Samurai 7/Ho Yay

• Kambei and Kyuzo in Samurai 7 (hinted at by the opening credits). Make Kyuzo be an actual girl instead of a pretty boy, and it'd would be probably considered a canon tsundere romance. Both are fixated on fighting each other: Kyuzo only goes with the team to keep Kambei alive so they can fight again, and Kambei keeps apologizing to him for not finishing the job fast enough in order to have their fight.
  • Their memorable first meeting where their skills are equally matched and their swords become deadlocked in combat:

Kanbei: I think I'm in love... Kyuzo: What?! (He kicks away breaking the stalemate) Kanbei: With your skills, that is.

• • Later Kyuzo takes it upon himself to search and destroy assassins sent by Ukyo to kill Kambei because Kambei is his to kill.

Kyuzo: (Before attacking) "Don't touch Shimada Kanbei!"

• • Their dramatic final scene together when Kyuzo dies after getting caught in friendly (gun)fire from a shell-shocked Katsushiro:

Kyuzo: (Dying) I'll be waiting for you in the village. Kambei: Wait for me in the afterworld... I'll be there soon. Kyuzo: Don't take too long. (Kambei actually takes off his glove, and tenderly closes the eyes of a dead Kyuzo with his bare hand. He then takes Kyuzo's sword as one of his own.)

• • Kanbei's also got his "wife" (that is, "right hand man") Shichirouji. He holds an umbrella for Kanbei during the planning of the final defense.
    • Historically, homosexual relationship were rather relatively commonplace among the Samurai class.