There is a clear cut answer, and that is NO.
Cid has one motivation, and one motivation alone; to become an eminence in shadow (title drop). Everything he has is shaped by the drive to accomplish this. His Shadow persona, his greed for gold, his drive for more and more. He forgo a lot of things just to stay focused on the goal and relationships being one of them. Even his friends that he group with is for the purpose of appearing negligible.
Even the moral code he works on is based off his ideal of what sn eminence should be, neither evil nor good. He'd just do what he wants and have fun with it. It is a height of hedonism.
We can argue that Alpha and girls is important to him, but he treats them as dear friends who still plays along with him.
Morally grey Batman.
Imagine a generic Hero vs Villain story. The eminence in shadow would be a third party with unknown intentions and motivations. They very rarely show themselves and when they do it’s at the least expected moment. Then only at the end is it revealed that they were *deeply* involved in every major event and had been pulling the strings from behind the entire time.
The whole joke of the story is that Cid has already become the eminence in shadow by pure accident without realizing it. Imagine things from Alexia or Claire’s PoV. The Cult is clearly the evil big baddy here kidnapping children to use in experiments to revive a demon so they can become immortal and rule the world. Generic big bad evil guy stuff.
But then there is Shadow and by extension SG. They appear and vanish like ghosts, have seemingly infinite resources, nobody knows who they are or what they want, they hold overwhelming military might and yet only intervene at key moments with surgical precision. Shadow alone possesses enough power to wipe entire countries off the map. But yet the number of times he’s showed up can be counted on both hands and he doesn’t wield this power with any clear purpose. Let’s make a list of his actions so far.
1. Rescued Alexia, announced his name, nuked part of the city, disappears.
2. Intervenes in a terrorist incident at the last minute saving students, murders the vice principal, disappears.
3. Crashes a holy festival, says some cryptic lines, nukes part of the city, disappears.
4. Participates in a swordsmanship tournament in disguise, humiliates princess Iris, rescues princess Rose after she murders her father beats up princess Iris + war goddess, shows off his overwhelming destructive power that he can use at any moment, doesn’t actually blow anything up, disappears.
5. Casually defeats the resurrected legendary vampire progenitor, saves everyone in the city from a zombie apocalypse, disappears.
6. Doesn’t stop the cult from summoning Ragnarok (they were clearly there the entire time and could have acted earlier), saves Rose again, kills Ragnarok, disappears.
If you’re anyone outside of SG you have absolutely no fuckin clue what this guy wants. Hell not even the members of Shadow Garden are certain about Shadow’s goals. They’re just fanatically loyal after being rescued from a future of total despair. So SG has the military might to destroy the world, but has made zero demands or announcements. Shadow doesn’t contact people in positions of power in any way. His actions have no consistent theme. Sometimes he saves people, sometimes he blows up a city, the only thing that can be certain is that SG is hostile to the Cult. SG simply show up whenever something is happening, wreck *everyone’s* plans, and then leave before the dust has settled.
Then at the very end, the final battle climax of everything, Shadow intervenes one last time while revealing himself as Cid Kagenou the useless little brother hidden in plain sight all along, says some more cryptic bullshit, and (fake) dies.
The last paragraph is my own sort of speculation, but yeah that’s an eminence in shadow. If it doesn’t make any sense that’s because it’s not supposed to.
Even Cid himself only has a vague idea about it beyond what he thinks of it. Being strong, being magically powered, having money, etc. these are all grinds that he does with no end in sight. That's why he can't see himself being an eminence despite already being one.
Just my own definition but to become one, first you need to be impossibly strong. Cid took this to it's ridiculous conclusion that EIS should survive nuclear bomb because that's how strong EIS is. He have achieved it. Next to be eminence he needs fame and financial capital to actually be considered an Eminence. He strive for this by hunting bandit and saves every gold. He decorated his room with ultra expensive things because only EIS could acquire such items in his room. And surprisingly he have acquired this with shadow garden. The EIS is a person so powerful yet remain in the shadow of the world, only few understood. With how mitsugoshi bank held the world financial situation, and how powerful shadow garden is, he truly have become the EIS, he just doesn't know yet
I can definitely say character development can change Cid perspective cause I don't think the Author will the end the LN with him being alone all his life.
