#...at this point i should probably accept that i cant talk about yuuya without making it an essay of a thousand words

[pinkprimrose05]

hehe Yuya for the character ask game :)

also maybe Yuzu or Ruri if you want!

Warning: Long Post, may contain spoilers.

First things first: My friend, I'm really sorry for how late this answer is. School just came back and wrecked my schedule with a sledgehammer, so it's kinda hard to sit down and properly talk about characters these days. Unfortunately, that means I'm not sure if I can do Yuzu, but Ruri has been done in answer to another ask that you'll find by clicking the "character breakdown tag".

With that being said... let's talk about the disaster tomato child!

1) What I think of this character:

It's kinda hard to be coherent about this, but I'll try to put it simply: Yuuya is my blorbiest blorbo ever, among all faves I have, across all fandoms I'm in. He's a pure beam of sunshine, a soft blanket of comfort, a cute ball of enthusiasm and flair that is never boring to watch, and a joy to see and hear on screen at all times. Also relatable on a spiritual, personal level. Also perfect headcanon material. Also adorable design and an actually cool aesthetic with the S2 riding suit. Also might have been my first fiction crush, but I never really stopped to verify that when I was like, twelve.

2) My romantic ships for them:

Yuzu! I'm a classic vanilla when it comes to romantic ships, and they have undeniable chemistry even if you ignore the "childhood besties" cliché. They're just so adorable together, and I'm glad the writers managed to make their main ship actually convincing, because the track record is all around terrible (aside from Faithshipping, that is).

3) Platonic OTP:

Oh come on, this is Yuuya we're talking about. Half of his canon platonic ships can and do count as OTP for me, and that extends to other potential friendships. All of that includes, but is not limited to: Yuugo, Yuuto, Yuuri, Serena, Sawatari, Sora, Shun, Jack- hell, he would've been good friends with even Zarc if given the chance. I'm not even going into crossovers with other series (though I would like to give a shoutout to Juudai, because he and Yuuya just have. so many things to bond over. It's a little uncanny in retrospect, but it won't stop me from seeing them as the bestiest of besties among the protagonists).

4) Unpopular Opinion Corner:

It's not as controversial around here as it is on other spheres of social media, but despite my misgivings about the way the Smile philosophy was used in the Xyz arc and the early half of Fusion, I actually like Yuuya's character arc more than most.

This kid had locked himself behind a smile and a chuckle for three whole years, following his father's footsteps all the way along, without any sense of signature or independence to call his own. Even after acquiring Pendulum and becoming the pioneer of a new form of entertainment, Yuuya still struggles to balance his father's ideals and his own original flair, but it doesn't stop him from trying to reach for that which lies beyond the Pendulum (pun wholly intended :D), and eventually, through many trials and tribulations, he makes it. He makes it when he realizes that Pendulum and its evolution is his specialty, that it's fine -good, even- to share it with everyone else, that it's still unique to him in that he's the reason it exists at all, that it's the brand of his style and his Entertainment Dueling, and that he can use it to spread and share joy his own way. Because sometimes a smile is not enough to fix one's life, but it's a start that opens the path for you to go forward and find what you seek.

This is why the Friendship Cup finalé was the peak of Yuuya's development, and why most of S3 feels like such a drop in said development, when it simply focuses on other aspects of his outlook that he needed to address (like the tendency to trust and forgive anyone, even in the middle of a warzone). Sure, it does relegate Yuuya's sense of identity to smile propaganda for the stretch of an arc and a half, and sure, that was rather painful to watch, but it doesn't negate the improvement that already happened; just goes back on it on a few occasions, as is the natural human response of returning to comfort in the face of great adversity. And to be fair to the back half of the season, well, one can't exactly keep their cool with YuGiOh's closest equivalent to the devil telling them to commit atrocities... in an environment that very much deserves all atrocities coming its way.

5) Something I wish would happen to them:

SOMEONE TAKE THIS BOY TO THERAPY, HOLY SHIT. The writers really said "let's see how many ways there are to fuck with our protagonist" and just- threw their all at Yuuya, no holds barred. He needs a bonus episode(s) where he gets to catch a break for once in frankly too long, maybe sort out these old and new issues he needs to tackle, possibly go out with Yuzu and Sora to get icecream and just do mundane kid things... you know, just give the guy a moment to breathe, unwind, and prepare for what's next. He deserves it. Really. I would like to personally give him a break.

*snatches Yuuya to gently pat his head and hand him a strawberry candy*

Dear Lord, I really do love my tomato boi.