History Main / TakahashiCouple

[[quoteright:300:[[Manga/RanmaOneHalf https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ranma-and-akane.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:They're a couple. Ranma has the bruises to prove it.]]

A term used by anime fans to refer to the romantic pairing of a {{Tsundere}} with a JerkWithAHeartOfGold, and the inevitable [[BelligerentSexualTension misunderstandings and conflicts]] that arise.

Despite the [[VolleyingInsults conflict]], there is [[UnresolvedSexualTension an attraction]]. This is [[EveryoneCanSeeIt obvious to everyone]] except the couple. Confront them with the obvious, they'll deny it. When one gets clued in, they will do every thing in their power to play it off. The other soon does the same. Sometimes they will progress to admitting their [[OddCouple friendship]] but insist they are JustFriends.

Might involve a CannotStandThemCannotLiveWithoutThem situation, or even DomesticAbuse (but usually PlayedForLaughs). Expect frequent cases of RescueRomance, even before they are officially a couple.

If there is a LoveEpiphany with one of these characters, expect it to change nothing, at least in the short term.

Creator/RumikoTakahashi is the mistress of this trope; her works display it so well that anime fandom refers to it as a "[[TropeNamer Takahashi Couple]]."

Many subsequent anime and manga creators have followed in her footsteps, especially after the popularity of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''.

''All examples (with the exception of Takahashi's own works) should be placed in BelligerentSexualTension.''

----
!''Manga/UruseiYatsura'':

Male Lead: Ataru Moroboshi is a perverted CasanovaWannabe (the most lecherous man in the world!), an UnluckyEverydude (the most unluckly man in the world!) and a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

Female Lead: Lum Invader, a "more dere then tsun" type of {{Tsundere}}. A beautiful teenage alien from the planet Oniboshi, who, due to a misunderstanding thought she and Ataru were married. She is lovely most of the time, but not afraid to shock her 'Darling' if he acts out of line by hitting on other girls.

WillTheyOrWontThey is somewhat resolved, in the sense that it is made clear that they are the OfficialCouple, even if they aren't offically together. By the end it is clear that Ataru does love Lum ("I'll never forget you Lum!"), and that she is well aware of this fact, but he still CanNotSpitItOut, due to his perverted personality and fearing the wrath of his classmates.

Interestingly, originally Shinobu Miyake was supposed to be Ataru's LoveInterest, but Takahashi was forced to retool due to Lum's popularity. This is clear in the early chapters where Lum is more of a TemporaryLoveInterest, but by a few volumes in, Lum has been promoted to female lead and Shinobu demoted to major side character (she had major ShipTease with Shutaro Mendou and is eventually put in a BetaCouple with Inaba).

!''Manga/MaisonIkkoku'':

Male Lead: Yuusaku Godai, is an UnluckyEverydude, usually a nice guy, to the point where he doesn't fit the JerkWithAHeartOfGold stereotype so much as he's a lazy, cowardly, wishy-washy person who's rather immature and unable to say "no" to anybody, be it an unwanted girlfriend or a drunken flat-mate, although he is a bit of a CovertPervert, and often offends people with his attempts to please everyone. His progression from loser trying to get into college to responsible adult is one of the primary CharacterDevelopment aspects of the work. Much less of a jerk than other characters in Takahashi's work. Notably, his rival fits this mold a little better (as a good-hearted but very conceited rich boy) and has similar character development.

Female Lead: Kyoko Otonashi is a repressed {{tsundere}}. Changed into a YamatoNadeshiko by the death of her first husband, her developing relationship with Godai brings the {{tsundere}} back out.

WillTheyOrWontThey is finally resolved after 70 plus episodes. Ending on a definite note with Godai and Kyoko married and with a daughter named Haruka. Their issues were more serious and realistic (Godai's [[TheDitherer wishy-washiness]], Kyoko's [[TheMourningAfter inability to let go of her late husband]]) than Takahashi's usual stubborn [[CanNotSpitItOut Will Not Spit It Out]].

