This article discusses sensitive topics such as age gap relationships and incest.
Uncomfortably large age gaps aren’t uncommon in anime, and sadly enough, it’s rare to see this trope handled gracefully. While some comically huge age gaps, such as relationships between humans and supernatural beings, can be passable and even make for a compelling love story, more grounded anime couples with a significant age difference are often unhealthy. As such, many of the age-gap romances within anime only serve to leave audiences uncomfortable, and some even ruin the series they come from.
Age gaps lead to unbalanced power dynamics and compromise the notion of consent, which makes them far from cute and relatable. These romances are already controversial among fans, but many anime series take this concept too far. As a result, these couples are arguably some of the worst age gap pairs out there, not just in anime but in the realm of romantic fiction as well.
Updated on April 12th, 2025 by Chelsea Steele: Age gap anime are a weird and disturbingly prevalent niche within the medium. These kinds of anime are some of the most polarizing series that the community has ever encountered and have long since been the source of many heated debates among fans. Though many find them to be tasteless and inappropriate, plenty still enjoy them regardless of their controversy. We’ve updated this list to meet CBR’s current publication standard, adding even more divisive age gap relationships many anime fans can’t help but raise an eyebrow over.
20 Isaku Is Constantly Harrassed by Her Adult Bodyguard in A Girl & Her Guard Dog
Keiya Essentially Forces Isaku Into Romance
Bodyguard romances are a common trope within the genre, and many are some of the best love stories anime has to offer. However, like any subgenre, they also have their fair share of controversy. A Girl & Her Guard Dog is one of the newest bodyguard romance anime to hit the scene, and it’s also one of the most divisive due to the questionable age gap between its main couple. Isaku is the teenage granddaughter of a fearsome yakuza boss who hopes to live a normal life when she enters high school. Unfortunately for her, high school quickly becomes anything but normal when her 26-year-old bodyguard enrolls alongside her.
The idea of a 26-year-old re-enrolling in high school and spending the day around young students is more than a little creepy. The fact that he follows Isaku around against her will only adds to the disturbing nature of the whole setup. What makes this worse is that he’s been Isaku’s bodyguard since she was a young child, and yet somehow, he’s developed romantic feelings for her, which he forces onto her despite her wish for a normal relationship with someone her age.
19 Lilith and Yuuri's Relationship Is Inappropriate in Multiple Ways in The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious
Implications of Romance Make Yuuri and Lilith's Relationship Disturbing
Maids are a popular theme in anime, many of which play up the master-servant dynamic in a more romantic light. The Maid I Hired Recently Is Mysterious is a 2022 anime series that follows this well-known format, though for many, it’s more than a bit questionable. In this series, a young boy named Yuuri must live alone in his parents’ mansion after they pass away. That’s when a mysterious maid named Lilith is hired on to care for the boy and serve as his companion. However, Yuuri doesn’t trust Lilith at first, believing her to be too good to be true.
On the surface, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Yuuri and Lilith’s relationship, and they could even be considered a cute, found family. However, things immediately get weird when romance is introduced into the mix, creating a highly inappropriate relationship between the two. Not only is the idea of a master-servant romance not precisely palatable to all viewers, but the fact that Yuuri is so young gives this relationship a new layer of creepiness. Many can’t help but feel uncomfortable by the implied romantic tension between these two, making the anime a much harder watch.
18 Violet and Major Gilbert are Sweet, but Their Age Gap Is Concerning in Violet Evergarden
Gilbert and Violet's Relationship Would Be Better if it Wasn't Romantic
Violet Evergarden is one of the most heartfelt romance series of all time. The story follows the journey of a young girl named Violet, who has lived her whole life as a weapon of war. When the fighting stops, Violet must start her life anew and find a new purpose in her new peaceful world. However, she wants to reunite with her beloved superior, Major Gilbert, and discover what he meant when he told her that he loved her.
Violet and Gilbert’s emotional bond is at the center of Violet Evergarden. His love for her makes her decide to learn about love and human connection, and her love for him pushes her forward. But while they make for a lovable pair, the nature of their relationship is questionable. At the start of the series, Violet is only fourteen years old, while Gilbert is a grown man well into his twenties. It would be one thing if their love were familial or even platonic, but the fact that it took a romantic turn somewhat sours their story and leaves viewers uncomfortable.
