Do you ever think about the fact that whenever someone wants to get at Yuugi they go after Jounouchi, and when they want to get at Jounouchi they go after Yuugi?

The second time Hirutani comes after Jounouchi in canon, he makes sure his pawn lures Yuugi in specific so that Yuugi can be used as a hostage against Jounouchi. (Because note how that little scene goes down: Yuugi doesn’t volunteer to go, Nezumi asks him, and specifically says that he wants someone like Yuugi there, to make it clear that no one else could provide him the “comfort” he was seeking. That was all on Hirutani’s order, there’s no way it wasn’t.) Hirutani has only indirectly met Yuugi once before this, but that one meeting---and the way Jounouchi reacted to seeing Yuugi get hurt---told Hirutani all he needed to know about which person was the most useful target to hit if he wanted to make Jounouchi agree to his demands.

Otogi’s entire reason for being here is to lure Yuugi to the Black Crown so that he can play Dungeon Dice Monsters with him to win the Millennium Puzzle as part of his father’s revenge blah blah blah, but before that he decides to hurt Yuugi for funsies, and how does he plan on doing this? By placing bets and rigging games so that Jounouchi isn’t allowed to talk to Yuugi anymore. I.e., he wants to take Jounouchi to hurt Yuugi.

Haga wants revenge on Yuugi, so what does he do? He targets Jounouchi, because despite the very small amount of time Haga spent around either of them, he has keyed into the fact that if Jounouchi is in danger or trouble somehow, Yuugi will come running. 

And these examples aren’t even getting into the pier duel a few volumes later, wherein not only did the Big Bad of the arc show that he also recognizes, despite barely knowing them, that Jounouchi is the one to go after if he wants to get at Yuugi, but we saw that Yuugi and Jounouchi are quite literally willing to die for each other and so everyone who targeted one to get at the other every time before this was 100% on the money (if it wasn’t obvious already). Obviously there are more examples of Jounouchi being the target of distress due to the fact that Yuugi has more villains after him at any given moment, but it really says something that the one primary villain that is Jounouchi’s and Jounouchi’s alone took one look at them and said, “If I want to hit him where it hurts the most, I have to go after Yuugi.” Like, damn. Everyone can see it but them.

I love them.

Incomplete list of Wishshipping things that make me want to scream:

— In his own words, Jounouchi “never liked [himself] at all” until he met Yuugi, and in fact hated himself. It wasn’t until he returned the piece of the Puzzle he stole that he, “for the first time in [his] life, [he] started to like [himself] a little.”

— Yuugi considered the Millennium Puzzle his “treasure” because he felt that it would grant his wish of having friends (or probably more accurately a best friend since he was friends with Anzu at the time) once he managed to complete it. The Puzzle didn’t actually have that power, but Yuugi never acknowledges that because the Puzzle is what brought him and Jounouchi together, thus fulfilling his wish.

— Being with Yuugi helped Jounouchi be less self-conscious about the geeky things he was interested in, the silly way he liked to act, and how manly he had to appear. It took time, but his relationship with Yuugi helped him be more true to himself in public and care less about what other people thought of him.

— Being with Jounouchi helped Yuugi open up as well. In Yuugi’s own words, Jounouchi, “taught [him] that [he] wasn’t alone, gave [him] courage.” While Yuugi was never actually timid, he was a lot more withdrawn and more passive before he became friends with Jounouchi, and had that sunshine warm up his life.

— Jounouchi fought a guy while holding the blade of a knife between his teeth to get Yuugi’s Puzzle back for him, because it was important to Yuugi and therefore worth risking death for in Jounouchi’s eyes. (Although to be honest, Jounouchi never had a doubt he’d win that fight. But still.)

— “I’ll never give up on you. So don’t give up on yourself, okay, Yuugi?”

— Even though it put him at a disadvantage, Yuugi gave up one of his star chips to Jounouchi without hesitation so that Jounouchi would have a shot at winning the Duelist Kingdom prize money for Shizuka’s operation. Also, in the manga, the two of them never dueled over it; it was mutually agreed upon that Yuugi (and Atem) would go on to fight Pegasus, and that Yuugi would just give Jounouchi the prize money if / when he won because he had no use for it, and Jounouchi and Shizuka did.

— Jounouchi having everyone else get the hell out of the Black Crown fire while he stays behind with Yuugi, because saving the Puzzle is important to Yuugi, and Yuugi is important to Jounouchi, so if Yuugi has to stay there, then . . . “Yuugi, I’ll stand with you on the edge of the River Styx. But I won’t let you cross over!” And he doesn’t; he carries Yuugi (and the Puzzle) right out of that burning building.

— Jounouchi threatening to deck Atem if Atem ever makes Yuugi feel inadequate or bad about himself in Duelist Kingdom. (He was a little confused since Yuugi and Atem share a body, but he’s got the spirit.)

— Yuugi insisting on being the one to duel Jounouchi at the pier because Jounouchi was his first (best) friend and Jounouchi means that much to him.

