(Originally asked on retrospring)
anon: you are kanakei CEO .. do u have any analysis pieces about them? i love reading those for less popular ships❤️
Preamble
The short answer to your question: Yes, I have—on Tumblr, I posted a mini, shambled-together version of a “hear me out” on them as a pairing. At first, I was just going to copy-paste that, but reading it now, it just doesn’t go into the depth it needs to make Kanakei make sense.
As for the long answer, see below.
It’s going to start out heavy, lore-wise, and then there’ll be lighter parts to it. I’ve labeled my different sections clearly, so if you want to skip certain parts, you can find what you like.
What is the significance of Keito and Kanata's interactions with each other? How do they feel about each other in present day? What are potential directions for them in the future?
RELEVANT STORIES
Comic World
Climax
Hot and Elegant Choco Fes
Meteor Impact
Palace of the Ocean
Scroll of the Elements
Submarine
Sweet Halloween
Toryumon
Foils ⋆ Shinkai-Hasumi History ⋆ Battle of the Sea God ⋆ Current Day ⋆ The Good Stuff ⋆ Where They Clash ⋆ Future Direction?
Foils within Canon
Keito and Rei
When I was young, I thought I was a special being. But there is always someone better. I must be ordinary, but… I refuse to spend my life looking down because of that.
Pre-War Era | ☀︎ Summer | Meteor Impact (310mc)
Keito's self-esteem issues are abysmal. Even in !!-era, with Rei’s tests and insistences (see Succession Match) for Keito to see him as equals, he just doesn’t clear that hurdle. Very intense character development and self-esteem needs to be built for Keito to reciprocate what Rei wants him to.
On the other hand, Kanata is notable, because he is an attainable adversary. The entire point of Meteor Impact is that Keito is taking down a God himself-- it’s one more shot to redeem himself from the failure of DEADMANZ Live.
“I may still be inexperienced, but I can fight if I’m not alone. I could kill any God—so let’s show them the power of human beings.”
War Era | ❦ Autumn | Meteor Impact (310mc)
Kanata reciprocates this subjugation with second foil…
Eichi and Wataru
Here, Keito is the grounder (Eichi) and Kanata is the grounded (Wataru). It's not completely identical, though. There’s a third element: Chiaki is the ground itself. When at Yumenosaki, Kanata feels the alienation from his pedestal intensify as he spends time walking among peers.
“One must rip their ears to hear God, and crush their eyeballs to see.”
“ahh, I have heard of it. It sounds very painful. but being kept at a distance in such a way… it truly makes me feel ‘Lonely’.
War Era | ☀︎ Summer | Meteor Impact (310mc)
Despite Keito’s more direct hand in Kanata’s subjugation, Kanata holds an unusual distinction between Eichi and Keito by his third year.
I refuse to forgive him [Eichi], though~ because he made my ‘Friends’ suffer. It is not about what happened to me—the real problem is that he got ‘Involved’ with my ‘Friends’.
"on the other hand, the temple guy is surprisingly not that ‘Revolting’— i will not listen to what he ‘Says’ ever again, though… by that, I mean his ‘Wishes’. It is all his fault that I could not stay as a god, after all. As frustrating as it is, I suppose I could also say it is thanks to him.
!-Era | ❆ Winter | Meteor Impact (310mc)
And to him, the change is for the better. Chiaki was the one to teach Kanata what humanity really is—what it means to have dreams, not wishes, for oneself. When Keito is the one to throw Kanata from the sky, Chiaki is the one that catches him.
‘Humans’ are so ‘Refined’ aren’t they? fufu, i say that despite being a ‘human’ too… no. i used to be a ‘God’ not too ‘Long Ago’. but now i’m a human. if i were still living in the sea today, i would probably still be granting people’s wishes without ever questioning it, forever at the bottom of the sea, until the day i die.
Chiaki once said to me that living like that is painful, and that i had no freedom. but ‘Now’, i can come ‘Outside’.
!-Era | ❦ Autumn | Toryumon (3adisastergays)
"He killed me, but I needed to be killed." Do we know what we’re dealing with here now? Okay.
Shinkai-Hasumi History
Other KeitoPs and KanataPs could give you better deep-dives on their respective religions, and how their behavior reflects their upbringings. Here, I’ll just go into the basics of their families’ histories with each other.
Shinkai land surrounds the local area, which includes the Hasumi temple. Because of this, the family has been in constant conflict with each other.
“hasumi… ahh, the ‘Temple’ people. we have always had trouble compromising with those people. after all, people from the ‘Temple’ believe in Buddha, and not God.”
