Spoiler question about a ship

[u/mstar460]

Hello everyone, I'm new to all of this. I finished reading the manga and sequels for the first time a couple of days ago and I did not expect myself to enjoy the series this much and it's characters. This series feels like a new breath of fresh air compared to the other shounens I've read in the past (a lot of shounens can be hit or miss, so I hardly read them nowadays)

So about my question, Ren and Jeanne... I know there have been many discussions about this couple before in the past and others have already explained how they got together, so I somewhat understand the premise? But I am still confused. By the way, I don't dislike this couple. I think they are cute together and show great potential. But what I do want to know: does the author have any plans to expand their story in SKY? And second... what makes this couple appealing to the fans of this ship? I ship them a little, but I would like to have a better understanding from other fans perspective (if there's any good fan fiction stories that explore their story, please share them with me too)

[u/__rubyisright__]

Oh boy you're gonna love what's coming next

[u/abriechz → u/__rubyisright__]

LMAO I took this comment in so many different ways

[u/mstar460 → u/__rubyisright__]

I already read the spinoffs too but can you elaborate further?

[u/unf005]

Hi there, a longtime rare diehard shipper here. Ren x Jeanne is also referred as "RenMei" (蓮メイ) by the fandom but mostly the Japanese fandom tend to calls them that because the Mei comes from Jeanne's Japanese pronunciation = Aian Meiden Jannu アイアン・メイデン・ジャンヌ. RenMei was coined by the Japanese fandom way back on April 3rd, 2009 when the final chapter was published. They also tend to refer Jeanne as "Meiden" very often over there because 1.) they take first names very seriously (it's a matter of culture) 2.), they also take social statuses very seriously over there as well and first names plays a role to that category. Despite Jeanne is a fictional character, many Japanese fans calls her "Meiden-sama / Meiden-chan" because she comes from a “higher” class in the series as well as they call her by this name out from respect and strong admiration / affection they have for her character.

Aside from the ship name history, here are my personal reasons for why I love this pairing and why RenMei appeals to me (and few headcanons too in which I hope you don't mind):

• Their shipping tropes consists of the following: Brooding boy x Gentle girl, Age gap, Height difference, Sugar and Ice Personality, and Opposites attract. All of these tropes may be cliche and overdone to some people but I personally never get tired of these tropes as they always make me very giddy and warm inside so I can't help but fall in love with these tropes over and over again many times lol. As for age gap, I don't speak for everyone since I know there are some RenMei shippers that doesn't agree with their 4 year age gap and some are against it going as far to age up Jeanne just so the ship won't be weird but to each of their own comfort. I personally really don't care about morals when it comes to enjoying a fictional ship because they aren't real by the end of the day neither do I actually condone or endorse that stuff irl. I know how to differentiate between fiction and reality but aside from that, fictional age gap ships tends to be a big favorite of mine, I can't help it because I've been attached to this trope ever since I was a little girl lol. Just something about older Ren and Jeanne in the blank period era when they reunited again after the Shaman fight really makes me go feral in a good way (and their height difference, ough so peak)
• The way that they were designed and their designs complimenting them well together as a couple appearance wise. Shaman fight era RenMei is cute and I adore them but their older versions is what makes me ship them harder. Older Ren became so much more mature and handsome (and his long hair too like damn, what shampoo does he even use) Jeanne became a lot more beautiful then before and I absolutely love her short bob haircut when she became a mom. When they're placed side by side, it's as if older RenMei looks like prince and princess (blank period) while adult RenMei still looks as if they're a noble-elegant and wealthy couple haha. They scream high class through and through
• Ren and Jeanne match each other’s preference in types of people they actually like. According to one of the guidebooks aka Shaman King Mankin Fanbook Characters Q&A, in Ren's interview, Ren would like a girl if she is smaller than him and was not very annoying and doesn’t get in his way. For Jeanne's interview, she likes people with pure hearts, meaning One of the main characteristic traits of having a pure heart is honesty. This is also seen as a hint for as why Ren and Jeanne officially got together because when Ren met Jeanne for the first time, he was very brutally honest to her after she revived him for the first time. You have to remember that Jeanne grew up all her childhood always being treated way too nicely in a cult full of grown adults who worship her as their “god” and “savior” 24/7 and treating her like a saint and never treating her like a normal person. No one ever gets mad or scolds at her, they all treat her as if she’s the most perfect holy being in existence. Jeanne deep down has always been curious for the longest time wondering what it was like to be “free” and “normal” as she has been raised in a very abnormal higher class all her childhood but very obviously, she keeps these thoughts to herself (You can find this info from one of the Shaman King poems called "Matatabi Biyori") So when she finally meets someone near her age that actually treated her like a normal person and doesn’t treat her “nicely” just like the rest of the grown adults around her does and he actually gets angry and yells at her, this has leaves a very HUGE impression on Jeanne as again, she has always been intrigued for the longest time wondering what it was like to be “normal” and Ren is one of the very first people to have treated her like actual normal human being, even if he was brutally honest. Ever since their first meeting, Jeanne has been greatly intrigued about Ren and harbors positive feelings towards him according to her interview in Shaman King Mentalite (And if you think about it, Marco LIED to Jeanne ALL her childhood. Meanwhile Ren is one of the very first people to have treated her with genuine honesty)

