how do you feel about leo and koya in idw?
(i swear, 9 times out of 10 they always give leo the worst canon love interests and romance side plots. thank god in idw it’s such a minor thing and can be easily ignored, unlike 2012 with karai, but i hope it will be changed in the 2024 relaunch because i personally can’t stand it😭)
Hi there! I have offhandedly mentioned my opinion here, but I never discussed it in depth!
I'm also not fond of Leo/Koya, and I'm shameless enough to admit that yume jealousy plays a part in it 😔 All the love to those who ship them, though! Just not my cup of tea.
But putting aside my obvious bias, I can see why people like them as a toxic pairing. However, other than that, canon has given zilch on what could have possibly happened between Leo and Koya to have them act as... lovey-dovey in the bad future timeline. I think people are more attracted by the idea of them rather than the actual material presented, imo.
Also, I really do like Koya as a character, and I'm not exactly enthused about the idea of shipping her with someone who permanently disabled her? This is not me presenting Koya as weak-willed and incapable of growing past it—she said so herself that she's taken the traumatic event and used it to become "magnificent"—or that she necessarily despises Leo. However, I feel like pairing her off with him gets rid of some of her agency.
I like the chemistry they have as rivals. Yet, the implication of Koya doing a complete 180 and being very chirpy about loving Leo... it dulls down the sparkle of her character to being just some guy's love interest. That's why some canon romances can be hit-or-miss with me, because I almost always see women moulding themselves to fit as the man's ideal partner, while he manages to stay the same. Unless canon actually gives me any proper material that can substantiate how and why Koya and Leo work, I doubt my opinion will shift.
I also share your sentiment that, thankfully, this pairing seems more like wish fulfilment between Sophie Campbell and a friend of hers(?) rather than one that will be major to the series. Also, I think it was just the one timeline where things go to shit that they actually exist as a couple? I could be wrong since I need to reread. Anyways, I don't really expect the 2024 relaunch to pick up on this ship, or at least take it in any substantial direction, but that's also because a lot of the female characters have been sidelined/reduced to minor roles, aside from April and Karai 💀 I am still very sensitive about my girl Jenny, okay...
Still, with all my bitching, it's not the worst Leo love interest(?) we've gotten. Absolutely nobody is beating 2012 Leo and Karai in the "holy shit this is the worst possible Leo pairing" category. The only reason I can sleep at night is knowing they aren't officially canon.