Small point, but have you ever thought about how often Kaz was, I don’t know, maybe alone?
First, he grew up without his dad. He was raised in a very homogeneous society in Japan, and with his blond hair and blue eyes, he must have felt isolated. At age ten, his mother had fallen gravely ill and became bedridden, leaving Kaz to tend to himself and her. Ultimately, he would leave his mom (and I don’t think Kaz relishes in that fact; I believe he very much cared for his mother, and that the feeling was mutual) to find his father, believing America would be a home better suited for him.
It wasn’t, and he even confesses that he never felt at home in either Japan or America.
However, the Vietnam War would break out, and while he was still living in the states, his father would sink into depression. His half-brother was killed in battle, and the divorce between Kaz’s father and stepmother had left his American home empty and dark. Packing up, he would return to Japan to find that his mother had completely forgotten who he was. Her illness claimed her memories.
Eventually, he’d enlist in the JDSP to care for her, and when her ailing health ultimately claimed her life, he learned his father had committed suicide. So, after all those years of feeling out of place and feeling like he didn’t belong, he was now by himself. He later became a mercenary travelling the world, never settling and finding jobs.
Then MSF came around and he found purpose with Big Boss. MSF was where he finally felt he had a right to be. Come 1975, however, it would burn into the sea, and both he and Boss would end up in the hospital. Kaz didn’t want to sleep, wanted to see Boss and make sure he was okay, but the doctors didn’t give him that chance and the chemicals pulled him under. When he came to, Boss was gone, and he was told he couldn’t see him yet. He had to wait. Kaz hated the news, but he accepted it.
Nine years later, he thought he’d finally had his reunion with the legend himself, but later learned that wasn’t the case. To him, he’d been abandoned nine years ago, back on that night when MSF went up in flames, but it doesn’t hit him until 1984.
He later left the Diamond Dogs, maybe because it just didn’t feel right anymore. Maybe because Venom was still following Big Boss like the loyal soldier he was, and Kaz couldn’t stomach it; it made him sick and he wasn’t going to willingly stay in a situation like that. He lived his life alone until he married his wife, Nadine. The relationship didn’t last, however, and the two eventually split, Kaz seeing his daughter Catherine only a few times a month.
Then, there we have it: Alaska. Kaz stayed in the cold arctic for the remainder of his life, alone with nothing but the cold winds until he’s killed in 2005.
Like, Kaz, dude, you’ve got some heavy baggage on your shoulders. I think being alone sort of suits Kaz in a way, but had he a choice - had he felt he had a choice - I don’t think he would have ever chosen this life for himself. I still don’t find him to be a man that sulks and laments openly about it (he’ll stick with being more introspective), but, you know, on some days, I think he would think on these things, and none too happily. When he was a young man in his 20s, being alone was overshadowed by his thirst for revenge. When he aged into his 30s and as the years progressed, that revenge darkened, and with it were the pangs of feeling used and abandoned. When he’d reached his late 40s, I don’t find it odd to believe he was done with vengeance and that bitter hatred. He’d spent a majority of his life furious and unhappy, and I fully believe a large part of him just wanted to be rid of it. I mean, honestly, how long can you let that stuff eat you up?
Either way, at the end of the day, spending time in that Alaskan home far out in the wilderness, he was by himself. But, at that point, he was probably used to it. I mean, let’s be real, the guy had a lot of practice. He’s fine as a lone wolf sort of character, though, again, had he felt he’d been given another possibility, he probably would have taken it.
