#yona is not self sacrificial but her critical flaw is always how she tends to shoulder a bit too much of everyone's problem alone

[soo-won]

Really i swear it doesn't make any sense to me like that's literally Suwon's coronation speech too. And his speech to Kija in the sei forts arc that everyone love. I don't get it. The gods are literally what is standing in their way right now. Fuck the power of the gods really! Yona validates everything people have always said. She also rejected it when they gave her Hiryuu's sword to kill Zeno and then she threw it away. She doesn't want that power and authority over her friends' life either. And yeah not gonna lie it's very easy to imagine that if Yona had accepted to stay, people would have criticized her for it too, like when back in the day she was blamed for accepting Keishuk's alliance.

But I sometimes observe it's a bit like people are convinced that anything that is said and done in the present means that nothing before matter for some reason. Like, if there weren't 45 volumes before of Yona very much doing all she can to help people in all kind of tragedies and disasters, I would be conflicted too, but I don't think she needs to prove her good will on this regard at this point. It's more than obvious to me that the second she could leave the chalice she would do everything to help people like before. It doesn't even need to be said, really. That's what she ALWAYS does. She said that she wants to think of ways to end war in chapter 239, and wanting to save her friends now doesn't change that. It coexists.

I wouldn't call accepting to make a new contract with the gods a reasonable solution in preventing wars anyways, like,,, wars have been happening even with their so called divine protection lol. It's true that Yona doesn't defend her decision in details like that, but these things can be infered from "even if Kouka is hell, it's still much better than a world of light with no one in it" really... She says this from experience. Even if she's been going through many painful things again and again, she still cherishes it far more than heavens. Things have been hard, but things have been resolved and turned for the best, too.

This hell/heavens metaphor has been used since the south kai arc. Meinyan says that in the depths of hell, she found the thing she yearned for her whole life. Chagol was also manipulating her, telling her to go back to Kai because Kouka is hell and only him will accept her. The final page of ch267 is even the exact same as when Chagol caught Meinyan in Kuuto! It's just. Everything is there. After all, Chagol was wrong, because Kuuto is still standing, and Kouka is not hell at all. It's not paradise either. It's just not black vs white / hell vs heavens. It's being isolated and kept prisoner by someone else abusing their power that is hell. It's the same.

Yona was never a self sacrificial character to begin with. She gives a lot to others, puts her entire body and soul even if that hurts her to help people sure, but it's never at the cost of her own life. She will give her limbs, but not her entire life. Wasn't her whole plan in the south kai arc where she pretends to be a hostage and let herself be executed by Chagol to actually turn the situation around about this already? She's not like that, she doesn't make herself the martyr. She will take blows for others but she will still fight to survive. Yona giving up on her own life(which staying in heavens as been equated to by ouryuu in the previous chapter) and happiness would be the out of character and upsetting thing to me. Yona doesn't submit and sacrifice herself, she fights and faces everything head on, that's exactly what makes her the hero of Akatsuki no Yona.

But right now, Yona is struggling. She doesn't have the upper hand in this situation unlike with Chagol before. Even when Keishuk threatened Hak's life in the castle arc, she had more leeway, the dynamic was more balanced, the dragons were enough as an argument to stop Keishuk. But it doesn't work here, the dragons can't win against the gods. She tried to negociate the dragons turning back to normal human, and even that didn't work, on top of them losing their limbs in gruesome ways, and they are stuck with her outside fo Zeno too... She can't fairly negociate anything because Yona has no power if they decide to just not respect their terms, which they haven't so far. Why on earth would she make a deal with the gods again after all this? The sky had turned dark and earthquakes started before she talked about leaving too. That would be the exact same as what she pointed out to Zeno in ch261 about him asking her to kill him because he's desperate, even if that's not what he wants.

And I suspect we're gonna see next how true all that is now that they use Hak against her. I'm not sure how she will react next to their irrational "contract" with Hak's life on the line, but either way, it's true hell, it's coercion, it's not what anyone but the gods wants. ( also honestly, if the gods had used the dragons' life instead of Hak, and not just their limbs, I'm sure Yona would have wavered too, it's just extra evil that it's Hak lol.) Yona is a bit in the same position as Meinyan was before, and that's why now she also needs outside help. She knows Suwon and Hak are looking for them outside, and she knows Zeno and ouryuu will be there too, so I'm not sure how much she will panic and how much she will be able to trust they can do something...but she did all she could here for now. It's Hak and Suwon's turn to act. Yona can't save the world and resolve everything alone and that's good storytelling. She needs a connection.

Basically the most important point imo is that Yona is in a position of weakness in front of the gods right now, so she can't just, take the right decision with them and get anything out of negociation with them? It doesn't exist, not with them. It would be like blaming Meinyan for staying with Chagol or not. Was she selfish when she escaped even if that meant killing Rantan, even if that meant letting Chagol abuse everyone around him and not shield Kaji like she did before for example? Maybe so, she escaped for herself, but there was nothing wrong in pursuing her own freedom and I'm glad she tried, and felt terrible for her when she gave up. When she submitted and returned to Chagol, it rejoiced no one. That's not what anyone wants. It shouldn't be like that at all. Staying with Chagol didn't stop him from hurting everyone else, and it's similar right now with the gods. I don't think they will just stop. They were already unfair and cruel before losing their powers and reason.

