Written by Shelby-Liza Ndumbi
Hell...
I’ve been wanting to create this tier list for a while now, and I finally got around to doing it. One thing about me that becomes noticeable to those who choose to be my friend is my somewhat uncontrollable need to ship characters together, but it’s not out of nowhere. I have a good sense of observation to figure out who ends up with who. I’m a foreshadowing shipper when comes to anime and cartoons mostly. I ship people that I believe would make an excellent pairing, especially those that never got to see the light of day.
I’ll only talk about 12 ships I love, and 12 I hate with a burning passion from cartoons/animated movies and Live-Action movies/TV series that I’ve seen, or still watching. One like and one hate will share the same number based on if they were to be separated from its counterpart into another list.
You might hate some of my choices, but I don’t really care. These are my opinions and no one is forced to agree with me. Just don’t think that some of your overly venomous ships are something to be proud of, mind you.
Number 12:
Love: Courtney and Duncan - Hate: Ariel and Jim Hawkins
Love: Well, I’m not saying I’m in love with how the Total Drama team chose to go about Courtney and Duncan’s relationship, all that yelling... but I enjoyed their screen presence more than usual. I was there for the development every episode like I had nothing better to do. Watching fan videos and looking at fanart for hours. I hope you guys remember Blaineley, cause I do. Somewhere in Total Drama Action, she advised Courtney to “have a heart, we know you have one, honey.” and for Duncan to take her back after the matching tattoo fiasco... and the raccoon custody case. Ha! In a general sense, they need a lot of work to actually have a long-standing romance. Shipping them with literally anyone else wouldn’t have made sense despite, possibly, being an option like Court and Scott, or Duncan and Gwen. I think that if Duncan and Court really want each other, they need to establish thorough communication and stop it with the jealousy nonsense.
Hate: Now this ship, where the living hell did it from?? When I saw Ariel kissing Jim Hawkins while minding my own business on Pinterest, I was baffled and slightly disturbed... Yes, if we roll back the clock to the first movie, making its sequel non-canon, Ariel would be 15 or 16, around the same age as Jim. That’s beside the point. I didn’t care for this, so much so that I came to hate it. If I were to have a crossover ship, this wouldn’t be one of them. (Wait till “Sweet Mentions”). I rarely feel the need to bring two complete strangers from two separate films together in the middle for dramatic effects. Milo Thatch has a better chance of bumping into Ariel than Jim. It feels weird, especially when you have people also shipping Hawkins with Ariel’s daughter, Melody... What the actual hell is that? A mother and daughter get to bang the same guy... If Treasure Planet had its deserved sequel, Jim might have had better luck.
Number 11:
Love: Stella and Bloom - Hate: Scarlett and Duke
Love: I don’t think I fully believed in a ship between Stella and Bloom, including the information that I never watched all eight seasons plus World of Winx, but I paid attention to some degree. I’ve seen two of the 3D animated movies and a couple of episodes from seasons ranging amongst one to five, enough to sense something. Stella brought Bloom into the fold, despite the show going to great lengths to making it feel like it’s all about Bloom, egotistic and self-assertive, I still liked the idea of them being couple. Aside from their regal leadership, they complement each other in terms of Stella’s humor, charm, determination, stylish nature, and caring heart linked with Bloom’s courage, fiery personality, animal-loving, and curious mind. See? I had something nice to say about Bloom...
Hate: I know not too many people would care about this, and neither do I. Dear Christ... I hate this ship. It reeks of typical male lead must shove himself into the sight of female lead that has a better connection with Snake Eyes than with him. These two are beyond distasteful. Duke functions better on his own and should leave Scarlett to be with someone that actually matches her, like Snake Eyes. There’s no tangible unification between these two and most of it is orchestrated to look like they have a resemblance of something heartfelt. It’s annoying. If you’ve seen clips shipping Scarlett and Snake Eyes from G.I Joe: Renegades, it blows this one out of the earth’s orbit. I’ve tried to give it a chance, but I self-combusted.
