-Endou Mamoru x Managers ship war, GO!-
EnNatsu EnFuyu EnAki
Endou Mamoru's version exclusive romance options always intrigued me, so I gave them all some thought and analyzed his relationships and history with each to try and pick my ideal endgame ship. (It didnt work. Still cant decide.)
It's been a very long time since i've played the games, and I havent played them all-- so i'm only referencing my memory + what I already know for each of the lovely managers.
This isnt some weird dudebro level post, I promise! Trust my judgement here!
Italics = my own thoughts
(Not featuring Haruna or Touko, as they arent featured as marriage candidates in Chrono Stone)
-See it under the read more-
Natsumi ☀️
-Daughter of Raimon himself, ruler of the school, and thus an antagonist at the start.
-Father is opposed to a soccer team because of the incident 40 years ago
-Encourages a ton of kids fight the newly formed team (random encounters in-game) to discourage it because she kind of just does whatever her dad thinks is best...? Memory fuzzy here.
-Causes a few messes to distract the soccer team, seems curious about them. Doesnt seem to understand why the sports forbidden.
-Raimon vs Teikoku, seeing their passion starts to change her tune
-Watches them, seeks out resources for them, and she officially joins as manager, cute moments of the posh rich girl making friends with the sporty kids who kick dirt around.
-Discovers the training facility, restores access to it
-Season 2 happens, I have watched this the least, and its been ten years since I touched the game- I dont remember much. Im sure the game has some developments for her on her own and for Mamoru as she is a version exclusive romance option. Many scenes that would originally feature Aki in Blizzard are Natsumi's in Firestorm. So, at this point she's going out of her way to hang out with him. Way different from how avoidant she was in 1!
-Curious about Mamoru grandfather and the Inazuma Eleven, who was the team he coached 40 years ago.
-Has access to school records so she looks into it, where she finds out things dont add up, discovers Daisukes likely still alive.
-Follows those leads, heads off to where he is to investigate- a fully independent move of her own. Absent for half the season, the plot letting Fuyuka and the others fill her managerial role.
-I didnt play the Rococo-feature version of the game but she meets him there and they form a friendship, discovers Daisuke, encourages him to meet Mamoru.
-Rejoins Mamoru
-Timeskip, is a marriage option for Mamoru, Light version
-A member of the Resistance, as well as the chairman of Raimon Jr. High.
EnNatsu engame is the culmination of the Raimon family's 40+ year history of tragedy and prosperity surrounding the Endou family and soccer- even their butler was involved! Marriage with Natsumi Raimon ties it all together and cements the Endou's as an important, key part of Raimon, both the school and the family itself. Moreover- EnNatsu is a product of Natsumi's journey of self-discovery and independence.
To me, Natsumi falls under the tsundere archtype, she was pretty hostile at first! Her deciding to step out of the mansion and live a smaller-scale life with Mamoru is cute. She has the resources to travel frequently to see Mamoru's matches overseas before GO! Cute! Imagine Natsumi meticulously planning vacations, only for Mamoru's more spontaneous and free-spirit to take her down paths she never considered traveling and having a more fulfilling time because of it! Daisuke's passing before GO would affect her rather personally, given the friendship she formed with the man and all she went through to reunite him with Mamoru. Narratively: Natsumi is written to grow into the Endou family, so it's no surprise the anime went with her for the "canon" pair.
Fuyuka ❄️
(Character I have paid the least attention to narratively, sorry. Season 3's Kidou drama took up most of my attention (to noones surprise) Doing my best to remember)
-Childhood classmate/friend of Mamoru's
-Parents pass away
-Amnesia, or hypnosis to forget the accident depending on if its game or anime
-Adopted by Kudou.
Kudou: A man who was banned from coaching for 10 years because one of his teammated attacked an opponent before a match (Kageyama and Garshield's intervention, the opponent was Teikoku. Kageyama staged the inicident) and the blame was put on him after he quit on his own.
-Adopted Fuyuka while teaching, he initiates the hypnosis if anime logic
-Is hospitalized when PTSD is triggered, some memories end up regained
-Mamoru is a key part of her memory regain throughout the season. They spend lots of time together, and their date scene even gets animated for the anime.
-Also a marriage candidate for Mamoru in GO, Dark version.
-Works as a nurse, Resistance member.
EnFuyu endgame ties up her storyline. Endou was her savior, and her fathers as well, in the long run. Mamoru's relationship with Kidou Yuuto aided in breaking the abuse cycle that caused Kudou's coaching ban- and got him to redeem his name as a coach and win the world cup. Kudou would become Endou's father in law, which would be a great tie to the Kageyama storyline as well, this was 40 years of Endou family related drama!
To me, it also feels like re-encountering an old school crush. Mamoru is injured offscreen while playing overseas during GO, as a nurse, Fuyuka would be able to care for him herself! So cute! As a nurse who has likely seen loss, and given her early loss of her parents, she would also be extra qualified to support Mamoru when Daisuke's passes sometime before GO. (I'm not too familiar with Fuyuka's characterization, i'm not able to think of many domestic scenario she can share with Mamoru, sorry! ;;)
Aki 🍂
-Childhood in America, likely New York, with Ichinose and Domon.
-The truck event.
-Doctor and Ichinose's parents lie to her, a child, about her friend dying?????
-Eventually moves to Japan, meets Mamoru. A version exclusive romance option of the "girl-next-door variety"
-Founding member of the club alongside him. Friend's from the very start!
-Is the only manager with previous experience as a soccer player, bonds with Mamoru over it in and outside of school.
-Helps teach the team the Hissatsu she helped create!
-My memory is fuzzy on the version exclusive scenes, sorry. I need to replay the games. Like Natsumi, Blizzard has her exlcusive scenes.
-A great support for Mamoru and the team throughout the series, running their blog and social medias. Very organized, hard working. Almost as crazy about soccer as Mamoru is, despite her inability to play on the team itself.
-Conflicted on if she should be manager for Inazuma Japan or The Unicorn (This is probably why she got dropped as a marriage candidate in GO over Fuyuka, it's a cute story of a childhood crush that healthily died out otherwise, which is very appreciated given how the target audience of elementary and middle school is usually when kids develop surface-level ideas of love. I'm glad to see it featured here, very cute)
-In GO, Landlord of Kogarashi Manor, coaching one of the few adult soccer teams we meet in the series.
-A marriage option only in an alternate timeline in Chrono Stone, as other material seemingly pairs her with Ichinose.
EnAki endgame is the story of two soccer freaks who stuck together from the very start, never leaving eachothers side even when others got involved! Not as dramatic development as the other options given Ichinose's involvement in the plot, a very down-to-earth, childhood friends to lovers story, and if you take Ichinose into account, a bit of a love triangle!
To me, the idea of two coaches dating is cute! Imagine a little bit of rivalry between them! Mamoru goes overseas to play professionally in GO, he's absent for a bit like Ichinose was, so some of that "I miss my overseas lover" plotline that happens for IchiAki still remains for EnAki. It's been long enough to where she might feel comfortable kicking the ball around again, with THE most supportive player holding her hand when she does. She and Mamoru are also both earth element goalkeepers! Imagine them coming up with their own Hissatsu together!
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I care very much about each and every one of the managers, I think they're all really well incorporated into the world of this very male-centric story and Mamoru's life! He's also well incorporated into theirs! They've got alot more than people give them credit for!
So, what version exclusive Wife are YOU picking for Endou?
