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[emikira]

why emikira *is* endgame (long post)

This is going to be a little incoherent because i’m still reeling from the recent ep (oh my god the arcade date the ARCADE DATE :sob:) but i’ve had this theory for a while and tbh i fully believe it: Emikira. Is. Engame. And I’m about to prove it:

[SPOILERS AHEAD FOR LITERALLY THE ENTIRE SHOW THIS IS YOUR WARNING]

Let’s start with the scene that started it all (one might even say it was their first date :eyes:): THE MOVIE SCENE.

(#newbies screenshots are a series of gifsets of this scene)

(omg they’re literally so adorable :pleading:)

So let’s get into it! This scene is SO good and is honestly what sold me on Emikira to begin with!!! One of the important things in this scene is that Akira is clearly bothered by something and it’s almost definitely family/sibling related (though Emiko doesn’t seem to really catch on and/or is trying to respect Akira’s privacy by not prying). Now, prior to this scene it’s been established in the show that Akira doesn’t like to be at home and spends a lot of her time wandering around at night. THIS is what makes this scene stand out because when Akira is struggling, rather than being alone like usual, Akira seeks out Emiko specifically to be around (remember that at this point Akira also knows where Nobu lives as well). This interaction is striking because it’s sort of our first glance at Akira really opening up to anyone, and she chooses to open up to Emiko. Akira trusts Emiko enough to be a little vulnerable about herself, and in return Emiko also opens up a little about their own insecurities. From this early on in the show, the writers are setting up a relationship between Emiko and Akira that is (in my opinion) closer than their relationships with the other newbies.

Also I can’t talk about this scene without mentioning this photo from the official Hero Club guide (which has a bunch of supplemental Hero Club content including the newbies groupchat):

THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER EMIKO FUJIMURA I’M ON TO YOU :eyes: :eyes:

So there’s not a TON of Emikira content for a while since the writers went HARD on Donkira :unamused: UNTIL the episode that drove our intrepid Heroes (and the fandom) apart: s1e11 “What is a Hero?” Now, I’m not here to debate who was or wasn’t right about how all the SoRL stuff went down (though if you want to read some of that meta here’s the link), but I *am* here to talk about the Emikira implications. And OH BOY are there implications.

So when Jokushi is explaining the mushroom quest and the whole potions ingredients thing to Emiko to try and get them on board, one of the arguments he uses is that the potions are important and could make the difference between life or death in the future. Emiko doesn’t agree as we know because literally half of the party are healers, two of which are full casters. Akira is standing here during Jokushi and Emiko’s argument, and though she doesn’t really contribute either way, Akira does listen. Jokushi backs down and agrees that he’s not going to try and get the mushrooms, but Akira (as she explains later) knows that if something went wrong in a battle someday Jokushi would blame it on Emiko and Akira doesn’t want that to happen. Now, Akira really cares about her friends, to the point that she goes with them on stupid missions (looking at you Nobu) just to keep them safe, but once again the writers are indicating that Akira and Emiko have a...deeper connection than the other Hero Club members. Akira doesn’t just do the quest and get the mushrooms, she reaches out to her estranged older brother that she thought hated her all so that Emiko wouldn’t be responsible for someone getting hurt someday. Akira isn’t stupid (despite what she herself seems to think), she knows that there are capable healers in the party. She doesn’t fulfill this quest because she thinks Jokushi is right, Akira reaches out to Reiji and gets the mushrooms because she doesn’t want Emiko to be hurt. Like???? What else needs to be said?? Akira not only is willing to be open and vulnerable with Emiko but she also straight up faces her past and puts herself in harm's way for their sake!!!! Even *if* Akira only has platonic feelings for Emiko (press X to doubt), it’s still really significant the lengths Akira’s willing to go for Emiko (without them even knowing :sob:).