— Yuugi giving the Puzzle to Jounouchi because he figures he’s not making it out of the duel alive and he wants Jounouchi to take the Puzzle if that’s the case.

— “You taught me that I wasn’t alone, you gave me courage . . . you’re my most precious friend. Jounouchi-kun . . . I love you . . .”

— Yuugi taking that hit to die for Jounouchi, and then Jounouchi awakening Red-Eyes to attack him so that he can die for Yuugi to the point where he leaves his own key on the pier instead of grabbing it before swinging over to Yuugi’s side.

— “Yuugi . . . I’m sorry . . . thank you . . .” with the most serene smile on his face.

— Yuugi saying, “Together we protected what was precious to us . . . that’s all” when Jounouchi is trying to apologize about being mind controlled during the pier duel, and what they protected was each other, meaning they are precious to each other, kill me. (I believe VIZ translated this different because of course they did, but that’s what he says in the JP version of the manga.)

— The fact that they wear matching wristbands.

— Yuugi having a complete and utter breakdown when Jounouchi is killed during the finals.

— Jounouchi being the only one sure that Yuugi will win during the Ceremonial Duel whenever Sugoroku wasn’t sure how the duel was going to shake out. (VIZ again messed up a translation in the English version to make Jounouchi say he’s not sure who will win, but in the JP version he is very sure Yuugi will come out on top. “Come on, Yuugi . . . show him your strength!”)

— While he will not hesitate to break someone’s face for messing with Yuugi, overall Jounouchi learns to channel his anger into more positive outlets (i.e. gaming) as a result of his relationship with Yuugi, and while that is due in part to Jounouchi being a huge geek who loves games, it could also be due to the fact that Yuugi hates violence and Jounouchi doesn’t want to upset Yuugi / wants to be a person Yuugi is proud to call his best friend / will love.

— The way Jounouchi smiles at Yuugi all the damn time and has the brightest smiles for Yuugi even first thing in the morning.

— As well as how Jounouchi can always tell immediately when something is bothering Yuugi and makes it known right then and there he will throw down that instant if that’s what it takes to make Yuugi feel better, but also respects Yuugi’s boundaries when Yuugi says he’s got it.

— Basically how they just love each other so much and bring out the best in each other and are beautiful and perfect and I love them.

Jounouchi for the meme

The moment I loved him most:

I mean, it’s really hard to pick a singular moment. He has so many moments where he is absolutely incredible and shines (in the manga at least). Here are a handful of my favorite moments wherein I loved him to pieces, in no order save for that which they come to me:

When he was bound by his wrists in Hirutani’s warehouse (“execution grounds”), beaten and bleeding, about to be tortured via 200,000 volt stun guns, and yet still found it within himself to mouth off and talk back (and to try to fight back, too; he knocked one of the gang members out cold with a single kick, despite being restrained).

When he gave his speech during Death-T about how he used to hate himself until the moment when he returned the piece of the Millennium Puzzle he stole, and then reassured Yuugi that he would never give up on him.

When he fought with the blade of a knife in his mouth and won.

When he went to rescue Jouji during Death-T despite not liking the kid, because it was the right thing to do. (See also: How he managed to avoid being sliced to pieces and won that match despite holding said baby in his arms the entire time.)

When he, despite having shards of glass in his eyes, punched Hirutani right the fuck off the warehouse roof. 

When he felled Bandit Keith with one punch to the solar plexus after he woke up to find Bandit Keith kicking Yuugi around.

When he declared that he would “crawl through mud to protect what’s important [to him]” while thinking of Shizuka after Yuugi, because of Atem, was ready to refuse Mai’s star chips in Duelist Kingdom.

Related, but when he promised that he would knock the fuck out of Atem if Atem ever made Yuugi feel inferior again. (Which is a misguided promise since Yuugi and Atem share the same body, but it’s the thought that counts.)

When he stayed behind in the Black Crown fire and thought about how he would stand on the edge of the River Styx with Yuugi, but wouldn’t let him cross over, and then proceeded to carry him OUT of that fire.

How he bucked the Millennium Rod’s / Malik’s control over him through sheer force of will, and was already resisting it before Yuugi and the others even showed up.

How he tried to sacrifice himself to save Yuugi at the pier, and was straight up willing to die to do it.

How he stood up after being struck by lightning summoned by an Egyptian God, apparently fine, even before he realized what he was doing.

How he came back to life after being killed by an Egyptian God during a Shadow Game through sheer force of will.

How he believed in Yuugi 100% during the Ceremonial Duel, even when all the others---including Yuugi’s own grandpa---were sure that Atem would have the upperhand or win.

Like . . . there are a lot of moments. It’s really hard to choose just one.

The moment I hated him most:

There are times in the early manga when he is not only a perv (as Yuugi is as well), but when he crosses into straight up sexual harassment territory, and that is really not cool and I hate it a whole helluva lot. The two most notable times are when he and Honda lift Anzu’s skirt in the third chapter (she rightfully decks him for that), and a time in a later chapter where some girls shriek about him chasing them underwater in the pool. It’s a really gross character trait that thankfully only happened in those two little background scenes and was dropped after that, so I like to just ignore they ever happened, but I really hate them and wish Takahashi hadn’t included them at all (especially since he seemed to have done so as a joke, like---sexual harassment isn’t fucking funny, Takahashi, knock it the hell off).

