a little bit of a hot take but i see more Kokichi fans ship saiouma than Shuuichi fans (example, those shipping tournaments. Saiouma won on Kokichi's banner but didn't on Shuuichi's.) That's because they actually understand Kokichi's character.
I feel like a very important part in understanding a character or person is their relationships with other people (platonic, romantic, etc..) Who do they have a crush on? Who are their best friends? Who do they hate? How do these relationships impact their actions and words?
What I'm saying is, Kokichi's opinion of Shuuichi in the game and his "small" implied crush on him is important to his character and how he decides to interact with him. If I had fallen in love with a person in a killing game and I was a person like Kokichi, I would want to ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist for as long as I possibly could. But his interest in Shuuichi never could go away, and it's shown throughout the game that Kokichi wants to work with Shuuichi. Their relationship is important for both of them. For Kokichi, it's a person who has the ability to seek past his lies and find the truth when no one else dared to; for Shuuichi, it's someone who will force him to loosen up a little and see that there is a different side of the story, to let him see that lies are just as important as the truth. That's what I think anyway.
I think people forget that everything we say about Kokichi is speculation. Besides from the obvious facts stated in the game, there is nothing we know about him enough to safely characterize him correctly. I fear only Kodaka can do that. We do not know what he was thinking when getting Gonta to kill Miu. We do not know what he was thinking when he made his plan to end the killing game. We do not know what he truly thinks about the others, besides of what he has said. Go into analyzing his character with the thought "I cannot trust anything this guy says." Because THAT'S THE POINT. YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO READ HIM AT ALL. SHUUICHI COULDN'T, SO YOU CAN'T AS WELL!
That being said, saying things like "He would do exactly this" or "he was thinking this" is a little out there, in my opinion. All of these are speculations. I think that's the beauty of his character and how you perceive him, cause it is technically just all made up lol. Obviously, there are exceptions, but I don't know how to word it good enough to make sense. Don't get angry at me.
Still then, there is massive evidence in game for certain aspects of his character. Saying things like "He didn't care *at all* for Gonta or Shuuichi" is outrageous. His feelings are complex, but they're still there! Just because its hard to read doesn't mean you can ignore it! X_X
Currently obsessed with Shuuichi being absolutely enamored with Kokichi doing normal tasks. He's so used to him being crazy and unpredictable. Putting him in a new setting where he gets to see Kokichi at all parts of the day, from the sun rising and to it setting, he'd probably be a little surprised to see that Kokichi is capable of doing normal things.
Brushing his hair, taking pills, stretching like a cat while waking up; Shuuichi is always there watching him do these things and can't up but put his brain on maximum overdrive trying to think if this is all a performance or something Kokichi naturally does.
Kokichi knows about Shuuichi's little obsession, and he is confused but also amused at the same time, so he never asks about it.
I like when fics show Kokichi's slow decent into madness in the killing game.
Imagine you are put into a place where it is impossible to escape, and you have no knowledge of where you are. You see the others who you are trapped with not doing what they should be doing, and when you talk back against them, you are an outcast. Human brains need stimulation and relationships to survive, but what would it do if the only stimulus you get is hatred or annoyance? Your overwhelming need for control is killing you inside. It's forcing you to know every single little thing you can get your hands on.
Knowing more than what other people don't know but forcing yourself to keep quiet about it. You have to do anything by force if you want anything done, because they won't listen to you. Even if you are telling the truth, you are ultimately telling a lie, because that's how they see it.
Knowing that everything you do is against your own morals. To win the game, you have to do things you would never do in real life. But it's not real life anymore, because if it was, none of this would have happened in the first place. You're being watched every single second and you cannot trust anyone. The people you do trust eventually you will have to discard because they aren't useful anymore, and you don't want to take the chance that somehow they could betray you first.
You can't help but feel positive feelings about some of the people you're trapped with, but you force your feelings down because they could be the ones behind this game. Even the most truthful have a place in their heart for deceit.
You can't run away from consequences forever, and even if you die, you will never find peace knowing what you did for the "greater good."
Why I think Ouma Kokichi is Saihara Shuuichi's Love Interest instead of Akamatsu Kaede: an essay.