Number 10:
Love: Emma Swan and Captain Hook - Hate: Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker
Love: I can’t express this enough. The second we meet Captain Hook in season two, also known as Killian Jones, love his name, I shipped him with Emma from the start. I remember seeing somewhere that their relationship overloaded the show. They took too much screen-time. Maybe, but I loved every moment of it. Amongst all the adaptations I’ve seen with a portrayal of Hook, I believe that Once Upon a Time did him the best. They gave him far more depth, wit and intrigue to really make his character stand out. “Behold, the Rolly Jogger!” and “I may be a simple pirate, but I know one thing, lakes have water.” I mean, come on now. Great lines! I’m glad Emma didn’t pass him up, and their coupling was all the more amazing for it. I’m a sucker for enemies to lovers, if done right, like this one.
Hate: My mind draws a blank as to why this is even a thing. It’s not worse than another one on this list, I’ll tell you that, but it remains a gut-punching and unnecessary pairing. Why is it that when characters have an OBVIOUS brother-sister relationship, fans feel the need to destroy and poison it? Anakin gets mixed feelings out of me, but I can understand his perspective. There are no double meanings, no reading-between-the-lines crap, they’re family. Obi-Wan is the adoptive father, Anakin is the strong but hot-tempered older brother, while Ahsoka is the exceptional wide-thinking and talented little sister. I know that just because I don’t see them together, it’ll stop others from pursuing this narrative. Honestly speaking, this isn’t a good ship. It should be left alone.
Number 9:
Love: Damian Wayne and Raven - Hate: Tintin and Captain Haddock
Love: This is a fun and mysterious one that I came to really love. It’s not until you reach Justice League vs. Teen Titans that we get to see Damian engage with Raven. He’s become one of my favourite DC characters despite his upbringing — I talk about Damian in my Batman Ninja Film Entry — so to ship him with Raven was an exceptional choice. Not too many ships mesh very well, but this isn’t one of them. They balance one another and give each other the support they needed, even if it means distancing yourself because your demon father Trigon threatened to kill your boyfriend. I want to see more of them in future films and/or TV series. The furthest we’ve gone with these two was Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, they shared a highly anticipated kiss in that one. Yay!
Hate: I... I don’t know what to say. I grew up watching Tintin like it was the best invention because it was. I loved the whole aspect of a journalist’s life explored the way they did with this character. Hergé always captured my attention in every episode they adapted from his comic books. I’ve demonstrated NO homophobic problems, I simply don’t like this ship... Tintin and Captain Haddock are friends, very good friends. Regardless of Tintin looking like a 26-year-old while Haddock is close to a 38-year-old man, age and preference don’t mix well here. What makes me uncomfortable is that people feel the need to do this, and I’m an innocent bystander that unintentionally walked into a forbidden room. It’s almost obvious that even the writer couldn’t see Tintin with someone whilst Haddock had an intriguing link with Bianca Castafiore. You would think that this ruined my childhood, but no, it’s solely about preserving a bond that doesn’t need a romantic introduction. It brings nothing but unwanted chaos. If I want gayness, which I always do, I’ve got PLENTY that I actually adore. Trust me.
Number 8:
Love: Judy Hoops and Nick Wilde - Hate: Tyler and Wednesday Addams
Love: Ah-ha! I love Nick and Judy as friends, the banter in the movie was amazing, but it also created a new avenue. Romance. I’ve watched too many fanfiction videos on YouTube. One of them being titled “Inter Schminter”. That’s my favourite of the bunch! I even asked my brothers, and they were like... uugg? The thing is, the creators couldn’t possibly believe that after inserting lines such as “You know you love me.” “Do I know that? Yes, yes, I do.” wouldn’t inspire shippers to do their wicked magic. Enemies to lovers isn’t the only trope I’m fond of, but also interracial relationships as well. Wilde and Hoops are an example of a pairing that work both ways and make it difficult to pick one. It was hard enough to get out of the predators and prey division, now we have preys and predators dating. Cue the explosions!
