Ho Yay / Durarara!!

WARNING! The examples below may include spoilers for the Light Novels and those still in Season 1. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!

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Examples

General

• Shizaya. Erika is a fan, if only to be refuted by everyone else's horror. There's also Mikado/Kida (Heterosexual Life-Partners if we remember the point that Kida was practically begging for Mikado to come and stay with him), Shizuo/Tom (Tom is the only one who can keep Shizuo calm), Shizuo/Kasuka, Izaya/Kida (though to Izaya, Kida is merely a sacrificial piece that he thinks of as a little brother), Izaya/Mikado (Izaya developed an interest in Mikado, the founder of the Dollars, and likes getting too up into the guy's space), Shizuo/Dotachin, etc...
• On the girls side, there is a bit between Anri and Mika, and Anri's feelings towards Celty are very crush-like. Celty also tends to have girls who (apparently) believe her to be a man and swoon over her. There's also Mairu, one of Izaya's younger twin sisters, who's willing to take a girl if she applies (since the spot for a guy in both the sisters' heart is taken up by one Heiwajima Kasuka, in a Fangirl kind of way).
• Izaya telling that one female bully how he'd love to make her his girlfriend but she's "so not his type" can take an entirely different meaning.

Shizuo/Izaya or Izaya/Shizuo (Shizaya)

• Interestingly, in the anime, when Erika brought up Shizaya, the reaction of Shinra, who had known both the longest, is of note. He actually started to consider it seriously with a thoughtful expression on his face before Celty, in her horror, made him stop.
• To just touch on the Shizuo/Izaya subject with regards to adaptation differences. The ship is undeniably intensely popular, and often a flamewar topic in and of itself, but a lot of the popularity and serious fanworks of it come from the anime, and for not completely insensible reasons. In the anime, Izaya and Shizuo do have a hate-obsession relationship, with Izaya playing mind games with Shizuo, the clashes of intense violence, the hate-at-first-sight beginning etc. If you look at it in a certain way, yes, you can read a lot of subtext into their relationship, and with a little Alternate Character Interpretation you can make things even worse. However the same cannot be said in such a literal way for the light novel. In the light novel they don't go looking to fight each other as much, tending to deliberately stay out of each others' way, Izaya mainly tries to ignore Shizuo and kill him from afar without getting personally involved, and their relationship tends to look more like plain loathing. Both anime and novel are of course similar, and you can read the same relationship from both but you often find people arguing on the differences, and this is one of those cases where the adaptation changes the relationship dynamic enough to make it... interpretable in different ways. This should be kept in mind by anyone wanting to go out and participate in any Shipping wars!!
• The PSP game adds quite a bit of Ho Yay, as Izaya gets kidnapped and suffers from amnesia, resulting in him forgetting the mutual hatred between him and Shizuo. Shizuo rescues him and carries him bridal style and the game presents that their relationship is a bit of Will They or Won't They?.
  • The dialogue of this scene can be translated as:
  Izaya:Ahh... I've forgotten everything else, but I feel like I've seen your face before... To feel so at ease just from you holding me... Surely you were really close to me...
  Shizuo: You don't need to remember the past. Forget everything, including today. If you remember... I won't be able to love you anymore.

