(MSQ spoilers) Asahi

[Omury]

Well we have a lot of Garleans we can ask--the Ironworks, Nero, Lucia, Baut, the Prima Vista crew etc. Personally I think the factions probably are what he says they are and he is just using the for his own means. If it does turn out he was lying about all of it and no one though to try and confirm the parts of his story that we easily could . . . well another brilliant decision from the team that decided tossing Nidhogg's eyes off a cliff was a sound containment strategy.

To be fair, if it wasn't for the WoD, no one would have been able to survive the swirling masses of aether that the eyes were thrown into.

Asahi is unfortunately the product of what happens to a person who has been properly indoctrinated into the conquering country's mindset, and shows that an honored based leader, like Gaius, can kinda create much better fighters and warriors, a strength and fear based ruler can spawn fanaticism that could be useful with regards to laying the conquered country's resistance low.

[KageTokage]

I'm just hoping he has a nice breakdown when his attempt at a "reckoning" for us blows up as badly as I'm expecting it to. That or having Zenos personally roast him after he does something he thought would gain his favor.

I already think I hate him more then any other character in the story to date, strictly because of him taking advantage of his political immunity to taunt us.

[XiXiQ]

I have to say it makes absolutely no sense to me he would show his hand in such a manner. If his plan was to bait the WOL into starting something, and possibly restarting the war and/or having the people of Doma turn against them, it was one hell of a crap plan.

[Gumbercules]

He shows his hand because its "personal" your overreaction when he "comes out" would have meant certain escalation. I also think Hien nails it when he said he just couldn't hold back anymore. In a scholarly kinda way, i am really enjoying how they are dealing with "decline of empire" style "politics" so far. Over expansion causing internal strife and external complications, "dubious" negotiation abroad trying to maintain a presence by any means or cost, etc. It is going to be interesting to see were they go with all this, and i liked how they played out Yutsuyu too.

[XiXiQ]

He shows his hand because its "personal" your overreaction when he "comes out" would have meant certain escalation.

I got that too, but in the overall scheme of things it still makes zero sense to me.

[Cilia]

Honestly, something felt... off about him the whole time. I also kept in mind that this was a guy who suggested his [step]sister be married off to an abusive older man... for money.

Looking back, it's pretty clear that Asahi was (trying to) play us - he just kept telling us everything we wanted to hear. I was suspicious of his intentions the whole time - especially his focus on Yotsuyu - and the Red Kojin attack felt... uncannily well-timed, and without purpose. Needless to say, I wasn't overly surprised when the mask dropped... though the source of his hatred being Zenos was unexpected. Now that Asahi got the prisoner exchange negotiated, he didn't need to keep up the charade anymore.

The only thing I can't figure out is why he wants Yotsuyu's memories to return. Unless she has some special information he isn't privy to, or believes she'll share that information with the Domans, there's... no real point to it, and there's unlikely to be any love lost between them. Hmm...

Well, we know it's a trap. The only thing there is to do is spring the trap.

[Dualblade]

snip

On Yotsuyu and memories: Well we know there is atleast one Garlean lab near Doma Castle given what they did to Grynewaht. Might have something to do with that.

[SicariusSeven]

On Yotsuyu and memories: Well we know there is atleast one Garlean lab near Doma Castle given what they did to Grynewaht. Might have something to do with that.

Makes me wonder what is in that lab other than the means to modify people like what the did to Grynewaht. The other lab we attacked had experiments. The one in Doma is either destroyed or inaccessible. Though even if it is in such a sorry state, then there must be something highly valuable that the Garleans want. Though wouldn't it just be easier for them to skip the whole deal with Yotsuyu and try to dig it out themselves? Maybe send in a stealth team to do it.

[dynus]

I was hoping he'd be the Larsa character in FFXIV, but I'm more than okay with what we got. I like how this is personal for him. We haven't had that before, storywise. Every other villain had some overarching goal and most even respected us.

Asahi sas Brutus hates use because we bested his crush (and I'm so shipping it, btw, even if it's totally one-sided because Zenos loves the WoL).

What I'm hoping for, but not expecting, is that he plays straight with Hien, does the prisoner exchange, and is pretty much okay with everyone else except the WoL. He's undoubtedly playing a deeper game of some sort. Impossible to tell what at this point, really, except it probably involves Zenos.

At the very least, he's aware that the Primal/Eikon threats are because of the Empire's conquering everything in sight because of Primals/Eikons. Which is interesting, and not wrong. And considering his non-native status, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't part of the Populartes (did I spell that right? I don't have access to the cutscenes atm) faction... just a war hawk like Zenos. Zenos was probably well, probably not popular but maybe respected within that faction, tbh, because he didn't care about a person's origin, so long as they were filled with hate.

[Gumbercules]

yeah i never trusted him, namely cuz of his background like Cilia stated. His tone is very "sketchy" too imo. He is either very confident or destructive too, and i feel like the mirror he gave yutsuyu might be a kind of "abusive" trigger. As someone stated hes pretty damn yandere lol, wouldn't be surprised if on further flashbacks Zenos is brazenly abusive of him XD