Why Rokuro is the GOAT – A Worryingly Long Reddit Essay

WARNING: This post will include spoilers from both the Space Globalists arc of the manga, as well as a tiny bit from the start of the Danmara arc.

-------------

The people love the Serpo reject wage slave. However, Rokuro doesn't get the in-depth analysis that some other characters get to decode how and why they work. Or at least I haven't seen it. And furthermore, I'm a total nutcase, and the idea to make this essay came to me while I writhed in bed, unable to sleep as Rokuro's beautiful visage seared itself into my little pea brain. So here's my attempt at explaining why Rokuro Serpo is, as the kids say, GOATed.

Of course, a member of an antagonist species helping our heroes and eventually becoming an ally is pretty cool no matter what, but it's important to identify what makes Rokuro's arc so interesting. That means a quick recap of the Serpoians as a whole: They're (seemingly) bio-mechanical clones of a species that has lost the ability to reproduce naturally, and thus have turned to banana organ robbery and inter-species merging to facilitate evolution. Being clones, they've eliminated notions like conflict and emotion among their kind – this is important for later, so stick a pin in it.

It's worth noting that the Serpoians' desired evolution bears a resemblance to the theory of Lamarckian evolution, rather than Darwinian evolution. In Lamarckian evolutionary theory, adaptations aren't caused and passed down based on mutations and their suitability to an organism's environment, but for specific purpose which is inherited directly between parent and offspring. If a cross-country runner who develops strong legs through training has a child, that child will inherit those leg muscles. In the present day, Lamarckian evolutionary theory is pretty much defunct. Some experimental results in genetics and the inheritance of microbiomes appear Lamarckian in effect, but the process is concrete Darwinian theory. TL;DR, the concept of evolution that the Serpoians pursue is fundamentally in conflict with how we understand species to actually evolve.

Now, the first time Rokuro appears in the DanDaDan is the early Space Globalists arc, initiating a truce with Momo to take down the Imotako Kur that's corrupting the Serpoian clones for its own use. When Momo is able to destroy the Kur with a trans-dimensional cuteness blast, the recovered Serpo clones are prepared to abduct her, likely killing and experimenting on her thereafter. They have a perfect opportunity to get rid of their biggest obstacle to further research into supernatural powers... and Rokuro sends them away. What he says when doing so is crucial for understanding the Serpoians' nature – these clones don't understand how dangerous Momo is because they haven't been updated. The Serpoians don't share one sentience. While the Serpo aliens operate for the good of their whole species, they are not a hivemind. Each individual is unique, but genetically identical and following utilitarian rules for the benefit of all Serpoians.

This interaction plants the seed for Rokuro's development as the arc goes on, but he hasn't truly changed yet. Even his distinctive appearance is indicative of this. The Kur attack and his scarring during it have altered him on the outside, but his modus operandi remains the same. The key difference between him and other Serpo clones at this point is that he knows firsthand how dangerous the Kur invaders are, and thinks that eliminating them and destroying the data they stole is more beneficial than abducting Momo.

Now, this is a crucial distinction: he doesn't feel that this is the right decision. He thinks it. Remember, the Serpoians have lost the ability to feel and comprehend emotions. Rokuro highlights this himself when he sees Momo crying after driving Vamola away: he does not understand human emotions. Every action of his is based on rational calculation.

This interaction comes full circle when Vamola is impaled by the Hastur Kur. While Momo desperately tries to revive Vamola, Rokuro reiterates that she's (supposedly) the enemy. When Momo refuses to leave her side, and his psychic shield grows weaker, Rokuro gives her with the life-saving injection he was saving for Momo. This wasn't just a calculation of having an extra ally. If it was, he would've used the injection right away. He had saved this fallback plan specifically for Momo, but chose to use it on Vamola instead of leaving her to die. Because, in his mind, Momo would be so inconsolable that she would be unable to fight on. Rokuro inadvertently rationalized his way into a greater understanding of human emotion, just before his shield gave out and he died.

Following the climax of the Space Globalists arc, Rokuro Serpo would be revived when Peeny Weeny used some of the nanomachines left by Ludris to repair his bio-mechanical body. Now, with Ludris tech integrated into his body and the gang worn out by the battle, he once again has a perfect opportunity to make an attempt to kill or capture Momo. But he doesn't. He simply compliments them for destroying the Kur suits and stolen data, then leaves. This is the culmination of Rokuro's arc. He's not only changed on the outside by the scars on his mask, but changed inside: literally, by virtue of the nanomachines, and figuratively, by his exposure to the gang. Kudos in particular to Momo, because she didn't change how Rokuro felt. Once again, the Serpoians have no emotions. Rokuro's arc happened because Momo changed how he thought.

Appealing to emotions is fairly simple. They're powerful, but irrational. Just look at how easily people are swayed by appeals to pathos – rage, sorrow, envy – in our world. But changing how somebody thinks is an entirely different beast. Making someone reconcile with new facts to change their outlook and behavior is incredibly difficult, especially when they've operated based on set rules or notions that have now been presented in new light. Rokuro had to rationalize that Momo, the most dangerous person to the Serpoians in DanDaDan, was better kept alive and free on Earth than used as a test subject or eliminated, because her battle with the Kur demonstrated that she is an ally to the Serpo aliens in the face of much greater threats.

Despite the irony of being made up of countless numbers of even more machinery, and even when rejected by the rest of the Serpoians for thinking differently to solve the same problems, Rokuro Serpo is more evolved and more individual than the rest of his species. Evolution isn't driven by purpose, but by conflict, via competition for resources, mates, simple survival. And in story, conflict drives character growth. Rokuro is changed, both as a living organism and as a character, succeeding where his brethren could not.