One of my favorite readings of Akemura's character atm is that he's basically a shonen protagonist who made the "wrong" choice at the end
I know people have probably made this comparison before but I love it so much
Just think about it. You have a young man from a prominent clan, incredibly powerful, with a simple goal of rising through the ranks of his clan to protect his sister.
this is prime protagonist material
His clan is one of heroes, of those blessed by gods and of those who vanquished demons, the evil Mikaboshi. He's grown up with this shit.
And what's this? The Mikaboshi returned. They killed his people's negotiators, they murdered some of the most powerful sorcerers in his family (cuz lets be real everyone besides Shiba's dying at Irishima). They demanded Japan's land.
The demons have returned, and he have to fight and stop them. His sister, his clan, the country which he love is in danger.
The "hero" type shit that Yura and him were going on about was present even back here. He was always working to protect the innocent, the people caught up in this war who don't deserve it. Again, typical protagonist shit
And even as the war rages, he still wishes for a peaceful world.
But these people aren't demons. The people of Shokoku are just like them. They're Japanese.
They are people. Innocent people caught up in this war who don't deserve it.
The people of Shokoku only fight because of the royal family. The royals killed those negotiators, his family members. What crime did that boy and his mother above commit?
The people of Shokoku were raised to hate Japan, fed propaganda? How is that different from Akemura? The moment anyone reads "Mikaboshi", the demonic caricature instantly enters their mind.
At the end of the day, they're the same.
And so, we get toward the end of the Seitei War. The war's in a deadlock, and one final enchanted blade has been forged to finally break it. His enchanted blade.
In any other story, the protagonist might realize all these facts. The people he fights aren't the demons his forefathers told him about. They both only fight because of the things their ancestors did a thousand years ago; nobody alive in Japan sunk them into the cold sea, and nobody in Shokoku oppressed Japan. Only pushed forward by officials who desire resources and royals worshipping said resources.
Any other protagonist would shape the abilities of the greatest enchanted blade toward neutralizing any threat without drawing it; the ultimate expression of rejecting war, a sword that doesn't need to be drawn. Perhaps, they may also shape their blade to use the imagery of their foes, insects, to show that they're not so different.
Any other protagonist would realize that the cycle of hatred has to be stopped, and with their power, they have the ability to.
And, well, I think Akemura understood that bit.
But he made the wrong choice.
The cycle of hatred wasn't stopped. It was completely broken at the link that he could cut.
His peaceful world.
