#dgm rambles

I can’t tell you how much I love the way Allen and Kanda help each other grow. I think in Kanda’s case, it’s pretty straight forward how Allen must have an impact on him. His speech in Martel about being both a destroyer and a savior must have had an impact on Kanda, shaking up the way Kanda sees the world. Most importantly, after everything the Order had done to Kanda and Alma, and after all the years Kanda spent in solitude as a form of self-punishment for what he did to Alma, Allen sees Kanda as a soul worth saving, and was willing to sacrifice himself to give Kanda and Alma a final moment of peace. 

However, I don’t think enough has been discussed on how Kanda helped Allen grow, as well. No doubt, Kanda brings out Allen’s true personality without even trying every time they get into a fight. The natural way in which Kanda forces Allen to take off the “mask of Mana” shows how naturally they let their guards down around each other. I believe this helps strengthen Allen’s resolve to find his own path despite finding out the truth about him harboring the 14th’s memories. And as great a misfortune as it was when Kanda awakened the Noah in Allen for real, causing his expulsion from the Order, it was also a wake up call for Allen to finally confront his enemy and learn more about Nea, rather than just trying to drive him away. Tyki’s speech summed it up perfectly: all along Allen had not known what he was, and even so, he did not try to learn what he was. I don’t think it was a random arrangement for Kanda to be the one awakening the Noah in Allen. Maybe, somehow, the Noah’s must have known that if anyone could be the final catalyst for Allen’s transformation, it was most likely Kanda. Allen awakening into Nea and being forced to leave the Order was not certainly a good thing, but I believe it was not as bad as we thought. Allen finally understood that he had to find his own path to bring an end to the holy war, and fight of his own accord, “not from the Order, and not from the Noah”. After everything Allen had witnessed the Order had done to Kanda and Alma, he must have understood that he couldn’t rely on the Order’s moral code forever. If he wished to preserve his integrity and identity, sooner or later, Allen would have to find his own way to fight. I believe Kanda’s actions played a part in destroying the Order’s trust in Allen, forcing him to leave, but also served as a catalyst to force Allen to face the reality that he could not stand on the same side as the Order forever. Allen being witness to Kanda’s painful past was no coincidence, either: he had to experience first hand the sorrow that the Order is willing to cause those innocent children to win the sacred war, to realize there really is no true good or evil, and that there has to be another way. I really hope to see more clearly how Kanda influences Allen in the future. I have no doubt that when Allen learns the real reason why Kanda came back (he still doesn’t understand Kanda came back just for him), and how far he is willing to go to help Allen, despite the danger he’s exposing himself to, Allen will get yet another boost in strength and conviction, knowing how much Kanda is willing to put on the line to make sure Allen doesn’t lose himself.

I strongly believe that Allen taught Kanda to believe, and Kanda taught Allen to strengthen his resolve. I warms my heart to see them grow so much as individuals, and as each other’s balancing character. Allen went from aimlessly trying to save every soul in order to make up for destroying Mana, to realizing he had to find his own path, not following Mana, the Order or the 14th. Kanda went from living for a shadow from his long gone past, never allowing himself to open up to anyone else, to fighting of his own accord, for his own cause and the people important to him, as himself and not a shadow of his past life. Like two extremes- black and white in a spectrum, they slowly develop closer to the grey areas in between, the more they interact and influence each other.