#yumasaki walker

It’s interesting how Kyohei is just casually hanging out with another gang member from the blue squares, and initially seems to get along just fine. His values aren’t all that straight forward; he’s fine with the general idea of attacking Masaomi, even if he himself considers this fight below him. His only real concern is being caught by the police when it comes to a straight forward fight. Though Masaomi is a kid, the fandom often forgets he’s also the leader of an active gang, which, although they didn’t particularly start any fights or wars, is still highly violent in it’s defense. The characters in the books on the other hand definitely do aknowledge this fact and therefore treat him much more like an adult.

Of course… When it comes to kidnapping, mutilating and raping a little girl… Hmn yeah that clearly goes too far. I think we can all agree with Kyohei on that one, but it actually isn’t surprising that this behavior is cheered on in gang culture, is it? Certainly leaves a bad taste in my mouth to remember how relatively normal this kind of thing likely is in that sort of underworld.

So of to the rescue they go—

Evidence for Ran Izumii being among the biggest shit holes in this generally highly questionable series… Right there. Even the blue squares closely in league don’t seem entirely comfortable with the absolute disregard for Saki as a person he’s speaking with here.

Enter Walker, who’s good mood was immediately doused upon seeing her.

Walker’s 2D fantasies are as unrealistic and entertaining as always. I personally don’t think he actually believes it though, despite Kyouhei’s earlier comments about the two Otaku’s not being able to tell reality and fiction apart. I think if anything, it just serves as a perfect distraction. I absolutely would believe that Walker has a hero complex though!

Don’t play with fire people, you’ll get burned. Even Walker did, and we all know it wasn’t his first time. He just had different priorities in the moment. We’ll have to admit though, it was very effective, even stopping them from being able to give chase right away.

In the short ride away from the scene, we know;

1. Everyone saw Masaomi, and nobody blamed him from being unable to manage on his own. He is, after all, just a boy.

2. The police shows up suspiciously fast after Khouhei and crew escape the scene.

3. The remains of the blue squares got in trouble with the Awakusu,of all people, right after.

4. And picked a fight with Shizuo,

5. Which Izaya then conveniently made use of to ‘frame’ Shizuo.

6. Izaya moved to Shinjuku right after this incident.

This smells of a typical Izaya style revenge scheme to me. I don’t believe for a moment that he was okay with what was done to Saki, or that he intended for it to happen because this is exactly how Izaya reacts in other times where people he cares about are hurt by somebody else.

Izaya obviously has a lot of issues with expressing affection, but I’m pretty sure this is it, these over-the-top revenge actions, since it’s pretty damn consistent who he does it for.

I actually think that Izaya’s mocking attitude towards Masaomi later in the hospital, and his disregard for him in the 'current’ time also have to do with being disappointed and angry at the boy, for being a coward and betraying Saki. It’s hardly an excuse- he’s just a kid after all, but it explains.

And finally I’m suspecting, since it’s put this way, Shizuo was probably at leat party responsible for the thing he got arrested for? It was probably Izaya’s fault he ended up in whatever the actual situation was in the first place, but seeing how shizuo was at this point in time, he probably did some non-excusable violence on his own accord.

Also this means that the remark about their 'rivelry being set in stone’ in the first book, refers to this point, only two years ago. So their fight before that were actually of a friendlier, less serious nature??

A little while later, once Saki already has recovered a bit, Kyouhei’s crew runs into Masaomi at the hospital.

The interaction is quite telling for how everyone believes Masaomi should be treated. Yes, he’s young. But he’s not a elementary school child. He’s a teenager, and he made the concious choice to get into fights, and to keep his gang once he realized he had one. He even chose to keep his gang after realizing he could protect his friends by breaking it up. Masaomi can and should be expected to take responsibility, HE made these choices, nobody else did.

And still Kyohei gave him a way out, telling Saki a lie for him, letting Masaomi bury the past and move on with somebody he’s supposedly in love with, should he chose to.

He does make a choice in the end. But he still courses to run- just with a little bit more closure than simple avoidance, as he ends up breaking up with Saki.

Kyohei really was being cool, and he definitely has an impact on Masaomi! I’m not sure if it was a 100% positive one in this case, but he did the best he could’ve. It’s not Kyouhei’s fault that Masaomi is an idiot.

Leave it to Erika and Walker to totally ruin it though. Though I have to say, reading under the bedsheets? Training your ears to hear your parents approach? Relatable.