[audio: Walk the Dinosaur by Was (Not Was)]

oh!!!!! my f*cking god!!!!!!!! nobody warned me about these two characters and im absolutely losing my mind over them. i went into gx expecting to ship judai and johan and like, rivalshipping or something, but these two like. BLINDSIDED me from their very first interactions. and apparently they aren't very popular as a couple and frankly i don't know WHY but its fine bc i'll do everything myself

I love them both a lot as individual characters, but I like them together a lot, too. I think Kenzan's presence, in a weird way, helps Sho loosen up, even if he mostly manifests it with bickering and sharp remarks at Kenzan's expense.

Sho's character arc revolves around learning to treat himself (and others) with respect and to believe in himself, and he's able to explore this more haughty side of himself when he's fighting with Kenzan over Jaden's affection. His sudden and intense jealousy over Kenzan feels way out of proportion, honestly, and I think the writers knew this, because it's mostly played for comedy. Most of the tension came from Sho himself; Kenzan was just responding to it. And come season three, the two of them are way more chill, like real friends.

I think a lot of this was performative, with Sho taking this opportunity (Kenzan's sudden appearance) to put on a different personality and test it out. He asserts himself as a prominent figure in Jaden's life, actively argues with Kenzan, and is eager to prove his skills, which is a stark contrast to his personality in the first season. After a while, he learns to tone this down, and reach a better balance in his personality.

Kenzan doesn't have as much to learn from Sho, really, but I think Kenzan is just a very laid-back kind of guy. Even when the two of them would fight, he never hated or even disliked Sho; he just found him frustrating. Even then, he had a lot of respect for his convictions. I think that once Sho comes into his own more, Kenzan's respect for his specific goals easily flows into admiration, and then to softness, before he even realizes it. They still bicker, though; Sho's newfound love of snarky quips doesn't quite disappear.

Anyway!! I just like them a lot. I think they really get closer during S3, when Jaden is tangled up with Johan, and they end up spending a lot more time together on their own. I think they're sweet and very funny, and they do genuinely learn to like each other a lot. :)