Arien Elensar

09:55 pm: Seto


“…But imagining Seto with anyone at all was really difficult for me.”


There’s a lot to be said on this. And I hope you do actually read what I’m writing.
I can understand where the difficulty of picturing Seto with anyone would stem. Seto Kaiba is a cold character to begin with’ the shows aims only further accentuate this. How? Well we know that the show is aimed towards boys and because of that the romance of any sort is down played which makes Seto seem even colder and borderline asexual. The show is focused on the card game and other things that would interest young boys. Romantic relationships with girls would not come into this category because of the age group. Shows aimed towards girls however, I don’t think I need to give any examples, do tend to focus on relationships with the opposite (and the same) gender because it is of primary interest for most girls. Romances such as those between Pegasus x Cecilia (Roseshipping) and the hints of Peachshipping (Yugi x Anzu) are the closest we get. Mai and Jounouchi (Polarshipping) would be a prospective love interests, but what makes a person question it is 1 the age difference, 2 the creator deemed their relationship as purely friendship and 3 the appearance of Varon/Valon; (I’m going by the anime here) he actually shows romantic interest- but being as they both were at that time, lost, Mai didn’t have the opportunity to reciprocate. …Katsuya looks better with Seto ANYWAY! XD…lol

Also, as a side not to my previous statement; the lesbian community isn’t being neglected here. If you recall, Tristan/Honda and Otogi/Duke have crushes on Serenity but she does not notice their advances; instead she is only seen idolizing her brother and looking up to those like Mai and Tea. One could speculate she is lesbian, or that she is simply still too young to realize Honda and Otogi’s intentions. Isis/Ishizu is seen as a loner sort and the only people she really interacts with are men, in a distant way at that, so some yuri enthusiasts would interpret that as her sexuality being more tuned towards women. Mai’s statements throughout the series to Tea or Mai leave some doors open as well.

But let’s go back a little bit; is it possible for any of the characters to be attracted to the same sex at all? I would say yes. People think of homosexuality as something that they “hear” about people being but it never really comes into their lives or of those they know closely. But what we fail to realize is that it’s more common then we may think. Take the show Sailor Moon for example. It does a nice job of giving all possibilities consideration. It is aimed at the same age group as Yu-Gi-Oh!, but girls, so relationships are a focus in the show. The show features both straight, gay and lesbian couples. You will also find cross-dressers and some signs of bisexuality thrown in as well. In yugioh we see cross-dressers quite frequently and effeminate personalities as well. This causes one to speculate. (We can only speculate because the show does not focus much on romantic relationships at all) the backdrop is certainly there. Then why is it not possible for characters in a show like Yu-Gi-Oh! to be gay or bisexual? (Unless the creator explicitly stated otherwise, but he hasn’t so we are free to speculate)

But I’ve digressed a lot from your actual comment. To reply to that statement I’m going to have to further break this response down into sections (bear with me). Can Seto Kaiba even love in such a way? Why yes; this is proven by his love for Mokuba. If he could not love without becoming twisted, it would show up in their relationship. They may face difficulties, but he never stopped loving Mokuba. But to get technical: a child develops the primal ability to love and care up till the age of three. They need support and guidance in such areas most crucially during those years. Seto had this, as we know his birth parents didn’t die till later on. He indeed does posses the ability to love. Mokuba proves this point in the anime when he says that Seto would have cared for Yugi before (we can assume that before refers to Gozaburo and orphanage). It was corrupted and stifled however, as we know, by the experiences of his childhood: being a brother and parent to Mokuba at a young age, looking out for himself at the orphanage, the influence of Gozaburo, and lastly the responsibilities forced upon him at an early age made him diverts his attentions almost fully else where. The Scorpio nature is icy as is, but this only adds to the burden. (I will mention astrology here only because the creator would not bother listing it in the characters profiles unless it mattered)
Up till the point he meets Yugi and co. he is a bit broken and has been misguided, so to speak. Power is everything to him. They come and save/liberate him in a sense; showing him what he had lost the ability to see. Slowly, we do find him changing (though anyone would be hard pressed to get a confession out of him of this since Scorpio’s are fixed and secretive people). As someone once said “to copy Shrek’s line, Seto Kaibas have layers…” In fact, he is one of the characters in the show that undergoes the most growth.

