#i. love kakagai so much you don't understand

[sneakertin]

uhh so i may or may not be temporarily back in my naruto era? anyway, kakagai!!

[hihello-idraw]

My indecisive ass can't choose what person to ship Kakashi or Naruto with so! Polyamory it is then!

[bougiebutchbitch]

Do you ever think Kakairu is more popular then Kakaguy because Iruka doesn’t have a bowl-cut and shippers like pairing their hot anime men with other conventionally attractive hot anime men.

Honestly, I think there are plenty of reasons why it's more popular! With that being one of them, and the fact that both Kakashi and Iruka are father figures to Naruto being another.

It's one of those ships that has very little canon content, but a lot of potential to be explored in fanfic, etc. Personally, that's not for me - I always prefer ships that build off of pre-existing strong canonical bonds! But I can 100% understand the appeal of kakairu if you prefer 'what if' type ships that give fan creators loads of leeway to let their imaginations run wild!

Plus, Iruka was a far more important character than Gai in the first few episodes of the anime/chapters of the manga. So, he's going to stick in people's minds, even if he's a relatively minor charater overall.

And he is, like you say, a total cutie!

If this is honesty hour, it will always mildly annoy me that this ship is so much more popular than Kakagai when it has very little canonical substance in comparison. BUT it also mildly annoys me that so many people like the cinnamon bagels at my local store, which means they rarely make the onion bagels that are MY favorite. That's just life, ya feel?

Personally, my aggravation is less about 'Kakairu is bad' and more about 'KAKAGAI IS SO CUTE AND DESERVES TO BE APPRECIATED BY EVERYONE EVEN IF GAI IS NOT CONVENTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE'. But that's my little shipper gripe to get over, ya feel? Ships don't need a strong canon basis to be valid, just like how ships don't need two hot anime men to bone to be appealing. Kakairu shippers are just doing their thing and living their life. Good for them!!

Find the content you love, block the content you don't (I'm sorry Iruka, I had to block your name because just blocking the ship name still didn't hide everything T^T) and be happy x

[danikatze]

How about B, I, K, M, N, O, U for the alphabet ask thing?

Alphabet Asks

B - A pairing–platonic, romantic or sexual–that you initially didn’t consider, but someone changed your mind.

hahah well TJ.. as you know you've been very influential when it comes to ships - especially for Naruto. First one that comes to mind is KakaGai, but there's also YamaSai and KankuSai and ShikaCho. All of them I still love <3 Also, thanks to you I shipped GaraShir before I even watched the show. And there are just countless ships from other fandoms that I'm not (really) a part of that I have a soft spot for, because you sell them so well :))

I - Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why?

Errr I guess you could say HP? But that's not Tumblr's fault - all it did was share the messed up things Rowling said and did and gradully all of the moments HP got tiny kid me through rough and lonely times started feeling like a very big lie and I can't even think of it fondly anymore.

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

Oh gosh, so many, but let's go for Fjord from Critical Role. All the little and big steps he takes towards learning to accept himself throughout the campaign and the way they don't come all at once but are spread out over like a hundred plus episodes, including inevitable steps backward. The strength it took for him to walk away from the one who gave him conditional power and to accept unconditional love that is extended by his friends and the Wildmother. His arc just makes me so emotional and happy every time I think about it. I love him and I love his journey and I cannot wait to see it animated.

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend.

Yamato from Naruto seems like a perfect friend. He's kind and loyal and usually a reasonable, level headed person who can calm you down in stressed situations. But he's also someone you can have fun with!

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice).

For Saraiya Goyou: 1) anyone other than me making stuff for it lol. Usually I don't mind it so much, but sometimes I almost desperately wish I would see the tag update and it's not something I made. 2) drawings and fics from the past are mostly for Yaichi and Masa. I'd love more art and writing for other characters and pairings (romantic or otherwise) 3) sneakily shared fan translations of the prequels and spin-offs would be great lol. They're never going to be translated officially, but scans are taken down immediately as well. I bought Futagashira but I have no way of reading it unless I learn to read Japanese myself ^^;

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?

Shuffle produced Pulling Teeth by Green Day. "I'm all busted up, broken bones and nasty cuts, accidents will happen, but this time I can't get up." That's definitely Meg and Zagreus from Hades. They beat each other up on a regular basis lol and I was so bad at this game in the beginning I got Zag killed by her a lot (sorry Zag..) Not top 10 ship for me, but I like them well enough!

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites.