Note: I am using this document for evidence. It is a direct translation of most things in NDRV3, and it is much easier to just go through this instead of the actual game. And also, the SaiOuma Shipping Wiki Page is also a very good resource for understanding their relationship!
Their Relationship
Claim/Examples —
- Shuuichi and Kokichi have a very complex and hard to understand relationship in the game. The most simplest way I can put it in is that they are the opposites of each other, with Kokichi being lying and mischievous; and with Shuuichi being truthful and cautious/anxious. They perfectly fit the trope of "Opposites Attract."
- Shuuichi doesn't just learn from Kaede and Kaito, he learns from Kokichi too. He learns that he has to lie in order to get to the truth. He lies in most trials if they are at a point where they can't go further. This is what I think Kokichi was trying to teach him, and even everyone else in the first place. Truth can't exist without lies, and vice versa.
- Kokichi has a very heavily implied crush on Shuuichi throughout the chapters. This isn't something you can take away from his character, because it's important for how he acts towards Shuuichi and the others. He singles out Shuuichi often throughout the game and praises him, which he doesn't do with much of the other characters, if not at all. Shuuichi is one of the people who he calls "not boring," including Kaede and Kaito being the other two.
Evidence —
(Evidence from the translation document I mentioned at the beginning, but it was translated by juicedup14 on YouTube! Go check out their translations!)
Kokichi: Actually, Saihara-chan, since the two of us are alone… I need to tell you something.
Shuuichi: ...what is it, Ouma-kun?
Kokichi: I'm going to use you.
Shuuichi: ...huh?
Kokichi: That’s why, you shouldn’t be together with Momota-chan, and be my friend instead.
I can be… very useful to you. You want to save everyone, and I can help you with that.
You want to save everyone, don’t you?
Shuuichi: ……………..
*Shuuichi then picks up the phone and leaves.*
Kokichi: Awww… he rejected me. But, I won’t give up that easily.
When I like someone… even if they were to strangle me, I wouldn’t turn my head the other way.
Commentary —
• Here, Kokichi tries to pair up with Shuuichi and trying to break up him and Kaito. It is heavily implied that Kokichi does not trust Kaito, and thinks he's a bad influence. My personal reason why he seems so possessive over Shuuichi is that he has BPD. But that's an entirely different rant. What I'm saying is, I think Shuuichi is Kokichi's "favorite person." There is a lot of proof I have, but I don't want to get off topic.
• The phrasing that he uses after Shuuichi leaves is used by Maki when she confesses her love to Kaito before his execution. ("好きになった人"/"suki ni natta hito") It is most if not always used in a romantic context. Kokichi didn't have anyone else around to lie to, so it's extremely unlikely that it was a lie or a tease.
Claim/Example —
- Shuuichi is a bit of an unreliable narrator; many people say that he doesn't return Kokichi's feelings, but he pushes them down before he can even act or think about them. This is shown multiple times where he thinks something positive about Kokichi, but throws the thought away because of how weird it feels. In the original version of the game, despite him being led around by Kokichi throughout his Love Hotel event, he still tries to catch Kokichi when he runs away. In the localization, it explicitly states that Shuuichi wanted Kokichi to stay, but he shoved down the thought. They both give off the same message, however the original is more subtle.
Evidence —
(Translation is made by @/hinatranslates or @/hajimikimo! Please go support them!)
Shuuichi: I tried to chase him... but I had to roll off the bed and couldn't move as quickly.
Commentary —
• It seems as Shuuichi has a heavy denial in anything about being in love. He doesn't just show this with Kokichi— he also shakes off thoughts that could be seen as romantic with Kaito.
Claim/Example —
- It's not as toxic as many people make it out to be. They work perfectly fine and well in Salmon Mode, with Kokichi's last event mirroring his canon free time event. Despite them not being the bestest of friends because of their seemingly different personalities and ideals, they aren't enemies. Shuuichi never states that he hates Kokichi, he just doesn't take the time to understand him properly in the killing game because of his responsibilities being put on a higher priority level. Don't take anything Shuuichi or Kokichi say at face value— they're both in a very traumatic situation that will change their personalities for the better or worse. They aren't their "real" selves per-say, especially Kokichi.
