History HoYay / MusicalToukenRanbu

** In the second act, the two sing an upbeat duet titled "Kaze to Ageha". The song lyrics are more difficult to decipher because they are most likely metaphorical, but it can be assumed that Tsurumaru is the mischievous "Kaze/Wind" in this song because he frequently mentions wind in the lyrics of his solos, including the solo he received in this performance where he says he'll send a wind to surprise the subject of the song (who is also presumably Mikazuki based on the lyrics), and Mikazuki is the Ageha butterfly. The choreography is also somewhat shippy, further suggesting that the song is about the couple.

** The two perform an upbeat duet in the second act. The song lyrics are more difficult to decipher because most of them are symbolic, but it can be assumed that Tsurumaru is the Ageha butterfly, as it is mentioned to have feathers on its back (reflecting Tsurumaru's bird motif), and Mikazuki is the Kaze, as wind is used (probably) symbolically in many of his scenes, although Tsurumaru's solo lyrics suggest that he might be the mischievous wind and Mikazuki the ageha butterfly instead. Tsurumaru also points to Mikazuki when he says, "I finally met you," implying that the song is about them. The song also mentions love in the lyrics, with Mikazuki singing about wanting to be loved and Tsurumaru singing about wanting to love as two sides of the same coin, as well as them wanting love to bloom, tying into the recurring flower motifs of the musical. The choreography varies depending on the performance, with the exception of the scene where Tsurumaru bows down to Mikazuki with the ensemble members, but the two can be seen high fiving, holding hands, spinning each other around, meeting their finger tips after pressing them to their lips, and so on.

** At the end of the final performance of Kaze to Ageha, their duet, Mikazuki and Tsurumaru hugged each other.
* ''Michi no Oku'' has the two wearing matching tuxedos, with the only differences being color palette, accessories, the diamond pattern on Mikazuki's lapel, and the gold stripes down the sides of Mikazuki's pants.

** ''Michi no Oku'' isn't the first time that Mikazuki and Tsurumaru were given matching Live outfits, as Tsurumaru's third layer from ''Paraiso'' is a visual rehash of Mikazuki's SexyBacklessOutfit from ''Tsuwamono Domo'', with the only differences being the color palette, the placement of the crest (Mikazuki's is bottom left, Tsurumaru's is top right), part of the pants design, and obviously Tsurumaru's accessories, which were carried over from his original costume as always.

** The two perform an upbeat duet in the second act. The song lyrics are more difficult to decipher because most of them are symbolic, but it can be assumed that Tsurumaru is the Ageha butterfly, as it is mentioned to have feathers on its back (reflecting Tsurumaru's bird motif), and Mikazuki is the Kaze, as wind is used (probably) symbolically in many of his scenes. Tsurumaru also points to Mikazuki when he says, "I finally met you," implying that the song is about them. The song also mentions love in the lyrics, with Mikazuki singing about wanting to be loved and Tsurumaru singing about wanting to love as two sides of the same coin, as well as them wanting love to bloom, tying into the recurring flower motifs of the musical. The choreography varies depending on the performance, with the exception of the scene where Tsurumaru bows down to Mikazuki with the ensemble members, but the two can be seen high fiving, holding hands, spinning each other around, meeting their finger tips after pressing them to their lips, and so on.

* Not only does Tsurumaru steal Mikazuki's "You're all so cute" Fanservice line in Shinken Ranbusai 2022, but he says Mikazuki is amazing after garnering a huge audience reaction.