17 Amu Is Still a Young Girl When Ikuto Starts Flirting With Her in Shugo Chara!
Ikuto Has No Business Getting Romantically Involved With Amu
Shugo Chara! may be widely forgotten these days, but it was once one of the hottest magical girl series out there. During its peak, romance was a huge part of the series’ appeal, and many fans debated over which of the boys Amu should end up with. At the time, the most popular choice for Amu was Ikuto Tsukiyomi, a mysterious cat boy working for the villainous group Easter. Despite being at odds throughout most of the story, there was clear chemistry between Amu and Ikuto, and fans couldn’t get enough of it. However, looking back, their relationship is beyond creepy.
When the series begins, Amu is an 11-year-old girl and barely in middle school. Meanwhile, Ikuto is nearing his final year of high school. Needless to say, this makes a romance between them entirely inappropriate and very problematic. As a result, Ikuto’s constantly flirting with Amu has aged very poorly, and many fans now believe the two make for a terrible couple. Though Amu and Ikuto never became endgame, there were still heavy implications and many disturbing moments between them that have made them an infamous age-gap couple
16 Kyoko and Katsuya Honda Aren't the Perfect Couple They Seem to Be in Fruits Basket: Prelude
Katsuya Should Have Acted in a More Professional Manner with Kyoko
Despite being an icon of the romance genre, Fruits Basket has a surprising amount of questionable romances, many of which feature a disturbing age gap. However, none are quite as problematic as the romance between Tohru’s own parents, Kyoko and Katsuya Honda. Though the series props them up as this amazing power couple, Fruits Basket: Prelude gives viewers a glimpse into their origins, which are far from perfect.
To start off, Kyoko and Katsuya aren’t just an age gap romance — they’re also a student-teacher romance. The two meet when Kyoko is still in middle school, and Katsuya is working as a trainee teacher at her school. It’s one thing for her to develop feelings for him during this time. Still, the fact that Katsuya reciprocated them and even intended to pursue a relationship with her makes this dynamic very disturbing. Katsuya may have been a positive figure in Kyoko’s life, but he severely abused his power as a teacher by getting so personal with a young student. As a result, many fans can’t help but feel uneasy about their romance, even if they know it’s necessary for the plot.
15 Sato Matsuzaka Kidnaps Shio Kobe to Live Out a Fantasy in Happy Sugar Life
Sato Displays Yandere Tendencies with Shio
Despite its ironically upbeat title, the shockingly dark Happy Sugar Life is a horror age gap anime focused on a disturbing relationship between a high school girl named Sato and Shio, an innocent child who falls victim to her. This horrific series follows their disturbing relationship as Sato does whatever it takes to keep Shio all to herself. The kind of love Sato felt towards the little girl was vague, yet, their connection was undoubtedly disquieting.
Sato was a dangerously obsessive yandere who dedicated her life to protecting Shio at all costs—even if it meant committing crimes like assault and murder. Shio couldn’t comprehend how unsettling Sato’s actions were due to her tender age, so she grew attached to the older girl, tricked by her manipulations. Happy Sugar Life has received plenty of backlash over the years for this bizarre and unsettling relationship. However, some have come to appreciate the series for how dark and disturbing it truly is.
14 Kaho Nikaido Falls for Kanade Takahashi, an Overgrown 10-Year-Old Boy in First Love Monster
Kanade May Look Like a Teenage, But He's Still Just a Little Boy
At first glance, the couple from First Love Monster doesn’t appear to have a large age gap. However, it doesn’t take long to realize the disturbing truth. While its 15-year-old protagonist Kaho Nikaidou looks her age, her boyfriend, Kanade Takahashi, is actually 10-years-old despite resembling a high schooler. Needless to say, this setup makes for a very concerning romantic premise.
While throughout most of the anime this weird relationship is passed off as comedic, Kanade’s childlike behavior makes his romance with Kaho feel unsettling. A 5-year gap is a critical difference at such a young age. Despite Kanade’s appearance, he and Kaho are at two completely different stages of life, thus adding an extra layer of creepiness to their relationship. Kanade’s adult appearance and sporadic bursts of emotional maturity doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a boy who’s in elementary school, and that’s something the audience can understandably never get past.
