10 Most Satisfying Breakup Reactions in Anime

Breakups are terrible. One day, you might say, “Well, it actually made me a stronger person in the end, just like Sheryl Crow said it would,” but for the time being, it’s gonna make you feel like trash. That’s where anime comes in. Anime is full of stories about relationships that have ended, and every once in a while, the aftermath comes in the form of something that is not only unexpected, but very satisfying. So if you’re trying to figure out how to move on after your significant other has left you (or told you to leave), maybe give one of these shows a watch to learn that there is a light at the end of the flashy anime tunnel. Scarlet Asks for One Final Thing Series: May I Ask for One Final Thing? Scarlet has had it rough. Prince Kyle, her fiancé, is the definition of a narcissistic bully. He takes every chance possible to degrade and demean Scarlet, treating her less like a partner and more like an emotional punching bag. And then, at a ball, he has the nerve to not only call off their engagement but also reveal that he has a new beloved. Years of resentment and anger bubble to the surface, and Scarlet beats up Kyle and every royal goon that she can get her hands (or fists) on. As you’ll see in other entries on this list, sometimes a breakup means a loooot of feelings coming out at once. And sometimes they come out in a way that we wouldn’t necessarily recommend — like beating an entire room to a pulp. That said, May I Ask For One Final Thing? is a fictional anime series, and watching Scarlet go at it is very fun. So do your thing! Kyoko Mogami Goes Into Show Business Series: Skip Beat! RELATED: Gachiakuta and the Tropes of Anime Vengeance Kyoko Mogami has a crush on her childhood friend Shotaro Fuwa like you wouldn’t believe. So when he decides that he wants to move to Tokyo to pursue his dream of being a music idol, she is more than happy to support him in any way she can. However, this comes in the form of being both his financial support and his live-in maid, and when he gets his first taste of success, Sho kicks her to the curb. Sho tells her that the only way she’ll ever be able to get back at him is to become a bigger celebrity than he is, so Kyoko decides to do just that. Pretty soon, her feelings of revenge are usurped by feelings of self-worth and of the drive to embrace and improve her talents. Success is the best revenge, right? Does Sho deserve a harsher comeuppance? Eh, it depends on how you feel about total anime jerks. BUT, have you ever watched someone you don’t like become more popular than you? Have you ever told someone, “Oh, I don’t even care. It doesn’t even bother me AT ALL!” while knowing that, deep down, it bothers you a lot? That’s a kind of insecurity that few are willing to admit, so maybe it’s the best revenge on someone like Sho. Ataru Moroboshi Wins? Series: Urusei Yatsura RELATED: 10 Memorable Gifts Given in Anime Let’s put this simply: Ataru Moroboshi isn’t the best guy. Yes, his proposal to the alien Lum was accidental, but it feels like he goes out of his way to flirt with everyone he sees (even if he has a girlfriend, Shinobu Miyake). However, like a Rumiko Takahashi version of the reality show Cheaters , Lum often walks in on Ataru and, as they say, “hell hath no fury like Lum scorned.” Lum deals with Ataru by giving him a powerful electric shock, leaving him an embarrassed heap on the floor. It's a running gag throughout the series, but honestly, have you met Ataru? From flirting with girls right in Shinobu's face (including Lum), he could at least TRY to be a little less awful. Minare Koda’s Late-Night Radio Show Series: Wave, Listen To Me! Have you ever been broken up with, but are also over the age of 21? Well, you’ll likely recognize Minare Koda engaging in the age-old tradition of getting highly inebriated and venting to someone else about how her former partner did her wrong. However, what you might not recognize is the fact that Minare was being recorded, and pretty soon her drunken rant is part of a radio broadcast. While Minare is initially flabbergasted, she learns that her words have struck a chord with audiences, and she soon gets her own late-night radio show where she’s a natural fit. Sometimes, during a bad relationship or a bad breakup, you fall into a rut that seems hard to escape. So, Minare becoming a radio show host, a gig that she excels at, is a very cool look at someone not only crawling out of the pit of depression, but soaring above it. Would it have happened without being dumped? Who knows. What matters is that it happened at all. Chitose Amano Says Yes to the Dress Series: My Dress-Up Darling RELATED: Anime Like My Dress-Up Darling My Dress-Up Darling has many characters who thrive by pushing back against the gender norms that society has imposed on them. One of the most effective examples of this is Chitose Amano, a cosplayer who