Haruhi Fujioka, the charming and humble protagonist of Ouran High School Host Club, piqued the interest of many characters on the show regardless of their gender, age or social status. In the end, the anime concluded alluding to Haruhi ending up with Tamaki Suoh.
But besides Tamaki’s grandiose and somehow oblivious advances, a surprisingly formidable rival popped up in the middle of the show that caught the eye of Haruhi: Hikaru of the Hitachiin twins. Let’s look into this unsuccessful match and see if it ever stood a chance.
Hikaru's Strengths and Weakness as Boyfriend Material
Hikaru Hitachiin was the more mischievous half of the Hitachiin twins. Like most of the Host Club, he was also attractive, socially and financially well-off, arrogant and lacked self-awareness. He also cared deeply for his brother and was always willing to play. He considered Haruhi to be one of the first people that he and Kaoru allowed into the isolated world that they created for themselves. All of these factors made him immature and jealous but also caring and brutally honest.
Despite the twins’ friendship with Haruhi, they did show on multiple occasions that they’d be willing to sacrifice Haruhi’s emotional wellbeing for the sake of their selfish whims. They utilized Haruhi as their own personal doll, even going so far as to try to dress her up multiple times. They were always been the ones to start a game, turning Haruhi into the prize with or without her consent. Their brotherly fight showed how far they’d both be willing to commit to being correct, even if just on a game level. While that may be fine from that perspective, it could also pose as a red flag as to how either would react in an argument with a romantic partner.
Hikaru's Emotional Maturity
Despite Haruhi, Tamaki and Hikaru being incredibly oblivious to their potential romantic feelings, Tamaki and Haruhi were self-aware enough to show that they cared for other people. Tamaki made a great effort to help people in need regardless of their social standing or circumstance. Meanwhile, Haruhi made an effort to show that she cared for the individuals of the Host Club. She even took the lead on her date with Hikaru.
On this date, Haruhi revealed her most vulnerable state to him and forgave him for his transgressions. However, considering Tamaki had to push for Hikaru to do something more than just waiting for a cab, it was clear he didn't have personal motivation to care for others just yet. Hikaru showed improvement by the end of their date, but his own emotional maturity journey still had a long way to go and would require assistance to communicate his feelings.
On the flip-side, Tamaki had always been obnoxiously loud about his emotions for Haruhi and was willing to go so far as to not speak with her until his feelings were acknowledged. His awareness of her and her circumstances were consistent throughout Ouran High School Host Club. Communication is one of the foundations of a healthy and successful relationship. Tamaki and his actions only seemed to support the notion that he and Haruhi’s relationship would succeed from where the show ended.
On the other hand, Hikaru's actions signify that it would take effort for him to reach Tamaki's level, but his relationship with Haruhi could potentially succeed in the future. It’d take an incredible amount of work to help Hikaru grow and it’s a given that Haruhi would be willing to do it, however, it is unclear how much of herself she’d invest in the endeavor. Without that necessary growth period, Hikaru, as is, has the potential to become a controlling and jealous partner, too, as was shown when it came to Arai. Haruhi didn’t stand for that at the time and it is difficult to believe that she would in the future.
Kaoru Is Haruhi's Biggest Rival for Hikaru's Affections
As Hikaru and Kaoru pointed out multiple times throughout Ouran High School Host Club, for the most part they never needed anyone else. Their world revolved around just each other until the Host Club came about. That level of dedication to one another is admirable but it is hard to imagine another person, even Haruhi, fitting in there. She could become a big part of Hikaru's life but never his number one priority. That may not be a bad thing necessarily but it has the potential to cause problems or at least hesitation in the future.
Overall, there was certainly a possibility in the series that Hikaru and Haruhi’s romantic relationship may have been successful, as long as significant time and effort was focused on Hikaru’s personal growth. But in comparison, Tamaki and Haruhi’s emotional maturity was already at a higher level by the end of the show, making the pairing far more likely to be successful.
