Ares and Xena

Ares, the God of War (Kevin Smith) and Xena (Lucy Lawless) from Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001). Ares and Xena's relationship is a very complex one. Aspects of the relationship are canonical; though in the end it's considered mostly one-sided (at least in the beginning of the series), with Ares being canonically in love with Xena. Xena was a fierce warrior who gave up her life of destruction to help and protect those in need, and Ares was the God of War who resented Xena's choice to work against him. He already had his do-gooder half-brother Hercules to deal with, and did not appreciate him meddling with his most promising protégé. Though Ares did not have much to do on the show for the first few seasons - as he was seen more often on Hercules: the Legendary Journeys - he became a very important character and presence in Xena's life in the end. While never technically a couple, they had a deep bond and a shared love that Xena couldn't ignore, no matter how much she tried to fight it. Being a redeemed warlord, Xena didn't want to admit her feelings for the God of War, though she did a very poor job of hiding them most times. They had incredible chemistry together and Ares always admired Xena's ability to use his feelings for her to her advantage. Sure, they were often on different sides of issues, but they enjoyed playing with each other and respected each other as adversaries. Ares may have worn his love for Xena on his sleeve, but that didn't stop him from getting in her way and making her life more complicated. Now whether or not their bond would have ever blossomed into a true romance is unknown, but Ares didn't seem to be one to give up that easily. Theirs was an unconventional love story from the beginning, but a very intriguing one, and the most interesting aspect of it is that all of his plans to turn her back to the dark side ended up redeeming Ares and making him a better person, all due to Xena.