I have been wanting to ask somebody. I still questioning why people always and love shipping two characters that hate each other to the point want to kill one of them. This not only in naruto, bnha and bsd. It happens a lot in anime. More annoying when author followed and give whatever to satisfy those shippers instead of exploring on other interesting characters. Or worst, the story become messed up just to give whatever the shippers wanted to see.
Hi, sorry for the late reply!!
I’m pretty sure there are a lot of reasons for that? Oftentimes (not always, mind you, but it’s just too often for it to feel random) those kinda ships involve the protagonist and the rival/antagonist, which can be fascinating thanks to their interesting abilities, clashing personalities (the cliché yin/yang thing), the “they saved/changed them” trope, their good looks (because, yes, the character design does play a role, hands down), how much content they receive individually, and how much their backstories and minds are explored.
And, in all honesty, most people simply enjoy a spicy tango that gives off a dangerous vibe, you know? Like, people get off on confident, skillful characters and complex relationships. It simply creates a certain type of angst.
So—that angst is as good as any but it has a certain flavor to it that attracts different kind of people imo. Just like some people enjoy miscommunication, dub-con or jealousy while others don’t. I’ve gathered that many shippers enjoy the “positive potential” of a ship that they claim is buried underneath the negativity. The fanon material often caters to shippers who enjoy to focus on how complicated and contradicting feelings can be, how the world is not black and white, how even bad people deserve a second chance, yada yada. And some other shippers simply like it dark, dirty, and dangerous. The point is, the the raison d’être of ships is the entertainment they provide us. As long as people enjoy such ships, even if you personally don’t, they have a right to exist.
On a side note, I doubt that everyone uses the main source for forming opinions on characters and ships. A lot of people just lurk on social media, absorb subjective fanon material like sponges, and never truly leave their bubbles lmao. For many people, it’s not about what has “real” potential to be endgame in canon; it’s about having fun and playing with characters that excite them.
All of that is OK. The only thing that is really bothersome imo is when shippers cannot (or refuse to) differentiate between their personal kinks etc. and what is actually plausible in the realm of the canon context. Like, shippers are allowed to fanon ship whatever they like but it’d be great if they knew how to stay real about what to expect from canon.
