NekoXiao
Gonna b honest w myself. Even tho I've been a hardcore Gaiyo shipper only recently did I realize that I didn't actually care for Miyo. I mean yea she's cute, she's strong and skilled and can beat Kuga but S1 Miyo was so underdeveloped. And only got some development in S2.
Gai and Liu had an arc w their sibling/s which was relevant in many episodes (which was also an important part of their character development). But compared to Miyo, who only got revealed to be in a spy agency of sorts that Rema is also a part of, she doesn't have any other deep reason to be in the competition. Lonky joined to move up the ranks and be next in line to the throne. Popo wants to be a powerful wizard (which is heavily highlighted). Kuga wants to be as powerful as his master.
(I don't fully know the lord of the DV7 so I'm excluding them for now)
They have important reasons that go deep into their character and their development. Meanwhile with Miyo her only development in S1 was learning to trust people and make friends. While that is nice for her I didn't really care that much because there was nothing building up to that scene when she confronted her counterpart in the last episodes of S1. Even tho she did show signs of distrust, it wasn't explained or shown why she's like that or what caused her to behave that way.
While I hope S3 shows more development in Miyo's character, I realized that I rooted for Gaiyo bc I was rooting for Gai. I support Gai in his decisions and hope he gets more screen time (even as ninja k) because I rlly love his character and how he's so silly. I love how he comforts the other characters and cares for them even before the final games.
I love rooting for Gai bc not only is he relatable to some, but he has a good development and personality.
That's all thanks for listening to me rant