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* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has two couples like this: Ougi and Viletta, then Lelouch and Shirley. [[spoiler:The first ones subvert the trope and get their happy ending, even if YMMV on that... the second couple plays it straight, with Shirley dying in Lelouch's arms. The movie series have a more complicated case, starting with Lelouch's own death still happening [[SparedByTheAdaptation with her now being there to see it.]]]]
** Euphemia and Suzaku are another pair. Although they were on the same sides, Suzaku was still considered inferior. [[spoiler:And Euphemia still died.]] At the same time, Lelouch is implied to have some [[IncestSubtext affection]] for Euphemia while being on the opposite side [[spoiler:to the point of saying she was "the first woman I loved" when he was forced to MercyKill her]] and Euphie brings up how she once wanted to marry him when they were kids.
** Euphemia and Suzaku are another pair. Although they were on the same sides, Suzaku was still considered inferior. [[spoiler:And Euphemia still died.]] At the same time, Lelouch is implied to have some [[IncestSubtext affection]] for Euphemia while being on the opposite side [[spoiler:to the point of saying she was "the first woman I loved" when he was forced to MercyKill her]] and Euphie brings up how she once wanted to marry him when they were kids.
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* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has two couples like this: Ougi and Viletta, then [[Characters/CodeGeassLelouchLamperouge Lelouch Lamperouge]] and Shirley. [[spoiler:The first ones subvert the trope and get their happy ending, even if YMMV on that... the second couple plays it straight, with Shirley dying in Lelouch's arms. The movie series have a more complicated case, starting with Lelouch's own death still happening [[SparedByTheAdaptation with her now being there to see it.]]]]
** Euphemia and [[Characters/CodeGeassSuzakuKururugi Suzaku Kururugi]] are another pair. Although they were on the same sides, Suzaku was still considered inferior. [[spoiler:And Euphemia still died.]] At the same time, Lelouch is implied to have some [[IncestSubtext affection]] for Euphemia while being on the opposite side [[spoiler:to the point of saying she was "the first woman I loved" when he was forced to MercyKill her]] and Euphie brings up how she once wanted to marry him when they were kids.
** Euphemia and [[Characters/CodeGeassSuzakuKururugi Suzaku Kururugi]] are another pair. Although they were on the same sides, Suzaku was still considered inferior. [[spoiler:And Euphemia still died.]] At the same time, Lelouch is implied to have some [[IncestSubtext affection]] for Euphemia while being on the opposite side [[spoiler:to the point of saying she was "the first woman I loved" when he was forced to MercyKill her]] and Euphie brings up how she once wanted to marry him when they were kids.
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** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- as it is revealed in her Character poem that he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him.
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** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. ]] That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- as it is revealed in her Character poem that he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him.
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** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her, even if it was a lie. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him.
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** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- as it is revealed in her Character poem that he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her, even if it was a lie.her. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him.
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** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her, even if it was a lie. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him. On top of that, it's ambiguous whether Lelouch saw Kallen as a LoveInterest (at the least, he ''could'' have) though Kallen's affections for Lelouch as Zero are very clear.]]
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** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her, even if it was a lie. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him. On top of that, it's ambiguous whether Lelouch saw Kallen as a LoveInterest (at the least, he ''could'' have) though Kallen's affections for Lelouch as Zero are very clear.]]
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* In ''Anime/PowerOfHopePreCureFullBloom'', this ends up being the situation between [[Anime/YesPrettyCure5 Nozomi and Coco]]. Despite there being feelings between the two, they never admitted their feelings towards each other prior to Nozomi becoming a teacher. Because of her being a teacher and Coco being the king of the Palmer Kingdom, Coco broke off contact with Nozomi, leaving her confused about why he abandoned her. [[spoiler:After nearly dying due to overuse of her Time Flower-restored powers, the two end up admitting their feelings and get married]].
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*''Anime/VoltesV'': [[spoiler: Lozaria with Gohl, who was literally thrown into jail and tortured when it was found out he wasn't Horned like the rest of the nobles. Emperor Zambajil took pleasure in seeing Gohl scream for her as she was taken away from him, and she later died in childbirth.]]
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that Manhua and Manhwa examples shall be placed into their own folders. Moving examples to the correct section.
that Manhua and Manhwa examples shall be placed into their own folders. Moving examples to the correct section.Deleted line(s) 24 (click to see context) :
* In the manhwa ''Manhwa/TheBrideOfTheWaterGod'', the couple Habaek and Nakbin who, according to Su Wang Mo were destined only as passing friends fell deeply in love with each other amidst the deceit and controversy which resulted to Nakbin's death just to protect Habaek. That after her death, both made drastic decisions in order to meet again. With Habaek requiring human girls as sacrifice, and Nakbin escaping the world of the dead by deceiving the god governing it. In the end, their efforts are futile as circumstances always lead to Nakbin choosing death instead of forsaking Habaek along with the fact that he is already connected by the red string to Soah. And even though Habaek admitted that he can never let go of his longing for his first bride, just like the leaves and the flowers of the Spider Lily, the two of them can only long for each other but will never be reunited. Though currently, Nakbin is reincarnated as a human without a memory as conditioned by Hoo-ye to Su Wang Mo.
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* This crops up quite often in ''Manhwa/TheTarotCafe'', seeing as most of Pamela's clients are involved in some sort of InterspeciesRomance. How well they work out varies. Some end happily, like [[spoiler:the man who pursues a lake spirit, even after he unknowingly hits her three times and thus banishes her from his home.]] Some end not-so-happily, like [[spoiler:the ReincarnationRomance between a vampire and a human, in which the vampire killed the human in the past and then, to keep himself from killing her reincarnated self (who he still loved) committed suicide.]] Besides the clients, there's also Aaron and Nebiros (separated because of a moment of distrust between the two, [[spoiler:though they eventually reconcile]]) and Pamela and [[spoiler:Belus (unable to have a happy ending, because Belus is really the Devil, though they are implied to remain friends.]] The beginning of the series also has Pamela and Ashes.
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* Kazuya and Erika in ''Anime/{{Daimos}}''. Kazuya is the pilot of Daimos, defender of Earth from the Balm invaders. While Erika is the little sister of Richter, Prince of Balm and leader of the invasion. [[spoiler:They get their happy ending, but not before much heartbreak.]]
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*''Anime/ADogOfFlanders1975'': Alois Cogez and Nello Daas, because her abusive father despises Nello for being a "pauper". She is repeatedly punished for hanging out with him and his abuse worsens whenever he catches them together, but she doesn't give up on him, even after they're formally banned from seeing each other.
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*''Anime/{{Daimos}}'': The series begins with [[SpaceRomans Planet]] [[AngelicAliens Baam]] launching a war against Planet Earth after blaming them Earthlings for the death of their monarch, King Leon. Participating in the war are Leon's children, Prince Richter and Princess Erika, but while Erika is tending to the wounds of some of the Baam soldiers, her ship crashes and she loses her memory. She wakes up on Earth, having lost her memories, and is touched by the kindness of the humans that try to help her. She instantly falls in love with the human who rescued her, Kazuya, who feels the same way. Erika's love for Kazuya is undercut when Richter sends a transmission to Earth challenging the pilot of [[SuperRobot Daimos]] - the voice of her brother jogs her memories and she remembers that she's the Princess of the Baam and she's complicit in their war crimes against Earth. Scared that Kazuya would hate her if he knew the truth, Erika tries to run away from the base and fakes her death so he would stop worrying about her, but she's caught in the act and Kazuya notices her [[WingedHumanoid wings]]. Even then, Kazuya refuses to stop loving her and vows that they will reunite. Once Erika hears this, she becomes filled with relief. The rest of the anime is about the two trying to quell the fighting between their homeworlds and trying to establish everlasting peace, just like what King Leon would have wanted.
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* ''Manga/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess2016'': Link and Midna's relationship ends up doomed because the nature of people is to fight, and therefore the Twilight and Light realms cannot coexist. [[spoiler:Midna cannot remain in Hyrule, and she will not allow Link to follow her and leave Hyrule without its chosen Hero. She gives him one LastKiss before shoving him away and destroying the Mirror of Twilight behind her, permanently separating the two as well as their realms]]. While there are places where the two worlds reflect each other and communication is possible, [[spoiler:the destruction of the Mirror means]] there is no way for Link and Midna to be together physically.
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renamed to Clone Angst
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* Shinji Ikari can be seen as having relationships like this with either [[spoiler:the [[CloningBlues second]]]] Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa in both ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' and the ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Rebuild-Tetralogy]]''. In one way or another -- [[FromBadToWorse God it sucks to be Shinji]]
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* Shinji Ikari can be seen as having relationships like this with either [[spoiler:the [[CloningBlues second]]]] second]] Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa in both ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' and the ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Rebuild-Tetralogy]]''. In one way or another -- [[FromBadToWorse God it sucks to be Shinji]]
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* The Anime/{{Leijiverse}} has the beautiful {{Space|Pirate}} PirateGirl [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] and the genius engineer and Anime/CaptainHarlock's [[BestFriend bro-for-life]] Tochiro Oyama. The two of them are very much in love, but across TheVerse's many continuities, circumstances always conspire to keep them apart until (usually) Tochiro dies heroically and/or tragically, leaving Emeraldas to roam the universe alone in her unmanned battleship. In only one continuity, the two of them spend enough time together to have a daughter, but even then the three of them are forced to go their separate ways.
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* The Anime/{{Leijiverse}} has the beautiful {{Space|Pirate}} PirateGirl [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas [[Manga/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] and the genius engineer and Anime/CaptainHarlock's Manga/CaptainHarlock's [[BestFriend bro-for-life]] Tochiro Oyama. The two of them are very much in love, but across TheVerse's many continuities, circumstances always conspire to keep them apart until (usually) Tochiro dies heroically and/or tragically, leaving Emeraldas to roam the universe alone in her unmanned battleship. In only one continuity, the two of them spend enough time together to have a daughter, but even then the three of them are forced to go their separate ways.
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* ''Manga/EmmaAVictorianRomance: William is a [[BlueBlood nobleman]] and Emma is only a housemaid. Their love has been tested so many times due to their different class social standing. [[spoiler:They eventually married and have four children]].
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Fixed examples in alphabetical order
* In volume one of ''Manga/{{Bizenghast}}'', two spirits needing to be released are those of a young pair of lovers. They had wanted to marry, but the [[ParentalMarriageVeto man's mother refused to let him marry a girl of slightly-lower status.]] So one night, during a ball, the man stabbed his lover in the back as they danced before killing himself. As Dina frees their souls, the young woman's ghost whispers to her lover ''"I forgive you..."''
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* In volume one of ''Manga/{{Bizenghast}}'', two spirits needing to be released are those of a young pair of lovers. They had wanted to marry, but the [[ParentalMarriageVeto man's mother refused to let him marry a girl of slightly-lower status.]] So one night, during a ball, the man stabbed his lover in the back as they danced before killing himself. As Dina frees their souls, the young woman's ghost whispers to her lover ''"I forgive you..."''
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** Erza Scarlett and Jellal Fernandez. Both have confessed (or been interupted while confessing) to have loved one another, spend more time thinking about one another than any other potential couple in the series (except maybe the two background characters whose whole schtick is not being able to confess their love), have displayed a ''telepathic ability to tell when one is in trouble or rooting for them'', and every time they're about to get a chance to be together something will happen to take Jellal away, like corruption, or death, or arrest, in that order. And even disregarding ''that'', Jellal is utterly convinced that Erza [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy deserves someone much better than himself]] (a vigilante on the run from the law) as a lover, even going so far as to lie (badly) about already having a fiance, which Erza sees through but accepts reluctantly since she has no intention of forcing him into a relationship he's not ready for. [[spoiler:The epilogue reveals that Jellal was pardoned by the newly crowned Queen Hisui, meaning that he and Erza can finally be together. While Erza claims that "it's complicated", it's suggested that she and Jellal will get together one day]].
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** Erza Scarlett and Jellal Fernandez. Both have confessed (or been interupted while confessing) to have loved one another, spend more time thinking about one another than any other potential couple in the series (except maybe the two background characters whose whole schtick is not being able to confess their love), have displayed a ''telepathic ability to tell when one is in trouble or rooting for them'', and every time they're about to get a chance to be together something will happen to take Jellal away, like corruption, or death, or arrest, in that order. And even disregarding ''that'', Jellal is utterly convinced that Erza [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy [[InsecureLoveInterest deserves someone much better than himself]] (a vigilante on the run from the law) as a lover, even going so far as to lie (badly) about already having a fiance, which Erza sees through but accepts reluctantly since she has no intention of forcing him into a relationship he's not ready for. [[spoiler:The epilogue reveals that Jellal was pardoned by the newly crowned Queen Hisui, meaning that he and Erza can finally be together. While Erza claims that "it's complicated", it's suggested that she and Jellal will get together one day]].
* In ''Manga/FutureDiary'', Yukiteru eventually develops feelings for Yuno, despite her being an AxCrazy {{Yandere}}, but unfortunately they are both Diary Holders in the competition to replace [[PhysicalGod Deus Ex Machina]], requiring one of them to kill the other (along with the rest of the Diary Holders) to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
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* In ''Manga/FutureDiary'', Yukiteru eventually develops feelings for Yuno, despite her being an AxCrazy {{Yandere}}, but unfortunately they are both Diary Holders in the competition to replace [[PhysicalGod Deus Ex Machina]], requiring one of them to kill the other (along with the rest of the Diary Holders) to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* The main pairing of ''Literature/{{Gosick}}'', Kazuya Kujou and Victorique de Blois, lived under a prophecy stating that this would be the case for them, hearts entwined but separated by war. Ultimately, [[spoiler:the trope was averted: the war ended and finally the two found each other again]].
* The main pairing of ''Literature/{{Gosick}}'', Kazuya Kujou and Victorique de Blois, lived under a prophecy stating that this would be the case for them, hearts entwined but separated by war. Ultimately, [[spoiler:the trope was averted: the war ended and finally the two found each other again]].
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** Oscar and André. They're [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends who grew up together and later fall in love with each other]], but since Oscar is a noble and André is her servant, they aren't allowed to get married. [[spoiler:They do get together, but the day after their first night together, André dies while protecting Oscar in battle and she gets killed in action too during the Storming of the Bastille, as she spends her final moments wishing to reunite with André in the afterlife.]]
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** Oscar and André. They're [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends who grew up together and later fall in love with each other]], but since Oscar is a noble and André is her servant, they aren't allowed to get married. [[spoiler:They do get together, but the day after their first night together, André dies while protecting Oscar in battle and she battle. The next day, Oscar gets killed in action too too, during the Storming of the Bastille, as and she spends her final moments wishing to reunite with André in the afterlife.]]
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** The show’s producer, Kentaro Hattori, compared [[HoYay Mikaela and Yuuichirou]] to Romeo and Juliet, saying that, "[[http://mantan-web.jp/2015/05/16/20150515dog00m200053000c.html Just like Romeo and Juliet]], [[http://misora-reiki.tumblr.com/post/119105932775/anime-interview-seraph-of-the-end-guren-sama-is Yuu and Mika have been torn apart."]]
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** The show’s show's producer, Kentaro Hattori, compared [[HoYay Mikaela and Yuuichirou]] to Romeo and Juliet, saying that, "[[http://mantan-web.jp/2015/05/16/20150515dog00m200053000c.html Just like Romeo and Juliet]], [[http://misora-reiki.tumblr.com/post/119105932775/anime-interview-seraph-of-the-end-guren-sama-is Yuu and Mika have been torn apart."]]
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** Meliodas and Elizabeth. [[spoiler:3,000 years ago, they were the prince and the princess of two enemy races. Their parents, the Demon King and the Supreme Deity, cursed them for betraying their races by falling in love. Meliodas can never age nor permanently die, Elizabeth repeatedly reincarnates as a human. In every of Elizabeth's reincarnations, she meets Meliodas and he's ForcedToWatch Elizabeth die over and over again; the curse kills Elizabeth three days after she remembers her past lives and even if she doesn't remember, she dies from old age. The cycle has repeated more than 100 times by the start of the series. They finally break out of the cycle when Meliodas destroys the curses.]]
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** Meliodas and Elizabeth. [[spoiler:3,000 years ago, they were the prince and the princess of two enemy races. Their parents, the The Demon King (Meliodas' father) and the Supreme Deity, Deity (Elizabeth's mother) cursed them for betraying their races by falling in love. Meliodas can never age nor permanently die, while Elizabeth repeatedly reincarnates as a human. In every of Elizabeth's reincarnations, she meets Meliodas and he's ForcedToWatch Elizabeth die over and over again; the curse kills Elizabeth three days after she remembers her past lives and even if she doesn't remember, she dies from old age. The cycle has repeated more than 100 times by the start of the series. They finally break out of the cycle when Meliodas destroys the curses.]]
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* Sakura and Syaoran in ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. At first, even though they are physically together, Sakura is never allowed to remember she is in love with him (that is, from the looks of it, until all her feathers are found). Then it gets [[GambitPileup much]], [[MindScrew much]] more complicated, with all the complications putting more distance between them, metaphorically. That [[spoiler:clones of both]] are involved is only the [[OedipusComplex the beginning]].
** [[spoiler:Yuuko and Clow]] may count too.
** [[spoiler:Yuuko and Clow]] may count too.
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* Sakura and Syaoran in ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. At first, even though they are physically together, Sakura is [[AmnesiacLover never allowed to remember she is in love with him (that is, from the looks of it, until all her feathers are found).him]]. Then it gets [[GambitPileup much]], [[MindScrew much]] more complicated, with all the complications putting more distance between them, metaphorically. That [[spoiler:clones At the end of both]] the series, due to TimeyWimeyBall shenanigans, [[spoiler:Sakura and Syaoran [[MyOwnGrampa become the parents of the same boy Syaoran was cloned from]]. Once reality finally fixes itself, the clone/parent versions of Sakura and Syaoran are involved is only absorbed into their counterparts. However, the [[OedipusComplex remaining Syaoran's very existence has become a time paradox because he's now the beginning]].
** [[spoiler:Yuukoson of his own clone and Clow]] may count too.his girlfriend's clone. As a consequence, Syaoran can't stay in a dimension for an extended period of time and he sets on an endless journey, but he hopes to find a way to bring his parents back and Sakura promises to wait for him to visit her dimension sometime in the future.]]
** [[spoiler:Yuuko
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* Creator/{{CLAMP}}:
** Seishirou Sakurazuka and Subaru Sumeragi from ''Manga/TokyoBabylon'' are trapped in a cycle of love and hatred since [[spoiler:Seishirou is the [[ProfessionalKiller current assassin]] known as the Sakurazukamori, an enemy that the Sumeragi family has been fighting for generations. Seishirou should've killed Subaru when he witnessed him murder someone, but decided to make an odd sort-of bet between them, erasing their first meeting from Subaru's mind. After meeting and living together years after, Seishirou [[BreakTheCutie betrays Subaru]], leaving his life [[HeartbrokenBadass completely shattered]]]]. Nine years later, they find themselves on opposite sides of the war for the world in ''Manga/{{X1999}}'', but it's obvious their concentration is [[ItsPersonal more on each other]] than the planet's fate. The two's [[StellarName names are even taken from stars]]: Seishirou after "Orion", the constellation that appears to be pursuing "Pleiades", which gives Subaru his.
