What’s up Nerds and happy Valentine’s Day! For my international readers, who have no idea what this holiday even is let me give you a quick summary. If I’m being honest it’s a cash grab holiday where people feel like they have to spend a bunch of money to impress their significant other, but on a more positive note it’s a holiday to celebrate love in relationships and friendships. I actually love Galentine’s and like to link up with my good friends whenever we can. But this isn’t what I’m here to talk about. I’m here to discuss all the pairings that didn’t happen in shows but absolutely SHOULD HAVE! And this list will be a combined list of tv shows, anime, and games. Let’s get into it.
Katara and Zuko
Yep I’m starting strong with this first one. Katara and Zuko were supposed to be end game, I don’t care. Do we see chemistry between the 2? Yes. Do we see redemption for Zuko? Yes. Do we see him help her come to terms with her mother’s death by confronting her killer?? Yes! This was something that even Aang couldn’t help Katara with even with them being close. This was actually a source of contention for Aang and Kaara because of Aang’s background of being a pacifist and not wanting to result to killing. And let’s not forget that Katara has always been interested in the “bad boys”. Let’s us not forget the cute but slightly crazy with power Jett. Katara wasn’t paying any attention to Aang and she had only just met Jett. She knows Zuko. She knows his weaknesses and his strengths. And as Zuko took the time to confront his own demons and warped perspective, there’s no way he wouldn’t take the time to learn more about Katara. And she probably reminds him of his gentle and loving mother. Also their signs are opposites creating that whole opposites attract theory. I know if the pairing went this way we wouldn’t have gotten Tenzin in Kora, but honestly I would have loved seeing what Katara nd Zuko’s kids were like. Long live #Zutara.
Link and Mipha
So yes I know that Zelda is always supposed to be with Link in whatever timeline we’re in. However, in Breath of the Wild I absolutely loved Mipha. She was caring, intelligent, and family oriented. But she wasn’t so family-oriented that she let that keep her from her growing feelings for Link. We have proof in Link’s memories and in Mipha’s diary how much Mipha cared about Link. She was even about to give Zelda some helpful advice about how to channel her powers. Who knew that they would both use Link as a source of their power. But Mipha is just a great character. She is loved by all her people in the Zora domain and her little brother adore Siphon adores her. She also commands respect from the elders. It is also established in the game that their are relationships between different races. I mean Tarrey Town was created for the sole reason of uniting Hudson a Hylian and Rhondson a Gerudo. I think the union between Mipha and Link could have helped solidify relations between the two kingdoms as well. Link was a trusted knight of the Hylian military and Mipha was the best and most prominent fighter of the Zora. It’s not surprising that they would run in the same circles especially since Link would spend time training with Zora warriors as well. I would also like to mention that Link had no problem talking to Mipha either. I know we usually like to label Link as this silent hero but he did talk to Mipha. More than he spoke to Zelda, and if we’re realistic it would have been unlikely that Link would have spoken anything to Zelda that was not pertinent to her protection. It’s much more likely that Zelda would have had a one-sided, unrequited love.
Retsuko and Tadano
I know this one was not meant to be but I loved their pairing. Tadano was exciting and funny and gave Retsuko a new outlook on what love could look like. They had fun together and Tadano let Retsuko be her full self. I liked how Tadano didn’t approach Retsuko in a way that signified he wanted to date her. They really just started their relationship as friends who enjoyed each other’s company. He is a chill guy to contrast Retsuko’s death metal side. He also is very intelligent and owns his own IT company. If he didn’t have that pesky view about marriage Retsuko would be set. I could see him helping her fund her musical channel and supporting her at all of her concerts. She may even take interest in learning about his IT programs he is developing. Overall despite their differences in perspectives in marriage I loved seeing them together and their chemistry.
Harry and Hermione
Okay we could spend a lot of time on this one but I’m going to be brief. There could be an argument for what their friendship looks like in the books versus the movies but for the sake of time let’s focus on the movies. From the beginning it should have been Harry and Hermione. Harry never made fun of Hermione for being intelligent and always appreciated her contributions. He knew he could rely on her in all of his trials and she was always there. Hermione always made sure that Harry was taken care of and was always attentive to him. This seemed like the most natural pairing. JK Rowling has even alluded to the Hermione/Ron pairing being for “personal reasons”. I think it’s safe to say that because Hermione was based on JK herself, she wanted her to be her own persona nd not just Harry’s love interest. I think that is great and I would want the same. However, Hermione being Hermione I just don’t believe Ron would have been her actual choice.
Who are your favorite couples that didn’t come to be? Let me know in the comments below or over on Instagram @ the_nerdlight. Keep nerding out!
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels
