SatoRiko

"She’s spunkier than I thought."

- Gojo about Riko, Chapter 67

SatoRiko is the het ship between Satoru Gojo and Riko Amanai from the Jujutsu Kaisen fandom.

Canon
Second year student Gojo is tasked with escorting Riko Amanai to Jujutsu High. When Gojo and Geto save Riko from their enemy, soldiers of Q. They have a rough start, when Riko wakes up in Gojo’s arms she believes he’s her kidnapper and slaps him. Gojo comes to Riko’s school, searching for her and yealling her name. Riko’s classmate decides that Gojo is Riko’s boyfriend, but she dissuades her and says he is her cousin. Riko seems angry and embarrassed and when they finally leave, she chides Gojo for showing up.

Suguru calls Gojo to tell him, that there is a bounty on Riko’s head and that she’s in grave danger. Satoru and Riko get approached by cursed clones, but Gojo fights them all off. He hides Riko under the cover of his Infinity, so no blows come to her. When they learn that Riko’s caretaker Kuroi has been taken hostage, Satoru and Suguru develop a plan – they will take Riko to Jujutsu High and rescue her caretaker afterwards. Riko panics and says that it might be too late, and she won’t see her friend before she merges with Tengen. The girl starts crying and Gojo agrees to go help Kuroi right at the moment.

After successful rescue, they decide to stay on Okinawa. Suguru admits that it’s Gojo’s idea and that he believes it’s his way of showing his compassion for Riko. She and Satoru seem to be getting on very well, as they are shown having fun on the beach. They stay for a day and then head to Jujutsu High for the merge. There Gojo gets attacked by Toji Fushiguro, a hired mercenary sent to kill Riko. He manages to almost kill Gojo, and as he lies on the ground recovering, Toji shoots Riko through the head. After Gojo has healed himself, he comes back to fight and kill Toji. Satoru remembers Riko and says he is sorry.

Afterwards, Gojo goes to the Time Vessel Association to retrieve Riko’s body. As he carries her corpse wrapped in a white sheet, he hears people applauding him as they believe it was right to have her killed. Suguru doesn’t recognize Gojo at first, he doesn’t look like himself. Gojo believes that he messed up and it’s his fault Riko is dead.Gojo contemplates murdering every single person in the room, and the only thing that stops him is Suguru pointing out that it would be pointless, as those who ordered Riko’s death aren’t even there.

Fanon
While considered a rare ship, mostly due to their age difference in 2-3 years, Satoru and Riko’s dynamic is highly appreciated by the manga fans. Some view it as a platonic friendship, since Riko and Gojo seemed to have gotten along quite well (before her death). Their initial misunderstanding and Gojo’s failure to realize how important it was for Riko to remain a normal girl with simple life until she’s taken to be merged with Tengen, was later followed by his utter and wholehearted sympathy and compassion for the girl. When Gojo and Riko were at a beach and it was time to leave, he noticed her saddened expression and suggested they stay a little longer just so she could play some more. A lot of manga reader were very saddened by Riko’s death and imagine scenarios, where Riko survived and remained friends with Satoru through the years.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

ART

TUMBLR

TWITTER

Trivia

 * Riko is the only person who was shown striking Gojo across the face.
 * Riko was asked if she was Gojo’s girlfriend and had gotten really flustered.
 * Riko was the first "weak people" Gojo came to genuinely care for. Retrieving her corpse was also the only time he gets emotional that he doesn't show anger in, just pure sorrow and grief.