- The killing game is one of the only things keeping them away from each other, even with their similar goals. (They both want to stop the killing game and stop the ringleader, even if they do it much differently than the other.) Another thing is peer pressure. Everyone sees Kokichi as a nuisance and a bad person who shouldn't be trusted— and it's normal to conform to that belief of a person if you're someone like Shuuichi. None of them got the time to learn the person who Kokichi really is, nor did they even bother. This very obviously changed Shuuichi's view point on him, thinking of the worst even if it is not there.
Counterclaim — "But, isn't SaiMatsu also implied?"
- There isn't any time for them to actually gain feelings for one another. They knew each other for about four days. That's highly unrealistic, even in a game with a monochrome robot teddy bear.
Counterclaim 1.5 —
"Oh but the v3 game spans for about 24-25 days, how did Kokichi gain a crush that quickly?"
Kokichi is someone who hates boredom. This is just speculation, but he seems to cling onto certain people who interest him, and get bored when they don't. Shuuichi is HEAVILY implied to continuously interest him with his unpredictable behavior, and Kokichi wants to be around him because of that. It wouldn't be surprising if Shuuichi's charm made him gain a crush.
Evidence —
Shuuichi's Photo: "musn't/can't let your guard down?" / "Untrustworthy? Trustworthy?"
Commentary —
• Kokichi can't figure Shuuichi out. Shuuichi is interesting by his standards because of this, which means he wants to hang out with him more.
Claim/Example —
I just don't think Kaede and Shuuichi would work together romantically, at least in the killing game. They both very much just had puppy crushes on one other because of their co-dependency. Kaede depended on Shuuichi just as much as he did with her, because they both didn't feel like they were good enough to figure out the ringleader. They aren't healthy in a killing game, even if it seems like it. They seem more like best friends to me, and when I was playing Chapter 1, I didn't really get any romantic vibes. (Note: I haven't analyzed their relationship other than the bare minimum. These are just my thoughts, and if you have any thoughts, you should make your own post.)
(I would give evidence, but I cannot find the specific line of Kaede's I'm looking for, so I'm sorry (ᵕ—ᴗ—))
How is Kokichi the Love Interest with all of this information?
Claim/Examples —
- Kokichi is the main antagonist (not counting Monokuma, and Tsumugi doesn't count) throughout the entire game. Shuuichi is the main protagonist after chapter one. Kodaka has already made gay implied ships with the antagonists and protagonists with the other two mainline games (NaeGami & KomaHina.) It's not a surprise if he did it again with SaiOuma.
- Shuuichi feels drawn to Kokichi throughout the entire game. He's an absolute mystery to him, just like how Shuuichi is a mystery to Kokichi. They both want to figure each other out so bad but they are scared if the other will betray them or do something worse. They can't trust each other because they're on different sides of the spectrum; Shuuichi's the likable anxious guy who can't handle stress but gets better throughout the game, while Kokichi is the hated obnoxious guy who slowly gets worse and worse until he's unrecognizable as a real person. But they both want to trust each other. That's the beauty of it.
- Kokichi's deepest fantasy is involving him as a thief, and a detective chasing him; not for his crimes, but for him. He wants that deep connection with someone that he shouldn't be with, couldn't possibly be with, because it's a type of forbidden love. He wants to be vulnerable for someone who will work to understand him and will chase him towards the end of the Earth. Does this not parallel his relationship with Shuuichi? Kokichi is scared of vulnerability, but that's because no one has tried hard enough to get past his walls. This is what Shuuichi gets close to in Salmon Mode. Kokichi offers him for them to still hang out outside of the dome, because he sees a future with Shuuichi, romantically or not. Their relationship with each other cannot be replaced or replicated with any other character.
I would write more, but I am tired. There are definitely things I didn't mention, but I want to get this out!! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) <3
TL;DR — Kokichi fits the description of a Love Interest for Shuuichi because of how detailed their relationship was written to be (on purpose,) and how much chemistry they have.
Saiouma is such a doomed ship because I feel like every timeline where Shuuichi is the protagonist, Kokichi has to die. I'm not saying that for angst or whatever, it's just how different Shuuichi and Kaede's personalities are and how they both interact with other characters besides Kokichi.
