Do you have any thoughts about Joshus attempted rape of Yasuho of him SAing his mother?
Hello! How's it going? I do have some thoughts about these two moments, so I'm glad you encouraged me to share my opinion.
My thoughts on Joshu's "attempted rape of Yasuho":
First off, looking at the entire scene, I wouldn't consider it an attempted rape at all. However, I'm not entirely mad to it being called as sexual assault. After all, it was SA. Intended SA? No. But SA still.
It can't be called attempted rape, though, because Joshu wasn't attempting to do anything without her consent.
There's not much to explain: Joshu just believed Yasuho was consenting the whole time. Everything in this scene is written as a misunderstanding: Tsurugi not caring about Joshu and leaving Yasuho alone while being affect by his stand, Joshu taking his phone back from Josuke, the ambigous words Yasuho used to describe her situation to Joshu, and also the fact that Joshu literally just stopped, getting uncomfortable the instant his dumb ass perceived something was wrong and that there was any possibility of Yasuho not consenting to it.
There's even an official note clarifying that he misheard "Josuke" as "Joshu-suki," and I don't think that would be added if the authors intended to portray the character as an intentional abuser. It's explicitly established that his intentions were neither harmful nor perverse.
The worst thing Joshu did in this whole arc was patting Yasuho’s butt when they first hugged, which was unrequired and weird.
“Oh, but it was so obvious that Yasuho was being affect by…” Well, you're a reader. To him, it wasn't. Joshu was the only one not affected by Tsurugi’s Stand, and probally didn't even know about its powers - he had just discovered NKC in the previous arc, Shakedown Road.
Also, Yasuho has called Joshu annoying and said she doesn't like him plenty of times, but I don't recall a single moment where she acted scared out of his stupid attempts. She didn’t know it was Joshu in the bathroom, which contributes to her desperation, because she is very used to him and his inappropriate behaviours and pretty much is only annoyed by them - not truly threatened.
My thoughts on Joshu "SAing his mother":
Regarding Kaato, the core of the situation is very simple: yes, Joshu SAs her, but she is not his mother. At least, not to him. Norisuke lied to the family, claiming she was dead/ had abandoned them, and Joshu believed that.
Moreover, the intention behind the SA was NOT sexual.
A solid aspect of Joshu's personality is that he acts cautiously yet reactively impulsive toward anything - people, situations - that somehow threatens his sense of security and stability; which also helps to maintain his delusional system high, as he is fairly resistant to accept new facts and ideas. Joshu doesn't remember his mother because he was three when she was arrested; thus, to him, Kaato is just a stranger who suddenly entered his house. And another prominent personality trait is that he is very protective of his loved ones and family.
This scene showcases both these traits in a twisted, Joshu way.
Rememberingthat EVERY single character who tried to interfere with the Higashikata family's business was immediately deemed dangerous and mistreated by Joshu: Josuke, Damo, Mamezuku, Tooru and also Kaato. So when a strange woman enters his house, unsettling his father and attempting to touch his younger sister Daiya (who is blind and especially vulnerable), his reaction is no different, and he freaks out.
Additionally, the very first thing Kaato does upon seeing her son after over 15 years is insult his hair, attributing it to a lack of breastmilk as a baby. His phrase isn't entirely out of nowhere; it's akin to saying, "Your hair is shitty like that because you didn't drink enough milk as a kid..." to which he responds, "Okay then, give me some now, it's never too late!".
Could this have been done in a more 'appropriate' manner? Absolutely. But the point is that his intention was never to engage in anything sexual with her pr whatever. Instead, he wanted to dismiss her from his family and home as quickly as possible. This is evident from his initial confusion and discomfort, as well as his use of Nut King Call -not to touch or impair her directly, but to remove her shirt and then embarrass her the most straightforwardly way posible.
Delving deeper, this act also expresses his resentment over growing up without a mother and his view of the absurdity of someone suddenly entering his life to assume that role, attempting to fix years of absence and rejoin the family as if nothing happened. While I love both Kaato and Norisuke, their behavior as parents is super questionable sometiemes (and so it is their child’s behavior, lmao).
(LATE EDIT: Hato also noticed that her brother was about to do something to protect Daiya from Kaato and sympathized with that, holding her back.
I wasn't sure about this detail until I re-read the final fight, where it is stated that Hato never forgave her mother and was apparently the one with the most issues regarding her mother's return).
Joshu is NOT a character designed for universal likability, I totally understand that. He is centered around very uncomfortable themes. If that's not your cup of tea, I get it. However, most of his his polemic scenes have more nuance than some may think.
Joshu's writing added depth and realism to other obsessive grey characters trope, like Anasui and Yukako. Joshu is never excused for his bad actions, but nor is he praised for his good ones. He does bad things with good intentions (protecting his family from Kaato but harassing her in the process) and good things with bad intentions (only returning Milagro Man's money because it caused him problems, interacting with Yasuho due to his infatuation with her, etc). He is spoiled, and his actions are frequently selfish and greedy, but not inherently evil.
