#Kongo Unsui

[sabigawa]

this is from like, early last year lmfao that I never got around to posting-- atla AU!

it's not really that fleshed out, I just know it would be set post atla but before lok, before republic city is the metropolis that it is in lok. So I put the original gaang to be around their 40's-50's?

the Kongo brothers are from a mixed family, with a firebending father and a non-bender, water tribe mother. Agon is a fire bender, and as in canon, a prodigy in everything he does (he even has blue flames because he sucks like that). because they grew up with a firebender as a parent, and because they lived in a predominantly fire-nation neighborhood, Agon ended up getting the most attention and praise for his bending accomplishments, and he proudly incorporates both fire-nation and water-tribe clothing styles into his day-to-day wear mainly because he likes standing out.

Unsui is a water bender. he's a hard worker and practices for hours every day, but he didn't have the guidance of a water-bender parent, and no matter how hard he worked he could never get close to Agon's skill. sometimes he looks at Agon firebending, and seeing his blue flames while he seamlessly incorporates water bending techniques into his firebending as though it's the easies thing in the world makes Unsui feel as though Agon isn't just the better bender, but the better water bender too. eventually Unsui gives up trying to compete with his twin. it gets to a point where he stops wearing water tribe colors at all as a way to stand out less as a water bender.

Hiruma is a non-bender. he seems to know every nook and cranny of every district in republic city, but no one know where he actually lives. he spends his time being a menace to society with his blackmail book, gambling, and inventing things (he doesn't patent any of his work-- he privately invented hair dye (or bleach, in this case) and uses it only for himself so that people are unnerved by his appearance. rumors that he has something to do with the spirit world follows him around, but he neither denies nor confirms). he and Agon meet one day in a shady alleyway on the rough side of town....

[splickedylit]

Eyeshield 21 doodling time will always devolve into Kongo brothers doodling time. Playing around with twins and twin-adjacent expression differences

[rdbrainz]

something something one piece crossover

[eyeshields]

Winter Gift Exchange '23 gift for @s0ciallyinapt! Here's Unsui and Hiruma having a (trash?) talk over some vending machine coffee for you. Happy holidays!

[beansterpie]

i'm so glad that unsui and agon decide to go to different unis, like what a healthy development. and I can't imagine a better friend for unsui than kurita!! someone who's emotionally really open and kind, who has a whole thing about protecting his friends!

and I think it's just good for both the kongo brothers (yes also agon) to not be living on top of each other anymore-- unsui for uh, very obvious reasons, and agon basically to not be around people who will let him get away with everything lol. plus agon's thoughts on unsui are likely more complicated than we really get to see in canon. the two of them having separate social circles and lives where they can focus on their own goals without treading on each other seems like the best option for them, and I think their relationship will improve drastically for it

[menialfiend]

For the Eyeshield 21 2022 Winter Gift Exchange for @yanderefoeyay !!!

I set out with the most legit and serious intentions of doing some Not A Meme. The joke was on me tho bc it turns out my brain only communicates in memes and what we get is basically a meme mood board of Unsui trying to parent Agon lol. literally I remembered the Stu Pickles 2am chocolate pudding meme and was like “yeah that’s how this would go”. Unsui forced to make chocolate pudding at 2am because of 5yo Agon’s demands is just.... I feel it in my heart.

Also can we talk for a minute about how wild Agon’s kid design is in the manga because his hair isn’t colored in even in like, elementary school so like.... how old was he when he started dying or bleaching it???? like which direction did he go????? what color IS his natural hair????? i’m BAFFLED.

I planned on coloring the last one too but I liked the lines as is so much I just didn’t oops.

[juhihuji]

can u tell what I’m currently obsessed with 😔

[yanderefoeyay]

Inspired by Agon petting Unsuis baldy head every chance he gets

Finally figured out how to do the petting gif thing lol, if anyone else wants an ES21 character doing just let me know!

[yanderefoeyayart]

Happy Pride Month from the Kongo Bros with my personal headcanons for them !! ✨✨

[shortandbittersweet]

Here is my Winter Gift Exchange '23 fic for @yelpfic, I truly hope you like it! Happy holidays!

