the op of jjk season 2 is rife with symbolism. there's one particular motif, however, that foreshadows the trajectory (and tragedy) of gojo and geto's love story.
almost immediately, we see geto running through the rain. the stylistic choice to portray him holding his bag over his head is deliberate, because it emphasizes what he conspicuously doesnāt have but so clearly needs: an umbrella.
gojo, on the other hand, is not operating with the same sense of urgency, seen through him taking his time looking at a cat. gojo has what geto needs, but he's not rushing. their behaviour is incongruous; geto is hurrying to get out of the rain, and gojo remains still, because heās absolutely not hurrying at all.
the sense of urgency is compounding, seen through geto bouncing his leg. heās waiting impatiently in the rain, and he's not using his bag to cover up his head anymore. geto knows gojo is coming; that's why he's impatientā because he's waiting for someone who has what he needs that hasnāt shown up yet.
geto needs him, yet gojo doesnāt pick up the pace. this is despite the fact that he needs to because itās raining and geto doesnāt have an umbrella. we, as the audience, feel geto's impatience and we're urging gojo on, yet he still doesn't go any faster.
sharing an umbrella is an established trope in japan. itās widely recognized and practiced enough to have its own designated terminology.
gojo is bringing an umbrella for them to share. that's why itās repeatedly reinforced to the audience that geto doesn't have one. thatās also why the shots cut between them; it highlights what gojo has that geto doesnāt, and in doing so, ties the narrative together through the umbrella.
by the time gojo finally shows up, the sun has come out. gojo lowers the umbrella and smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. contrarily, geto almost seems resigned, like heās accepted the fact that gojo took too long. they canāt share the umbrella anymore because they missed their chance to use it.
we can see that geto is saying something to gojo when he finally shows up with the umbrella. you know what i would bet actual money it probably was?
A direct, verbal confession from Gojo Satoru is highly unlikely, based on his character. He's not the type to say "I love you" out loud, at least not in a straightforward, romantic way. ACTIONS not WORDS.
He's a man of action, not words: Gojo expresses his care and love through protection and providing. He saves Yuji, trains his students, and seeks to create a better world for them. He never truly let's himself be emotional with them, always a facade of strength and head pats if things get tense (e.g. Jogo vs Gojo with Yuji in the Domain Expansion). He later finally became vulnerable and said "Hasn't the world had enough of Gojo?" which is why Yuji asked him "Aren't you saying things out of character?" because he's not used to it. Even if the reader has known Gojo from the beginning BEFORE Geto's departure, I think the shift is still too extreme for confessions of I love you's. Heck, even Shoko who was part of the group felt Gojo's extreme distance. Like seriously.
He shows his affection by ensuring their safety and future, not by declaring his feelings. For Gojo, love is about taking on the world's burdens so that the people he cares about don't have to.
Gojo is incredibly powerful but emotionally stunted. The loss of Geto left a void he never truly filled. He was left at the age of 18 and decided not to mature too much, because he wanted to hold on to the past, that 'Blue Summer' he thinks back at. As a character, he's used to being "the strongest" and the one who handles everything. This mindset makes him bad at verbalizing his inner feelings. He doesn't know how to ask for help or admit his vulnerabilities, and a direct confession would feel like a form of vulnerability he's not equipped to handle.
A core theme of Gojo's character is his profound loneliness. He's so far above everyone else in terms of power that he feels no one can truly understand him, except for Geto. I think if the reader was a Special Grade, it might help a bit, but in the end Gojo is truly the absolute strongest. This isolation prevents him from forming deep, intimate emotional bonds. Even with a crush, he might feel that they can't truly grasp the reality of his existence, and a confession would be a pointless gesture.
Gojo's teasing, playful, and even arrogant demeanor is a defense mechanism. It's how he keeps people at a distance while still showing he cares. A confession would require him to drop this mask, and it's a step he's not likely to take. He didn't even drop the mask with Shoko, who was his best friend and distanced himself from Nanami. He was seen as quite tactless with Ijichi, but he had always been quite upfront and rude to be honest so.