** And as revealed by ''Manga/{{X1999}}'', [[spoiler:Subaru's sister Hokuto and Kakyou Kuzuki. ''The'' breaking point for Subaru and Seishirou was the latter's murder of Hokuto when she tried to save Subaru at the cost of her life; Kakyou was Hokuto's soulmate and as shown in the X OAV, he tried to save her to no avail. Years later, Kakyou's biggest wish is to die so he and Hokuto can be TogetherInDeath.]]
* A recurring theme of Creator/MakotoShinkai's works:
** ''Anime/VoicesOfADistantStar'' features an almost literal example of this. The two main characters are light-years apart due to her fighting in space, and due to mankind having FasterThanLightTravel without a corresponding SubspaceAnsible, her messages to him take years to reach; in the final act now-20 something him is receiving messages from still-15 her and as he remarks InUniverse, a message travel time of years might as well be forever. In the second novel, ''Words of Love/Across the Stars'', [[spoiler:Noboru outright goes AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder in the gap of time between messages, rationalising that they never formalised their relationship.]] That said, the very last scene contains blink and you miss it allusions, made explicit in the manga adaptation, to his joining the SpaceNavy gearing up for a rescue mission, meaning there might be a chance they could get together after all.
** ''Anime/ThePlacePromisedInOurEarlyDays'': Hiroki and Sayuri struggle with their feelings for each other because the latter disappeared from the former's life and, by the time he finds her again years later, she is in a coma. [[spoiler:Even after she is awoken, she loses her memories of her romantic feelings for him. He vows to start over from the beginning and try to make it work; whether it does, we don't get to find out.]]
** Takaki and Akari in ''Anime/FiveCentimetersPerSecond'' are an interesting example; their parents' moving for work means they keep getting separated and their relationship unravels over the years as communication slows and ceases, but they still have ''marginally'' more of a chance at a happy ending than most examples. As far as poor Kanae is concerned, this too applies; after struggling with CannotSpitItOut for much of the second act, her AnguishedDeclarationOfLove is interrupted by the much-foreshadowed rocket launch and she decides to let it be instead, but the manga ending suggests that she eventually meets Takaki again and tries her luck once more. Whether it works out is never shown.
** In ''Anime/TheGardenOfWords'', not only is there a sizeable age gap between Takao and Yukari, but also [[spoiler:the potential ethical issues of a teacher-student romance; at the end, Yukari moves away to take up a new teaching position, but the possibility still exists that they might reunite in the future.]]
** ''Anime/YourName'' carries on the tradition; not only are Taki and Mitsuha separated by spatial distance, [[spoiler:but by time and death too; in Taki's original timeline, the passing comet Tiamat - an almost literal falling star - 3 years ago split off a meteor that killed Mitsuha. That said, by the end of the film, they finally reunite, with the strong implication that they get together at last.]]
** ''Anime/WeatheringWithYou'' has Hodaka Morishima and Hina Amano. To elaborate, Hodaka is a runaway from an upper middle-class family that physically abuses him and Hina is an atmokinetic pauper. What's more is that they're both living in Tokyo, which is doomed to sink from constant rainfall. The story also follows suit from two different angles: The first is the police trying to send Hodaka back to his island home while social services are trying to take Hina and her brother Nagi in due to their orphan status. The second is [[spoiler:Hina's fate as the sunshine girl to be sacrificed in exchange for stable weather.]] In the end, [[spoiler:this is subverted; Hodaka rescues Hina heedless of the cost, and despite being caught and sent back to finish his high schooling afterwards, they eventually reunite.]]
* Two of Creator/MitsuruAdachi's manga series feature romances forbidden by feuding parents. In ''Manga/{{Rough}}'', the parents run rival confectionery businesses. In ''Katsu!'', the fathers are former boxing rivals. In both cases, the girl's father is more rabid than the boy's father.
* [[spoiler:Hiromi Oka and Coach Jin Munakata]] from ''Manga/AimForTheAce'', mainly due to the fact [[spoiler:he was dying of leukemia by the time they met and fall in love.]]
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': [[spoiler:Eren, with Mikasa. The final chapter reveals that he does return her feelings and would love nothing more than to start a relationship with her. Unfortunately, circumstances outside of their control separate the two, and Mikasa is ultimately left with no choice but to kill him to save humanity.]]
* ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'', which is essentially a Japanese Tokugawa-era send up of "Romeo and Juliet", has its star crossed lovers: Gennosuke from the Kouga and Oboro from the Iga. They even make reference to the old belief that star-crossed lovers will be reborn as twin siblings.
** Also, the beginning of the show shows another pair of star crossed lovers: [[spoiler:Koga Danjou and Iga Ogen, Gennosuke's grandpa and Oboro's grandma respectively.]]
** Probably, also Kagero and Gennosuke. She would've been an excellent prospect for him except for her being BlessedWithSuck and him [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage truly liking his arranged fiancee Oboro]], thus she's stuck as the UnluckyChildhoodFriend and that takes a HUGE toll on her emotional well-being.
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', it's almost as if fate has made it its personal mission to ensure that Guts and Casca ''never'' find happiness. [[spoiler:That moment of love the two of them shared near the waterfall in the Golden Age Arc was the closest they came to it before the Eclipse went down and [[FromBadToWorse everything literally went completely to Hell]]. [[RapeLeadsToInsanity Ever since Casca lost her sanity from a brutal rape at the hands of her former superior turned archdemon -- Griffith --]] she can no longer understand human emotion and [[AmnesiacLover has no recollection of her relationship with Guts.]] Even with her sanity recently restored, she cannot even look at Guts or speak his name without the horrible Eclipse memories coming back, and only time will tell if she and Guts can still be together.]]
* In ''Literature/BeyondTheBoundary'', we have Akihito and Mirai. Akihito is a half-human, half-youmu hybrid. Mirai is from a spirit hunter clan whose blood is deadly to youmu. [[spoiler:Even worse, it's revealed that Mirai was given a mission to assassinate Akihito because the youmu inside him, known as Beyond the Boundary, is a powerful reality warper who could potentially destroy the world.]]
* In ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', a fairly strong case can be made for the YakuzaPrincess Yukio Washimine and the badass Yakuza Ginji Matsuzaki. On one hand Ginji's loyalties lie solely with Yukio [[BodyguardCrush and his reasons are all but stated to be romantic]], whereas Rock speculates that Yukio's decision to take over the Washimine clan came from her desire to be with Ginji. On the other, they were subjected to an absolutely ''brutal'' breaking process that involved: an all-out war against Hotel Moscow, the bloody betrayal of a group of the Washimine yakuzas [[spoiler:where Yukio was physically/sexually humiliated by the ringleader and Ginji [[PayEvilUntoEvil took an horrible yet well-deserved revenge on him]], Ginji's death in a duel with Revy]] and, right after the last one, [[spoiler:Yukio commiting suicide rather than [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled facing Balalaika in dishonor]] ''and'' being without Ginji.]]
* Mari and Hagino from ''Manga/BlueDrop'' are divided by the fact that [[InterspeciesRomance one is a high school student and the other the commander of an alien battleship]], whose people plan to invade earth.
* Arguably averted in ''Anime/BlueSubmarineNo6''. Hayate and Muteo part ways at the end because she has to look after a emotionally-devastated Verg and he has to help in the rebuilding effort of what remains of humanity. However, it's implied by the final episode ending credits, that they will eventually get back together again once things finally settle down.
* In volume one of ''Manga/{{Bizenghast}}'', two spirits needing to be released are those of a young pair of lovers. They had wanted to marry, but the [[ParentalMarriageVeto man's mother refused to let him marry a girl of slightly-lower status.]] So one night, during a ball, the man stabbed his lover in the back as they danced before killing himself. As Dina frees their souls, the young woman's ghost whispers to her lover ''"I forgive you..."''
* In ''Manga/BoardingSchoolJuliet'', Dahlia Academy has two factions at constant war with each other. In spite of this, their first year leaders, Romio Inuzuka of the Black Dogs and Juliet Percia of the White Cats fall in love. Their relationship officially begins at the end of the very first chapter, and they spend the rest of the series hiding their SecretRelationship from their peers. If they get discovered, it's social suicide; not just their schoolmates, but their respective countries, would turn on them. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that this wasn't the first time it happened. Romio's mother and Percia's father were also previously in a SecretRelationship during their time in Dahlia, and instantly became pariahs after their secret is outed.]]
* In the manhwa ''Manhwa/TheBrideOfTheWaterGod'', the couple Habaek and Nakbin who, according to Su Wang Mo were destined only as passing friends fell deeply in love with each other amidst the deceit and controversy which resulted to Nakbin's death just to protect Habaek. That after her death, both made drastic decisions in order to meet again. With Habaek requiring human girls as sacrifice, and Nakbin escaping the world of the dead by deceiving the god governing it. In the end, their efforts are futile as circumstances always lead to Nakbin choosing death instead of forsaking Habaek along with the fact that he is already connected by the red string to Soah. And even though Habaek admitted that he can never let go of his longing for his first bride, just like the leaves and the flowers of the Spider Lily, the two of them can only long for each other but will never be reunited. Though currently, Nakbin is reincarnated as a human without a memory as conditioned by Hoo-ye to Su Wang Mo.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' has several cases:
** Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri. While their feelings [[BelligerentSexualTension have been kinda wavering]] for quite the while, as time passes they have grown stronger - but Shinichi is trapped in the body of a little boy (the titular Conan) and cannot openly tell Ran who he is, lest she and his friends will be targeted by the same evil organization that shrunk him. In the meantime poor Ran waits for Shinichi's return...
** [[spoiler:Hideomi Nagato and Miyuki Hyuuga]]. First, [[spoiler:he and his friend Mitsuaki caused the fire that killed Miyuki's parents]]. Second, [[spoiler:Hideomi had a HeelRealization, then returned and saved little Miyuki but was badly burned]]. Third, [[spoiler:while he helped Miyuki out as much as he could, Hideomi thoroughly hated himself due to guilt]]. Fourth, and the most important reason: [[spoiler:when Miyuki fell for him despite ''knowing'' what he had done and asked him to marry her... Hideomi crossed the DespairEventHorizon and committed suicide.]] It went FromBadToWorse later.
** [[spoiler:Shuichi Akai and Akemi Miyano]] were this as well in the past. [[spoiler:He started dating her only to strengthen his position as TheMole for the Black Organization, but seeing that she was an AntiVillain and that she liked him ''despite'' suspecting that he was using her [[BecomingTheMask made him change his mind]]. When he was found out he tried to get her to come with him, but she refused because her little sister was an Org. member and she didn't want to abandon her. And few afterwards, after a last and failed attempt to free herself and her sister, she was murdered.]]
** Additionally, [[spoiler:Natalie Kuruma and Wataru Date. Things were going relatively well, they were about to get engaged... but right before that, Date was run over by a car in front of his best friend and died. Natalie found out by chance, identified his corpse, and hung herself in grief. [[FromBadToWorse And then]] her ParentalSubstitute mistakenly believed that she had gone the SpurnedIntoSuicide way...]]
* Chrono of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' has the worst luck when it comes to relationships. First, he meets [[spoiler:Mary Magdalene]], who informs him after he's known her for months that [[spoiler:she has had prophetic dreams since she was a child that he would be the one to take her life. He does, although not in the way either one expects. He's so guilt-ridden over her death that he sleeps for 50 years in her tomb, waiting for his energy to deplete to join her in death.]] But Rosette Christopher comes and wakes him up from his years of slumber, and things start to be going good for him...until her brother Joshua is kidnapped by Aion and he's forced to make a contract with her, slowly draining away at her life. In the anime [[spoiler:they die together, Rosette as a result of the contract and Chrono from his wounds in the final battle]], but in the manga [[spoiler:they spend six years apart, and Chrono arrives back to her side just in time for her to die in his arms. It's implied that he lives on for decades afterwards.]]
* In ''Manga/CityHunter'', some of the [[GirlOfTheWeek featured girls]] in a given story arc are either the results of their parents' doomed romance or at least related to someone in such.
** The parents of Etsuko, one of the girls who audition for a movie, met once many years prior to the start of the series. They wanted to marry each other, but ended up separating because everyone around them opposed it, never to see each other again. [[note]]Etsuko's mother told her about her father while she was alive. Her father, meanwhile, goes on to have a family of his own, though he regards Etsuko's mother as TheOneThatGotAway and is unaware that Etsuko's mother was already pregnant by the time of their separation.[[/note]] Etsuko joined the audition precisely because she hoped to see her father, who would direct the very movie for which she auditions.
** The story of the parents of Kimiko, a seventeen-year-old girl with UnwantedHarem, is this trope in a nutshell.[[note]] To elaborate: Kimiko's parents loved each other and wanted to get married, but Kimiko's paternal grandmother, who saw [[GoldDigger too many women after her son and too many men after her, all with only getting their wealthy estates in mind]], could only see Kimiko's mother as just yet another GoldDigger, and so sent her son aboard with an employee of hers, in the hope of getting her son to forget about Kimiko's mother through work. It backfired horribly. The plot is quite similar to ''Romeo and Juliet'', except that Romeo and Juliet both ended up dying of natural causes (the would-be husband, heartbroken over being separated from his OneTrueLove, suffered from DespairEventHorizon-induced DeathByDespair while the would-be wife ended up with DeathByChildbirth) and that they had a child -- Kimiko -- in this scenario, though the would-be husband never found out about him having a daughter right up to his dying moment and his mother didn't find out about Kimiko until he was long gone.[[/note]] This is why Kimiko has been [[RaisedByGrandparents raised by her maternal grandfather]].
** [[PhantomThief Kasumi]]'s grandmother turns out to have been in such a situation.[[note]] Long ago, she was in love with a man who was not of the family, but she and the man separated due to her family rules. While she went on to have a family of her own, up to and including Kasumi herself (though she still misses him), the man stayed a bachelor for life. Ryo discovers the backstory via a combination of his detective work and the confiding of the man's side of the story, told to Ryo by the man's adoptive son.[[/note]]
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has two couples like this: Ougi and Viletta, then Lelouch and Shirley. [[spoiler:The first ones subvert the trope and get their happy ending, even if YMMV on that... the second couple plays it straight, with Shirley dying in Lelouch's arms. The movie series have a more complicated case, starting with Lelouch's own death still happening [[SparedByTheAdaptation with her now being there to see it.]]]]
** Euphemia and Suzaku are another pair. Although they were on the same sides, Suzaku was still considered inferior. [[spoiler:And Euphemia still died.]] At the same time, Lelouch is implied to have some [[IncestSubtext affection]] for Euphemia while being on the opposite side [[spoiler:to the point of saying she was "the first woman I loved" when he was forced to MercyKill her]] and Euphie brings up how she once wanted to marry him when they were kids.
** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her, even if it was a lie. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him. On top of that, it's ambiguous whether Lelouch saw Kallen as a LoveInterest (at the least, he ''could'' have) though Kallen's affections for Lelouch as Zero are very clear.]]
* [[spoiler:Remy Matsuda and Merril Benten Tamagawa]] from ''Anime/CyberCityOedo808'', since [[spoiler:she's a sort-of vampire/human hybrid and he's a human AntiHero who must take her down. It ends with them sharing a LastKiss before Benten puts Remy in a capsule and shoots it into outer space.]]
* ''Manga/DGrayMan'':
** Any person who tried to make a deal with the Earl to bring back their loved one, which would only end badly for both parties.
** Krory, an Exorcist and Eliade, an Akuma. It was his nature to destroy Akuma and it was her nature to kill Exorcists. [[spoiler:He ends up killing her before he joins the Black Order.]]
** Taken [[SerialEscalation further]] with [[spoiler:Kanda and Alma, who were [[ReincarnationRomance lovers in a previous life]], only to be brought back to life by the Black Order as part of the failed super Exorcist program. Then Alma was driven mad into a massive killing spree and Kanda was forced to kill him. Only for Alma to not be dead and fought Kanda to the death again when he was revived. But this time, thanks to Allen, Kanda is able to send Alma to the afterlife in more or less peace, and later come back.]]
* Kazuya and Erika in ''Anime/{{Daimos}}''. Kazuya is the pilot of Daimos, defender of Earth from the Balm invaders. While Erika is the little sister of Richter, Prince of Balm and leader of the invasion. [[spoiler:They get their happy ending, but not before much heartbreak.]]
* Both the protagonists and the rival in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' are unfortunate enough to be in this type of relationship:
** [[TheHero Makoto]] and Kyoko: [[spoiler:Her Forbidden Action is "surviving past the fourth round with Makoto Naegi alive", meaning that if [[KillTheOnesYouLove she doesn't kill him herself]], the poison in her bracelet will kill her. [[HeroicSacrifice She chooses to give up her life for his]], but is fortunately revealed to have survived in ''Side:Hope''.]] The opening even lampshades this by showing her falling away from him as they reach desperately for each other's hands.
** [[AntiHero Hajime]]/[[spoiler:[[HeroicNeutral Izuru]]]] and Chiaki: Hajime's own insecurities caused him to view himself as [[InsecureLoveInterest unworthy of her]], leading to him [[spoiler:volunteering for [[DeathOfPersonality the Kamukura Project]]]]. His new self, Izuru, [[AmnesiacLover loses all memories of Chiaki]] and falls in cahoots with [[BigBad Junko]], who ultimately murders Chiaki. It's only after he watches her bleed to death that Izuru [[NotSoStoic is stirred to weep]], and he then [[TragicKeepsake carries her hairpin around]] [[TheMourningAfter for the rest of the series]].
** [[TheRival Kyosuke]] and Chisa: At first, they seemed like a happy OfficialCouple, but are quickly torn apart by [[spoiler:her death in the first episode of ''Side: Future'']]. ''Side: Despair'' later reveals that [[spoiler:Chisa was tortured and brainwashed by [[BigBad Junko]], becoming evil and acting as her mole, meaning she was working for the very side her boyfriend had vowed to destroy all along]]. It's even worse when one considers that [[spoiler:Kyosuke's ''other'' friend, Juzo, [[ArmoredClosetGay also was in love]] with [[EvenTheGuysWantHim him]], kept it a secret [[{{Gayngst}} both out of fear]] and to not ruin Kyosuke and Chisa's bond, and died in a mix of HeroicSacrifice and RedemptionEqualsDeath while mistakenly believing that Kyosuke hated him, when in reality Kyosuke desperately wanted Juzo's forgiveness.]]
* ''Manga/DearBrother'':
** In the anime, Mariko tells Tomoko and Nanako about the legend of two lovers who died in Seiran School. They were separated by their different social class and [[SuicidePact killed themselves to not be torn apart]], under the biggest elm tree in the garden. [[spoiler:It's the same tree that Rei waited for ''hours'' underneath, under Fukiko's orders, causing her to catch a huge fever.]]
** [[spoiler:Nanako and Rei]] might qualify as well. Especially in the anime [[spoiler:where Rei dies in an accident right when she was going [[StoodUp to meet up with Nanako]], in what's all but stated to have been ''this'' close to become their first date.]]
* ''Manga/DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai'': Baran and Soara's story is very close to a classic ''Romeo and Juliet'' plot, except here Romeo goes ''horribly wrong'' and they have a kid with Infant Immortality.