1) Matsu from Saraiya Goyou: during my first reread the manga, after I learned that he loved Yaichi, I fell in love with him through his subtle and heartbreaking expressions. That's when I really got to know and understand him more. I love that he's charming as can be for his job, but doesn't know how to behave around his friends. He's so skilled and he knows it, yet has such a low self esteem. He's just a highly skilled, very pathetic little grumpy guy that deserves all the love in the world. And I give him as much as I can. 2) Caduceus from Critical Role: perfect, big, chill cow man who has the best advice and calming words for others, but can't recognise his own problems, let alone how to deal with them. He's so dumb and wise and I love him. 3) Gerry from the Magnus Archives: he's one of those people that seems to be full of contradictions. He's so bitter and stubborn and impatient and crude, but in a way that feels friendly? His life was so full of grief and horror from the moment he was born and he just wants a break from it all, but at the same time he can't stop himself from helping people who are about to fall - or have already fallen - victim to the horrors. The fear and defiance he lived (and died) with is heartbreaking and admirable.

[frog-thief]

oh hello there <3 you know I love your art VERY MUCH !!! I'm always so happy when you're publishing it <3

so I have a little question what is your favorite ships in the naruto verse ?

My favorite ships:

kakagai:

They are insanely comfortable and so tender that they are ready to hug! And in general I like the dynamic of a cold and distant character, who has had problems in the past, and a character, who wants to make another happy in any possible and correct way (and Gai did it! I'm so glad that in boruto the authors showed us that Kakashi and Gai are happy and peaceful in retirement). I also like "from childhood friends to lovers"! Moreover, it seems to me (purely headcanon and my thoughts), Gai from the first meeting fell in love with Kakashi, but at first he simply didn't understand this due to his age, and later decided not to put pressure on Rival and be content with their friendship (but Kakashi still understood and responded to Gai's feelings, albeit belatedly :3). Also... I... just... love... old... lovers... idiots!

nejiten:

My mom instilled love for them :3 funny, but she was the first to ship them! And, my God, they have a very tragic history, given the canon. But I like their relationship more: fighting and rude Tenten (headcanon: she came from a simple and little-known foreign clan, like Gai and Lee, this is a separate issue altogether) and elegant and sedate Neji. But they have a similarity: no matter how hard they try not to be led by Gai, Lee or Naruto in their adventures, they like it and don't mind being involved.

obirin:

As for me, this is a very tender and to some extent one-sided couple. As for me, Obito doesn’t have a soul in Rin and cherishes her, is ready to carry her in his arms and does everything to make her happy and safe. And Rin gently, not openly, but sincerely responds to Obito's feelings. the saying “one in a couple loves, and the second allows himself to be loved” is perfect for them.

[mokutone]

Ask meme: Gai!

hee hee hee...i got SO MANY gai asks💚

answers under the cut!

favorite thing about them okay so there was this ninja clash game i played when i was a kid before i even liked naruto, and might gai was my favorite character to play because he had this special move where you would like. grip the other character around the middle, tell them how proud you were of them, and a SUNSET would MANIFEST behind you...and then you would hug them so tight that they'd go down instantly I did not give a shit about naruto at this time. i did not know who gai sensei was. i was still, absolutely obsessed, and i still kind of am. so like!!! what i like about him is how much FUN he is. he's still a character with serious narative weight behind him, but he's fun, and he's full of love! and he's also so handsome...and he's so compassionate to the people around him and—[is pulled off stage by a hook]

least favorite thing about them UM. sometimes. he puts rock lees dreams before rock lees safety. and while i. understand. that. i am also like gai sensei my beloved. i will take my squeaky hammer to your head stop it stop it stop it. ALSO. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THE BIT WHERE HE WAS LIKE. "rock lee if this surgery doesnt work out i will die along side you." LIKE. DUDE A SU*CIDE PACT WITH YOUR STUDENT. DUDE WHAT THE FUCK!!!!! AAUAUAUAUAUA WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS MAN HELP!!!!!!! i'm in pain? i'm in pain!!! was that helpful???? to anyone??? what the fuck!!!

favorite line when gaara is like. why wont u let me kill him [rock lee]. why are u protecting him [rock lee]. and gai is just like. "He is precious to me." i fuckin. WAAHHHHHH...... WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH....

brOTP kakashi!!!! :) he's kakashis best friend, his right hand arm...man. his everything. his confidant. his silly rabbit. kakashi is also all of these things to him.

OTP bleh bleh bleh! idk. kakayamagai is still my favorite here if i have to pick a ship

nOTP god whats something insane. uhhh. ive literally never seen any gai ship that wasnt like kakagai or kakayamagai which are both absolutely fine. yamagai itself is also fine i just think theyd also be like hilariously unbalanced on their own. maybe gai + kurenai. i'm having trouble with these notp questions. i dont really care!

random headcanon gai is a cat person more than a dog person but hes also wildly allergic to cats. you would think because hes loud and energetic hed be more of a dog person, but this is not the case. he doesn't dislike dogs ofc, kakashi is his best friend rival etc etc + he loves pakkun, but hes a cat person. big cats especially. hes a turtle person overall, though, obviously.

