Late Night Kotallo Thoughts
Let’s talk about worth. Among the Tenakth you are pretty worthless if you have any sort of disability that would prohibit you from serving the people. We see this in the Side Quest, A Tribe Apart. A Tenakth named Korreh loses his sight and what happens? His sister hatches a plan for the squad to live out in the wilderness so that the Tenakth can’t kill her brother.
Kotallo knows how his own people see him now. His own “father” Tekotteh called him a “cripple.” Hekarro says that the Tenakth no longer respect him because he is maimed (but Kotallo still has worth, he says). Even Kotallo knows that his people see him as less than a Tenakth, but you know what, he tells Aloy, “I may be maimed, but I have a strong back.” He climbs a mountain with one arm. He fights alongside Aloy and together they take down a Tremortusk. He saves the world.
That is why what he does in “What Was Lost” is so incredible. He could have easily kept the arm on. He knew that his people would come to respect it. He knew that his people would find the arm intimidating. He knew that he would no longer be worthless in the eyes of the Tenakth. But Kotallo didn’t want that. He wanted to be respected for the reasons that Aloy respects him. For the reasons that Erend and Varl and Zo and Alva respect him. They know what he overcame and they know how capable he is. And finally he comes to that same understanding.
The metal arm represents an old life. An old life that he no longer needs because of what Aloy and his friends have shown him. This is him now and he is worthy.
And that is why Kotallo is the strongest, the bravest, and the most courageous of all of the Tenakth.