His confession would be a subtle, indirect act that speaks volumes. It would happen after Geto's betrayal, when he has a better understanding of what it means to lose someone. I think BEFORE Geto left, he would say something like, "Miss me? The mission was a piece of cake, of course." He would immediately monopolize their time. He wouldn't just say hi; he'd likely throw an arm around them and pull them away from whatever they're doing, suggesting they go get food or hang out, all while talking animatedly about the mission. He would use his physical affection as a form of playful teasing. He might ruffle their hair, lean on their shoulder, or give them a noogie, all while joking about how they must have been counting the minutes until he got back. It's fun and lighthearted, a way of expressing his happiness to see them.
A confession might instead be a promise.
Instead of saying "I love you," he'd say something like, "I won't let anything happen to you. I swear it." This isn't just a promise of a sorcerer to a friend; it's a deeply personal vow from a man who has failed to protect someone he loved before. It's a way to show true unguarded vulnerability.
He might take their hand, lower his blindfold, and just look at them with his Six Eyes. In that moment, he wouldn't be the strongest sorcerer, but just Satoru Gojo. This simple act of trustāexposing his greatest source of power and vulnerability to themāwould be his way of saying, "I trust you with all of me."
Perhaps for some angst or because of his relentless drive to handle all missions on his own, he would let his guard down. After a difficult mission, he might hold them close, perhaps burying his face in their hair, and whisper something that isn't a confession but feels like one: "Stay with me." It's a plea for their presence, a desperate attempt to anchor himself to something real and enduring in his lonely world.
Gojo would never deliver a classic "I love you" because his character arc isn't built for that. His love is too raw, too deeply tied to his trauma and his duties. Itās a silent, protective love that is felt in the space between his actions and his words.
manga panels that make me love satoru gojo more (spoilers)
i love my kind hearted, generous, admirable, inspiring, intelligent, gorgeous, misunderstood, self-sacrificing king. the people who analyze his character yall deserve ur flowers! šš
Something that I find attractive about Gojo, if not THE most attractive thing, is that he is a very competent and intelligent man.
What I donāt like (and itās starting to die down which I love) (also this is just my opinion!!) is the fact that people sometimes portray him as a genuine idiot or like a little boy. I understand when heās a teenager, but even then, he was and IS really smart and so so so so responsible. Yes he is goofy and funny and silly, but you can be all those things AND be serious and responsible. This part isnāt really my opinion, he literally is written to be that way. This manga panel below literally shows it:
I couldnāt find the whole thing lol, but right after this his voice gets serious and he gives and meeaaannnn mog gargantuas side eye LMAO. Like he KNOWS that this situation is serious and he is obviously being goofy and saying āall good!ā so people can stay calm.
I will also put myself on the spot here, I love to joke around and keep things light and playful, but deep down Iām pretty serious and I take things seriously, even if I tell a joke or two. I just never want people to worry and Iām aware how that can come across as me maybe not caring or not taking the situation seriously, as seen with Gojos students and peers. I like to analyse a characterās personality based on when they are alone and whenever Gojo is alone or has no eyes on him, we the readers/viewers get a glimpse at the Gojo underneath.
If he was truly dumb and an idiot and unserious, he would not be the strongest.
People obviously have said what I said before but I lowkey wanted an excuse to post a lil mini analysis LOL.
Thinking about the Blue-Red symbolism surrounding SatoSugu
I've been thinking about this shot for a while. At first it didn't make sense to me, why Gojo was in the red and Geto was in the blue, I thought it should've been the opposite but after seeing some others talk about it, I think it makes a lot of sense.
Because of Gojo's powers and how it directly relates into this. At the near end of Hidden Inventory, Gojo and Geto are spending less time together, Gojo is going out on missions alone, he is training and refining his techniques multiple times over and is leaving little to no room for friends. He's essentially isolating himself from others to be able to become strong enough to go on as many missions as possible. He's pushing people away, like how his ability Red repels. Thus, Gojo is in red, like his ability, pushing away those around him.
Geto on the other hand is in the blue, by the near end of Hidden Inventory, he is depressed and consistently consuming curses. I think Gege was great at showing his depression, Getoās got heavy eye bags, like he either canāt sleep or sleeps too much. He hunches over, resting on his knees like sitting up straight is just too much work. When someone talks to him, he blinks slowly and takes a beat too long to respond, like even that takes more energy than he has. And like Gojo said, he was losing weight, meaning he was eating less. Like Gojo's ability blue, which attracts, he is absorbing curses, wallowing in his negative thoughts and feelings to the point he developed a hatred for most of humanity. He's pulling in all the negativity into himself just as how blue attracts.
