Relatively new to the series and limited to events in the anime... however...

Kurumi is one of the more intriguing spirits, and it is obvious that her design predates the start of the series - if not the entire purpose for the series.  As such, it is very easy to see how her character meshes very well with Shido's - her entire existence and the existence of the main character are fundamentally intertwined, and they would make a very practical couple because of it.

This is not to slight Tohka in any way.  The reality, also, is that Shido and Tohka have a very kindred and even romantic relationship, if a bit more cliche.  The two complement each other very well and it is difficult to see one without the other.  It could be argued, a bit, that Tohka's character is defined too much by Shido's own character - but I suspect that Tohka will begin to develop a more independent identity.

What Date A Live does, that other harem-ish fics have not really done in my experience, is actually analyze the character archetypes.  Each of the characters are deeply symbolic of situations women find themselves in.  Kurumi is the girl of the shadows - a girl who has walked in the darkness of society and knows its secrets.  Those who step into her shadow - into her secrets, can easily be consumed by them.  She can conjur vestiges of her past to assail both her opponents, and herself.  I was absolutely astounded at the perfection of Kurumi's symbolism, as a beautiful girl murders herself repeatedly as a way of proving how fallen and irredeemable she is.

Tohka is another case - the girl of excellence.  Raised in isolation and thrust into a world she barely understands - she is more than equipped to deal with those pressures.  Yet, having been given nothing else, she has only perceived those pressures and reacted to disperse them.  Fittingly, her first statement to Shido is to ask if he is there to kill her, as well.  The only stimulus she knows is a sort of challenge or fight.  This is further solidified when they first talk, and Shido tells her to ignore the AST - which she is more than capable of doing - and simply talk.  Tohka , "princess" is precisely that title of nobility and power.  The class president, the model woman of class, raised for a purpose and then launched into combat against a world she doesn't even understand what she's fighting for.

Tohka's entire ability to see more of the world is based around Shido, at least as of season 2; not just for sealing her, but for showing her that there was more to the world than its challenges.  Kurumi's entire purpose is, as I can surmise from her own quotes, to go back in time and end the existence of spririts (including herself).  I would, therefor, suspect that Kurumi's possible existence in the future is anchored to Shido's ability to solve the problem in a manner she does not currently view as possible.  This would seem to be, at least in part, why her character is so set on the view that she can't be saved.  This is not just metaphorical, but literal, as she will not exist once she has succeeded, and may very well have never existed (or any of the spirits).  By using Shido to accomplish this, it would be as if nothing ever happened and time never needed to be altered in the first place, with the girls who became spirits being able to live their lives as normal.

At the end of the day - every girl deserves a man to come and do for them what Shido has done.  That is kind of the point.  It is a troubling state of affairs when men have been shamed into being boys, leaving women to fight for survival.  To me, the show isn't asking us: "Which girl is the best girl?" - it's asking us "How do you save this girl?"  It's deeper than it first appears.  This was apparent from the tongue-in-cheek reference to the game of dating.  The game isn't difficult, and women know the game just as well as we do.  It's not the answers to the questions that matter, it's where you are ultimately willing to stand which has the greatest impact on the result.  The game is simply the social pressure guys feel when approaching a girl, and the people trying to help him all have more failures under their belt than successes.  We like to think there is some sort of process or flow that things must follow - but the reality is that we're all a bunch of idiots trying to communicate to someone that we think they are special and would like to spend time with them.

As such, I almost hope the show doesn't really end definitively with one girl or another.  Shido isn't so much a human character as he is a touch-stone for the male perspective.  If it were to end with him and any girl, it would likely be with Tohka, simply on the basis that his commitment to her was the first and, thus far, only one to really emphasize romance (at least in the show).  While it's easy to see where he and Kurumi could develop romance and intimacy - it is difficult to see how this would be done without being scandalous.  The way things are, it would seem to be a compromise of Shido's integrity to truthfully pursue a romantic/intimate relationship with a girl other than Tohka, even though I find Kurumi to be an extremely brilliant character and suitable pairing.