* [[VillainProtagonist Lucy]] and Kouta in ''Manga/ElfenLied''. Not only do both of them have massive issues (Kouta is an amnesiac, Lucy is a Diclonius and has been rejected by almost everyone in her life until he and Yuka took her in), but there's how [[spoiler:Lucy ''killed Kouta's dad and sister'' in the middle of a killing spree coming from her cracking under the pressure]].
* ''Manga/EvyioneOceanFantasy'': Yashin and Evyione. Not only is Yashin a merman and Evyione a human, but Evyione is also a princess [[ArrangedMarriage and very few of Evyione's life choices are actually made by her]]. If Evyione chooses Yashin, there will be severe political and personal consequences for her.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Erza Scarlett and Jellal Fernandez. Both have confessed (or been interupted while confessing) to have loved one another, spend more time thinking about one another than any other potential couple in the series (except maybe the two background characters whose whole schtick is not being able to confess their love), have displayed a ''telepathic ability to tell when one is in trouble or rooting for them'', and every time they're about to get a chance to be together something will happen to take Jellal away, like corruption, or death, or arrest, in that order. And even disregarding ''that'', Jellal is utterly convinced that Erza [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy deserves someone much better than himself]] (a vigilante on the run from the law) as a lover, even going so far as to lie (badly) about already having a fiance, which Erza sees through but accepts reluctantly since she has no intention of forcing him into a relationship he's not ready for. [[spoiler:The epilogue reveals that Jellal was pardoned by the newly crowned Queen Hisui, meaning that he and Erza can finally be together. While Erza claims that "it's complicated", it's suggested that she and Jellal will get together one day]].
** A more straight example would be [[spoiler:Zeref Dragneel and Mavis Vermilion, the BigBad and BigGood, respectively]]. Ankhseram's Curse denied them any chance at happiness together -- as a curse of contradictions, [[spoiler:Zeref's]] love for [[spoiler:Mavis]] allowed her curse to be broken and be killed by their first and only kiss. It was her death that caused [[spoiler:Zeref's true StartOfDarkness]]. It becomes FridgeHorror when one realizes that [[spoiler:Mavis ''didn't'' die. Her body was killed but her spirit became an AstralProjection that can only be seen by members of Fairy Tail, and it's implied she spent much of this existence by Zeref's side. Zeref himself admitted to being able to feel her presence, but as he wasn't a member of the guild, he was unable to interact with her. It makes what Ankhseram did all the more crueler: they were both among the living still, but couldn't be a part of each other's lives. Eventually, [[TogetherInDeath they finally die together through the use of the One Magic]]. ]]
* ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' has [[spoiler:Louise's best friend, Princess Henrietta of Tristam, and her boyfriend ''and'' [[KissingCousins first cousin]] Prince Wales of Albion.]] At first politics prevent them from being together officially, [[SecretRelationship so they have covert meetings]]. Then [[spoiler:Wales is murdered by Louise's treacherous ex-boyfriend Jeean-Jacques, and later a heartbroken Henrietta ends up giving an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove... to the copy of poor Wales's body, animated with a little of his soul.]]
* If you're a [[EasternZodiac Member of the Zodiac]] in ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', you and your beloved will be Star-Crossed Lovers. The only question is whether you get scarred by Akito (physically, mentally, or both), or just never confess your love and languish in your misery. [[spoiler:When Akito is defeated ''and'' has a HeelFaceTurn thanks to Tohru, the curse is slowly broken and the major part of the separated/unconfessed couples get together..]]
* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'':
** Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell somewhat fit into this category. They are hinted to either have mutual feelings, or one of them has UnrequitedLove for the other. But whatever the case, Ed's fate and decisions have kept them apart time after time. And in the movie ''[[Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa Conqueror of Shamballa]]'', this trope especially fits-- Edward has to go back for the sake of his world's safety, leaving Winry solo. She even says with a melancholy gaze, "That's Ed. I know it. I guess this is goodbye for good..."
** The same could be said for Ed and Rose. Rose is in love with Edward, however Ed's feelings are more ambiguous (though, he does blush when Rose confesses to him and he never technically rejected it). The two end up split up when Edward goes back [[spoiler:across the Gate]] in ''Conqueror of Shamballa'', stopping any potential romance before it began.
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' and its prequels have plenty of these, especially among [[BodyguardCrush the Mikos and some of their potential Senshi]]:
** In the backstory and in ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'', Uruki and Takiko "Genbu no Miko" Okuda are more or less get together, [[ForegoneConclusion but everyone knows what happened to her in the end.]] [[spoiler:If the reader doesn't know, well, here it is: Takiko was being devoured from the inside by Genbu as a side-effect of having been a Miko; everyone else thought she had fallen victim to a SoapOperaDisease (and to be fair, she was already an ill girl) but her father knew the truth, so he {{Mercy Kill}}ed her and commited suicide afterwards. Takiko lived enough to make her wishes and [[DiedinyourArmsTonight die in Uruki's arms]]; he [[TheMourningAfter never married]] and became TheGoodKing. (Still, [[ReincarnationRomance their next reincarnations]] [[EarnyourHappyEnding got their happy ending]]).]]
** In the backstory and the upcoming ''Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoSenki'', [[GreenThumb Tatara]] and [[{{Miko}} Suzuno, the Byakko no Miko]] embody this. They fell in love, and Suzuno summoned Byakko and asked him to keep her and Tatara together forever. Byakko said he couldn't do that, and had to send her back to her own world in Tokyo. She eventually [[SecondLove married someone from our world]] and raised a family more or less happily, while he asked a TimeMaster fellow Seishi to stop time for him so he could guard the [[MacGuffin Shinzaho]] better -- but they never forgot each other. Decades later, the old and widowed Suzuno died in her grandson Toki's home of old age, Tatara died in a battle in the book, and in the meantime Miaka's brother Keisuke read to the dying Suzuno about her lover's destiny. [[AdaptationExpansion In the anime]], their souls are reunited across space and time [[TogetherInDeath to spend the afterlife together]].
** It doesn't even ''have'' to happen between Mikos and Seishis. [[spoiler:Uruki's cousin Firuka and Urumiya Hagas]] from ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'' were this as well, [[spoiler:with him loving Firuka [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe because she]] [[IOweYouMyLife was kind to him]] [[FlorenceNightingaleEffect in his moment of need]] [[TheStoic but being unable to show it properly]], and Firuka believing her love for him was onesided even after he died in his SelfSacrificeScheme to free his brother Tegu, who ultimately tells her how much Hagas loved her. (In a slightly happier note, Tegu becomes Firuka's SecondLove, and one of their descendants became Uruki's successor.)]]
* [[spoiler:Chigusa Tsukikage and Ichiren Osaki]] in ''Manga/GlassMask''. The world also seems to be hell-bent on keeping Maya and Masumi away.
* In ''Manga/FutureDiary'', Yukiteru eventually develops feelings for Yuno, despite her being an AxCrazy {{Yandere}}, but unfortunately they are both Diary Holders in the competition to replace [[PhysicalGod Deus Ex Machina]], requiring one of them to kill the other (along with the rest of the Diary Holders) to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* The main pairing of ''Literature/{{Gosick}}'', Kazuya Kujou and Victorique de Blois, lived under a prophecy stating that this would be the case for them, hearts entwined but separated by war. Ultimately, [[spoiler:the trope was averted: the war ended and finally the two found each other again]].
* Newtype romances, in any ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' series that includes Newtypes, generally do not end well. This goes double if Creator/YoshiyukiTomino, Mister Kill 'Em All himself, is actively involved in the series. Note that newtype analogs, like the Coordinators from SEED, don't really count (they tend to survive, and have stable relationships).
** [[spoiler:Unless you see Stellar and Shinn's bond as romantic. Then, they get the raw-est part of the deal. Not helped by how Stellar's last words are "Shinn... I love you". If they don't count, is there a sort-of trope that is an equal of "Star Crossed Lovers", but with friends and family?]]
** Also, while [[spoiler:Kira and Lacus]] ''do'' get their happy ending, [[spoiler:Kira and his first girlfriend Fllay]] count as this. [[spoiler:She started out as a {{Yandere}} who pretended to love him to get revenge since he didn't save her father from a really messy death, [[BecomingTheMask then truly fell for him]] when he showed her genuine kindness... but she could only sort-of tell him her true feelings ''after'' she was murdered by the BigBad, as her soul managed to have a last talk with the grief-stricken Kira before he fought and killed said BigBad.]]
** Saji Crossroad and Louise Halevy fit this trope after the WhamEpisode of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', [[spoiler:where she became her family's SoleSurvivor and lost her hand as well]]. The second season has them fighting on opposite sides, [[spoiler:as he's forced to join Celestial Being as their TagalongKid to save his life and she's become a DarkActionGirl for the A-Laws. [[EarnYourHappyEnding It takes them LOTS of effort to get back together]].]]
*** Lyle Dylandy and [[spoiler:Anew Returner]]. It starts well but ends up terribly, since [[spoiler:she turns out to be an Innovator ManchurianAgent and betrays Celestial Being when her "trigger" (her Innovator twin Revive Revival) appears and "resets" her. When Lyle offers her a LastSecondChance she almost takes it, only to be mind controlled by Ribbons Almark into fighting him anyway and she eventually has to be killed by Setsuna to keep her from killing Lyle.]]
** The ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' novel ''Frozen Teardrop'' give us [[spoiler:Treize's parents, Ein Yuy and Angelina Khushrenada. They tried to run away to escape the ParentalMarriageVeto coming from her family, but her SmugSnake father Cinquante kidnapped Angelina back into the clan and got Ein killed. She was so broken that she went insane with grief.]] Also, [[spoiler:Trowa Phobos and Kathy Winner ''may'' end up as this too.]]
** And now we have [[spoiler:Flit Asuno and Yurin L'Ciel]] from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE''. [[spoiler:Yurin dies in the WhamEpisode, and while Flit marries his childhood friend Emily and they're still together after the TimeSkip, Yurin's death was also his StartOfDarkness ''and'' Emily simply can't fill the void she left.]]
*** From the Third Generation [[spoiler:Kio Asuno and Lu Anon. It's bad enough that Kio's from Earth and Lu's from Vagan, but Lu [[YourDaysAreNumbered also suffers from an incurable disease due to Mars Ray exposure.]] While Kio eventually got her medicine (which only relieves the symptoms and doesn't actually cure the illness), she dies in Episode 38, leaving Kio heartbroken as he escapes Vagan with his father.]]
* ''Manga/HaikaraSanGaTooru'' has ''three'' of these:
** First is [[spoiler:the main characters, NiceGuy Shinobu and TheLadette Benio, after Shinobu goes MIA and later has TraumaInducedAmnesia.]]. They get better, [[BreakTheCutie but not before MUCH heartbreak]].
** In the backstory, [[spoiler:Shinobu's grandmother and Benio's grandfather, who were in a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage but were torn apart by political/social standings (One family was pro-Shogunate, another supported the Meiji Restoration.) The reason why the leads were betrothed was a sort-of promise made to them: if their kids or grandkids have a chance to marry, they'd be engaged to do so as a sort-of solace.]]
** And there's more! [[spoiler:Shinobu's own parents were an example, too. His father was a member of the Iijyuin clan, but his mother/Colonel Iijyuin's mistress was a German woman. [[MalignedMixedMarriage They couldn't marry]] due to social standing and her heritage, so after Shinobu's birth she was forced to leave her child in the care of his paternal family and leave Japan.]]
* [[spoiler:Jeudi's parents Friederich and Helene]] in ''Manga/HonooNoAlpenRose''. Specially because [[spoiler:they ''did'' get married and had Alicia/Jeudi, but then they had to run away from Austria to Switzerland, Helene and Jeudi went missing, and it went FromBadToWorse.]]
** As things get worse and worse, it seems the Universe itself is conspiring to give Lundi and Jeudi trouble. Specially [[spoiler:when Lundi disappears when the train he and Jeudi have boarded to reach Austria is caught in a bomb attack, and Jeudi has to go to Austria alone.]]
* In ''Manga/HungryMarie'', Anna's father (a Catholic priest) and Taiga's grandmother (a Taoist priest) do not approve of the two having contacts with the "enemy". It's mostly played for laughs though.
* In ''Literature/TheIdealSpongerLife'', each nation's royal family jealously guards their RoyaltySuperPower, such as the Capuan Space-Time magic. About a hundred fifty years before the start of the story, a Capuan prince fell in love with a princess from a neighboring kingdom. Both families opposed their marriage and he used Space-Time magic to elope to another world, disappearing from history. [[spoiler:Their descendent Zenjiro is summoned to marry into the Capuan royal family devastated by war. Negotiations with the other kingdom over the status of a child who may inherit powers from both bloodlines, or the possibility of Zenjiro taking concubines, are very tense.]]
* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': Inuyasha and Kikyo thanks to Naraku's making them think they betrayed each other, fatally injuring Kikyou AND making her seal him. Later she's forcibly revived by a witch, and things aren't much easier as he's starting to fall for her reincarnation Kagome ''and'' she's filled with rage and pain. [[spoiler:In the end, she dies again but much more peacefully, in Inuyasha's arms.]]
* ''Anime/JewelpetSunshine'': Ruby and Mikage love each other but can't be together because Jewelpet/human love is taboo. [[spoiler:They manage to get together at the end, but only because Mikage compromises by becoming a Jewelpet himself.]]
* Tomoe from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has this as his default view on human/youkai relationships. [[spoiler:Naturally, he ends up in one such relationship with Nanami.]]
* [[TheOjou Akiko Hashou]] and [[CountryMouse Takao "Taka" Itou]] from the old jousei manga ''Manga/KaseiYakyoku''. [[{{Meido}} Sara Uchida's]] own love on Taka doesn't have much more hope, either, and it's even worse when [[spoiler:she ''does'' get something close to a love declaration as well a passionate sex from him... and then [[FromBadToWorse The Great Kanto Earthquake destroys Tokyo]].]]
* Aslan and Paiva in ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'' in the {{backstory}} of the manga. Their son Serge's relationship with Gilbert dosen't fare well either, but considering that it took place in 1880's Europe, it was bound to happen.
* ''Manga/KishinDoujiZenki'' has two cases like this:
** The {{Warrior Monk}} [[spoiler:Souma Miki]] and the ActionGirl [[spoiler:Anju]] trained together and were heading towards ChildhoodFriendRomance, but [[spoiler:she was caught by the BigBad Karuma and then BrainwashedAndCrazy into becoming her follower, then into killing her former companions. Only Souma survived and he believed Anju to be a traitor for years, not knowing that her memories were erased; when he calls her out on it, she begins to recover them...]]
** Later, there's [[spoiler:Inugami and Sayaka. Inugami is the Prince of the Demon World, a half-demon young man who opposes Zenki in the second part of the series; on the other hand Sayaka is one of {{the hero}}ine Chiaki's {{muggle best friend}}s. Inugami is at first cold and uncaring, but slowly begins to [[DefrostingIceKing defrost]] as Sayaka starts getting to him...]]
* ''Anime/KnightHunters''.
** [[spoiler:Kikuno and Shuichi Takatori]] were very in love, but she was forced to marry [[spoiler:his evil older brother Reiji]]. Then [[FromBadToWorse it got worse]]... [[spoiler:Specially for their [[HeroicBastard off-marriage]] child, Mamoru Takatori... aka Omi Tsukiyono.]]
** And later, [[spoiler:''Omi'' himself, when he falls for his cousin Ouka Sakaki... Reiji's illegitimate daughter [[DaddysGirl and the only person]] [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes he loves]]. And she's shot to death in his arms.]]
** Also, [[spoiler:Youji Kudou and Asuka Murase.]] So much that [[spoiler:he ends up killing her when she's the amnesiac DarkActionGirl Neu.]]
* The Anime/{{Leijiverse}} has the beautiful {{Space|Pirate}} PirateGirl [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] and the genius engineer and Anime/CaptainHarlock's [[BestFriend bro-for-life]] Tochiro Oyama. The two of them are very much in love, but across TheVerse's many continuities, circumstances always conspire to keep them apart until (usually) Tochiro dies heroically and/or tragically, leaving Emeraldas to roam the universe alone in her unmanned battleship. In only one continuity, the two of them spend enough time together to have a daughter, but even then the three of them are forced to go their separate ways.
* ''Anime/LupinIIITheSecretOfTwilightGemini'': Part of the film's backstory reveals [[spoiler:Dalune]] was formerly a member of the French foreign legion, while Lorre was both a dancer at the Geltic royal palace and a member of the royal family. They fell in love soon after they met and consumated their relationship not long afterward. Unfortunately, it was during a time when there was firece conflict between the Gelts and the Igo Tribes. The last time they saw each other was the day [[spoiler:the Geltic Tribe was forced to flee their ancestral home. Neither one knew Lorre was with child, which Dalune didn't become aware of until many years later, after Lorre had long since given birth and passed away]].
* Solomon and Sheba from ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic''. After knowing each other for five years and Sheba gaining a long unreciprocated crush on him, Solomon finally fell for her, they became a couple, and he got her pregnant. Their happiness was short lived since [[spoiler:Solomon fused his soul with Ill Ilah's Rukh in order to ScrewDestiny and had to leave Sheba behind. She only had his EmptyShell of a body left.]] Sheba was left alone and heartbroken, but decided to endure her grief in order to accomplish her beloved's dream, [[spoiler:only to be betrayed and killed by her former friends and die without getting the chance to meet her son Aladdin]].
* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'': [[spoiler:Princess Esmeraude and [[BodyguardCrush Zagato]] are in love, but since Esmeraude is the local BarrierMaiden and she's required to dedicate herself ''only'' to Zephiro, as soon as her thoughts turn to him, Zephiro begins to crumble. Esmeraude intends to [[ICannotSelfTerminate summon the Magic Knights to kill her]] so a new Pillar can be chosen, but the desperate Zagato kidnaps her.]] Their situation is so bad, it's said that they can only be TogetherInDeath. [[spoiler:And that's what happens: as the Magic Knights kill Zagato believing him to be the BigBad, Esmeraude [[DespairEventHorizon cracks]] and her SuperpoweredEvilSide awakens. What's left of her conscience [[AstralProjection projects her image]] to the Knights and explains everything, begging them to kill her. As the girls slay her, they see Zagato and Esmeraude's souls together, and hear Esmeraude first thanking them for releasing her, then telling Zagato that she's finally all his'.]]
* Sankt Kaiser Olivie Sägebrecht and Hegemon Claus Ingvalt from ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid''. Long before they were crowned rulers of their respective countries, the two had grown up together to become very close. Alas, the Ancient Belka War happened, and they found themselves leading opposing sides, and in the end, Hegemon Ingvalt failed to stop Sankt Kaiser Olivie from performing the HeroicSacrifice [[CrystalDragonJesus that she would eventually be famed for]]. He would carry this regret all the way to his grave and beyond, with [[DarkMagicalGirl Einhard Stratos]], his descendant and [[MagiBabble sort-of]] {{Reincarnation}}, still carrying the sadness of his failure as she meets [[CloneJesus the clone of Olivie]], the MagicalGirl Vivio Takamachi...
* Meiko Akizuki and Shinichi "Nat-chan" Namura from ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'', due to the HotForTeacher angle as well as [[UptownGirl the social class difference]] (Namura is middle-class, Meiko is TheOjou). [[spoiler:Subverted later: they ''do'' get their happy ending.]]
