Daisuke/Ken

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Pairing
Pairing: Motomiya Daisuke / Ichijouji Ken
Alternative name(s): Daiken, Kensuke, Kaisuke, Kendai
Gender category: Slash, yaoi
Fandom: Digimon
Canonical?: No
Prevalence: Common
Archives:
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Daisuke/Ken is the slash or yaoi pairing of Motomiya Daisuke and Ichijouji Ken, known as Davis Motomiya and Ken Ichijouji in the American dub, two male characters from the second season of Digimon. This couple is also known as Daiken, Kensuke, and in specific occasions, Kaisuke.

Unfortunately, when GeoCities closed, many Daiken/Kensuke sites were lost.

Relationship in Canon

Daisuke originally sees Ken as his rival, as they play soccer in the same league. Unknown to Daisuke, Ken is the Digimon Kaiser (or Emperor, in the American dub by Saban Entertainment) and is the main enemy behind the attacks in the Digital World. When they finally meet in the Digital World, Daisuke literally unmasks Ken; from there, Daisuke makes it his goal to stop Ken. Daisuke is able to eventually redeem Ken and invites him to join as the final member of the Chosen Children.

Daisuke and Ken's love/hate relationship is open to subtextual interpretation.[1] In one scene in the American dub, Ken, as the Kaiser, tells Daisuke that watching him squirm is "so delicious."[2] Later in the season, Ken sleeps over Daisuke's house. As Jogress partners, the two boys combine their powers as Chosen Children and their Digimon join together into a single, more powerful Digimon.

Depictions in Fanworks

The popularity of the slash ship Taito from the first season might have carried over to the Daisuke/Ken pairing. Because the two pairings share many fans, fanworks featuring Daiken occasionally match Daisuke and Ken to Taichi and Yamato, respectively (either romantically, platonically, or symbolically); Daisuke and Ken are sometimes interpreted to be the next generation of Taichi and Yamato. Tropes found in Taichi/Yamato fanworks are also re-used in pieces of Daisuke/Ken fanfiction and fanart.

Although Daisuke and Ken are both in elementary school in the Japanese version of the show, for the American dub they, along with the rest of the cast, were aged up a few years and put into middle school. Because of this change, the English-speaking part of the Daisuke/Ken fandom typically creates fanworks set in the characters' adolescence. High School AUs were also popular. Generally, however, the characters are not returned to their ages in the Japanese version, possibly to avoid shota.

In the final episode of Digimon's second season, the characters are shown as adults with children of their own. Ken's canonical marriage to Inoue Miyako is often ignored by Daisuke/Ken fans.

Differences Between Daiken and Kensuke/Kaisuke

The term Daiken indicates that Daisuke is the dominant member of the relationship; however, some fans don't subscribe to the dom/sub relationship and simply use the terms Daiken or Kensuke to show that their fanwork features the two boys as a couple.

Daiken stories featuring Daisuke as the dominant (or seme) often rely on the weepy uke trope. Ken's tragic backstory, including the loss of his brother and emotional distance from his parents, can be used in these fanworks. Conversely, Kensuke features Ken as the dominant member and Daisuke as the uke. Kaisuke fanworks feature Ken as the Kaiser in the role of the dominant. The Kaiser version of Ken is often more cruel and abusive; these fanworks tend to be darker than other Kensuke stories or art, and sometimes feature tropes such as noncon and dub-con.

Example Fanworks

Fanfiction

Banners

  • A banner for fans of Daisuke/Ken to put on their website.[3]

    A banner for fans of Daisuke/Ken to put on their website.[3]

  • Another banner for fans of Daisuke/Ken to put on their website.[3]

    Another banner for fans of Daisuke/Ken to put on their website.[3]

  • A banner made with icons that were originally popular on Japanese fansites.[3]

    A banner made with icons that were originally popular on Japanese fansites.[3]

  • Another example of a banner for supporters of Daisuke/Ken.[4]

    Another example of a banner for supporters of Daisuke/Ken.[4]

Doujinshi

The Daisuke/Ken pairing was popular in Digimon doujinshi and can still be purchased in Japan or through auction sites or specialty sites, or through communities on Livejournal. A list of Daisuke/Ken doujinshi is currently being compiled.

Resources

Livejournal Communities

Shrines

References

  1. ^ Ship Manifesto: Daisuke/Ken. Retrieved 2010-March-09.
  2. ^ Ken's Secret/The Digimon Kaiser's Loneliness. Retrieved 2010-March-09.
  3. ^ a b c DigiBanners. Retrieved 9/11/2014.
  4. ^ i want you // a digicouples shrine. Retrieved 9/11/2014.
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