A Story in 6 Episodes

It was easy for Agon, ‘it’ being pretty much anything. It was easy for Agon and the young man made no secret of the fact that he liked his life easy.

It was not easy for Unsui, 'it' once again being pretty much anything. After years of somewhat bitter sibling rivalry, though, the older and less gifted brother had managed to find a kind of balance. While taking care of his brother and trying to help him achieve even higher peaks was not his initial life goal, he’d made his peace with it and actually felt useful. Of course, Agon had to go and make that difficult too.

'Are you really happy with living a mediocre life? Why don't you go out there and fight for your dreams?'

Unsui had given some thought to what his younger brother told him and eventually decided to give pursuing his own dreams a tentative try. Of course, it quickly emerged that Agon had actually meant that Unsui should pursue his dreams in a way that would not prevent him from continuing to help out Agon the way he always had before. This was why, instead of revising for his exams in the relative comfort of his small studio apartment, he was trying to study in the badly insulated living room of a seemingly abandoned building. Leave it to his twin to promise to house-sit and then change his mind on the very night he was supposed to start, electing to go out with his newest flame. And leave it to Unsui to let himself be somewhat guilt-tripped into doing the job for him. But /this/ time, he /was/ going to keep the money, he promised himself as he desperately tried to find a comfortable spot on the old sofa, which was incidentally also the only available seat in a ridiculously oversized room.

Rationally, he knew that the house could not be abandoned. There was little point in house-sitting an abandoned house with next to no furniture after all. The owners were probably just used to living sparingly. Or very attached to their pieces of furniture, refusing to replace them when they were inevitably damaged beyond repair. Or were part of a cult that had sworn off worldly possessions.

Yes, Unsui told himself for the hundredth time turning a page that he had only half-heartedly managed to read, this is a perfectly legit and safe job. His brother would never knowingly put him in danger. He was sure of it. Which of course is why, when the demon suddenly appeared, he was not even that surprised.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsui was used to being blamed for his twin’s deeds. He hated when it happened, but he was used to it and, with experience, got fairly good at quickly calming down the offended party with the promise of whatever compensation was requested. On a very good day, he even managed to convince the person he was talking to that he was not actually Agon Kongo but his twin brother, Unsui. He did not try it often, as he'd come to find that people reacted negatively at what they perceived as an insulting joke added to the injury. The point was that he'd gotten very good at quickly calming down people who were angry with his brother and felt confident in his abilities. That was probably the only thing that allowed him to survive what happened after the house started shaking.

At first, it was just a tremor, which Unsui ascribed to a minor earthquake; a few seconds later, though, a portion of the living room floor started glowing a fiery red before being sucked into a black chasm, opening up a terrifying view on licking flames. Giant bats flew out of the darkness with an ear-splitting screech and messily converged into a barely humanoid form, wings and furry bodies squirming and sticking out in uncomfortable angles. Dozens of high-pitched voices somehow became a single, deafening scream.

‘AGON KONGO!!!!’

Unsui gulped. The creature did not have eyes, but the human could still feel /something/ staring daggers at him. Still, this was a well-rehearsed scene and muscle memory took over while the brain sputtered and went dead, frozen by cosmic horror. His mouth opened in a placating smile and he bowed in a gesture of penitence.

‘Oh dear, there seems to have been a misunderstanding-‘

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsui stared. It felt like he’d spent an eternity and yet no time at all trying to calm down an eldritch demon who apparently had a personal vendetta against his twin. He should have been comforted by the fact that he was somehow still alive and that the creature had decided to dawn a human appearance but comforted he was not.

Had he met the young man in a casual setting, he might not have been too disturbed. Sure, the hair looked too sculpted to be natural; the features were too sharp; the smile was… too much and not quite right. Knowing that behind that (mostly) human mask a demon hid, though, made looking away almost impossible. Were the bats imitating skin? Were the bats even there at all? Was it all just an illusion? Or were the bats playing human while clad in a trench coat of skin? What would happen if he touched-

Suddenly the demon was right in front of him, eyes comically wide and with a smile that showcased perfect fangs.

‘You try that, fucking baldy, and you will lose the whole arm!’

