Rajesh Koothrappali is one of the most beloved characters in The Big Bang Theory. When we first meet him, he is too anxious to even speak to women without alcohol. But he gradually overcomes this problem and manages to have several romantic relationships. His sweet and romantic nature acts as both a strength and a weakness depending on the woman he is dating at the time. Here we have ranked Raj’s ten most serious relationships in order of compatibility.
10. Emily / Emily Two
This list is starting confusing because Raj dated two different women called Emily, who also both had red hair. But coming in at the number ten spot is Emily from Penny’s spin class. Penny felt they would be an ideal match because Raj was still struggling to speak to women, and Emily was deaf. While it seemed like a sweet idea, the problem of needing Howard as a third wheel on their first date made things extremely awkward. Raj did attempt to overcome this by learning some sign language. But sadly, it turned out that the seemingly adoring Emily was only using Raj for his family’s money and promptly dumped him as soon as his father cut him off.
9. Lakshmi
Lakshmi was beautiful, brilliant, and a lesbian. Raj met her through an arrangement by his parents, and while she was eager to pursue a relationship, they would have had zero sexual chemistry. Hilariously, Lakshmi assumed Raj was gay and so felt that it would have been the perfect arranged marriage to get her parents off her back. While Raj did consider going through with marrying her, his best friend Howard intervened and helped him see the truth. That they never would have worked.
8. Nell
Raj met the lovely and free-spirited Nell when he was working at the planetarium. They spent a wonderful night together and seemed like they would really hit it off. Unfortunately, she was only recently separated from her husband (a mere two weeks), and this was something Raj could not overcome. He even befriended her ex-husband, Oliver, and they bonded over their mutual love of House of Pies. Raj is then instrumental in helping the couple get back together and maintained his friendship with Oliver!
7. Ruchi
Ruchi was a colleague of Bernadette’s and both Raj and Stuart pursued her. Ultimately, Raj won the day, but Ruchi was only interested in a sexual relationship. This conflicted with Raj’s ideals of having a romantic, loving partnership and the two seemed destined to fail. But when Bernadette was put on bed rest due to her pregnancy, and Ruchi started plotting against her to steal her job, Raj had to choose where his loyalty lay. Fortunately, he made the right choice and chose his friendships over sex.
6. Lalita
Lalita was another attempted arrangement by his parents. Unfortunately, it occurred when Raj was still unable to speak to women without alcohol. One too many grasshoppers later, Raj is dwelling on the fact that Lalita was overweight as a child and informs her that her profession as a dentist has the highest suicide rate. The date was a disaster, but Lalita’s evening was saved when Sheldon complimented her on reminding him of an Indian princess from a beloved children’s tale. And she went to dinner with him instead!
5. Emily Sweeney / Emily One
The other Emily (Laura Spencer) that Raj dated was so unbelievably different from him, it is amazing they lasted as long as they did. She had a thing for the dark and creepy side of life, horror movies, and very dark humour. While Raj was a sweet romantic, he lamented that he wished he had a girlfriend that preferred The Sound of Music to gore movies. But he seemed determined to try and make it work, until he met someone else, he felt was far more compatible, Claire (see later in this list).
4. Anu
Anu was beautiful, strong, and ambitious, and another arrangement that was made by his parents. A successful hotel concierge with designs on being a manager, she was quickly accepted by his friendship group due to her sense of humour and eagerness to join in their fun activities, such as paintball, zero gravity, and dressing up for Halloween. But destiny was about to separate them when Anu was offered a hotel management position in London. Raj very nearly abandoned his life in California to be with her, but Howard stopped him at the airport, in one of the most touching scenes between the pair. Anu was great, but she was not right for Raj. She had no interest in pop culture, loathing music, movies, and all the things Raj loved most.
3. Lucy
At first glance, Lucy (Katie Micucci) seemed like the perfect fit for Raj. They were both so socially anxious they could barely communicate. But when Raj arranged a beautiful texting date for them in the library, it seemed like they could work. They both had a deep understanding of anxiety, so it seemed logical that they would make the perfect couple. But as Raj made his own strides in self-confidence, he started trying to push Lucy into overcoming her own fears. She was not ready, and this ultimately led to their parting.
2. Issabella
Issabella was a cleaner working at the university. They met when Raj was working late in the telescope room, and she entered to clean the room. An awkward courtship commenced, with Raj being very persistent. He arranged a romantic candlelit dinner for them in the telescope room, after cleaning the entire floor so she would have time to eat with him. But despite Raj seeming enamoured with her, he could not get past their class differences, which ultimately crushed Issabella and resulted in them ending the relationship.
1. Claire
Raj met Claire (Alessandra Torresani) at the comic bookstore when he was still dating Emily One. As if the location of their meeting wasn’t enough of a signal that they had chemistry, it turned out she was also a budding screenwriter with an interest in science fiction. The pair were hugely compatible, but fates just wouldn’t seem to align for them as they were both on again and off again with their partners. Ultimately, it was Raj’s insecurities that drove them apart, with her citing his neediness and vanity as being huge turn-offs. But there is no denying that of all his girlfriends, Claire was the most compatible. Had Raj been able to better control his fears, who knows where they might have ended up.
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