YES OMG. Ren and Munda's relationship might be my favorite thing ever. They are really important characters for each other's character arcs and UGH it's so good.

They have a really special connection right from the get-go because draconic leaders have nearly gone extinct, with Ren even believing he was the last of his kind since his father's passing (which takes a pretty heavy toll on him in the story). So after Mundakoda lowkey tries to kill them to chase them off his territory and Nyra's crew realizes that Munda is NOT a wild dragon called a 'faceless', they manage to find his home to talk to him. I know there will also be plot reasons for them to help Mundakoda and why they were over there in the first place I just have no clue what that is yet.

They hate each other at first because Ren is in utter disbelief that there's been a dragon king in hiding all these years that hasn't taken responsibility for his ordained position. Ren sees him as a coward and a disgrace, and partially blames him for the events of the Krocean genocide which his mother was a victim of, because if Mundakoda had actually taken his place as king and lead the scattered Tellarian people, there was a chance he could have prevented that. Also at this point in the story, Ren is still struggling with his biased distaste for Tellarians so that was also an underlying issue.

Conversely, Mundakoda is not Ren's biggest fan either. Prior to their arrival, Mundakoda had been trying his hardest to wither away and die peacefully alone in his forest without anyone bothering him. Having a scrappy group of pirates barging in unannounced starting to talk about grand quests and divine responsibility was NOT what he wanted to deal with. He is at a VERY low point when they meet him, completely drained of all hope for life. Not to mention Mundakoda has been living in solitude for YEARS and has grown frightened about the prospect of returning to civilization and his people, so it's needless to say he was really not interested in guests. Also, Mundakoda is an old fart and was alive during the reign of the Demon Emperor Moroyama, so he grew up during the height of Moroyama's brutal conquest which slaughtered millions of Munda's people. Soo.... not exactly a huge fan of the Hisakawa family name.

In short, the backdrop of their meeting is stained with a long history of us vs them. Two ordained leaders of enemy nations, two of which have approached leadership VERY differently. A tired old king that gave up his crown, and a young zealous emperor whose crown was stolen. Dragons of the sea and dragons of the earth have butted heads since ancient times, so it's a very appropriate reflection of that.

ANWAYYY, without spoiling toooooo much, they begrudgingly have to work together and confront their differences for a time. Mundakoda incidentally takes on a mentor role toward Ren and teaches him things Ren never knew about the nature of the dragon blessing. They learn A LOT from each other that challenges what they thought they knew, and walls begin to break down. The boy who lost his father and the man who lost his son... you get an idea of how this goes.

SORRY I WROTE YOU LIKE AN ESSAY LMAO I JUST LOVE THESE TWO SILLY DRAGONS SO MUCH.