Hate: I was excited for the show Wednesday, but then it shoved something I hate in my face when it comes to drama. A goddamn love triangle! I saw none of that in the trailers. It’s like they were purposely hiding it from me. The worst thing they did was have her engage with Tyler that gave me absolutely nothing, and y’all would probably think I’m mistaking him with Xavier, but no, I like Thorpe. He genuinely interested me. Tyler got in the way. It’s heavily blunted in the writing and acting, whether Tyler was thrusted in a conversation between Wednesday and Xavier at a carnival, or him being Wednesday’s date to the Rave’n Dance after asking Xavier first... shyly. Some would speculate that she’s better off single, but like Ahsoka, there’s someone for everyone especially when you express some desire to date. At some point, she changed her mind from her initial thoughts at the beginning. That was largely due in part to Xavier, not what’s his ass.
Number 7:
Love: Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable - Hate: Jacob Black, Bella Swan and Edward Collins
Love: Now, this is how you do friends to lovers unlike that bull they pulled with Star and Marco. Ron and Kim are a great sample of two widely adored characters that are written to have a phenomenal connection building throughout the story and coming to a romantic conclusion. It was sprinkled within the first two seasons if you look closely, but season three provided a more consistent indication of a possible love connection becoming reality. I saw this coming, and I’m glad it was well done. They became the best couple among Disney Channel shows in history... according to fans anyway. I especially went to watch a compilation of them dating a couple times already because they’re so damn cute. Aside from the series being one of the greatest on Disney, Ron and Kim’s relationship was the main drive that made the cartoon so beloved. You couldn’t really replicate the essence of their childhood friendship turned dating status.
Hate: Dear God... Tale as old as time in the worst sense. “I can’t choose which boy I want. Stop fighting over me, but also keep fighting over me.” Whine, whine, whine. I think Bella should have discarded both men and work on herself. The fact that she doesn’t bother trying to do ANYTHING outside of Edward when he left was mind-melting. The entire core of her being was being with Edward’s manipulative and invading ass. She has no personality, no ambition, no hobbies, nothing. She’s as bland as salt and pepper chicken. I saw all the movies, and I hated everything except for the fight scenes and Alice Collins. Violence was the only right thing here. At first, I preferred Jacob over Edward, but then Jake showed signs of being his own bundle of confusing croak. Baby imprinting, anyone? I nearly ran out of the house because of that. The birth of this entire saga should have died before it went to paper. Everyone is entitled to write a story if they have a real passion for it, but to glorify this…
Thank you for making it this far down. ☺️
Number 6:
Love: Stanley Rodriguez-Jones and Soleil Le Claire - Hate: Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz
Love: I came across Fright Krewe randomly, but I’m happy I did. I couldn’t resist when I saw the poster of the five main characters and immediately shipped Soleil and Stanley. I didn’t notice at first, but with the help of Star Trek: Prodigy, I started paying attention to how much these two stared at each other lovingly. The same thing was happening in Prodigy. The way Stanley and Soleil support, uplift and protect the other is heartwarming to see. They become each other’s first thoughts. (SPOILER) Given that they don’t start dating until the end of season two, I almost thought this wasn’t happening. By the time season one ended and no concrete romance was introduced, I was ecstatic when part two rolled along showing Stanley kissing Soleil’s cheek. I hate squealing, but I squealed so hard. It’s relatively new, so I hope that season three, when it’s announced, will broaden the relationship.
Hate: Speak of the devils, Star and Marco. We were just talking about you… poorly. I prayed for this to not happen. I hoped this wouldn’t happen. How disappointing. Because of this unnecessary collision, I couldn’t finish the series’ four seasons, and I can see I wasn’t the only one who’s stomach was upset further down the plot line. I wasn’t having it, in the back of my mind, telling me that they only had Star rekindle her relationship with Tom just because she couldn’t get with Marco after she confessed towards the end of season two. It felt sloppy, uncaring and opportune. I’m so sorry, Tom. I found out that Diaz and Butterfly were written to portray the creator’s actual relationship, so they were bound to end up together. But why? They didn’t have to, and in my opinion, I think it ruined the show. They cheated on their respectable partners and caused magical genocide. How grand.