unpopular opinion ACK...UHHHH. i dont know. i get really uncomfortable with specifically romantic fics or art or stuff where it's all just like. kakashi is in pain and suffering, and gai is taking care of him, you know? like. a relationship should be reciprocal...that is arguably the most defining feature of their relationship since gai characterizes them as rivals!!! people who compete, and through their competition, better each other... obviously gai cares a lot about kakashi and would lay down his life if he thought it would help kakashi, but a lot of times i worry abt it sliding towards the fantasy of a partner who is also a caretaker, and that makes me like. desperately uncomfortable. i don't think it's like. a problem to make or find comfort in that kind of content, because like there's a reason hurt/comfort is so popular, and there is obviously nothing inherently bad about wanting to be helped! or wanting to help others!!! it's just like. ack. sometimes on a bad day it skeeves me out, personally. gai should be on the receiving end of care and attention from kakashi too—and we know kakashi isn't good about that kind of thing. but like. gai is also his best friend. he makes an effort.

song i associate with them tubthumping by chumbawamba. im so sorry. uhhh a really repetitive song which talks kind of only about standing yourself back up and focusing on the positive while also avoiding mentioning directly any of the negative things which ARE knocking you down. it feels very like. avoidant and repetitive while also being fun and bright and something i'd gladly howl along to were i inebriated and in good company. i wanted to give him a cool song, i really did, but just...the kind of mantra vibe of this. yeah i really feel it for gai

favorite picture of them

i literally love him so much looooook at himmmmmm

[depressedhatakekakashi]

Okay so im posting this on Anon because the Kakashi shipping fandom is WILD

KakaIru is one of the few Kakashi ships that don't make sense. It has a sort of rarepair feel, but it's probably in the top 10 most popular Naruto ships.

They've had so little interactions in canon, only ones i can think of is the pain arc one, Naruto's wedding, the scene where Kakashi jumps off his desk to scold Iruka, and the few on screen boruto era meetings they have.

You never have to explain why you send me an ask on Anon :) I leave anon on so that you have that option available to you at all time. Though i fully understand. I actively avoid taking part of any particular sub fandom (like kakashi fandom) because it can come with so many issues.

As for the question of KakaIru, i will answer from the perspective of 17 year old Taryn just getting into the show/Manga when OG Naruto was coming out on TV.

Kakashi/Iruka is one of the first pairs we see really interact, and two of the main adults in Naruto's life that get significant screen time (Kakashi more so, but we're introduced to Iruka first)

If you're like me, you want to ship Kakashi with someone his age (and let's remember, Kakairu may seem weird for a popular ship, but the third most popular ship is people shipping Kakashi with his female student. I support Kakairu way more than that trash)

In regards to characters we now know are close to Kakashi and his age the problem are

they weren't introduced in OG Naruto (Yamato, Obito)

They didn't get the back story explanation in OG Naruto (Gai. We know him and Kakashi are rivals, but until shippuden we don't know much more than that)

they were enemies/died (Zabuza)

They got little to no screen time at all, let alone with Kakashi (Anko, Ibiki, Kurenai, Asuma. pretty much any of the adults)

Kakahsi and Iruka though? well ya in canon they don't actually interact a lot for us to see, but the nice thing about fandom is we can invent those scenes canon doesn't have time to explore. Those little lunch meet ups with Team Seven where Iruka joins, the conversations between Kakashi and Iruka. All of those things

Kakashi/Iruka got popular because they were the main age appropriate pairing from OG Naruto that we saw actually having conversations and struggles. that we could explore

I wasn't much of a shipper as a kid (and still really am not) but Kakairu was interesting to me both because they knew each other, they had a connecting factor (Naruto, the main character) and there were gaps to fill in for any friendship/romance they might have.

that's a main reason Kakairu became popular, and even as we learned more about kakashi and his connection to others people still continued to enjoy Kakairu. Some of us moved on to other ships that 'made more sense' (I fell in love with Kakagai as soon as i started seeing more of their friendship and their past together), KakaObi became popular with their past being revealed and then (probably) the big reveal of Obito being 'Madara'. but just because some people saw stronger bonds and moved to them, doesn't mean everyone did

A lot of people still enjoyed Kakairu and the 'what could have been' aspect, and i'll always support those people. they get more respect from me than the people who saw Kakashi with his 12 year old students and decided to ship that.

Is Kakairu the most canon supported ship that makes a ton of sense and has all of the history? no

But it's far from a crack ship. They interact, they talk, when Kakashi jumped over his desk it wasn't to scold Iruka. it was to thank him for giving him a great idea.

We see them go from two men who have differing opinions and goals, two friends who found a common ground. Who both wanted a better future for their students, who supported Naruto through some of his toughest times, and who support each other.

that's why people like Kakairu i think.

