Talk:Kishou Arima/@comment-92.205.3.147-20151109031740/@comment-10733658-20151109060731

I think the primary thing missing in this discussion is that we don't even have any context for the scene at the beginning of the chapter.

We have no idea whether that's based on a real event, or simply another round of "Fun Times in Kaneki's Head". It wouldn't be the first time that his subconscious took the form of someone and tormented him. There's "Rize" and "Centipede", for example. It could very well simply be him hallucinating and part of his subconscious appearing as Arima to kick him into action.

I do tend to think it's imagined completely, since our only information concerning the controlling of Sasaki by the organization was Arima giving Akira orders. (He needs a mentor/mother figure, and has extremely high developed empathy.) I think it's more likely, based on how Sasaki behaves towards Arima, that he has primarily been treated with kindness. He shows a lot of trust and co-dependence, stating that he sees Arima as his father figure and trusts Arima to take care of him. Beyond that, we have the implication that Ui is unsatisfied with Arima's handling of Sasaki in the past.