And it also fits in nicely with the openings of season 2. Ao no Sumika (Where Our Blue is) is imo showing that they were together and happy. Where Our Blue is, in this case would also translate to Where Our Attraction is because Gojo's blue is pulling and attracting. The title to me means "Where we're together" for them. The rest of the opening is mostly blue as well, emphasizing it further. The second opening of season 2, is mostly red, and akin to reversal red presents a push. Gojo and Geto are no longer united anymore, they stand against each other.
Gojo Satoru Probably Isn't the Playboy Some People Think He Is š
You want a playboy? Fine.
But here's why I don't think Gojo Satoru is the character you should choose for that.
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Yo!
Before we start...
Disclaimers :
Write whatever you want.
Fanfiction, fantasies, imaginationāthat's what they're for.
But I'm tired of seeing characters with actual personalities, consistency, and depth being reduced to players. Womanizers or characters who only exist to be "the guy who gets everyone." š«”
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And I already know what some people are going to bring up: the famous interview where Gege said he doesn't see Gojo being "faithful" to a woman.
So, I did some research: the word Gege uses is čŖ å® (seijitsu).
Here faithful gives a very specific impression, mainly the idea of sexual fidelity or cheating.
But čŖ å® (seijitsu) carries a much broader meaning.
It refers more to sincerity, integrity, honesty, and the way someone treats another person within a relationship. (I'm not a native Japanese speaker, so feel free to correct me if I got the nuance wrong. š)
So the question shouldn't simply be:
"Would he sleep with other people?"
or
"Does he sleep with everyone?"
A more interesting question would be:
"Would he be capable of being fully transparent, emotionally present, and genuinely committed to someone?"
That's exactly why čŖ å® is so interesting when talking about Gojo. I feel like it says less about his attraction or his charm, and much more about his ability to truly connect with another person.
With that being said, let's start :
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First point :
Do we ever actually see Gojo flirt with someone in the manga or anime with genuine romantic or sexual intent?
The answer is no, not really.
Yes, Gojo is playful.
He looks for reactions. He provokes people. He likes being noticed.
He's an arrogant little shit (affectionate).
But he does that with enemies too.
He does it with his students. With his colleagues. With strangers.
Even curses.
Curses.
Being playful does not make someone a flirt.
( I repeat, for those who skipped that part š)
Being charming does not make someone a womanizer.
You can't take one aspect of a character and turn it into their entire personality.
Gojo plays with his role, his smiles, his expressions. With the way people perceive him.
He knows he's attractive.
He knows he gets attention.
But attracting attention doesn't automatically mean he's looking for intimacy.
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Or even sex.
That brings me to my second point :
Gojo probably isn't a "fuck anyone and anything" kind of person.
š¶
Let's be for real.
Infinity is his technique, but in a way, it's also part of his philosophy.
This man literally lives behind an invisible barrier.
Physically and emotionally.
I'm not saying he's never been intimate.
That's why I find physical intimacy with him so interesting.
But... I do think he would have a hard time willingly lowering Infinity in a situation where he accepts complete vulnerability.
I'm not saying he's incapable of it.
Think about his life.
How many people want him dead?
How many people could betray him?
How many people could take advantage of a vulnerable moment?
Kenjaku did.
Toji did too.
And intimacy is a form of surrender.
The story repeatedly shows people taking advantage of the moments when Gojo lowers his guard or leaves an opening.
Surrender means vulnerability.
Vulnerability means trust.
It means allowing someone close enough that the control and distance he usually keeps between himself and everyone else disappear.
Now let me address the arguments I already know people are going to make :
"The person loves him. They'd never hurt him."
What if the person he is with took advantage of the exact moment when he wasn't at his highest level of awareness anyway ? Even if they love him ? Is love enough in this context ?
Or:
"It's just a casual hookup who doesn't know him."
Or.
"Their wrists are restrained."
What if the person lies? What if an attack comes from outside? What if someone else walks in?
