The Princess Ruri that we know is in fact a boy in real life! Many people, including Akane, may have been initially confused about whether Ruri is a girl or not due to the feminine avatar and game name, which is understandable given the circumstances. However, in chapter 10, when the members of the Chocolate Rabbit Guild met in person in the real anime world, it was revealed that Ruri was actually male. For more details on this juicy revelation, continue reading below, but be aware that spoilers may be present!
In What Chapter Did Princess Ruri First Appear?
Chapter 3 or episode 2 of Yamada-kun to Lv999 no Koi wo Suru (English translation: Loving Yamada at Lv999!) Princess Ruri-chan is initially introduced as the guild master of the Chocolate Rabbit Guild when Akane is searching for Yamada in the game. The manga lists all the members of the guild, including:
- ilovemeat
- Yamada
- matchapuda
- takezo
- rurisub
- ema
– all have cute code names. But, going back to the story, Ruri expresses her willingness to listen to Akane and encourages her to rely on her as the guild master. Ruri’s kindness touches Akane, and she assumes that Ruri is a girl. As a result, she confides in Ruri about her lost necklace and her suspicion that Yamada may have it. Akane’s boyfriend recently dumped her, and she shared this news with Ruri as well.
Is Princess Ruri and Yamada, Dating?
In chapter 7 of the manga and episode 3 of the anime, when Akane and Momo were out together, Ruri messaged Akane. Akane then introduced Princess Ruri-chan to Momo as her online game friend. Momo complimented Ruri’s cute avatar and asked if Ruri is a girl. Akane, already convinced that Ruri is a girl, responded with a simple “Yup.” Momo then joked, asking if Ruri is actually an old man. Akane, with an honest expression, responded confidently that she believes Ruri is a girl.
Eventually, Akane comes across a girl dressed in Lolita fashion and remarks that she resembles Ruri’s avatar. Later on, Akane returns home and promptly starts playing FOS, entering the guild’s base where she observes the avatars of Yamada and Ruri conversing with each other. The two players do not notice Akane as she observes their chat.
Ruri reminisces about how he established the guild and expresses how much he misses playing with Yamada every day. Ruri then suggests that it’s nice to have some alone time with Yamada, stating that “with everyone here, my time with you lessened, and I was a bit sad too.” Yamada responds by saying that sometimes things are easier when it’s just the two of them, causing Akane to freeze and assume that they are dating. However, the moment between the two was cut off when Yamada reveals that Akane is present and that he knew she was already logged in. Ruri greets Akane warmly with cute emoticons.
As Yamada logs out and bids farewell, Ruri responds with “Okay, I’ll call you later” and Yamada agrees with a simple “Okay.” This exchange leaves Akane feeling bewildered, as she has observed that Yamada rarely interacts with others but seems to talk to Princess Ruri often. She speaks to herself with a sad tone, considering the possibility that Yamada and Ruri may be dating.
In the following panels of the manga, Ruri sends Yamada a message saying “Good job! Later” with heart and bunny emojis. Yamada responds with a simple “Okay. Later.” This further fuels the speculation among fans that Yamada and Ruri may be dating.
Read more: My Love Story With Yamada-kun at Lv999 Reveals Main PV, More Cast, and Theme Song Artists
Akane Is Jealous of Princess Ruri
In chapter 8, Akane becomes curious about the relationship between Yamada and Ruri and even finds herself feeling jealous of Princess Ruri. She contemplates stalking Yamada on Twitter to see if he has ever been in a relationship before but ultimately decides against it, as she feels that it would be an invasion of his privacy.
While waiting at the train station, Akane sees the girl she had previously spotted wearing a Lolita outfit again, but this time she is with Yamada, and Akane observes her holding onto his arm. Akane starts to overthink how cool Yamada is and imagines that he probably had many girlfriends in the past, but she can’t understand why she is feeling upset about it.
