#(a mini)

I'm writing on mobile but I can not resist. 😆 thank you for asking this because I'm always in the mood to talk about rentan. I like various ship dynamics but this is what I like about rentan in particular.

TW spoilers, though I focus more on what's already out, i might mention some things that are still in the manga or was not in the main story.

I think, to sum it up, they are literally compatible. Let me elaborate

They bring the best out of each other. It might seem like, in canon, it was only Tanjirou who's very impacted by Kyoujurou's character, and even throughout the story, you can see Kyoujurouu randomly popping out just inspiring Tanjirou and "cheering him on" like the ghost of a lover by reminding him of his words but in Kyoujurou's last moment you can see how he was surprised that Tanjirou stood out for him even though this was his job as his senpai and as a hashira. Not to mention the way he stood out for him to Shinjurou and even though that's because Tanjirou did "the right thing" it shows how Tanjirou is "the right person". The impact they gave on each other is so strong even though they only met for not even a whole day!

In ships, we tend to like the characters' similarities and contrasts:

In similarities: they are both selfless but have a strong sense of justice. They are both very family-oriented and hard-working, they treat people with so much respect once they know they deserve it, and they are often very sincere and frank. They both went through grief from losing a family and have high expectations from being the eldest sons. They both saw these values in each other and they clicked immediately.

The things that Kyoujurou said, resonated with him even before he met Kyoujurou, "set your heart ablaze", "no matter how devastated, held your head high, and move forward because time doesn't wait." You can even see it in their character theme. I remember in the game they even visualize it with a final battle. Where Kyoujurou gave the hilt himself after he lost to Tanjirou. It parallels the time he met Sabito during his last assignment before final selection. So in a way, it's not merely a dream but something to show that Tanjirou is worthy of Kyoujurou's acknowledgment.

In contrast: aside from their family background, kyoujurou being a prodigy vs tanjirou being an underdog. Tanjirou is someone who is open. He has a bit of a short temper and a hardheaded (pun intended) manner but that's because he actively expresses his feelings. He seems forgiving and almost innocent but he stays true to his principle and belief. He will hold someone accountable. Kyoujurou on the other hand is closed up and keeps most things to himself. He has a bit of baggage but he cares for his family very much and I think it's very refreshing. Characters who went through issues like him tend to be pretty avoidant and shown to struggle with the burden of responsibilities. In a way it's admirable but it makes me, even more, want him to share or at least open up about that weight to someone else. As I said they both went through grief but tanjirou let himself mourn while kyoujurou did not. He never shed a tear even once.

The easiest way to understand their contrast is through their spiritual core.

Tanjirou let a stranger into his spiritual core and even guided him to his. His spiritual realm was literally that Salar de Uyuni trope we see a lot not just in anime, while his spiritual core was a ball of light high in the sky and blindingly bright to the point you can't see even see the silhouette. Aside from the sun-breathing theme, that core is like saying that he's not afraid of opening his heart yet it was far enough that you can't just touch it with such carelessness. That the edgeless orb also doesn't just let anyone touch it, and--when he forces his way to consciousness and shakes the spiritual realm in the process--you can see how despite the calmness, the endless and vastness will swallow you into oblivion. Despite all that, his sprites will guide you through it lol

Aside from the flame-breathing theme, Kyoujurou's spiritual realm on the other hand is a bare stone-floored area where fire obscured your view and the smoke was so thick you can barely breathe. Spiritual cores are fragile in nature but his spiritual core was literally hovering at eye level. It looks like a gleaming red metal orb that is too hot to the touch. He can still manage to choke someone subconsciously when they so much as get into the vicinity of the spiritual core. There's this loneliness to it like there's only him and no one less. There's also this defensiveness like instead of protecting something weak in nature, he was protecting something that was wounded at some point.

Tranquil yet melancholic vs unpenetrable yet fragile.

Tanjirou is kind not just because of virtue, also not just because he's hyper-empathetic as if he's born with his. His whole character development--on the surface--seemed bland that people thought his journey is him being kind just to be even kinder. But there's always a price to pay for being kind: losing his whole family except one, seeing his sister as still human, starting from zero, almost getting executed by the people he's supposed to work with, witnessing people die or fight for him, and having to decide to let said sister die to save more people. But time and time again he embraces his weaknesses and tampers his temper. It's indicated he could have turned into Gyuutarou. So you might know how much he held himself back from going ballistic. Sometimes he felt like giving up but that's where Kyoujurou comes in to sweep out that doubt even after his death. It's interesting how a character is so impactful that their existence is seen by other characters beyond mortality.

Mind you. Kyoujurou's facade is not superficial, hyper-independence is his coping mechanism. In fact, like I said before, those strong values resonated with Tanjirou and inspired him throughout the story. But that's how Tanjirou also knows that there's no way someone can be that untouchable. He knows very well the sacrifices Kyoujurou went through to reach that point because he did the same thing. So despite the differences, they can see themselves in each other, and in a way, their personalities balance each other out.

There is also the design, shape language, and overall character concept like signature pattern, voices, and quirks that can be both contrasting and aligning as if they're designed to be a package deal *winks at ufotable har har. I can literally talk about their hands 😩 and how you can really see the difference in their background and personalities but also why it makes sense that they should hold hands even once lmfao. But I'll shut up for now.

The abundance of potential. Ships come in various forms and sometimes the activity of shipping needs canon relation. Even though I even love a good crack ship, rentan is definitely one of the types that give you so many things to work on.

(I can talk about ships that do not need any canon relation but that's another post for another time.)

We don't see things from Kyoujurou's perspective other than during vol 0, the Gaiden, and the audio drama. But that's the fun part of shipping, you get to figure out the what ifs, the canon alterations, the AUs.

Lastly, I like rentan just because.

I mean, look at them, they make me so soft.

I’m getting (another) redbubble account. Redbubble is much easier to use than Teespring. I might not get as much as profit back, but this will be a lot easier on all of you guys. There will be more options.