Can Gojo Satoru really put himself in that position ? Make that kind of gamble ?
Or:
"Gojo is physically stronger."
Gojo isn't invulnerable simply because he's powerful. We know it. We've seen it.
Is he truly in the same state of awareness he usually is?
And yes, I know he can react incredibly fast. But in a moment where he's completely lost in desire, pleasure, or simply focused on someone else... Is he really at maximum alert?
And even if Infinity technically solved the physical risk, by for exemple wrapping it around them both, it wouldn't solve the psychological one.
And that's the core of my argument.
To be that vulnerable, trust is still required.
At the very least, it would be extremely difficult.
This doesn't mean Gojo never trusts anyone. It means he probably wouldn't become intimate with someone he barely knows or doesn't know enough to trust.
Not the :
Because that kind of trust doesn't come easily.
"I joke with you." "I tease you."
"I make you feel special." Kind of trust.
Actual trust.
The kind that takes. Time.
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And that's something Gojo rarely has.
Which brings me to my third and final point :
He doesn't have the time to...
š
Brother.
This man barely has time to sleep.
He's not going to have time for a relationship. Let alone cheat between missions. š„²
From what we can tell, he also lacks the mental space and the emotional energy necessary to build and maintain meaningful relationships.
Which might actually connect back to Gege's use of čŖ å®.
And if we're talking specifically about casual hookups, we're back to the same issue.
Not because Gojo is incapable of caring. Just because being genuinely present for someone requires things he doesn't necessarily have.
Trust.
He doesn't have the time to build that level of trust before intimacy.
Because even if he meets someone who doesn't know him at all...
And he certainly doesn't have the time to carefully create the perfect secure environment before completely letting his guard down with a stranger.
How could he trust them completely?
How long would it realistically take him to build that level of trust for him ?
And once you've spent enough time building that kind of trust...
Is it really a casual hookup anymore?
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At the end of the day...
Characterize him however you want. Imagine whatever you want.
I, myself, imagine and write Gojo in relationships.
Because reducing Gojo to "the hot, powerful guy who sleeps with everyone because he can" or to "the cheater" strips away much of what actually makes him an interesting character.
Just don't present your own headcanons as objective canon.
Of course, I can be wrong.
Maybe Gojo had relationships or hookups we'll never know about.
Maybe he even cheats.
But what the canon does show is a man who uses charm as a faƧade.
A man with a complicated relationship with vulnerability.
A man who was never written as a simple collector of conquests. Nor a cheater.
And man who spends what little free time he has taking his students out, eating alone, or trying new restaurants.
At this point, the man has a more developed relationship with food than with romance or sex. š
And... don't get me wrong.
I am not saying Gojo has no experiences. Or no desires.
That would be reducing him too...
I am just saying...
Don't reduce him.
Don't simplify him.
Love the character as a whole.
(Not just the pretty white-haired asshole.)
And finally...
Please don't start with:
"But Gojo is an adult man. He has needs."
Yeah. Okay. Sure. š
But having needs doesn't automatically make someone a playboy.
And frankly saying "he's just an adult man with needs" is... once again... reducing him. š
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Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.
Also yes, I know I repeated myself a lot. This was written at 4 a.m. by an overthinker, be kind š«”
And please, let's keep the comments respectful.
This is simply my interpretation of a character I genuinely adore.
My Rant About Gojo & Sanji Being Criminally Mischaracterized
So Iāve been getting back into JJK recently, and itās safe to say Gojo is definitely one of my favorite characters again. And no, itās not just because heās hot (thoughā¦ bonus). Itās because he reminds me so much of my allātime favorite character everāSanji. If youāve been following me for more than two minutes, you already know this.
Both of them are unbelievably kind, selfless, emotionally layered characters who constantly get reduced to āhaha goofy pretty man.ā Likeā¦ god forbid a man has a personality.
People love to say:
āThereās nothing to like about Gojo besides his looks.ā
Oh really? You mean:
ā¢ The same Gojo who saves people constantly and doesnāt even get a thank you.
ā¢ The same Gojo who kept Tojiās dying wish and became Megumiās guardianāat seventeen. Thatās a level of maturity most grown adults donāt have.
