I’ve been thinking about the whole “unhealthy family dynamic” thing since yesterday and it reminded me of something else I read a long while ago where somebody was calling Katakuri a hypocrite.
Under a cut because it’s long and rambling:
He claims his actions and his persona are all for the purpose of protecting his siblings, but he never protected Chiffon from their mother, or Pudding from her bullies. That second one is probably just because he wasn’t around, but him being not around sort of ties into the whole thing.
Katakuri believes that the best way to protect his siblings is to 1. Be scary. So scary that bullies won’t even think of harming his loved ones. He dresses like a goth biker that fell into a pile of Hot Topic accessories, he cultivates a reputation as serious and focused at all times, he kills without hesitation.
It doesn’t work, but points for trying.
And 2. Protect the family as a whole. That, along with the fact that he most likely cannot defeat her, is why he never shielded Chiffon from their mother. Big Mom is emotionally immature, easily riled up, and quick to violence. The best way (at least from his perspective) to protect everyone from Big Mom is to make sure she gets everything she wants.
This is, unfortunately, textbook abusive household stuff.
And because Katakuri is reliable, Big Mom relies on him. He has a lot of responsibilities and he can’t be everywhere at once (though he sure tries).
You could certainly argue that he should have secretly helped his siblings run away, but abused children often have a hard time even thinking about escaping. Not to mention that runaway kids would only make Big Mom angry and she’d take the anger out on the kids that stayed.
I’m not saying Katakuri did nothing wrong. He’s killed a lot of dudes. As of this writing he is still considered a Bad Guy. But I do think that being raised in an abusive household is a big part of why he does what he does - and what he doesn’t.