* Maya and Reina from ''Manga/MayasFuneralProcession''. [[spoiler:Not only are they half-sisters, but Maya later commits suicide.]]
* ''Mazinger'' saga:
** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Shiro Kabuto and Lorelei. He was the little brother of Kouji Kabuto, TheHero and pilot of Mazinger-Z. She was the daughter of a foreign MadScientist, [[spoiler:or better said -- a RobotGirl built by that Madscientist, who wanted to prove he was better than Dr. Kabuto, builder of Mazinger-Z and Shiro's grandfather.]] What happened? [[spoiler:He built a HumongousMecha, Rhine X1, and a RobotGirl, Lorelei, that was meant to fuse with it to make it work. When the scientist got a fatal wound, he confessed the truth to her and pleaded her to defeat Mazinger; determined to fulfill her father's last will, Lorelei merged with Rhine and challenged Mazinger to a death match, so a very unhappy Kouji was forced to fight and kill her.]] Poor Shiro was devastated after that.
** ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'': Duke Fleed and Hikaru Makiba. Hikaru's father refused to accept their relationship, since Danbei was a BoyfriendBlockingDad was perfectly willing to killing any male came near from his daughter), but that was not the real obstacle (or an obstacle for that matter). The real obstacle was that Duke wanted to return his DoomedHometown of a planet to rebuild it if he managed surviving the war, whereas Hikaru did not want to leave Earth. Not matter what their feelings are, a separation is inevitable.
*** Also, [[spoiler:Duke and his fiancèe Rubina. Duke is Crown Prince of planet Fleed, a world was invaded and scorched by the troops of King Vega, and he now is fighting the Vegans to prevent them from conquering Earth. Rubina is King Vega's daughter, and [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes the closest to a loved one]] that Vega had. They got engaged before the Fleed's invasion, but King Vega -who never agreed the engagement in first place-, refuses seeing his daughter getting married with Duke.]] Of course,''it ended up in tears''.
** Manga/ShinMazingerZero has ''Kouji Kabuto and Sayaka Yumi themselves''. [[spoiler:A RobotGirl named Minerva-X has witnessed almost 3000 timelines in which the world is destroyed. The trigger for this is ALWAYS the same one: Sayaka is horribly murdered (and in one continuity, raped before dying), Kouji crosses the DespairEventHorizon, becomes a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, and in no time Earth is destroyed [[EldritchAbomination by the out of control Mazinger]]. Poor Minerva has reset the timeline to [[DefiedTrope try averting these tragedies]] and help the star-crossed lovers stay together and alive, but it never works... until the present one, which may be the 'line in which both Sayaka and Kouji will survive and keep the world safe.]]
* In the ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' manga, Rina and Hanon both fall in love with humans, knowing full well that they will eventually have to leave them to rule over their kingdoms. (Hamasaki actually has a mermaid ancestor, but this seems inconsequential.) They tell Lucia this too, but her guy Kaitou turns out to be the prince of an ancient powerful race that can breathe underwater, so she's safe.
** Hippo and Yuuri. Hippo is a penguin who can turn into a little bishonen and is a guardian, fighting alongside the mermaid princesses. Yuuri is part of Gakupo's henchwomen, so they do end up falling love and fighting each other. At the end of the first season, [[spoiler:Yuuri gets turned back into her original non-human form and she and Hippo are separated]]. An episode in the second season revolved around the two [[spoiler:getting to meet for ''one night'' only in their human forms and she will disappear again when the sun rises. Half the episode is about how they are afraid to meet each other ''because'' it will be just for one night]]. It's a heartbreaking episode.
* In ''Anime/MillenniumActress'', the romance between Chiyoko and her on-the-run love interest never comes to fruition, though she is chasing him for most of her life.
* Shinji Ikari can be seen as having relationships like this with either [[spoiler:the [[CloningBlues second]]]] Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa in both ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' and the ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Rebuild-Tetralogy]]''. In one way or another -- [[FromBadToWorse God it sucks to be Shinji]]
** Rei: She's perhaps the only person (other than [[spoiler:Kaworu]]) to give him unambigous, unconditional affection in his [[CosmicPlaything hell of a life]], and he's the only person to value her for herself, not her function as Mecha pilot, [[spoiler:ApocalypseMaiden]] or [[spoiler:ReplacementGoldfish]]. Too bad she's [[spoiler:a HalfHumanHybrid ArtificialHuman created to destroy the world, not to mention partially cloned from his dead mother and thus [[SurpriseIncest Shinji's half-sister]],]] with neither of them knowing that last bit. In the classic series, [[spoiler:she pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save his life]], in the Rebuild movies, [[spoiler:she gets eaten by an EldritchAbomination while he's in TenMinuteRetirement, and he ends up [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently]] causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt in a futile attempt to save her.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Finding out what happened proves too much for his fragile and delicate mind]].
** Kaworu: In the classic series Shinji met Kaworu in one of the lowest points of his whole life (and that's saying a lot), was drawn immediately to him, Kaworu offered him kindness and told him that he loved him (whether romantically or not, he ''still'' said it)... [[spoiler:and then it turned out he was [[HoneyTrap an Angel in human form]], which completely shattered Shinji's mind. But Kaworu still cared, offered few to none physical resistance when Shinji confronted him, and ultimately allowed Shinji to kill him while saying that thanks to Shinji, his life was meaningful.]] And in the Rebuild series [[spoiler:he also approaches Shinji kindly after the heartbreaking deals with poor Rei, but ''also'' ends up sacrificing his life again.]]
** In the ''Girlfriend of Steel'' VisualNovel, Shinji and Mana. Out of nowhere comes this attractive, kind and energetic girl who openly shows interest in Shinji and the two of them hit off very well... until [[spoiler:Mana is revealed to be an [[BadassNormal ex-test pilot]] for a JSSDF HumongousMecha who got [[CareerEndingInjury severely injured in the course of her job]] but [[ResignationsNotAccepted wasn't allowed to quit]]. Instead, she got forced into seducing Shinji and using him to spy on NERV in order to find out the Evas' possible weaknesses - and ended up falling in love with him for real. When she tries to [[DefectingForLove defect for Shinji's sake]], she almost gets killed first by a JSSDF plainclothes commando unit then ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill an N2 mine]]'', with NERV deciding that whatever she knows is not worth the price of pissing off the entire Japanese military. In the end, Mana is forced to assume a false identity and disappear from Shinji's life, with neither having any illusions of ever seeing each other again.]]
** Gendo and his wife Yui, who died before the start of the series. [[LoveMakesYouEvil Everything Gendo has ever done, it's destined to get her back by his side.]]
** Misato and Kaji end up being this too, [[spoiler:after the latter is shot and killed by [[TheUnreveal an unknown assailant]]]].
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Gold D. Roger is revealed to have had [[MyGirlBackHome a lover]], a PluckyGirl named [[spoiler:Portgas D. Rouge.]] [[spoiler:Around the time Roger was executed, Rogue was pregnant with their son; keenly aware that said baby's life would be in danger, she held the baby inside ''[[LongestPregnancyEver for twenty months]]'' [[MamaBear to protect them]], and [[DeathByChildbirth perished as soon as she gave birth]], entrusting baby Ace to Roger's WorthyOpponent Garp.]]
** It looks like [[spoiler:Vinsmoke Sanji]] and [[spoiler:Charlotte Pudding]] are heading towards this, as they fell in pretty much LoveAtFirstSight and in other circumstances [[BirdsOfAFeather they would've been an absolutely perfect match]]... yet not only [[spoiler:their marriage was arranged by two ''horrible'' people (Sanji's ArchnemesisDad Vinsmoke Judge and Pudding's EvilMatriarch Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin)]], but [[spoiler:it would force Sanji to leave both his beloved TrueCompanions ''and'' his lifelong dream to reach the All Blue, essentially making him abandon ''everything'' he's ever stood for.]] And ''then'' it turns out that [[spoiler:Pudding is a [[DaddysLittleVillain Mommy's Little Villainess]] anyway, and played up the NiceGirl act [[HoneyTrap to sucker Sanji AND his family into her mother's plans]].]] And '''then''' [[spoiler:Sanji still giving her a kind comment on the ThirdEye [[FreakinessShame that Pudding hates so much]] has made her go through a sobbing VillainousBreakdown and ''not'' killing him.]]
* In ''Literature/OneStormyNight'', Mei and Gabu seem doomed to part ways because their InterspeciesRomance is frowned upon by both their kin. [[spoiler:Averted; they find one another again and stay together in the end.]]
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** In "Lights, Camera, Quacktion!", a [[ShowWithinAShow movie]] called "Pokemon in Love" is filmed with this plot. A Wigglytuff and a Psyduck fall in love despite a war between Normal and Water Pokemon going on. Psyduck eventually sacrifices himself by [[TakingTheBullet shielding Wigglytuff from an arrow]], which ends the war.
** The male and female Nidoran from the Orange Islands episode "Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?", an obvious ShoutOut to ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. As a bonus, they are named Tony and Maria after the protagonists of ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', a modern take on the original play.
** In "Fear Factor Phony", after a run-in with some ghost-type Pokemon, Wobbuffet runs away, leaving behind the rest of Team Rocket. The ghosts are actually trying to live in peace and quiet, but the Psychic-type Pokemon in the nearby abandoned town are making too much noise. Team Rocket decides to help them in their plight. Around the same time, Wobbuffet runs into the aforementioned Psychic-types, and falls in LoveAtFirstSight with the Kirlia dancer (and she reciprocates!). When his teammates show up to kidnap the Psychic-types, Wobbuffet (usually a YesMan to the rest of Team Rocket) actively goes against them to protect her. Unfortunately, the romance was short-lived, since StatusQuoIsGod dictates that Wobbuffet stays with Team Rocket, and he winds up getting sent [[ATwinkleInTheSky flying]] without even saying goodbye.
* ''Anime/PrincessTutu''.
** Played straight with Tutu and the Prince in the fairytale inside the story, since the former is cursed to turn into a speck of light and vanish when she confesses her love.
** [[spoiler:Subverted by Ahiru and Fakir; Ahiru is forced to give up the pendant she uses to transform into a girl to save Mytho, but Fakir still promises to stay by her side, even though she's now just a duck.]]
** [[spoiler:''Almost'' played straight with Rue and Mytho, due to her being [[DarkMagicalGirl Princess Kraehe]] and him being cursed into a Raven... but Rue's AnguishedDeclarationOfLove ''and'' HeroicSacrifice unlock Mythos's feelings, revert him to a human, let him rescue her from her ArchnemesisDad, and earns them their happy ending.]]
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** Hikoboshi and Orihime, the two lovers in Myth/JapaneseMythology who could only see each other once a year, are referenced when [[BelligerentSexualTension Ranma and Akane]] go to the Weaver festival in one chapter of the manga. The star-crossed lovers are mentioned again later on by a somewhat-delusional-from-being-fried-by-fireworks Ranma.
--->'''Ranma:''' ''[to the Akane in his dream]'' I feel as if we are... we are like Hikoboshi and Orihime when they finally met each other.
--->'''Akane:''' ''[the real one]'' Huh?
** In the anime, two one-shot characters, Princess Ori and Kengyu, are a play on Hikoboshi and Orihime, as well.
* ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'', [[TropeNamer given the]] [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet source material.]] Leontes Montague and his men lead a bloody coup and murder all the members of ruling House Capulet. Only Lord Capulet's young daughter, Juliet, is able to escape. Fourteen years later, Juliet fights against House Montague's oppression as the masked vigilante "The Red Whirlwind". While attending the Rose Ball hosted by the Montagues with a friend, Juliet meets Romeo, Prince Montague's son, and both of them fall deeply in {{love at first sight}}. Their tragic end is quite different from the original, though. [[spoiler:It's revealed the daughters of the Capulet family are the seeds of Escalus, the tree which holds Neo Verona in the air and thus must sacrificially merge with it to keep it alive. At the end after the battle against Montague, Romeo frees Juliet from Escalus, but is fatally stabbed in the process. When he dies, Juliet decides to merge with Escalus, whilst holding Romeo in her arms so she can save Neo Verona and die together with Romeo.]]
* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'':
** Oscar and André. They're [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends who grew up together and later fall in love with each other]], but since Oscar is a noble and André is her servant, they aren't allowed to get married. [[spoiler:They do get together, but the day after their first night together, André dies while protecting Oscar in battle and she gets killed in action too during the Storming of the Bastille, as she spends her final moments wishing to reunite with André in the afterlife.]]
** UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette and Count Fersen. They [[LoveAtFirstSight fall passionately in love at first sight]], but Marie Antoinette is in a loveless political marriage with UsefulNotes/LouisXVI and Fersen can only love her from a distance to not bring even more damage to her already negative public reputation. At the end, Marie Antoinette is executed during UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, which causes unbearable heartbreak and grief for Fersen who is killed by an angry mob years later.
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'':
** In the ''Hades'' saga, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is used here as well: Orpheus' expy Lyre Orphee is one of the Silver Saints and his girlfriend Eurydice is [[TakenForGranite half-turned into stone]] in the middle of Hell, lamenting that Orphee is always sad and won't leave her side after death.
** ''Anime/SaintSeiyaSoulOfGold'' has two pairs of doomed lovers: [[spoiler:the reformed Cancer Deathmask and the InnocentFlowerGirl Elena (she's murdered by his rival and, as an ill girl, was doomed already)]] and [[spoiler:Leo Aiolia and Lyfia (they get lots of ShipTease, but in the end he must die again alongside his fellow Golden Saints while she stays in Asgard to be Odin's new priestess/representative).]]
* In ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', there are instances of this:
** In a one-shot from the ''Manga/SailorMoon'' manga, there is a variant of the legend of the Weaver and the Cowherd, where the couple shirked their duties because of their love, and thus were barred from seeing one another. [[spoiler:The Weaver was the villain of the story, because the Cowherd saw her without make-up on during one of the days, and feared that he no longer loved her now that he saw she was really very plain (and getting fat from overeating due to boredom). At the end of the story, he shows up and assures her he still loves her.]]
** In the Silver Millenium days, Serenity is the Princess of the Moon and Endymion is the Prince of Earth, so they're not allowed to even meet and thus they have to do it behind their people's backs. [[spoiler:Then the war comes in, Endymion is killed, and Serenity either kills herself due to grief (manga and ''Crystal'') or dies alongside him as she's hit by the same blast that takes his life (first [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]]).]] Then they're [[ReincarnationRomance reincarnated into Usagi/Sailormoon and Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen]], who ''do'' manage to [[EarnYourHappyEnding get AND stay together]].
** ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' gets Minako in one such situation: she believed to have finally found her true love in her latest infatuation, Ace... who was then quickly revealed to be [[spoiler:Danburite, the series' BigBad and Kunzite's [[TheDragon Dragon]] ''and'' the reincarnation of Adonis, one of her soldiers from the Silver Millennium who had been in love with her, but went unnoticed by her]], and quickly dies [[spoiler:by her hand]] soon afterwards. As he dies, Ace claims that Minako/Sailor Venus is fated to never find true love, implying it would be by her own choice and [[MarriedToTheJob she'd always choose duty over love]]-and as announced, every relationship with a ghost of a chance ends by her own choice, [[spoiler:with the only exception of the hinted one with Rei that ''doesn't'' get in the way of her duty]].
* In ''Manga/TheSecretAgreement'', as if being gay lovers from very different class strata ca. 1920s-30s wasn't star-crossed enough, it turns out that if Yuuichi doesn't steal Iori's life energy he will die instead. There is really no way for them to win.
* ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'':
** Guren Ichinose and his girlfriend Mahiru Hiragi, since [[spoiler:Mahiru was a beautiful and talented human girl until she was turned into the demon Mahiru-no-Yo]]. Even after this, Guren has never romantically loved anyone else, and Mahiru's actions through the plot ([[spoiler:including more than one instance [[DemonicPossession where she possesses Guren's body]] ]]) are to get back with him. [[{{Yandere}} No matter what.]]
** The show’s producer, Kentaro Hattori, compared [[HoYay Mikaela and Yuuichirou]] to Romeo and Juliet, saying that, "[[http://mantan-web.jp/2015/05/16/20150515dog00m200053000c.html Just like Romeo and Juliet]], [[http://misora-reiki.tumblr.com/post/119105932775/anime-interview-seraph-of-the-end-guren-sama-is Yuu and Mika have been torn apart."]]
* ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'':
** Ban and Elaine. Ban became an immortal thanks to a HeroicSacrifice made by Elaine, thus the barrier between life and death separates them. Ban however decided to make it his personal mission to find a way for them to be reunited. [[spoiler:Near the end of the series, Ban sacrifices his immortality to resurrect Elaine and they can be together at last.]]
** Meliodas and Elizabeth. [[spoiler:3,000 years ago, they were the prince and the princess of two enemy races. Their parents, the Demon King and the Supreme Deity, cursed them for betraying their races by falling in love. Meliodas can never age nor permanently die, Elizabeth repeatedly reincarnates as a human. In every of Elizabeth's reincarnations, she meets Meliodas and he's ForcedToWatch Elizabeth die over and over again; the curse kills Elizabeth three days after she remembers her past lives and even if she doesn't remember, she dies from old age. The cycle has repeated more than 100 times by the start of the series. They finally break out of the cycle when Meliodas destroys the curses.]]
* Resine and Simone from ''Manga/ShiroiHeyaNoFutari'', the first {{Yuri}} manga. [[spoiler:Simone is stabbed to death by an ex-boyfriend. Resine [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest refuses to fall for anyone in the rest of her life]].]]
* In ''Anime/SonicX'', this is the case in the final season with [[spoiler:Tails and Cosmo the Seedrian. Upon first meeting, the pair developed a strong bond and eventually mutual romantic feelings for one another. Unfortunately, in the penultimate episode, in order to stop Dark Oak, Cosmo was forced to perform a HeroicSacrifice by immobilizing him while the Sonic Driver was fired at him. Making this even worse is the fact that it was ''Tails'' who [[KillTheOnesYouLove pulled the trigger]], the pair of them confessing their feelings for each other in Cosmo's final moments, with the only remnant of her that Sonic could recover was [[TragicKeepsake a small seed]]. However, it is hinted that she may come back as the final scene of the series is of a pot in Tails' workshop, [[RayOfHopeEnding with the seed he planted having sprouted]]]].
* ''Literature/SorcererStabberOrphen'':
** [[spoiler:Majik]] and [[spoiler:Fienna]] are this, because [[spoiler:she can't leave her village or she will die, as a part of being the [[BackFromTheDead revived]] priestess of a Dragon God, whereas he aims to be a great sorcerer and that includes WalkingTheEarth.]]
** [[spoiler:Childman Powderfield and Azalie Caith-Sith]], as well. [[spoiler:Azalie loved Childman ever since [[PrecociousCrush she was a teen and he was a young adult]], but he rejected her LoveConfession because she was [[TeenGenius the most talented student]] from their WizardingSchool and [[LoveIsAWeakness he didn't want to be a distraction]]. [[BrokenBird Her bitterness]] fueled her [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitions]] and she ended up as an EldritchAbomination after an experiment GoneHorriblyWrong, ''plus'' she believed he wanted to eliminate her after her transformation - when in reality he loved her back, [[ItsAllMyFault felt horribly guilty]] and wanted to ''save'' her. And then, it went FromBadtoWorse]]...