But what about Emiko and Akira’s fight, you ask? How does that fit into this Emikira Endgame narrative? Well, first I’ll point out that nothing has been as polarizing in the HC fandom in general as this conflict (besides maybe Yakira AU lmao) and it was just as polarizing in the show itself. Emiko and Akira’s fallout was a BIG DEAL in the show, I’d argue even more than the whole Ryoku and Yadama were behind the demon attacks twist. Emiko and Akira’s relationship is important enough that when they don’t get along, the entire Hero Club feels the effects. I mean, look at the other characters involved with the SoRL conflict: Jokushi and Emiko are for the most part getting along as usual, and while Emiko and Nobu certainly aren’t as close as they used to be (RIP they were my favorite friendship :cry:), the shift in their dynamic wasn’t enough that they stopped speaking and literally split the fandom in half. Why would Emiko and Akira not getting along be THAT big a deal if their relationship wasn’t IMPORTANT. If it wasn’t MORE than a simple friendship. I mean, Emiko almost CRIES when they tell their Amme that they weren’t getting along with some of their friends, and let’s be real, we all know they were talking about Akira. I mean, Emiko as a character pretty explicitly avoids talking about their feelings and confronting others about things that bother them. Emiko loves to pretend that things are perfect so they won’t have to deal with the possibility that they might not be living up to expectations. And yet, Emiko asks for advice from their Amme about how to fix their friendship with Akira. Emiko is the one who reaches out first!! For maybe the first time in the show, Emiko pushes past their own anxiety and their tendency for avoidance so that they can mend things with Akira. THIS IS A HUGE DEVELOPMENT!!! Like, not only is this great for Emiko’s own development as a character who’s clearly struggling with mental health, it also really demonstrates how important Akira really is to them. Just like Akira is willing to face her past and specifically her brother for Emiko’s sake, Emiko is willing to face their issues for Akira’s sake.

So now we get to one of my favorite episodes (for obvious reasons lol): s2e4 “The Feelings of the Forest.” THE Emikira episode. While the Emiko and Akira conflict was polarizing, fandom reaction to their reconciliation was fairly lackluster (mostly because fandom thrives off of conflict, not so much on making up lmao). Like first of all can we just appreciate this:

[picture of Emiko holding on to Akira as she bikes away from Emiko’s house]

(They’re so fucking cute I can’t even!!!!) But back to the point. The reconciliation scene is SO important to me because like, first of all character growth but also oh my god Emiko and Akira are so in love it physically pains me. Like, Emiko OPENS with “I don’t want, y’know, any of my issues to come between you and the rest of the club,” and of course Akira has to reply with “Me neither.” THESE TWO I STG :sob: Even when they’re not getting along Emiko and Akira still want each other to be happy!!! LIKE??? Also, this is just an Emiko character note but it literally kills me that Emiko views their own feelings like a hindrance to everyone else. Your feelings are important because they’re your feelings, not just because they affect others 🗣🗣 Anyways, back to the scene there’s literally so much here :spiraling: When Emiko asked why Akira doesn’t trust them and Akira admitted that she does I was literally screaming!!! Like, Emiko’s biggest issues stem from their feelings of inadequacy and here is Akira, someone that Emiko really cares about, affirming that she trusts Emiko!! Emiko’s personal narrative has always been about struggling with self-worth and the burden of expectations, and even if the situation isn’t exactly ideal, I think it’s huge that Akira is validating Emiko. Akira believes in Emiko!!! Another big thing from this conversation is like, just how Emiko and Akira listen to each other. It’s a little rough in the beginning I’ll admit, but Akira hears what Emiko is saying about how assuming their emotions/reactions makes them feel and apologizes. Emiko hears what Akira is saying about trying to keep Nobu and Jokushi safe and apologizes for shutting conversations down and says that they’re going to work on doing better at being part of a team. Emiko and Akira are honest with each other, listen, apologize, and promise to work on being better in the future! Like, the Hero Club is not a mentally healthy group of teens, but Emiko and Akira’s reconciliation is remarkably mature and full of understanding. The two of them have a lot of love and care for each other that drives them to be there for each other and try to understand each other, which in my opinion makes their relationship one of the strongest in the Hero Club (yes that includes Donkira and Anthriko).

Emiko: “I want you to know Akira that I… I want you to talk to me. About whatever.”

Akira: “I- yeah. I understand that now. Do you understand why I felt I had to do what I did?”

Emiko: (sigh) “Yeah, I do. And… I get it. It fucking sucks but… I get it.”

