Oshi no Ko may be a seinen mystery with supernatural elements, but that doesn’t stop it from having popular fan ships, with one showing signs of collapsing. Aqua Hoshino is on his mission throughout the story, but he picks up admirers he brings into his cause, often manipulating them with his charm. Many fans would have loved to see Aqua ending up with Kana Arima, the most storied connection of his current life aside from his sister, but this ship may have sailed forever.

Kana met Aqua on the set of his first performance as a child actor, with Kana at that point being an established on-screen child star. While his performance put hers to shame, she couldn’t hide her fascination with him, especially when the two later meet again in high school and on a television drama together.

Kana’s feelings for Aqua, captured in Episode #4 of the anime, never go away, even in the latest chapter. However, Kana may be ready to give up on Aqua as this fan ship deteriorates in Oshi no Ko.

Kana is Ready to Give Up on Getting Together With Aqua

The Popular Fan Ship May Lose to a Key Competitor

In the final pages of Oshi no Ko Chapter #148, Kana stops Akane to tell her that while she has feelings for Aqua, she senses he is happier when he is with Akane, and she is ready to give up. This would mean Kana’s fan ship with Aqua is effectively over, or at least facing dire straits unless a surprising development happens. Given Akane’s proven history with Aqua, it makes sense that their relationship and resulting fan ship might win out in Oshi no Ko. However, that’s assuming Aqua gives in to settling down with a romantic partner.

It’s a jarring moment in the chapter, especially since it has an especially lighthearted start as a fanservice beach episode, a way to cut loose after the Movie Arc. But after the cheerful hijinks of the chapter, Aqua resumes his brooding over the next move, with Akane confronting him. She does it from a place of caring for his well-being, and it’s a far cry from Akane’s willingness to help Aqua kill anybody, like in Chapter #52. Akane makes a strong case for her fan ship with Aqua in Oshi no Ko without realizing it, as Kana observes.

Akane Can Melt Aqua’s Heart as the True Fan Ship in Oshi no Ko

Akane and Aqua initially get together in Chapter #31 and are a comfortable couple, but it’s a mere sham after their work on the “LoveforReal” show. Still, they operate as a cozy teen actor couple, much to Kana’s chagrin. But Aqua never views Akane romantically, even despite being told by Kana that she could be the one to melt his heart in the final panel of Chapter #148.

From recent events in Chapter #147, it’s potentially still more believable that Akane is the one to pull Aqua away from the abyss, but their position as a fan ship in Oshi no Ko is not certain. Even Kana’s spot in this race isn’t entirely lost — Kana merely has a penchant for being her worst enemy and not chasing what she wants. Still, this is her first admission to somebody about her feelings toward Aqua, so perhaps there’s still hope for Kana.

Whoever Aqua ends up with, if anyone, between Akane and Kana, it would surely solve the problematic situation that Oshi no Ko caused when the two siblings Aqua and Ruby discovered the truth about their past lives, which could lead to a very uncomfortable romantic development.