I love romance in fiction. It’s fun to see how romance can develop and how characters can work together romantically. It’s also nearly Valentine’s Day, so I’m going to take this opportunity to write about some of my favorite fictional couples. 

The first couple I’ll bring up is Caitlyn and Vi from the Netflix series, Arcane. Caitlyn is from Piltover, a rich, utopian-like city. She’s an enforcer, which is basically just a cop. Vi is from Zaun, the undercity of Piltover which is riddled with poverty and crime. They meet when Caitlyn gets Vi out of prison, taking her to Zaun as a sort of guide. They start out not really liking each other, but, eventually, it grows into mutual respect, and then into love. I love these two together because they’re just so good as a couple. They come from vastly different backgrounds, which helps them grow as characters as they both learn to understand each other’s hometowns. They also work quite well together in fighting Silco, the main villain of the series.

The second couple I’ll talk about is Jonathan and Erina from Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood. Jonathan and Erina met when they were children, and they were friends with mutual feelings until Jonathan’s adoptive brother, Dio, kissed Erina before Jonathan got to. Erina was ashamed and began to avoid Jonathan. Erina ends up moving away. Weeks after Erina moves back to England, Jonathan seemingly defeats Dio, and the two of them get married. However, on a ship to their honeymoon, Dio returns as just his head (for context, he is a vampire and that’s how he’s only a head). Dio attacks Jonathan, but Erina, as well as a baby she found on the boat, escape. I love this relationship because they’re just so cute together. They care for each other so much, and the end to their story is tragic.

The third couple I’ll talk about is the Joker and Punchline. Now, you may not know who Punchline is, and I would get that because she’s sort of a new character. Punchline, or Alexis Kaye, is, as you could guess, the Joker’s new girlfriend. She’s a reporter who became obsessed with the Joker after an encounter with him. She became a serial killer and eventually caught the Joker’s attention, which led to them getting together. I love this couple not because they’re healthy, but because I think they’re interesting. I also like interactions with other characters that happen due to the relationship, like Harley Quinn trying to warn Punchline about the Joker.

Speaking of Harley, the final couple is her and Poison Ivy. Harley and Ivy have been friends in DC for a while, and in a few universes, they’ve dated. In the animated series Harley Quinn, the two of them are currently together. In the comics, Ivy always tried to get Harley to leave the Joker, but for a long time, Harley didn’t listen. Eventually, though, Harley leaves him and the two of them get together. Harley and Ivy pretty recently broke up in the comics. While this is disappointing, I doubt it’ll be forever. I think, or at least I hope, that after Ivy grows a bit, they could get back together.

So, there are four of my favorite fictional couples.