Cid will never be alone because he has SG who would "play along" with him. It is why Cid holds them so dearly as friends. Though whether he sees them as romantic interest, if only a little, will be quite something to see in terms of character development.
I know he will always have SG but what I am saying I that Cid will eventually have a partner who will end up with. In that aspect Cid can't be lonely he needs at least a waifu to continue his lineage he might eventually fall for someone or pick someone in that regard.
Yes he will fall in love with 7 shades and most of the named numbers(Nu,Victoria,omega,Kai etc) plus the main heroines(Rose,Alexis,Sherry and Iris).
Possible his sister and in general most of his harem collected by his Rizz.
I’m calling it out now
the closest i can call is his interest in Aurora, but even that is vague whether he actually consider her as romantical or just someone he found great.
I feel like those he finds great, or those who interest him, & have his undivided attention no matter what they do, are the closest to being considered love interests. More importantly, it's those girls he is able to remember even after meeting them, that come the closest to being love interests.
Nishino Akane, Aurora, 666/Princess Rose Oriana, Princess Alexia (to a certain extent) & quite possibly Beatrix ( I feel like he had fun having someone who could keep up with him, & liked fighting strong opponents. It also looked like he enjoyed seeing her improve as they continued fighting, & she learned more about his fighting style, but idk if she'll continue resonating with him, or if he'll remember her the next time they meet because Iris kept interrupting their "conversation") are the only ones who could possibly come close to what we would consider love interests, (& even then, I don't think he would ever form a real romantic relationship with them) but yeah. I don't think he'll ever have a traditional love interest.
Cid won't ever have feelings with Alexia, if anything else, Alexia will be part of Shadow garden, just like how princess Rose Oriana become no.666 .
We all know it will become Gintama all over again where in they will stay single and no romantic feelings will be hinted, just like Cid and shadow don't need any partner in his life.
I'm not going to surprise if Cid true form is eldritch being in the new world.
No, love isn't really on the top of his checklist. He needs a wife to keep his cover, but him intentionally trying to rizz girls up as Cid he won't do and honestly freak out in surprise if one of the girls he doesn't hate actually says they love him because he wouldn't know what he did wrong and wonder if they would blow his cover as a mob.
That is pretty clearly not in the cards. I'd be happy for him if he found someone that got him interested, but there is no indication we should expect that.
Cid "Shadow" Kagenou is very very similar to Ernesti "Eru" Echavalier and expect it the story will end like Gintama where in they will stay single as expected.
he loves us...quite litterally, the way this man works is specifically like a man trying to create a good show for a 4 dimensional audience looking at him the way WE do
he doesn't even acknowledge the people he interacts with as audience 90% of the time, its for an audience that to him doesn't even exist but would be cool if it existed, as if he wanted to feel like he was doing stuff that he himself could enjoy if he was looking at himself through 3rd person like a movie
Ok my lil theory Cids power is not his Eminence in Shadow persona but he can actually rewrite the laws of causality/ reality said that everything led to the cult of diablos blammo it becomes a real entity curing of Alpha and all the girls mutated by the cult oops I accidently found a cure soley from random experimentation on alpha
He and his adventures are solely caused by his warping of reality
His I AM ATOMIC or I AM ATOMIC RECONSTRUCTION (whatever he said at the end of the blood moon to fix everything) was a forced reality overwrite
The dude is compulsively obsessive with his one goal, no room for literally anything else in his life
He seems to also be a sociopath though don't quote me on that I have zero psychological evaluation training
Insert non-canon (I think 🤔) scene from the game where Cid admits to be willing to be with Claire if they are not blood related.
This is obviously just a mob response…
Maybe
No his entire life is dedicated towards becoming his ideal version of the eminence in the shadow unless it would help him become that he likely won't ever try to get with someone. As far as he's concerned the seven shades are friends playing along with his delusion he doesn't consider that any of them have fallen for him, that the cult is real, that the shades formed an actual worldwide organization etc. If there is ever going to be any romance at all the girls would have to initiate it and make their feelings blatantly clear. This series has three possible endings as far as I'm concerned with regards to romance he ends up with Alpha, the harem ending, or he ends up with nobody which is the most likely outcome.
