I've been thinking, how do you manage to "redeem" the MC? Like obviously, redemption would entail not screwing underage girls, but doesn't that kinda go against the entire point of the game? In a way, "redemption" is never starting the game in the first place, but again, I doubt anyone will accept an ending akin to "it was all a dream."
A very good question. I don’t think Sensei can ever be
completely redeemed, because obviously the sins of his past will always remain. However, redemption
is possible in the loose sense of the word when he’s finally able to strengthen his resolve, take a hard look at his past along with the horrible things that happened, and
acknowledge them.
Akira couldn’t even remember his own name for an entire chapter or even Sekai’s face because he intentionally suppressed the trauma it brought him. Something that Niki helped him overcome in “The End of the Tour (Glasswalker)”. Still one of my favorite events in the entire game btw.
Yes, he was hated by his mother. Yes, he was groomed by Sekai. Yes, he ran out on Niki without saying a word after Sekai’s death. Yes, he repeated the cycle of grooming with his students like Sekai did to him. All of this happened.
But Akira’s problem right now is that, while he
knows what he does is wrong, he almost never makes any active effort to become someone better. And when he
does make an effort to become better, the gods are there to remind him that he’s their puppet to use as they see fit, whether he wants to be or not.
So to recap: I don’t believe Akira’s slate can ever be wiped completely clean, but he can at
least gather the strength within himself to break the cycle of trauma and abuse, and become a better man for it. To do this, though, the gods must be dealt with somehow, some way.