In my opinion, Shuuichi listens to other people's thoughts on Kokichi a lot during the killing game, and this has made him subconsciously push down any positive feelings for him, because they're in a killing game. This would make sense with Shuuichi's character, which is very dependent on others around him. I know he's gotten better and more confident throughout the game, but you can't remove that entirely from yourself in only about, what, a month?
(Saihara, thinking: I caught myself wishing he [Ouma] would stay before I smothered the thought.)
He constantly ignores thoughts that make him seem like he wants Kokichi around, because he's not supposed to "think that." He pushes himself as far away as Kokichi as the latter does to Shuuichi (and everyone else for that matter.)
But Kaede doesn't have these kinds of insecurities. I'm not saying she's perfect socially, because she's not, but she doesn't have to depend on everyone to succeed. I do think she depended on Shuuichi a lot though, just as much as he did her.
If Kaede were the protagonist, I do not think Kokichi would have died. This is mostly based on a post Kodaka made on Bluesky, and something that's a part of the official art book (?)
(Kodaka: In fact, if Akamatsu were there, Ouma's behavior would have changed)
(Akamatsu, to Ouma in his friendship chart: Let's cooperate!)
Kaede seems much more confident in interacting with Kokichi despite how much he annoys her, unlike Shuuichi. She seems to be genuinely interested in working together with him to end the killing game, just like everyone else. Like Kodaka said, I do think this behavior towards Kokichi would have loosened him up a bit. They work great together, I think..
I do think they could have made a great team if Kaede was the protagonist instead of Shuuichi.
TLDR; Saiouma is doomed in every killing game timeline where Shuuichi is the protagonist, and Oumatsu wins.
Saiouma is genuinely so beautiful to me. People are missing out on the beauty that is what could've happened for them in a non despair setting.
Shuuichi despite being loved by their entire class doesn't have much confidence or spirit like Kaede. He blames himself for things that aren't his fault, and he doesn't hide behind a persona. He seems that he'd wear his heart on his shoulders, or that he'd be easy to read. Enter Kokichi, who has deep insecurities he hides behind a mask of confidence and deceit, he's smart enough to guess what his classmates would do multiple times. But for the life of himself cannot figure Shuuichi out. Everything Shuuichi does is new and exciting, despite not even knowing he was being interesting in Kokichi's standards in the first place. And despite Kokichi being disliked by most of their class, Shuuichi doesn't fret talking to Kokichi and detailing his lies. They're both a mystery to each other, they both can't seem to get a handle on what's going on inside of the other's head.
This what keeps them together. Hesitant curiosity then turns to friendship, when Shuuichi turns out to be more interesting than Kokichi expected. He learns Shuuichi's not just a one-use toy he could play with and get bored of later. And to Shuuichi, he learns that Kokichi is much more than just a liar and prankster, that even someone like him has deep troubles. This back to back relationship is much more complex and special to both of them. They don't have to nice to each other, or even be on a positive note to just understand each other. People miss and overlook their relationship so much calling it "one-sided" and "toxic" when it's both engaging on both sides and more healthy than it looks. Especially if we put them in a non despair situation where they don't have to worry about THEIR FRIENDS DYING ON A DAILY BASIS!!!
Even in the game, even if it's less healthy (obviously, they're in a killing game) my point still stands. They didn't get enough time to know each other. They couldn't know each other. Shuuichi didn't just learn from Kaede and Kaito, he learned from Kokichi too. He lied to get to the truth, he became more confident in his abilities as time went on, and he learned that lies aren't always bad. They can be used for good. Wasn't that the entire point of V3?? Lies and truth?
They're both important to each other none of their classmates could understand.
This entire rant bloomed from the song "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley. Thanks for coming for my ted talk and stay shipping saiouma
also: whoever posted this, thank you for spreading my word bc i hate twitter i could never post on there
The reason Kokichi likes lying to people he likes so much is probably because he's so excited that he can't help but lie cause he sees it as a "way of life." If he didn't like someone, he wouldn't want to be his own self with them, which in turn, would make him tell the ugly truth to them more. (Ex. Someone like Maki or Kaito.)
The way I see it, Kokichi puts truth in most if not all of his meaningful lies, which are mostly told to people like Kaito or Maki in arguments or pointed at the entire group. When he's alone with someone like Shuuichi however, he seems to lie a lot more meaningless lies. This is shown a lot in Salmon Mode.