* This crops up quite often in ''Manhwa/TheTarotCafe'', seeing as most of Pamela's clients are involved in some sort of InterspeciesRomance. How well they work out varies. Some end happily, like [[spoiler:the man who pursues a lake spirit, even after he unknowingly hits her three times and thus banishes her from his home.]] Some end not-so-happily, like [[spoiler:the ReincarnationRomance between a vampire and a human, in which the vampire killed the human in the past and then, to keep himself from killing her reincarnated self (who he still loved) committed suicide.]] Besides the clients, there's also Aaron and Nebiros (separated because of a moment of distrust between the two, [[spoiler:though they eventually reconcile]]) and Pamela and [[spoiler:Belus (unable to have a happy ending, because Belus is really the Devil, though they are implied to remain friends.]] The beginning of the series also has Pamela and Ashes.
* In ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'' Ryo-Ohki is in love with Ken-Ohki, a cabbit who belongs to bounty hunter and Ryoko's worst rival, Nagi. It's their love for each other that's keeping Ryoko and Nagi from killing each other.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** Simon and Nia in the ending. [[spoiler:Nia dissolves into nothingness right after she and Simon get married, and she should've died after the destruction of the Anti-Spiral but held on for ''days'' solely out of determination. Simon spends the rest of his days WalkingTheEarth on his own.]] Lampshaded in-series by the BigBad.
** Yoko and Kamina. [[spoiler:Right after acknowledging their feelings and sharing their FirstKiss, Kamina gets killed off in battle.]]
* In ''Manga/TenYoriMoHoshiYoriMo'', [[spoiler:Mio Mizumori and Shou Narumiya]] were this. [[spoiler:[[ReincarnationRomance In at least two lifetimes]].]]
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', relationships between Ghouls and Humans are rare but do occur. A provision of the Anti-Ghoul laws addresses this concern, with the human facing serious time in prison and their Ghoul lover facing either imprisonment in Kokuria or execution on the spot.
** Yoshimura and his [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]], Ukina. Their romance ended in [[ShootTheDog tragedy]], but changed him from a ruthless loner into the kind FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire of the current story. [[spoiler:It also resulted in the BigBad of the series, their HalfHumanHybrid child Eto/Sen, being hunted by various organizations]].
** Nishiki and his human girlfriend, Kimi. She explicitly points out that if he's exposed as a Ghoul, he'll be killed and she'll be sent to prison. [[spoiler:When Anteiku is raided, he makes the decision to leave her in hopes of protecting her from suspicion]].
* Sakura and Syaoran in ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. At first, even though they are physically together, Sakura is never allowed to remember she is in love with him (that is, from the looks of it, until all her feathers are found). Then it gets [[GambitPileup much]], [[MindScrew much]] more complicated, with all the complications putting more distance between them, metaphorically. That [[spoiler:clones of both]] are involved is only the [[OedipusComplex the beginning]].
** [[spoiler:Yuuko and Clow]] may count too.
* In ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'', a girl from Kirie's class is in love with a neighbor boy, [[FeudingFamilies while their families absolutely hate each other.]] The two sneak out together a few times (and of course, get caught and separated again), until they see two snakes making love. This inspires them to...well, this being ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'', the two lovers spiral their bodies tightly around each other to form a human rope, telling their families that they will now be together forever, before [[TogetherInDeath throwing themselves into the sea to drown.]]
* Subverted in the ''Manga/VampirePrincessMiyu'' [=OAVs=]. [[spoiler:Kei Yuzuki is a very handsome human who is [[StepfordSmiler horribly bored with his life but does his best to hide it]], so at first he only wants eternal youth and beauty and consults the UncannyValleyGirl from his school, Ranka. Turns out she's a Shinma and she promises to give him what he wants yet planning to make him her prey... but later, the guy ends up falling in love with her despite knowing who she is, and much to her own shock Ranka finds herself ''returning'' these feelings. They reach an agreement and Ranka ''transforms Kei into a Shinma'', so Miyu (who had her eyes set on him too, thus she was horribly humiliated when she found out) had to send them both to the Dark. The last time we see them, they happily and peacefully walk together towards the Darkness.]]
* Ai and Yota from ''Manga/VideoGirlAi'', since he's a human and she's a RobotGirl who [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman shouldn't have human feelings]] and was tasked with simply helping Youta, but fell in love with him which is a death sentence for Video Girls. [[spoiler:They [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happy ending]], though.]]
* In ''Anime/WhisperOfTheHeart'', Shizuku is told the story of the grandfather clock by the antique dealer; the Dwarf King and the Elf Princess are deeply in love, but can't be together due to coming from two different worlds. The Elf Princess is turned into a sheep for most of the day, only returning to her true form when the clock strikes twelve, the only time of the day she can see the king. In turn, he waits dutifully for her each day just for the chance to see her for that fleeting moment.
* [[spoiler:Makie and Taki Renzaburou]] by the end of the ''Anime/WickedCity'' movie. [[spoiler:While them hooking up and becoming a BattleCouple is one of the biggest plot points of the movie as a whole, in the end the pregnant Makie must return to the Demon World and Renzaburou musty stay on Earth.]]
* In ''Manga/WildRock'', Yuni and Selim decide there's no way to overcome the fact that they're from FeudingFamilies and are both future chieftans, so they part and each have families of their own. It isn't until [[GenerationXerox their sons]] fall in love and decide to unite the two tribes that they meet again, agreeing it was long overdue.
* ''Anime/{{Windaria}}'': Roland and Veronica, the heirs of the countries at the brink of war. It looked to be subverted as the Queen of Lunaria hoped a marriage between them would neutralize the possiblity of war but they ended up fighting.
* In ''Anime/WinterCicada'', Akizuki and Kusaka are lovers on opposite sides of the Boshin civil war. [[TogetherInDeath It ends pretty much how you'd suspect.]]
* ''Anime/WolfsRain'' has not one but ''four'' sets of lovers, all of whom could be considered "star-crossed" in various ways.
** Much of Lord Darcia's motivation for becoming the series' villain involves his lover Hamona falling into a coma [[spoiler:and subsequently dying]], which he blames on the wolves.
** Hubb Leboski spends most of the series trying to get back together with his ex-wife Cher Degré, which indirectly leads to his getting involved with the wolves.
** Kiba's main love interest is Cheza, the girl made of Lunar Flowers. Unfortunately, her status as a LivingMacGuffin keeps her trapped by many Nobles, forcing Kiba to fight his way back to her.
** The wolf Hige, who's always dreamed of finding a hot babe, eventually gets together with the wolf-dog Blue. Of course, with everything else that's going on nobody gets much time for romance, [[spoiler:and they all die in the OVA episodes. At the very end Hige is apparently reincarnated as a human, along with the other wolves, but we don't see Blue.]]
* The relationship between Willem and Chtholly in ''Literature/WorldEndWhatDoYouDoAtTheEndOfTheWorldAreYouBusyWillYouSaveUs'' was tinged with tragedy right from the start. A man who had lost everything falls in love with a girl who believes that her own death is just around the corner. [[spoiler:Despite everything he does to prevent it, Chtholly dies saving his life in one of the most gut wrenching moments in light novel history.]] This sad inevitability is perfectly reflected in the anime’s rendition of Scarborough Fair, an English folk tune about the futility of love, which plays during their first meeting and [[spoiler:during Chtholly’s death.]]
* ''Manga/YourLieInApril'': Despite their obvious chemistry, Kousei hesitates to make a move on Kaori because he believes that she's in love with Watari. [[spoiler:She also has an illness that gets worse over the course of the story. By the end of the story, the illness claims her life, and it's only in a posthumous letter that she admits she never had any feelings for Watari and had always loved Kousei, far too late for him to act on it.]]
* The Chinese daughter of a crime lord, Li-En, and her Mamodo partner, Wonrei, from ''Manga/ZatchBell''. No matter what the outcome of the battle between the Mamodo is, Wonrei will have to eventually return to the Mamodo world.
** Seishirou Sakurazuka and Subaru Sumeragi from ''Manga/TokyoBabylon'' are trapped in a cycle of love and hatred since [[spoiler:Seishirou is the [[ProfessionalKiller current assassin]] known as the Sakurazukamori, an enemy that the Sumeragi family has been fighting for generations. Seishirou should've killed Subaru when he witnessed him murder someone, but decided to make an odd sort-of bet between them, erasing their first meeting from Subaru's mind. After meeting and living together years after, Seishirou [[BreakTheCutie betrays Subaru]], leaving his life [[HeartbrokenBadass completely shattered]]]]. Nine years later, they find themselves on opposite sides of the war for the world in ''Manga/{{X1999}}'', but it's obvious their concentration is [[ItsPersonal more on each other]] than the planet's fate. The two's [[StellarName names are even taken from stars]]: Seishirou after "Orion", the constellation that appears to be pursuing "Pleiades", which gives Subaru his.
** And as revealed by ''Manga/{{X1999}}'', [[spoiler:Subaru's sister Hokuto and Kakyou Kuzuki. ''The'' breaking point for Subaru and Seishirou was the latter's murder of Hokuto when she tried to save Subaru at the cost of her life; Kakyou was Hokuto's soulmate and as shown in the X OAV, he tried to save her to no avail. Years later, Kakyou's biggest wish is to die so he and Hokuto can be TogetherInDeath.]]
* A recurring theme of Creator/MakotoShinkai's works:
** ''Anime/VoicesOfADistantStar'' features an almost literal example of this. The two main characters are light-years apart due to her fighting in space, and due to mankind having FasterThanLightTravel without a corresponding SubspaceAnsible, her messages to him take years to reach; in the final act now-20 something him is receiving messages from still-15 her and as he remarks InUniverse, a message travel time of years might as well be forever. In the second novel, ''Words of Love/Across the Stars'', [[spoiler:Noboru outright goes AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder in the gap of time between messages, rationalising that they never formalised their relationship.]] That said, the very last scene contains blink and you miss it allusions, made explicit in the manga adaptation, to his joining the SpaceNavy gearing up for a rescue mission, meaning there might be a chance they could get together after all.
** ''Anime/ThePlacePromisedInOurEarlyDays'': Hiroki and Sayuri struggle with their feelings for each other because the latter disappeared from the former's life and, by the time he finds her again years later, she is in a coma. [[spoiler:Even after she is awoken, she loses her memories of her romantic feelings for him. He vows to start over from the beginning and try to make it work; whether it does, we don't get to find out.]]
** Takaki and Akari in ''Anime/FiveCentimetersPerSecond'' are an interesting example; their parents' moving for work means they keep getting separated and their relationship unravels over the years as communication slows and ceases, but they still have ''marginally'' more of a chance at a happy ending than most examples. As far as poor Kanae is concerned, this too applies; after struggling with CannotSpitItOut for much of the second act, her AnguishedDeclarationOfLove is interrupted by the much-foreshadowed rocket launch and she decides to let it be instead, but the manga ending suggests that she eventually meets Takaki again and tries her luck once more. Whether it works out is never shown.
** In ''Anime/TheGardenOfWords'', not only is there a sizeable age gap between Takao and Yukari, but also [[spoiler:the potential ethical issues of a teacher-student romance; at the end, Yukari moves away to take up a new teaching position, but the possibility still exists that they might reunite in the future.]]
** ''Anime/YourName'' carries on the tradition; not only are Taki and Mitsuha separated by spatial distance, [[spoiler:but by time and death too; in Taki's original timeline, the passing comet Tiamat - an almost literal falling star - 3 years ago split off a meteor that killed Mitsuha. That said, by the end of the film, they finally reunite, with the strong implication that they get together at last.]]
** ''Anime/WeatheringWithYou'' has Hodaka Morishima and Hina Amano. To elaborate, Hodaka is a runaway from an upper middle-class family that physically abuses him and Hina is an atmokinetic pauper. What's more is that they're both living in Tokyo, which is doomed to sink from constant rainfall. The story also follows suit from two different angles: The first is the police trying to send Hodaka back to his island home while social services are trying to take Hina and her brother Nagi in due to their orphan status. The second is [[spoiler:Hina's fate as the sunshine girl to be sacrificed in exchange for stable weather.]] In the end, [[spoiler:this is subverted; Hodaka rescues Hina heedless of the cost, and despite being caught and sent back to finish his high schooling afterwards, they eventually reunite.]]
* Two of Creator/MitsuruAdachi's manga series feature romances forbidden by feuding parents. In ''Manga/{{Rough}}'', the parents run rival confectionery businesses. In ''Katsu!'', the fathers are former boxing rivals. In both cases, the girl's father is more rabid than the boy's father.
* [[spoiler:Hiromi Oka and Coach Jin Munakata]] from ''Manga/AimForTheAce'', mainly due to the fact [[spoiler:he was dying of leukemia by the time they met and fall in love.]]
* ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'': [[spoiler:Eren, with Mikasa. The final chapter reveals that he does return her feelings and would love nothing more than to start a relationship with her. Unfortunately, circumstances outside of their control separate the two, and Mikasa is ultimately left with no choice but to kill him to save humanity.]]
* ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'', which is essentially a Japanese Tokugawa-era send up of "Romeo and Juliet", has its star crossed lovers: Gennosuke from the Kouga and Oboro from the Iga. They even make reference to the old belief that star-crossed lovers will be reborn as twin siblings.
** Also, the beginning of the show shows another pair of star crossed lovers: [[spoiler:Koga Danjou and Iga Ogen, Gennosuke's grandpa and Oboro's grandma respectively.]]
** Probably, also Kagero and Gennosuke. She would've been an excellent prospect for him except for her being BlessedWithSuck and him [[PerfectlyArrangedMarriage truly liking his arranged fiancee Oboro]], thus she's stuck as the UnluckyChildhoodFriend and that takes a HUGE toll on her emotional well-being.
* In ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'', it's almost as if fate has made it its personal mission to ensure that Guts and Casca ''never'' find happiness. [[spoiler:That moment of love the two of them shared near the waterfall in the Golden Age Arc was the closest they came to it before the Eclipse went down and [[FromBadToWorse everything literally went completely to Hell]]. [[RapeLeadsToInsanity Ever since Casca lost her sanity from a brutal rape at the hands of her former superior turned archdemon -- Griffith --]] she can no longer understand human emotion and [[AmnesiacLover has no recollection of her relationship with Guts.]] Even with her sanity recently restored, she cannot even look at Guts or speak his name without the horrible Eclipse memories coming back, and only time will tell if she and Guts can still be together.]]
* In ''Literature/BeyondTheBoundary'', we have Akihito and Mirai. Akihito is a half-human, half-youmu hybrid. Mirai is from a spirit hunter clan whose blood is deadly to youmu. [[spoiler:Even worse, it's revealed that Mirai was given a mission to assassinate Akihito because the youmu inside him, known as Beyond the Boundary, is a powerful reality warper who could potentially destroy the world.]]
* In ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', a fairly strong case can be made for the YakuzaPrincess Yukio Washimine and the badass Yakuza Ginji Matsuzaki. On one hand Ginji's loyalties lie solely with Yukio [[BodyguardCrush and his reasons are all but stated to be romantic]], whereas Rock speculates that Yukio's decision to take over the Washimine clan came from her desire to be with Ginji. On the other, they were subjected to an absolutely ''brutal'' breaking process that involved: an all-out war against Hotel Moscow, the bloody betrayal of a group of the Washimine yakuzas [[spoiler:where Yukio was physically/sexually humiliated by the ringleader and Ginji [[PayEvilUntoEvil took an horrible yet well-deserved revenge on him]], Ginji's death in a duel with Revy]] and, right after the last one, [[spoiler:Yukio commiting suicide rather than [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled facing Balalaika in dishonor]] ''and'' being without Ginji.]]
* Mari and Hagino from ''Manga/BlueDrop'' are divided by the fact that [[InterspeciesRomance one is a high school student and the other the commander of an alien battleship]], whose people plan to invade earth.
* Arguably averted in ''Anime/BlueSubmarineNo6''. Hayate and Muteo part ways at the end because she has to look after a emotionally-devastated Verg and he has to help in the rebuilding effort of what remains of humanity. However, it's implied by the final episode ending credits, that they will eventually get back together again once things finally settle down.
* In volume one of ''Manga/{{Bizenghast}}'', two spirits needing to be released are those of a young pair of lovers. They had wanted to marry, but the [[ParentalMarriageVeto man's mother refused to let him marry a girl of slightly-lower status.]] So one night, during a ball, the man stabbed his lover in the back as they danced before killing himself. As Dina frees their souls, the young woman's ghost whispers to her lover ''"I forgive you..."''
* In ''Manga/BoardingSchoolJuliet'', Dahlia Academy has two factions at constant war with each other. In spite of this, their first year leaders, Romio Inuzuka of the Black Dogs and Juliet Percia of the White Cats fall in love. Their relationship officially begins at the end of the very first chapter, and they spend the rest of the series hiding their SecretRelationship from their peers. If they get discovered, it's social suicide; not just their schoolmates, but their respective countries, would turn on them. [[spoiler:It's later revealed that this wasn't the first time it happened. Romio's mother and Percia's father were also previously in a SecretRelationship during their time in Dahlia, and instantly became pariahs after their secret is outed.]]
* In the manhwa ''Manhwa/TheBrideOfTheWaterGod'', the couple Habaek and Nakbin who, according to Su Wang Mo were destined only as passing friends fell deeply in love with each other amidst the deceit and controversy which resulted to Nakbin's death just to protect Habaek. That after her death, both made drastic decisions in order to meet again. With Habaek requiring human girls as sacrifice, and Nakbin escaping the world of the dead by deceiving the god governing it. In the end, their efforts are futile as circumstances always lead to Nakbin choosing death instead of forsaking Habaek along with the fact that he is already connected by the red string to Soah. And even though Habaek admitted that he can never let go of his longing for his first bride, just like the leaves and the flowers of the Spider Lily, the two of them can only long for each other but will never be reunited. Though currently, Nakbin is reincarnated as a human without a memory as conditioned by Hoo-ye to Su Wang Mo.
* ''Manga/CaseClosed'' has several cases:
** Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri. While their feelings [[BelligerentSexualTension have been kinda wavering]] for quite the while, as time passes they have grown stronger - but Shinichi is trapped in the body of a little boy (the titular Conan) and cannot openly tell Ran who he is, lest she and his friends will be targeted by the same evil organization that shrunk him. In the meantime poor Ran waits for Shinichi's return...
** [[spoiler:Hideomi Nagato and Miyuki Hyuuga]]. First, [[spoiler:he and his friend Mitsuaki caused the fire that killed Miyuki's parents]]. Second, [[spoiler:Hideomi had a HeelRealization, then returned and saved little Miyuki but was badly burned]]. Third, [[spoiler:while he helped Miyuki out as much as he could, Hideomi thoroughly hated himself due to guilt]]. Fourth, and the most important reason: [[spoiler:when Miyuki fell for him despite ''knowing'' what he had done and asked him to marry her... Hideomi crossed the DespairEventHorizon and committed suicide.]] It went FromBadToWorse later.