!''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'':

Probably the most famous of the Takahashi works, providing the image above and together with ''[[Anime/MazingerZ Kouji/Sayaka]]'', the {{trope codifier}}s for BelligerentSexualTension.

Ranma: JerkWithAHeartOfGold, probably due to his experiences growing up. Raised as a super-ultra-macho fighter by his JerkAss father Genma, who put him in an ArrangedMarriage with one of Soun Tendou's daughters - the one who's ultimately "chosen" is Akane.

Akane: {{Tsundere}}. Varies; the manga makes her more deredere, the anime gives her more tsuntsun aspects than she had in the manga but she can still be considered more deredere. Due to the death of her mother very early in her life, Akane badly wishes to be more feminine, but as the only Tendo girl with martial arts skill her father raised her as a {{Tomboy}}.

Ranma seems to be locked in a similar situation with all his possible LoveInterests. Shampoo loves him but she can also be very violent and possessive as well as prone to attacking those who get in between them once in a while, whereas Ukyo has ChildhoodFriends deets but she also can get snippy to him (and both have been argued to have more than one whiff of {{Yandere}}), and Kodachi is... [[YanDere well]], [[RichBitch herself.]]

Many a fan theory exists as to why they're so unable or unwilling to admit the obvious: a combination of Ranma's ultra-macho upbringing and Akane's [[DoesNotLikeMen Kuno-induced misandry]] being the most popular. Plus, they are still in high school so perhaps a lack of progress is understandable. At least some (minor) hints of progress at the very end - they hold hands. Ranma confesses he loves Akane, although he denies it later.

!''Manga/InuYasha'':

[=InuYasha=]: JerkWithAHeartOfGold. HalfHumanHybrid born from the union between a human noblewoman named Izayoi and a powerful dog {{Youkai}} only known as the Inu-No-Taishou ("leader of the dogs"). Raised in a rich human household, where people looked down on him for his origins. Lost his mother early in his life, then some years later he met a lonely {{Miko}} named Kikyou who offered him kindness, and they fell in love [[LonelyTogether due to their common issues.]] They were planning to use the Shikon no Tama to make him a fullblooded human so he could live with Kikyou happily, but then... Naraku happened. Kikyou died, Inuyasha ended up pinned to a tree for 50 years until Kagome released him - logically, he has huge issues in regards to people.

Kagome Higurashi: {{Tsundere}}, but more deredere then tsuntsun. Kikyou's reincarnation, a middle school student who lives in modern Japan. Is accidentally thrust into the past and, to protect herself and her surroundings, releases Inuyasha, and later teams up with him to retrieve the lost Shikon shards. Has a good heart, but latent self-esteem issues as well as quite the uncertainty in regards to her own place in the world - none of which is helped by the fact that, later, the original Kikyou is forcibly revived, dredging up Inuyasha's complex feelings for her and leaving Kagome both insecure about her own worth as a person, and wondering if she's necessary at all for him.

Inuyasha and Kagome are a variant: They clearly have come to an understanding as to their mutual feelings, so tend to have moments of AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther occasionally sprinkled into the denials, fighting, and plot-stretching bouts of CannotSpitItOut. They actually do become an OfficialCouple towards the end of the manga (and appropriately enough, their romance then receives much ''less attention'' until the end). Not to mention, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, Kagome warms up to Inuyasha quite faster than the standard Takahashi {{Tsundere}}, and Inuyasha is slightly less prone to verbal abuse than the standard Takahashi JerkWithAHeartOfGold. A far more standard example within the series would be the secondary couple, Miroku and Sango, although Miroku is less JerkWithAHeartOfGold and more HandsomeLech, with his incessant flirting with every girl the group meets being the primary trigger for the tsuntsun outbursts of Sango, who's normally a YamatoNadeshiko unless she's dealing with him.

[[caption-width-right:300:They're a couple. He has the bruises to prove it.]]

!!'''''Manga/UruseiYatsura''''':

Female Lead: Lum Invader, a type B {{Tsundere}}. A beautiful teenage alien from the planet Oniboshi, who, due to a misunderstanding thought she and Ataru were married. She is lovely most of the time, but not afraid to shock her 'Darling' if he acts out of line by hitting on other girls.

