I have Hazbin on the brain and rightfully so, but I still love Helluva Boss as well and can't wait for Season 3! (Hopefully within the next year according to Richard Horvitz). Anyway, after writing my Melvel post, I started thinking if I had any other ships in the hellaverse that weren't the really popular ones. Suddenly I remembered that I actually love Stella x Striker.
I think the appeal for me is these two having a relationship would make them both hypocrites. Striker is an imp who detest royals and takes pleasure in going after what he refers to as "bluebloods". His hatred reaches so deep that he belittles other imps such as Blitzo and Fizzarolli for even be involved with them and finds himself superior. Stella is a royal that is fully content in her status and doesn't care who she has to trample to maintain it, including her own family. She also looks beneath the poor, especially imps, evidenced by how she was more concerned that Stolas slept with an imp than him cheating. They are both everything the other hates.
That's what makes this ship for me. The fact that they should hate each other but yet somehow both of them develop soft spots. I have seen it described as the evil opposite to Stolitz, which I think is very fun. They are both awful sadistic people, who don't care what they have to do to achieve their goals. I would just love to watch them be evil together, unintentionally act like a couple sometimes, and panic when they realize they actually enjoy each other's company.
In honor of my love of this ship being reignited, I thought I would go over some of their interactions in canon through my shipping lens and mention some fun art of them from official merchandise and the cast and crew.
HB-S2EP4, 2023, Artwork by Rafael Cauich Rivera
This artwork by a crew member who works on Helluva Boss and I think perfectly encapsulates why I love these two. Look at them having so much fun being evil. Usually at Stolas' expense.
Harvest Moon Festival
Their first on screen interaction! Striker refers to Stella as Ma'am. It's honestly very polite of him. I know he most likely is just pretending to appease her cause he wants her money, but I still think it's cute. I also find it interesting that while Stella is obviously upset that Striker failed to kill Stolas, she doesn't really berate or insult him personally, which I found surprising. She just says that he better not fail again and that she doesn't care who he has to go through to make it happen. I'm not sure if Striker is the only assassin that uses angelic weaponry, but if he isn't, then it's interesting that Stella is willing to give him a second chance instead of cutting him off.
Another interesting thing is that Striker stays smiling when on the phone and even after off the phone. He doesn't appear to feel disrespected or annoyed at Stella's yelling. There is no need to pretend when he is not talking to her, yet he still seems to be in a good mood. If anything, it's amusing to him. He also makes sure to reassure her that the job will get done. Of course, he wants to do a good job because it will add to his reputation and will give him more negotiating power for more jobs. We see this when he is pitching his services to Crimson and even Millie mentions in "Ghostfuckers" that reputation is everything for assassins in wrath. I think my point is, while he is going to take any job seriously, he doesn't have to pretend to like Stella when she isn't around, or when she can't see his face while talking to him on the phone.
If I were to create a dynamic from this alone. Stella will be pompous and privileged, and angry in Striker's presence, but she will rarely direct it at him personally. It's more like she is venting her frustrations and Striker listens. She doesn't even realize she is doing it. Striker would find some enjoyment watching her complain and would just validate her feelings. He would encourage her bad behavior and if she wanted anything for him to do, he would see it as an opportunity to show off and establish how superior he is to his fellow imps. I don't think that last part is far off from canon, as when Striker is trying to pitch to Blitzo to join him, he mentions that they are both superior to most of their kind, so clearly striker doesn't hold much love to his fellow imps. Stella would find him to be a very reliable partner....in crime of course. 😏
WESTERN ENERGY
We don't see them interact again until Season 2, but boy was it glorious. Clearly Stella informed Striker that she would be meeting Stolas and he just comes in guns blazing. They both look so pleased with themselves, especially Stella. It's actually crazy how much trust Stella put in Striker to not target her, even accidently. The first bullet literally breaks her teacup, and she doesn't even flinch. She gives this look of "yeah that's right", to Stolas and is very proud of herself for ordering this hit. I don't think Striker would go after her in this moment because he still needs her to pay after the job is done, but again accidents can happen. He was shooting a lot of bullets around, but Stella maintained her smile and had full faith he wouldn't hit her. She is entrusting her life to an imp.
This is my favorite interaction between them. Stella contacts him to call off the hit after being persuaded by her brother Andrealphus to keep Stolas alive. She calls him darling and her tone of voice is actually quite pleasant. It's honestly the most polite she has ever sounded in the show. Unlike before, Striker is very unhappy on the phone with her, as he was literally in the middle of killing Stolas. It's like his chew toy got yanked away. Stella does at least seem to have a little understanding for him as she offers to pay him more than what he was originally going to get, if he spares Stolas. That's honestly quite generous for her standards. I'm sure she knows on some level how to use her wealth for her own gain, but with how bratty she tends to be, I would have thought she would have just demanded Striker stop and leave it at that. This isn't to say she respects him, but she at least is aware of how he operates and knows how to get him to do favors for her.
Striker is still pissed about the whole thing, but he does give her a yes ma'am to her proposal which she is pleased by. He stays in a bad mood for a bit after this, but he looks adorable pouting in my opinion. He is just acting in a way that gives him the most money, but it's kind of funny to think about Stella being able to pacify him so easily. I like to think Striker enjoys a lot of Stella's antics because it allows him to be sadistic, so he only gets angry when she restrains him from it. I head canon that if Stella where to invite Striker to one of her parties, he would begrudgingly wear an outfit she picked out because she promised to buy him anything he wants. Those things would probably be weapons or stuff for his horse Bombproof. They fuel each other's terrible personalities.
MERCH ART
Halloween, 2024, Artwork by Voidseeker
This is still my favorite art of them. They both look so good! I wish I was able to get this merch! It looks like Stella is a vampire and Striker is a vampire hunter. Still keeping the dynamic even in costume.
Castle Mug, 2024, Artwork by ZLLM
Got them in their Halloween fits in chibi form. They look so cute! It's funny that they are paired with Stolas and Octavia. You know who is here to have fun and who is here to cause trouble.
Stella & Striker Pose, 2023, Artwork by SilentZound
I mean come on. They just look badass ok! The evil dynamic duo!
I hope I get crumbs of them in Season 3. Even if there is none, these two will always have a place in my heart ❤️
