In defense of KataGaren...
Seen this ship cop a bit of flak after the Bite Marks video dropped...I think mostly because Arcane Only fans taking their first look at Katarina and going "PLEASE TELL US SHE'S A GIRLKISSER OH WAIT WHAT"
I mean she could be, I don't make the rules. But bashing poor Garen over it is a bit uncalled for and just plain mean. KataGaren's actually one of the few M/F League ships I kinda like.
Hear me out.
It's actually two-sided and they're actually on equal footing.
I know, shocking right, but most of the other M/F ships where they aren't either already a couple or already freaking married are in some way one sided? The Guy Likes The Girl and we either never get to see how she feels back or she has no idea who TF he is and is weirded out when he fail-flirts with her or there's some toxic power dynamic because League sure doesn't like giving its women agency in their M/F relationships unless the couple's introduced expressly as a couple.
There's an underlying comphet, "he wants her, so of course it's going to happen" that icks me out and I can't shake it away.
KataGaren though? They've got a pretty simple, straightforward 'loyal-warriors-for-rival-nations-but-we-had-a-couple-of-sword-fights-and-realized-we-are-hot-for-each-other-oh-no' dynamic.
The attraction is clearly mutual, they're equals on the field of battle and respect each other's prowess and loyalty to their nation even if they're enemies, no one is trying to fix anyone or manipulate anyone outside of the fairly transparent "I'll do whatever the mission takes, even taking you down" that they are both clearly aware of.
They just keep bumping into each other in dangerous situations and having flirty fights.
The straight-laced stoic paladin hero guy getting flustered but also excited by the flirtatious edgy assassin femme fatale who thinks riling him up is kinda cute actually oh wait damn do I like him never ceases to be funny.
Their dialogue in...LoR I think? Where they're throwing the expected threats at each other and then whispering asides planning a date later will never not be cute and funny.
Lux giving them both shit about it will never not be funny.
If you want to take it seriously, Katarina assassinating King Jarvan 3 is a pretty big point of conflict for the relationship if Garen ever finds out.
Garen would be the most boring character in League, Generic WhiteGuy Hero McChonkJaw, if it weren't for the fact that he's a GIGANTIC hypocrite
He's unswervingly devoted to his Duty And Honor as the front man of DEMACIAAAA including when he knows his duty is morally wrong.
But he genuinely loves his sister and has lied all his life to keep her secret safe.
And he's utterly smitten with a dangerous enemy agent who literally assassinated his king.
Katarina is a sexy edgy femme fatale stereotype on legs (and what legs they are) but as depicted in the Kat comic and some of her other material, she's also kind of a goofball and in her own special way, a gigantic faildaughter.
So there's an element that KataGaren is this edgy ship but it's also basically vanilla-flavored enemies-to-lovers and that's sometimes just fine.
And they're also kinda a pair of doofuses who are barely equipped by their respective traumatic nationalist upbringings to navigate whatever's going on between them.
She's got a couple of F/F ships if that's more to your taste and that's totally fine.
But there's nothing wrong with KataGaren and I like it.