finds joy in crossdressing and becomes so talented at make-up that he astounds even Wakana and Marin. However, it has not been without its ups and downs. Despite having very supportive family members, when Chitose invited a girlfriend to his apartment, she lambasted him when she saw his feminine outfits. Chitose, realizing that it’s not worth being with someone who doesn’t support who you are or what you love, broke up with her soon after. To see Chitose now, a character who is not only skilled at his chosen craft but kind and emotionally perceptive, is very satisfying. My Dress-Up Darling is a series about self-expression, and while heartbreak can often come as a side effect of being your true self, it often renders itself as necessary. The best way to get over it is to keep being you, because in time, someone will come to appreciate all the things that your ex couldn’t accept. Bulma Gets a Saiyan Series: Dragon Ball Z RELATED: All These Anime Guys Are Pretty Fly for a Wife Guy On one hand, Bulma choosing Vegeta over Yamcha in Dragon Ball Z is the anime equivalent of the “You vs The Guy She Told You Not To Worry About” meme. However, were Yamcha and Bulma really meant to last? Bulma would accuse Yamcha of being a womanizer, while Yamcha, despite his protests of wanting a family, had proven to be a rather flighty and unreliable partner. So when Vegeta, perhaps the most dedicated person in the history of the many universes, showed up, Bulma eventually gravitated toward him, and one of anime’s most iconic couples was born. Vegeta would grow to be a valiant warrior and Super Saiyan, and Yamcha would… enter more martial arts tournaments. Best of luck, dude. Bye Bye, Akihiko Series: GIVEN the Movie RELATED: How given Reminded Me of How We All Grieve in Our Own Way Taking place after the events of the anime, GIVEN the Movie lends the spotlight to drummer Akihiko and his crumbling relationship with the violinist Ugetsu. Though the two had been happy at first, being together began to suffocate them both in different ways. Despite meeting through music (and loving it), Akihiko was overwhelmed by Ugetsu’s talent, and being in that relationship was stalling his emotional growth. Meanwhile, Ugetsu was scared to leave Akihiko, but knew that he had to if he wanted to pursue his music in a fuller capacity. Overall, it’s a sad break-up, but one that's mutually beneficial for both, which we see at the end of the movie and in the later movies, given The Movie: Hiiragi mix and given The Movie: To the Sea . Sometimes, saying goodbye is necessary for personal growth. Pudding Kisses the Cook Series: ONE PIECE RELATED: Which ONE PIECE Character Are You Most Like? The Whole Cake Island arc of ONE PIECE builds to Sanji’s arranged marriage with Pudding, Big Mom’s daughter. Sanji has been blackmailed into this by Big Mom and his own abusive family, while Pudding was trying to live up to her mother’s cruel intentions. However, a mix of Pudding’s innate goodness and Sanji’s kindness and sacrificial nature allowed true feelings to blossom on the side of the former. When the wedding breaks down, though, and Sanji and the Straw Hat Crew are forced to flee the area, Pudding kisses the cook and uses her Devil Fruit ability to remove the memory of said kiss, affirming and ending the relationship all at once. While this might push the limits of a “breakup,” it is certainly satisfying. Pudding has realized the emotions that belong to her and those that have been instilled by her domineering mother, and Sanji comes to re-realize his proper place among the Straw Hats. Both emotionally grow from the story, even if they don’t do it together. Nick’s New Adventuring Party Series: Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save The World Nick is having a bad day. Not only does he get kicked out of his adventuring party, but his girlfriend dumps him as well. Wallowing in depression and not exactly eager to get out of it, he goes broke when he forms an obsession with idols. As such, he forms a new adventuring party with a few others who have been betrayed in some way, and together they work to not only earn more cash, but also become better people. Misery might love company, but do you know what it loves more? Optimistic character arcs in a fantasy setting. And Then There’s School Days… Series: School Days RELATED: 15 Moments When Anime Characters Snapped If you know what School Days is, you’re either saying “Nope. Absolutely not” or “Yesssss.” The story of high schooler Makoto Itou’s “infatuation” with some of his classmates and the unpredictably gruesome roads that these relationships take him on are likely to be divisive. However, for a certain breed of anime viewer, the kind that embraces shocking plot twists and nasty acts of revenge above all else, School Days is the Citizen Kane of the breakup anime. Watch at your own risk. 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