War Era | ☀︎ Summer | Meteor Impact (310mc)
I’ve been thinking for a while now, but you call him by a strange name, don’t you?
I have had a connection with that temple from long back, after all~ god and buddha have always had a bad relationship since a loooong time ago.
Ahh, so that’s why you’re so harsh with Keito.
!-Era | ❀ Spring (Graduation) | Climax (310mc)
Keito’s family takes a stake in the Shinkai legend, too.
That reminds me—my parents were mumbling their words for once—But I could hear them saying something about the legend of this land… That the evil within the meteorite had amplified the negative emotions of the people […]
Isn’t this unsettling haze swirling around us the very same thing…!? It’s also known as what once happened when a chieftain had persecuted Shinkai’s family—
War Era | ❦ Autumn | Meteor Impact (310mc)
contributor's note: love that they said all that and then just kinda let their son go do it anyway. they really said “well, we have another son”
Kanata and Keito casually come back from an impressive amount of depressing events in Meteor Impact. Based on their history, the subjugation is only just a microcosm of Shinkai-Hasumi turf disputes.
Keito’s motives don’t have much to do with furthering his own family’s religion, as it is squashing the growing cult presence in Yumenosaki. His concern is Kanata’s influence and the Yaobikuni suffocating the school, an area he wants to cultivate influence from for the student council.
We could leave them alone, but… they’re starting to grow much too large to ignore, and their bizarre and illogical movements make me uneasy. I don’t particularly like how it feels like the academy is being slowly taken over by an unknown group of people.
War Era | ☀︎ Summer | Meteor Impact (310mc)
Interestingly enough, post-Meteor Impact, territorial disputes take place around the fountain, even if it’s just Keito maintaining school order.
rogue, i have told you before not to come near the fountain. The ‘Running Grounds’ is your territory ‘Ground’, and the fountain is my ‘Territorial’ sea.
!-Era | ❦ Autumn | Sweet Halloween (310mc)
“When a member of the ‘Student Council’ finds me, too, I get scolded. I don’t want them to forbid me from going into the ‘Fountain’. [...] Souma, let’s run away. Quickly, quickly. If we dilly dally, the ‘Student Council’ person or ‘Teacher’ will find us.
!-Era | ❀ Spring | Palace of the Ocean (Riitranslates)
Wonder which student council member would forbid him.
Hmph. Good to know, then. — Wait, no, it’s not. Get out of the river at once. It may still be early in the morning, but more tourists are arriving…
!-Era | ❦ Autumn | Scroll of the Elements (citrinesea)
Kanata regains control from Keito in Submarine, taking back territorial ground when Keito is unable to command Souma.
i cannot leave people who ask to be ‘Saved’ to ‘Die’ without doing anything to ‘Help’ them—not because i am a ‘God’, but because i am a ‘Hero’. and because i was a ‘God’, i knew a ‘Way’ to get rid of the ‘Villains’. [...] —
[...] Indeed, this is certainly a ceremony of our religion. It is one that is necessary in order to destroy any “villain”. So you have held the ceremony correctly by moving me to action?
“yes. everyone almost certainly doesn’t want to make me do ‘Godlike’ things, but… i can do it, so i did. i cannot just ‘Act’ like i don’t know a ‘Way’ to save everyone when i do.
!!-Era | ❆ Winter | Submarine (verdantgrove)
The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
During Meteor Impact, Keito had always intended to handle things humanely, distancing Kanata (and Souma) from impact in key points of the story.
I doubt Shinkai will show himself, meaning we’ll be able to safely end this with a win by default [...] I told them [Yaobikuni worshippers] to distance Shinkai from this performance…
Everyone here has gone berserk, as if they really have had their negative emotions towards him amplified by evil… However, my true intention isn’t to needlessly hurt him.
War Era | ❦ Autumn | Meteor Impact (310mc)
The issue was underestimating the curse that came about…
All of you students, allow me to ask: Why have you gone this berserk? [...] None of what the Five Eccentrics did mattered to you people; you were satisfied as long as you could take it easy in the school, weren’t you?
That is why we had intended to stir a little bit of emotion within the apathy of the people in public. [...] That was all we had planned… so why are you howling with so much rage and malice?
War Era | ❦ Autumn | Meteor Impact (310mc)
… and Kanata and Chiaki’s entrance into The Battle of the Sea God.