* ''Michi no Oku, Hitotsu wa Chisu'' is a lot for both characters and could alternately be described as "Mikatsuru have problems, both with each other and with their mental health" TheMusical.
** A flashback depicting their happier times of playfully sparring and joining hands reveals that Mikazuki and Tsurumaru were once very close, all but outright stated to be best friends at some point during the citadels history. However, an incident and Mikazuki's departure from the citadel destroyed their relationship, to the point where Tsurumaru almost never shows kindness to Mikazuki when they are in person. He now refers to Mikazuki as "Temē," which is incredibly hostile, instead of the more affectionate "Kimi," and attacks him for answers when they are reunited in person for what's implied to have been the first time in a long time after beating up Suishinshi to lure him out. But Tsurumaru is shown to be very {{Tsundere}} for Mikazuki because, in spite of his hostility and resentment, he still shows care for him. The play's ending strongly suggests that Tsurumaru is lashing out at him because he dearly misses him, as Tsurumaru sees a hallucination of Mikazuki at the citadel and melancholically murmurs, "Hana no Utena," Mikazuki's signature song, after the illusion disappears. The main story ends with Tsurumaru wondering if he's not supposed to sing it, implying that he believes he can't sit on the metaphorical flower pedestal with Mikazuki.
** Speaking of the flashback, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro is the one who triggers the happy times flashback with them after witnessing two historical figures sparring, not Mikazuki or Tsurumaru themselves, with the framing suggesting that the historical pair made him nostalgic for their past. The historical characters eventually exit the scene, leaving Mikazuki and Tsurumaru to their moment while Yamanbagiri observes and sings nostalgically. Neither of them acknowledge Yamanbagiri in the flashback, implying that he either used to watch them from a distance or that they were too immersed in their own special moment to notice him.
** Just before Tsurumaru attacks Suishinshi to bait Mikazuki into coming out, he sadly advises Suishinshi to snuggle up to Mikazuki until he gets tired of it, since he can't do it himself anymore.
** The play also reveals that they both have {{Dance Battler}} fighting styles because of the amount of time they spent together. The similarities in their fighting styles are especially evident when Tsurumaru fights Mikazuki, as they use many of the same moves to attack, defend against, and evade each other, and later are almost completely in sync when taking down a Kebiishi.
** The two perform two duets in the play, one in the first act and the other in the second act:
*** The first act's song is fairly shippy, with Tsurumaru singing longingly about Mikazuki leaving the citadel and asking when the moon sword vanished, as if to escape from his grasp. He also sings about trying to fill a hole in his heart left by Mikazuki's absence and looking over to see the blade that reflect his heart. The choreography ties in with the lyrics, with Mikazuki purposefully avoiding Tsurumaru despite telling him to get closer, and when Tsurumaru reaches out to grab Mikazuki after they face each other, Mikazuki moves out of his reach again. Mikazuki also shakes his head when Tsurumaru asks in his lyrics if he should pursue him. In the scene following this, Yamanbagiri Kunihiro appoints himself captain of the mission for when they return to the time period so that Tsurumaru can go meet Mikazuki.
*** The second duet has vaguer lyrics, but there is a lyric of how wanting to be loved (sung by Mikazuki) and wanting to love (sung by Tsurumaru) are two sides of the same coin (sung together), and wanting love to bloom. The duet also has pretty shippy choreography, with Tsurumaru bowing down to Mikazuki and later pointing at him when he sings "I finally met you." Other parts of the choreo also changes slightly with every performance, with the two high-fiving or outright joining hands depending on the day. On the March 25th performance, Mikazuki grabs Tsurumaru's hand and spins him around during the part of the choreo when they were supposed to spin around each other.
** Tsurumaru's {{Tsundere}} attitude toward Mikazuki is further highlighted in the ending theme song "Touken Ranbu". After Mikazuki touches his shoulder, he initially throws him off in annoyance, but it's followed up in a playful moment where they point at each other.

* Doubles as Mikazuki/Suishinshi Hoyay. Tsurumaru and Suinshinshi sing in the song "Flame Dance" about two shadows being illuminated by the moon, which casts them in a blue light that is commonly associated with Mikazuki and is also seen in the main story. Needless to say, Mikazuki is currently the only sword in the musicals (and the Touken Ranbu series as a whole) associated with the moon, which reflects Tsurumaru and Suishinshi's roles in the main story, as two Touken Danshi associated with and influenced by Mikazuki Munechika. Tsurumaru even points at Mikazuki during one rendition of the choreography.
* Along with having matching outfits, the acrylic stands for Mikazuki and Tsurumaru's live outfits are intended to be positioned together, which the official account demonstrates in [[https://twitter.com/musical_touken/status/1784009671264928097 this tweet]] showing off the merch. The way they're posed would also allow the stands to be positioned back to back.