Izaya/Mikado

• To expand on Izaya and Mikado, beyond the fact Izaya doesn't touch anyone else in the anime quite as much: they had Meet Cute, with Mikado marveling and blushing at Izaya's presence and Izaya there specifically to meet Mikado WHO he has known for a good while online as he's the one that invited Mikado into the chatroom.
• There are a few instances where Izaya flirts with/teases Mikado in the chatroom. He is writing as Kanra, so there's the possibility it's just joking, but you never know.
• Safe to say, Mikado's and Izaya's relationship is much more prominent and focused into in the light novels. Most of the scenes with them are either cut out or edited in anime, with Izaya showing...suspicious fascination towards the boy and Mikado trusting him much more so than in the anime.
  • After beating up the boyfriend of the female bully who wanted revenge for Izaya stomping her cellphone, Izaya states how he'd been waiting outside of the school's gate for Mikado in order to talk to him again, as he thought finding Mikado's address, and breaking into his apartment would be rude. Mikado's worried about why Izaya keeps looking for him, concerned Izaya may already know his identity as the secret founder of The Dollars, yet still lets Izaya follow him home and shows absolutely no suspicion when Izaya says they can talk about their business later once they get there.
  • In the light novel/manga Izaya finds Mikado after the Dollars first meeting and after an existential crisis lecture, openly admits to Mikado that he's been watching Mikado over the internet this entire time. Mikado's more shocked over who Izaya is online rather than that admission.
• Despite having only met in person earlier that day, Izaya already has an entry for Mikado in his PDA. In the manga Izaya repeats "I love people!!! That's why they should love me in return. Don't you think Mikado-kun?" while looking at a picture of Mikado he took on his phone. Meanwhile, in the anime he's skipping along while checking out the various information he has on Mikado already.
• Just the fact how interested Izaya is in Mikado, how he keeps following him around, wanting to know more about him and gathering information about the boy. He even takes an offer from Akabayashi to investigate Mikado's current life down to the "last detail", all while smiling.
• Izaya loves humanity. In the light novels, Izaya thinks that Mikado is "humanity itself!". Add his and Mikado's mutual fascination with one another to that, and it's an obvious match.
  Izaya: As expected, he is interesting! He's the best, that kid! Ryuugamine Mikado-kun. I am respecting you and am a bit surprised. You are one of the best puppets that I have seen in my life. You are humanity itself! Aa, although I've had a feeling since a long time ago, my instinct wasn't wrong! Good, that's right, you are a human. You especially are human, Ryuugamine Mikado-kun!
  • Izaya and Mikado speak to each other later on the phone, with Izaya getting really excited because of Mikado's dark side. And he even continues to be excited about it into the next novel!
• As an addition to Mikado marveling Izaya's presence in the novels, he is shown to trust Izaya, hasn't gotten angry with him even after all the bad things Izaya caused for him, and even thinks that he is a good person. The last one is even a running gag in the Minidura spin-off manga (To Izaya's discomfort). There's when Mikado tells him about his feelings regarding Dollars and Blue square, while adding that at least there's Orihara-san who knows that. And when Mikado returns to chatroom in the later chapters of the light novel, the first person he writes in private is Izaya, saying that he is the way he is because of himself, and not because of others, and because he wanted to make sure that there is at least someone who knows that (aka Izaya). Not Kida, not Anri, not Celty, but Izaya.
• Just the whole third episode of Ketsu.
• In the sixth episode of Ketsu, Izaya talking to Mikage and Kine about Mikado. He is shown to be more excited than usual, and Mikage even says that Izaya's acting like "a kid the day before a field trip" in which Izaya replies that he thinks he is doing good job in maintaining his composure despite all of this. Then Izaya explains that Mikado has exceeded even "his wildest expectations". He won't use Mikado as his pawn anymore, and that he'd be fine with it if Mikado decides to use him instead. This is already questionable, but then you remember in the light novel, when Izaya met Aoba in the past, he told Aoba that he wants his special someone to be his sadist, and how he wouldn't mind being used by a better manipulator than himself, and that he would admire that person....
  • When Izaya is asked who is the human that has impressed him the most lately, he says that every human equally, but especially Mikado, and that he respects him greatly.
  • In the light novel it's said Izaya eyes were "gleaming wickedly" witnessing Mikado reveal his identity as the founder of the Dollars. After Mikado requests Celty and Izaya's short assistance as "the pawns are in the palm of [his] hand", Izaya say one thing: "Jackpot". Celty notes she's never seen Izaya as excited now as he's ever been before. Izaya gives Mikado Namie's number for free "out of respect" and advises since the Dollars are Mikado's organization, he use them however he sees fit. This coming from the man responsible for making it so huge in the first place.
  • Some parts that were cut out from the anime, mention that Mikado is Izaya's favorite object to observe, and that "Izaya is generally happy" when talking about him, and that Mikado's name is often heard from Izaya's mouth. There's also Kine's line to Izaya; "You like to break things important to you easily. That young boy named Ryuugamine too."
  • In hindsight, Durarara can largely become a story of Izaya searching for a person to become his "special someone". After failing his initial attempt with Kida, discovers someone with a similar mindset to his own in Mikado (loves all humanity vs all members accepted) and starts expanding the Dollars.
• Mikado's first impression about Izaya (light novel-only) says it all.
  It was a very pleasant voice, crisp and clear and vibrant, as though hailed by the pure blue sky itself. Mikado turned and saw a young man with an equally pleasant face. He looked soft and gentle, but with a bold, intrepid edge - a perfect materialization of some ideal of handsomeness. The man looked at Mikado and for an instant, their eyes met. Normally, Mikado would look away shyly, but this time he couldn't tear his eyes away. He felt as though if he broke that contact, his entire existence would be denied, negated. Mikado didn't know why he felt this way - the man's gaze simply held him in place with its breathtaking sharpness.
• The manga is filled with Ho yay between Izaya and Mikado. Mikado is seen blushing◊ when he meets Izaya for the first time and Izaya is even more◊ touch-feely◊ with Mikado than in the light novel/anime. Also their meeting scene◊ is shown as◊ much more dramatic than in the anime. And then there's this scene◊ from the RE;Dollars-hen manga..
  • This Troper is honestly surprised by how few people ship them considering the heaps of Ho Yay in the novels, plus the substantial bit the anime offers.

Izaya/Others

• In regards to Izaya/Kida: Kanra and Bakyura spend the majority of their time flaming each other on the chat boards, which Kanra jokes is because Bakyura's just totally Tsundere for her. Now add in the fact that Kanra is Izaya and Bakyura is Kida, and that they both know it...
• Izaya and Shinra seems to have something going on in middle school. I mean, Shinra took a knife for Izaya and Izaya's reaction is to extract revenge on the person that stabbed him, Nakura, and continue to to torment him well after they graduate. This is one of the few times that Izaya shows human behavior.
  • It could even be argued that Izaya became the way he is entirely due to having met Shinra. On Shinra's end, he seems to be the only person to have any real insight on what's going on in Izaya's head.
• Aoba and Izaya and their tug of war regarding their influence on Mikado. The mutual hate on both of their ends due to being too alike has some FoeYay to it. Add Mikado and it takes on a Threesome Subtext.
• Izaya admitting to Aoba that he's a masochist who is still looking for a special someone to be his sadist. He also states that he wouldn't mind being used by a better manipulator than himself and that he would admire that person due to their superior skill. Said person very well could be Jinnai Yodogiri, the main antagonist and ultimate manipulator of the whole Durarara!! series, whether or not Izaya had him in mind at the time of the converstation.
  • This is probably not the case, as Yodogiri is the one who sent Adabashi after Shinra, which basically means that Izaya will hate him for the rest of eternity.

