I've been putting off writing this post for months, even though it's a topic I'm quite interested in, because I'm a little afraid of shippers in fandoms. With what I'm about to say, I'm not disparaging any dynamics you might personally like, nor am I even saying that some of the relationships I'm presenting appeal to me personally or that they'll become formal. Most likely, some of the boys will end up single when the story ends or will form new relationships based on friendship or work. Likewise, I feel that all the couples I'm about to mention are intrinsically related. One of them needs the other for their personal development, and vice versa. Besides, their stories seem designed to support their story arcs and complement their supernatural powers.
I won't go into too much detail about them. I don't need to explain why these two are in love and a perfect match. Even their colors are complementary… Okarun's palette is blues and greens, while Momo likes red and pink clothes, but when they both use their powers, the palette reverses. Okarun turns red and Momo green/turquoise. The alien boy and the ghost girl with powers obtained by their opposite. The typical gyaru x otaku trope. Which makes it even funnier when we consider that Momo isn't at all the shallow, troubled girl she appears to be, but rather a mastermind of strategy and analysis, and Okarun, with his zero physical strength, is the brawn of the duo. Everything about them is a huge contrast, and everything about them tells us they're attracted to each other because they're opposites.
Colors of the canteens Episode 2x05.
Momo begins to realize that the "serious and formal guy" she was looking for wasn't a gang member but a shy and committed boy, and in turn, Okarun begins to come out of his shell and feel more secure with Momo's support. They both have significant development, but it's clear that Okarun has evolved the most. No other girl in the cast makes Okarun reflect as much or want to be better, and at the same time, Momo knows when to push him so he doesn't get depressed or give up. Unlike Aira, who would follow him in any plan, no matter how stupid or dangerous it is, Momo sets boundaries to keep him safe. She also seems more relaxed and open to admitting mistakes since interacting with him. In short, they both become better for each other because they tone down the negative aspects of their personalities. I'm not going to point out every little interaction they have or how their stories are connected because they are the protagonists. The main story is theirs.
This is the second couple with the most solid development possible for a romantic relationship, and personally, I think we're VERY, VERY close to these two starting to have real interactions in this regard. In the eyes of the rest of their high school classmates, they'd be a perfect couple. Aren't they two of the most handsome, talented, and popular students in their class? It's obvious they could be together, but when you get to know them in depth, they're TWO MONKEYS IN A CIRCUS. Jiji's comical and exaggerated nature forces Aira to break character. From their first interactions, she's completely honest with Jiji, while with Okarun, she's always causing scenes.
Aira References. Episode 1x08
Aira pretending to be a pure and sweet girl. Episode 2x07
I could never understand that, although Aira's feelings for Okarun are pure, their relationship is based on a parody of a romance. Everything Aira knows about love comes from her father's dirty magazines and the references she's probably looked up in manga and romance books. She doesn't know what a real relationship is, just a bunch of clichés about being clumsy and innocent and forcing close encounters. Even today, 200 episodes later, she's still trying to stage fake scenes and gratuitous drama to get closer to Okarun. With Jiji, she allows herself to be herself. She's sharp, rude, and sometimes we even see her hit him when he does something stupid. Furthermore, despite the fact that they go to different classes, they're the ones most often seen interacting together outside of the rest of the group. They usually walk to and from home together, and during breaks, they often see each other and talk.
Jiji apologizing for his behavior. Episode 1x11
For his part, I feel like Jiji's feelings for Momo are rooted in guilt for having misbehaved with her when they were children. I think he wants to protect her so he can, in a way, settle the debt he believes he still owes her. His overprotective instincts run wild when he's with her, and that's not a reflection of a healthy relationship either. When Zuma arrives at school, he doesn't even ask who he is or why he's near her; he just goes crazy and attacks him. In that same sense, he feels Zuma is a threat to him and decides to mistreat him throughout the plane ride just because he recognizes Zuma as "Momo's ideal type." Although Momo likes Jiji, I think he's too intense for her, while Aira usually enjoys Jiji's silliness as long as he doesn't choose a bad time. Like Momo and Okarun, they have many panels where they act the same way. Their mirror neurons instinctively fire when they're around each other. But they're not complementary like Momo and Okarun would be; they're quite similar, and their color palettes are very similar, pink and purple.
The issue of powers is a bit similar to that of Okarun and Momo, but with a twist. Although Jiji had Evil Eye until very recently, he had no control over his yokai form, and his powers were based solely on his psychic potential, like Momo, while Aira had yokai powers like Okarun. I think this makes Jiji less fearful for Aira's safety and more confident in her physical abilities.