13 Ririchiyo Shirakiin and Soushi Miketsukami Have a Creepy Age Gap and Power Imbalance to Their Love in Inu x Boku Secret Service
Soushi's Dedication to Ririchiyo Borders on Obsession
Ririchiyo Shirakiin from Inu x Boku SS is the half-human, half-youkai teenage heir of a renowned family. Her sheltered upbringing has made her socially inept, which leads to her moving into an apartment complex that houses similarly strange individuals. The weirdest acquaintance Ririchiyo makes there is Soushi — her new servant with a creepily submissive personality.
The 22-year-old Soushi dreams of dedicating his life to his 15-year-old master, Ririchiyo. This eventually makes Ririchiyo fall for him, despite the very obvious age difference. That being said, their disturbing power dynamic might be even creepier than the uncomfortably large age gap. Though the series has been well-received by fans overall, there’s no denying that the relationship between Ririchiyo and Soushi is nothing short of disturbing and is probably one of the worst aspects of the story.
12 Sesshomaru and Rin's Sweet Relationship is Ruined By an Unwanted Romance Plot in Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon
Many Fans Feel Sesshomaru and Rin Should Never Have Become Romantic
In the original Inuyasha series, fans adored the relationship between Sesshomaru and the young Rin. From their very first encounter, Sesshomaru clearly has a soft spot for the child, which only grows as they travel together. Their sweet familial relationship is one of the best in the old-school series. Sadly, many feel that the sequel anime, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, ruins their adorable dynamic.
In Yashahime, it’s revealed that Sesshomaru and Rin are now husband and wife, as well as the parents of protagonists Towa and Setsuna. For most fans, this is a shocking and disturbing revelation that just about destroys everything that made their relationship so lovable in the original series. That said, it’s been widely agreed upon that Yashahime is a huge downgrade from Inuyasha and a definite disappointment as a sequel.
11 Koshiro Saeki and Nanoka Kohinata Were Siblings in Love in Koi Kaze
Koshiro and Nanoka's Relationship is Questionable in Several Ways
Koi Kaze tackled not one, but two highly controversial taboos: large age gaps and uncomfortably intimate familial relationships. A child of a divorced couple, 27-year-old Saeki Koushirou didn’t recognize the 15-year-old Kohinata Nanoka as his sister upon their first meeting in years. Yet, even after they both learn they’re related, the already blossoming feelings between Koushirou and Nanoka don’t go away. The series follows the siblings in a disturbing romance as they navigate the complexities of their relationship.
As far as age gap series go, Koi Kaze is actually one of the tamer ones out there. Nevertheless, most viewers can’t get behind the idea of a sibling romance, much less a romance between a fully grown adult and a teenager. Moreover, the uncomfortably realistic and grounded approach the series took in portraying their incestuous relationship makes Koi Kaze an incredibly disturbing age gap anime to watch.
10 Kei Kusanagi and Mizuho Kazami Use a Medical Loophole to Get Married in Please Teacher!
Kei and Mizuho's Romance Reinforces the Problematic Student-Teacher Romance Trope
The love story in the infamous age gap anime and rom-com Please Teacher! is extremely weird on multiple levels. To start out, protagonist Kei Kusanagi is a young boy in high school, yet his main love interest is Mizuho Kazami, who just so happens to be his teacher. On top of this, as Kei and Mizuho slowly grow closer, the solution to their taboo relationship is for the two of them to get married. The series tries to paint this as less creepy than it actually is by revealing that Kei was in a coma for three years, so while he’s still mentally 15, he’s technically an 18-year-old now.
Depite Please Teacher!‘s efforts to make this relationship less problematic, it actually creates more issues than it resolves. The fact that Kei is still mentally a young boy makes this romance very off-putting, no matter how old he really is. And even then, he’s still signigicantly younger than Mizuho, as well as her student, which only further complicates things.