Other Ho Yay

• Ho Yay between Shizuo and Tom, while not prominent in the anime, gets increasingly apparent the more their relationship gets focused on in the light novels. Tom, for example, is the only person allowed to ask about Shizuo's sex life without getting punched in the face (and the first person to ever tell Shizuo that he's pretty).
• Shinra doesn't consider regular asskickings a barrier to his friendship with Shizuo and fanboys him during his crazy rage fits.
• Mikado and Aoba. As soon as Aoba is introduced in the novel, he instantly latches onto Mikado. Then you realize he's the leader of Blue Squares and simply wants to control Mikado. When it seems like he'll get his wish, Mikado retaliates by stabbing him with a ballpoint pen (thus earning his title as Memetic Badass) and telling him that he stabbed him for involving Anri in his little game. Now the two are working together in the merged Dollars/Blue Squares group and seems to have taken Masomi's place in Mikado's life... almost completely.
• While Kadota and Chikage started off on the wrong foot due to an engineered misunderstanding between their gangs, once everything cleared up, they part on pretty bromantic terms. After hearing of the car accident involving Kadota, Chikage tries to pay him a visit in the hospital. Once he learns it was a hit-and-run, he puts his plans to get revenge on Ikebukuro on hold in order to find the guy who tried to kill Kadota.
  • It seems like Erika found another pair to ship in the light novel:
    Erika: You know, after your fight with that...Chikage guy? I saw some friendship budding there. Look, I'm just saying! From my perspective, that's some really juicy shipping material right there!

Les Yay

• Anri and Celty is a bit like a Pseudo-Romantic Friendship. The two share a connection due to their supernatural natures, and the normally shy Anri feels incredibly at ease with Celty and is able to talk quite openly with her. Whenever she's dealing with a lot on her mind, Anri usually confides to Celty.
  • In the manga, after Celty saves Anri from Niekawa's father, who was possessed by Saika, she blushes and invites Celty into her house for tea, which was absent from the anime.
  • After being chased around Ikebukuro by the Yellow Scarves and taken to the apartment Celty shared with Shinra, Anri wakes up dressed in Celty's pajamas. Celty assures Anri during a conversation despite how eccentric Shinra was, he was on her side. Anri expresses more of a surprise Celty lived with a man.
• Erika and Anri. After Erika discovers Anri is the wielder of Saika, she wastes no time in groping Anri and feeling all over her body to find that sword, all while Anri laughs because she's ticklish. Kadota ends up restraining her.
  • Moreover, when Anri first tries to spill the beans about Saika, Erika assumes that she's trying to blurt out a "yuri confession" and admits liking both boys and girls. And later she fantasises about becoming Anri's familiar if Anri were to stab her with Saika.
• Emilia seems awfully eager to dissect Celty, and later waxes poetic about the Dullahan's beautiful egg-white skin.
• After scaring the group of females bullies who vandalized her desk into pointing who their leader was, Mairu grabs the girl to take into the bathroom to have a chat. On their way out, she cheerfully claims she'd like for them to become really, really good friends. The light novel doesn't say exactly what went down, just that the girl doesn't return to class and the rag Mairu uses to try and wipe off her desk is the girl's bra.
• The not at all familial relationship between the Orihara sisters. While she kisses Aoba, it's mainly about getting an indirect kiss from Kururi, who'd just kissed him, that Mairu's excited about. Aoba's informed by Mairu that even if he and Kururi do start to date, he's going to be playing second fiddle next to her since Kururi belongs to her.
  • A heartbroken Mairu mourns the announcement of Yuuhei dating Ruri Hijiribe. As she further laments him being taken off the market, Kururi tries to comfort her with a kiss. Mairu cheers up in no time, celebrating just how glorious girls' lips are (implying Kururi isn't the only girl she's kissed)
• Celty enjoyed spending time with Ruri Hijiribe so much while transporting her home that she waived the fee for doing so, despite having recently lost a large amount of money.
  • As a bunch of motorcycle gangs are chasing after Celty for a ¥10,000,000 bounty out on her head. To repay Celty for the ride, a recently Heel–Face Turn reformed Ruri shows up to her rescue, dressed as what else but a headless knight?
• The 13th novel's narration refers to Mikage as "an opponent that could satisfy [Vorona's] years-long wish" during their fight, and makes it very clear that Vorona normally would have rejoiced to meet her. Mikage is even directly compared to Vorona's other fight-crush, Shizuo.