Finally, I'd like to talk about the Evil Eye bonus story, where an extra layer is added. In this story, Evil helps Aira recover her old friends after they stopped talking to her because of the rumor she spread. And yes, I know it's Evil, not Jiji, but I always felt he only intervened because he shares Jiji's feelings and mind. He read her concern and did a perfect job for his friend. Since he's so childish and direct, he didn't worry about him messing up or interfering; he just acted without thinking (as he always does). I also don't think Evil understands such abstract and complex concepts as love and romantic feelings.
I think if Aira and Jiji have any kind of romantic connection, it won't develop until Okarun and Momo formalize theirs. They're both so delusional that they won't be able to see that these two have something until they actually formalize it. I think at that point, when they're both depressed about losing their romantic interest, is when I think they'll start to get closer.
I'm not a fan of this relationship, and in some ways it even seems a bit problematic to me, but these two have very similar massive powers, they share the same developmental arc, and they've had a couple of scenes that could be quite revealing. After the globalists, they haven't had any major noteworthy interactions, but they haven't added any other characters to the cast with powers based on alien technology. She gains a giant Kaiju form, and he gains a combat mecha. Two natural enemies in fiction, right? I can see their connection outside of the fanservice of their joint fight. I won't add anything else because I don't see any meaningful interactions, nor am I particularly interested in this pairing. I truly hope that if they continue to add layers to their relationship, Kinta will be able to evolve as a character and reflect on all his questionable behaviors, which are worth a list…
Relevant interactions between them: Zero. I won't deny this reality. But their potential as a high school trope: Infinite. Gang member x class president type stories have been seen a thousand times. It's a trope that I personally like a lot, but we'll have to see how it plays out in this particular case. Like Momo and Okarun, they also play with contrasts and first impressions. Zuma is a trustworthy, serious, and respectful person, while Rin sometimes borders on the delusional. Both are introduced during two contiguous arcs, as all their predecessors do. First with Rin and then Zuma, and during the resolution of Zuma's arc, she intervenes significantly. Although their powers don't seem to complement each other or even resemble each other too much, the truth is that they both come from yokai of children close to them who died tragically. The traumatic aspect of both stories can help them understand each other very well, as can carrying the weight of responsibility for other people. Rin, besides being the class president, has also been the one who takes care of the house since she was very young, which hasn't allowed her to grow up as a normal girl. Zuma's childhood was cut short by multiple family tragedies, and now he's formed his own family with those kids who have been socially abandoned. They both have people they care for and need to protect.
I also see them sharing certain musical tastes. Rin likes the metal band Hayashi, and I'm thrilled that Zuma liked them too. It's been mentioned that Zuma is studying for some exams, and I'm crossing my fingers that those exams will be the entrance exams to get into high school with the rest of the kids. I can see fun, everyday interactions between them, like Rin scolding Zuma for breaking the dress code by wearing sandals to school, and Zuma defending them as cool shoes. I think Zuma is a far cry from Rin's "vampire" stereotype, and that could help her let go of some of her delusional ideas about romance. I also see Zuma slowly falling in love with someone like Rin. Not instantly like with Momo, but just slowly discovering the things they have in common and how peaceful it is to be around her. They would both care for each other immensely, and that could be very sweet.
I keep throwing stones at Hase… I know he's not someone to love… I KNOW. But even villains can be interesting. Just give me a chance to explain myself. I don't know Hase's full story, but I don't doubt he has one. The story can't just be about a battle. He has to have something more, and to think otherwise is to ignore all the foreshadowing Dandadan has left us throughout the story. Hase is a bully, and Kouki is a victim of bullying… They both start from opposite roles. It would be somewhat ironic if, despite all the efforts Hase has made to appear cool, he ends up falling for a girl who's being bullied. Exactly the same thing he does to Okarun. That seems like karma to me… On the other hand, although Kouki has been bullied, it's not the same kind as Okarun. Okarun was the punching bag for Hase and his friends, while Kouki was invisible to the others. She wasn't actively mistreated; she was simply isolated to the point of embracing extreme methods to gain the attention of those around her. Hase's increasingly disregarded status within his class is likely to find himself completely isolated in the not-too-distant future. Only Okarun would be a good enough person to open his hand to him, but if anyone would truly understand what it means to be ignored, it would be Kouki.
Furthermore, both gain their powers through daggers. Kouki is a psychic who unlocked her power thanks to her connection to the pygmies, and Hase is a yokai user. Both were manipulated by their desire to be seen and acknowledged, getting themselves into a situation that was beyond them. Kouki's story also has references to the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's easy to recognize certain characters, but I'm particularly interested in the figure of the hunter, a villain sent to collect her heart who fails in the mission before becoming an ally.
Bonus track. I won't develop other duos and couples that seem to be such; I just want to leave the idea of intertwined characters: Taro and Hana, Reiko Kashima and Rokuro, Turbo Granny and Seiko, Manjiro and Queen, Chiquitita and her classmate.
