Subaru, The Unwilling Leader of Crimson Knights

 

When I was writing review for .hack//Roots, I mentioned that Subaru is a nuanced character that has an interesting story of her own. So here is what I meant by that.

In .hack//Sign Subaru, leads Crimson Knights, a group of players dedicated to enforcing rules of "fair play as they understand it" on other players. The group clearly goes much further than what actual rules allow and more often than not harass all sorts of players who stand out in one way or another. A recurring theme of .hack franchise. Similar group, called Cerulean Knights also exist //Legend of the Twilight and in //Roots TaN Secret Service (Naobi/Yata, Ender/Pi) is a clandestine version of the above. //Sign's Crimson Knights ended up making the show's protagonist. Tsukasa, their number one enemy due to his unusual powers. 

Subaru herself however is a poor fit to lead such a group. Unlike a female leader of the Cerulean Knights in //Legend of the Twilight, who clearly enjoys punishing people, Subaru does not have any passion for punishing anyone. In general, she is very mild and gentle person. In the group she often acts as a voice of moderation and restraint, refusing to authorize many actions despite arguments from Silver Knight and the rest of the members.

It's pretty clear that Subaru struggles to fit the role the Knights have chosen for her. It was not the role she chose for herself but rather something Silver Knight and the rest choose for her. She alters between simply agreeing to their wishes and acting a rubber-stamping figurehead and arguing with them over whether the Knights should take action in this or that case. 

That dilemma she constantly facing only got worse when she met Tsukasa. She grows to like him, but her obligations to the Knights prevent her from being with him. Eventually, unable to put up with all that pressure, she simply dissolves the organization.

Without the Knights protection many of the players, who were once harassed by the Knights, take out their frustration with their actions by abusing Subaru. However, she persevered because she wanted to be with Tsukasa rather than with the Knights. Eventually she got to him, and they shared a moment together.

I think this is an interesting subplot in the show. Sure, it helps to develop Subaru as agreeable, self-sacrificing, person who is willing to follow wishes of those around her and fit the role the chose for her. However, there is more.

That also shows that no matter what role you are stuck in, you can play it differently. Some would zealously follow the prescribed functions, while others would either minimize the effort or even sabotage the role and organization from within. In fact, a disenchanted manager, who keeps making excuses for inaction, can slow down organization from within a lot more efficient than if he was outside instead. That can be a useful tool of struggle against unfair management and unfair regimes.

That also shows that not all people are suitable for every role out there.