It took Unsui a few seconds to understand that the weird ‘kekekekeke’ sound that followed the threat was supposed to be a snigger. The chilling announcement was made even more off-putting by just how /happy/ the demon sounded at the prospect. Also, apparently, he could read minds. Nice.

‘So! You’re Unsui.’

The older Kongo brother cautiously nodded.

‘And why are you here instead of your fucking brother, Unsui?’

The poor human tried to school his features and free his mind. Agon is not here. That is the simple fact. He was busy. Agon was very busy. Business is what kept Agon away. He was busy – with a girl – he was-

‘wAs hE nOw?’

That one intrusive thought, followed by an inhuman hiss, brought the whole mantra to a screeching halt and Unsui once again feared for his life and that of his twin. However, the monster looked disappointed more than angry.

'Guess that's what his promises are worth. Should have known after last time… Bah, whatever. Listen here, you fucking baldy, the world will end tonight unless we do something. Your useless twin was supposed to help me out, but he is not here and I don’t have the time to run after him, so you’ll have to do.’

Unsui’s mind was reeling. The demon had actually trusted his brother with something? The world was ending? But more importantly, /he/ was /replacing/ Agon? That was impossible, he couldn't do it, he would be a let-down, a disappointment, how could he compare to-

‘Yo, baldy! Fucking /breathe/! I just need you to drive!’

Oh. Maybe, just maybe, it would be okay then.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trip was uneventful. The demon – or Hiruma Yoichi, as the creature had introduced himself with a fanged smile at the beginning of the journey – had proved to be surprisingly pleasant company. Sure, he seemed to enjoy cursing every human unlucky enough to cross their path (and apparently knew the darkest secrets of each of them), but Unsui had grown up with Agon; at least Hiruma’s antics were funny as well as scary. Unsui found himself grinning and laughing aloud more than a few times and, by the time they reached their destination, had all but forgotten the strange circumstances of their meeting. It took him seeing the menacing form of a solitary lighthouse towering on a cliff to remind him that the trip was one of business rather than pleasure.

Hiruma was already knocking on the lighthouse’s wooden door by the time Unsui reached him after parking the car nearby. When it looked like the demon was about to kick it down, the door finally opened to reveal a dark-haired, bespectacled man wearing a black robe ornated with complicated designs carefully stitched in silver thread. Even under the soft light of the stone entrance, it subtly glinted like a sea of stars.

‘Hiruma, finally! Where have you been?? It’s almost too late!’

Despite his animated words, the man still managed to give out an aura of cold competence. Unsui quickly reached the conclusion that Hiruma's possible absence had been a calculated variable in the bespectacled man's equation; the demon actually showing up was simply another branch in a mapped path.

Hiruma simply pushed him aside and signaled Unsui to follow.

‘If it’s so fucking late, why do you still have the time to ask stupid questions four-eyes?’

There was no real heat behind the comment as if Hiruma was also reading from a pre-agreed script, but the older Kongo twin still felt the need to offer the dark-haired man an apologetic smile as he followed the demon to the spiral stairway leading to the top of the lighthouse. The other man simply shook his head, something like a smile appearing on his lips.

Upon reaching the top of the lighthouse, they found themselves in the spacious place under the light. Another man, also clad in an intricately ornate robe, was observing the dark night outside the stained window with focused contemplation. He cut an impressive figure; tall, dark, and handsome, he would not have looked out of place on the cover of an adventure book.

‘You are late.’

The man did not turn around to greet them and Unsui started to dislike him.

'He said while hanging around the window, heroically doing nothing.'

That prompted the other to finally turn around, looking ready to reply with a scathing remark, but he stopped in his tracks upon catching sight of Unsui.

‘Did you cut your hair?’

Unsui sighed, preparing to explain the situation all over again. Hiruma beat him to it.

‘Nah, this is Unsui, Agon’s older brother. He’ll be helping us tonight. Agon was… busy doing business.’

‘But this is not- Did you explain to him what will be happening?!’

Unsui turned towards Hiruma, admittedly curious. The demon grinned at him affably.