Number 5:
Love: Eloïse and Tag - Hate: Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews
Love: Not too many people would be familiar with these two because they’re from a French cartoon called Foot2rue, or Street Soccer in English. The French version is better. Hence loving this so much! Eloïse may be a rich girl, but she’s willing to work hard, get her hands dirty and never uses money to get ahead unfavourably. She’s a very, very easy person to like and be friends with, that’s why Tag came to like her, but not without being skeptical of her presence first. Multiple guys were gunning for her. I love this ship turned couple as much as I do because they managed to make a relationship between two 14-year-olds seem mature, respectful, kind, supportive, refreshingly healthy, raw, balanced and honest. Something that most adult romances can’t mimic one third of what I just said.
Hate: I’ve been dreading this one since I added it to my list… it killed my soul. Riverdale was one of those shows that were overwhelmingly overrated. I only entered it because I saw that Jughead Jones was played by Cole Sprouse. For once, I gave the show the benefit of the doubt. Maybe not every girl is bewitched by Archie’s dick and flavourless personality, but no, even Betty eventually succumbed. I don’t care about her childhood crush. She grew out of it and started dating Jughead, which was 20 times more authentic, beautiful, real, loving, attentive and emotionally powerful. When she made the foolish decision to cheat with Andrews and stay with him, it was lust and only lust. There’s nothing there! That was enough for me to leave the show prematurely and whatever catastrophic events that occurred later that caused its downfall.
Number 4:
Love: Shaggy Rogers and Daphne Blake - Hate: Harley Quinn and the Joker
Love: I’m seeing that more and more are supporting this ship just as much as I am. I didn’t know about The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries (1983), and The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985) when I shipped Shaggy and Daphne. I did when I saw the Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated episode called “Night Terrors”. Yeah, I’m aware that Daphne thought she made out with Fred, but despite the confusion, she didn’t seem disgusted and Shaggy said he liked it. Mmh, I love that some leeway was shown. I don’t think the creative team have completely blown this possibility out of the water. They’re teasing us. I believe that they would make a great couple because of their distinctive personalities and styles. They’re comfortable around each other, caring, and genuine. Love for chocolate and food. I don’t care for the recycled trope of popular pretty individuals should date amongst themselves and only the moderately attractive people go together as if we can’t mix it up. And don't think I forgot about the matching color t-shirt and ascot.
Hate: I can see Quinn with Poison Ivy, Supergirl, Nightwing… because of the Batman & Harley movie, anyway, Batgirl, herself, even Deadshot, but not the Joker. This is one the craziest ships out there that some of your asses want to model yourselves after. Why? Nothing healthy comes from this. If anyone thinks of toxins and physical malice, they envision these two. They’re good at committing crimes and explosive exits, but the dating avenue is closed to them. He could bomb his way to limbo for all I care…
Number 3:
Love: Loulou and Gaby - Hate: Sofia and Cedric
Love: Loulou de Montmartre, a French cartoon that goes above and beyond to be one of the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. I’m still not happy about how inconclusive they ended the story, leaving the audience to interpret their own narrative was a sucker move, but they gave us Loulou and Gaby before closing the curtains. Gabriel is his full name, but we don’t address him as such. He prefers Gaby, which is cute. I like when guys have girl names. Just like Tag and Eloïse, for characters who are around 12 to 14, their connection was a delight to watch. The way they had some of their character developments set apart from the each other, then reconvene in the middle made them stronger as individuals and a pairing. I loved how they can rely on one another, but also tackle obstacles on their own. I just wish we got to see more of them. I think you’d like them, too.
Hate: Back to the migraine... This is without question a predator-feasting, terrible and unsettling ship. Some of y’all do realize that Sofia is 11, right?... Right?? You have her paired with a full-grown adult when she’s better Prince Hugo. That should be enough, but hell no, someone somewhere had the nerve to create this monstrosity. I don’t get it, what’s the appeal? It’s almost like some of these ships are done without thinking, or awareness. I nearly fell off my bed when a fanart of Cedric and Sofia popped out abruptly in front of my face on Pinterest. It was especially horrible when I had to find images for this tier list, I was left with a sickly feeling in my mouth, as if I ate pickles covered in salt. Among the episodes I’ve seen, I could tell that Sofia was the sudden, but very much needed light of a child that Cedric cried for. A friend, he needed a friend. Trying to acquire her amulet was the basis of their meetings, nothing more. So, why turn it into something inappropriate?
