[What If: Golden Kamuy] What if Sugimoto retired from the gold scramble early and tried to prioritize Asirpa's safety and life above all else?

Hi, it's Midan! ( ・∀・)
Shall we dive into some subculture topics again? (∩´∀｀)∩

⚠️ This article contains spoilers for "Golden Kamuy". If you are spoiler-phobic, I recommend hitting the back button on your browser. ∠( ﾟдﾟ)／

What if Saichi Sugimoto retired from the gold scramble early and tried to prioritize Asirpa's safety and life above all else? Today, I've been thinking about this 'what if' scenario.

At first glance, it seems like an incredibly kind choice.
Stepping away from the dangerous scramble and letting Asirpa, who is still just a girl, escape the fighting.
I think the sentiment of 'I want to protect her' is very genuine.

But, as someone who knows the story of Golden Kamuy well, I can honestly say that this choice would likely make Asirpa even more dangerous and miserable.
Today, I wanted to try and put that into words. ( ・∀・)

■ First of all, Asirpa is not the kind of person who becomes 'safe' just because Sugimoto leaves

This is the first premise we need to establish.
The reason Asirpa's life is being targeted isn't because she's teamed up with Sugimoto.
The memories carved into her back—the information about the tattoos Wilk carved onto his fellow escaped convicts, and her father's own dying wish—are what make her a target.

Tsurumi's 7th Division, Hijikata's remnants of the old shogunate army, and Kiroranke's faction are all chasing the 'existence of Asirpa' herself.
Even if Sugimoto drops out of the scramble, the siege around her won't loosen.

In fact, by losing the backing of Sugimoto, the 'Immortal' with extraordinary combat prowess, Asirpa would be forced to face powerful forces on her own.
This would simply make the situation worse. ／(^o^)＼

■ Sugimoto's 'immortality' has actually saved her many times

This is something you can understand immediately if you recall the events of the story: the confrontation with Ogata, the melees with escaped convicts, the gunfights in extreme situations—Asirpa has escaped death many times precisely because Sugimoto possessed strength and survival skills that went beyond being just a 'reliable partner'.

His combat ability comes from his experience surviving Hill 203 in the Russo-Japanese War and his abnormal obsession with living (or rather, the flip side of his initial thirst for death), so it's not something that can be easily replaced.
Tanigaki-nishipa and Shiraishi are reliable, but honestly, I don't think there's any character who can demonstrate 'monstrous survival skills' on the same level as Sugimoto.
The void left by him cannot be filled by anyone in the story.

■ Who would stand by Asirpa's side after Sugimoto leaves?

What concerns me here is the question of who would be by Asirpa's side in place of Sugimoto.
The first person who comes to mind is... Kiroranke, I suppose...

On the surface, Kiroranke appears to be an ally of Asirpa's father, Wilk, and occupies a position as 'another father figure' who cares for her.

But in reality, he has a clear political objective: to use the gold as funding for the Russian Revolution.
If Sugimoto, an 'equal partner with no ulterior motives,' were to leave, Asirpa would become more susceptible to being drawn into Kiroranke's schemes.
In other words, instead of being protected, the risk of her being treated as a political tool by adults would increase.

This is a very important theme in the story; Golden Kamuy consistently depicts the contrast between 'adults who try to enclose Asirpa as a protected object' and 'Sugimoto, who tries to walk with her as an equal partner'.

The 'what if' scenario where Sugimoto retires early could ironically lead to a development that pushes her toward the former side—the side of being used.

■ Sugimoto himself loses his 'reason to live'

Another point that cannot be overlooked is the change in Sugimoto himself.
He originally came to Hokkaido seeking the gold to pay for Umeko's eye surgery.

However, as the story progresses, his goal gradually shifts toward "protecting Asirpa and walking alongside her while respecting her will."
This is the same for Asirpa, who strives to be Sugimoto's equal and has a dynamic where she wants to be acknowledged by him.

This is not just a change in purpose, but also a process of Sugimoto recovering from the memories of the Russo-Japanese War (the guilt of having killed too many people).
By gaining something he wants to protect and an equal bond in Asirpa, Sugimoto gradually regains his humanity.

If he had withdrawn from the front lines early for the sake of "safety," it is highly likely that this recovery process itself would never have occurred.
Even if he returned to daily life without fulfilling his purpose, I think the emptiness and guilt within him would remain unresolved.

