Unhinged analysis
I stupidly omitted the most crucial, glaring detail to Sanemi's upbringing that contributes to his behavior, especially his anxiety.
Domestic violence.
Let me explain:
In Genya's backstory, we only see the violence committed against Shizu and the little ones, but it doesn't take much to imagine that the boys were also on the receiving end as well.
Sanemi especially would be subjected to this because as the firstborn and the first boy, he would have the instinct to protect his mom and siblings from their father's wrath, it happens a lot in real life. He probably received just as much of a beating from his dad as his mom, if not more.
Studies have shown that children who were raised in violent households are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression and PTSD. They are also more likely to display aggressive behaviors, and some go on to become physical abusers themselves. Some studies have even shown that the brain scans of children who grew up in these households are similar to the scans of war veterans.
You can read about it here, here, here, here and here.
While Genya at least had Sanemi to rely on, Sanemi had no one. Genya even states this in one of the light novels.
Knowing this, it makes sense why Sanemi's so high-strung all the time and grumpy all the time. His mind can't rest because even though he's out of that environment, his body is always in that fight-or-flight mode.
In Conclusion, people need to cut Sanemi some slack.
petermj loser4loser i love them❗️❗️
Hi! After reading your analysis on Obanai I remember about a random thought I had a while ago. In a lot of "How they fell in love with you" x Reader scenarios on this site the reader often compliments Obanai's eyes and that makes him so flattered that it causes him to strat developing feeling for the reader. But personally, I am sure Obanai is already way too aware about how beautiful/pretty/cool/exotic his eyes are. In fact, he heard that kind of compliment his entire life from the moment he was born. Comparatively to those around him though, he isn't personally fond of his eyes. His eyes and his gender are what gave him more trouble than what the many other babies from his family had gotten before and after him. To that it can be added that those who complimented his eyes the most are his family who had obvious ulterior motives and who remained in Obanai's memory as very creepy and predatory women.
So in my mind, I wouldn't be surprised if Obanai would be rather uncomfortable, suspicious or irritated (in a self-defensive way) if some random person was to compliment his looks. Like... Do they want something from him? Do they want to trick him into letting his guard down? Are they intending to use him as an object for their own interests? Are they genuinely nice or just shallow people?
Given how you said that he is intentionally trying to hide himself under his big clothes and choppy hair cut, do you also think he dislikes compliments about his looks (his eyes in particular) like I presented my point above?
Hiiii! Thanks for your question! You're right! It makes sense that he wouldn't like comments about his appearance no matter how positive. Aside from his eyes, Obanai is really beautiful, like the kind of fair-skinned, delicate beauty that Giyuu and Muichiro have and that was what 'attracted' the snake demon and his female relatives.
It could even be triggering if it comes from a woman or girl reminding him of the fawning attention he got from his relatives. It's probably also the reason he fell in love with Mitsuri, she has never once mentioned his appearance but instead talked about his strength and kindness.
Hope this answers your question :)
Alright, to prove this point I am going to focus on two specific points (With Anime episodes and Manga chapters listed)
Okay: the first point to be made is with when Tanjiro is trying to convince Giyú to come and train the other demon slayers, and Giyú is doing all he can to avoid and // or ignore poor sweet Tanjiro.
Exhibits A // B // C:
"Giyú sannnnn!!" // "Mr. Giyuuu!!"
Throughout Season five, Episode two "Water Hashira Giyú Tomioka's Pain" (Covering from chapter 130 of the Manga), we get to see Tanjiro's sheer determination to convince the stoic hashira to join in training the younger // lower ranking corps members - to which Giyú consistently either flat out refuses him, or ignores him - leading to a rather hilarious sequence of events that last over a few days.
And at one point we get to see things from Giyú's perspective - and what he says made me get thinking: HMM THIS SEEMS AWFULLY FAMILIAR - OH YEAH THAT'S BECUASE IT IS.
(Thoughts) Is he going to… keep this up for the rest of my life?
(Thoughts) If I talk to him, will he stop stalking me?
