The 100 dealt with some fairly serious topics over its seven-season run, with its characters facing multiple apocalypses, violent wars, and multiple betrayals within their own ranks. In spite of all of that, they managed to form close bonds with the people around them - with some of these bonds being pushed into romantic territory. Those relationships became something fans could root for in the midst of all the chaos, and it's difficult to imagine the series without its major couples present.
Of course, while some of the romances from The 100 were predictable from the get-go, others came as a surprise. With the characters constantly forced to adapt, certain pairings took several seasons to develop. Others were flings that emerged seemingly out of nowhere. In the end, there was a mix of shocking relationships on the show, with some of them quickly gaining popularity among the fanbase and others fizzling out with little fanfare.
Kane And Abby: Adversaries To Lovers
Kane and Abby have one of the longest relationships on The 100, but their dynamic wasn't always romantic - or even amicable. These two start the series as adversaries, pushing very different political agendas as the Ark begins to die. With Chancellor Jaha shot in the first episode, Abby and Kane constantly butt heads when it comes to making decisions for their people. Kane even attempts to float Abby for breaking the law, something Jaha fortunately prevents from happening.
However, despite their rocky beginning, Kane and Abby wind up growing closer once they arrive on Earth. They still have disagreements, but they learn to respect and support one another, eventually taking their relationship to the next level.
Clarke And Lexa: A Happy Surprise
In hindsight, it's difficult to imagine a version of The 100 where Clarke and Lexa aren't in love with one another. However, when their relationship first emerged in Season 2, it came as a surprise to some fans - most notably because the series never made a big deal about its lead character being bisexual.
To be fair, Clarke's sexuality doesn't need to be the focal point of a show where the characters have much bigger things to worry about than who their friends are dating. The series was right that Clarke's sexuality doesn't and shouldn't matter, but given how many shows don't take this approach, Clarke and Lexa's romance came as a happy surprise, quickly becoming one of the most beloved ships out there.
Bellamy And Gina: A Means To An End
Season 3 of The 100 opens with Bellamy dating Gina, a character who receives little to no screentime in the grand scheme of the series. Given how many other characters Bellamy could have chosen to pursue, his brief relationship with Gina felt like a jarring choice for the writers to make - at least, until it became clear that their romance was essentially a means to an end.
Gina is one of the people to perish in the Grounder attack on Mount Weather, leading Bellamy to feel grief and guilt over his girlfriend's death. Those feelings are what push him to join Pike's crusade against the Grounders, something that would otherwise be pretty uncharacteristic for Bellamy, especially since it pitted him against Clarke and his sister.
Bellamy And Echo: Needed More Development
Bellamy and Echo may have had some chemistry early on in The 100, but both always found themselves on opposing sides of whatever crisis they happened to be dealing with at the time. Their personalities never really seemed to mesh in a romantic manner, but that didn't prevent the show from throwing them together following its Season 5 time skip.
The "Becho" relationship has probably gotten some of the most backlash out of any romance on The 100, and the surprise factor may play a role in that. Despite there being some underlying trust between these two after their time at Mount Weather, fans weren't given much indication as to why they might like each other romantically. Perhaps more flashbacks of their time in space together would have helped set things straight.
Miller And Jackson: What Happened To Bryan?
Miller and Jackson are one of the most popular couples on The 100, and they're one of the few pairs that actually got to enjoy a happy ending after season 7. However, their relationship seemed to come out of left field; one minute Miller was dating Bryan, and the next he was with Jackson. It's not clear what happened to Bryan following season 4's Death Wave, and the series never gives fans much closure on his relationship with Miller. The two share a rocky ending in Season 4, but there's no indication about whether it's permanent or not.
Following Season 5 and its time skip, Bryan isn't mentioned again and Miller's developed feelings for Jackson during their time in the bunker. It's not a relationship many fans could have predicted, but it worked out pretty well in the end.
Raven And Shaw: Raven's Most Random Fling
Raven is thrown into more than one romantic pairing during her time on The 100, but her brief relationship with Shaw has to be the most random of the bunch. While she grew up with Finn and worked closely alongside Wick, she didn't have much of a foundation to stand on when it came to Shaw.
That by itself doesn't necessarily make Raven and Shaw an unexpected match, but their feelings for one another develop incredibly fast for a romance with so little to support it. It doesn't help that the show kills off Shaw before fans can get to know him better. Poor Raven simply can't catch a break.
Diyoza And McCreary: What Does She See In Him?
Diyoza and McCreary are more of a fling than a romance, but whatever they had off-screen results in Diyoza's pregnancy during Season 5 - a weird twist considering how they could barely seem able to tolerate one another.
It's possible that their romance stemmed from boredom or some sort of power play, but even then, it's difficult to understand why Diyoza would go along with such a thing. Diyoza has little tolerance for nonsense, something McCreary brings to nearly every situation. On the bright side, the strange pairing brought Hope into the mix.
Octavia And Levitt: An Uncomfortable Dynamic
Following Lincoln's death, it seemed Octavia would never find that sort of connection again - in fact, there was no indication she even wanted to. After grieving, she dove into her newfound role of leading the 13 clans through the apocalypse. From there, she went on a journey to earn forgiveness from herself and the people she'd wronged during her time as Blodreina.
Octavia's character arc could easily have remained focused on her own growth, but season 7 gave her a new opportunity to fall in love. She winds up developing feelings for Levitt, one of the men working for the Disciples, creating a somewhat uncomfortable dynamic considering he's her enemy (and he's been picking through her brain to gain information about her friends). Levitt does eventually betray his own people for her sake, but the two remain an odd match until the end. The heart wants what it wants?
Jordan And Hope: Finding Solace
With The 100 introducing a new generation during its later seasons, it makes sense the younger characters find solace in one another. That certainly seems to be what happened with Jordan and Hope, both of whom wind up catching feelings during their time trying to stop the apocalypse from unfolding (again).
Given how different these two characters are -- and how little they interact prior to the end of Season 7 -- this relationship isn't one many fans saw coming.
Clarke And Gaia: A Ship No One Saw Coming
Clarke and Gaia were never officially a romantic pair on The 100, but that hasn't stopped fans from shipping them after they grew close to one another in Season 7. Brought together by their love for Madi, these two are bonded by similar experiences -- and they certainly could wind up together down the line, since both of them are among the last human beings left on Earth when the show concludes.
That said, it's hard to imagine viewers shipping Clarke and Gaia prior to Season 6 and Season 7. This match came out of nowhere, though both characters definitely deserve the love.