Warning: Contains spoilers for Oshi no Ko chapter #150.One of the more controversial elements of the most recent arc of Oshi no Ko has been the manga teasing an incestuous relationship between Aqua and Ruby. The two of them became more physically and emotionally intimate after learning they were Goro and Sarina, respectively, and Ruby made it clear that she still wanted to act on her feelings for Goro, despite them now being family.
Oshi no Ko’s teasing the idea of Aqua and Ruby entering a relationship has been as divisive as one would expect it to be, and fortunately, it’s finally been put to bed. The movie arc has recently come to a close, and in its epilogue, a moment of self-reflection from Aqua both ended the idea of him dating Ruby and confirmed his true romance. Considering the kind of series Oshi no Ko is, it’s unknown what will come of the latter, but at the very least, it’s still great that the story is finally done with such a controversial element.
Oshi No Ko Finally Has Aqua Address His Feelings About Ruby
The Series Finally Clarifies There Is no Romantic Involvement Between Aqua and Ruby
In Oshi no Ko chapter #150, Aqua has a conversation with Goro i.e. himself about how Goro wanted Aqua to live his life however he wanted to, but he still wouldn’t allow him to make a move on Sarina i.e. Ruby. In response to that, however, Aqua said that he only sees Ruby as a sister and nothing more; after months of the story dancing around what Aqua thought about Ruby’s feelings for him, it’s incredibly satisfying for him to finally comment on it and shoot down the idea of being in a relationship with her.
Who Will Aqua & Ruby End Up With In Oshi no Ko?
With the incest subplot officially dead, that invites the question of who Aqua and Ruby can be expected to end up with. Regarding Aqua, for the past few years now, his relationship with Akane has continually deteriorated, despite Akane’s ever-growing feelings for Aqua, so they’re unlikely to become a couple by the end of the series. Conversely, Oshi no Ko chapter #150 had Goro force Aqua to admit that he’s had feelings for Kana for ages, so depending on how things progress in the final stretch of chapters, it makes the most sense for Aqua to end up with Kana.
As for Ruby’s romantic prospects, there’s much less to comment on. While Ruby has had moments with characters that can be viewed as romantic, her relationship with Goro has been the only serious romance teased for her, even after she found out that he had reincarnated into Aqua. Chapter #150 officially puts an end to the incest subplot, however, so Oshi no Ko will likely end without Ruby being in a romantic relationship with anyone.
A major part of why Ruby was in love with Goro was that she saw being in a relationship with Goro as proof that she had accomplished her dreams, but something that’s been repeatedly brought up in the series is how people need to have more confidence in themselves and not rely on other people for validation. Because of that, Ruby not ending the series in a relationship would better reflect the overall themes of Oshi no Ko than if she did end up in one, so it’s a much better route for her arc to go in.
Did Oshi no Ko’s Incest Hints Help Or Hurt The Series?
While the drama invoked by the incest subplot was fine on its own, it gave the series a very uncomfortable feeling every time it was brought up in a serious manner, and on a meta-level, it did a lot of damage to the story’s reputation, as the Oshi no Ko manga now had the impression of being a mainstream manga revolving around something as taboo as incest. Oshi no Ko‘s reputation was at its lowest when it seemed like an incestuous relationship was genuinely on the table, so it’s all for the better that it’s been dropped.
Was Incest Ever a Serious Possibility in Oshi No Ko?
It’s great that Aka Akasaka’s Oshi no Ko is done with its incest subplot, and an important question to ask is if it was ever seriously on the table. After Ruby learned that Aqua was Goro, she became much more physically and emotionally intimate with Aqua, and it got to the point that Ruby kissed Aqua under the pretense of rehearsing for the movie. At that point, it was clear that Ruby’s desire to be with Goro had only intensified after everything came out, and being Aqua’s sister had done nothing to make her give up on that dream.
The important thing about all of that, of course, is that the incest subplot was only ever from Ruby’s perspective. Aqua’s perspective on things was never shown in the chapters that dealt with Ruby’s feelings, and after chapter #150, it’s easy enough to conclude that Aqua’s lack of romantic feelings for Ruby meant that an incest story was never going to happen. Future chapters of Oshi no Ko will likely center around having Ruby move past her feelings for Goro, but for now, just this bit of confirmation does a lot to deal with a major point of controversy.