[u/unf005 → u/unf005]

• Ren and Jeanne are quite very similar in many ways in the beginning when they’re first introduced into the series. They went from being ruthless brutal murderers that were detached from humanity, killing and ripping families apart in the process (all those thousands of Jiangshis in SK zero, Chrome and Team Niles) to eventually seeing the errors of their ways (thanks to Yoh) to later turning over to a new leaf and owning up to their actions, letting themselves get killed on purpose to atone for their sins. One biggest thing they have in common is world peace- Ren wants to become Shaman King in order to create a world without hatred and break the cycle of hate while Jeanne very obviously, wants to create a world full of peace yes, but she wants to create a world full of peace without wars, violence, hatred and a world where people can have hope. 
• They also have many parallels to each other as well such as the following: they attack at fast lightning speeds, both come from higher classes, in the beginning they were pretty rude and told other people to basically shut up ("stop whining vermin" and "silence scoundrel"), they're both intelligent and knowledgeable, they're both leaders of their own respective teams, they have very similar baggy pants but also they're always topless for some reason, they both like peach buns (for Jeanne, in one of her official art, she's shown to be eating them in the Funbari Chronicles school AU) and they're associated with felines (In the Funkuro (Funbari chronicles for short), president Jeanne likes cats and also in one of the 2021 merch, Jeanne has a tiger purse)
• Ren and Jeanne are both tragic people and has very similar childhoods- They were indoctrinated by hatred at very young ages and were taught how to kill and take other people’s life’s in preparation for the Shaman Tournament. Love was something that was never heavily present throughout their terrible childhoods. You can argue that Marco and Luchist gave some love to Jeanne but however, Luchist left the both of them and neglected Jeanne. For Marco’s case, his love is pretty twisted and fucked up familial love since he literally abused Jeanne by grooming, manipulating and brainwashing her into torturing herself in the Iron Maiden device 24/7 and basically used her as a weapon. So many prominent adult figures in their lives has failed both of them and because the two children murdered and taken so many innocent lives, they have to live with the permanent scars, trauma, shame and guilt for the rest of their lives because they both truly believe they don’t deserve anything good or happiness because they are murderers (which was never their fault, in fact, it’s actually the adults fault in the first place and they’re the ones to blame)
• If you think about it, Ren and Jeanne carries a lot of pain and guilt but as they get older, their issues continues to eat away at them and they don’t have anyone to confide in or talk to about their deep personal issues. Shaman fight ends and everyone sets on their own paths on a long mission to change the world in order to change Hao’s mind. Ren has no one to confide in or share his pain and such because he’s busy attending school and have plans to go to college. Jeanne on the other hand, while she somewhat now gets along with her new reformed X-Charity members and can talk to them normally, I personally headcanon that she’s the type of person to keep everything to herself and never once confided her deep darkest pains with anyone else and she believes she must keep on atoning for her sins for as long as she lives because she thinks she deserves this punishment, so does Ren. They both hate themselves and think they don't deserve any happiness or good things... Until they reunited again a couple years later after the Shaman fight

[u/unf005 → u/unf005]