Number 2:
Love: Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy - Hate: Mabel and Dipper Pines
Love: I suspect that most of us shipped them due to the behind-the-scenes stuff, regardless of that, I completely agree. I love this! I drew somewhat of a parallel of Hermione, Draco and Ron with Aang, Katara and Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender. There are similarities in terms of how fans preferred Katara with Zuko just like Hermione with Draco, but instead they both ended up with someone you guys found unlikely. However, with Katara, she was better for it. I like Ron, I really do, but there was a part of me that felt like Hermione was better suited with Draco. They make for an intriguing couple that I would watch the hell out of. I sense a bit of Romeo and Juliet, too. They match each other’s intelligence, wit, curiosity and something I didn’t think of before, allure. Granger and Malfoy are also different enough to keep things... bouncy.
Hate: I don’t think I can express how many times I’ve twitched at this... THEY’RE TWIN SIBLINGS! That's explanatory enough. I can’t, nope... I’m getting off this incest train right now. You guys can fill in the blanks if you truly think there are some...
Sweet Mentions:
Miraculous Ladybug: Marinette and Adrien (hate)
Star Trek Prodigy: Gwyndala and Dal R’El (love)
Resident Evil video games: Claire Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy (hate)
Meet the Robinsons + The Incredibles: Wilbur Robinson and Violet Parr (love)
Gilmore Girls: Rory Gilmore and Dean, or Logan (hate)
Stoked: Ripper and Emma (love)
Ben 10: Gwen and Ben (hate)
6teen: Jude and Caitlin (love)
DC universe: Batman and Superman (love)
Storm Hawks: Piper and Aerrow (love)
Greenhouse Academy: Hayley and Leo (hate)
Final Fantasy video games: Cloud and Aerith (hate)
Megas XLR: Kiva and Jamie (love)
Peter Pan: Wendy Darling and Peter Pan – John Darling and Tiger Lily (2003) (love)
Number 1:
Love: Tooth Fairy and Jack Frost - Hate: Aria Montgomery and Ezra Fitz
Love: Whoop, whoop, my ultimate honeys! La crème de la crème. Don’t come for me Elsa and Jack Frost shippers because I’m going to explain why I hate that one. Aside from the fact that they originate from two different everything, the audience brought them together for one sole purpose, their ice powers. It’s materialistic. They look pretty, but who the hell cares? Shaggy and Daphne can attest to that. Tooth Fairy can match Jack’s level of imagination. She’s studious but also carefree. She can be quite menacing when she wants to be for the sake of protecting others. And speaking of others, she already displayed noticeable feelings towards Frost in the movie. The picture I used is from one of my favourite scenes, where I didn’t realize after watching the film at least five times, that Jack was staring at Tooth’s lips when she backed away to look at him. I had to stare at the gifs six to seven times to really see it. Frost was showing further interest... AND his hand was on her waist! Very familiar. If they make a second installment; I hope this pairing gets the expansion it deserves. It breaks my heart when lovely ships still haven’t gotten their continuation.
Hate: This... however, didn’t break my heart. The paranoiac-induced child-groomer had fans in a chokehold believing that this was the pairing of a lifetime. Y'all supported it for seven seasons straight, while the moment I entered the show, I hated Ezra Fitz before knowing he was going to be Aria’s English teacher. I don’t think that those who started the show when it aired were blindly immersed to the point where they couldn’t see right from wrong. I didn’t watch the show until I reached my first year of college. I knew there was something wrong back then, and I knew there was still something wrong during the viewing. I kept waiting for their breakup by the end of season one, but they kept delaying the inevitable. Their relationship was the bane of the series’ existence. I expected better from Montgomery, it makes it all the more irritating that she was my favourite, and that we’re both artists.
I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on ships, old and new ones. Which one appeals most to you? You’re welcome to express your opinion.
Thanks for reading, Cupcakes!
TOP PHOTO: Pictures I found on Pinterest and Google, then used Canva to bring them together
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