AND THAT LEADS ME INTO POINT B. Throughout Season five Episode 7, "Stone Hashira Gyomei Himejima" - We find Giyú and Sanemi in the midst of a heated spar - only for Tanjiro to intervene because he thinks that they are actually fighting each other.
He then proceeds to talk about Sanemi's enjoyment of Ohagi (For reference Ohagi is a Japanese sweet that is made of glutenous rice flour and red bean paste // it is also sometimes called red bean mochi and is like an inside out Daifuku) - And Giyú displays interest in this, notable by the remark he passes to the other Hashira
"You like Ohagi?"
(Also how refreshing was it to see Giyú actually trying to make friends?? Like AHHHH he's trying so hard and WHO DOES THAT SOUND LIKE?? - TANJIRO.)
Giyú then goes on to tell Tanjiro his silly little plan; the next time he sees Sanemi - he's going to hide some Ohagi up his sleeve to give to him. Now see, that sounds really cute and all, but imagine this from Sanemi's perspective.
He's clearly embarrassed by Tanjiro talking about his liking of Ohagi - based off his reaction to Tanjiro bringing it up. He shouted, and then stormed off.
Now picture the person who he hates on a level nearly par with demons (Someone who is always painfully quiet and uninterested in him) suddenly acting all smiley and enthusiastic, brandishing Ohagi from... up his sleeve? I don't know about you, but that would seem quite odd to me, condescending even.
Personally, I headcannon that Giyú went full Tanjiro in his pursuit to give Sanemi some Ohagi and become friends with him, but a more so silent approach. Like he'd still be overbearing, but with that little smile of his accompanied by an empty stare and total silence.
MIt'd creep the hell out of Sanemi and probably make him feel a little insecure, almost embarrassed of himself if Giyuu was going to this length in (what he thinks is) teasing him.
Another instance of miscommunication for them. Sanemi would probably start thinking like Giyú had-
"Is he going to keep this up forever!?"
"Goddammit, if I entertain this will he leave me alone?!"
(Just look at his silly face // he is both pure of heart and dumb of ass)
but I think Sanemi's face was bound to look less like that ^^^ and more like this: vvv
AND THERE IS MY LITTLE ESSAY ON WHY GIYU IS A HYPOCRITE - WHETHER HE KNOWS IT OR NOT.
I have a headcannon // Oneshot for this that I will link HERE when it is finished x.
And an abridged one below:
( I think he would have eventually taken a piece of Ohagi from him, and that it would have made Giyú insanely happy - but Sanemi takes that as him being sarcastic - causing more friction on his side, whereas Giyú thinks they are making progress, making him do it again.
I think this kerfuffle would have only been cleared up after the final battle, to which Sanemi feels a little worse for being so cold to Giyú - but is immediately forgiven and gifted with a bunch of Ohagi, as Giyú grew quite skilled at making it after so many practice runs. )
THEY'RE SO SILLY I LOVE THEM
*cw: this theory deals with child sexual abuse and has mentions of suicidal ideation and eating disorders.
*If you or anyone you know is going through this, you can find resources here, here and here as well as a list of international hotlines.
Obanai is probably the second most hated character in the fandom, and just like Sanemi, he’s one of the most misunderstood. I think the hate he gets from the fandom is unwarranted; he’s accused of being a dick, a horrible person, a simp and a character who only exists to be Mitsuri’s love interest. All of which is unfair, sure he’s prickly and unapproachable, but he’s not as bad as the fandom makes him out to be.
So, in my quest to draft a defense for our favorite snek boy, I reread his backstory and in doing so, I realized something sad
Unhinged theory
Let me explain:
Obanai’s backstory and aspects of his character mirrors that of someone who’s been through sexual trauma. The evidence I'm going to present is a combination of my own knowledge about these matters and information I got from forums and websites for male survivors of sexual abuse. So let's examine them...um spoilers
I believe that the snake demon is a metaphor for a sexual predator. Her inclusion in the family could also be a metaphor for how these predators insert themselves into family units-or most of the time are family members themselves-and abuse the children for years and even generations. Obanai's relatives sacrificing their babies to her could signify the real life actions of families who are unaware or, turn a blind eye to, or sometimes actively participate in the abuse of their children.
