WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Platinum End Episode 20, "The Price of Honor," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Platinum End protagonist Kakehashi Mirai struggles to create a peaceful and happy life for himself while figuring out his purpose as a God candidate. He doesn't even like being part of the heavenly battle royale, however, often clashing with the other candidates on what the next God should be like. Then the mysterious Professor Yoneda entered the picture, and much has changed since.
As of Episode 20, Yoneda stands as the most thought-provoking and ambitious God candidate remaining, and the self-deprecating Shuji is on his side too. Yoneda doesn't actually want to become God -- he rejects the entire concept, making him similar to Metropoliman before him. However, Platinum End reveals a few key differences between the two as well.
In Episodes 19 and 20, the brilliant but troubled Professor Yoneda claims God is a parasitic spiritual entity forged from human prayer, and that this creature launched the battle royale to protect its own existence rather than save humanity. Like Metropoliman before him, Yoneda rejects the traditional view of God and Heaven, adopting a more pragmatic and cynical view based on humanity's nature. In previous episodes, Metropoliman had claimed that God might be a space alien or an advanced government project, and he wasn't far off the mark. All of this had made him Mirai's worst enemy, and now Yoneda stands as the protagonist's greatest obstacle to victory.
The candidates are now fighting with words rather than arrows, as Susumu wanted, but it means Yoneda and his ally Shuji won't vote for Mirai as the next God. Professor Yoneda is determined to enforce his own cold, calculating views on the entire human race, like Metropoliman before him, and Mirai can't accept that. Instead, he wants a benevolent and inspiring God to claim the heavenly throne -- especially for pious people who depend on such a God's existence.
Metropoliman was a selfish schemer who wanted everything his way and Yoneda is much the same, including his plan to summon all the God candidates to one place and have a final debate with them. In earlier episodes of Platinum End, Metropoliman did something similar at the Jinbo Baseball Stadium, and Yoneda's own invitation might be a trap too.
Professor Yoneda stands as the new Metropoliman in several key ways, but fortunately for Mirai, they aren't entirely the same. Most importantly, Yoneda lacks Metro's brutal classist views on humanity and has no interest in benefitting the "chosen" people at the expense of others.
The professor aims to win the people over with his research and rhetorical skills, not violence and hostage situations, which lessens the pressure on Mirai somewhat. Because of this, he may be more willing to parlay with Yoneda and meet him at the appointed meeting place. The negotiations might break down anyway, but Mirai's chances with Yoneda look better than they did with Metropoliman.
Yoneda also differs from Metro in that he doesn't want to become a God of any kind, regardless of the current God's nature. Metro wanted to ascend so he could create his paradise for beautiful and rich people to honor his dead sister, while Yoneda wants to destroy Heaven and end the idea of God entirely. That's still a villainous goal to have, but at least Yoneda isn't planning genocide on the impoverished masses. Instead, he aims to end God's charade and force humanity to survive on its own, without a divine creator to pray to for guidance.
Mirai doesn't like this goal but it's at least more palatable than genocide, and Yoneda just might listen if the protagonist makes a passionate argument to change his mind. Mirai can have hope but the odds do seem against him; Yoneda has the popular support of the people, even favoring him over the Japanese prime minister himself. Platinum End's new version of Metropoliman won't go down easily in the upcoming debate.
