As an avid player of cyberpunk games for over a decade, I‘ve analyzed many complex characters and corporations across dystopian stories that explore transhumanism.
But even measured against this experience, Goro Takemura stands out to me as one of most compelling – yet sinister – figures in Cyberpunk 2077‘s gritty narrative.
At first glance, the former Arasaka agent proves helpful to protagonist V in their quest. And many players, myself included, found their sympathy for Takemura‘s stern but duty-driven persona deepening as the game progressed.
However, saving Takemura from his stranded fate in the parade sequence represents one of most disastrous decisions you can make for V in Cyberpunk 2077.
On closer examination, Takemura distinctly prioritizes advancing Arasaka‘s corporate interests over anything else – including V‘s quest for survival. Any warmth or caring connection forms an artifice to manipulate V as a means to Takemura‘s driving motivation.
In this guide, I‘ll leverage my expertise on cyberpunk genre themes to comprehensively demonstrate why leaving Takemura to his fate remains V‘s best path forward in Night City‘s brutal landscape.
Takemura Remains Beholden to Arasaka Interests Across Decades of Service
To understand Takemura‘s complex priorities and intentions, you need proper context on his extensive history with Arasaka:
Over 35 Years Dedicated to Arasaka‘s Rise
Takemura devoted the majority of his adult life – more than 35 years of service – to the Arasaka Corporation before the events leading to his dismissal in Cyberpunk 2077.
He played a key role as commanding officer in the company‘s counterintelligence division during their precipitous rise to becoming one of the most dominant megacorporations in the dystopian Cyberpunk universe.
This involved orchestrating black ops projects, espionage campaigns, shadow informational warfare – and no shortage of brutal wetwork. All in service to Arasaka‘s ascent to supremacy.
Intense Personal Loyalty to Saburo Arasaka
In addition, Takemura cultivated an intensely close personal relationship with Saburo Arasaka in this time. The former Arasaka patriarch became a father figure and supreme commanding loyalty for Takemura for decades.
In Takemura‘s own words to V:
Saburo Arasaka was the only issue I respected. He raised Arasaka high, built the corporate state that rules unchallenged.
This reverence Saburo held in Takemura‘s eyes further compelled his complete dedication to the Arasaka agenda.
Takemura‘s Identity & Purpose Tied to Arasaka
Ultimately, after committing over 35 years of his life nearly exclusively to Arasaka‘s ascendance and Saburo‘s vision, you cannot decouple Takemura‘s purpose and identity from the corporation.
He literally has zero context for existing without directly advancing Arasaka‘s interests. It remains his supreme motivation tying all intentions and relationships together – even during his temporary exile after Saburo‘s death.
Arasaka provides the only philosophical framework and ethical code Takemura respects or recognizes.
In this light, you must analyze all of his subsequent conduct and offers to V first and foremost through a lens of furthering Arasaka‘s corporate agenda above anything else.
Takemura Leverages Feigned Care for V to Arasaka‘s Advantage
Across various sequences, Takemura takes actions that seem caring or generous on the surface when it comes to supporting protagonist V:
Checks In Frequently on V‘s Health
He frequently checks in on their status with apparent concern after the duo escapes Yorinobu‘s assassination attempt following the heist.
When they reunite during Act 2 to investigate Hellman‘s dissapearance, Takemura also cooks a homemade Japanese meal to help V recover strength while insisting they get some rest before proceeding.
Offers Information & Planning Against Common Foes
Takemura additionally feeds V intel about Yorinobu‘s activities and plans that prove useful in unlocking investigative leads.
He also directly joins in shootouts alongside V against Arasaka tactical units & cyberpsychos during Act 2, helping defeat dangerous enemies.
Acts Protectively Towards V
Finally, during the climatic parade attack, Takemura physically shields V on multiple occasions. First from the blast of the initial van explosion near the stage. Then later stabilizing them aboard the careening Arasaka float as it swerves destructively through Night City.
But when properly contextualized against his supreme loyalty to Arasaka, you can interpret Takemura‘s caring gestures towards V first and foremost as cultivation of a valuable asset.
Feigned Care as Cultivation of a Valuable Asset
"Takemura‘s warmth serves to prime V for future manipulation that benefits Arasaka before all else – making it an artifice at its core."
Takemura makes no illusions about his intent to return to and reinstate his position as a high-ranking Arasaka counterintelligence officer.
He realizes V‘s unique implant means their engram holds invaluable data and insight coveted by Arasaka. And so develops rapport through calculated vulnerability and warmth primarily to exploit down the line.
This manifests clearly when the duo reunite in space. Takemura refuses to give up on the possibility of still swaying V to give themselves over willingly to Arasaka. At multiple points, he uses emotional appeals citing their "friendship" to prime V for consent:
I risked much for my friendship with you. Now I ask only that you trust me in kind.
Of course, the actual outcome of V consenting to Arasaka ends horrifically.
Ultimately any glimmers of authentic care get overruled by Takemura‘s unwavering drive to return to Arasaka‘s good graces. He grooms V‘s trust only for them to lower their defenses enough for the corp to imprison and utilize them indefinitely.
