Saikechi

AkeSai is the slash ship between Akechi Touma and Saiki Kusuo from the The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. fandom.

Canon
The relationship Saiki and Akechi is quite unique compared to the other relationships in the show: they have been somewhat close since they were children. It all started when Akechi introduced himself when both were in primary school. Soon after meeting, Saiki witnesses Akechi being beat up by bullies. After the bullies are done beating him up, Saiki goes towards him and heals his wounds. Because of this, Akechi suspects Saiki has some sort of magical abilities. Later in the series, Akechi does indeed find out about Saiki’s physic powers. Despite Akechi's constant thoughts annoying Saiki, he considers him a close friend nonetheless.

An important part in the Akechi introduction, is the “accident” Saiki had caused because of Akechi being bullied. In episode 18 (in the Netflix version), when Akechi is introduced, Saiki is aware of the fact Akechi is very suspicious of Saiki’s powers. Saiki ends up turning Akechi into stone to figure out a way to erase all prior memories of powers. Specifically, the memory where he ends up destroying a whole school classroom due to seeing Akechi being harassed. However, he gives up after multiple failed attempts. Since Saiki failed to get rid of these memories, Akechi finds out that Saiki does have psychic powers.

They have a bit of a competitive relationship, but they manage to keep things friendly and civilized, unlike Saiki's relationship with Kuusuke.



Fanon
Fans started shipping the two because of their childhood-friend dynamic. Many of the fans also like how Saiki deeply cares for Akechi in their backstory. However, this is considered a rare pair in the fandom compared to other ships such as SaiTeru and Saiai. The unpopularity of this ship may be because Akechi is very disliked by the fandom. Most fans think of him as annoying or creepy, due to his talkative nature.

Fans of AkeSai often compare their dynamic to the relationship between Saiki and Kuusuke. Kuusuke and Saiki have a very competitive relationship, what with Kuusuke's obsession with winning and defeating his brother; however, their relationship is quite unhealthy, and fans speculate that Kuusuke has a sort of romantic, or even sexual obsession with Kusuo. Akechi cares for Saiki and competes with him in a similar matter, but there is always explicit compliance on Saiki's side, and no major consequences if he loses.

Akechi has been shown to accommodate to Saiki's powers in a way that allows him to relax and be himself, leaving fans to wonder about how this sort of dynamic would work in a romantic relationship.

A great deal of fans headcanon Saiki to be asexual/aromantic, but some of these people still say that AkeSai would make sense in a sort, often placing them in a queerplatonic relationship.

Despite the lack of content, there still is a cult following. The ship only had around 60+ fan-made fictions on AO3 before 2020, but in 2021, the number bumped up to 100+ fanfiction works. AkeSai has considerably more fan art than fictions, though the number of both is steadily increasing.

Additional Info

 * After Akechi had beat Saiki in a bet, he was asked to leave, to which Akechi responded: "I can be your regular playmate. Can I come over again sometime?" Saiki thinks for a bit before declining, only to have Akechi say that he'll visit again regardless. He's later interupted by Saiki himself while on his way to ask about his schedule, so he knows when the best time is to visit him. This time, Saiki doesn't protest it.
 * When explaining why he reacted so harshly toward the bullies in a flashback, Saiki says that it was because he had "friendly feelings" towards Asumi.
 * When Asumi's memory was erased, his replacment memory was a rumor concerning Saiki's genitalia. In the flashback, he's shown to be imagining said scenario. He was smiling widely and blushing.
 * Akechi's eyes are famous for having "a dead look to them," though he's often seen with sparkling eyes; however, when he is, it's usually when talking about, to, or looking at Saiki.
 * An official piece of art shows a rain scene featuring Kuusuke, Kaidou, Akechi, and Saiki. Kuusuke is holding a bag of coffee jelly and an umbrella, while Kaidou is shown to be talking to Saiki, most likely about his chunnibyuu fantasies. Akechi is standing behind Saiki holding an umbrella, and the captions on and near him were recently translated. They read, "It pours heavily on Kusuo," some sort of slang meaning "complicated kids" and lastly, "rain of love." Akechi is depicted to be offering to share the umbrella. This casued a stir with fans on Tumblr, especially because of the running gag earlier in the series where Yumehara's ex-boyfriend flirts with her by saying, "Let me be the umbrella for your heart!"
 * Fans speculate that Akechi either has a crush or did have a crush on Saiki. They commonly reference the fact that Akechi blushes often around Saiki, both as a small child and in the present time, as well as replacement memory shown in the flashback.
 * Akechi stalked Saiki for six months in an attempt to find out about his powers for the sole reason of thanking him. It's implied that the entirety of his days were spent in his stalking. When Akechi finally does apologize, a quick sniffle can be heard, indicating that he was with crying, or on the verge of tears. The moment is quite heartwarming and commonly referenced amongst fans.
 * In a Psi Nan Battle, (a discontinued TDLOSK game) Akechi appears with Kuriko, well aware that she's the female version of Kusuo, and he says "Oh, however, it really is a surprise. Switching genders and such is also a category of psychic powers! It's considerably a great appearance. Isn't that certainly a male high schoolers 'dream?'" He was either expressing his attraction, or his wish to be able to transform, or even both.

Fandom
FAN FICTION

TUMBLR