The sacrifice in exchange for wealth speaks of how families in real life ignore the abuse of their children to maintain the wealth and status they obtain from being related to and associated with the abuser.
Even her decision to wait, ordering the cutting of his mouth so he would look like her, could be interpreted as her 'grooming' him in a sense.
Even her design has a certain sexual, predatory aspect to it that's different from the other demons.
Obanai describes his family members as being 'disgustingly' affectionate and bringing him lots of 'greasy' food that made him sick. Food in media is often used to depict love, affection, connection and sex, and Demon Slayer is no different.
There are plenty of instances where food and the giving of food has been used to denote friendship (Tanjiro giving Zenitsu, Inosuke and Genya meals in an attempt to bond with them), connection (Giyuu wanting to give Sanemi ohagi), love (Tanjiro's love of cooking and the satisfaction he shows when his meals are enjoyed by others) and pleasure (Mitsuri's large appetite). I'll make a post about this later.
With this context, we can interpret their bringing of rich foods, their overbearing attention and affections as them objectifying and even being sexually inappropriate with him.
Non-physical.
The first instance of abuse is non-physical, but that doesn't make it any less important. Being constantly visited by the snake demon in his room at night, Obanai described his feelings of terror, being paralyzed and watched. His body would break out in a sweat, and he would be unable to fall asleep.
His descriptions of the experience and his body's reaction to it reminded me of some survivors' stories I read, where they talked about how in the initial stages of the abuse or when the abuser was first introduced into their lives, their abuser would give them unwanted attention, would stare at them in a way that felt creepy, gross and wrong.
Some had their abusers come in to their rooms, maybe under the guise of 'checking in on them'. They described feeling terrified, freezing up with the hopes that the attacker would leave. Some would take measures such as sleeping with the door locked or with a heavy object against it, sleeping with a sibling or parent, sleeping in a hiding spot that the attacker knows nothing about or not sleeping at all.
Physical.
The specific age that the snake demon plans to 'eat' Obanai is never stated, but from what we've seen so far and in the sexual context, we can assume that she's waiting until he hits puberty. Some studies state that the average age of victims of female sex offenders usually falls around 14 years, but there are cases where the female predator waited until their victim reached sexual maturity before they carried out their abuse, like in the case of Mary Kay Letourneau. Here's a video that breaks down an interview she did before her death.
Obanai was 12 when he was dragged out of his cell to be subjected to what I believe is the first physical abuse. He had his mouth slit from ear to ear, with the blood collected and fed to her. The snake demon decided to have him live a little longer, which again, fits into my theory of her wanting to wait until he reached puberty.
Bodily violation, violence and blood are common allegories for sexual assault used in media and in Obanai's backstory we see it being used when his relatives drag him from his cell, literally pin him down, cut his mouth and feed his blood to the snake demon. The act of feeding on his blood could also be a metaphor for the snake demon sexually abusing him.
Obanai managed to escape, and although he was tracked down by the snake demon, he was saved by Shinjuro Kengoku before she could kill him. His cousin's response was to blame him for all that happened, asked why he ran away, and said that he should have 'allowed' the demon to eat him.
This could represent how some victims are rejected, ostracized and criticized for speaking out against their attacker, exposing the abuse to the public and getting help. Their families would say 'you should have just let it happen', 'you destroyed the family', 'why did you run away, tell people?' and place the blame on the victim.
There are three aspects of his characterization that are similar to the common reactions noticed in adult survivors of sexual assault, especially male survivors.
His appearance.
His behavior.
His beliefs.
Obanai has a small frame that he hides with his baggy uniform and haori. I can tell it's baggy compared to that of the other slayers because of the width of his pants vs the width of his lower legs. Desexualization or hypo-sexualization is a common response among some survivors of sexual trauma, this usually involves wearing clothes and taking measures to make themselves look 'unattractive'.
'But this side feels more comfortable for me, like the baggy clothes I wear, which hide my body, and the long sleeves which reach past my wrists. I promised myself no man would ever touch me again, and whether it was a moment of triumph, or a moment of defeat, I still don't know.'