** [[spoiler:Shuichi Akai and Akemi Miyano]] were this as well in the past. [[spoiler:He started dating her only to strengthen his position as TheMole for the Black Organization, but seeing that she was an AntiVillain and that she liked him ''despite'' suspecting that he was using her [[BecomingTheMask made him change his mind]]. When he was found out he tried to get her to come with him, but she refused because her little sister was an Org. member and she didn't want to abandon her. And few afterwards, after a last and failed attempt to free herself and her sister, she was murdered.]]
** Additionally, [[spoiler:Natalie Kuruma and Wataru Date. Things were going relatively well, they were about to get engaged... but right before that, Date was run over by a car in front of his best friend and died. Natalie found out by chance, identified his corpse, and hung herself in grief. [[FromBadToWorse And then]] her ParentalSubstitute mistakenly believed that she had gone the SpurnedIntoSuicide way...]]
* Chrono of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'' has the worst luck when it comes to relationships. First, he meets [[spoiler:Mary Magdalene]], who informs him after he's known her for months that [[spoiler:she has had prophetic dreams since she was a child that he would be the one to take her life. He does, although not in the way either one expects. He's so guilt-ridden over her death that he sleeps for 50 years in her tomb, waiting for his energy to deplete to join her in death.]] But Rosette Christopher comes and wakes him up from his years of slumber, and things start to be going good for him...until her brother Joshua is kidnapped by Aion and he's forced to make a contract with her, slowly draining away at her life. In the anime [[spoiler:they die together, Rosette as a result of the contract and Chrono from his wounds in the final battle]], but in the manga [[spoiler:they spend six years apart, and Chrono arrives back to her side just in time for her to die in his arms. It's implied that he lives on for decades afterwards.]]
* In ''Manga/CityHunter'', some of the [[GirlOfTheWeek featured girls]] in a given story arc are either the results of their parents' doomed romance or at least related to someone in such.
** The parents of Etsuko, one of the girls who audition for a movie, met once many years prior to the start of the series. They wanted to marry each other, but ended up separating because everyone around them opposed it, never to see each other again. [[note]]Etsuko's mother told her about her father while she was alive. Her father, meanwhile, goes on to have a family of his own, though he regards Etsuko's mother as TheOneThatGotAway and is unaware that Etsuko's mother was already pregnant by the time of their separation.[[/note]] Etsuko joined the audition precisely because she hoped to see her father, who would direct the very movie for which she auditions.
** The story of the parents of Kimiko, a seventeen-year-old girl with UnwantedHarem, is this trope in a nutshell.[[note]] To elaborate: Kimiko's parents loved each other and wanted to get married, but Kimiko's paternal grandmother, who saw [[GoldDigger too many women after her son and too many men after her, all with only getting their wealthy estates in mind]], could only see Kimiko's mother as just yet another GoldDigger, and so sent her son aboard with an employee of hers, in the hope of getting her son to forget about Kimiko's mother through work. It backfired horribly. The plot is quite similar to ''Romeo and Juliet'', except that Romeo and Juliet both ended up dying of natural causes (the would-be husband, heartbroken over being separated from his OneTrueLove, suffered from DespairEventHorizon-induced DeathByDespair while the would-be wife ended up with DeathByChildbirth) and that they had a child -- Kimiko -- in this scenario, though the would-be husband never found out about him having a daughter right up to his dying moment and his mother didn't find out about Kimiko until he was long gone.[[/note]] This is why Kimiko has been [[RaisedByGrandparents raised by her maternal grandfather]].
** [[PhantomThief Kasumi]]'s grandmother turns out to have been in such a situation.[[note]] Long ago, she was in love with a man who was not of the family, but she and the man separated due to her family rules. While she went on to have a family of her own, up to and including Kasumi herself (though she still misses him), the man stayed a bachelor for life. Ryo discovers the backstory via a combination of his detective work and the confiding of the man's side of the story, told to Ryo by the man's adoptive son.[[/note]]
* ''Anime/CodeGeass'' has two couples like this: Ougi and Viletta, then Lelouch and Shirley. [[spoiler:The first ones subvert the trope and get their happy ending, even if YMMV on that... the second couple plays it straight, with Shirley dying in Lelouch's arms. The movie series have a more complicated case, starting with Lelouch's own death still happening [[SparedByTheAdaptation with her now being there to see it.]]]]
** Euphemia and Suzaku are another pair. Although they were on the same sides, Suzaku was still considered inferior. [[spoiler:And Euphemia still died.]] At the same time, Lelouch is implied to have some [[IncestSubtext affection]] for Euphemia while being on the opposite side [[spoiler:to the point of saying she was "the first woman I loved" when he was forced to MercyKill her]] and Euphie brings up how she once wanted to marry him when they were kids.
** There's also Lelouch and Kallen, in a more traditional example. They did share goals, and she [[BodyguardCrush even served as his bodyguard]], but eventually [[spoiler:he became an EvilOverlord, and she [[LovedINotHonourMore was driven by those very same ideals to fight him]]. That being said, Lelouch was intentionally invoking this trope -- he knew that Kallen would abandon those ideals if he told her that he loved her, even if it was a lie. Knowing that Zero Requiem would end in his death, he pushed her away, not wanting to drag her down with him. On top of that, it's ambiguous whether Lelouch saw Kallen as a LoveInterest (at the least, he ''could'' have) though Kallen's affections for Lelouch as Zero are very clear.]]
* [[spoiler:Remy Matsuda and Merril Benten Tamagawa]] from ''Anime/CyberCityOedo808'', since [[spoiler:she's a sort-of vampire/human hybrid and he's a human AntiHero who must take her down. It ends with them sharing a LastKiss before Benten puts Remy in a capsule and shoots it into outer space.]]
* ''Manga/DGrayMan'':
** Any person who tried to make a deal with the Earl to bring back their loved one, which would only end badly for both parties.
** Krory, an Exorcist and Eliade, an Akuma. It was his nature to destroy Akuma and it was her nature to kill Exorcists. [[spoiler:He ends up killing her before he joins the Black Order.]]
** Taken [[SerialEscalation further]] with [[spoiler:Kanda and Alma, who were [[ReincarnationRomance lovers in a previous life]], only to be brought back to life by the Black Order as part of the failed super Exorcist program. Then Alma was driven mad into a massive killing spree and Kanda was forced to kill him. Only for Alma to not be dead and fought Kanda to the death again when he was revived. But this time, thanks to Allen, Kanda is able to send Alma to the afterlife in more or less peace, and later come back.]]
* Kazuya and Erika in ''Anime/{{Daimos}}''. Kazuya is the pilot of Daimos, defender of Earth from the Balm invaders. While Erika is the little sister of Richter, Prince of Balm and leader of the invasion. [[spoiler:They get their happy ending, but not before much heartbreak.]]
* Both the protagonists and the rival in ''Anime/Danganronpa3TheEndOfHopesPeakHighSchool'' are unfortunate enough to be in this type of relationship:
** [[TheHero Makoto]] and Kyoko: [[spoiler:Her Forbidden Action is "surviving past the fourth round with Makoto Naegi alive", meaning that if [[KillTheOnesYouLove she doesn't kill him herself]], the poison in her bracelet will kill her. [[HeroicSacrifice She chooses to give up her life for his]], but is fortunately revealed to have survived in ''Side:Hope''.]] The opening even lampshades this by showing her falling away from him as they reach desperately for each other's hands.
** [[AntiHero Hajime]]/[[spoiler:[[HeroicNeutral Izuru]]]] and Chiaki: Hajime's own insecurities caused him to view himself as [[InsecureLoveInterest unworthy of her]], leading to him [[spoiler:volunteering for [[DeathOfPersonality the Kamukura Project]]]]. His new self, Izuru, [[AmnesiacLover loses all memories of Chiaki]] and falls in cahoots with [[BigBad Junko]], who ultimately murders Chiaki. It's only after he watches her bleed to death that Izuru [[NotSoStoic is stirred to weep]], and he then [[TragicKeepsake carries her hairpin around]] [[TheMourningAfter for the rest of the series]].
** [[TheRival Kyosuke]] and Chisa: At first, they seemed like a happy OfficialCouple, but are quickly torn apart by [[spoiler:her death in the first episode of ''Side: Future'']]. ''Side: Despair'' later reveals that [[spoiler:Chisa was tortured and brainwashed by [[BigBad Junko]], becoming evil and acting as her mole, meaning she was working for the very side her boyfriend had vowed to destroy all along]]. It's even worse when one considers that [[spoiler:Kyosuke's ''other'' friend, Juzo, [[ArmoredClosetGay also was in love]] with [[EvenTheGuysWantHim him]], kept it a secret [[{{Gayngst}} both out of fear]] and to not ruin Kyosuke and Chisa's bond, and died in a mix of HeroicSacrifice and RedemptionEqualsDeath while mistakenly believing that Kyosuke hated him, when in reality Kyosuke desperately wanted Juzo's forgiveness.]]
* ''Manga/DearBrother'':
** In the anime, Mariko tells Tomoko and Nanako about the legend of two lovers who died in Seiran School. They were separated by their different social class and [[SuicidePact killed themselves to not be torn apart]], under the biggest elm tree in the garden. [[spoiler:It's the same tree that Rei waited for ''hours'' underneath, under Fukiko's orders, causing her to catch a huge fever.]]
** [[spoiler:Nanako and Rei]] might qualify as well. Especially in the anime [[spoiler:where Rei dies in an accident right when she was going [[StoodUp to meet up with Nanako]], in what's all but stated to have been ''this'' close to become their first date.]]
* ''Manga/DragonQuestTheAdventureOfDai'': Baran and Soara's story is very close to a classic ''Romeo and Juliet'' plot, except here Romeo goes ''horribly wrong'' and they have a kid with Infant Immortality.
* [[VillainProtagonist Lucy]] and Kouta in ''Manga/ElfenLied''. Not only do both of them have massive issues (Kouta is an amnesiac, Lucy is a Diclonius and has been rejected by almost everyone in her life until he and Yuka took her in), but there's how [[spoiler:Lucy ''killed Kouta's dad and sister'' in the middle of a killing spree coming from her cracking under the pressure]].
* ''Manga/EvyioneOceanFantasy'': Yashin and Evyione. Not only is Yashin a merman and Evyione a human, but Evyione is also a princess [[ArrangedMarriage and very few of Evyione's life choices are actually made by her]]. If Evyione chooses Yashin, there will be severe political and personal consequences for her.
* ''Manga/FairyTail'':
** Erza Scarlett and Jellal Fernandez. Both have confessed (or been interupted while confessing) to have loved one another, spend more time thinking about one another than any other potential couple in the series (except maybe the two background characters whose whole schtick is not being able to confess their love), have displayed a ''telepathic ability to tell when one is in trouble or rooting for them'', and every time they're about to get a chance to be together something will happen to take Jellal away, like corruption, or death, or arrest, in that order. And even disregarding ''that'', Jellal is utterly convinced that Erza [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy deserves someone much better than himself]] (a vigilante on the run from the law) as a lover, even going so far as to lie (badly) about already having a fiance, which Erza sees through but accepts reluctantly since she has no intention of forcing him into a relationship he's not ready for. [[spoiler:The epilogue reveals that Jellal was pardoned by the newly crowned Queen Hisui, meaning that he and Erza can finally be together. While Erza claims that "it's complicated", it's suggested that she and Jellal will get together one day]].
** A more straight example would be [[spoiler:Zeref Dragneel and Mavis Vermilion, the BigBad and BigGood, respectively]]. Ankhseram's Curse denied them any chance at happiness together -- as a curse of contradictions, [[spoiler:Zeref's]] love for [[spoiler:Mavis]] allowed her curse to be broken and be killed by their first and only kiss. It was her death that caused [[spoiler:Zeref's true StartOfDarkness]]. It becomes FridgeHorror when one realizes that [[spoiler:Mavis ''didn't'' die. Her body was killed but her spirit became an AstralProjection that can only be seen by members of Fairy Tail, and it's implied she spent much of this existence by Zeref's side. Zeref himself admitted to being able to feel her presence, but as he wasn't a member of the guild, he was unable to interact with her. It makes what Ankhseram did all the more crueler: they were both among the living still, but couldn't be a part of each other's lives. Eventually, [[TogetherInDeath they finally die together through the use of the One Magic]]. ]]
* ''Literature/TheFamiliarOfZero'' has [[spoiler:Louise's best friend, Princess Henrietta of Tristam, and her boyfriend ''and'' [[KissingCousins first cousin]] Prince Wales of Albion.]] At first politics prevent them from being together officially, [[SecretRelationship so they have covert meetings]]. Then [[spoiler:Wales is murdered by Louise's treacherous ex-boyfriend Jeean-Jacques, and later a heartbroken Henrietta ends up giving an AnguishedDeclarationOfLove... to the copy of poor Wales's body, animated with a little of his soul.]]
* If you're a [[EasternZodiac Member of the Zodiac]] in ''Manga/FruitsBasket'', you and your beloved will be Star-Crossed Lovers. The only question is whether you get scarred by Akito (physically, mentally, or both), or just never confess your love and languish in your misery. [[spoiler:When Akito is defeated ''and'' has a HeelFaceTurn thanks to Tohru, the curse is slowly broken and the major part of the separated/unconfessed couples get together..]]
* ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003'':
** Edward Elric and Winry Rockbell somewhat fit into this category. They are hinted to either have mutual feelings, or one of them has UnrequitedLove for the other. But whatever the case, Ed's fate and decisions have kept them apart time after time. And in the movie ''[[Anime/FullmetalAlchemistTheConquerorOfShamballa Conqueror of Shamballa]]'', this trope especially fits-- Edward has to go back for the sake of his world's safety, leaving Winry solo. She even says with a melancholy gaze, "That's Ed. I know it. I guess this is goodbye for good..."
** The same could be said for Ed and Rose. Rose is in love with Edward, however Ed's feelings are more ambiguous (though, he does blush when Rose confesses to him and he never technically rejected it). The two end up split up when Edward goes back [[spoiler:across the Gate]] in ''Conqueror of Shamballa'', stopping any potential romance before it began.
* ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'' and its prequels have plenty of these, especially among [[BodyguardCrush the Mikos and some of their potential Senshi]]:
** In the backstory and in ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'', Uruki and Takiko "Genbu no Miko" Okuda are more or less get together, [[ForegoneConclusion but everyone knows what happened to her in the end.]] [[spoiler:If the reader doesn't know, well, here it is: Takiko was being devoured from the inside by Genbu as a side-effect of having been a Miko; everyone else thought she had fallen victim to a SoapOperaDisease (and to be fair, she was already an ill girl) but her father knew the truth, so he {{Mercy Kill}}ed her and commited suicide afterwards. Takiko lived enough to make her wishes and [[DiedinyourArmsTonight die in Uruki's arms]]; he [[TheMourningAfter never married]] and became TheGoodKing. (Still, [[ReincarnationRomance their next reincarnations]] [[EarnyourHappyEnding got their happy ending]]).]]
** In the backstory and the upcoming ''Manga/FushigiYuugiByakkoSenki'', [[GreenThumb Tatara]] and [[{{Miko}} Suzuno, the Byakko no Miko]] embody this. They fell in love, and Suzuno summoned Byakko and asked him to keep her and Tatara together forever. Byakko said he couldn't do that, and had to send her back to her own world in Tokyo. She eventually [[SecondLove married someone from our world]] and raised a family more or less happily, while he asked a TimeMaster fellow Seishi to stop time for him so he could guard the [[MacGuffin Shinzaho]] better -- but they never forgot each other. Decades later, the old and widowed Suzuno died in her grandson Toki's home of old age, Tatara died in a battle in the book, and in the meantime Miaka's brother Keisuke read to the dying Suzuno about her lover's destiny. [[AdaptationExpansion In the anime]], their souls are reunited across space and time [[TogetherInDeath to spend the afterlife together]].
** It doesn't even ''have'' to happen between Mikos and Seishis. [[spoiler:Uruki's cousin Firuka and Urumiya Hagas]] from ''Manga/FushigiYuugiGenbuKaiden'' were this as well, [[spoiler:with him loving Firuka [[BecauseYouWereNiceToMe because she]] [[IOweYouMyLife was kind to him]] [[FlorenceNightingaleEffect in his moment of need]] [[TheStoic but being unable to show it properly]], and Firuka believing her love for him was onesided even after he died in his SelfSacrificeScheme to free his brother Tegu, who ultimately tells her how much Hagas loved her. (In a slightly happier note, Tegu becomes Firuka's SecondLove, and one of their descendants became Uruki's successor.)]]
* [[spoiler:Chigusa Tsukikage and Ichiren Osaki]] in ''Manga/GlassMask''. The world also seems to be hell-bent on keeping Maya and Masumi away.
* In ''Manga/FutureDiary'', Yukiteru eventually develops feelings for Yuno, despite her being an AxCrazy {{Yandere}}, but unfortunately they are both Diary Holders in the competition to replace [[PhysicalGod Deus Ex Machina]], requiring one of them to kill the other (along with the rest of the Diary Holders) to prevent TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt.
* The main pairing of ''Literature/{{Gosick}}'', Kazuya Kujou and Victorique de Blois, lived under a prophecy stating that this would be the case for them, hearts entwined but separated by war. Ultimately, [[spoiler:the trope was averted: the war ended and finally the two found each other again]].
* Newtype romances, in any ''Franchise/{{Gundam}}'' series that includes Newtypes, generally do not end well. This goes double if Creator/YoshiyukiTomino, Mister Kill 'Em All himself, is actively involved in the series. Note that newtype analogs, like the Coordinators from SEED, don't really count (they tend to survive, and have stable relationships).
** [[spoiler:Unless you see Stellar and Shinn's bond as romantic. Then, they get the raw-est part of the deal. Not helped by how Stellar's last words are "Shinn... I love you". If they don't count, is there a sort-of trope that is an equal of "Star Crossed Lovers", but with friends and family?]]
** Also, while [[spoiler:Kira and Lacus]] ''do'' get their happy ending, [[spoiler:Kira and his first girlfriend Fllay]] count as this. [[spoiler:She started out as a {{Yandere}} who pretended to love him to get revenge since he didn't save her father from a really messy death, [[BecomingTheMask then truly fell for him]] when he showed her genuine kindness... but she could only sort-of tell him her true feelings ''after'' she was murdered by the BigBad, as her soul managed to have a last talk with the grief-stricken Kira before he fought and killed said BigBad.]]
** Saji Crossroad and Louise Halevy fit this trope after the WhamEpisode of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'', [[spoiler:where she became her family's SoleSurvivor and lost her hand as well]]. The second season has them fighting on opposite sides, [[spoiler:as he's forced to join Celestial Being as their TagalongKid to save his life and she's become a DarkActionGirl for the A-Laws. [[EarnYourHappyEnding It takes them LOTS of effort to get back together]].]]
*** Lyle Dylandy and [[spoiler:Anew Returner]]. It starts well but ends up terribly, since [[spoiler:she turns out to be an Innovator ManchurianAgent and betrays Celestial Being when her "trigger" (her Innovator twin Revive Revival) appears and "resets" her. When Lyle offers her a LastSecondChance she almost takes it, only to be mind controlled by Ribbons Almark into fighting him anyway and she eventually has to be killed by Setsuna to keep her from killing Lyle.]]