9 Ryo Amakusa Refuses to Stop Creeping on Ichika Arima in It's Disgusting to Call This Love
Despite Ichika's Protests, Ryo Just Won't Take No for an Answer
It’s Disgusting to Call This Love lives up to its title by being a creepy age gap romance anime about the blossoming love between 17-year-old student Ichika, and Ryo, an adult womanizer who is 10 years older than his love interest. Their tale is nothing short of disturbing from the get-go, as Ryo immediately flirts with the young girl upon their first encounter. But after she flat-out rejects him, Ryo takes this as a challenge and begins to go out of his way to woo her.
Needless to say, this is a very uncomfortable setup for a romance. Even if they weren’t so far apart in age, the fact that Ryo refuses to take no for an answer is unsettling and problematic. While Ichika rightfully dismisses him at first, her slowly changing attitude and growing affection towards Ryo sends the wrong message to viewers and leaves a bad taste in their mouths by the end.
8 Rin Kaga and Daikichi Kawachi’s Relationship Goes From Adorably Paternal to Disturbingly Romantic in Bunny Drop
Rin and Daikichi Should Have Remained a Cute Father-Daughter Duo
Bunny Drop starts innocently enough. The series begins when 30-year-old Daikichi Kawachi volunteers to adopt his grandfather’s illegitimate daughter, Rin, after the rest of the family wants to abandon her. However, what begins as a heartwarming bond between an unlikely father and his adoptive daughter disturbingly grows into romance. As the story progresses, their sweet dynamic changes, and a romantic relationship starts to form between them, completely ruining this wholesome found family tale.
This controversial series ends with the father-daughter duo getting married, much to the shock and horror of fans. Thankfully, the Bunny Drop anime doesn’t adapt this part of the story, so many have been able to enjoy the series regardless. But for others, the romantic undertones of the manga have forever tainted the series in their eyes.
7 Nobunaga Oda and Saito Kicho Use History to Justify Their Creepy Romance in Nobunaga Teacher's Young Bride
The Series Makes Light of a Disturbing Aspect of History
The standards for appropriate age gaps in relationships has changed a lot throughout history. Long ago, wide age gaps were considered the norm, and no one really thought anything of them. Yet, this historical fact cannot excuse the modern-day teacher Nobunaga Oda accepting a marriage proposal from a 14-year-old girl — even if she literally came from the Sengoku era.
The infamous Nobunaga Teacher’s Young Bride plays this eerie gimmick for laughs. In the series, a historical princess named Kichou magically appears in front of Nobunaga, a middle-aged man obsessed with harem games. Mistaking him for his historical namesake, Kichou asks Nobunaga to marry her. Unsurprisingly, the creepy teacher gladly takes advantage of this case of mistaken identity. There have been many disturbing age gap romance throughout anime history, but few are quite as unsettling as this one.
6 Ritsuka Aoyagi and Soubi Agatsuma Popularized Yaoi Anime's Problematic Age Gap Trope in Loveless
Ritsuka is Essentially Forced into a Relationship He Didn't Ask For
Loveless is one of the most historically significant and was once considered one of the best BL anime ever made. However, it’s also one of the most problematic examples of josei fiction. This is because of its central relationship between 12-year-old Ritsuka Aoyagi, and a 20-year-old man named Soubi Agatsuma. There’s a lot wrong with their ongoing relationship right off the bat. But apart from this disturbing age difference, one of the defining aspects of Soubi and Ritsuka’s relationship is Soubi’s tendency to force himself on the young boy, making it all the more difficult to stomach.
Loveless wasn’t the first anime to feature a borderline-abusive dynamic between an underage character and their older partner. Despite this, it arguably popularized the trope it to the point where it became a mainstay in age gap anime and the BL genre as a whole for many years to come. For what it’s worth, Loveless’ anime toned down the manga’s more disturbingly intimate scenes. Nevertheless, the series has widely fallen out of favor, especially as healthier depictions of LGBTQ+ relationships have become more popular within the genre.