'So, Unsui, talldarkandhandsome here is Shin, and the dolt finally coming up the stairs to join us is Takami. The four of us are going to have a fun evening! We will stand in this room, each in a specific spot according to the design drawn on the floor that you somehow just noticed. And that’s basically it! We will listen to Takami read a few sentences in an ancient forgotten language, just for kicks. We will each spill a few drops of our blood, for good luck – and to keep the door to the Abyss locked so that the monsters inhabiting it cannot devour the planet – and then we can drive back home. Got all that? Great! Your spot is over there!’

Unsui opened his mouth, but found that no sound would come out. Takami, who had graced the doorway midway through Hiruma’s speech, was tiredly rubbing his eyes behind the glasses and Shin looked ready to explode.

'Did you seriously just drag an /innocent bystander/ to the Ground 0 of a potential monster invasion without even telling him that-'

A deranged laugh promptly interrupted what sounded like a long tirade. Hiruma was standing on his spot of the complex design, having meanwhile donned a garish red robe several sizes too big for him. The robe positively shone, covered as it was in hundreds of stereotypical gold stars. The demon's smile was so wide and self-satisfied it could have lit the entire room.

 ‘Look at me! I am a human, doing human magic!’

Takami groaned.

‘For the last time, just because it has stars-‘

Suddenly, the ground started shaking, and the room, which up until that point had been only softly illuminated, lit up with a malignant greenish glow. Unsui dared to glance outside the window and took a step back as terror constricted his throat. The sea was bubbling, green flames impossibly snaking under the surface. Something horrible was happening. His eyes found Hiruma's, who smiled encouragingly at him.

‘Perhaps it was a little late.’

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsui’s ears were not working. That had to be the explanation for why all sound was completely distorted. Much like his hearing, his sight was also clearly out of order, for there was no way the horrors his eyes insisted they were seeing could exist in nature. Due to the absurd feedback it was getting, his brain threatened to shut down completely, while his heart seemed to decide that it needed to carry the weight of the malfunctioning senses and was hammering madly in his chest. After a while, it was the only sound he could register. A movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he was more than happy to focus on that; anything to distract his mind from the world just outside the window.

It was Hiruma of course. He was still grinning, but his smile was set with grim determination; his eyes blazed with the fire of a gladiator catching sight of their sworn enemy in the arena. Ever so slowly he was getting up from the crouch the earthquake had forced him into. Soon he was standing on his symbol, not a cowering mess but someone regal and dangerous, the commander from Hell.

Unsui's eyes wandered the room, his brain still somewhat disconnected from what was happening. He registered Takami and Shin slowly getting up as well, shaken and undeniably afraid but still willing to fight. They also limped to their positions in the room, Takami dragging a book as if it weighed a million tons.

Unsui’s attention was once again captured by the sickening green light outside the window. They were getting closer.

He couldn’t do it, naturally. The universe needed Agon Kongo for something so vital. There was simply no way… no way at all…

Shin shouted something at him, but he could not understand the words. Other words were filling his mind in a language that he did not know but that was terrifyingly starting to make sense. He saw Shin screaming at Hiruma next, but the demon just shrugged and smiled.

A deep sense of calm washed upon Unsui. The universe needed Agon Kongo. It was its usual tough luck that it got Unsui Kongo instead. Unsui, who was perfectly aware of all the ways he fell short. Unsui, who would not be enough, but who would not go down without a fight.

He took a deep breath. He slowly got up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Agon Kongo did not have a good evening. The girl saw through him almost immediately and decided her time would be better spent somewhere else. He hated the perceptive types.

With nothing better to do, he decided to head to the abandoned house Hiruma had set as their meeting place for whatever stupid project he was working on. Agon had left him on read for as long as he could until the demon-trash had become too much to handle. So he decided to send Unsui to see what the hell he wanted. Served both idiots right; Unko-chan had become too uppity. As he reached the street leading to the house, he stopped dead in his tracks. The scene that greeted him was disturbing to the most.

The demon-trash and Unko-chan were sitting on the roof of his idiot brother’s car… /chatting/. Laughing. Elbowing each other as if they were the best of friends. They were /smiling/. An irrational rage exploded in Agon’s chest and before he knew it, he was advancing towards them with the threatening aura of a sleep paralysis demon.

