Quick theory / discussion related to Tokio
This is just brief thread I’ve had in my head for a while going into detail regarding why I think Tokio has still remained confidant & laid-back as a hero Choujin after the Tower Raid and is still fighting in the war with the Higo / Vulture squad.
Keep in mind I haven’t reread this in a while, so correct me if I get things wrong.
So, from what I remember, Tokio was hesitant to be a Choujin at first, but after Beast Isles attack and the first meeting with Sora, he quits school, left home and trained in Iwato with Sato for a whole year to be strong enough to protect both his home and his family from big threats.
He begins losing some confidence when some Choujin like Ely would rather keep fighting instead of looking from both sides ever since he lost his Iwato squad in battle. Thankfully, he was able to overcome it after successfully saving Palma from chaosification.
Then, at the big Sora mission, after learning that he’ll die along with Azuma if the mark disappears, he selflessly negotiates with her looking through both perspectives right up to the conclusion that he’ll be okay taking her mark.
And we all know what happened from there.
After Ely “stole” the mark instead, it was either a relief or upsetting that he is no longer able to take up the burden. But even after a major win by defeating Batista / Nue, nothing prepared anyone for what happened next, resulting in the assassination of Yamato’s seer and a major terrorist attack.
But the worst outcome of them all that permanently changed Tokio’s life forever was the discovery, with Palma’s help, that both his father and older sister were among the victims of the attack, completely leaving him devastated that he can now never go back to his old life and his meaning now lost.
Now here’s what I personally think happened between 69.2 and his first encounter with Ubrega. After the talk with Palma about his mother, Tokio remained depressed for a few days, keeping what happened to his family a secret from everyone except her, as a loyal and honest friend, for now at least.
Then, on Tokio’s 17th/18th birthday (Jan 13), he then considers giving up as a Choujin altogether to begin a new human life like Batista was forced to do, but then Palma tells him that her being at Yamato Mori felt more like a home and that her friends were more like her family after the fields.
So, while everyone is busy sorting out Ely’s new role and the continuing plane attack throughout Nanasu, Palma is the one celebrating Tokio’s birthday and comforts him when he begins to get emotional thinking about his family, with Palma reminding him that friends don’t have to keep secrets.
The next day, as Guelta II begins their attack, Tokio confronts the young keepers, minus Ely, and tells them the truth about his family and his dilemma that has haunted him since childhood, resulting in them all to have a group hug, except for Azuma as he has his own crazy issues going on.
After that moment, Tokio begins to slowly recover from the mourning, as with his current meaning now gone, he gains a new one where his friends at Yamato Mori now feel more like his new family and that no matter what happens, he’ll make sure they all survive whatever comes their way.
Enter the war and the Nanasu Alliance splitting them all apart, the young keepers make a promise that whatever happens or how long it takes, one day they’ll all reunite in Yamato, and as you can see here, Tokio, now confident again, is relieved with both his friends’s strength and Ely’s safety.
So while the war takes a major toll on all of Nanasu with the fall of Gaga & Iwato and the loss of thousands of Choujin, Tokio keeps his courage alive fighting alongside his best friend, while Ely stayed protected at Yamato as the new seer, with Palma there to help at the new pharmacy division.
So, even after three years away from home, while looking more rugged and tired from all the fighting and started smoking as a way to communicate to his dad. Tokio still keeps fighting to defend Nanasu from Guelta II rampage, since all his friend as still alive and playing their own part in the war.
I also think that when Azuma was called in to assist Nowak and then Yamato as Vice-Director, Tokio gave him that boost to go ahead to both support their friends as a rough point there as well as keep Ely safe, not just because he ships the two, but so she doesn’t go completely insane like Sora.
In conclusion, despite what happened to Tokio being ultimately heartbreaking, I love the growth he has had throughout the story, where after everything that has happened to him, he’s never given up as a hero, with his powers getting stronger, now as leader of the squad and his friends alongside him supporting him. And with the addition of Arulu and Koemori now as his new allies, I’m excited to see how Tokio’s character develops further.
But that’s all my say on this chunky theory. Let me know what you think about this and correct me if I’m wrong on anything I said here.