Akira: “I understand if you can’t move past this. You’re entitled to how you react to things.”

Emiko: “I can, and I will, move past this, but I can’t not be able to trust my friends. And I… And I really want to trust you… but right now it’s just really hard.”

Akira: “I know.”

Emiko: “But I am going to try.”

And this is BEFORE they’re even dating!!! (it WILL happen i’m manifesting it) Emiko and Akira have the most solid basis for a relationship of any of the characters, because when things get tough, they put in effort to keep their relationship together! It’s the inherent homoeroticism of facing your insecurities and fears because your friend is important to you!!!!!

THE BIKE SCENE. That’s it. The bike scene. Ugh, the fucking tenderness in this scene almost brought me to tears. I’m a huge fan of the show and I love all the different characters and their relationships but for real no one is doing it like Emikira!!! The hug, the tight squeeze as Emiko says “I missed having you as a friend,” it’s SO MUCH :pleading: Like, I’m literally telling you that Emiko and Akira are endgame here, PLEASE explain to me how I’m supposed to read this scene as anything BUT two best friends literally in love with each other PLEASE i’m WAITING. They are so soft for each other, my poor heart can’t take it!!!!

Fast forward a couple episodes to ep.6 “Hunter and Hunted p.1” and we get like oh my god so much trauma but also a fantastic Emikira moment that drives me UP THE WALLS!!! That’s right I’m talking about Emiko stepping out of the fog cloud and giving Akira bardic inspiration! The fact that even in the midst of an awful harrowing battle, Emiko and Akira look to each other for strength is SO :pleading: :pleading: Like, Emiko literally looks to Akira for a steady presence when they’re Going Through It, and Akira was inspired by seeing Emiko join the fight, LITERALLY drawing strength from Emiko’s presence!!!! Like, it is crazy significant in my opinion that Emiko and Akira inspire each other in battle. They trust and believe in each other so much that they LITERALLY draw strength from it :sob: THAT’S LOVE

And finally let’s jump way way forward to probably my favorite Emikira scene to date, which is of course the late night arcade date (like, let’s just call it what it is, a DATE). Emiko, quite obviously, is not doing great after the whole Secret Kramsey groupchat fiasco, and Akira shows up at their house to take them on a date to cheer them up. *SCREAMS* Akira cares SO MUCH about Emiko!!!! Without even asking, Akira finds the perfect way to cheer Emiko up: by bringing them their favorite candy and taking them out to have fun. Like, that genuinely is so frickin sweet, it’s so heartwarming!!!! Also just look at this PLEASE

Literally when do we ever see Emiko and Akira looking that carefree and happy? When Emiko and Akira are together, they’re so happy! Despite the crazy messes of their lives, Emiko and Akira find a moment together where they can just be themselves: two dorky teens that care a whole lot! Also, once again Akira and Emiko feel safe around each other! Like, we see Akira really open up about her feelings and alluding to her past a little in this scene, and it’s a testament to how much she does genuinely trust Emiko and feels safe around them. Akira shares her insecurities with Emiko and we see a side of her that she hasn’t shown any other character on the show. And Emiko, who cares so much about Akira and believes in her so much, tells Akira that she’s smart and talented and “capable of whatever you want to become.” Emiko shows Akira that she is wonderful just as she is, and also that Akira is full of potential to be whatever she wants! Like, the tenderness in this scene is soooo insane, like Emiko is really out here supporting Akira and believing in her wholeheartedly even when Akira herself is unsure of her own worth and I’m NOT supposed to think they’re in love with her?? I don’t think so.

So. You’ve made it to the end of this incredibly unhinged and messy Emikira scene analysis. Hopefully I’ve made it fairly clear how obviously meant for each other Emiko and Akira are, but in case I didn’t, here’s the TLDR:

Emiko and Akira’s relationship has always been about two teens who have parts of themselves that they’re too afraid to face, but their love for each other is strong enough that they face them anyway. How caring about someone motivates us to change and be better people for them and for ourselves, and how loving someone is about making an effort to understand one another! IT’S LITERALLY ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT LOVE!!!!!!