** In one performance of "Flower" in ''Tsuwamono Domo'', Kogitsunemaru grabs Mikazuki's hand and pulls him back through the audience and onto the stage.
** A significant portion of Tsuwamono's plot revolves around the initially one-sided conflict in which Kogitsunemaru becomes suspicious of Mikazuki's actions after overhearing Higekiri and Hizamaru discussing the Saniwa-assigned mission to monitor Mikazuki. Kogitsunemaru's loyalty to the Saniwa takes precedence over his friendship with Mikazuki, to the point of wanting to kill him if he believed Mikazuki was betraying the Saniwa by saying he envied Kogitsunemaru and believes they're an unusual pair. After the misunderstanding is cleared and the two reconcile, now having come to an understanding over the separate ways they want to tackle protecting history, the story concludes with the two being closer than before.
** At one point in the game, Imanotsurugi decides that it would be best to split the teams into two to better understand the situation, and Mikazuki takes the initiative to select the teams, grouping himself with Imanotsurugi and Hizamaru, while Kogitsunemaru is grouped with Higekiri and Iwatooshi. Kogitsunemaru responds suspiciously, asking why Mikazuki didn't put them on the same team, to which Mikazuki immediately responds by dramatically and loudly implying that he believes Kogitsunemaru does not want to be separated from him, which Kogitsunemaru loudly denies as not being what he meant. Higekiri and Mikazuki then have a moment where they propose the team be Kogitsunemaru-Higekiri-Mikazuki, but then laugh because they know Kogitsunemaru wouldn't be able to handle their combined flightiness.
** With the rerun of ''Atsukashiyama Ibun 2018 Paris'', the two were given a duet titled "Timeline" with shippy lyrics and choreography that ends with Kogitsunemaru tenderly leaning on Mikazuki. The performance was especially heartwarming because the actors were clearly overjoyed to finally be able to perform the song together after missing out in Paris in 2018 due to Kogitsunemaru's actor's surgery.

* Mikazuki Munechika and Kogitsunemaru are probably the closest they've been in any continuity they've appeared in together, as Kogitsunemaru comes across as very attached to Mikazuki, and Mikazuki praises him as well.
** In one performance of Flower in Tsuwamono Domo, Kogitsunemaru holds Mikazuki's hand as he pulls him through the crowd.
** A significant portion of Tsuwamono's plot revolves around the initially one-sided conflict between Mikazuki and Kogitsunemaru, as Kogitsunemaru overhears Higekiri and Hizamaru's discussions about Mikazuki doing shady things and being asked to watch over him by the Saniwa, eventually discovering that Mikazuki had been manipulating the events of the time period behind the scenes. Kogitsunemaru decides to end their friendship and kill him for supposedly betraying the Saniwa and being no better than historical revisionists, which Mikazuki appears to regret but still fails to communicate his goals clearly until Higekiri intervenes. He even refers to them as an unusual pair because they have the common goal of wanting to protect history. Kogitsunemaru is also visibly upset when Higekiri reveals what Mikazuki has been doing, [[AngerBornOfWorry emphasizing his displeasure that Mikazuki has chosen to take on all that responsibility by himself]]. In the end, the two come to an understanding and quietly reconcile, with Kogitsunemaru agreeing to that they should protect history in the ways they see fit.
** Early on in the play, Kogitsunemaru suspiciously asks why Mikazuki didn't put them on the same team together, which Mikazuki responds to by immediately jokingly jumping to the conclusion that Kogitsunemaru doesn't want to be separated from him, which Kogitsunemaru vehemently denies as not being what he meant.
** With the rerun of Atsukashiyama Ibun, the two were given a duet called "Timeline" with shippy lyrics and choreography that ends with Kogitsunemaru tenderly leaning on Mikazuki. The performance was especially heartwarming as the actors were clearly happy to finally be able to perform the song together after missing their chance in 2018 Paris due to Kogitsunemaru's actor having surgery.