'I'm thin, shy. I seem easy to dominate. I've grown a beard. That's helped a little. I dress in baggy clothes, covering as much of my skin as possible. That makes me feel safe.'
This not only helps regain a sense of control and power over their body but also serves as a protective measure against sexual advances so they don't get abused again.
In Obanai, given his history of receiving unwanted, suffocating and 'disgusting' attention from his female relatives, it would make sense that he would want to dress in a way that makes him unapproachable and hides his body from the opposite sex. We can see his attempts to desexualize himself in the picture below:
'Iguro has difficulty with girls. Due to his experiences growing up, he was unable to conquer his fear and animosity. Plus, the firls who joined the Demon Slayer Corps often put on brave faces because of their sad backgrounds, so he felt sorry for them, making him uncomfortable in a different way.' - Taisho Whispers, official English translation.
'Iguro-san isn't good with women. Due to his upbringing he has a fear and disgust towards women. (I couldn't overcome it easily. The women who joined the Demon Slayer Corps have painful stories of determination. I felt sorry for them and I didn't get along with them in a way that was different from the way I got along with my family)' - Taisho Whispers, direct-sort-of-shitty translation via Google Translate.
Male survivors who were victims of childhood abuse by female perpetrators often talk about how the abuse greatly affected their relationships with women or lack thereof. Some going so far as to say that they became afraid of women, being around them and how sometimes being touched by women would trigger panic attacks and remind them of the trauma.
Here are some quotes posted in a thread on the Male Survivor forum. Full thread here.
'Once that happened, my genophobia became more intense. I couldn't ware short trousers in summer, could never go swimming, got paranoid if I touched a woman's arm or even brushed against one, would always stand at a distance from female friends, and would literally leave the room if anything explicit was discussed.'
'I have started to have strange, deep discomforting feelings as I remember some of the assaults and I have gotten to a place where touch from a woman makes my hair stand up, makes me nauseous, and gives me chills and feelings of dread.'
Obanai has similar responses when he finds himself in proximity to women. We're only told about it in the main manga, but it's shown in the Gakuen. I know the Gakuen takes place in an alternate universe, but aside from the events, the behaviors of the characters are based on their actual personalities in the main manga, so we can safely say the reactions he displays in the Gakuen is canon to his character.
Adult survivors of sexual abuse often struggle with feelings of guilt, rage, and shame. In the manga, Obanai talks about being held back by the decaying hands of his family members, which could represent the long-lasting effects of sexual abuse and how some survivors carry these burdens all through adulthood or throughout their lives.
There's also the thoughts about himself that echo the heartbreaking thoughts shared by some male survivors.
Guilt:
"As the member of a filthy family, I too was corrupt. My sins were deep, so I could not live a normal life"
Rage:
"With no other outlet, I turned all my rage on demons in a grudge of intense hatred. By risking my life for others, I felt as if I could in some way become a slightly better person."
Shame:
"Unless I die and come back in a different body in which this filthy blood does not flow, I have no right to be with you."
Suicidal ideation(mild):
"By risking my life for others, I felt as if I could in some way become a slightly better person."
"I want to die defeating Muzan." (He's the only character that I know of that outright says this.)
He also kind-of expresses his feelings of being weak during the fight with Muzan:
"I've accomplished less in this battle than anyone! I wish I could deliver a more effective attack."
While this quote isn't exactly definite, a feeling of being weak, or being 'less of a man' is also a common experience shared by male sexual assault survivors.
The scar is a physical manifestation of the lifelong effect that sexual abuse has on its victims and the stigma it carries. For Obanai, it's not just a painful reminder of the trauma he suffered at the hands of his family, but also a reminder to him that he's like his attacker, the snake demon. The bandages he wraps around his mouth symbolizes not just his attempts to hide his trauma, but also his inability to talk about it due to shame and fear, which is unfortunately an all too common experience of male survivors.