** The ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing'' novel ''Frozen Teardrop'' give us [[spoiler:Treize's parents, Ein Yuy and Angelina Khushrenada. They tried to run away to escape the ParentalMarriageVeto coming from her family, but her SmugSnake father Cinquante kidnapped Angelina back into the clan and got Ein killed. She was so broken that she went insane with grief.]] Also, [[spoiler:Trowa Phobos and Kathy Winner ''may'' end up as this too.]]
** And now we have [[spoiler:Flit Asuno and Yurin L'Ciel]] from ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamAGE''. [[spoiler:Yurin dies in the WhamEpisode, and while Flit marries his childhood friend Emily and they're still together after the TimeSkip, Yurin's death was also his StartOfDarkness ''and'' Emily simply can't fill the void she left.]]
*** From the Third Generation [[spoiler:Kio Asuno and Lu Anon. It's bad enough that Kio's from Earth and Lu's from Vagan, but Lu [[YourDaysAreNumbered also suffers from an incurable disease due to Mars Ray exposure.]] While Kio eventually got her medicine (which only relieves the symptoms and doesn't actually cure the illness), she dies in Episode 38, leaving Kio heartbroken as he escapes Vagan with his father.]]
* ''Manga/HaikaraSanGaTooru'' has ''three'' of these:
** First is [[spoiler:the main characters, NiceGuy Shinobu and TheLadette Benio, after Shinobu goes MIA and later has TraumaInducedAmnesia.]]. They get better, [[BreakTheCutie but not before MUCH heartbreak]].
** In the backstory, [[spoiler:Shinobu's grandmother and Benio's grandfather, who were in a PerfectlyArrangedMarriage but were torn apart by political/social standings (One family was pro-Shogunate, another supported the Meiji Restoration.) The reason why the leads were betrothed was a sort-of promise made to them: if their kids or grandkids have a chance to marry, they'd be engaged to do so as a sort-of solace.]]
** And there's more! [[spoiler:Shinobu's own parents were an example, too. His father was a member of the Iijyuin clan, but his mother/Colonel Iijyuin's mistress was a German woman. [[MalignedMixedMarriage They couldn't marry]] due to social standing and her heritage, so after Shinobu's birth she was forced to leave her child in the care of his paternal family and leave Japan.]]
* [[spoiler:Jeudi's parents Friederich and Helene]] in ''Manga/HonooNoAlpenRose''. Specially because [[spoiler:they ''did'' get married and had Alicia/Jeudi, but then they had to run away from Austria to Switzerland, Helene and Jeudi went missing, and it went FromBadToWorse.]]
** As things get worse and worse, it seems the Universe itself is conspiring to give Lundi and Jeudi trouble. Specially [[spoiler:when Lundi disappears when the train he and Jeudi have boarded to reach Austria is caught in a bomb attack, and Jeudi has to go to Austria alone.]]
* In ''Manga/HungryMarie'', Anna's father (a Catholic priest) and Taiga's grandmother (a Taoist priest) do not approve of the two having contacts with the "enemy". It's mostly played for laughs though.
* In ''Literature/TheIdealSpongerLife'', each nation's royal family jealously guards their RoyaltySuperPower, such as the Capuan Space-Time magic. About a hundred fifty years before the start of the story, a Capuan prince fell in love with a princess from a neighboring kingdom. Both families opposed their marriage and he used Space-Time magic to elope to another world, disappearing from history. [[spoiler:Their descendent Zenjiro is summoned to marry into the Capuan royal family devastated by war. Negotiations with the other kingdom over the status of a child who may inherit powers from both bloodlines, or the possibility of Zenjiro taking concubines, are very tense.]]
* ''Manga/{{Inuyasha}}'': Inuyasha and Kikyo thanks to Naraku's making them think they betrayed each other, fatally injuring Kikyou AND making her seal him. Later she's forcibly revived by a witch, and things aren't much easier as he's starting to fall for her reincarnation Kagome ''and'' she's filled with rage and pain. [[spoiler:In the end, she dies again but much more peacefully, in Inuyasha's arms.]]
* ''Anime/JewelpetSunshine'': Ruby and Mikage love each other but can't be together because Jewelpet/human love is taboo. [[spoiler:They manage to get together at the end, but only because Mikage compromises by becoming a Jewelpet himself.]]
* Tomoe from ''Manga/KamisamaKiss'' has this as his default view on human/youkai relationships. [[spoiler:Naturally, he ends up in one such relationship with Nanami.]]
* [[TheOjou Akiko Hashou]] and [[CountryMouse Takao "Taka" Itou]] from the old jousei manga ''Manga/KaseiYakyoku''. [[{{Meido}} Sara Uchida's]] own love on Taka doesn't have much more hope, either, and it's even worse when [[spoiler:she ''does'' get something close to a love declaration as well a passionate sex from him... and then [[FromBadToWorse The Great Kanto Earthquake destroys Tokyo]].]]
* Aslan and Paiva in ''Manga/KazeToKiNoUta'' in the {{backstory}} of the manga. Their son Serge's relationship with Gilbert dosen't fare well either, but considering that it took place in 1880's Europe, it was bound to happen.
* ''Manga/KishinDoujiZenki'' has two cases like this:
** The {{Warrior Monk}} [[spoiler:Souma Miki]] and the ActionGirl [[spoiler:Anju]] trained together and were heading towards ChildhoodFriendRomance, but [[spoiler:she was caught by the BigBad Karuma and then BrainwashedAndCrazy into becoming her follower, then into killing her former companions. Only Souma survived and he believed Anju to be a traitor for years, not knowing that her memories were erased; when he calls her out on it, she begins to recover them...]]
** Later, there's [[spoiler:Inugami and Sayaka. Inugami is the Prince of the Demon World, a half-demon young man who opposes Zenki in the second part of the series; on the other hand Sayaka is one of {{the hero}}ine Chiaki's {{muggle best friend}}s. Inugami is at first cold and uncaring, but slowly begins to [[DefrostingIceKing defrost]] as Sayaka starts getting to him...]]
* ''Anime/KnightHunters''.
** [[spoiler:Kikuno and Shuichi Takatori]] were very in love, but she was forced to marry [[spoiler:his evil older brother Reiji]]. Then [[FromBadToWorse it got worse]]... [[spoiler:Specially for their [[HeroicBastard off-marriage]] child, Mamoru Takatori... aka Omi Tsukiyono.]]
** And later, [[spoiler:''Omi'' himself, when he falls for his cousin Ouka Sakaki... Reiji's illegitimate daughter [[DaddysGirl and the only person]] [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes he loves]]. And she's shot to death in his arms.]]
** Also, [[spoiler:Youji Kudou and Asuka Murase.]] So much that [[spoiler:he ends up killing her when she's the amnesiac DarkActionGirl Neu.]]
* The Anime/{{Leijiverse}} has the beautiful {{Space|Pirate}} PirateGirl [[Anime/QueenEmeraldas Emeraldas]] and the genius engineer and Anime/CaptainHarlock's [[BestFriend bro-for-life]] Tochiro Oyama. The two of them are very much in love, but across TheVerse's many continuities, circumstances always conspire to keep them apart until (usually) Tochiro dies heroically and/or tragically, leaving Emeraldas to roam the universe alone in her unmanned battleship. In only one continuity, the two of them spend enough time together to have a daughter, but even then the three of them are forced to go their separate ways.
* ''Anime/LupinIIITheSecretOfTwilightGemini'': Part of the film's backstory reveals [[spoiler:Dalune]] was formerly a member of the French foreign legion, while Lorre was both a dancer at the Geltic royal palace and a member of the royal family. They fell in love soon after they met and consumated their relationship not long afterward. Unfortunately, it was during a time when there was firece conflict between the Gelts and the Igo Tribes. The last time they saw each other was the day [[spoiler:the Geltic Tribe was forced to flee their ancestral home. Neither one knew Lorre was with child, which Dalune didn't become aware of until many years later, after Lorre had long since given birth and passed away]].
* Solomon and Sheba from ''Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic''. After knowing each other for five years and Sheba gaining a long unreciprocated crush on him, Solomon finally fell for her, they became a couple, and he got her pregnant. Their happiness was short lived since [[spoiler:Solomon fused his soul with Ill Ilah's Rukh in order to ScrewDestiny and had to leave Sheba behind. She only had his EmptyShell of a body left.]] Sheba was left alone and heartbroken, but decided to endure her grief in order to accomplish her beloved's dream, [[spoiler:only to be betrayed and killed by her former friends and die without getting the chance to meet her son Aladdin]].
* ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'': [[spoiler:Princess Esmeraude and [[BodyguardCrush Zagato]] are in love, but since Esmeraude is the local BarrierMaiden and she's required to dedicate herself ''only'' to Zephiro, as soon as her thoughts turn to him, Zephiro begins to crumble. Esmeraude intends to [[ICannotSelfTerminate summon the Magic Knights to kill her]] so a new Pillar can be chosen, but the desperate Zagato kidnaps her.]] Their situation is so bad, it's said that they can only be TogetherInDeath. [[spoiler:And that's what happens: as the Magic Knights kill Zagato believing him to be the BigBad, Esmeraude [[DespairEventHorizon cracks]] and her SuperpoweredEvilSide awakens. What's left of her conscience [[AstralProjection projects her image]] to the Knights and explains everything, begging them to kill her. As the girls slay her, they see Zagato and Esmeraude's souls together, and hear Esmeraude first thanking them for releasing her, then telling Zagato that she's finally all his'.]]
* Sankt Kaiser Olivie Sägebrecht and Hegemon Claus Ingvalt from ''Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid''. Long before they were crowned rulers of their respective countries, the two had grown up together to become very close. Alas, the Ancient Belka War happened, and they found themselves leading opposing sides, and in the end, Hegemon Ingvalt failed to stop Sankt Kaiser Olivie from performing the HeroicSacrifice [[CrystalDragonJesus that she would eventually be famed for]]. He would carry this regret all the way to his grave and beyond, with [[DarkMagicalGirl Einhard Stratos]], his descendant and [[MagiBabble sort-of]] {{Reincarnation}}, still carrying the sadness of his failure as she meets [[CloneJesus the clone of Olivie]], the MagicalGirl Vivio Takamachi...
* Meiko Akizuki and Shinichi "Nat-chan" Namura from ''Manga/MarmaladeBoy'', due to the HotForTeacher angle as well as [[UptownGirl the social class difference]] (Namura is middle-class, Meiko is TheOjou). [[spoiler:Subverted later: they ''do'' get their happy ending.]]
* Maya and Reina from ''Manga/MayasFuneralProcession''. [[spoiler:Not only are they half-sisters, but Maya later commits suicide.]]
* ''Mazinger'' saga:
** ''Anime/MazingerZ'': Shiro Kabuto and Lorelei. He was the little brother of Kouji Kabuto, TheHero and pilot of Mazinger-Z. She was the daughter of a foreign MadScientist, [[spoiler:or better said -- a RobotGirl built by that Madscientist, who wanted to prove he was better than Dr. Kabuto, builder of Mazinger-Z and Shiro's grandfather.]] What happened? [[spoiler:He built a HumongousMecha, Rhine X1, and a RobotGirl, Lorelei, that was meant to fuse with it to make it work. When the scientist got a fatal wound, he confessed the truth to her and pleaded her to defeat Mazinger; determined to fulfill her father's last will, Lorelei merged with Rhine and challenged Mazinger to a death match, so a very unhappy Kouji was forced to fight and kill her.]] Poor Shiro was devastated after that.
** ''Anime/UFORoboGrendizer'': Duke Fleed and Hikaru Makiba. Hikaru's father refused to accept their relationship, since Danbei was a BoyfriendBlockingDad was perfectly willing to killing any male came near from his daughter), but that was not the real obstacle (or an obstacle for that matter). The real obstacle was that Duke wanted to return his DoomedHometown of a planet to rebuild it if he managed surviving the war, whereas Hikaru did not want to leave Earth. Not matter what their feelings are, a separation is inevitable.
*** Also, [[spoiler:Duke and his fiancèe Rubina. Duke is Crown Prince of planet Fleed, a world was invaded and scorched by the troops of King Vega, and he now is fighting the Vegans to prevent them from conquering Earth. Rubina is King Vega's daughter, and [[EvenEvilHasLovedOnes the closest to a loved one]] that Vega had. They got engaged before the Fleed's invasion, but King Vega -who never agreed the engagement in first place-, refuses seeing his daughter getting married with Duke.]] Of course,''it ended up in tears''.
** Manga/ShinMazingerZero has ''Kouji Kabuto and Sayaka Yumi themselves''. [[spoiler:A RobotGirl named Minerva-X has witnessed almost 3000 timelines in which the world is destroyed. The trigger for this is ALWAYS the same one: Sayaka is horribly murdered (and in one continuity, raped before dying), Kouji crosses the DespairEventHorizon, becomes a WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds, and in no time Earth is destroyed [[EldritchAbomination by the out of control Mazinger]]. Poor Minerva has reset the timeline to [[DefiedTrope try averting these tragedies]] and help the star-crossed lovers stay together and alive, but it never works... until the present one, which may be the 'line in which both Sayaka and Kouji will survive and keep the world safe.]]
* In the ''Manga/MermaidMelodyPichiPichiPitch'' manga, Rina and Hanon both fall in love with humans, knowing full well that they will eventually have to leave them to rule over their kingdoms. (Hamasaki actually has a mermaid ancestor, but this seems inconsequential.) They tell Lucia this too, but her guy Kaitou turns out to be the prince of an ancient powerful race that can breathe underwater, so she's safe.
** Hippo and Yuuri. Hippo is a penguin who can turn into a little bishonen and is a guardian, fighting alongside the mermaid princesses. Yuuri is part of Gakupo's henchwomen, so they do end up falling love and fighting each other. At the end of the first season, [[spoiler:Yuuri gets turned back into her original non-human form and she and Hippo are separated]]. An episode in the second season revolved around the two [[spoiler:getting to meet for ''one night'' only in their human forms and she will disappear again when the sun rises. Half the episode is about how they are afraid to meet each other ''because'' it will be just for one night]]. It's a heartbreaking episode.
* In ''Anime/MillenniumActress'', the romance between Chiyoko and her on-the-run love interest never comes to fruition, though she is chasing him for most of her life.
* Shinji Ikari can be seen as having relationships like this with either [[spoiler:the [[CloningBlues second]]]] Rei Ayanami or Kaworu Nagisa in both ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' and the ''[[Anime/RebuildOfEvangelion Rebuild-Tetralogy]]''. In one way or another -- [[FromBadToWorse God it sucks to be Shinji]]
** Rei: She's perhaps the only person (other than [[spoiler:Kaworu]]) to give him unambigous, unconditional affection in his [[CosmicPlaything hell of a life]], and he's the only person to value her for herself, not her function as Mecha pilot, [[spoiler:ApocalypseMaiden]] or [[spoiler:ReplacementGoldfish]]. Too bad she's [[spoiler:a HalfHumanHybrid ArtificialHuman created to destroy the world, not to mention partially cloned from his dead mother and thus [[SurpriseIncest Shinji's half-sister]],]] with neither of them knowing that last bit. In the classic series, [[spoiler:she pulls a HeroicSacrifice to save his life]], in the Rebuild movies, [[spoiler:she gets eaten by an EldritchAbomination while he's in TenMinuteRetirement, and he ends up [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently]] causing TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt in a futile attempt to save her.]] [[GoMadFromTheRevelation Finding out what happened proves too much for his fragile and delicate mind]].
** Kaworu: In the classic series Shinji met Kaworu in one of the lowest points of his whole life (and that's saying a lot), was drawn immediately to him, Kaworu offered him kindness and told him that he loved him (whether romantically or not, he ''still'' said it)... [[spoiler:and then it turned out he was [[HoneyTrap an Angel in human form]], which completely shattered Shinji's mind. But Kaworu still cared, offered few to none physical resistance when Shinji confronted him, and ultimately allowed Shinji to kill him while saying that thanks to Shinji, his life was meaningful.]] And in the Rebuild series [[spoiler:he also approaches Shinji kindly after the heartbreaking deals with poor Rei, but ''also'' ends up sacrificing his life again.]]
** In the ''Girlfriend of Steel'' VisualNovel, Shinji and Mana. Out of nowhere comes this attractive, kind and energetic girl who openly shows interest in Shinji and the two of them hit off very well... until [[spoiler:Mana is revealed to be an [[BadassNormal ex-test pilot]] for a JSSDF HumongousMecha who got [[CareerEndingInjury severely injured in the course of her job]] but [[ResignationsNotAccepted wasn't allowed to quit]]. Instead, she got forced into seducing Shinji and using him to spy on NERV in order to find out the Evas' possible weaknesses - and ended up falling in love with him for real. When she tries to [[DefectingForLove defect for Shinji's sake]], she almost gets killed first by a JSSDF plainclothes commando unit then ''[[NoKillLikeOverkill an N2 mine]]'', with NERV deciding that whatever she knows is not worth the price of pissing off the entire Japanese military. In the end, Mana is forced to assume a false identity and disappear from Shinji's life, with neither having any illusions of ever seeing each other again.]]
** Gendo and his wife Yui, who died before the start of the series. [[LoveMakesYouEvil Everything Gendo has ever done, it's destined to get her back by his side.]]
** Misato and Kaji end up being this too, [[spoiler:after the latter is shot and killed by [[TheUnreveal an unknown assailant]]]].
* ''Manga/OnePiece'':
** Gold D. Roger is revealed to have had [[MyGirlBackHome a lover]], a PluckyGirl named [[spoiler:Portgas D. Rouge.]] [[spoiler:Around the time Roger was executed, Rogue was pregnant with their son; keenly aware that said baby's life would be in danger, she held the baby inside ''[[LongestPregnancyEver for twenty months]]'' [[MamaBear to protect them]], and [[DeathByChildbirth perished as soon as she gave birth]], entrusting baby Ace to Roger's WorthyOpponent Garp.]]
** It looks like [[spoiler:Vinsmoke Sanji]] and [[spoiler:Charlotte Pudding]] are heading towards this, as they fell in pretty much LoveAtFirstSight and in other circumstances [[BirdsOfAFeather they would've been an absolutely perfect match]]... yet not only [[spoiler:their marriage was arranged by two ''horrible'' people (Sanji's ArchnemesisDad Vinsmoke Judge and Pudding's EvilMatriarch Charlotte "Big Mom" Linlin)]], but [[spoiler:it would force Sanji to leave both his beloved TrueCompanions ''and'' his lifelong dream to reach the All Blue, essentially making him abandon ''everything'' he's ever stood for.]] And ''then'' it turns out that [[spoiler:Pudding is a [[DaddysLittleVillain Mommy's Little Villainess]] anyway, and played up the NiceGirl act [[HoneyTrap to sucker Sanji AND his family into her mother's plans]].]] And '''then''' [[spoiler:Sanji still giving her a kind comment on the ThirdEye [[FreakinessShame that Pudding hates so much]] has made her go through a sobbing VillainousBreakdown and ''not'' killing him.]]
* In ''Literature/OneStormyNight'', Mei and Gabu seem doomed to part ways because their InterspeciesRomance is frowned upon by both their kin. [[spoiler:Averted; they find one another again and stay together in the end.]]
* ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'':
** In "Lights, Camera, Quacktion!", a [[ShowWithinAShow movie]] called "Pokemon in Love" is filmed with this plot. A Wigglytuff and a Psyduck fall in love despite a war between Normal and Water Pokemon going on. Psyduck eventually sacrifices himself by [[TakingTheBullet shielding Wigglytuff from an arrow]], which ends the war.