* Tsurumaru Kuninaga was introduced into the musical continuity having a unique, initially one-sided, and also unexplained connection with Mikazuki Munechika where he seemed to know about and be complicit in the role Mikazuki has taken on from ''Tsuwamono Domo'' onward. While that's all well and good, his one-sided connection also seems comes off as one-sided affection at times due to how often Tsurumaru wistfully looks up at the crescent moon in the sky and talks to it as if it were Mikazuki himself (and given the circumstances, it just might be).

** A special moment is set aside for the two to dance. Mikazuki is standing on a lower stage platform beneath Tsurumaru, and as he begins to dance, light shines down on them both. Mikazuki then turns to face Tsurumaru and gestures for him to dance in response. At the end of the segment, Mikazuki pulls out his sword, and as he lowers it, Tsurumaru gradually fades back into the shadows. The performance clearly has some symbolic meaning about the relationship between the two that has yet to be uncovered in the main story.

* Doubles as Mikazuki/Suishinshi Hoyay. Tsurumaru and Suinshinshi sing in the song "Flame Dance" about two shadows being illuminated by the moon, which casts them in a blue light that is commonly associated with Mikazuki and is also seen in the main story. Needless to say, Mikazuki is currently the only sword in the musicals (and the Touken Ranbu series as a whole) associated with the moon, which reflects Tsurumaru and Suishinshi's roles in the main story, as two Touken Danshi associated with and influenced by Mikazuki Munechika.

* While the two characters virtually have no relationship beyond knowing each other in the main story, Mikazuki Munechika and Hachisuka Koutetsu flirt with each other a lot in the second act of Michi no Oku, Hitotsu wa Chisu due to their actors being very good friends in real life, frequently holding hands during the dance portion of Hyakken Kenran or otherwise messing around in flirty, improv-y ways.

** Just before Tsurumaru attacks Suishinshi to bait Mikazuki into coming out, he sadly advise Suishinshi to snuggle up to (metaphorically, as he really means to be close to him) Mikazuki until he gets tired of it, since he can't do it himself anymore.

*** The second act duet has vaguer lyrics, but the two still play together, with them high-fiving, spinning each other around, Tsurumaru pointing at Mikazuki when he sings "I finally met you," and bowing down to him. As well, on the March 25th performance, Mikazuki holds Tsurumaru's hand and spins him around instead.
** Tsurumaru's {{Tsundere}} attitude toward Mikazuki is further hinted at in the theme song "Touken Ranbu" finale. After Mikazuki touches his shoulder, he initially throws him off in annoyance, but it's followed up in a playful moment where they point at each other.

*** The second act duet has vaguer lyrics, but the two still play together, with them high-fiving, Tsurumaru pointing at Mikazuki when he sings "I finally met you," and bowing down to him.

** The two perform two duets in the play, one in the first act and the other in the second. The one in the first act is very shippy, as Tsurumaru sings longingly about Mikazuki, asking when the moon sword vanished, as if to escape from his hand, how there's a missing part of his heart that he's trying to fill, and how he looks over (at Mikazuki) and sees a blade reflecting his heart. The second act duet has vaguer lyrics, but the two still play together, with them high-fiving, Tsurumaru pointing at Mikazuki when he sings "I finally met you," and bowing down to him.

* Tsurumaru's first solo from ''Kishou Hongi'' "Kimi to miageta anohi no sora ni" has Tsurumaru nostalgically singing about his lost friend and how he's lonely and missing them. It was initially unclear who the "friend" in the song was is, but many of the lyrics allude to it being Mikazuki such as "The lonely moonlight." There's also that whenever the song is performed live, blue lights are used to illuminate the stage, blue lights being associated with Mikazuki, especially after he took on the role of being the mechanism that protects history.