Horrific Outcomes of V Saving Takemura
If you choose to save Takemura amidst the parade devastation, this fate comes to pass. V gets rescued from the Arasaka ambush by Takemura, only to end up his willing captive headed to orbit.
This decision sets off a cascade of dark outcomes that underscore why leaving Takemura to his fate remains V‘s best path:
V Held Prisoner in Orbital Research Facility
After agreeing to give themselves over to Arasaka‘s "care", V immediately gets transported to an orbital research station above Earth run by the corporation:
They aim to analyze and reverse engineer Johnny Silverhand‘s biochip implant fused to V‘s brain. A team of scientists led by familiar face Anders Hellman get unlimited access to run experiments on V in pursuit of proprietary data or tech.
"Subjected to endless clinical trials against their will, V becomes an imprisoned lab rat rather than a guest."
Takemura paints this outcome as "salvation" for V. But in truth it means getting treated as an object for torture and experimentation until their body gives out.
Exploited In Mikoshi Facility
Events culminate with V, Takemura and Hanako breaching the crystal structure into Mikoshi – essentially a digital prison for human minds:
This Pascal dimension houses the digitized souls of Saburo Arasaka and other privileged elite who have undergone the Secure Your Soul program of consciousness transferrence.
It aims to achieve immortality by encoding minds to preserve indefinitely in cyberspace, no matter what happens to their mortal frames.
And now in Mikoshi, Hanako prepares an ultimatum – she will only save V‘s life if they agree to be SoulKilled and join her father:
Hanako: You will be uploaded to secure unit SD457 and retained indefinitely as what you yourself would dub an "engram."
This "offer" essentially entails killing V‘s body and imprisoning their consciousness permanently as code, exposed to endless exploitation and harvesting by Arasaka systems.
And so after a long quest trailing Takemura under the promise of salvation, V ends up condemned to digitized slavery all the same.
Takemura and Hanako Misrepresent the Secure Your Soul Program
A key ingredient allowing Hanako and Takemura to manipulate V is misrepresenting the reality of what the Secure Your Soul program means:
They sell it as a reliable means for V‘s mind to endure indefinitely, portraying it simply as uploading to a "secure unit" in Mikoshi cyberarchitecture.
But the reality remains much darker. The Soulkiller process essentially kills and replaces someone – encoding a copy of their consciousness digitally rather than transferring an intact essence.
And once inside Mikoshi systems as a digital prisoner, there is no security. Just continual exploitation and anguish at the hands of Arasaka:
"Rather than salvation, the Secure Your Soul contract V signs imprisons them in endless digital bondage to Arasaka."
Takemura applies intense social pressure for V to accept these terms for the prospect of immortality, insisting:
This is exactly what we talked about…Salvation of your construct!
But as an expert in cyberpunk themes, I contend signing such predatory corporate deals fundamentally contradicts any concept of "salvation" in Night City.
Ties Back to Cyberpunk 2077‘s Core Themes
This relationship between Takemura/Hanako/Arasaka and protagonist V ties back to several of the game‘s central science fiction premises:
Capitalist Dystopia & Corporate Abuse
It underscores the dystopian reality of hyper-capitalist corporations in Cyberpunk 2077 prioritizing profit above human rights or dignity.
Arasaka and the Secure Your Soul program operate as stand-ins for this rampant late-stage capitalist exploitation. They view all people as commodities to leverage for wealth generation rather than autonomous individuals with rights.
Transhumanism Gone Wrong
It also connects to the game‘s transhumanist themes around experiments into digitized immortality, and how these get severely abused.
The promise of enduring forever by uploading your consciousness appeals at surface level. But Mikoshi reveals the sinister underpinnings of such reality – eternal enslavement, anguish and harvesting at the hands of corrupt systems.
Loss of Autonomy & Identity
Finally, V‘s journey highlights increasing loss of autonomy and ownership over one‘s own identity under the wheels of unchecked capitalism.
Their mind, body and literal soul get treated as assets to siphon, auction and manipulate according to corporate whims. Without check, companies can steer and dominate entire lives according to profit motives alone.
Final Verdict: Abandoning Takemura Saves More Suffering
While leaving Takemura to die amidst the Arasaka parade ambush can feel like a grim sacrifice of a trusted ally, I contend it spares V from far worse outcomes down the line.
Outcomes directly tied to Takemura‘s unwavering loyalty to Arasaka – and his commitment to exploit V‘s special implant to regain status, no matter personal costs to them.
Without intervention, Arasaka would have limited reach to impose their twisted transhumanist agendas onto V. Their consciousness would remain their own, with increasingly short time left being no prisoner to anyone.
So while Takemura‘s dutiful persona has understandable appeal, V‘s interests stand diametrically opposed to his own in Cyberpunk 2077‘s ruthless world.
It‘s a classic cyberpunk plot of corporate exploitation against helpless individuals. And the only way for V to resist getting sucked into Arasaka‘s transhumanist machine is to abandon Takemura to the fate he helped author from the start.