[DreadBringer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

I'm currently on pause from Geats, but from what I've seen, Ace saves civilians for prizes for completing additional missions. At least I haven't seen evidence to the contrary. Neon's help to the Sai family was a selfless salvation, everything else in the DGP world can be attributed to the desire to get a buckle. Of course, in the case of Keiwa, it is obvious that helping people is most important to him, but Ace managed to attribute this to selfishness in the case of Sarah.

As you said, you're on pause, but I more confidently said this, because there's already canon proof of the genuineness in ep. 24 onwards. But even then I can already see the genuineness before, I dislike characters other than Keiwa to have all their decency being met with sarcasm and distrust as something ulterior, which'd be just the same as Michinaga's cynicism above - I'd want for cynicism to not be viewed as rational, and that they can be blind too like idealism (and in ep. 8 it was selfishness to disregard other's wants due to feeling that they're insignificant to his wish, but that's a moment of weakness for Keiwa which he went in to prove it wrong later, and that later he grew to value each of Rider's wishes by standing up for them against Girori).

Regarding Neon, getting tired of Sae's family being the only example brought up; I mentioned her because saving Sae's family is far from the only example. She's shown to consistently help anyone she can, including many scenes of doing so side-by-side with Keiwa, helping Sae is just one part of it (previous episode she's also worried sick about another family in Sara), but the genuine part for me (before a canon one on ep. 24), was about how she consistently helped other Riders, which, would grant no benefit unlike civilians (which she also saves)? Such as helping Ittetsu and Michinaga (who is hostile to her) several times, and if you'd think Michinaga is the "safety net", then Ittetsu is just a "load" that can be left for dead (which is also unknown if he'd be replaced with Keiwa for her help in ep. 11)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mesnick

In any case, this act is selfless, but also not fraught with risk. The money belongs to Star of the stars of the stars, so Ace essentially lost nothing and risked nothing by helping the boy. Plus, including his own logic, he could just try to calm his conscience for letting child`s father die, and then this is also selfishness.

I personally disagree of downplaying good deeds due to "lost nothing" or such; being heroic requires them to suffer or such - celebrating someone's misery for "genuineness". Ryuki showed that of Kagawa claiming heroes have to suffer which resulted in Tojo murdering his close friends to "suffer" as per Kagawa's instruction. I'd think being heroic is just about consistently, genuinely doing good deeds to others (or for assholes like Ace, the genuineness would strengthen his good side, I'd disagree with ignoring his bad side though but it's another story), it's ok to preserve yourself, you can be generous by giving someone what they need in necessary amount (and including when it's more than what they need but not making yourself broke), but also keep what you have to perform another generosity to other people later. And to downplay it as "calm his conscience"... that's just pure cynicism, there are endless ways to twist someone's deeds as negative. Like, having conscience means empathetic and is an important aspect in heroism to feel for others' issues?