Jormungand - "Vein" - Empathy

"Vein," the fifth episode of Jormungand, gives us insight into Jonah's past. While traveling across the ocean, Koko's ship is intercepted by the ship belonging to her brother Kasper. As the two discuss the nature of the business (albeit with some sibling tension), Kasper decides to excuse himself to the restroom, where Jonah happens to be. Upon seeing him, Jonah attacks, intent to kill seen in his eyes. The timeline flashes back three months to a military base in western Asia.

Before working for Koko, Jonah was a child soldier at this military base, subjected to all sorts of inhumane practices. His four friends, all orphans, were the only people he had in the whole world, but one day one of them gets taken as a human landmine detector, never to return. Overwhelmed by hate, Jonah tells the remaining orphans to flee as he takes up arms and kills every single soldier and officer on the base, one by one.

Afterward, Kasper arrives with his bodyguards and interrogates the boy. He lectures Jonah on being accountable for the killings before locking him in a storage container for several weeks with nothing but a jug of water. Once the punishment ends, he gives Jonah an agreement: Jonah must work for Koko in exchange for the safety of the remaining three orphans. As we return to the present flow of time, Jonah is standing on one of the ship's balconies, reflecting on everything that happened. To this, he comments:

"As I was starving to death I kept asking myself, "Does the world really hate me this much?" But then, I realized that didn't really matter. The world may hate me, but I still love it."

 Being locked in a shipping container, an action meant to bring him face to face with fear itself, resulted in catalyzing his empathy. Jonah had three real options to consider. The first involved simply furthering his violent actions, killing indiscriminately until someone finally brought him down. The second involved breaking away from society and living a quiet life without conflict. He instead chose a third option: dedicating his remaining existence to ensuring that nobody would have to go through the things he had to. This becomes his motivation for accepting the deal and for all actions he takes while serving Koko.

Those who've experienced despair are usually the ones who are the most compassionate. Improvements to overall quality of life are less often derived from self-interest, and more often derived from the need to lift others out of their objectionable situations. This is the nature of empathy, and understanding this phenomenon is the key to ensuring continued progress forward.