Another struggle survivors often experience is with intimacy, romantic relationships and sex. For Obanai, I believe that this struggle is represented by his eating disorder. The link between food and sex is a well established belief in many cultures, people with large appetites can be seen as having equally high sex drives while people with small appetites have little or no sex drive.
As he grows older, his little appetite is basically him curbing his growing sexual desire, which he sees as ugly, like the scar on his mouth. But the thing is Obanai wants love, he wants to love and be loved, to be intimate with another person, but he feels he doesn't deserve it, after all he's filthy, shameful and probably a predator just like the snake demon. So he starves himself, suffering in silence with the belief that he was disgusting, that no one would ever love him, that he was destined to and deserved to be alone.
Then he met Mitsuri.
In Conclusion, Obanai is way more complex than the KnY fandom gives him credit for. This is a man that went through immense suffering, and it's really sad to see people hate on him because he isn't 'nice'.
Well, that's just how life is. Trauma doesn't exactly make nice people. We can't all be like Giyuu or Tanjiro(bestest boy ❤), a lot of us are like Obanai, Sanemi, and even Shinobu, a lot of us are angry, and why shouldn't we be?
...
*Phew, ok so this one has been in the drafts for a while because I was scared to post such a dark subject matter and also I needed to be really sure I wasn't just talking out of my ass but after rereading his backstory and analyzing aspects of his character, I'm more confident about this.
the morning wake-up calls
Spideytorch in each other's brand pajamas?
YES
If Giyuu and Sanemi actually got together, who do you think falls first? Who confesses first? Do they keep it a secret or are they proud? We all know Sanemi is loud about his dislike of Giyuu. I personally think he probably deals with his crush by lashing out (I think I sent an ask about this once before.) I guarantee he has internalized homophobia. I just want to know your thoughts and what you think would happen because your unhinged posts seriously make my day.
Oh @psyencefaction
Sorry for the long wait!
I feel like Giyuu would be the first one to fall and this is because he's more in touch with his feelings than Sanemi. His fascination with Sanemi started after Sanemi's first Hashira meeting after he lashed out at Kagaya, the unrestrained display of emotions and his ability to express what he felt so clearly reminded him of Sabito, his first love. Then when he discovered that the source of Sanemi's anger was the death of his best friend/aniki Masachika, Giyuu felt a sense of solidarity. Sanemi on the other hand might be a bit weirded out by Giyuu because of his quiet nature and social awkwardness but after a few missions together he would begin to appreciate his strength of character, his skill, and straightforwardness, it also helps that Giyuu is pretty.
I fuck with Sanemi having internalized homophobia especially with his background growing up in the slums of the city where Westernization and Western values had already taken hold of the population and I'm sure he would have gotten flak for his feminine-looking face and his role as the second mom of the family, especially from Kyogo.
Speaking of, Kyogo would also be another reason Sanemi wouldn't want to act on his feelings because growing up as a gayby under the thumb of an abusive father (the first man in his life) would damage his future relationships with men. It could even be the reason Sanemi is so anti-authority and why he projects this aggressive, hypermasculine image which coupled with his size serves not only as a means of protecting himself from getting hurt but also a means to drive people, especially men, away and Giyuu is no exception. This could also be the reason why his friendship with Obanai works so well because Obanai is not threatening physically, and he has a subdued personality compared to the one of someone like say Uzui.
Sanemi would develop a sort of fascination with Giyuu because of his unusually chill and quiet nature, which would develop into full-blown feelings that would creep up on him. Along with Giyuu's positive qualities and his quiet, chill nature, he's also non-threatening; he's not loud, violent, or portrays any other 'toxic' masculine traits that would trigger Sanemi's fight-or-fight response or remind him of his dad. So to curb this growing desire, he lashes out as Giyuu which serves not just as a way to drive the other man away but also as a way to satisfy his confirmation bias that Giyuu is just as toxic as all the other men he's known in his life when Giyuu eventually lashes out.
