Talk:Re: Chapter 48/@comment-62.179.123.10-20151011092143/@comment-10733658-20151011094056

I think his purpose isn't just about him, honestly. One thing Ishida has shown us so many times is how he wins people over, and how many people within the CCG like him. He has managed to befriend the Hirako/Itou Squad, the Suzuya Squad, Akira, and probably quite a few other people that he has either saved or otherwise been kind to over the years. We also know that he's a valuable mentor to many young recruits at the Junior Academies, loved by them in contrast to their abusive teachers. We even saw in the first chapter that the office staff consider him a reliable and kind person, with the woman kind of fawning over him as they once did with Amon.

He is, without realizing it, building bridges. His presence has challenged the very idea of Ghouls as things, as opposed to people. Asking so many people to simply write him off will lead to a major conflict within the CCG, I think.

As for Sasaki himself, I think we are seeing that he's conflicted. It just isn't shown in sweeping or enormous ways, but the small moments such as him expressing distress over the Extermination Operation when he arrived at the L.E. He doesn't seem happy with what he's seeing, but probably feels a certain amount of helplessness in addressing the wrongs he sees. He doesn't have the influence or power to really stop those things, especially since the ones doing it are often higher-ranked.

There's also the cultural aspects to consider as well, since Japanese society has incredibly rigid rules concerning social order and group hierarchy. You are not supposed to question or defy your social or professional betters. You don't question or argue with your superior, and you work to maintain the illusion of harmony within the group. The Japanese are, in contrast to how anime sometimes portrays things, a society and culture that is VERY opposed to disagreements or contradiction. That kind of thing may be obvious to the intended, Japanese, audience but lost on foreign audiences unfamiliar with how Japanese society works.

So he's someone that doesn't feel he can do much for the things he's clearly not happy about. But as I mentioned, he allowed Uta to remain free in defiance of standard practice because he had control over that situation. The situations with Hinami and Tsukiyama are beyond his control, and he is trying to offer what little he believes he can offer them.

He isn't prepared to throw everything away. I seriously think he worked alone during the mask operation in hopes of finding out more about himself, but what little he learned only reinforced all his fears. He's clearly hitting a dead-end in terms of the CCG, because the information he wants seems to be missing/erased. He's got no leads, and very little private/personal time to pursue what little he has. Him going to Tsukiyama himself to ask was an enormous step for him, but one that involved another door slamming in his face.

Now he's in another situation where there's no a lot of options, because both of them are trapped on the roof. I think he's aware the superiors in this operation are very leery of him, and he needs to step carefully. Even so, he's lied to Koori Ui and tried to offer what he can for Tsukiyama. I have a feeling things are going to be shaken up, once Kanae arrives on the roof.

Ultimately, I think we're not going to see a major event until Amon makes his grand entrance. We were told early on that he is the key, and I think it's only when the two meet again that we're going to see the enormous shift everyone has been waiting for.