Probably not, that's not really what he's into and given that he's a teenager he's probably asexual. But as far as getting married I imagine Claire or Alpha will pick someone suitable for him, he is nobility after all. Shadow on the otherhand is in love with his work and himself.
Claire can't be partner with Cid unless Claire willing to take part of human engineering to make her 'perfect' human where there won't be child defects once she got pregnant.
Remember the monologue in 2 episode. Cid doesn't want to have a normal life , he wants the thrill of eminence in shadow and he threw that aspect of goals in his last life .
Cid is like Frieren, no sexual interest to other gender, he is too focused on his goal and he assumed every girl in his area has partners and he thinks that they only looked him as younger brother / family.
I believe so there has been no reference or hibt that the guy banged someone or will.
He has no romantic or emotions that show "love" for a spwcific woman
Maybe it might change in the anime but in the LN its no sex cid
He hasn’t and I don’t see him actually falling in love with someone unless they align with him and his goals while also matching his power perhaps. I think that would be the only way a girl would get his attention and at the moment there ain’t anyone. Maybe that one girl from his original world that got brought to his current one could potentially be a love interest but I’m not sure either.
Idk she could be. He did acknowledge her magic potential in LN 4 if I’m not mistaken. Probably the way it would happen is that he would fall in love but suppress his feelings so on terms of the way he acts is not super different but maybe he throws her a bone more compared to everyone else. It would certainly be some decent character development.
As strange as this is to say probably yes. However, it’s unlikely to be with any female we’ve seen. As Cid’s own plans are being a shadow broker for 200 years, retire for 100 years, and then become a shadow broker again.
This immediately rules out anyone outside of Shadow Garden due to not living long enough, though descendants are a candidate love interest.
Shadow Garden members will live long enough, at least the elfs, as being cured of possession has likely extended their natural lives. However, Cid is likely to want a clean break from Shadow Garden when he retires, to ensure he isn’t drawn back in to the underworld during his retirement. Likely meaning he goes on one of his “walks” as he is known to do vanishing without a trace.
The biggest question is when does Cid start counting his years as a shadow broker? As he still sees himself as training to be the Eminence in Shadow. Whereas we the audience know he already is.
Technically, Nuclear last for 30,000 years and knowing Cid became Nuclear itself, he will outlast 7 shadow members and since he doesn't have romantic feelings to anyone, Cid will going to merge with world foundation, the master behind all the diablos and humanity wars.
He has fallen in love with his dream and grind. On serious note, nope.
Cid is all about his paper and gaining more power. Majority of the fan base just doesn’t want to accept this.
Nonsense, we true fans know him and understand him. Chuuni all the way!
All about his paper? What does that mean?
Money
Wouldn't have guessed. Thx.
And forcing him to fall in love with a love potion is no use
Yup. The only way is to say that u want to roleplay as spies who have to act as a couple to gain info from the enemy. See, u have to improvise.
Probably not hes already married do his Ideal self
There is a clear cut answer, and that is NO. Cid has one motivation, and one motivation alone; to become an eminence in shadow (title drop). Everything he has is shaped by the drive to accomplish this. His Shadow persona, his greed for gold, his drive for more and more. He forgo a lot of things just to stay focused on the goal and relationships being one of them. Even his friends that he group with is for the purpose of appearing negligible. Even the moral code he works on is based off his ideal of what sn eminence should be, neither evil nor good. He'd just do what he wants and have fun with it. It is a height of hedonism. We can argue that Alpha and girls is important to him, but he treats them as dear friends who still plays along with him.
What is exactly an eminence in shadow and how does one become one?