That night, feeling down, Akane receives a message from Ruri asking if she is available for the FOS cafe collaboration next month. Ruri even mentions that he bumped into Yamada in real life and will invite him as well. Akane ponders on the phrase “real life” and starts to think that Princess Ruri-chan might be the girl she saw with Yamada at the train station, leading her to assume that they are together. Despite feeling jealous, Akane agrees to go to the cafe with Ruri.
Akane Meets the Chocolate Rabbit Guild Members for the First Time
In chapter 9, while Akane is checking out the cafe, she accidentally bumps into a tall guy with short straight hair and glasses. He asks if she plays FOS and starts to chat with her, overwhelming Akane with his talkative personality.
The guy offers to show Akane the way to the cafe, but Akane seems disinterested in his talk until he asks for her opinion on FOS. Akane admits that she’s still a beginner and doesn’t know much about the game compared to others. She also shares that she was scolded recently for putting “trash” in the guild storage, but the guild master was kind to her, making her fond of her current guild. Akane smiles, and the guy smiles softly in response to her statement.
At this point, fans of the manga may have realized that the guy Akane is speaking to is actually Princess Ruri because he smiled in response to Akane’s statement about the guild master, not to mention his cheerful demeanor very much resembles Princess Ruri’s personality.
While strolling, Akane catches a glimpse of the guild members outside the cafe. The girl dressed in a Lolita outfit suddenly appears, causing Akane to exclaim “Princess Ruri-chan!” she rushes towards them, disregarding the guy who had brought her to the cafe.
The girl whom Akane assumes to be Princess Ruri-chan is holding onto Yamada’s shoulder tightly, but Akane doesn’t seem to mind as she greets the girl, saying “You’re Princess Ruri-chan, right? Nice to meet you.” Akane goes on to thank her, but the girl just stares blankly at her. Akane starts to notice how different the girl seems from her game persona. Suddenly, the girl speaks up and asks, “Hey Eita, who is this?” The guy with the glasses replies, “Probably Akane-chi, right?”
Princess Ruri Is a Man
In chapter 10, the guild finally gathers together and got their table in the cafe. Akane is still assuming that the girl is Princess Ruri so she wonders about the identities of the other two men at the table with them, as there are five people in total, and she only knows Yamada and “Princess Ruri-chan.” As a result, Akane asks the girl who the two men are, to which she replies that they are Kamota and Eita. The girl also adds that her character is not Princess Ruri. This shocks Akane, and she continues to insist that the girl is Princess Ruri. However, as the truth sinks in, Akane starts to wonder where Princess Ruri-chan is.
Yamada interjects and suggests that everyone should introduce themselves before ordering food. This reveals that the guy with glasses is actually Princess Ruri-chan, who is Eita, a 19-year-old man whose hobby is playing online games. This news leaves Akane feeling stunned as her mental image of Princess Ruri-chan was a cute bunny with adorable clothing, and now she learns that he is actually a man.
Akane assumes that Eita is a “Nekama,” which refers to a male who dresses as a female and uses anonymity to conceal their appearance and identity on social networks.
Eita responds by saying, “You are absolutely wrong,” and explains that he is a muse who appeared in the online world and is compelled to work by a single gear. In other words, he is similar to yet different from Princess Ruri. As this realization sinks in, Akane starts to lash out at Ruri, mentioning how she shared her personal information and even opened up about her broken heart to him, but is interrupted by the introductions of Takezo, Runa, and Yamada.
In the chapter, Runa, the girl whom Akane mistook for Ruri-chan, reveals that she is actually Eita’s younger sister and the model for Ruri-chan’s appearance in the game. Akane also confides in Yamada about her suspicion that Eita and Ruri-chan were flirting during their conversation in FOS. Yamada clarifies that Eita is someone he knows from his hometown and is his “senpai,” which can be defined as someone older than you, someone you look up to, a mentor, a senior, or an older person whom you admire.
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