Even if he could have lived peacefully with Umeko, wouldn't he have continued to harbor a sense of emptiness in his heart, wondering, "Was this really the right thing to do?"
It is ironic that by trying to protect her, he himself would not be truly saved (ヽ´ω`)

■ It would also rob Asirpa of her "growth"

Throughout the story, Asirpa doesn't just learn hunting knowledge; she faces the irrationality of human society, the ulterior motives of adults, and the reality of violence, all while choosing for herself how the gold should be used.

This process is the core of what transforms her from a mere "girl to be protected" into "a person who takes control of her own life."

A development where Sugimoto tries to remove her from the fight early on for the sake of "safety first," while appearing kind, is actually an act that robs her of this very opportunity for growth.

I think what the work Golden Kamuy repeatedly depicts is the limitations and dangers of "protecting a loved one inside a cage."
The relationship between Sugimoto and Asirpa was special because he treated her as a person with an equal will until the very end.
She also wanted that and worked for it the whole time.

■ How would Asirpa herself perceive this "kindness"?

Up until now, I've been talking about the outside perspective—Sugimoto's point of view and the intentions of the adults—but I think the most important thing is how Asirpa herself would feel about this situation.

Asirpa is a character who has repeatedly shown the stance of "deciding things for myself" throughout the story.
Chasing the truth of her father Wilk's death and pursuing the whereabouts of the gold were not because she was instructed by someone, but because of her own will.
Using her hunting skills and knowledge as weapons, she has tried to deal with the scramble controlled by adults on equal footing.

To her, Sugimoto's act of trying to drop out of the scramble by saying it's "for Asirpa's safety" would sound more like a kind of betrayal than kindness.

"I decided to fight with my own will, so why is Sugimoto deciding things on his own!" ...something like that, probably.
In fact, even in the story, there were many scenes where she clearly showed resistance to being treated like a child or being treated as someone to be protected.

For her, who tries to stand on her own two feet while believing in the guidance of the Kamuy, being "protected" felt more like a denial of her own existence.

Moreover, Asirpa has always carried the regret of not being able to do anything about her father's death.
That is precisely why she never stops pursuing the truth.
Sugimoto's choice to withdraw from the scramble would be a forced, external cutting off of the core motivation within her to "face her father's death."

No matter how much good intention Sugimoto had in saying that, wouldn't it become an experience for Asirpa where "the most important part of her life was taken away by someone else"?

■ The possibility that the trust relationship itself would waver

This is the scariest part, but this "withdrawal for the sake of protection" could destroy the very foundation of their relationship.

The bond between Sugimoto and Asirpa was special because they respected each other's will as equal partners.
She taught him Ainu culture and hunting techniques, they overcame dangers together, and there were even times when Sugimoto relied on Asirpa's judgment.
I think this "equality" is the biggest reason she was able to trust Sugimoto.

However, if Sugimoto were to withdraw from the scramble on his own, ignoring her will under the pretext of doing it 'for Asirpa's sake,' he would instantly transform in her eyes from an 'equal partner' into a 'patronizing adult who treats her like a child.'

That would fundamentally alter the quality of the trust they had built up until now.
In the worst-case scenario, Asirpa might stop relying on Sugimoto and start acting on her own, or perhaps turn to someone else—like Kiroranke—instead.

In other words, Sugimoto's choice to 'leave to protect her' ironically carries the risk of not only failing to protect her but also destroying the most important thing between them (equal trust) and ultimately driving her into an even more isolated and dangerous situation.

■ Conclusion: The act of protecting ends up being an act of letting go

Sugimoto's choice to retire early might look like 'keeping her away from danger' in the short term, but in reality, it would strip Asirpa of her safety net (Sugimoto's combat prowess), place her under the influence of adults with ulterior motives (like Kiroranke), and rob her of the opportunity for her own growth.

And Sugimoto himself would end up never truly being liberated from his war trauma.

While 'leaving to protect' might seem like a noble choice at first glance, the answer that the story of Golden Kamuy ultimately affirmed was the exact opposite.
It was about sharing the danger and maintaining an equal relationship.
Sadly, I think that staying in the dangerous, life-or-death zone of the gold scramble was the only true salvation for the two of them.

That's all for this time!
If there are any other 'what-if' scenarios you'd like to see, let me know!
I'll analyze them for you~ ( ・∀・)