Netflix Money Heist: 10 Characters Rio Should Have Ended Up With (Other Than Tokyo)

The new season of  Netflix’s  Money Heist will premiere on April 3rd. For the past 3 seasons, we’ve followed some of our most beloved characters through the ups and downs of the heist and their relationships. One of those is Rio’s relationship with Tokyo which has been both wild and complicated. 

At the end of S3, there were many questions left unanswered about Rio’s future. In this new season, we not only want more information on Rio as a principal character, but we are also looking forward to his relationship changes. In the meantime, it’s not a bad idea to entertain with 10 Characters Rio Should Have Ended Up With (Other Than Tokyo) 

10 Alicia Sierra

One of the many surprises S3 brought us is the introduction of Alicia Sierra,  the police chief inspector replacing Raquel in handling the heist. Alicia is a narcissistic and playfully evil character but is also extremely intelligent. She is also able to outsmart The Professor and skillfully manipulate those around her.

This extends to Rio who she interrogates during his captivity. In that time she was able to learn about his strengths and weaknesses and was able to play on his fears and insecurities to get what she wants. This level of exposure meant that Rio was his most vulnerable with Alicia which if he had stayed in captivity could have led to some sort of relationship between them. 

9 Raquel

Like Alicia, Raquel also learned how to manipulate Rio’s emotions when she was leading the investigations against the heist in S1. She was the one who orchestrated to have his parents’ secret plea passed on through to Rio. This helped her identify his insecurities to weaken his position and state of mind.

Although Raquel has now joined The Professor and heist team, she also knows a side of Rio which the others and Tokyo fail to recognize. This sort of knowledge still makes  Rio vulnerable to Raquel which could be explored in their relationship throughout S4. 

8 Berlin

Since season 3, we know that at some point Berlin has had relationships with women and men. Although Rio and Berlin did not build any sort of relationship during the 1st heist most likely because of Tokyo, Rio did always try to get Tokyo to respect and understand Berlin’s style of leadership.

In S2 Episode 2 “La Cabeza del plan”, while Tokyo plays Russian roulette with Berlin’s life, Rio is one of the voices asking her to spare his life. Despite not showing any affection towards Berlin, Rio did respect his leadership which would have been a solid base for the start of a relationship. 

7 The Professor

We know that The Professor is a great leader because he cares about every member of the heist and that care extended to Rio. In fact, the whole of S3 shows us that The Professor is willing to sacrifice his, Raquels’ and everyone’s freedom to go back and save Rio.

He not only orchestrated a dangerous and complicated heist but negotiated with the Police like he never did before, all for Rio’s sake. We know that if there is anyone willing to risk everything for Rio, it’s The Professor and if that’s not the greatest sign of love, we don’t know what is. 

6 Denver

Denver and Rio have always had a deep love for each other. Both only children and the youngest men in the heist, Denver and Rio have shown each other support in the times it mattered most. Despite having his reservations in embarking on the mission to rescue Rio, Denver is eventually convinced when he is reminded of Rio’s loyalty towards him in the past, especially when Moscu, Denver’s father, passed away.

Audiences could still see the love they have for each other when Rio reunites with Denver once he is back inside the heist in S3. In the next season, we would love a relationship development between Denver and Rio. 

5 Nairobi

Nairobi has had her eye on Rio since the beginning and most notably in S1 where Nairobi flirts with Rio and asks him to help her mother a child. Nairobi believed Rio was the perfect choice for her request because as she stated “he was kind, intelligent and handsome”.

Although Rio refuses and informs her that he was with Tokyo (at the time), Nairobi never stopped looking out for Rio. Nairobi was also one of the first people to endorse the plan to rescue Rio. Should she survive in this upcoming season, we would love to see a Rio and Nairobi storyline develop because we know they both care for each other. 

4 Mónica

Monica and Rio have a lot in common. Within the heist, they are the two most non-violent and non-lethal members. They were both in a relationship with emotionally manipulative people but have shown to always be genuinely loving and caring.

They have both previously demonstrated a strong sense of loyalty towards those they loved and have shown that they would do anything for them. As a result, Monica and Rio would have made a great pairing.  Although it is unlikely, should anything happen to Denver in S4, Rio, and Monica would make a great couple!

3 Alison Parker

Alison Parker was the daughter of the British Ambassador for Spain and one of the most important hostages in the S1 Heist.  She was used by The Professor and the crew as leverage against the police during the heist because of her status. The person put in charge of looking after her was Rio.

Alison Parker saw right through Rio;  being a young person herself she was able to acknowledge that he was the ‘baby’ of the group and was not use to this lifestyle. Despite his best efforts, Alison Parker was also able to reach Rio’s vulnerable side and empathize with him which would have made for a great relationship had they not been in the heist.  

2 Anyone His Age

One of the interesting aspects of Rio and Tokyo’s relationship was the 12 year age gap between them. As previously stated, Rio is the youngest of the group which meant that had he not met Tokyo in the heist, he could have ended up with anyone around his age.

As seen with Alison Parker, Rio does not find it difficult to engage with people his own age as he is himself still a young adult. It would be beneficial for Rio to perhaps consider building relationships with people around his own age so that he can hopefully devise for himself what an ideal relationship looks like. 

1 Himself

Simultaneously, Rio should also attempt to remain single for a while. Alongside the benefit of being able to find himself, being single in this next chapter could allow Rio to also consolidate his most important relationships, especially the one he had with his parents. We already know that Rio’s parents disapprove of his life choices but do want to reconnect with their son.

Per Rio’s latest choices, this also seems to be the case for him. Rio is still so young and has a whole life ahead of him. A season of singleness for Rio could help grow his confidence as well as allow him to find himself as a young man in the world.

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