ā¢ The same Gojo who feeds his students all the time even though thatās not his job.
ā¢ The same Gojo who saved Yuta and literally gave him a future.
ā¢ The same Gojo who hid Sukunaās finger to protect Yuji.
ā¢ The same Gojo who treats his students like his own kids and wants them to grow up in a better world than he did.
ā¢ The same Gojo who had to kill his best friend with his own hands because it was the only way to protect everyone else.
ā¢ The same Gojo who never even got a childhood because he was raised as a weapon, isolated from his parents, and forced into a role he never asked for.
But sure. āHeās just goofy.ā
People really act like his silly attitude is his whole personality when itās literally just a layer. Gojo knows exactly when to be serious. He takes situations seriously even when they have nothing to do with him like the executions targeting Yuta and Yuji. Heās always thinking ahead, always carrying the weight of being āthe strongest,ā and he hides how heavy that burden is because he doesnāt want anyone else to worry. Beneath the jokes, heās focused, calculating, and ready to act the second it matters.
Now letās talk about Sanji, because the parallels are insane.
People say:
āItās his job to feed people.ā
No. Itās not his job to feed villains. Kindness is a choice. Nobody else at Baratie had that policyāonly him. He physically cannot stand to see someone starve, even if theyāre an enemy.
āSo what if he protected his family?ā
His āfamilyā abused him, locked him in a cell, beat him, treated him like trashāand he STILL chose to go back and save them. Again: kindness is a choice and that takes a lot of maturity. His whole thing was he didnāt want to become like them and instead be kind like the way his real father Zeff raised him to be. He literally asked Zoro to kill him in Wano because he was so scared of becoming like them, that alone is selfless in its nature.
āLuffy can just find another cook.ā
Oh, so weāre just ignoring the entire point of Whole Cake Island then.
Luffy literally starved himself waiting for Sanji. He refused food from anyone else because āyouāre the cook on my ship, and I wonāt eat anything until you come back.ā That wasnāt dramatics. That was Luffy making it clear that Sanji isnāt replaceable. Heās family.
And when Sanji tried to push him away, Luffy yelled back āWithout you, I canāt become King of the Pirates.ā
He has never said that to any other crew member. Yes, he needs all of themābut that specific line, that level of emotional honesty, was reserved for Sanji. Because Sanji is the one who keeps the crew alive. Heās the one who feeds them, protects them, and holds them together in ways nobody else can.
And letās talk about the āSanji kicked himā thing. Sanji did nothing wrong. He was forced into an impossible situation, cornered on every side, and the only way to protect the crew was to hurt Luffy. And even then, he was crying. He felt so guilty and ashamed that he couldnāt even look Luffy in the eye afterward, even though he had no choice.
When Luffy asked, āWhy wonāt you come back?ā what was Sanjiās first reason?
āI canāt come back because you came all the way to save me and I hurt you. That alone doesnāt give me the right to return.ā
He genuinely believed he didnāt deserve forgiveness for something he was forced to do. Meanwhile Luffy wasnāt even mad at him. Not for a second.
Sanjiās guilt, his loyalty, his selflessnessānone of that is replaceable. And Luffy knows that better than anyone.
āHe only cares about women.ā
Oh, you mean:
ā¢ The Same Sanji whoās introduction was him feeding a hungry man (gin or whatever his name was).
ā¢ The same Sanji who saved a random headless man (Kināemon) because he wanted to help him find his son.
ā¢ The same Sanji who was willing to die in Thriller Bark to protect Luffy and Zoro.
ā¢ The same Sanji who tried to sacrifice himself to Kuma in Sabaody to protect Zoro and Usopp.
ā¢ The same Sanji who loses his mind anytime someone hurts Usopp.
ā¢ The same Sanji who constantly worries about making Zeff proud and built his entire moral code around the man who saved his life.
ā¢ The same Sanji who gave up his dream and his freedom for Luffyās and Zeffās sake. ļæ¼
And thatās not even half the list.
Sanji is one of the most beautifully written characters in One Piece nobody matches his kindness, his loyalty, or the emotional depth he brings to the story. His whole character teaches us how compassion is strength.