[justice4sasuke]

A Sasuke stan that hates Obito and knows kakagai be married? Mmhmmm, I like what you cooking, boo! Sometimes I want to read big brain ppl shit on Naruto (both the character and the manga), but some of these anti nart blogs are so smooth brained and some are weirdly anti sjw (in this economy? lmao), so finding this blog made my day. I wish you clear skin and watered crops, much love.

I got a couple of nice asks which I'm guessing is because I said I don't know why people follow this blog and like I don't want anyone to think I was being too serious lol. I think the stupid stuff I come up with is hilarious. I think the problem really is when I started this blog I wanted it to be a serious and thoughtful venture because I forgot I am incapable of being serious for an extended period of time. So it's more like a little disappointment in myself that I made this blog like it was going to be something I fundamentally am not.

In this economy indeed. I can guess this might come from people using like misogyny as an excuse against criticizing the female characters, but like that can't be all of it. And I've said plenty of times just because some people are using SJW rhetoric doesn't mean they really understand it. I mean clearly not or else they would be on Sasuke's side. Sasuke's whole mission after the reveal is social justice. I am as far left as you can imagine, my dream state of the world is anarchism, I don't get how you can be on Sasuke's side and not be at least a little leftist. Why else be on Sasuke's side unless you are fundamentally against the idea that a government can destroy a specific group of its citizens due to a perceived, and maybe justified, threat?

[bougiebutchbitch]

Hi so I've got to tell you how much I love your work. It's so amazing, especially for someone loving both kakagai and obkk 💖

I don't know if you take asks or need new ideas, but I just couldn't help myself, and just had to write you, cause your art is so beautiful.

Have you ever read or watched Ranma 1/2? It's this amazing story about a boy who's cursed and turn into a girl whenever he touches cold water and transform back to a boy with warm water. His father turn into a panda and has accidentally promised his son to multiple people in return for goods and money, leading to his multiple fiancés fighting over him. Hilarity ensues.

I could just imagine Kakashi engaged to multiple people, running to the one fiancé who doesn't really want him (Obito) so they mostly fight. Gai loves Kakashis girl side (or is it Sukea) and fights Kakashi as his rival to his love, not understanding they are the same person. Kakashi thought Yama was a girl and was just hanging out with him (maybe accidentally flirting, at least to Yama, so he's not giving up either). Meaning Obito has to fight them of Kakashi all the time, even though he doesn't want to admit to his own feelings.

hi yes nonnie you have just UNLOCKED ME

RANMA 1/2 IS MY FAVOURITE MANGA OF ALL TIME

Picture me, a heavily closeted babyqueer, desperately devouring the entire series in a disgustingly short amount of time, then reading it again, and again, and again, and wondering why am I so obsessed with the idea of a character who can be both a guy and a girl -

Lmaooooooo, it truly is The Queer Awakening Manga. Thank you so much for this ask!

I'm delighted that you're enjoying the comics - truly.

Ngl, I started this little series as a big ol' 'congrats for surviving 2021' treat to myself. It was a seriously rough year for me, in terms of mental health and serious family problems, and I started 2022 in a really bad way, due to factors completely out of my control. I'm doing a lot better now, but yanno what? Allowing myself to indulge my current Nart Hyperfixation and spend every free hour drawing an angsty little comic about my favourite character as a kid? Better than therapy.

So, I am giddy over this entire concept! I love it so muuuuuuch! Alas, I don't think I'll have time to create another long comic, once I finish Kakagai Kidz - I'm about to become incredibly busy at work. But I'd love to doodle a picture or two, following this theme!

...Especially as... well, Rule!63 Kakashi? Practically canon. He had to have copied Sexy No Jutsu at some point, right? 🤣

[depressedhatakekakashi]

You don't understand how much i love your blog. Your probably the best Kakashi roleplayer ive met so far. I love reading your aus and ships, i became super invested into KakaGai thanks to your blog. Your really nice and fun to chat with in general, sad that you work a lot and have a different time zone from mines 😔 I also love reading your fics and see you rant on about your headcanons and rarepairs. Makes me happy when i see you on my dash :> i just wish i can give you a hug from how much bullshit you have to deal with. I also think your writing is really neat!! And how you listen to me ramble about my nonsense when I want to talk about aus.

You're too nice!

Thank you. I love RPing Kakashi, even if i am really bad at keeping up with it sometimes. as for work, that's only till the end of july thankfully. once i move to the Uk my husband and I have decided it's not worth the risk getting a job there until they get their shit under control. The last thing we want is to bring anything home, even if we are both fully vaccinated now.

and the Kakagai. i can't tell you how it warms my heart to know i have influenced people to love these two adorable dorks. they deserve it. no one has to ship them of course, and i always support multishipping and espeshally rare pairs (that arn't gross) but Kakagai will always have my heart first so i love being able to talk to people about them <3