* When Tsurumaru finally makes his debut in the audio drama Honmaru Hanamaru Koyomi, part of his story revolves around his relationship with Mikazuki, as he nostalgically recalls them planting the Saniwa's favorite plum blossom tree together (the plum blossom tree first seen in Akashi's skit in ''Utaawase''). He dug the hole for the tree, and seems to have developed a habit of digging holes from this incident, seemingly unconsciously doing so in remembrance of the absent Mikazuki, as first seen in his Souki with Ookurikara. This story also makes it clear that Tsurumaru has taken Mikazuki's absence harder than any other character Mikazuki has interacted with (that we've been shown), with his mental health taking a huge hit. He abruptly cuts Suishinshi off when he tries to ask him about Mikazuki, and later stares up at the plum blossom tree from noon until dusk as he remembers a conversation he and Mikazuki had about it in the past.

* When Tsurumaru finally makes his debut in the audio drama Honmaru Hanamaru Koyomi, part of his story revolves around his relationship with Mikazuki, as he nostalgically recalls them planting the Saniwa's favorite plum blossom tree together (the plum blossom tree first seen in Akashi's skit in ''Utaawase''). He dug the hole for the tree, and seems to have developed a habit of digging holes from this incident, seemingly unconsciously doing so in remembrance of the absent Mikazuki, as first seen in his Souki with Ookurikara. This story also makes it clear that Tsurumaru has taken Mikazuki's absence harder than any other character Mikazuki has interacted with (that we've been shown), with his mental health taking a huge hit. In this drama alone, he spent hours staring up at the night sky, unconsciously digging a hole, talking to Mikazuki in his memories, and seems uncharacteristically dejected all throughout.

* Tsurumaru Kuninaga was introduced into the continuity as having a unique, albeit initially one-sided connection with Mikazuki Munechika, continuing the two's association in the adaptations. However, the exact nature of their relationship is unclear, as evidence suggests that they are quite close, but also potentially at odds with each other due to their differing but somewhat similar methods of protecting history. What is clear is that Tsurumaru always longingly looks up to the crescent moon when it appears in the sky and begins talking to it as if it were Mikazuki, much to the confusion of the audience and whoever else is there to witness it.
** Before Kotobuki Ranbu Ongyousai, the two never interacted onscreen, and Mikazuki never mentioned Tsurumaru, so Tsurumaru's frequent references to Mikazuki damn near whenever he appeared in a work came across as a one-sided crush on him. However, by the end of Paraiso, it is clear that they have a mutual relationship, as Mikazuki has his recruit deliver a message for Tsurumaru on his behalf to not push himself too hard (teasing), to which Tsurumaru responds by grinning and telling him to tell Mikazuki to "Get off his high horse" (playful).
** In Kishou Hongi, Tsurumaru calls Mikazuki the least boring person he knows. This is big coming from him, considering his obsession with surprising others and being surprised.
** Tsurumaru's first solo, "Kimi to miageta anohi no sora ni," a song where he sings nostalgically about a lost friend and how he’s lonely and misses them, and in the end how he wants to take them to a faraway place, was strongly implied to be about Mikazuki, with allusions to his character hidden in the lyrics. As well, every time the song is sung live, a blue light is used to set the scene. While this doesn’t seem significant on its own, blue lights are associated with Mikazuki, especially after he became the mechanism that corrects the flow of time, with these lights symbolizing his presence in an era.
** When Tsurumaru finally makes his debut in the audio drama Honmaru Hanamaru Koyomi, part of his story revolves around his relationship with Mikazuki, and he nostalgically recalls planting Saniwa's favorite plum blossom tree together while staring up at the night sky. It should also be noted that during his conversation with Mikazuki, his voice is extremely soft, unlike the tone he usually uses with anyone else he's spoken to.
*** As well, whatever relationship they have, Tsurumaru seems really messed up over the absence of Mikazuki, more so than any other character that’s been involved with Mikazuki thus far, and it’s taken a toll on his mental health.
* Kotobuki Ranbu Ongyousai also gives the two a few moments, being the first time they’ve interacted onscreen so far:

** Kashuu and Mikazuki, in particular, received some tease during the Sanjou + Kashuu Kiyomitsu run of performances because they were co-leaders of sorts, often performing duets such as Utsukushii Higeki in concerts. As well, in every Sanjou + Kashuu performance of MISTAKE, Mikazuki feels Kashuu up, which Kashuu encourages by touching his hand and sending a flirty smile back at him.