It would taint his relationship with Kurumi if he were to simply sideline Tohka for her - and I somewhat suspect Kurumi would agree with that.  Sometimes, it's not whether or not you have what you want, it's how you get it that matters.  Kurumi has been shown to have immense respect for Shido's sense of honor, and even though she often plays at the salacious, her character radiates a mature and refined sense of class.  Kurumi likes to see those values tested to new limits, but never to see those values fail.  I think, interestingly, for Kurumi to actually accept Shido as a true romantic partner would require Tohka to be taken out of that picture without compromising Shido's honor or Tohka's own will - a scenario that isn't impossible, but would effectively require Tohka to 'grow out of' Shido, and pursue separate interests.  This wouldn't be a bad thing, per se, but somewhat odd to run with.  Not that I see it as unreasonable - it could be argued that Tohka's reliance on Shido is potentially unhealthy and that she is, almost literally, going for the first guy who gave her the time of day - so it would be perfectly acceptable to have most of the girls grow out of their state of dependency on Shido and clear the way for an independent one - like Kurumi - to be his partner.  This is, however, not typically developed in these types of stories - thuough DAL is advanced/mature enough in its plot that I could see a rather unorthodox ending like that being in the cards.  Even if Tohka is the girl at the end, I would like to see her achieve independence and the realization that she need not be dependent on Shido to be happy in the world, before actually choosing of her own accord to be his partner.  

In my opinion, Shido and Kurumi's relationship can be interpreted in this way: one is a guy who pushes himself to do the right thing, no matter the cost, and the other is a girl who is willing take the cynical and pragmatic choice and live with the consequences. Shido tries to see the good in Kurumi and offers a chance to be better than what she is right now, while Kurumi is not interested in redemption, even if she develops some measure of respect and affection towards Shido.

Shido's relationship with Tohka is an entirely different matter. Tohka came into the world with an innocent perspective but proves to be capable of maturing. Despite of her increase of maturity (or perhaps because of it), Tohka relies on Shido to guide her through life, seeing him as the only one who will never let her down. In turn, Shido notices Tohka's development and feels that he can confide his insecurities and fears to them. Because of her maturity, Tohka can provide advice and a shoulder to cry on. Even when Shido gains a network of friends and allies later on, Tohka was the one who started it all.

To summarize: Kurumi can be interpreted as the dark and mysterious girl who pushes the hero outside of his comfort zone while Tohka is the girl next door who provides a comforting influence for the hero whenever he feels lost. Kurumi might be the more enticing choice for Shido, but he needs Tohka to keep him grounded.

after all the stuff shido went thru its kinda unfair if he dont get a harem ending like kazami yuuji from eden no Grisaia

after all the stuff shido went thru its kinda unfair if he dont get a harem ending like kazami yuuji from eden no Grisaia

Mana hunted beasts for their source, Kurumi hunts humans for their hidden source. Two different arguments same problem, the reason Shidro deserves better is because well Kurumi has been corrupted beyond redemption. If think otherwise, think again she has killed 10k people, before she even went after Shido. It was Kurumi's clone Shido tried to shield, Kurumi proper even went so far as to devour herself. Could there really be a more iconic insanely evil character?

Tohka lol

Kurumi is definitely the writer's favorite character. She was conceived way before other characters in DaL and fully equipped with various charms: her eyes, her power, her mysterious but refined personality, and her own unique storyline (she even has a spin off story). She is definitely the most popular DaL character, but I don't think she will end up as "the girl" because that is her main purpose. She will lost her value if she ended up with shido, because she is "the one who is too far to reach" girl. Shido will undoubtedly pair with tohka, and it is definitely better that way for kurumi's own sake.

Yep, Kurumi is the best. I hope to see her very soon in Shido's harem, competiting with Tohka and Origami for Shido's love XP

At least, I hope that the author would gives her the best KISS ever seen for saving her ;)

Stop trying to trigger DAL fans especially if this wiki is about DAL. Please don't call it a "piece of shit" series in a wiki like this!

I dont see any relationship between making most amazing or important things and who deserve with Shido. Even Kurumi have different roll and story compare to other spirit, but Tohka have more scene and development of relationship with Shido more than anyone else. And her roll are also important in the series, only salty Kurumi fans see Tohka as a jealous, boring and only know eating character.

Just watched the entire series from the begining to the very (hopefully not) end. i would say it was fun to watch, surely felt like Kurumi deserved much more attention. (Personal opinion) Feels like she would've add much more depth to the story;

Great Anime nevertheless.