Agon immediately felt better when both of them jumped as he slammed his palms on the trunk. At the same time, he was further angered by them being too engrossed in their discussion to notice him until that moment.

‘Fine, trash, I’m here’, he finally gritted out. ‘What the fuck do you want?’

Hiruma smirked at him.

‘Nah, don’t worry about it. Unsui dealt with it.’

Agon’s eyes snapped to his twin and took in his banged-up appearance. A nasty smile stretched his lips while, behind his sunglasses, his eyes twinkled with malicious glee.

‘Oh really? Unko-chan handled it? I can sure see how well he did. Looks like it almost killed you, in fact.’

His brother shrugged, almost good-naturedly.

‘Could have been worse. The world didn’t end.’

The two pieces of trash actually laughed at that, as if it was some kind of shared joke.

‘Really? Tough words for someone who could only kick a football right half of the time. In fact-’

Agon never managed to finish the sentence, because Hiruma had immediately grabbed Unsui by his shirt and dragged him close to his face.

‘Football? You play football?! American football or soccer?’

‘Ah. American football… but I don’t really have a team now, so…’

At that, Hiruma’s smile got so wide that it could have lit up a stadium.

‘What a coincidence! I am actually building a team! I only got a couple of members so far, two idiots with whom I go way back, but they are passionate and not completely hopeless. I think they would like you!’

‘… really?’

‘Hell yeah! You should come at tryouts!’

Unsui tentatively smiled back. Just like that, the two of them were back in their world, laughing, chatting, and discussing football of all things. Agon watched in disbelief as they dove into animated conversation, completely forgetting about him.

As he silently fumed, plotting bloody vengeance, he could not help feeling that somewhen, somehow, a mistake had been made.

[ballllll]

stuck with each other

[splickedylit]

*Relationships: Kongo Unsui/Hiruma Youichi/Anezaki Mamori *Additional Tags: Post-Canon, Bisexual Awakenings, Emotional Repression, Polyamory, Canon-Typical Quarterback (And Manager) Mindgames, Dysfunctional Family, College is for figuring out you're not straight OR emotionally okay: the fic, …..Unsui deserves to date two people Agon struck out with simultaneously: the fic, It's not exactly hurt/comfort but, Hurt/Validation, isn't a tag

Summary:

Agon’s jaw works like he’s biting his tongue. “I didn’t hit you that hard,” he says, but Unsui knows his brother, deeply and painfully and inconveniently, and he knows the rare, uncomfortable edge of uncertainty in his voice. “Yes,” says Unsui, coldly. “You did.”

*Full list at link

Bonus: just some dudes having a very civil discussion :)

Agon should get scruffed like a puppy every so often when he gets punchy. it wouldn't fix him but it would make me very happy.

[ciaossu-imagines]

Hi!

Hope you're doing well :)

I saw your Sena's first kiss headcanon and found it so cute!

I was wondering if you had some same headcanon, and relationship headcanons for Unsui?

Thank you

Love ya 💚

Hey there anon! Thank you so much for the compliments and the request! I hope you'll enjoy the Unsui headcanons!

Okay, I think I've mentioned this before on prior headcanons about Unsui, but I think where he is in high school and even in early university, he's not really thinking about relationships. He's got football and studies and Agon to worry about and focus on and relationships aren't really something that even enters into his head.

I do think that any relationship Unsui has is going to be something that originally starts as a friendship. He's definitely the type to find himself developing feelings beyond friendship for someone he's gotten to know well, someone who makes him happy and understands him and just clicks with him.

I do see him being hesitant to really disrupt the friendship though and he'll actually have a lot of anxiety around the fact that he has developed those romantic feelings. Hanging out with them will start to get awkward as he finds himself blushing at things that they say, where he starts to feel himself being jealous at the mere mention of another guy, where he finds himself zoning out when they talk to him as he just stares at their lips and wonders what it would feel like to kiss them.

Honestly, if his friend feels the same way about them, it will really be on them to make the first move. Subtle hints that they like him too, in a more than friendship way, is not going to really get through to Unsui so they'll need to be at least semi-direct about it.