The moment I understood him most:

Again, there is a lot to go on here, and it’s hard to pick one or two moments, because it’s more traits of Jounouchi’s character that I understand and relate to more than anything else. But to try and narrow it down:

Jounouchi has extremely low self-esteem (again, in Death-T he straight up says that he hated himself and never liked himself until he befriended Yuugi), and this tends to manifest whenever he perceives that he failed at something, or didn’t understand something right away. Examples include when Shizuka sent him her videotape, and he didn’t immediately have the money on-hand to pay for her surgery; when Atem gave him the “something in plain sight, but you can’t see it” riddle during his duel with Mai and he didn’t understand what Atem meant right away; and the aftermath of the pier duel, because of the pain and near death it put Yuugi through. In each of these cases, Jounouchi immediately falls back on ripping himself apart with self-degredation and verbal abuse, calling himself all sorts of names (rotten, worthless, stupid, et cetera). Even though it’s perfectly understandable that he wouldn’t have the millions of yen needed to pay for Shizuka’s surgery because he is a sixteen-year-old boy (and the sole breadwinner of his household due to the fact that his father is an unemployed alcoholic with a gambling addiction), he still feels like a completely worthless person. Even though he was only just given the riddle and hadn’t yet given himself time to figure out what Atem was trying to tell him, he called himself a rotten brother who was too stupid to figure it out, and was going to fail Shizuka therefore. Even though it was Malik’s fault for using dark magic to control him (that he shouldn’t have even been able to shake off!!), and handcuffing him and Yuugi to the pier, Jounouchi still blamed himself for being weak and worthless. Again, these are immediate reactions; his first impulse in situations where he feels that he has failed (especially if he feels he has failed the ones he loves) are to tear himself apart. He defaults to calling himself worthless and stupid. And I get that, I understand it, because I’m very much the same way. I do the exact same thing, even if I don’t verbalize it like he does, and instead just keep it internal. I don’t mean to do it, it just happens. They’re intrusive thoughts that, after so many years, have been hardwired into me . . . and I feel that it’s the same thing for Jounouchi, it’s just that he’s expressing those intrusive thoughts out loud. Moreover, I feel that his come from the same place mine do, which is years and years of abuse (especially since we know that his father is both physically and verbally abusive, given the scene in chapter eleven, and Hirutani was the same way; there’s no doubt that Jounouchi’s intrusive thoughts are just repeating things he grew up hearing). So I really understand him in those moments.

To that end, though Jounouchi does often verbalize those thoughts (I should specify that it’s often, because his self-drag after not being able to figure out Atem’s riddle right away was all internal), he also very, very, very often keeps his personal struggles to himself. He doesn’t share information about his home life with the others unless he’s forced to. He had only ever brought Honda to his apartment once, “a long time ago,” and never again after that due to how his dad is. Yuugi and Anzu only visited the apartment because Honda brought them there. They only found out about Shizuka’s eyes because he played the video tape with all of them there, unaware that it was even from Shizuka (he thought it was from Pegasus---it makes sense in context), and so on and so forth. Jounouchi keeps the darker parts of his life separate from his friends and loved ones. He doesn’t feel comfortable sharing those parts of himself, and he also doesn’t want to burden those he cares about. And again, I get that, because I’m very much the same way (and likely, again, for the same reasons). Even when it’s detrimental to him, Jounouchi has a difficult time reaching out to others when it comes to that part of his life. He gets better as the series goes on (how he opens up to Anzu and Sugoroku about wanting to win strength for Shizuka in Battle City is a point to this), but it’s still a struggle for him. And I get it.

Lastly, he has a tendency to take responsibility for everything on his own shoulders. He’s a teenage boy, and he was a child when his mother abandoned him with his abusive, alcoholic father, yet he took up responsibility for getting jobs to pay the bills straightaway, getting a special exemption due to his situation to do it and everything. He definitely doesn’t have a good relationship with his father, but he not only takes on the financial burden, but also the emotional burden by thinking to himself that if he can earn the money to pay off his father’s debts, they can “start over” and have a relationship “like a real father and son” --- i.e. if he can just do this one right thing, his father won’t abuse him anymore. That’s not how it should be---it’s his dad’s fault---but that’s not how Jounouchi sees it. Jounouchi also sees himself as responsible for Shizuka’s eyes, both in getting the money to pay for her surgery, and for “giving her courage” to take off her bandages. This is another instance of self-degredation, because when Shizuka expresses that she’s too scared to remove her bandages, Jounouchi immediately assumes it’s because he’s weak and can’t give her the courage to do so. This aspect of his, to immediately assume responsibility and feel guilt and shame, is another part of him that I can understand and relate to . . . for, again, likely the same reasons. He’s a very relatable character in this regard.