!!'''''Manga/MaisonIkkoku''''':

!!'''''Manga/RanmaOneHalf''''':

Akane: {{Tsundere}}. Her type varies: the manga makes her a Type B (more deredere), the anime gives her more Type A (more tsuntsun) aspects than she had in the manga but she can still be considered a Type B. Due to the death of her mother very early in her life, Akane badly wishes to be more feminine, but as the only Tendo girl with martial arts skill her father raised her as a {{Tomboy}}.

!!'''''Manga/InuYasha''''':

Kagome Higurashi: Type B {{Tsundere}} (deredere). Kikyou's reincarnation, a middle school student who lives in modern Japan. Is accidentally thrust into the past and, to protect herself and her surroundings, releases Inuyasha, and later teams up with him to retrieve the lost Shikon shards. Has a good heart, but latent self-esteem issues as well as quite the uncertainty in regards to her own place in the world - none of which is helped by the fact that, later, the original Kikyou is forcibly revived, dredging up Inuyasha's complex feelings for her and leaving Kagome both insecure about her own worth as a person, and wondering if she's necessary at all for him.

Creator/RumikoTakahashi is the mistress of this trope; her works display it so well that anime fandom refers to it as a "[[TropeNamer Takahashi Couple]]".

WillTheyOrWontThey is finally resolved after 70 plus episodes. Ending on a definite note with Godai and Kyoko married and with a daughter named Haruka. Their issues were more serious and realistic (Godai's [[YouSuck wishy-washiness]], Kyoko's [[TheMourningAfter inability to let go of her late husband]]) than Takahashi's usual stubborn [[CanNotSpitItOut Will Not Spit It Out]].

Many a fan theory exists as to why they're so unable or unwilling to admit the obvious: a combination of Ranma's ultra-macho upbringing and Akane's [[DoesNotLikeMen Kuno-induced misandry]] being the most popular. Plus, they are still in high school so perhaps a lack of progress is understandable. At least some (minor) hints of progress at the very end - they hold hands. Ranma confess he loves Akane, although he denies it later.

Ranma seems to be locked in a similar situation with all his possible LoveInterests. Shampoo loves him but she can also be very violent and possessive as well as prone to attack those who get in between once in a while, whereas Ukyo has ChildhoodFriends deets but she also can get snippy to him (and both have been argued to have more than one whiff of {{Yandere}}), and Kodachi is... [[YanDere well]], [[RichBitch herself.]]

WillTheyOrWontThey is finally resolved after 70 plus episodes. Ending on a definite note with Godai and Kyoko married and with a daughter named Haruka. Their issues were more serious and realistic {Godai's [[YouSuck wishy-washiness]], Kyoko's [[TheMourningAfter inability to let go of her late husband]]} than Takahashi's usual stubborn [[CanNotSpitItOut Will Not Spit It Out]].

Interestingly, originally Shinobu Miyake was supposed to be Ataru's LoveInterest, but Takahashi was forced to retool due to Lum's popularity. This is clear in the early chapters where Lum is more of TemporaryLoveInterest, but by a few volumes in, Lum has been promoted to female lead and Shinobu demoted to major side character (she had major ShipTease with Shutaro Mendou and is eventually put in a BetaCouple with Inaba).

Many a fan theory exists as to why they're so unable or unwilling to admit the obvious: a combination of Ranma's ultra-macho upbringing and Akane's [[DoesNotLikeMen Kuno-induced misandry]] being the most popular. This may have also been because no couple could really go anywhere [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter without horribly dishonoring most of the rest of them]].[[note]]On one hand Shampoo is considered as Ranma's legal wife in her village, plus she was Jusenkyou-cursed as a consequence of losing to his female self; on the other hand, Genma promised young!Ukyou that she and Ranma would marry, but later he stole her push-cart aka her "dowry" and ran off.[[/note]] Plus, they are still in high school so perhaps a lack of progress is understandable. At least some (minor) hints of progress at the very end - they hold hands. Ranma confess he loves Akane, although he denies it later.