* A minor example here, but it can’t be a coincidence that whenever Mikazuki Munechika is absent from a performance, both Kogitsunemaru and Tsurumaru Kuninaga, two characters he gets ship tease with, are always used to fill in for him during song numbers he would have performed in. Tsurumaru even steals one of Mikazuki’s iconic phrases during an audience greeting.

!!Main Story
* Everyone is extremely attached to the Saniwa and is constantly seeking his approval. Yes, his. The Saniwa in this continuity is a man, which makes Hasebe's obsession with being considered his number one quite curious. Kashuu as well, although less so, since it seems more like he wants the approval of a father figure in his case. Maybe.
** Mikazuki in particular cares about the Saniwa so much that he became a tragic Time God to spare him the unpleasantness of dealing with the messier aspects of correcting history. As well, in Tsuwamono, Higekiri very nearly confesses Mikazuki’s feelings for the Saniwa on his behalf, saying, "To me, the Saniwa is…" but Mikazuki interrupts him before he can say anything more.
** Quite a few of the Touken Danshi's songs are love songs dedicated to the Saniwa. Whether they're meant to be for the Saniwa in the main citadel or the Saniwa audience is unclear.
** Kogitsunemaru’s affectionate loyalty to the Saniwa remains in this continuity, to the point where he’s even willing to kill Mikazuki because he believes he’s betraying him.
** In Shinken Ranbusai 2017, Kogitsunemaru gets mad at Mikazuki and the others for touching his hair and threatens to beat them up, claiming that the Saniwa is the only one allowed to touch his hair.
* Kogitsunemaru asking Kashuu if he wants to be princess carried.
* There are some Hoyay elements to Mikazuki and Yasuhira's tragic friendship in Tsuwamono Domo:
** Mikazuki serenades Yasuhira as he offers him the lotus flower, which Yasuhira is too stunned to accept. We later learn that the two became friends over many, many different timelines while admiring the beauty of the lotus flowers together; Yasuhira simply cannot remember because it hadn’t happened for him yet.
** In their final conversation before Yasuhira departs to willingly sacrifice himself to save the future, he asks Mikazuki to promise to place a lotus flower, a symbol of their friendship and shared fate, on his grave. This scene contains a lot of held back tears, pained laughter, and pure pain, as they both understand the gravity of their responsibilities, as well as Yasuhira's realization that he will never see Mikazuki again. Mikazuki, on the other hand, says he will keep his promise, but he is aware that he will have to continue guiding Yasuhira and Yoritomo, two people he has grown to care about, to their deaths indefinitely.

!!Second Acts and Concerts

* Kotobuki Ranbu Ongyousai also gives the two a few moments, being the first time they’ve interacted onscreen so far:
** A special moment is set aside for the two to dance. Mikazuki is standing on a lower stage platform beneath Tsurumaru, and as he begins to dance, light shines down on them both. Mikazuki then turns to face Tsurumaru and gestures for him to dance in response. At the end of the segment, Mikazuki pulls out his sword, and as he lowers it, Tsurumaru gradually fades back into the shadows. The performance clearly has some symbolic meaning about the relationship between the two that has yet to be uncovered in the main story.
** During the song's "friend" lyric of the second half performance, Tsurumaru and Mikazuki turn and gesture toward each other and switch positions, their actors also visibly cheesing at each other and adding to the light-heartedness of the interaction.
** During the MC segment of the performance, Tsurumaru and Mikazuki take the stage and talk to each other, with Tsurumaru implying that he has long wanted to fight alongside Mikazuki in the modern era and has many questions for him. Why he’s wanted to fight with Mikazuki specifically is questionable. Because he finds him so interesting? Either way, the two are shown to be close, and Tsurumaru is uncharacteristically calm and attentive when speaking to him.
* In the rare instance that you’re a Tsurumaru/Horikawa shipper, the two duet “Chronicle” together in Shinken Ranbusai 2022.