The best decision Yona could ever make is to not participate further with this gods/ divine bullshit and deal with things her own way like she always did so, good that she tried! I would even say that yes embracing her role as Hiryuu's reincarnation was doomed to fail and bring her to a place she can't turn back from to begin with. It was a bit reckless...I'm glad she tried, and it wasn't completely meaningless. But yeah... she needs to be freed from her own chains with the gods too, just like everyone else.

TLDR:

Chapter 267 ramble

I said this about Suwon last time but I think we should all read akayona with more emotions sometimes maybe. like, in general. for everyone. I don't want Yona to be Suwon and to only think of the greater good. I want Suwon and Yona to coexist, like they've been working on for a while now. I don't like the theory that Suwon will die to save Hak and/or Yona, I don't think it's good and I don't think it makes sense with what the story has been exploring and conveying so far, and I would feel the same if it was Yona or anyone instead of Suwon. Anyone sacrificing themselves to appease/please the gods would be the lamest conclusion ever. The story hasn't been subtle about challenging the notions that sacrifices, punishments and now contracts are necessary. Like,, no they're not. They need everyone here.

I was more sceptical when Yona didn't hesitate at all in chapter 257, but here I don't think it's an issue. Like first, we see her be affected and waver when the gods use the dragons' limbs against her. She recovers her composure because dragons are here and tell her to not worry about this. But more importantly, Yona has known hell, and it's there that she met people reaching out their hands to others in need again and again, and this is what inspired her to fight and bring help to those in need back. It's in hell she met her friends, her family and was moved by people's kindness again and again. She has no reason to be scared of what the gods are warning her about, she has known wars, she has known disasters. She will just stand against everything the future throw at her like she said in ch257. She loves the mess that is Kouka Kingdom and its people. I don't think there was anything better she could have done in her situation. She doesn't have the means and power to do anything but either submit to the gods or escape, she needs outside help. Yona is not responsible for the dragons losing their limbs, nor for Kouka's current state. The gods are the only ones being unreasonable and irrational here, you just can't win against something irrational like that, she can only leave.

Moreover, I don't want Yona to decide the terms of Kouka's future for everyone like a god, and the best way to do that is again to leave, not make any deal with the gods, and face everything on Earth as a human like she always did, which she's exactly what she's trying to do in ch267. Yona already said she's resolved to find ways to bring an end to wars, we've seen her participate to help out tribes and countries and people again and again. That's what she does. Relying on a contract with the gods (even though we have seen how damaging and harmful it is on the long run! again and again! and they're not reliable! Don't we all want the gods to just stop with their vows and contracts and prophecy and rules already?) is the easy, coward way out. Humans don't need the powers of the gods. They don't need divine protection. They have accomplished everything by fighting as they are. Yona was helped by the gods' powers sure, but her development is about being strong enough to not depend on her friends' powers, and it's most of all the characters trying to help out others that truly accomplish things. The people on Earth are all working hard to help each other out and deal with each problem together, even now. They will manage, they will be fine. Let's believe in the power of people. All they need is the human Yona too, and the humans four dragons, and the humans Suwon and Hak. All of Kouka need to be freed from the gods' supervision.

Literally no one right now is asking for anything the gods have ever been doing, they only ever did this for themselves. The gods are fear mongering right now, and I don't think it's worth falling into the trap of believing all life is doomed without their protection like they want us to. I don't think they're objective. They always considered humans were stupid detestable creatures that are destined to destroy themselves without their intervention. I don't think they realize how resilient people on Earth are. (Lili alone would gag them!) Natural disasters are one thing, but how do they know wars will be break out? Wars are started and enacted by people, and are stopped by people as well. We have seen characters facing sort of natural disasters (even if it wasn't natural back then) by working out together during the flooding of Kin Province for example, or when Kuuto was burned down. People have infinite ressources when they work together. Suwon is resolved to find a way to bring back the sky knowing he can't influence the Gods too. It's their business. It's their country. Yona belongs to Earth and people in Kouka want her back because she is waited for, loved, and needed as the human Yona there. Like it is the case for every other character.

I think the theory of Suwon dying and sacrificing himself has no solid basis either. Like, I don't know, he might consider it, but I just don't think it will happen and if it goes there, it will be prevented. I may be naive, but to me the story is conveying that it's not something wishable? Suwon doesn't need to die and wait for punishment (or """redemption""" like I've seen some call it) to be "even". Suwon can live, and find the best path where no one has to be sacrified and punished, himself included. Isn't it what chapter 262 ends on? It's not about equivalent exchange and balance, it's about love and hope for the future. Characters in akatsuki no yona have been giving without expecting anything in return again and again, even if they were hurt before, this is the crux of it to me. This is the nature of Hiryuu's actions in the past too. So no ending can be satisfying if the Gods don't do the same. (Or else just vanish forever.) Without mentioning that it has been established Suwon wants to live. Like, even with what looks like passive suicidal ideation, Suwon wants to live. He can't help being curious about what will happen next. He simply needs help to believe a better future for him is possible too.

And this help can still come. The story isn't over yet. Zeno is still immortal, the dragons have lost their limbs, are not even truly back to normal and are stuck in the chalice, Yona is stuck too, the crimson illness is still a thing etc.. Let's not rush things, and let's look at the bigger picture and find a better solution than just sending anyone that pleases the gods to heavens so they're happy and give everything else ppl want in exchange.