Once they do though and the two of them decide to move the friendship to a relationship, Unsui will be awkward about it for the first little bit, that's for sure. It'll really be his first relationship and he's not really sure how to be someone's boyfriend but damn, he is going to try so hard to be the best he can be at it.

The first kiss is going to wait a little bit, as much as both of them will want it sooner. Unsui wants to settle into the relationship without a lot of physical pressure on either of them, wants to make sure it's not just lust either of them are feeling. He'll want to be the one to initiate the first kiss, even if it terrifies him a bit to do so, and he'll do so when he feels it is the right time and when he feels they are both ready to move to a physical relationship.

The first kiss will be very hesitant and soft, barely there as a sensation, and once he realizes that 'oh, I like that...they like that', it will be followed up by a more assertive and confident second kiss.

[cringeshoes]

“What,” a voice called out, tone harsh and familiar. “ls on your head.”

Unsui looked up from his phone. Agon stood a good three feet away from him, glaring through his tinted lenses.

“Oh, hi.” the older of the two replied easily—already used to unconventional greetings—and began walking away. “C'mon. You said you have to go back before twelve.”

“I said,” the voice called out again, this time along with a set of firm, heavy footsteps as Agon hurried his stride to close their distance and match his brothers’ pace. “What the hell is on your head?”

Unsui confusedly reached up, tipping the sunglasses perched on the top of his head in question. It wasn’t his usual thing, but the summer day was hot and bright, and he didn’t even want to think about sweating in one of his cap.

“What? This? I-”

“No, you bald-”

Agon cut him off but halted, before seemingly regaining his brash tone.

“What the hell's with your hair??”

Oh…

Huh.

Plucking off his sunglasses and hooking it in his shirt collar, Unsui gingerly patted the short, light colored hair on his head. “I, uh.. College and work’s been extremely busy lately. No time to…” He then looked towards his brother and trailed off at the look on Agon’s face. Agon seemed pissed off. Which to be fair was not unusual at all. “Trim it and stuff…”

He caught Agon’s eyes glancing quickly towards his hair before looking away, clicking his tongue. “Well it looks weird.”

Unsui thought so too, but he opted to simply mumble ‘I know’ instead of continuing the conversation. And with that, they walked in customary silence into the supermarket.

–

Agon was indeed pissed off.

He actually didn’t think it was weird at all, because he knew he himself looked exactly like that just last year. It was an uncomfortably familiar sight.

It’s just that. It was Unsui. The baldy.

It reminded him of how he used to look a few months after he shaved his own head back in America. He had tried so hard to make it grow back as fast as possible, the smell of bottles upon bottles of store-bought ginseng hair tonic—stealthily and very carefully hidden among his belongings in his previous dorm in Saikyo, especially because being roomates with Hiruma was definitely some sort of divine punishment—clinging to his memories. Remembering it all irked him.

He stole another glance towards his brother again, nose scrunching up. Unsui was currently glaring at a shelf full of sauces and condiments, mentally comparing prices to match Agon's budget with an ever-present frown on his face, and god, that damned hair.

They haven’t met each other in about two months, both became very preoccupied with college, training, and part-time jobs, and only today were able to meet up again after semester exams. Which was not by Agon’s choice, by the way. This whole meeting up thing was trouble, but it was necessary trouble. Because apparently Agon manages his own money like a child, and Unsui insisted—or forced rather, in Agon’s opinion—to take him to buy groceries for himself every month.

(It only took an intervention from Unsui to set this routine, after he spotted Agon in a McDonald’s for the fourth time that same week.)

Agon grunted as he pushed the shopping cart closely behind Unsui, planning to ram at his ass with the cart, when he noticed it.

With how he looked, Agon was used to being stared at. From judgmental middle aged men to pretty giggling ladies, people stealing glances at him was beyond normal. And today, the three people who were flicking their eyes at his direction and whispering to each other clearly fell in the later category. Agon smirked as he decided to listen in. Time for some ego boost to brighten his mood.

"-so cool!"

"Right, right! His eyes are so sharp..."

Nice.

"Who knew a crew cut like that could look stylish... Do you think he's in the military?"

... Huh?

"He does look stern!"

"Right? But he-"

...