Shinkai—You [Chiaki], too!? Why!? Why must you interfere with my plans?! Why did you come here!? If you hadn’t shown up, we would have won by default! I would’ve been able to end this with as little sacrifice as possible
’Why’… because I wanted to, I think? Please ask the ‘Difficult’ questions to Chiaki! Because I ‘Don’t’ know! But I want to know, so! I will have the hero teach me!
War Era | ❦ Autumn | Meteor Impact (310mc)
Current Day
In the present day, Kanata recognizes this, but continues to hold Keito accountable. He typically puts on a calm front for his juniors, but sobers up for serious conversations with Keito.
Ahaha, you’re pretty soft yourself, Kei-chan.
fufu, and yet that sort of person was able to be so ‘Cruel’ towards us… It is almost strange or rather it really was a sorrowful era, wasn’t it?
!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | Comic World (310mc)
He gets a little catty, too.
We aren’t so wishy-washy as to wait idly, hoping for a miracle to happen. We’re going to intervene in the war circulating in this region, and win every battle until we come out victorious in the qualifying rounds.
well, that is what you would expect from Akatsuki, I suppose
!!-Era | ❆ Winter | Submarine (310mc)
Keito is uptight as always, but takes the time to word himself clearly and carefully to Kanata in conversation.
is it not like me to act this way? I do not know, myself. what do you think, ‘temple guy’?
Don’t ask me such a difficult question. “Like oneself” and “like a human” aren’t things you can calculate. They’re vague concepts. The majority of the world—in other words, oneself—will have to go through conflict after conflict until you find an answer that satisfies you.
!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | Comic World (310mc)
Sometimes he’s swayed by Kanata’s carefree demeanor
“Froggy” was here, so I thought I’d give Shinobu a “present”~♪ That kid loves “froggies”, so… hop, hop…~♪
When it was my birthday, everyone “celebrated” with me, yes? I want to "return the favor". And so, I’m “fully motivated” for Scroll of the Elements, as well...～♪
Hmph. Good to know, then. — Wait, no, it’s not. Get out of the river at once.
!-Era | ❦ Autumn | Scroll of the Elements (citrinesea)
The way their history looms over Ryuseitai and Akatsuki both entwines and distances their groups.
I had no idea that Hasumi-senpai can be as persistent as Morisawa-senpai… We barely had anything to do with Akatsuki outside of Scroll of the Elements so…
fufu. We have a bit of history between us and Akatsuki, after all. perhaps that made us ‘Avoid’ each other.
!!-Era | ❆ Winter | Submarine (310mc)
The Good Stuff
Still, even they have a routine. They act familiar with each other because they know each other’s families.
The typhoon’s getting closer by the minute. You need to go home while you still can. As for us, we can stay in school overnight if it really gets bad. As long as we contact our homes beforehand, it should be fine. --…
Except you, Shinkai. I assume there’d be a commotion if you didn’t go home soon.
yes, I think so~ they do not really ‘Like’ the idea of me sleeping ‘Away’ from home. It is already bad enough that I have been getting scolded for doing things that are “Not Like Me” lately.
!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | Comic World (310mc)
alright, okaaay~ time to set up the ‘Table’. Temple guy, you cannot eat ‘Meat’ or fish, right? This ‘Salad’ is for you~
My family isn’t that strict, actually. But sea grapes make me feel like we’re really in Okinawa, so I’m sort of happy to have some.
!!-Era | ❆ Winter | Submarine (310mc)
Keito teaches Kanata practical lessons.
when I try to read a book in general, it gets soaked for some reason, so I could not read ‘Manga’ even if I wanted to. After all, ‘Books are ‘Impossible’ to read once they are wet, yes?
That’s because you’re always soaking wet for some reason. Don’t take it so far with your enigmatic acts […]
Anyway, if you want to read books, then there’s plenty of different ways to do it. There’s waterproof books made for reading in the bathtub, and if you’re reading an e-book, you could always put a plastic cover over your device and read that way.
!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | Comic World (310mc)
[…] Shinkai-senpai, do you read manga…? I thought you said before that reading books wasn’t possible…?
Yes. However, I now know about e-books thanks to that ‘temple guy’. Because they are covered with a ‘Vinyl Pack’ I don’t have to ‘Worry’ about them even in ‘Water’~
!-Era | ❆ Winter | Hot and Elegant Choco Fes (mikarashis)
Kanata teaches Keito to look inward.
Why can't I break the rules sometimes? It's not fun if following the rules is the only way to get "recognized", don't you think?
