WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Tokyo 24th Ward Episode 7, "Golden Sunrise," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Aoi Shuta always dreamed of being a noble hero in the troubled 24th ward, but after he failed to rescue Suido Asumi from a burning elementary school, Shuta lost hope and gave up on that dream. Later, he and his friends awakened their future-vision "Quirks" to save Mari's life, and that was when Shuta reignited his passion for superheroes.
Now, in Episode 7, Shuta's dream of being a hero faces its greatest challenge. Shuta feels discouraged because the 24th ward faces greater perils than ever, and his friends Ran and Koki are no longer on the same side. But when all seems lost, Shuta channels the power of food to restore his faith in himself -- and the world around him.
Flashbacks in Episode 7 depict a younger Aoi Shuta in his family's bakery, where he came across his friend Suido Asami and her mother, who were visiting at the time. In this scene, Mrs. Aoi and Mrs. Suido discuss the idea of opening a food bank for needy children in the dystopian 24th ward, but earning those kids' trust may prove difficult. That's when everyone has the idea to put on a stage performance involving a caped hero eating Aoi Bakery bread to power up and defeat a villain, and it works. The Aoi Bakery gives away its leftovers at the food bank to feed many hungry mouths, and Shuta makes the connection between superheroes and food. To him, they are different expressions of the same noble idea.
Shuta's passion for superhero antics seemingly died after Asumi's death, and after the GourFes tragedy involving that tornado, Shuta lost his faith in superheroes once again. In the present day, Shuta still has mixed feelings about it all, and he isn't sure if he can keep fighting the good fight for much longer. He struggles with this until he consults his father Louis, who is in Paris, for advice. His father refers to the chest, and Shuta keeps making bread and working out his chest muscles until he refines his family's signature bread and gives it away to the needy. In so doing, Shuta inspires the kids and himself at the same time, and he restores his own faith in superheroes. He will need this courage to take on his greatest enemy, Carneades, and protect the peace in the 24th ward.
For Aoi Shuta and the people of the 24th ward, the popular bread sold at the Aoi Bakery isn't just lunch -- it's actually thematic. This bread takes on a whole new meaning in Episode 7, and it ties into Tokyo 24th Ward's cyberpunk themes. Normally, bread isn't associated with cyberpunk by any means, but Tokyo 24th Ward gets creative with the formula, finding a unique way to tie Shuta and his family into this genre's larger themes. Cyberpunk isn't just "gritty sci-fi" -- it's about ordinary people resisting tyranny and oppression with whatever means they have, from weapons and computer hacking skills to graffiti and much more. Ran and his DoRed crew are fighting the power with more traditional cyberpunk methods, while Shuta serves as a street hero with the power of bread and hope.
Cyberpunk is all about the common people taking back their streets and changing society themselves, hence the punk aspect, and Shuta's family bakery puts an odd but delicious twist on it. Shuta is a homegrown hero who aims to fight tyranny and crime with his own two hands. Sometimes that means using his Minority Report-style powers, and other times, it means uplifting the people with something as innocent but essential as good food.
The 24th ward's government is tightening its grip and spreading mistrust and resentment with the KANAE system, and KANAE means nothing for hungry kids who can't find dinner. That's where Shuta the cyberpunk baker comes in, and he'll do anything to bring justice to the streets, whether it means fighting with his fists or running a food bank. Both methods are essential for providing hope to those who have none.