Agon could not fucking believe this.

His head whipped towards the group of girls, causing them to jolt and scurry away at the way he unknowingly scowled at them.

What the hell was that about?!

He turned his head towards his brother next, currently clutching a bottle of mirin as he continued to glare at price labels with his other hand on his hips.

They were talking about him?!

[beansterpie]

sometimes I think about a slight AU where Shinryuuji went against Hakushuu during the Kanto tournament, and despite their best efforts, Gaou gets Unsui....... I'd reeeaalllyyy wanna know how Agon would react

[stuffingprize]

Why ship Agon & Yoichi? It’s not just because they’re both devious geniuses who get each other somewhat—making them compatible enough that they don’t need explicit instruction from each other. It’s also that they have a long history filled with changing dynamics & drama. And because, by & large, Yoichi has a tremendous influence over Agon’s choices throughout the story. For a prideful & super talented villain like Agon, I think that’s quite deep!

~~Part 1~~

AGON KONGO’S EARLY DAYS - Aww man it sure is hard to be so talented

Agon is a boy with an ability that cannot be trained - his Godspeed reaction time. On top of that, he is quick to take up any physically & mentally arduous activity, has great looks, & is naturally strong as hell. And he achieves it all without much effort~ 

His early days were therefore filled with praise, admiration & envy from everyone around him, including with the one significant relationship during this moment: his twin brother, Unsui. 

Too smart for his own good, Unsui resigns himself quite early on, taking the loss as “an average athlete” and tries only to improve Agon’s prospects rather than his own.

Unsui: Then all my effort will have paid off.

Agon: Shut up. That's my plan anyway.

For Agon Kongo during this time, he probably felt there wasn’t anyone he could call an equal.. 

~

YOICHI HIRUMA’S EARLY DAYS - I’m going to that fun place now

Yoichi Hiruma as a child feels bored and understimulated. Bright but devious by nature, he one day decides to shake up his humdrum by sneaking into an American Army base at age 10, where he spends his days honing his skills in provocation and intimidation while playing poker with men much older than him. 

It is quite apparent that lying and coercion were natural skills to him.

This is also the place where picks the habit of carrying guns, speak in foul English, & learns all about American football. By the time Yoichi enters middle school, he goes through quite a transformation of looks:

Though at first, Yoichi does not consider himself suitable to playing the game himself, there is no denying he is immensely attracted to the strategic angle of it, spending hours drafting formations in his spare time.

For Yoichi Hiruma during this time, perhaps he only dreams of one day commanding a team with players of his own choosing..

~

AND THEN THEY MEET …wait, who, what, when, where, how??

So how did these two terrors meet? Unfortunately we’re not shown. It is unclear when or how they meet, but we know that it happens before Yoichi decides to play football in Middle School. 

Here’s a headcanon: The “book of threats” was likely an idea Yoichi developed long before, just never had a big enough reason to make one yet. Until he needed to. Until he found something he really wanted to pursue with a lot of obstacles in the way: American football (the man already had used cell phone collection boxes placed around..)

Thanks to a series of events in which Ryokan convinces him to play the game, Yoichi sets out to make his infamous book of threats. For that, he calls on an acquaintance for help! That acquaintance was none other than Agon.

↑This is seriously their earliest known on-screen interaction & we’re presented with this dynamic about them: Yoichi calls, Agon fetches. I know Yoichi isn’t one for pleasantries, but he doesn’t even introduce much context, he just points & Agon goes.

SO WHAT WE KNOW:

They meet somewhere during middle school.

They meet outside of school (no shared school)

Coincidentally Agon also goes through a transformation of looks.

Look, look.. I think it’s quite telling that out of ALL places Agon could’ve been during this very early interaction, he’s at a HAIR SALON. Like, he really really could’ve been doing anything else, or be literally anywhere else. But here we are:

The last one, he says… so they’ve already been at this!

Just IMAGINE! From the moment they meet, however or wherever that was, Agon & Yoichi clearly vibe well enough to exchange contact information & then… Agon forgoes his natural blond hair in exchange for dark dreads.

What could it be? He already wore sunglasses, is liked well & is superbly popular. But perhaps upon meeting this young man with pierced ears & bleached hair, Agon got the idea that he wanted a more intimidating look as well?