5 Ren Kaido and Haru Kaido Have an Incestuous and Underage Romance in Super Lovers
Super Lovers is One of the Most Disturbing BL Anime to Date
One of the most infamous age gap anime romances in history, the shounen-ai hit Super Lovers centers around the disturbing relationship between two brothers. The series begins when protagonist Haru meets his young brother Ren for the first time. He’s then tasked with raising the boy and helping him gain social skills. While this is innocent enough, their relationship takes a dramatic turn after a timeskip. Here, the then 16-year-old boy begins a romantic relationship with his 24-year-old brother.
As unsettling as their age difference is, this is somehow not the most disturbing thing about their romance. Super Lovers puts a very strong emphasis on the two being brothers, making an already controversial premise so much worse and disturbing. It’s for this reason that Super Lovers has become one of the most notorious age gap anime ever made.
4 Kyousuke Ichimaru Is Married to a High School Student in My Wife is a High School Girl
Kyousuke Should Not be Allowed to Marry a 17-year-old High Schooler
Based on its title alone, it’s easy to see what makes My Wife is a High School Girl such a controversial age gap anime. In the series, Kyousuke Ichimaru is a high school teacher, and his wife is his 17-year-old student, Asami Onohara. Asami’s family allowed this on the condition that they don’t have sex until Asami finishes school and graduates. However, the fact that they’re okay with this setup at all is beyond strange.
My Wife is a High School Girl uses this bizarre premise for romantic-comedy purposes. It laughs off all the reasonable concerns other characters (and the audience) have about Asami and Kyousuke’s marriage. The anime has become infamous among viewers because of its refusal to take the implications of a teacher courting then marrying his student seriously.
3 Natsuo Fujii Fell for His Teacher and Stepsister in Domestic Girlfriend
Domestic Girlfriend's Taboo Premise Makes it a Divisive Anime Among Romance Fans
The infamous guilty pleasure series Domestic Girlfriend would be more uncomfortable to watch if it wasn’t so ridiculously contrived and exaggerated. The overly dramatic premise of the anime forces Natsuo Fujii to enter a love triangle with his stepsisters, Hina and Rui. While Rui is the same age as Natsuo, his true love, Hina, is actually his adult teacher. This only further complicates the story, not to mention adds an extra layer of uncomfortability that makes it all incredibly disturbing.
Domestic Girlfriend does its best to distract viewers from its unsettling implications by ramping up the melodrama. The relationships between the siblings are almost comically toxic and complicated, which takes the edge out of its controversial nature. Nevertheless, the series has become infamous for its incestuous age gap romance that many now see as tasteless and unnecessary.
2 Tamotsu Forces His Way With the Underage Pico in Boku no Pico
Boku no Pico Remains One of the Most Hated Anime Titles to this Day
One of the most notorious examples of a disturbing age-gap romance in anime, Boku no Pico is universally hated by anime fans, and it’s not hard to see why. Pico is a young teenager, while Tamotsu is a grown adult. However, that doesn’t stop Tamotsu from manipulating and essentially grooming Pico, flirting with him in disturbingly sexual ways due to his feminine appearance.
This horrific series takes the worst aspects of the age gap trope and amps them up to unsettling heights. Tamotsu’s flirtation goes becomes almost obsessive by the end of the first OVA, and he has no problem with forcing his desires onto Pico, even when the boy objects. But though their age gap relationship is nothing short of disturbing, it somehow pales in comparison to the rest of this infamous series.
1 Aoki Daisuke Is Hit On by His 7-Year-Old Student in Kodomo no Jikan
Kodomo no Jikan Features One of the Worst Age Gap Romances in Anime History
No age gap romance in anime history can compete with the controversy caused by Kodomo no Jikan. This notorious age gap anime stars an elementary school teacher named Aoki Daisuke as he gets uncomfortably close with his 7-year-old student, Rin Kokonoe. The series follows their everyday adventures as Rin does everything in her power to seduce Aoki, claiming him to be her lover.
While an attention-starved kid developing a crush on her teacher can be harmless, Aoki doesn’t handle the situation responsibly whatsoever. He just accepts his student’s feelings without question, much to the disgust of viewers. Moreover, Kodomo no Jikan tries to portray Aoki as the victim of Rin’s advances, making the relationship between the two even more disturbing. Their dynamic also implies that Aoki is innocent in the situation, setting a very bad precedent within the story.
