elena can especially count on her for support. No matter what, Naomi will always be the person Elena has to keep her company. Unsurprisingly, just have quite a bit of LesYay.

* Wander and Sylvia from ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', an interspecies nomad team who trot the galaxy in tandem. They share everything (including [[SweetheartSipping drinks]]) and are viewed more or less as an unit by their enemies.

* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': Rapunzel and Eugene are the OfficialCouple, but the [[TomboyAndGirlyGirl relationship between her and Cassandra]] is the one the show focuses on the most. WordOfSaintPaul says Cass is gay, but Rapunzel is weirdly smitten with her also. This is at its most overt in the [[Literature/RapunzelAndTheLostLagoon tie-in novel]] for the show. Later on in Season 3, Raps acts as a LoveMartyr for Cassandra and refuses to let her go. [[spoiler: Cass dies in the series finale after a HeroicSacrifice and Rapunzel brings her back with her MagicalTears, just like she did with Eugene, which only makes Cass's status as this even more blatant.]]

** Jaune and Ruby quickly form a bond through a shared feeling of social awkwardness when they're both new to Beacon. They then bond as leaders of their respective teams, and the two teams are very good friends. Jaune is also quick to offer back-up to Ruby if he thinks she's in trouble. However, Ruby has shown no romantic interest in anyone and Jaune initially falls for Weiss until he begins to reciprocate Pyrrha's feelings for him.
** Sun and Blake bond over [[CommonalityConnection being Faunus]], with Sun acting as a ChivalrousPervert early on (something that [[CharacterizationMarchesOn he grows out of quickly]]) but soon [[TrueCompanions proves his genuineness by refusing to let her go alone]] when she returns home out of a HeroicBSOD over what happened at Beacon and to her team, especially her partner Yang at the hands of [[PsychoExBoyfriend Adam]]. Although Sun and Blake hit some other romance tropes typical in anime such as DatingWhatDaddyHates and a genderflipped BroodingBoyGentleGirl, [[ShipSinking their ship sinks]] once Blake reunites with her team and [[PutOnABus Sun returns]] [[ButNowIMustGo to his own]], with Blake continuing where she left off with [[ShipTease Yang]] while [[PlatonicLifePartners Sun denies he did it to romance Blake and instead did it because they're friends]]. According to WordOfSaintPaul, Blake loves both Sun and Yang.
** Penny and Ruby's first appearance has all the usual trappings of a robot love interest, but there is no actual attraction shown between the two. Ruby helps her see the world and gets Penny to see herself as more then Atlas' secret weapon. When Penny returns to the show, Ruby turns into Penny's anchor as her life gets ever more complicated. [[spoiler:Even when suffering from a virus and torn between her duties as the Winter Maiden and her own beliefs and desires, Penny says that Ruby will be at the forefront of her thoughts if she kills Penny to ensure that Ruby inherits the power.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/VirtuesLastReward'', Phi is the first girl that Sigma meets. They initially have a [[BelligerentSexualTension belligerent relationship]], her ending is the TrueEnding of the game, and she has a lot of plot relevance... but she and Sigma are never even hinted to move in a romantic direction. At best, they go from TeethClenchedTeamwork to something resembling friends. [[spoiler: Although there are some scenes with them when you fail to defuse the bombs, they're not exceedingly romantic.]] WordOfGod has also confirmed that the two will never be a couple at any point. And for good reason, as ''VisualNovel/ZeroTimeDilemma'' reveals: [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather Phi is actually Sigma's]] ''[[LukeIAmYourFather daughter]]''. Not only that, but ZTD also introduces Diana, whom is Sigma's ''actual'' love interest... and Phi's mother.]]

* In ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', Sora's devotion to his friend Riku and determination to find him is one that you would normally expect to see an RPG hero express towards a DamselInDistress LoveInterest.
--> '''Sora:''' Riku... It's Riku. Riku's here! I looked for you. I looked everywhere for you!!

