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A continuation of my previous post with Taiga’s unexpected question and also a reply to @themostlovelyandlonelyboy because I have a lot to say and I had the same thought!

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If Taiga remembers previous loops/timelines, that would explain why he often acts like he knows more than he's willing (or able) to say. What I find interesting is that Taiga constantly asks MC questions instead of telling her things.

He asks if she wants to live, asks what she thinks, asks what he should do, and even asks if she has a man. If he really does remember previous loops/ timelines, those questions almost feel like he's checking whether this timeline is different from the last one. Is she making different choices? Does she remember anything? Has the future changed? That would also explain all of his pauses ("…"). It's like he's weighing how much he can say without changing something or because he already knows what happens if he says too much.

At the same time, I don't think Taiga is completely hopeless. He's cynical, yes, but he keeps trying. If he'd truly given up, I don't think he'd bother protecting MC over and over again or asking for her input. The fact that he continues to involve her tells me that, despite everything he's seen, some part of him still believes this timeline could be different. That's actually why his affinity 25 line stands out to me: "You're not getting away from me, kitten. You're here till death do us part."

If he has watched MC die countless times, that line becomes heartbreaking. It stops sounding like simple possessiveness and starts sounding like someone who's desperately clinging to the one person he keeps losing.

It would also make his earlier "It doesn't matter, everything's screwed anyway" make more sense. Maybe that's not him saying love is pointless, maybe it's someone who's seen tragedy happen so many times that he doesn't want to let himself hope. Yet despite saying that, he still grows attached to MC.

I also agree that the loop or timeline we play probably isn't the first one. There are too many moments where Taiga reacts as if he's expecting something before it happens, or already knows how certain events play out. Whether that's because of his foresight alone or because he remembers previous timelines is still a mystery, but both possibilities fit his behavior well. If the time-loop/different timelines is 100% confirmed, then MC is the one variable that finally changes the future.

It would fit Taiga's arc if, after countless failed timelines, this is the one where someone finally believes him and that's what breaks the cycle. If it turns out to be true... then his Affinity 25 line: "You're here till death do us part." becomes even more heartbreaking. It wouldn't just be a possessive line but it would be someone who's finally found a timeline where he refuses to let MC go.

He stayed up all night for two nights and exhausted himself just to rack up points to save our life😩😩😩 Not to mention him using his stigma to tell us how to diffuse the bomb.

Oh, he LOVES us.

I know some people may preach he’s unreliable, but this episode just goes to show that he is there for us when it really counts. Taiga, if nobody else believes in you, then I am dead😭

Taiga didn’t have to tell us his stigma either and risk getting in trouble, not that he seems very afraid of that anyways. Between that, him warning MC about a spy in Darkwick, and him TRYING to warn her about the end of the world in season one, you can say you don’t believe he loves MC, but you can’t deny he trusts her and wants to protect her in his own way.

I feel like we only really hear of him using his stigma to win money for himself at the casino, and we have also inferred that the use of his stigma contributes to his memory loss, most likely. It’s like, in order to see the future, he has to sacrifice fragments of the past, or they just get buried down deeper in his brain where they’re less accessible. We also know he loves to win, and he’s always been the, “what’s in it for me” kind of guy. It’s not like he was getting anything of interest to him by hoarding his points and losing sleep, so say whatever you want, but this gesture was so selfless in my humble opinion. Having the most points doesn’t guarantee that he’s safe, since MC has her “final privilege” that she can still use to escape with someone else. And like he told us, the future is subject to change, so it’s a gamble either way. This behavior from him reminds me a lot of episode 16 when he offered to stay with us in the fabricated world.

Also, Taiga asking if we have a man??? Is that his way of seeing if the position is open…? 👀👀👀 Genuinely, why else would he ask a random question like that unprompted? I’m putting one of my speculations below, but I’d love to know what you think🫶🏻

He was just watching MC eat next to him, so do you think he was looking at her and thinking, “I could get used to this”? He’s made it obvious that he is so done with Darkwick. Even though he doesn’t talk about it explicitly like Kaito and Haku have, this really makes me think he craves some sort of mundane normalcy to an extent. But of course, he brushes off his question AND our answer and is like, “doesn’t matter, we’re all fucked anyways”. Oh, how I want him to just be serious like he was in his affinity lvl 25 line and say fuck it, you’re mine, no matter how this ends🫠