Which is exactly why I love Gojo so much. He reminds me of Sanji in all the best ways: the kindness, the selflessness, the burden they carry alone, the way they hide their pain behind humor, the way people underestimate them because theyāre pretty and silly on the surface.
Gojo is the GOAT. Sanji is the GOAT. And people need to stop downplaying everything theyāve done and everything theyāve survived.
i dont necessarily believe gojo is a good example of a morally grey character bc he doesnāt exactly have a wavering moral compass. he has unorthodox methods of approach in jujutsu but they all consistently align with the same (largely selfless) goals heās held throughout most of jjkā¦ tho to be completely honest i think everyoneās definition (including my own) of a morally grey character is different, so that might be why itās such a big debate.
to me, a morally grey character has to frequently alter between good motives and bad ones, and gojoās motives are (i would say) consistently good throughout the entire series despite how extreme he can be with it. heās been shown to take drastic measures with the sole purpose of reform and the betterment of jujutsu society, and sure, his actions arenāt 100% selfless all of the time but i do think they happen to lean more towards that than anything else because based on this convo alone, he ultimately doesnāt really care if a better world is one he gets to be part of.
then again, if your idea of being morally grey is occasionally doing bad stuff for good reasons, then yeah, heās definitely morally grey. if this is the case, u could also argue most of the jjk cast are morally grey as well, which i suppose aligns with the grim nature of jjk as a whole. but imo it makes more sense for his moral alignment to be defined by his motives and not his actions, bc otherwise itād be easy to call someone like megumi or yuuta morally grey too, which isnāt debated nearly as often. though i also think the circumstances they all find themselves in are way too complex to strictly define by a particular set of moral alignments anyway, so itās hard for me to say anything about this without that kind of nuance involved.
i was gonna add this next point in the tags but decided to add it to the post as well bc itās still relevant and i wanted to expand further on it; but i also think the whole thing with nanami telling him he was weird about jujutsu could be used in defense of him being morally grey too which i completely understand as well. i think gojoās reaction to it also indicates that he was not fully expecting people to actually perceive his actions in that manner, which could either imply some sort of misunderstanding on nanamiās part, or denial on gojoās
because itās like i said, heās not 100% selfless. heās had selfish tendencies and he definitely gets a thrill out of it when heās not holding back his strength, but that isnāt his biggest motivator behind most of what heās done, even if it seems like it is. he wasnāt going all feral in shibuya or shinjuku mostly because he found it fun. frankly, if that were the case, i think he wouldāve been much worse about it š but having selfish tendencies is also such an intrinsically human trait to have.. like yeah, i do actually think heās allowed to be a little selfish sometimes after everything jujutsu society has asked of him for his entire life. itās just that itās a trait that keeps being equated with having a grey moral alignment when To Me i donāt think itās that simple.
another thing i like to consider is the way gojoās character was described in conjunction with sukunaās during the shinjuku showdown arc, because theyāre both shown to have a lot in common despite being on opposing sides. imo that juxtaposition of them both being portrayed as the strongest sorcerers of their time, both revered or feared in some form yet both vastly different in motivations, would become a bit of a moot point if his (gojoās) morality wavered as much as youād expect from someone who was truly morally grey.
the conversation about what love means to them both also isnāt necessarily aligned with their individual morality but i think itās another good reason to view them both as equal in quantity and opposite in quality, which again, wouldnāt work as well as it does if gojoās morality/motivations wavered. sukuna thinking love is worthless, and gojo thinking love is the most twisted curse of all, shows that gojo held love to a different degree of importance than sukuna did, even as they both acknowledged that love is something they experienced differently because of their solitude in strength/power (which ultimately had an adverse effect on their perception of love as a whole)
all that said, i obviously donāt think being morally grey is the worst thing ever, and thereās definitely some valid arguments in defense of him being such which i canāt disagree with. iāll even be the first to admit that for a long time i regarded him as such too. im also not saying heās this goody two-shoes character either bc thatād be a complete disservice; his sheer complexity is part of what makes him so widely adored. i just also happen to think that most of what heās done throughout the series isnāt fully aligned with what a morally grey character is to Me.. but itās fine that not everyone might agree cuz again, everyoneās idea of a morally grey character seems to be skewed, so it is what it is i guess.