But my man Giyuu ain't like that. He's level-headed, steadfast, calm, sweet, and unbelievably kind if not a little bit dense. After he learns of Sanemi's love for ohagi to Sanemi's embarrassment, I bet he'd be at Sanemi's estate gate every morning with a package of ohagi, like Tanjiro(bestest boy ❤) did for him, but he doesn't realize its significance and what it means to Sanemi. Ohagi means love, comfort, care, and safety, and Sanemi's regular consumption symbolizes his inner desire to be taken care of.
At first, Sanemi ignores Giyuu's attempts but Giyuu with Tanjiro's encouragement wound persists. Imagine him following Sanemi around with the ohagi gift until Sanemi finally snaps and confronts Giyuu, ready to square up for making fun of him.
Giyuu in an amazing stroke of wisdom would explain to Sanemi that he wasn't and would never make fun of him which would lead to the big confession telling him that he wants to make ohagi for Sanemi forever and stuff. Sanemi would be stunned into silence as his emotional walls begin crumbling down because Giyuu is essentially communicating his desire to take care of Sanemi along with the promise that he would never hurt him and that he would always be safe. Giyuu would tentatively move closer and closer until he was so close that their noses were practically touching, he'll look into Sanemi's eyes asking for permission, and after a small nod from the other man would press his lips against Sanemi's in a passionate kiss.
Their relationship would be gradual because of their demon-slaying duties with only a few secret makeout sessions here and there. The first time they have sex would be a big deal for Sanemi not just because it puts him in a vulnerable position but because he's surprised at how soft Giyuu is with him. Sanemi is used to being treated roughly, by others and especially by himself but never has he been treated with such...care. Not by anyone, not even his mom, and here's Giyuu treating him like he was made of glass. Even though he was physically bigger than Giyuu at that moment he felt small but in a good way and most of all, he felt safe. The overwhelming emotions will make him shed tears that'd make Giyuu worried at first but touched after reassurance from Sanemi. Their lovemaking would be sweet and passionate as they explore each other's bodies.
I love to focus on Sanemi's POV not just because I'm a Nemi-hoe but also because I'm not worried about Giyuu being taken care of. Sanemi is a caretaker by nature so him doting on Giyuu is an undisputed given, the main work is him letting others take care of him. I'd like to think of Sanemi making Giyuu meals, always asking if he's eaten and inviting him to his house for meals. Their relationship would be healing for both of them as Giyuu gets to be a protector of sorts and Sanemi gets to be the protected...of sorts.
Anyway, I think their relationship would be an open secret because let's be real people especially the other Hashira would notice that their arguments have reduced and Obanai has even seen Sanemi smile at Giyuu much to his confusion. The main tea would be spilled by the Kakushi who would see Giyuu leave Sanemi's residence in the early hours of the morning, the both of them eating together with Sanemi lovingly wiping crumbs from Giyuu's face with a shockingly soft expression on his face and on one occasion accidentally heard moans coming from Giyuu's bedroom window when they came to deliver dinner.
Maybe Genya would come over to Sanemi's residence for the usual notice-me-aniki visit and stumble upon Sanemi sleeping with his head in Giyuu's lap. Giyuu would notice him, put a finger to his lips, and smile softly at Genya's shocked expression. He would back out of the house slowly so as not to wake Sanemi 50-parts shocked but 50 parts touched that his Aniki had someone and Sanemi looked so...peaceful. He can come to beg for Aniki crumbs another time.
I made extra content using the Gakuen! Here they slept together after a night patrolling the school, their relationship was found out the next morning while the teachers were cleaning the staff room.
