Joshneku

Joshneku is the slash ship between Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu and Neku Sakuraba from the The World Ends With You fandom.

Canon
Joshua selected Neku as his Proxy in his three-week long game with Kitaniji. Joshua did so because he saw Neku as being similar to himself (a misanthropic loner with a dislike for humanity) and wanted to prove that if Neku couldn't change, neither could Shibuya (as for Shibuya to change, its Composer, Joshua, would need to as well).

In the second Week of the game, Joshua forcibly forms a Pact with Neku, and while Neku initially dislikes him, they eventually bond over their shared hatred for humanity. As the Game progresses, Neku slowly begins to change his views on people, making Joshua question his own views in turn.

During the week, however, Neku slowly begins to realize that Joshua is the one who killed him. This creates a rift in their relationship, however, on Day 7, it's supposedly revealed that Neku was actually killed by Sho Minamimoto (who was in a shootout with Joshua). At the end of the day, and after their battle with Minamimoto, Joshua supposedly sacrifices himself to protect Neku from Minamimoto, filling Neku with guilt for blaming the other boy for his death and viewing him as a martyr.

On the last day of Week 3, Joshua reveals that he actually survived Minamimoto's attack and that he's the Composer of Shibuya. He also reveals that Minamimoto killing Neku was a lie; Joshua really did shoot Neku to use him as his Proxy for the Game. Joshua then challenges Neku to a duel; if Neku kills Joshua, he'll become the Composer and stop Joshua from destroying himself and Shibuya. However, Neku can't bring himself to Erase Joshua, despite everything he's done and despite knowing that Joshua will destroy the city if he continues being the Composer. Neku values Joshua more than the city of Shibuya, even after Joshua did everything in his power to make Neku hate him.

Because Neku chose to trust Joshua, he decides that Shibuya is worth sparing. Joshua watched Neku change from someone who tried to kill Shiki with very little prompting after only knowing her for a day to someone who had all the reason in the world to kill Joshua but didn't. Neku is also the only person close to Joshua who chose him over Shibuya, as Kitaniji chose to start the Long Game instead of actually try to fix Shibuya while Hanekoma chose to assist Minamimoto in his attempted coup.

After Neku is revived, he says to an absent Joshua that while he doesn't forgive him for everything that happened during the Game, he still trusts him and wants to see him again. While Joshua doesn't accept this request, he watches it from afar. In the secret cutscene (unlocked by getting every Secret Report) Hanekoma notices that Joshua seems sad that he can't join Neku and his friends, and leaves when Hanekoma says it's their world.

Another Day
In the deeply strange alternate universe known as Another Day, Joshua's abrasiveness is tuned down and he becomes much more of a token gay character. The alternate Joshua makes more flirtatious comments towards the alternate Neku. When Neku tries going into the Shibuya River after forming the "Crayon Warriors", Joshua is the first one to willingly go into the River with him. Shiki and Beat will freak out over this, with Shiki even saying that she knew that blue and pink (Neku and Joshua's code names in Another Day) went together but she didn't know that they "went LIKE THAT!" When Neku complains about this reaction to Joshua, he responds with the infamous "Shut up and walk, dear" line.

It's a popular ship in the TWEWY fandom, mainly due to the fact that the story's conclusion is about their bond with each other; Neku chooses Joshua over the whole of Shibuya after he stops being misanthropic, while Joshua chooses to spare Shibuya (and as a result, continue living) because he finally had someone who cared about him more than the city in the form of Neku.

NEO
Following the events of A New Day and prior to NEO, Joshua placed Neku's Soul in Shinjuku in order to keep him safe from those who would exploit his powers, as well as tasking him with investigating the events that took place there. Although he also claims it was to keep Joshua's secrets safe, this reason is not listed in the Secret Reports, and Joshua does not hesitate to reveal his identity to Rindo and Shoka later on.

At the beginning of the game, Joshua is seen speaking to an unknown person who is not present, telling them, "I sure hope you wake up soon. Wouldn't want you to miss all the action..." Given Neku's status in Shinjuku and his subsequent return later on in the game, as well as Joshua having been the one who placed him there, it is highly implied these words are directed at him.

The mural drawn by Mr. Hanekoma in the anime, featuring a set of headphones with wings attached which symbolises Joshua and Neku's relationship, is visible alongside CAT's other art at Udagawa.

On the Week 3, Final Day '', Joshua makes his first official appearance while Neku is trying to sync up with the people of Shibuya. He refers to Neku as "partner" and asks him if he needs a hand. In response to Joshua saying he hopes they don' t mind if he sticks around and observes, Neku tells him, "not at all, partner" and the two share a fond smile.

Later on, Neku is seen waiting for Joshua at Udagawa. This mirrors the ending of the first game, as he is standing at Udagawa when he begins his ending speech. Joshua congratulates him on the good work and the two discuss the events of Shinjuku, with Joshua referring to Neku as his "dear partner" during this. When Neku asks to return to the RG, Joshua responds by wondering if he's interested in staying in the UG and becoming Composer, although Neku responds that he is not. The two part on good terms as Joshua returns him back to life.

The Secret Report for the above day clarifies that Joshua appeared specifically to "stabalize Neku Sakuraba's mind by reminding him he was there." Given Joshua's vibe is stated to have caused "a great deal of physical and psychological strain" on Neku in the first game due to his status as Composer, that it now does the opposite shows the level of positive development their relationship has undergone.

In the Secret Ending, while discussing with Hazuki his reasoning for helping Rindo, Joshua talks about having experienced "irrationality" himself, referring to the decisions and change of heart he went through as a result of Neku.

Fanon
Currently, it's the most written ship in the fandom on AO3, ditto the most popular for both Joshua and Neku, being 745+ works available on the platform.

Fandom
FAN FICTION