Lenny

I am giving my two cents like I promised and feel free to correct me if something’s incorrect COUGHS

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Isamu has a clear habit of taking responsibility for situations that are out of his control. This shows up when he holds himself accountable for the Kawasaki wreck and the deaths connected to it as well as the way he carries guilt about Senzai and his family situation. These patterns likely stem from specific conditions he was raised in.

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Akihito’s approval was entirely dependent on performance. Both Senzai and Isamu were expected to follow a law related path and any deviation or failure risked losing your status. Isamu was the least favorite child for the majority of his life and later became the only one after Senzai left and was considered casted out of the family.

Isamu was probably taught that outcomes matter more than effort or intention.

If he does something wrong, the safest thing explanation is that he didn’t do good enough. Taking the blame can become some sort of way of control. If it is his fault, then the next time he can try harder and avoid the same result. It’s very obvious that Akihito’s approval is unstable because I mentioned it a handful of times, so Isamu likely internalized that behavior and carried it into adulthood.

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Normalization of household dynamics can also play a role in this pattern. In j3 where Isamu says that line that he didn’t know implies that he did not fully register Akihito’s behavior as abusive (that’s my only logical explanation). Pressure, outbursts and the overall atmosphere were treated as normal parental discipline.

There was not an outside perspective or someone who could’ve named the problem, Isamu had no framework to place the blame elsewhere. So self blame became the default explanation.

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Isamu saw witnessed the physical abuse Senzai faced (referring to the art letter incident). Even if he didn’t understand it at that time, living with that fear of becoming the next target creates a sense of hyper responsibility. In this position Isamu felt that he should’ve intervened, spoken up or fixed the situation (he expressed those type of thoughts in j4 later on).

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Isamu faced limited emotional guidance and domestic support. Isamu had to rely on himself early on. He didn’t have a reliable figure (for the majority of his life) to tell him that it isn’t his fault, he was left to manage the consequences largely alone.

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Hello, before I start I would like to add a TW for abuse.

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Isamu endures significant emotional,psychological abuse and neglect within the dysfunctional household he was raised in. These harms arise from conditional approval, high performance demands and emotional volatility. Isamu’s experiences highlight how abuse can manifest through subtle mechanisms such as normalization of harmful dynamics and self blame.

Understanding his situation involves examining the family environment, the shifting dynamics after Senzai’s departure and the long term effects on his mindset and actions.

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Akihito maintains strict control over the household, enforcing expectations that both sons pursue law related careers. Isamu begins as the least favorite child, receiving less attention or validation. The art school acceptance letter incident marks a turning point.

Akihito violently rejects Senzai’s ambition, after which favoritism. Senzai eventually distances himself and later states that he stopped being a part of the family.

While Senzai is gone, Isamu becomes the sole remaining child. There is no longer anyone of the scale for comparison. “ Favoritism ” in this context is hollow, there is no rival or counterpart against whom Isamu can be measured. Him having the sudden spotlight doesn’t make it better for him as he has to carry Akihito’s expectations. Approval remains strictly on performance and obedience rather than genuine care. Failure carries the risk of disappointment or anger.

Isamu experiences pervasive emotional abuse centered on conditional love and performance based validation. He internalizes the need to succeed in the law enforcement to specifically make his parents proud, tying his sense of self worth to external achievement instead of inherent value. This dynamic creates on going anxiety about falling short and encourages suppression of personal desires that might conflict with Akihito’s expectations. He lives with the fear of angering his father, reflecting a household atmosphere defined by intimidation and emotional manipulation.

Emotional neglect deepens these effects. With a deceased mother and a father who prioritizes academics, Isamu faces adolescence and adulthood with no emotional support. The home prioritizes achievement over nurturing, leaving him without constant guidance or reassurance. This fosters loneliness and forces premature self reliance, reinforcing the message that his needs come secondary to meeting family standards.

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Separate from the emotional layer, Isamu also faces psychological abuse through the normalization of harmful family patterns and the distortion of his perception of reality. Raised in an environment where Akihito’s authoritarian control, scolding and outbursts define daily life, Isamu appears to have internalized these behaviors as normal or expected. His line “ I’m sorry, Senzai. I didn’t know ” (spoken in jealousy 3) reflects his conditioning. As a child and teenager he lacked the external perspective or framework to recognize the treatment as abusive rather than standard parental discipline. Difficult emotions and conflict go undiscussed, further entrenching this normalized view.

Witnessing Akihito’s harsh treatment of Senzai adds vicarious trauma, installing fear of becoming the next target while instilling guilt. This contributes to a pattern of self blame that extends beyond the household. For example, Isamu holds himself responsible for events largely outside of his control, such as the Kawasaki wreck and the resulting deaths, reflecting deep seated psychological effects where he internalizes fault as a default response. The warped memories in Jealousy 3 further highlight how the household distorts relationships and self perception, exploiting these vulnerabilities. Over time this psychological conditioning leaves Isamu questioning his own experiences and carrying guilt into adulthood.

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Domestic and supervisory neglect form is another aspect of Isamu’s experiences. A clear indication emerges from his admission during Jealousy 2 that he has never cooked before when tasked with preparing meals. Cooking is a basic life skill usually taught or supervised by parents. Its absence suggests that Akihito prioritized career demands and personal issues over practical guidance and daily involvement. This points to broader supervisory gaps where Isamu manages significant aspects of his daily life with minimal support.

Such neglect compounds the emotional and psychological harm. In a high pressure environment, attention focuses narrowly on achievements while essential nurturing, emotional availability, skill building and everyday skills receive little emphasis.

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