Oshi no Ko Chapter 123 Leaks Suggest a Problematic Fan-Shipping Moment [SPOILERS]

The truth is out between Aqua and Ruby Hoshino in Oshi no Ko. In Chapter 122 we saw a raw, emotional confrontation between Aqua who, upon hearing Ruby bear her soul, eased her pain and helped bring her back from the brink. It’s been a difficult few chapters as Ruby reached into her tragic past, but seeing this moment as she comes to a head with her repressed feelings of abandonment was crucial to her character development. However, as leaks of Oshi no Ko Chapter 123 start to surface, there is a moment that, while appealing for fan-shipping readers, is problematic. Spoiler warning!

Oshi no Ko Chapter 123 Leaks Suggest New Development for Ruby and Aqua

While leaks should always be taken with a grain of salt, the ones surfacing for Oshi no Ko Chapter 123 suggest that Ruby is heavily implying she and Aqua should get married. While we’re not here to judge this decision, as her affection was genuine in her previous life as it is in the present, there are several factors that people might take issue with here:

• In their previous life, Ruby was Sarina, a child, and patient at Aqua’s hospital, where he worked as Gorou in his previous life, a 30-year-old doctor.
• In their present life, Aqua and Ruby are siblings.

Moving past these points, the truth is that the leaks lack the panels and are solely text. This means no visual context, relying on the description of the scenes to fill in the blanks, such as with silent blushing at the suggestion of getting married, and thus could mean any number of things.

Related: Star Eyes in Oshi no Ko: Why Do Some Characters’ Eyes Have Bright or Dark Stars?

But what’s potentially more interesting is the language used in this. Granted, it’s likely a hasty fan translation, but the use of the term “the child you pushed” (supported) about Gorou supporting Sarina’s hopes to become an idol leads back to even the simple meaning of the series itself.

Beyond the dark revenge tale of Aqua and Ruby wanting to catch their mother’s murderer, the literal translation of Oshi no Ko means “to push” or “support” with Ko potentially meant to be “child” and has been something the characters have done for each other since the start.

Sarina has been around for the entire series and in her current life, Aqua continues to support her even while carrying out his agenda. The implied incestuous bond is a pretty played-out trope in anime, but Aqua’s support of Ruby, especially at this moment where they bear their truths to one another, is more important. Aqua once again supports her when she is ready to stop believing in herself entirely.

UPDATE: Oshi no Ko Chapter 123 Manga Page Scans Surface Among New Leaks

From what appear to be leaked pages from Weekly Young Jump we seem to get more confirmation that Ruby is ready to throw caution to the wind. While this again could simply be bait to generate buzz for Chapter 124 (if so, well played) fans were quick to whip out the proverbial dueling banjos. Below are some of the tweeted leaks from Oshi no Ko Chapter 123:

This makes it harder to doubt the authenticity of the leaks, especially with this tweet of the closing panel:

Naturally, there will need to be greater developments in Chapter 124 to see what Aqua’s stance is on the matter. This is a tender, emotionally intense moment for Ruby, so it will need to be handled delicately. But not too delicately, as fans have already taken to speculating how this would result in a mobius strip in the form of their reincarnated family tree.

While the leaks for Oshi no Ko Chapter 123 may carry disturbing incestuous undertones while still being potential bait by the mangaka, they do play nicely into the spirit of the series.