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lol Okay no, this post is not about how the thought of shipping them crossed my mind! lmfao There’s a few things I want to point out from the new OP that may be related to the “ceremony”, to the relationship between Ginji & Ranmaru, and how it connects to my theory that the ayakashi that helped Aoi was Ginji↴

May contain spoilers from the anime. Please read at your own risk.

There seems to be more to the relationship between Ginji and Ranmaru.

In the OP we see a lot of Ginji & Ranmaru scenes where they are shown together:

We see what appears to be Ginji & Ranmaru coming from the direction of the blue lightning (storm?) and flying across Orio-ya/the Southern land (there seems to be a curse):

We see Ginji & Ranmaru as children. They seem close, so cute! (Childhood friends?):

We then see Ginji & Ranmaru again. This time they don’t seem to be in good terms/close what happened?!:

We are then shown Ginji before he transforms into his woman form. Everything points to him not wanting to do it (ceremony), but he has to T_T

The transition of the next 3 characters makes it seem as if they are ONE:

1. Ginji’s woman form (Note: Same blue light as Ginji, also see episode 1)

2. Ranmaru’s other form:

3. ???

My guesses as to who this third ayakashi is:

• Ranmaru x Ginji form? (Note: It looks like Ginji’s woman form but in male, it has Ginji’s tails. He has a sword and so does Ranmaru, although it doesn’t seem to be the same sword)

• Another form of Ginji? (Note: Same as above.)

• Ginji’s woman form: Maybe I’m just blind and for some reason I thought it was male.
• A different ayakashi: Perhaps Ginji and Ranmaru are necessary to perform the ceremony and awaken this ayakashi. 

Evidence that suggests it’s a Ginji x Ranmaru form:

LN Cover Vol. 5 (Note: What appears to be Ginji’s woman form and what she is holding: Suzu? bells. The hilt and ribbon looks like the same one from the sword that ayakashi in the OP has. Also has same clothes. Now look at Ranmaru and the item he is holding. So if Ginji & Ranmaru were to combine, it would also make sense that their items combine. Sword x Ribbon lol)

Jacket Illust. for the new opening. If after all the evidence you’re still not convinced that the woman is Ginji then take a look at this and then at the cover for the LN above. Look at the items they’re holding:

Here’s what we know:

• Ginji has 9 forms, and we’ve only seen 4. His power/aura/flame is blue
• Ginji & Ranmaru know each other since childhood. (Childhood Friends?)
• There’s a curse in the Southern Land(?)
• The ceremony is important
• It seems the presence of Ginji is necessary for the “ceremony”. Ginji said the only reason he returned was because of that.
• There was an agreement that Ginji would return to Orio-ya after working for 50 years at Tenjin-ya
• Oodanna & Ginji made a promise

Perhaps because of the curse Ginji and Ranmaru are bound to the land and their duty is to perform the ceremony. It would explain why Ginji had to go back to Orio-ya. Why does Ginji look so sad about the whole thing, though? The other time I’ve seen him make that expression is when the topic about that ayakashi that helped Aoi is brought up. If Ginji was that ayakashi, was it bad that he helped her? That ayakashi told Aoi, “We will certainly meet again when you become an adult.” That ayakashi helped her because he was kind and not because he had ulterior motives, right? Maybe by helping Aoi he put her in danger and might be connected to this ceremony. Could this be related to his reason to agree to work at Tenjin-ya specifically for 50 years and the promise he made with Oodanna?

I’ve also thought about the possibility that the ayakashi that helped Aoi was the 3rd ayakashi shown in the OP aka the Ginji x Ranmaru form BUT this one is highly unlikely tbh. lol

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Feel free to share your thoughts below.

Please note: I have not read the manga or novel, I have only watched up to ep. 15 of the anime. Be considerate of others when commenting. Please use *spoilers* if you’re going to discuss anything beyond the episodes that have aired. I will warn you, but I’m not that patient: Failure to comply will get you blocked on the spot.