sorry it took so long, I hope you like it! 😖
since you do a lot of on point (in my opinion) takes on the characters, especially Sanemi, Thought I had to talk about my very (second)favorite headcanon, (bc I project so much), but I think I THINK Sanemi has ADHD one way or an other (maybe even dyslexia too? idk)
but like, hear me out
-Emotion dysregulation: temper, emotion dysregulation, he's always angry at everything -Delayed emotional processing: process delay, if not fanon, bro became depressed after the final battle, and it's a common thing in ADHD to grief way later in life, usually when everyone had moved on and everything had settled -Crisis-driven hyperfocus(Ig that's how they call it?): bro's Goku under pressure, the fact that he process stuff later, while he manages to take lead in battle or at least he HAD the hang of it like bro been ready for that moment -I think he's more of hyperactive kind of ADHD than inattentive, he seems to be really impulsive, easy to jump to conclusions, (assuming Giyuu's intentions, stabbing Nezuko and slashing his arm mindlessly to prove something, bro didn't think twice trying to bling genya) -sweets, need I say more really? -Sleep disturbances: like, sleeping problems(usually narcolepsy/insomnia or sleeping freestyle lol), look at bro's eyes, does it look like bro sleeps more than 3 hours a day -do you think he have PDA? -beetles! (hyperfixation? Ik special interests are exclusive to autism, so idk) -also ADHD bf x autistic bf (bc sanegiyuu/giyuusane is a must) -also dyslexia is mostly a heavy headcanon, but to thing the reason he can't read/write or at least write is because of it?(correct me if not true)
maybe just maybe (I crave rep, sorry)
Hi @minthy!
Thanks so much! I'm glad you think my rambles are on point 😅 but I don't understand your worry. I thought it was an accepted belief in the fandom that most of the characters, especially the Pillars, are on the spectrum?! Your Sanemi ADHD headcanon makes a shit-ton of sense, and I love how you were able to use it as an explanation for his behavior and actions. Plus ADHD usually comes with depression and anxiety which Sanemi is also shown to have. SaneGiyuu is the ADHD X Autistic power couple combo we need!
I love this headcanon, to me it's literally canon. Thanks so much for sharing this! ❤❤❤
Old version + base colors
Update (9/13/22)
I wanted to link the old post here as well for anyone to see
More Kissing
Commissions open
I recently realized Johnny Storm has never really appeared in a significant role in a Spider-Man series, nor has the Web-head been properly featured in a Fantastic Four show, and so their friendship has remained pretty much completely un-adapted.
Somehow, despite being best friends for years and appearing in numerous animated shows, the only thing to give a proper team up with Spider-Man and The Human Torch is a Disney Junior show.
Like, the only other times I can recall them even interacting was Spider-Man TAS, where Johnny had a small role in Secret Wars, and Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, where Peter is a nameless photographer Johnny hired (although that was due to rights issues) and Scarlet Spider making a cameo in the 90s FF show. Spectacular Spider-Man WOULD have had Johnny in at least one episode, but since it was a Sony production and could only use Spider-Man characters, those plans, as well as plans to use any other Marvel hero was scrapped. Licensing issues are also why Amazing Friends created Firestar instead of using Johnny and why the FF show from that time created H.E.R.B.I.E.
Somehow, despite Disney and Marvel, basically owning the rights to everything in regards to animated shows. They still haven't.
Even with a new Spidey show coming out every few years, still nothing. Even when every show tries to throw in a bunch of other Marvel heroes, no Johnny. I mean, it's especially odd when the antagonistic dynamic Peter had in Ultimate Spider-Man with Nova felt like they were trying to write him like how Peter and Johnny were early on.
I mean, each show has had a habit of making Peter's supporting cast other superheroes, or at times turning his supporting cast INTO superheroes (Ultimate made Harry both a hero and villain as Black Suit Spider-Man, Venom, Patrioteer, and Anti-Venom, and made MJ Spider-Woman via the Carnage symbiote. While 2017 had Harry be Hobgoblin) but not have included the guy, who's arguably been Peter's best friend for years and already is a superhero! (Though that may be because Marvel didn't want to use the FF or X-Men, as they felt it would promote Fox's movies. Which was stupid and petty, but might be the reason).
And now, another show has not only made another Marvel hero be Peter's best friend, but they made the Future Foundation suit, the outfit Peter wore when he took Johnny's place on the FF, per his last will and testament, something given to him by Norman Osborn!
That might have come off like I dislike the new show, I haven't seen it yet, so I can't judge its quality, and I'm not going to, off that alone. This post isn't really meant to criticize anything, really. Just voice something I've noticed recently and how odd I find it. I guess it doesn't really matter, but I like Peter and Johnny's friendship, and I wish it was in more things than just the comics. Marvel Rivals seems to acknowledge it, though.