The following contains spoilers for Episode 12 of Tokyo 24th Ward, "Youth 24th Ward," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The bitter controversy over the oppressive KANAE surveillance system comes to a head in the final episode of Tokyo 24th Ward, when Shuta and his two friends reunite as the RBG squad to save the day once again as homegrown heroes. This is the mission that Shuta inherited from Chikushi, and he must see it through to the end for the entire ward's sake.
Most of all, Shuta must complete this mission for Suido Asumi's sake, with her being trapped inside the KANAE system as a transhumanist AI who suffers constant torment in the digital world. Asumi is convinced that the pain of paying the price for choosing a new future is too great to bear, but Shuta, Koki and Ran feel differently. They have shonen's power of friendship on their side.
Episode 12 picks up right where Episode 11 left off, with Shuta, Koki and Ran reconciling their bitter differences to save their island ward home one last time as heroes gifted with the power of Cipher in their eyes. The three boys receive one last "trolley dilemma" scenario from Asumi via their superpowers, and they must choose to either expose KANAE's secrets and have the system shut down, or else use a module to rewrite it and have Asumi's transhumanist mind go to peaceful "sleep" in the system forever.
Either way, Asumi will be lost, but that is what she wants. Existing in this digital transhumanist state is agony for her, to the point where she glitches constantly. This is what prompted Tsuzusagawa to pose as "Carneades" the villain to explain KANAE's strange predictions, but now, a more permanent solution must be found. Shuta must make his most difficult decision of all.
Shuta and his friends believe in the power of friendship, and they use it to meet Asumi directly, even though Asumi doesn't want to speak with them. In Asumi's mind, the sacrifices necessary to obtain a desired future are too much to bear, and compromise is impossible. By contrast, Shuta and his friends use both the power of friendship and faith in the future to face this dilemma anyway and make the right choice, even if they can't "cheat" and have things both ways to create a foolproof scenario. The boys understand that paying opportunity costs is a fact of life, and they have the courage to pay those costs if it means taking a chance on a better future.
No one, not even the RGB boys, can ever guarantee that their risky decisions will pay off and create the future that they want, but that isn't a problem for them, especially with the power of friendship on their side. To them, gambling on dilemmas and paying opportunity costs is simply proof that they are alive and in control of their lives, and that makes them happy. Asumi accepts this solution and bids her three friends a fond farewell, this time without any anguish or regrets. She fades away, and the KANAE system is shut down by a grieving Mayor Suido.
The episode's falling action explains how the people of the 24th ward will take their future into their own hands without the need for all-seeing state surveillance systems, which ends the ward's current conflict peacefully. This also means that the entire ward's population can echo RBG's power of friendship and faith in the future, and everyone can step toward this future with confidence. The ward is more than its buildings or high-tech computers -- it's the people, and those people can be trusted with their own future. On that note, the cyberpunk story of Tokyo 24th Ward comes to a close.