!!'''''UruseiYatsura''''':

If there is a [[LoveEpiphany love epiphany]] with one of these characters, expect it to change nothing, at least in the short term.

Creator/RumikoTakahashi is the mistress of this trope; her works display it so well that anime fandom refers to it as a "[[TropeNamer Takahashi Couple.]]"

!!'''''MaisonIkkoku''''':

Might involve a CannotStandThemCannotLiveWithoutThem situation, or even DomesticAbuse (but usually PlayedForLaughs). Expect frequent cases of ''RescueRomance'', even before they are officially a couple.

Might involve a CannotStandThemCannotLiveWithoutThem situation, or even DomesticAbuse (but usually PlayedForLaughs).

Many a fan theory exists as to why they're so unable or unwilling to admit the obvious: a combination of Ranma's ultra-macho upbringing and Akane's [[DoesNotLikeMen Kuno-induced misandry]] being the most popular. This may have also been due to the fact that no couple could really go anywhere [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter without horribly dishonoring most of the rest of them]].[[note]]On one hand Shampoo is considered as Ranma's legal wife in her village, plus she was Jusenkyou-cursed as a consequence of losing to his female self; on the other hand, Genma promised young!Ukyou that she and Ranma would marry, but later he stole her push-cart aka her "dowry" and ran off.[[/note]] Plus, they are still in high school so perhaps a lack of progress is understandable. At least some (minor) hints of progress at the very end - they hold hands. Ranma confess he loves Akane, although he denies it later.

Interestingly, originally Shinobu Miyake was supposed to be Ataru's LoveInterest, but Takahashi was forced to retool due to Lum's popularity. This is clear in the early chapters where Lum is more of TemporaryLoveInterest, but by a few volumes in, Lum has been promoted to female lead and Shinobu demoted to major side character (she had major ShipTease with Shutaro Mendou and eventually put in a BetaCouple with Inaba).

Male Lead: Ataru Moroboshi is a CasanovaWannabe, UnluckyEverydude, JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

Female Lead: Lum, a type B {{Tsundere}}. Alien invader from the planet Oniboshi, who, due to a misunderstanding thought she and Ataru were married. She is lovely most of the time, but not afraid to shock her 'Darling' if he acts out of line by hitting on other girls.

WillTheyOrWontThey is somewhat resolved, in the sense that it is made clear that they are the OfficialCouple, even if they aren't offically together. Like with Ranma 1/2, by the end it is clear Ataru does love Lum ("I'll never forget you Lum!"), but CanNotSpitItOut, due to his perverted personality.

Female Lead: Whichever one you think counts doesn't matter, because both Lum and Shinobu Miyake are {{Tsundere}}.

WillTheyOrWontThey goes on forever, and is never resolved - although this may be due to a crossfire of ShipSinking and ExecutiveMeddling, since the author (who favored Shinobu) and the fans (who preferred Lum) disagreed about who should be the OfficialCouple. In the end, the ResetButton was hit, rather than let Ataru and Lum progress to "official" OfficialCouple.

RumikoTakahashi is the mistress of this trope; her works display it so well that anime fandom refers to it as a "[[TropeNamer Takahashi Couple.]]"

[[quoteright:300:[[RanmaOneHalf http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ranma-and-akane.jpg]]]]

Many subsequent anime and manga creators have followed in her footsteps, especially after the popularity of ''RanmaOneHalf''.

!!'''''RanmaOneHalf''''':

RumikoTakahashi is the mistress of this trope; her works display it so well that anime fandom refers to it as a "[[TropeNamer TakahashiCouple.]]"

RumikoTakahashi is the mistress of this trope; her works display it so well that anime fandom refers to it as a "TakahashiCouple."

Ranma seems to be locked in a similar situation with all his possible LoveInterests. Shampoo loves him but she can also be very violent and possessive as well as prone to attack those who get in between once in a while, whereas Ukyo has ChildhoodFriends deets but she also can get snippy to him (and both have been argued to have more than one whiff of {{Yandere}}), and Kodachi is... well, herself.