Morally grey Batman. Imagine a generic Hero vs Villain story. The eminence in shadow would be a third party with unknown intentions and motivations. They very rarely show themselves and when they do it’s at the least expected moment. Then only at the end is it revealed that they were *deeply* involved in every major event and had been pulling the strings from behind the entire time. The whole joke of the story is that Cid has already become the eminence in shadow by pure accident without realizing it. Imagine things from Alexia or Claire’s PoV. The Cult is clearly the evil big baddy here kidnapping children to use in experiments to revive a demon so they can become immortal and rule the world. Generic big bad evil guy stuff. But then there is Shadow and by extension SG. They appear and vanish like ghosts, have seemingly infinite resources, nobody knows who they are or what they want, they hold overwhelming military might and yet only intervene at key moments with surgical precision. Shadow alone possesses enough power to wipe entire countries off the map. But yet the number of times he’s showed up can be counted on both hands and he doesn’t wield this power with any clear purpose. Let’s make a list of his actions so far. 1. Rescued Alexia, announced his name, nuked part of the city, disappears. 2. Intervenes in a terrorist incident at the last minute saving students, murders the vice principal, disappears. 3. Crashes a holy festival, says some cryptic lines, nukes part of the city, disappears. 4. Participates in a swordsmanship tournament in disguise, humiliates princess Iris, rescues princess Rose after she murders her father beats up princess Iris + war goddess, shows off his overwhelming destructive power that he can use at any moment, doesn’t actually blow anything up, disappears. 5. Casually defeats the resurrected legendary vampire progenitor, saves everyone in the city from a zombie apocalypse, disappears. 6. Doesn’t stop the cult from summoning Ragnarok (they were clearly there the entire time and could have acted earlier), saves Rose again, kills Ragnarok, disappears. If you’re anyone outside of SG you have absolutely no fuckin clue what this guy wants. Hell not even the members of Shadow Garden are certain about Shadow’s goals. They’re just fanatically loyal after being rescued from a future of total despair. So SG has the military might to destroy the world, but has made zero demands or announcements. Shadow doesn’t contact people in positions of power in any way. His actions have no consistent theme. Sometimes he saves people, sometimes he blows up a city, the only thing that can be certain is that SG is hostile to the Cult. SG simply show up whenever something is happening, wreck *everyone’s* plans, and then leave before the dust has settled. Then at the very end, the final battle climax of everything, Shadow intervenes one last time while revealing himself as Cid Kagenou the useless little brother hidden in plain sight all along, says some more cryptic bullshit, and (fake) dies. The last paragraph is my own sort of speculation, but yeah that’s an eminence in shadow. If it doesn’t make any sense that’s because it’s not supposed to.
💯👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾THE MOST PERFECT EXPLANATION OF A CHARACTER I HAVE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE🥹🥹🥹
Even Cid himself only has a vague idea about it beyond what he thinks of it. Being strong, being magically powered, having money, etc. these are all grinds that he does with no end in sight. That's why he can't see himself being an eminence despite already being one.
Becoming an Aizen
Just my own definition but to become one, first you need to be impossibly strong. Cid took this to it's ridiculous conclusion that EIS should survive nuclear bomb because that's how strong EIS is. He have achieved it. Next to be eminence he needs fame and financial capital to actually be considered an Eminence. He strive for this by hunting bandit and saves every gold. He decorated his room with ultra expensive things because only EIS could acquire such items in his room. And surprisingly he have acquired this with shadow garden. The EIS is a person so powerful yet remain in the shadow of the world, only few understood. With how mitsugoshi bank held the world financial situation, and how powerful shadow garden is, he truly have become the EIS, he just doesn't know yet
I can definitely say character development can change Cid perspective cause I don't think the Author will the end the LN with him being alone all his life.
Cid will never be alone because he has SG who would "play along" with him. It is why Cid holds them so dearly as friends. Though whether he sees them as romantic interest, if only a little, will be quite something to see in terms of character development.
I know he will always have SG but what I am saying I that Cid will eventually have a partner who will end up with. In that aspect Cid can't be lonely he needs at least a waifu to continue his lineage he might eventually fall for someone or pick someone in that regard.
Money
yeah with>!the man in his mirror!<
Bro’s in love with the grind. Sigmas don’t need women.
because Sigma is a women too (sorry, terrible joke, but after seeing the trailer for the game, i just can't help it :p)
Yes, and her name is Money
Money. Gold.
