Grand Blue Dreaming Waifu War: Iori x Chisa vs. Iori x Sakurako – Fan Debate Explored

For years, Grand Blue Dreaming has been one of those rare manga that tricks new readers. You start because everyone promises ridiculous drinking contests, absurd facial expressions, and college comedy at its absolute peak. Then, somewhere along the way, you realize you’re actually invested in who Iori Kitahara ends up with.

That probably wasn’t what most of us expected when we picked up the series.

Among longtime fans, one discussion never really dies: Iori x Chisa or Iori x Sakurako? Reddit threads continue to appear after almost every major chapter, YouTube comment sections split into rival camps, and Discord servers still argue over moments that happened dozens of chapters ago.

As someone who’s followed the manga for years, I honestly think this is one of the better romance debates in modern comedy manga because both sides actually have good arguments. Even if I ultimately favor Chisa, Sakurako deserves far more credit than many readers initially gave her.

Why This Ship War Feels Different

Most romantic comedy series introduce multiple heroines, but the outcome usually feels obvious almost immediately.

Grand Blue does something smarter.

Instead of turning the romance into the main plot, it quietly lets relationships evolve underneath all the diving, alcohol, and ridiculous college disasters. Because romance isn’t constantly shoved into the spotlight, every meaningful interaction ends up carrying much more weight.

That’s exactly why fans became so emotionally invested.

Chisa Was Never the Loudest Character

One criticism I often see online is that Chisa doesn’t “fight” for Iori enough.

I understand where that opinion comes from.

Sakurako openly confesses.

She flirts aggressively.

She takes risks.

She refuses to hide what she wants.

Compared to that, Chisa often appears emotionally distant.

But that’s also why I think many readers underestimate her.

Her relationship with Iori isn’t built on dramatic confessions.

It’s built on shared experiences.

From the very beginning, she’s connected to nearly every important turning point in Iori’s growth.

• She introduces him to diving.
• She slowly earns his trust.
• She becomes someone he naturally relies on without even realizing it.

That’s not flashy storytelling—but it feels incredibly natural.

Sakurako Changed the Entire Romance

Now let’s be fair.

Without Sakurako Busujima, I don’t think the romance in Grand Blue would have become nearly as memorable.

When she first appeared, she honestly looked like another temporary obstacle.

Instead, she evolved into one of the manga’s strongest supporting characters.

What impressed me most wasn’t simply that she liked Iori.

It was how proactive she became.

Unlike many romance rivals who exist only to create temporary drama, Sakurako actively pushed the story forward.

Some of her biggest strengths include:

• She says exactly what she feels.
• She forces Iori to confront emotions he usually ignores.
• She creates genuine tension whenever she’s on the page.
• She never waits for fate to solve her problems.

Whether readers support her or not, it’s difficult to deny that she injected fresh energy into the series.

Comparing the Two Relationships

Neither approach is objectively better.

It simply depends on what kind of romance you enjoy reading.

Why I Still Think Chisa Fits Iori Better

If someone asked me to summarize their relationship in one sentence, I’d say this:

Chisa feels like home.

That may sound simple, but I think it’s exactly what the author has been building toward for years.

Whenever Iori finds himself in complete chaos—and let’s be honest, that’s almost every chapter—Chisa often becomes the one constant in his life.

She understands his ridiculous personality better than almost anyone.

More importantly, she doesn’t need constant romantic scenes for readers to recognize how close they’ve become.

Sometimes silence says more than confession.

The Biggest Thing Sakurako Fans Get Right

As much as I prefer Chisa, I also think Sakurako supporters make one completely valid argument.

She actually takes action.

Many romance manga frustrate readers because characters refuse to communicate for hundreds of chapters.

Sakurako refuses to play that game.

• She confesses.
• She risks rejection.
• She expresses jealousy.
• She fights for what she wants.

Even readers who never expected her to “win” often found themselves cheering simply because she refused to stay passive.

That determination made her impossible to ignore.

Was the Ending Direction Always Planned?

Personally, I think yes.

Looking back through earlier chapters, there are countless subtle moments connecting Iori and Chisa long before the love triangle fully develops.

They’re rarely dramatic.

Instead, they’re built from everyday interactions.

• Small conversations.
• Shared diving experiences.
• Quiet trust.

When viewed individually, those scenes don’t scream romance.

When viewed together, they create a surprisingly convincing emotional foundation.

That’s probably why recent chapters didn’t actually surprise me.

They simply confirmed what the manga had been quietly suggesting for years.

Why Fans Still Love Sakurako Anyway

Even after later developments made the likely outcome much clearer, Sakurako remained incredibly popular.

I think there are three reasons why.

1. She’s funny. Her scenes rarely feel repetitive because her personality naturally creates entertaining situations.
2. She’s emotionally honest. Readers always know exactly where she stands.
3. She grows. She enters the story with obvious flaws, but gradually becomes someone far easier to sympathize with.

Watching that transformation was one of my favorite character arcs in the series.

Sometimes a character doesn’t need to become the main heroine to become one of the manga’s biggest successes.

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Romance Was Never the Real Main Character

One thing I appreciate about Grand Blue is that romance never overshadows everything else.

The manga remains, first and foremost, a story about:

• Friendship.
• College life.
• Personal growth.
• Diving.
• Ridiculous comedy.

The love triangle simply adds another layer instead of replacing what already made the series great.

Ironically, that restraint probably made fans care even more.

My Final Verdict

If someone forced me to choose only one ship, I’d still pick Iori x Chisa.

Not because Sakurako is a weaker character.

Actually, I think she’s one of the best-written romantic rivals in recent comedy manga.

I choose Chisa because her relationship with Iori feels earned over hundreds of chapters rather than built around dramatic turning points. Their connection develops so gradually that, by the time romance becomes impossible to ignore, it already feels like a natural extension of their friendship.

That said, I completely understand why so many readers fell in love with Sakurako. She brought urgency, confidence, humor, and emotional honesty whenever she appeared. In many ways, she transformed what could have been a predictable romance into one of the most entertaining shipping debates in the anime and manga community.

At the end of the day, the real winner isn’t Team Chisa or Team Sakurako.

It’s the readers.

Very few comedy manga manage to make fans laugh until they cry one chapter and then spend the next week passionately debating a romance that was never supposed to become one of the series’ biggest attractions. Grand Blue Dreaming somehow accomplished both, and that’s one of the many reasons it continues to stand out among modern manga.