Many a fan theory exists as to why they're so unable or unwilling to admit the obvious (a combination of Ranma's ultra-macho upbringing and Akane's [[DoesNotLikeMen Kuno-induced misandry]] being the most popular). This may have also been due to the fact that no couple could really go anywhere [[PillarsOfMoralCharacter without horribly dishonoring most of the rest of them]]. Plus, they are still in high school so perhaps a lack of progress is understandable. At least some (minor) hints of progress at the very end - they hold hands. Ranma confess he loves Akane, although he denies it later.

Kagome Higurashi: Type B {{Tsundere}} (deredere). Kikyou's reincarnation, a middle school student who lives in modern Japan. Is accidentally thrust into the past and, to protect herself and her surroundings, releases Inuyasha, and later teams up with him to retrieve the lost Shikon shards. Has a good heart, but latent self-esteem issues as well as quite the uncertainty in regards to her own place in the world - none of which is helped by the fact that, later, the original Kikyou is forcibly revived, dredging up Inuyasha's complex feelings for her and leaving Kagome wondering if she's necessary at all.

Inuyasha and Kagome are a variant: They clearly have come to an understanding as to their mutual feelings, so tend to have moments of AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther occasionally sprinkled into the denials, fighting, and plot-stretching bouts of CannotSpitItOut. They actually do become an OfficialCouple towards the end of the manga (and appropriately enough, their romance then receives much ''less attention'' until the end). Not to mention, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, Kagome warms up to Inuyasha quite faster than the standard Takahashi {{Tsundere}}, and Inuyasha is slightly less prone to verbal abuse than the standard Takahashi JerkWithAHeartOfGold. A far more standard example within the series would be the secondary couple, Miroku and Sango, although Miroku is less JerkWithAHeartOfGold and more HandsomeLech, with his incessant flirting with every girl the group meets being the primary trigger for Sango's tsuntsun outbursts.

!!'''''InuYasha''''':

InuYasha: JerkWithAHeartOfGold. HalfHumanHybrid born from the union between a human noblewoman named Izayoi and a powerful dog {{Youkai}} only known as the Inu-No-Taishou ("leader of the dogs"). Raised in a rich human household, where people looked down on him for his origins. Lost his mother early in his life, then some years later he met a lonely {{Miko}} named Kikyou who offered him kindness, and they fell in love [[LonelyTogether due to their common issues.]] They were planning to use the Shikon no Tama to make him a fullblooded human so he could live with Kikyou happily, but then... Naraku happened. Kikyou died, Inuyasha ended up pinned to a tree for 50 years until Kagome released him - logically, he has huge issues in regards to people.

InuYasha and Kagome are a variant: They clearly have come to an understanding as to their mutual feelings, so tend to have moments of AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther occasionally sprinkled into the denials, fighting, and plot-stretching bouts of CannotSpitItOut. They actually do become an OfficialCouple towards the end of the manga (and appropriately enough, their romance then receives much ''less attention'' until the end). Not to mention, thanks to CharacterDevelopment, Kagome warms up to Inuyasha quite faster than the standard Takahashi {{Tsundere}}, and Inuyasha is slightly less prone to verbal abuse than the standard Takahashi JerkWithAHeartOfGold. A far more standard example within the series would be the secondary couple, Miroku and Sango, although Miroku is less JerkWithAHeartOfGold and more HandsomeLech, with his incessant flirting with every girl the group meets being the primary trigger for Sango's tsuntsun outbursts.

Probably the most famous of the Takahashi works, providing the image above and the {{trope codifier}}s for BelligerentSexualTension.

Kagome Higurashi: Type B {{Tsundere}} (deredere). Kikyou's reincarnation, a middle school student who lives in modern Japan. Is accidentally thrust into the past and, to protect herself and her surroundings, releases Inuyasha, and later teams up with him to retrieve the lost Shikon shards. Has a good heart, but latent self-esteem issues as well as quite the uncertainty in regards to her own place in the world. Which aren't helped by the fact that, later, her original Kikyou is forcibly revived, kicking off her insecurities.