Anyways, I've had enough of this "flower arrangement". I'm gonna "douse" myself in the "pond"...~
Uninhibited as always. In that case, it's not a flower arrangement but a fish arrangement.
(But Shinkai does have a point. If I just make it according to the textbook, then it's hard to say that it's my work--).
!!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | The Sole Flower in Various Minds (EN Music)
They’re willing to work together when the occasion calls for it.
Rather, the one I’m actually worried about is Akatsuki. Say, Shinkai-kun—Kanzaki-kun is in the same club as you, right? Do you know that he’s missing?
ah yes. I came here to ask about that actually. I thought the temple guy would know where souma is.
!-Era | ❀ Spring (Graduation) | Climax (310mc)
And despite their different approaches to life, they meet in the middle where it counts.
you are a good person… 'temple guy'
Compliments won’t get you anything from me. Things are just different from back then – I have enough flexibility now to take proportionate measures for each situation.
[…] I struggled and did everything I could to finally reach this point. All so I could have this much freedom. It wasn’t so that I could sit back and bask in my own power. It was all to become capable of accomplishing the things I wanted to do.
as living creatures, doing such things is “natural”. We were simply used as “prey” for such purposes. It is sorrowful, but that is how it “goes” it is natural “law”.
But… if possible, please choose a much “kinder” method next time. Please settle the issue before any blood can be spilled—before anyone can die.
I’m working as hard as I can every day for that purpose.
!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | Comic World (310mc)
.. And then there’s also this.
You tumbled down… the wind is ‘Strong', so you ‘Have’ to be careful, okay~? Shall I help you with a “pain, pain, go away?"*
… I do not need that. How incorrigible.
!-Era | ☀︎ Summer | Comic World (310mc)
*tl's note: saying 'itaino itaino tondeke' is what parents usually say to their kids who got hurt, typically while patting the injury or kissing it.
Where they Clash
Keito and Kanata’s main issue is communication—and it’s mostly on Keito. They’re both stubborn, but Kanata does try. As Keito expresses in Comic World, he never intends to resort to wartime brutality again as long as he has his power.
... For every victory, we can loot all the SSL$ that belonged to our opponents.
Yes… that is why everyone was repeatedly performing live battles; it was to make a ‘Quick’ profit in ss-l-dollars.
Yeah, especially since you could turn the tables if you manage to overpower the strong ones who’re making a lot of money.
That sounds nice on paper, but personally, I’m not fond of the idea– it feels as though it encourages people to crush and kill each other.
!!-Era | ❆ Winter | Submarine (310mc)
contributor's note: keito, you wrote those rules for the war, lol
And then Keito can’t help himself, bringing up the War.
Hmph. A war that gets bogged down like that is the worst kind of war. That’s exactly why in The War era we sought speed and wanted short term battles […]
please do not mention ‘Old’ stories of the ‘War’ days at every opportunity you get. They are ‘Stories’ that do not make anyone ‘Happy’.
!!-Era | ❆ Winter | Submarine (310mc)
Keito lives with his mind in the past: he wants to prove he's adapted to prevent what he’s done from ever happening again. Kanata aims for the future: he doesn't like hearing about the War and wants to move on.
"What happens next" matters more than "what has already happened"~
!-Era | ❦ Autumn | Scroll of the Elements (citrinesea)
It’s just a gap they’ve yet to fill with each other. Until they can hold a conversation without Keito bringing up the war, the most they’ll ever be is at a distance from each other.
What would you want to see from them in the future?
Kanata wants to modernize his religion.
once I ‘Graduate’ and have enough ‘Free’ time, I’ll ‘Cooperate’ with Him [Madara]—and ‘Remodel’ our religion into something that matches this ‘Generation’.
It will be hard because the ‘Religion’ has been going on for a long, long time. It may take some ‘Time’, but I’ll take ‘Responsibility’.
!-Era | ❆ Winter | Meteor Impact (310mc)
Ideally (during RST Kanata Climax, perhaps), when it comes time to dismantle the aspects he doesn’t like about the cult, he calls upon the professional Shinkai-cult killer (alongside Madara). After a quick negotiation where Kanata allows his family’s temple autonomy, Keito helps Kanata, and when Kanata tells him it’s time to stop, he obliges. He’s atoned for the War by helping usher in a Kanata's new ideal.
Meteor Impact was about Kanata granting Keito’s wish and giving him control. Scrolls was about Kanata denying Keito the right to wish and control him. Submarine was about Kanata regaining control from Keito (via Souma). This future event would be about Keito granting Kanata’s wish under Kanata’s control as repayment.