Morally, Yu-Gi-Oh! is all about friendship and the need for one another; coming closer and the importance of caring. Seto does not go un-chided as to the importance of these lessons. I would think it correct to assume that they had a positive, if only subtly acknowledged influence on him, since majority of our antagonists and anti-heroes in the show are meant to grow and evaluate what is important to them.
One would argue that “Seto hates Yugi and crew.” Well that may have been true to begin with but he comes to gain respect of Yugi throughout the series; even Jounouchi whom he refers to as the “loser dog.” (Though he probably wouldn’t admit it to Jounouchi because Jou is one to boast and that would be a major blow to Seto’s ego.) He does tell Yugi this in a roundabout way however because he knows Yugi would humbly accept his words. It is easy to imagine Seto remaining solitary, but when the whole point of the show is togetherness, it can also just as easily be inferred that he would eventually come around to friendship and then possibly romantic relationships.
Now that it is established that Seto does begin to see the need for bonds other then just that with his little brother, we can dip our toe in the realm of relationships.

Who then could possibly be a candidate for Seto Kaiba’s heart? Well, I will make no outward claims as to what is right or wrong, because really anything is possible since the show didn’t expand on this area. It’s all up to fans to speculate. I will however take just a few of the relationship possibilities and give you my thoughts on them below (in no particular order):


Seto x Isis (Trustshipping): This paring certainly has its possibilities since both characters are like minded individuals when it comes to cleverness and such. They do share a connection, not only through the past, but also, as Seto pointed out, that they are both willing to sacrifice themselves for their siblings. And we all know that such loyalty is major brownie points in Seto’s book. These two are put in a situation where they must trust one another frequently- trust builds closeness and that gives them quite an advantage as a pairing. And I can’t help but emphasis the importance a Scorpio places on trust in particular.
Fic Rec: Qui Porte des Oeillieres (in english)

Seto x Anzu (Azureshipping): Anzu is one of the few females that Seto interacts with and sees frequently. The latter in itself builds some sort of connection. Furthermore, it could be possible that Yugi will grow out of his crush for Anzu as he grows older, but nothing is certain. Seto and Anzu have a chance only if Seto learns to open his mind, which he has shown progress with. He himself said that he and Mokuba have cleared the darkness in their hearts or something along those lines. Anzu will have to be more compromising, but with growth, the possibilities lie open.
Fic Rec: What Doesn't Kill You

Seto x Yugi (Rivalshipping): The interactions between these two are one of the main focuses of the entire show. This in itself gives the relationship some possibility. They certainly grew through one another and could reach well placed decisions together. The only thing that seems to lack here is the attraction factor; they seem perfect on the surfance but the lack of dynamic and whole respect factor makes it hard to breach and visualize as a romantic relationship.
Fic Rec: (sorry haven’t read any; but check out the WikiFic page I linked for some)

Seto x Mai (Arrogantshipping): Now I can certainly see a kinship between these two since they both began by approaching Yugi and co. in the same manner. The main difference is that Mai did so on a milder level and is more compromising, which isn’t a bad thing. I have trouble really putting this one into words, but their like-mindedness and independent natures are a plus on the plane of understanding. Mai’s materialism and Seto’s ego don’t bode well however. The fic I’ve recommended does a good job dealing with the establishment phase.
Fic Rec: The Lift & its sequel The Chase


Seto x Katsuya (Puppyshipping): I could go on and on about this one, so I’ll try to keep it as brief as possible. Lets get one thing clear, personally, this is my main ship, but I do not care much at all for the uke and seme or mutt and master antics that are a common stereotype placed on this pair. I’m all for the growth and potential of the relationship.
Do these two hate each other? No. (Jounouchi went from picking on Yugi to being his best friend, hey, anything is possible) They challenge and stimulate each other but in a not so obvious way like Yami and Seto. When it really comes down to it, these two would give each other a hand. They really could learn a lot from one another. And let’s not forget that Katsuya originally made an offer of camaraderie when Seto entered the Game Shop, but Seto being as “blind” as he was at the time did not see the value in it at that point. The complimentary aspects of their personal lives are hard to miss. I mean, the creator was no fool when he wrote this stuff down. He’d been in the business long enough at that point to know that fans would speculate with such evidence. I don’t go for the whole underlying feelings thing during the series; but the potential to “give a shit” about one another is their and maybe not now, but years down the road when these two have matured beyond the “just out of the cocoon” state, they could certainly find themselves enjoying one another’s dynamic yet complimentary company.
Fic Rec: Arubaito (just updated today!)

Seto x Mokuba (Tabloidshipping): I believe this pairing deserves some commentary. I do not support incest, but I will not bash. The one thing I would like to comment on is that though this pairing is “easy” to assume, its fruition would be going against the whole point of the show to begin with. The show is about coming outside of oneself and valuing the company of others. If these two were to be in a romantic relationship, Seto would be further going by his previous “exist without being seen” motto.
Fic Rec: (Sorry haven’t read any, but check out the archive linked on the WikiFic page)


In the end, whatever your main ship, be respectful and tolerant of others because it’s all in good fun.



Yeah. It's because I take up my time writing crap like this that I don't get around to updating my journal. :P But thank you to those who continue commenting! You know who you are. :)