Why not? Afterall, he becomes Hiruma’s on-demand thug.

Yoichi influences Agon: +1 point! (Agon gets dreads)

And so, for the next two to three years, Yoichi & Agon apparently spend HOURS running around doing this stuff:

Agon beats people for money, Yoichi gets the blackmail. 

Ahhh yes bonding through filming naked dudes, errr.. Blackmailing, I mean. Hah? Totally normal

Yoichi influences Agon: +1 point! (Agon as Yoichi’s thug)

If their acquaintanceship formed before Ryokan meddled into Yoichi’s life, then Yoichi has a longer history with Agon than with his friends from Maou. Outside of family relationships, theirs is one of the longest-standing relationships in the series. And with long histories come moments of drama. With Ryokan Kurita in the picture, things begin to go sour.

~

I was never your friend but I thought you were mine.. a.k.a. AGON’S JEALOUSY OF RYOKAN KURITA

One of the strongest proof for me that a proud man like Agon is in fact very desperately thirsty for Yoichi’s attention is the evidence showing that he views Ryokan as an obstacle. Ryokan.. whom he would openly say is miles beneath him in terms of talent, looks, brains.. You get the picture.

It’s not “I’m glad I kicked you & your loser friends.” Was perhaps Agon expecting or hoping Yoichi would choose to drop Ryokan & still apply for Shinryuji himself? Afterall, there wasn’t anything stopping Yoichi from doing so except friendship.

These are instances where Agon isn’t insulting Yoichi. His beef is with the people Yoichi chooses to associate himself with, most prominently Ryokan & later Sena (more on Sena in part 2!!)

But why the antagonism toward Ryokan specifically? Wasn’t Gen (Musashi) also around? If Agon Kongo were a genius of interpersonal relationships, he might've figured it out. Because the truth is no one in this story changed Yoichi more than Ryokan.

Ryokan is the reason Yoichi starts playing football & why we get to the Deimon Devil Bats & the story of underdog Eyeshield 21. And while we have evidence that Unsui also plays football in middle school, that doesn’t mean Agon had any interest in it. An interaction from Riko’s interview gives us a hint:

Which suggests that when Agon found Yoichi suddenly immersed in the sport, it was something that must’ve surprised him. Meanwhile Yoichi’s comment suggests Agon followed the same “stunt” afterwards.

In fact, for Agon, the decision happened here:

Was it a mere coincidence that Agon was at this particular scene? Maybe he & Yoichi had plans to meet up later but Agon happened to arrive earlier by chance. Or maybe Agon was here on purpose..

Genius Agon who is feared, admired, & envied by all.... who is good at any sport, who has the looks & talent to potentially get anyone he wants, being put aside by someone he kinda somewhat valued..

I mean, given the time they spent together, it’s reasonable to assume Agon enjoyed hanging out with Yoichi. So this scene where Yoichi is having fun with people who have nothing to do with him, Ryokan in a Shinryuji Uniform especially, must've affected his sense of security on a subconscious level. We aren’t shown any other source of antagonism for his messing up with Yoichi's plans. The thing is, deep down, Yoichi is the closest he could consider an equal. Not like he knew it at the time.

Also, while the panel above paints Agon in a clearly antagonistic light, the original magazine run of that panel was actually juicier:

Really, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to interpret this as anger, envy, maybe even betrayal.

Yoichi influences Agon: +2 points! (Agon enters Shinryuji High School. Agon joins a football team)

And so, Agon sets out to destroy what he saw that day so badly that he really decides to attend an all-boys high school despite being a giant womanizer. And when Yoichi confronts him to try to remedy his dick move, Agon decides to cut him off as well, effectively ruining whatever sort of friendship they had.

Alas, their version of a breakup... I've also talked about Yoichi's choice of outfit in this post, heheh!

ALL TO PLAY A SPORT HE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE!! Now that's some serious malevolent & jealous-driven commitment!

→Continue to Part 2→

Where I explore Agon's disinterest in Football when it doesn't involve Yoichi, his newfound beef with Sena, Deimon vs Shinryuji & beyond~