#kenkeru

So, I don't need to talk about the fight Takeru had with Ken, at least not that much.

The main thing about it, was that it was one of the dominos that fell that helped Ken realize what he was doing. Takeru's speech about how Ken doesn't know the true powers of the Darkness makes Ken realize he might not be as powerful as he thinks. This just makes Ken double down, but it is something that makes him think.

There's also the fact that Takeru might have been mad at Ken for playing with the powers of Darkness, but the main trigger for him was seeing Devimon. Being reminded of all the Darkness took from him and how he couldn't do anything about it. Takeru got angry at this(common when he's confronted with his traumas) and so he lashed out at the only person he could. Even if Ken was at fault for some things, he wasn't for all. In Takeru's Spring -2003- Story, Takeru admits that he gets embarrassed remembering that fight, so I think it's safe to say he regrets it.

Maybe he didn't regret making Ken realize he was wrong and playing with powers he didn't understand, but he did regret getting angry and losing control, hurting someone else.

Anyway, this is the really start of Takeru and Ken's relationship, as it's the first time they really interact with each other and it's not in the friendliest way. It's not brought up every again till later in the series(and not even by these two) but it's the start of their relationship.

Once Ken is no longer the Kaiser, he has to bond and get the others to forgive with him, and considering his past with Takeru, that might be hard.

Ken does try to get all of them to forgive him, and while he does have history with all of them, Takeru is one of the few characters he has a face to face interaction with alone. Takeru has shown to his face that he hates him. That he hated all he did, that it would be hard for Ken to get Takeru to forgive him because of what happened when he was the Kaiser.

However, after Ken is no longer the Kaiser, he kinda just ignores him.

It's show that Takeru feels like there's another Darkness out there, but he doesn't think it's Ken. All of the others don't want Ken to join their team, and as you can see from the screenshot, neither does Takeru.

Takeru is against Ken joining their team, but as you can see from the pervious screenshot, he also thinks Ken has changed. Takeru doesn't understand what Daisuke means when he says he can "understand Ken's heart", but he does believe that Ken has changed from how he was before. Iori doesn't think this, he doesn't trust Ken, and Miyako as well as Hikari are hesitant about Ken. Miyako is unsure Ken has fully changed as well, and Hikari thinks Ken still needs to prove himself.

This is what I believe Takeru thinks.

I think Takeru did believe Ken changed. Ken acts so much different from when he was the Kaiser. Ken and The Kaiser are not the same people, and I think Takeru has enough experience with the powers of Darkness to know that Ken was not the Kaiser anymore(also i personally think takeru would sympathize with ken because he lost wormmon in a similar way to how he lost patamon). However, Takeru did believe that Ken needed to make up for what he's done(as at this point none of them know ken was basically being mind-controlled).

So I think Takeru was okay with working with Ken, which is why he isn't as vocal about his worries about Ken as the others, because he does think Ken has changed but also thinks Ken needs to prove he wasn't like how he was before. Which leads to one of my favorite parts of Takeru and Ken's friendship arch.

Takeru basically ignores Ken.

Takeru doesn't seem to acknowledge Ken as much as the others do, he doesn't push back against Daisuke's efforts to get him to join as much as the others, and for all intense and preposes, he lets Ken prove himself while seeing of Ken has really turned good from the sidelines. I believe this might come from Takeru's embarrassment from punching Ken but also Takeru wanting Ken to prove himself by himself. To see if Ken has really changed by just letting him do what he think is right.

This all builds up quietly in the background, and I think Takeru fully realizes Ken has turned good during episode 37, the episode where Qinglongmon speaks to the Chosen Children.

Now, Qinglongmon doesn't speak about the Dark Spore in Ken or anything like that, just double downs on how the Crest of Kindness does belong to Ken so that's the most powerful trait in Ken's heart. It's Ken himself that I think makes Takeru realize he's changed.

Ken actively speaks on how he doesn't like the Darkness, now he wants it destroyed for good so it can't infect lives and create sad lives like BlackWarGreymon, and as Hikari points out, himself.

You can see Takeru in the background, and I think in this moment, Takeru fully realizes that Ken has changed. That Ken isn't the Kaiser, that he doesn't fight for the Darkness anymore. That Ken hates the Darkness just as much as he does, that Ken is now willing to fight alongside them and protect the Light. There were many points where Ken makes this clear, but I believe this was the final nail in the coffin for Takeru(and probably Iori as well since he also hasn't forgiven Ken at this point, might make an analysis about them) that Ken is good.

That they can be friends, that maybe, Takeru and Ken are more alike than they both think.

Takeru goes on to explain that Ken is wrong, that Light and Darkness have to exist in harmony and that as long as they have Hope everything will be fine, and I really like Takeru and Ken's friendship(i do not ship them romantically) but I also think that it might be Takeru trying to tell Ken that the Darkness isn't fully evil. It can create sad lives like Ken's, but it's need to maintain balance. That Ken needs to have some Hope in his heart, to look towards the Light when things get Dark.

It's after this that Takeru fully forgives Ken and becomes his friend, as he makes this clear in the scene after Qinglongmon's speech.

Takeru offers Ken the Pork Bun of Friendship and this is Takeru's first time really reaching out to Ken after he was the Kaiser.

Takeru has realized Ken has changed and will fight alongside them now, that Ken is good and hates the Darkness as much as the rest of them, so he reaches out to Ken and offers him friendship in the shape of a really large pork bun. Takeru has forgiven Ken, he's seen Ken has changed and believes in him and his Kindness.

This is also when Ken realizes Takeru has forgiven him. Ken is shocked at Takeru offering him the pork bun, offering Ken to eat with them. This makes sense, as this is the first time Takeru has really spoken to him since the fight and Takeru is in a weird way offering Ken to be his friend and really join their team, but he's happy about it.

There's also a chance that the reason Ken doesn't reach out to Takeru is that he believes Takeru still hates him like before(because of that fight) so this could be Ken realizing that Takeru didn't hate him and maybe never hated him after that fight.

Ken does just let the others create their own thoughts about him, never forcing any of them to forgive him unless they want too, so this isn't a special thing about Takeru and Ken's friendship arch, but a reason why Ken might not have really tried to reach out to Takeru. Scared that Takeru still hates him and doesn't want anything to do with him because of what happened before.

Ken accepts the Pork Bun of Friendship, and in a way, acctepts Takeru's offer of friendship and forgiveness.

This is really the last time these two interact, and I am really sad about that because they had so much potential for an amazing friendship(or relationship if you ship them romantically) but they didn't.

However, I do like how they handled their arch of becoming friends after the Kaiser.

To summerize it:

Takeru ignores Ken, from embarrassment and wanting Ken to prove himself by himself. Takeru sees how Ken is trying to make up for what he's done, and this peaks as Ken explains just how much he doesn't want the Darkness to create another sad life. Takeru counters this, trying to get Ken to realize there can be Light in the Dark. Later, Takeru offer's Ken a hand of friendship in the shape of a pork bun and Ken accepts, showing Takeru has forgiven Ken and wants to be friends with him. Ken learns that Takeru doesn't hate him and wants to be friends with him, happy that the other boy forgave him and able to put what happened earlier between them behind them as they become friends.