Saying that Joker and Akechi is a “dumb ship” that “doesn’t make sense” honestly makes me so mad I could cry. I know it’s cringy, but shuake literally changed my perspective on love, and I’ve never cried more over a ship in my life. Akechi always thought he was unworthy of friendship. He was jealous of Joker because Joker had real, meaningful bonds with others. Akechi just wanted to feel needed, to feel like he was worth something. Seeing someone like Joker—someone who had so many friends, so much power, and was genuinely needed by others—made Akechi envy him. He couldn't understand how someone like Joker could be “better” than him, and that jealousy turned into a desire to eliminate him. But, deep down, Akechi admitted that if they’d met under different circumstances, he and Joker could’ve been great friends.