** Penny and Ruby's first appearance has all the usual trappings of a robot love interest. Ruby helps her see the world and gets Penny to see herself as more then Atlas' secret weapon. When Penny returns to the show, Ruby turns into Penny's anchor as her life gets ever more complicated. [[spoiler:Even when suffering from a virus and torn between her duties as the Winter Maiden, Penny says that Ruby will be at the forefront of her thoughts if she kills Penny to ensure that Ruby inherits the power.]]

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Despite being an major recurring OC in a harem fic, she's one of the very few female characters that doesn't find Gohan attractive in some way. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[JustifiedTrope it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy who made her into a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Despite being an OC in a harem fic, she's one of the very few female characters that doesn't find Gohan attractive in some way. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[JustifiedTrope it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy who made her into a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Despite being an OC in a harem fic, she's one of the very few female characters that doesn't find Gohan attractive in some way. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy who made her into a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* The musical ''Baker Street'' has Irene Adler as SherlockHolmes's Not-Love Interest. Though a few of Irene's numbers could be called love songs, and Holmes does go UndercoverAsLovers with her, he remains a decidedly CelibateHero.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Despite being an OC in a harem fic, she's one of the very few female characters that doesn't find Gohan attractive. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy that made her into a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Out of all the female characters, she's the only one aside from Bulma that has never shown any romantic interest in Gohan, despite being a major OC in a harem fic. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy responsible for making her into a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Out of all the female characters, she's the only one aside from Bulma that has never shown any romantic interest in Gohan, despite being a major OC in a harem fic. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy who ruined her life and reduced her to a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Out of all the female characters, she's the only one aside from Bulma that has never shown any romantic interest in Gohan, despite being a major OC in a harem fic. Though given that he blew up her home planet and threw her father into a black hole, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy who ruined her life and made her a homeless orphan.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* ''Fanfic/DragonballZLegacies'' has [[OriginalCharacter Paprika]]. Out of all the female characters, she's the only one aside from Bulma that has never shown any romantic interest in Gohan, despite being a major OC in a harem fic. Though given that Gohan banished her father to the Dead Zone and blew up her home planet as a kid, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome it's understandable that Paprika wouldn't fall in love with the guy who ruined her life and caused her to spend half of her childhood homeless.]] Even after her HeelFaceTurn, she keeps her relationship with Gohan purely platonic, though she does find the teasing between the various girls in his harem entertaining to watch.

* Stormer plays this up to Kimber in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Jem}}'' episode "The Bands Break Up". Stormer is treated similarly to Kimber's [[GirlOfTheWeek rotating roster of male love interests]], Kimber's friends fear Stormer is basically a [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys "bad girl"]] corrupting Kimber, and they develop a bit of RomanticTwoGirlFriendship. Despite this nothing happens and [[StatusQuoIsGod they go back to being enemies]] come next episode. The ''ComicBook/JemAndTheHolograms'' reboot comic released thirty years later [[PromotedToLoveInterest scraps]] the "not" part period.

* ''WesternAnimation/WolverineAndTheXMen'' has a fascinating example of this between Wolverine and Emma Frost. Although the show features an ensemble cast there's always an emphasis on the prickly and distrustful (and completely platonic) relationship between Wolverine and new recruit Emma Frost. By the season's end, it becomes clear why: the entire future of the planet hinges on a simple choice Wolverine must make: whether or not he can trust her.

** ''Shadow Of The Mist'' has Myst, the MysticalWaif {{Deuteragonist}} whose mission to save her little brother triggers Boyle's RedemptionQuest to become a hero. Despite having the typical role of a MysticalWaif MagicalGirlfriend, she explicitly says that she can't stand people like Boyle, and has more of a ShipTease with [[NiceGuy Robin]] instead.

* ''Webcomic/WildeLife'': Oscar meets Clifford soon after moving into a new town, when a wolf collapses on his front porch and he finds a shirtless teenager where he left it the next morning. Oscar gives Clifford one of his hoodies to wear before his mother comes to pick him up. After that, Clifford latches onto Oscar as a ParentalSubstitute, and shows it by... never giving the hoodie back and regularly wearing it, hanging around a lot with him all while claiming that he's not friends with him and regularly sneaking into his house via the bathroom window.