How strong IS your muse's moral coding?
In short, extremely strong.
It’s been shown how determined he is to defeat Satan; that has been his primary goal for a good decade or so. While he does wish to rebuild the temple to what it once was, that is only a benefit which would come from his fulfilling of the duty he binds himself to. His reasoning behind that is because he wishes to attain vengeance, justice for the monks who were murdered on that day, reparation for the suffering Konekomaru and Shima had to go through because of Satan’s actions.
While he’s slow to forgive, extremely stubborn on matters dealing with emotions, Ryuji tries to move forward if someone is truly undeserving of his wrath. As is shown in his interactions with Rin, despite the many ( many. ) bumps they’ve had in their relationship growing from barely tolerance to a true, strong friendship. He’s also willing to accept his own personal suffering, compromising his inner well-being, if it means that he wouldn’t hurt those he is close to. Due to what’s happened in the recent chapters, I think the only thing keeping him from going on an angry rampage is the level of damage done to his team. He would rather brood and ache internally than put his friends, who have already been through so much grief and pain, through another trial of his own making.
And the most powerful example is how he values the lives of others over his own. In the Impure King arc, he was so completely willing to sacrifice himself by keeping the barrier over the explosion. That would buy enough time for Rin, the other Exorcists, and the townspeople to get to some amount of safety. Then, they could clean up the mess which he had contained. However, it would mean undeniable death for him, at age fifteen. To make such a sacrifice, knowing fully of the consequences that were tied to them, just shows how strong he abides to his moral compass.
He may act childishly or pettily but he truly attempts to live by the ideas that: 1.) attachment to worldly possessions can lead to a downfall 2.) deliver justice swiftly and fairly 3.) protect innocents or the weak from harm 4.) the life of the group is more important than a single one, including his own.