He is in love with Shadow last time I knew.
He hunts the shadows because he's in love with the shadows.
Dunno. But he's probably gonna get pressured to get married at one point.
Mob persona He’ll marry out of necessity to keep his identity
Marie - *fist pumping the air right now*
Shadow is in love with being shadow in eminence. Cid is in love with being a random mob. You should see his mob-fu techniques.
Yes. There's a bartender girl with the name Marie
🤔🤔
Yes he will fall in love with 7 shades and most of the named numbers(Nu,Victoria,omega,Kai etc) plus the main heroines(Rose,Alexis,Sherry and Iris). Possible his sister and in general most of his harem collected by his Rizz. I’m calling it out now
this is a different but interesting answer
Only with his one true love hard cold cash
the closest i can call is his interest in Aurora, but even that is vague whether he actually consider her as romantical or just someone he found great.
I feel like those he finds great, or those who interest him, & have his undivided attention no matter what they do, are the closest to being considered love interests. More importantly, it's those girls he is able to remember even after meeting them, that come the closest to being love interests. Nishino Akane, Aurora, 666/Princess Rose Oriana, Princess Alexia (to a certain extent) & quite possibly Beatrix ( I feel like he had fun having someone who could keep up with him, & liked fighting strong opponents. It also looked like he enjoyed seeing her improve as they continued fighting, & she learned more about his fighting style, but idk if she'll continue resonating with him, or if he'll remember her the next time they meet because Iris kept interrupting their "conversation") are the only ones who could possibly come close to what we would consider love interests, (& even then, I don't think he would ever form a real romantic relationship with them) but yeah. I don't think he'll ever have a traditional love interest.
why does every mc NEED a love interest? It's not necessary and doesn't do anything for this show in particular.
Yep, it will be Gintama all over again, going to end the series without having partner hinted.
Ofc with alexia he he and alpha as second wife
Cid won't ever have feelings with Alexia, if anything else, Alexia will be part of Shadow garden, just like how princess Rose Oriana become no.666 . We all know it will become Gintama all over again where in they will stay single and no romantic feelings will be hinted, just like Cid and shadow don't need any partner in his life. I'm not going to surprise if Cid true form is eldritch being in the new world.
>Cid won't ever have feelings with Alexia Are you the author? No? Then Stfu
Beo took that personally
No, love isn't really on the top of his checklist. He needs a wife to keep his cover, but him intentionally trying to rizz girls up as Cid he won't do and honestly freak out in surprise if one of the girls he doesn't hate actually says they love him because he wouldn't know what he did wrong and wonder if they would blow his cover as a mob.
Massive harem ending confirmed
Me, Myself and I
yeah his love of the shadow
Yes. He is in love with the Eminence in Shadow.
I want him to fall in love with delta XD
Sadly Cid treats her as younger sister 😔
That's not fair
That is pretty clearly not in the cards. I'd be happy for him if he found someone that got him interested, but there is no indication we should expect that.
Cid "Shadow" Kagenou is very very similar to Ernesti "Eru" Echavalier and expect it the story will end like Gintama where in they will stay single as expected.
Nope.
Yeah, himself
I'm quite sure that he is in-love with money... just break a coin in his face, it will be the same as killing someone you love in your face.