** The male and female Nidoran from the Orange Islands episode "Wherefore Art Thou, Pokémon?", an obvious ShoutOut to ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet''. As a bonus, they are named Tony and Maria after the protagonists of ''Theatre/WestSideStory'', a modern take on the original play.
** In "Fear Factor Phony", after a run-in with some ghost-type Pokemon, Wobbuffet runs away, leaving behind the rest of Team Rocket. The ghosts are actually trying to live in peace and quiet, but the Psychic-type Pokemon in the nearby abandoned town are making too much noise. Team Rocket decides to help them in their plight. Around the same time, Wobbuffet runs into the aforementioned Psychic-types, and falls in LoveAtFirstSight with the Kirlia dancer (and she reciprocates!). When his teammates show up to kidnap the Psychic-types, Wobbuffet (usually a YesMan to the rest of Team Rocket) actively goes against them to protect her. Unfortunately, the romance was short-lived, since StatusQuoIsGod dictates that Wobbuffet stays with Team Rocket, and he winds up getting sent [[ATwinkleInTheSky flying]] without even saying goodbye.
* ''Anime/PrincessTutu''.
** Played straight with Tutu and the Prince in the fairytale inside the story, since the former is cursed to turn into a speck of light and vanish when she confesses her love.
** [[spoiler:Subverted by Ahiru and Fakir; Ahiru is forced to give up the pendant she uses to transform into a girl to save Mytho, but Fakir still promises to stay by her side, even though she's now just a duck.]]
** [[spoiler:''Almost'' played straight with Rue and Mytho, due to her being [[DarkMagicalGirl Princess Kraehe]] and him being cursed into a Raven... but Rue's AnguishedDeclarationOfLove ''and'' HeroicSacrifice unlock Mythos's feelings, revert him to a human, let him rescue her from her ArchnemesisDad, and earns them their happy ending.]]
* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':
** Hikoboshi and Orihime, the two lovers in Myth/JapaneseMythology who could only see each other once a year, are referenced when [[BelligerentSexualTension Ranma and Akane]] go to the Weaver festival in one chapter of the manga. The star-crossed lovers are mentioned again later on by a somewhat-delusional-from-being-fried-by-fireworks Ranma.
--->'''Ranma:''' ''[to the Akane in his dream]'' I feel as if we are... we are like Hikoboshi and Orihime when they finally met each other.
--->'''Akane:''' ''[the real one]'' Huh?
** In the anime, two one-shot characters, Princess Ori and Kengyu, are a play on Hikoboshi and Orihime, as well.
* ''Anime/RomeoXJuliet'', [[TropeNamer given the]] [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet source material.]] Leontes Montague and his men lead a bloody coup and murder all the members of ruling House Capulet. Only Lord Capulet's young daughter, Juliet, is able to escape. Fourteen years later, Juliet fights against House Montague's oppression as the masked vigilante "The Red Whirlwind". While attending the Rose Ball hosted by the Montagues with a friend, Juliet meets Romeo, Prince Montague's son, and both of them fall deeply in {{love at first sight}}. Their tragic end is quite different from the original, though. [[spoiler:It's revealed the daughters of the Capulet family are the seeds of Escalus, the tree which holds Neo Verona in the air and thus must sacrificially merge with it to keep it alive. At the end after the battle against Montague, Romeo frees Juliet from Escalus, but is fatally stabbed in the process. When he dies, Juliet decides to merge with Escalus, whilst holding Romeo in her arms so she can save Neo Verona and die together with Romeo.]]
* ''Manga/TheRoseOfVersailles'':
** Oscar and André. They're [[ChildhoodFriendRomance childhood friends who grew up together and later fall in love with each other]], but since Oscar is a noble and André is her servant, they aren't allowed to get married. [[spoiler:They do get together, but the day after their first night together, André dies while protecting Oscar in battle and she gets killed in action too during the Storming of the Bastille, as she spends her final moments wishing to reunite with André in the afterlife.]]
** UsefulNotes/MarieAntoinette and Count Fersen. They [[LoveAtFirstSight fall passionately in love at first sight]], but Marie Antoinette is in a loveless political marriage with UsefulNotes/LouisXVI and Fersen can only love her from a distance to not bring even more damage to her already negative public reputation. At the end, Marie Antoinette is executed during UsefulNotes/TheFrenchRevolution, which causes unbearable heartbreak and grief for Fersen who is killed by an angry mob years later.
* ''Manga/SaintSeiya'':
** In the ''Hades'' saga, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is used here as well: Orpheus' expy Lyre Orphee is one of the Silver Saints and his girlfriend Eurydice is [[TakenForGranite half-turned into stone]] in the middle of Hell, lamenting that Orphee is always sad and won't leave her side after death.
** ''Anime/SaintSeiyaSoulOfGold'' has two pairs of doomed lovers: [[spoiler:the reformed Cancer Deathmask and the InnocentFlowerGirl Elena (she's murdered by his rival and, as an ill girl, was doomed already)]] and [[spoiler:Leo Aiolia and Lyfia (they get lots of ShipTease, but in the end he must die again alongside his fellow Golden Saints while she stays in Asgard to be Odin's new priestess/representative).]]
* In ''Franchise/SailorMoon'', there are instances of this:
** In a one-shot from the ''Manga/SailorMoon'' manga, there is a variant of the legend of the Weaver and the Cowherd, where the couple shirked their duties because of their love, and thus were barred from seeing one another. [[spoiler:The Weaver was the villain of the story, because the Cowherd saw her without make-up on during one of the days, and feared that he no longer loved her now that he saw she was really very plain (and getting fat from overeating due to boredom). At the end of the story, he shows up and assures her he still loves her.]]
** In the Silver Millenium days, Serenity is the Princess of the Moon and Endymion is the Prince of Earth, so they're not allowed to even meet and thus they have to do it behind their people's backs. [[spoiler:Then the war comes in, Endymion is killed, and Serenity either kills herself due to grief (manga and ''Crystal'') or dies alongside him as she's hit by the same blast that takes his life (first [[Anime/SailorMoon anime]]).]] Then they're [[ReincarnationRomance reincarnated into Usagi/Sailormoon and Mamoru/Tuxedo Kamen]], who ''do'' manage to [[EarnYourHappyEnding get AND stay together]].
** ''Manga/CodenameSailorV'' gets Minako in one such situation: she believed to have finally found her true love in her latest infatuation, Ace... who was then quickly revealed to be [[spoiler:Danburite, the series' BigBad and Kunzite's [[TheDragon Dragon]] ''and'' the reincarnation of Adonis, one of her soldiers from the Silver Millennium who had been in love with her, but went unnoticed by her]], and quickly dies [[spoiler:by her hand]] soon afterwards. As he dies, Ace claims that Minako/Sailor Venus is fated to never find true love, implying it would be by her own choice and [[MarriedToTheJob she'd always choose duty over love]]-and as announced, every relationship with a ghost of a chance ends by her own choice, [[spoiler:with the only exception of the hinted one with Rei that ''doesn't'' get in the way of her duty]].
* In ''Manga/TheSecretAgreement'', as if being gay lovers from very different class strata ca. 1920s-30s wasn't star-crossed enough, it turns out that if Yuuichi doesn't steal Iori's life energy he will die instead. There is really no way for them to win.
* ''Manga/SeraphOfTheEnd'':
** Guren Ichinose and his girlfriend Mahiru Hiragi, since [[spoiler:Mahiru was a beautiful and talented human girl until she was turned into the demon Mahiru-no-Yo]]. Even after this, Guren has never romantically loved anyone else, and Mahiru's actions through the plot ([[spoiler:including more than one instance [[DemonicPossession where she possesses Guren's body]] ]]) are to get back with him. [[{{Yandere}} No matter what.]]
** The show’s producer, Kentaro Hattori, compared [[HoYay Mikaela and Yuuichirou]] to Romeo and Juliet, saying that, "[[http://mantan-web.jp/2015/05/16/20150515dog00m200053000c.html Just like Romeo and Juliet]], [[http://misora-reiki.tumblr.com/post/119105932775/anime-interview-seraph-of-the-end-guren-sama-is Yuu and Mika have been torn apart."]]
* ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'':
** Ban and Elaine. Ban became an immortal thanks to a HeroicSacrifice made by Elaine, thus the barrier between life and death separates them. Ban however decided to make it his personal mission to find a way for them to be reunited. [[spoiler:Near the end of the series, Ban sacrifices his immortality to resurrect Elaine and they can be together at last.]]
** Meliodas and Elizabeth. [[spoiler:3,000 years ago, they were the prince and the princess of two enemy races. Their parents, the Demon King and the Supreme Deity, cursed them for betraying their races by falling in love. Meliodas can never age nor permanently die, Elizabeth repeatedly reincarnates as a human. In every of Elizabeth's reincarnations, she meets Meliodas and he's ForcedToWatch Elizabeth die over and over again; the curse kills Elizabeth three days after she remembers her past lives and even if she doesn't remember, she dies from old age. The cycle has repeated more than 100 times by the start of the series. They finally break out of the cycle when Meliodas destroys the curses.]]
* Resine and Simone from ''Manga/ShiroiHeyaNoFutari'', the first {{Yuri}} manga. [[spoiler:Simone is stabbed to death by an ex-boyfriend. Resine [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest refuses to fall for anyone in the rest of her life]].]]
* In ''Anime/SonicX'', this is the case in the final season with [[spoiler:Tails and Cosmo the Seedrian. Upon first meeting, the pair developed a strong bond and eventually mutual romantic feelings for one another. Unfortunately, in the penultimate episode, in order to stop Dark Oak, Cosmo was forced to perform a HeroicSacrifice by immobilizing him while the Sonic Driver was fired at him. Making this even worse is the fact that it was ''Tails'' who [[KillTheOnesYouLove pulled the trigger]], the pair of them confessing their feelings for each other in Cosmo's final moments, with the only remnant of her that Sonic could recover was [[TragicKeepsake a small seed]]. However, it is hinted that she may come back as the final scene of the series is of a pot in Tails' workshop, [[RayOfHopeEnding with the seed he planted having sprouted]]]].
* ''Literature/SorcererStabberOrphen'':
** [[spoiler:Majik]] and [[spoiler:Fienna]] are this, because [[spoiler:she can't leave her village or she will die, as a part of being the [[BackFromTheDead revived]] priestess of a Dragon God, whereas he aims to be a great sorcerer and that includes WalkingTheEarth.]]
** [[spoiler:Childman Powderfield and Azalie Caith-Sith]], as well. [[spoiler:Azalie loved Childman ever since [[PrecociousCrush she was a teen and he was a young adult]], but he rejected her LoveConfession because she was [[TeenGenius the most talented student]] from their WizardingSchool and [[LoveIsAWeakness he didn't want to be a distraction]]. [[BrokenBird Her bitterness]] fueled her [[AmbitionIsEvil ambitions]] and she ended up as an EldritchAbomination after an experiment GoneHorriblyWrong, ''plus'' she believed he wanted to eliminate her after her transformation - when in reality he loved her back, [[ItsAllMyFault felt horribly guilty]] and wanted to ''save'' her. And then, it went FromBadtoWorse]]...
* This crops up quite often in ''Manhwa/TheTarotCafe'', seeing as most of Pamela's clients are involved in some sort of InterspeciesRomance. How well they work out varies. Some end happily, like [[spoiler:the man who pursues a lake spirit, even after he unknowingly hits her three times and thus banishes her from his home.]] Some end not-so-happily, like [[spoiler:the ReincarnationRomance between a vampire and a human, in which the vampire killed the human in the past and then, to keep himself from killing her reincarnated self (who he still loved) committed suicide.]] Besides the clients, there's also Aaron and Nebiros (separated because of a moment of distrust between the two, [[spoiler:though they eventually reconcile]]) and Pamela and [[spoiler:Belus (unable to have a happy ending, because Belus is really the Devil, though they are implied to remain friends.]] The beginning of the series also has Pamela and Ashes.
* In ''Anime/TenchiUniverse'' Ryo-Ohki is in love with Ken-Ohki, a cabbit who belongs to bounty hunter and Ryoko's worst rival, Nagi. It's their love for each other that's keeping Ryoko and Nagi from killing each other.
* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann'':
** Simon and Nia in the ending. [[spoiler:Nia dissolves into nothingness right after she and Simon get married, and she should've died after the destruction of the Anti-Spiral but held on for ''days'' solely out of determination. Simon spends the rest of his days WalkingTheEarth on his own.]] Lampshaded in-series by the BigBad.
** Yoko and Kamina. [[spoiler:Right after acknowledging their feelings and sharing their FirstKiss, Kamina gets killed off in battle.]]
* In ''Manga/TenYoriMoHoshiYoriMo'', [[spoiler:Mio Mizumori and Shou Narumiya]] were this. [[spoiler:[[ReincarnationRomance In at least two lifetimes]].]]
* In ''Manga/TokyoGhoul'', relationships between Ghouls and Humans are rare but do occur. A provision of the Anti-Ghoul laws addresses this concern, with the human facing serious time in prison and their Ghoul lover facing either imprisonment in Kokuria or execution on the spot.
** Yoshimura and his [[TheLostLenore Lost Lenore]], Ukina. Their romance ended in [[ShootTheDog tragedy]], but changed him from a ruthless loner into the kind FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire of the current story. [[spoiler:It also resulted in the BigBad of the series, their HalfHumanHybrid child Eto/Sen, being hunted by various organizations]].
** Nishiki and his human girlfriend, Kimi. She explicitly points out that if he's exposed as a Ghoul, he'll be killed and she'll be sent to prison. [[spoiler:When Anteiku is raided, he makes the decision to leave her in hopes of protecting her from suspicion]].
* Sakura and Syaoran in ''Manga/TsubasaReservoirChronicle''. At first, even though they are physically together, Sakura is never allowed to remember she is in love with him (that is, from the looks of it, until all her feathers are found). Then it gets [[GambitPileup much]], [[MindScrew much]] more complicated, with all the complications putting more distance between them, metaphorically. That [[spoiler:clones of both]] are involved is only the [[OedipusComplex the beginning]].
** [[spoiler:Yuuko and Clow]] may count too.
* In ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'', a girl from Kirie's class is in love with a neighbor boy, [[FeudingFamilies while their families absolutely hate each other.]] The two sneak out together a few times (and of course, get caught and separated again), until they see two snakes making love. This inspires them to...well, this being ''Manga/{{Uzumaki}}'', the two lovers spiral their bodies tightly around each other to form a human rope, telling their families that they will now be together forever, before [[TogetherInDeath throwing themselves into the sea to drown.]]
* Subverted in the ''Manga/VampirePrincessMiyu'' [=OAVs=]. [[spoiler:Kei Yuzuki is a very handsome human who is [[StepfordSmiler horribly bored with his life but does his best to hide it]], so at first he only wants eternal youth and beauty and consults the UncannyValleyGirl from his school, Ranka. Turns out she's a Shinma and she promises to give him what he wants yet planning to make him her prey... but later, the guy ends up falling in love with her despite knowing who she is, and much to her own shock Ranka finds herself ''returning'' these feelings. They reach an agreement and Ranka ''transforms Kei into a Shinma'', so Miyu (who had her eyes set on him too, thus she was horribly humiliated when she found out) had to send them both to the Dark. The last time we see them, they happily and peacefully walk together towards the Darkness.]]
* Ai and Yota from ''Manga/VideoGirlAi'', since he's a human and she's a RobotGirl who [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman shouldn't have human feelings]] and was tasked with simply helping Youta, but fell in love with him which is a death sentence for Video Girls. [[spoiler:They [[EarnYourHappyEnding earn their happy ending]], though.]]
* In ''Anime/WhisperOfTheHeart'', Shizuku is told the story of the grandfather clock by the antique dealer; the Dwarf King and the Elf Princess are deeply in love, but can't be together due to coming from two different worlds. The Elf Princess is turned into a sheep for most of the day, only returning to her true form when the clock strikes twelve, the only time of the day she can see the king. In turn, he waits dutifully for her each day just for the chance to see her for that fleeting moment.
* [[spoiler:Makie and Taki Renzaburou]] by the end of the ''Anime/WickedCity'' movie. [[spoiler:While them hooking up and becoming a BattleCouple is one of the biggest plot points of the movie as a whole, in the end the pregnant Makie must return to the Demon World and Renzaburou musty stay on Earth.]]
* In ''Manga/WildRock'', Yuni and Selim decide there's no way to overcome the fact that they're from FeudingFamilies and are both future chieftans, so they part and each have families of their own. It isn't until [[GenerationXerox their sons]] fall in love and decide to unite the two tribes that they meet again, agreeing it was long overdue.
* ''Anime/{{Windaria}}'': Roland and Veronica, the heirs of the countries at the brink of war. It looked to be subverted as the Queen of Lunaria hoped a marriage between them would neutralize the possiblity of war but they ended up fighting.
* In ''Anime/WinterCicada'', Akizuki and Kusaka are lovers on opposite sides of the Boshin civil war. [[TogetherInDeath It ends pretty much how you'd suspect.]]
* ''Anime/WolfsRain'' has not one but ''four'' sets of lovers, all of whom could be considered "star-crossed" in various ways.
** Much of Lord Darcia's motivation for becoming the series' villain involves his lover Hamona falling into a coma [[spoiler:and subsequently dying]], which he blames on the wolves.
** Hubb Leboski spends most of the series trying to get back together with his ex-wife Cher Degré, which indirectly leads to his getting involved with the wolves.
** Kiba's main love interest is Cheza, the girl made of Lunar Flowers. Unfortunately, her status as a LivingMacGuffin keeps her trapped by many Nobles, forcing Kiba to fight his way back to her.
** The wolf Hige, who's always dreamed of finding a hot babe, eventually gets together with the wolf-dog Blue. Of course, with everything else that's going on nobody gets much time for romance, [[spoiler:and they all die in the OVA episodes. At the very end Hige is apparently reincarnated as a human, along with the other wolves, but we don't see Blue.]]
* The relationship between Willem and Chtholly in ''Literature/WorldEndWhatDoYouDoAtTheEndOfTheWorldAreYouBusyWillYouSaveUs'' was tinged with tragedy right from the start. A man who had lost everything falls in love with a girl who believes that her own death is just around the corner. [[spoiler:Despite everything he does to prevent it, Chtholly dies saving his life in one of the most gut wrenching moments in light novel history.]] This sad inevitability is perfectly reflected in the anime’s rendition of Scarborough Fair, an English folk tune about the futility of love, which plays during their first meeting and [[spoiler:during Chtholly’s death.]]
* ''Manga/YourLieInApril'': Despite their obvious chemistry, Kousei hesitates to make a move on Kaori because he believes that she's in love with Watari. [[spoiler:She also has an illness that gets worse over the course of the story. By the end of the story, the illness claims her life, and it's only in a posthumous letter that she admits she never had any feelings for Watari and had always loved Kousei, far too late for him to act on it.]]
* The Chinese daughter of a crime lord, Li-En, and her Mamodo partner, Wonrei, from ''Manga/ZatchBell''. No matter what the outcome of the battle between the Mamodo is, Wonrei will have to eventually return to the Mamodo world.
