WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of Tokyo 24th Ward, now streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
The 24th ward of Tokyo has been mired in controversy for years now, mostly concerning the presence of the Hazard Cast state surveillance system, which sacrifices citizens' privacy in the name of safety and rapid response to crime. The three main heroes have mixed opinions on this, but then the fragile situation goes into overdrive.
In recent episodes, the rogue hacker calling himself Kunai tried to blow up a cruise ship with Howard Win aboard, and that narrowly-prevented crime now prompts the ward's mayor Suido to launch the all-seeing KANAE system. This system aims to completely prevent crime, but it raises more than a few legitimate concerns, even with mayor Suido's son Koki.
Aoi Shuta and his friends recently investigated the presence of the deadly "Drug D" in the Shantytown district of the 24th ward, and Akagi Ran traced it back to his friend Kunai, whose benevolent Di-VA app had been bought by Howard Win and twisted into a weapon. This prompted Kunai to plot the destruction of Howard's boat, only for Ran to confront Kunai to talk him out of it. Then, Koki's SARG allies shot Kunai dead, and all this now prompts mayor Suido to take drastic steps to prevent anyone from attempting such a crime in the future. In Episode 6, mayor Suido decides that Hazard Cast's rapid-response system is no longer sufficient for handling crime. He unveils the ultra-advanced KANAE system, which is unlike anything Japan has ever seen.
This system, using Suido Asumi's dead body as a biological computer, can track all citizens of the 24th ward via their cPhones and monitor them with perfect accuracy, which will allow SARG to apprehend criminals before a crime is even attempted. Notably, the new KANAE system lacks the transparency of Hazard Cast, because SARG can now arrest anyone they want and claim that the detained person was about to commit a crime, whether or not they really were going to do so. With Hazard Cast, at least the public can see the crime that the criminal was attempting, but the KANAE system upsets that paradigm.
Mayor Suido shows some discretion with this powerful system, launches a referendum, allowing all citizens to vote on whether or not KANAE should be used, and in Episode 6, various people are shown voting either yes or no. KANAE's reception is mixed for now, but in light of the mysterious Carneades' presence and the lack of transparency with KANAE, this new system promises to become the ward's single biggest problem rather than its salvation. Once KANAE is fully unleashed, there's no going back, but mayor Suido insists on using it. His stubborn will can't be swayed easily by peaceful demonstrations or protests. He may soon become a classic cyberpunk villain -- someone determined to tighten his iron grip on society with the power of all-seeing technology.
The new KANAE system has serious implications not only for the 24th ward as a whole but also for the three main characters and their associates. Koki and Ran are currently at odds over the brutal death of Kunai at the hands of SARG, and Ran is especially angry. He blames Koki and SARG for it, and when KANAE arrives, he vows to fight back however he can, with or without Shuta and Koki's help. Meanwhile, Koki insists that his defense of justice and the law is righteous, but even he doubts the KANAE system, and he also regrets his conflict with Ran. Koki may attempt to mend ties with Ran soon, but that won't be easy or quick for him.
Meanwhile, Shuta has doubts about KANAE but hasn't yet started rebelling as Ran has. He's more likely to try once again to mediate between his two friends to keep RGB together, although he has both Carneades and KANAE looming over him. Soon, Shuta may have to decide once and for all if he's going to support SARG's quest for security or become a full-blown rebel like Ran. He can't sit on the fence for much longer.