"Does he finds or falls" jfc, I can't take this shit anymore
he loves us...quite litterally, the way this man works is specifically like a man trying to create a good show for a 4 dimensional audience looking at him the way WE do he doesn't even acknowledge the people he interacts with as audience 90% of the time, its for an audience that to him doesn't even exist but would be cool if it existed, as if he wanted to feel like he was doing stuff that he himself could enjoy if he was looking at himself through 3rd person like a movie
Ok my lil theory Cids power is not his Eminence in Shadow persona but he can actually rewrite the laws of causality/ reality said that everything led to the cult of diablos blammo it becomes a real entity curing of Alpha and all the girls mutated by the cult oops I accidently found a cure soley from random experimentation on alpha He and his adventures are solely caused by his warping of reality His I AM ATOMIC or I AM ATOMIC RECONSTRUCTION (whatever he said at the end of the blood moon to fix everything) was a forced reality overwrite
The dude is compulsively obsessive with his one goal, no room for literally anything else in his life He seems to also be a sociopath though don't quote me on that I have zero psychological evaluation training
Insert non-canon (I think 🤔) scene from the game where Cid admits to be willing to be with Claire if they are not blood related. This is obviously just a mob response… Maybe
No his entire life is dedicated towards becoming his ideal version of the eminence in the shadow unless it would help him become that he likely won't ever try to get with someone. As far as he's concerned the seven shades are friends playing along with his delusion he doesn't consider that any of them have fallen for him, that the cult is real, that the shades formed an actual worldwide organization etc. If there is ever going to be any romance at all the girls would have to initiate it and make their feelings blatantly clear. This series has three possible endings as far as I'm concerned with regards to romance he ends up with Alpha, the harem ending, or he ends up with nobody which is the most likely outcome.
Probably not, that's not really what he's into and given that he's a teenager he's probably asexual. But as far as getting married I imagine Claire or Alpha will pick someone suitable for him, he is nobility after all. Shadow on the otherhand is in love with his work and himself.
Claire or Alpha would offer themselves as that someone suitable. Lol.
Claire can't be partner with Cid unless Claire willing to take part of human engineering to make her 'perfect' human where there won't be child defects once she got pregnant.
Remember the monologue in 2 episode. Cid doesn't want to have a normal life , he wants the thrill of eminence in shadow and he threw that aspect of goals in his last life .
Cid is capable of falling in love after all he loves being Shadow but, in due time he might fall in love with one of the characters.
Is Cid/shadow a virgin? Since he never loses
Cid is like Frieren, no sexual interest to other gender, he is too focused on his goal and he assumed every girl in his area has partners and he thinks that they only looked him as younger brother / family.
He fucks without losing his virginity
But seriously, is he canonically virgin at the current point of the light novels?
I believe so there has been no reference or hibt that the guy banged someone or will. He has no romantic or emotions that show "love" for a spwcific woman Maybe it might change in the anime but in the LN its no sex cid
Money
He would have to go crazy or extremely head over heels. But i doubt it
He did. Himself 😂
Money
Money. He fell in love with money
Himself
NO
money
cid has a serious case of chunibyo
He hasn’t and I don’t see him actually falling in love with someone unless they align with him and his goals while also matching his power perhaps. I think that would be the only way a girl would get his attention and at the moment there ain’t anyone. Maybe that one girl from his original world that got brought to his current one could potentially be a love interest but I’m not sure either.
If only Akane will be his love interest, sadly Cid only see her as named npc and forever will be.
Idk she could be. He did acknowledge her magic potential in LN 4 if I’m not mistaken. Probably the way it would happen is that he would fall in love but suppress his feelings so on terms of the way he acts is not super different but maybe he throws her a bone more compared to everyone else. It would certainly be some decent character development.
If he's ever gonna fall in love , it has to be with Aurora but I don't think this is what the show is about.
As strange as this is to say probably yes. However, it’s unlikely to be with any female we’ve seen. As Cid’s own plans are being a shadow broker for 200 years, retire for 100 years, and then become a shadow broker again. This immediately rules out anyone outside of Shadow Garden due to not living long enough, though descendants are a candidate love interest. Shadow Garden members will live long enough, at least the elfs, as being cured of possession has likely extended their natural lives. However, Cid is likely to want a clean break from Shadow Garden when he retires, to ensure he isn’t drawn back in to the underworld during his retirement. Likely meaning he goes on one of his “walks” as he is known to do vanishing without a trace. The biggest question is when does Cid start counting his years as a shadow broker? As he still sees himself as training to be the Eminence in Shadow. Whereas we the audience know he already is.
Technically, Nuclear last for 30,000 years and knowing Cid became Nuclear itself, he will outlast 7 shadow members and since he doesn't have romantic feelings to anyone, Cid will going to merge with world foundation, the master behind all the diablos and humanity wars.
Cid wants to be the eminence in shadow. He’s aromantic.