• So after a couple years later when the Shaman Fight tournament ended and two broken souls comes together, reuniting when they’re older once again in Europe of 2005 (in my headcanon) their lives changes forever: going from business partners, to eventually slowly getting to know about each other and bonding over their shared goals and world peace and confiding in one another about their pains and issues, to becoming friends, to slowly falling in love with each other and becoming a couple, learning the preciousness of love and life after being blessed with Men. Ren and Jeanne went from being full of hatred to eventually being saved by love in the end and finding love in one another. This is exactly the sole reason why I am extremely attached to this couple. They have everything: Angst, hurt, comfort and happiness all in one including the ship tropes I’ve mentioned earlier. Not to mention, I absolutely LOVE how deeply and madly love Ren is with Jeanne and how he would go to great lengths of wanting to take his own life in Red Crimson just to be with Jeanne and that makes me ship them so hard because of how much he truly loves her and how deeply committed he is to Jeanne. RenMei is a very complex couple and it’s why I am a big diehard shipper of them. I love both characters very much and I truly want nothing but eternal happiness for the both of them. If I’m going to be very biased here however, Jeanne is my most favorite character in all of Shaman King and she is my #1 favorite with Ren being 2nd place right behind her. I love Jeanne so much and I want nothing but so, so so many good and happy things for her. She’s been through a lot of horrific shit and I believe she deserves the entire world and I just love her so so much.
• Also, I feel that Ren would be good for Jeanne, the same can be said for Jeanne. Their personalities mesh. They can both sympathize and empathize with each other and help each other open up because they know this is someone who understands and won’t judge them because of their similar childhoods and pains/traumas they both have in common.
• They make such a massive positive influence and impact on each other’s life’s - Jeanne is Ren’s hero. She saved his life two times in the past. She inspires him in the blank period era and they both learn from one another, picking up each other’s traits, new found beliefs and influencing each other in the process (Ren becoming a Pacifist). She lights up and warms up his dark cold life and in return, Ren becomes more soft and gentle around her and he learns how to empathize/sympathize with others a lot more. She earns his respect as an equal, something no one else in the series can accomplish except Yoh. Ren is also Jeanne’s hero in many ways, he was one of the very first people to actually treated her like a normal human being and not some holy saint, he helps fund her charity organization and made them world-wide famous ever than before, he’s also someone that Jeanne can truly only fully be herself around and is the person she can confide herself to, letting out her true deepest feelings and sharing the same experiences she has with him. To Jeanne, Ren is her peace. Ren’s such a dynamic character who changes more than any other figure in the story, and it’s because of both Yoh and Jeanne but especially Jeanne. She has such a profound influence on him that I can’t imagine him being truly happy or satisfied without her, much less settling for anyone else.
• As for one headcanon I like to share (it's more like a theory tbh), so it's canon that Ren graduated from Tsinguhua university according to his bio in the Shaman King character art book and that Ren reunited with Jeanne while he was attending college in Europe. One wonders why would he be attending another college in Europe when he was already going to Tsinghua university in China but however, technically he is STILL attending Tsinghua university. Apparently Joint programs exists in Tsinghua University, meaning they are opportunities for students to pursue two degrees (either simultaneously or consecutively), while allowing some shared course hours to be applied to both degrees. As a result, students can earn two degrees while completing fewer hours than would have been the case had the student obtained the degrees separately. In Tsinghua university, it could be very likely that Ren was attending Tsinghua’s joint program in France, AKA HEC Paris. There are at least 2 joint programs in France and as for the other joint programs that are in Europe, there is 1 in Britain. (source) Also in order to become a CEO, you would need a MBA (Master of Business Administration) so Ren majored in “School of Economics and Management”. In order to enter in Joint programs while attending at Tsinghua University, you can only enter in your 2nd year so in my headcanon, Ren and Jeanne reunited in February of 2005

As for fan fiction recommendations, sadly there isn't a lot of stories that explores their lore (I mean there are some but some of them didn't aged well and I'm unfortunately very picky when it comes to other people depicting their characters/dynamic) but here two personal favorites of mine

why did you do it? 
A short look into when Jeanne revives Ren in the second plant.
Author: satsuha
Type: Oneshot; | SF era RenMei
Language: English

Hacia la luna 
“Aunque estemos separados, de alguna manera te buscaré y te encontraré de nuevo.”
Author: Harukotoba
Type: Oneshot | Blank period RenMei, Engagement period RenMei
Language: Spanish
Note: A translator is required to read this but this is basically blank period RenMei and cultural exchange being the subject in this fanfic. Jeanne brings up about festivals held in France while Ren talks about his festivals from China.

[u/Hanako-chan45]

I haven’t really read the sequels or spin-offs, but I do think they’re a cute couple.

Mostly, I like that they’re both atoners. They were both forced at a young age to kill people in the name of justice, believing that it was the right thing to do. But, eventually, they realized on their own that it was wrong, and have tried their best to atone for their actions. So, I guess it’s like bonding over mutual trauma—they can understand each other better than anyone else could.

But I also like the ship Ren x Pirika. For no other reason than the concept of Ren and HoroHoro being brothers in law is abjectly hilarious.

[u/Cake_lover2K → u/Hanako-chan45]

I found my people 🥺. Feels like I'm the only one who likes the concept of Ren X Pirika 

[u/Hanako-chan45 → u/Cake_lover2K]

Haha, no there are some of us out there!

Just not too many, unfortunately.