The values of friendship are one of the most prominent in anime and manga, and there's nothing in the medium quite as joyous as watching the formation and development of its strongest bonds. Come hell or high water, anime heroes know they have their friends to rely on, and the power of their friendship will overcome even the most strenuous challenges. Unfortunately, not all bonds in anime manage to prosper forever.
Be it due to betrayal, a divergence in goals, or a dramatic disagreement, even anime's most treasured friendships can shatter, leaving former comrades on conflicting sides. Unfortunately, severed bonds in anime rarely result in ex-allies going their separate ways. Instead, characters who were once prepared to die for one another end up plotting each other's demise. Tragically beautiful and devastatingly volatile, these anime friendships devolved into bitter rivalries.
10 Naruto Uzumaki & Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto)
Naruto and Sasuke's complicated relationship is regarded as the gold standard of friendly rivalries in shonen anime for a reason. Starting their journey from the same point as classmates and friends, Naruto and Sasuke's subsequent falling out was the driving force behind most of the series' melodrama.
Once Sasuke began his descent into villainy as a result of his single-minded obsession with revenge, Naruto made rescuing him back to the side of good his life's goal. While the story of Naruto and Sasuke has long since become a cliché in the community, it carries a genuine emotional weight that makes their bond resonate with fans so strongly.
9 Osamu Dazai & Chuuya Nakahara (Bungo Stray Dogs)
Once feared as the Port Mafia's strongest duo, Dazai and Chuuya from Bungo Stray Dogs worked as partners for many years before Dazai betrayed the organization. Their bond never fit the mold of conventional friendship; the two loved to bicker and engage in petty competitions.
Dazai and Chuuya fought in good faith, and their actions during the Fifteen arc and Storm Bringer spoke louder than words in regard to the genuine affection they felt towards one another. Their bond shattered when, following Oda's death, Dazai had a change of heart and joined the Armed Detective Agency. While they still work exceptionally well together when the two opposing organizations cooperate, former partners now express sincere animosity towards one another.
8 Satoru Gojo & Suguru Geto (Jujutsu Kaisen)
During their days at the Jujutsu High, Gojo and Geto were the strongest sorcerer duos in Japan. Yet, when the fans first encounter Geto in Jujutsu Kaisen, he is already a murderer obsessed with executing all non-sorcerers. The Hidden Inventory arc discloses how Gojo lost his best friend to destructive beliefs. Despite never seeing eye to eye in terms of ideals, Gojo and Geto were extremely close, with Geto acting as a moral compass for the strongest sorcerer.
Nevertheless, following the Star Plasma Vessel incident and the death of Yu Haibara, Geto began questioning the value of protecting humanity, leading to his moral downfall. Even after his best friend was pronounced a criminal, Gojo couldn't bring himself to execute Geto until the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, providing Kenjaku with an opportunity to take over Geto's corpse.
7 Shinji Ikari & Kaworu Nagisa (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
The short-lived friendship between Kaworu and Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion was doomed from the start: unbeknownst to Shinji, Kaworu was the final Angel all along. However, in the tiny window of time that the two of them were allowed to cast aside their roles in humanity's war, Kaworu and Shinji enjoyed a precious friendship that held the potential to become something more.
In all versions of Evangelion, Shinji meets Kaworu at one of the lowest points in his life, and the Fifth Child becomes the first to offer the boy unconditional compassion. Yet, the intensity of their bond makes Kaworu's betrayal and subsequent death hurt Shinji even more, leading to a breakdown of the boy's fragile psyche.
6 Saruhiko Fushimi & Misaki Yata (K Project)
Yata and Fushimi of K Project were childhood friends despite the glaring differences in their personalities. Fushimi's pessimistic stoicism and Yata's boisterous pride complemented one another during their adolescence. Having no other friends, the pair stuck to each other through thick and thin. Regrettably, their bond couldn't survive the tensions of joining up with HOMRA.
While Yata integrated into the Clan extremely well and made new friends, Fushimi grew more and more uncomfortable with his new surroundings. His frustrations eventually boiled over, and Fushimi left HOMRA and his former best friend behind, shattering their bond in the process and becoming Yata's most vicious rival.
5 Lelouch Lamperouge & Suzaku Kururugi (Code Geass)
The complicated relationship between Lelouch and Suzaku in Code Geass is one of the most complex and unconventional bonds in anime. Their friends-turned-enemies dynamic is not just an interpersonal dispute but a foil for the entire conflict of the series. Growing up together, the two established a bond of mutual trust and respect even their future antagonism couldn't shatter.
When Lelouch began his vicious quest to overthrow the Britannian regime, and Suzaku ended up joining the opposing side, they were pitted against each other. The two had similar ideals, but Suzaku's focus on reformation rather than revolution went against Lelouch's belief that the ends always justify the means.
4 Sakata Gintoki & Takasugi Shinsuke (Gintama)
Prior to the war that brought aliens into Gintama's Edo, Gintoki used to study under his mentor Yoshida Shouyou alongside his childhood friends Takasugi and Katsura. The three remained close throughout the Joui Wars, fighting together to protect Japan from the extraterrestrial invaders. Their battle concluded in a devastating loss, and Gintoki had to sacrifice Shouyou-sensei to save his comrades.
The three friends started walking divergent paths, and out of all of them, Takasugi was affected by their defeat the most. While Gintoki managed to move on from his sorrowful past, Takasugi became obsessed with destroying the world that wronged him, which included defeating the person he once regarded as his best friend.
3 Spike Spiegel & Vicious (Cowboy Bebop)
The theme of being haunted by one's past is a central motif of Cowboy Bebop, and in Spike's case, his history of mistakes finds physical manifestation in Vicious, his former friend and partner in crime, now out for his blood. Spike and Vicious used to work together in the Red Dragon crime syndicate, sharing a bond much deeper than simple co-workers.
Yet, their camaraderie couldn't withstand the challenges of love and jealousy. When Julia enters their lives and becomes Vicious' girlfriend, Spike's conflicting feelings lead to him stealing her away from his friend. The betrayal left Vicious furious and heartbroken, eventually culminating in the two former friends killing one another.
2 Ryo Asuka & Akira Fudo (Devilman)
The heartbreaking story of Akira and Ryo's disastrous falling out leading to the apocalypse has been a cult classic of cathartic character writing ever since Go Nagai published his manga, Devilman, in 1972. Yet, modern fans are most familiar with this iconic tale through Masaaki Yuasa's Devilman Crybaby, which, in many ways, is even more successful in portraying the drama of Akira and Ryo's broken friendship than the original.
Ryo and Akira are showcased as sharing an immensely strong bond since childhood. Yet, when Ryo awakens his true nature as Satan, winning the war against humanity for him also means destroying the one person he held dear—Akira. In his rampage, Satan realized his true feelings too late, left alone with Akira's corpse in a destroyed world.
1 Guts & Griffith (Berserk)
The most iconic and, at the same time, utterly heartbreaking story of broken friendships lies at the heart of Berserk, a dark tale of revenge born out of betrayal. Griffith, the series' infamous protagonist, was once Guts' first and very best friend—the first person to show the distrustful and gloomy Black Swordsman the merits of east camaraderie and affection.
Yet, Guts' golden days among the Band of the Hawk and Griffith didn't last long, as his friend and leader always prioritized his dream above worldly connections. When Griffith triggers the Eclypse and sacrifices all of his friends for power, Guts goes mad from the pain of betrayal, swearing to track down and kill Griffith no matter what.