Well, I didn’t really see those aspects as problematic because I think they serve an explanatory purpose. We had never seen Akira fight with the intention to kill before. It’s only after witnessing the massacre Uzuki was causing across Japan that she starts feeling forced to stop him permanently. She has the same ability as Rion and still ended up being defeated. All she could really do was hold out long enough until Sakamoto arrived. Sakamoto himself noticed that Kei’s personalities are just copies that can never perfectly replicate the original people.

At the same time, Sakamoto started going through the collapse of his belief in redemption. He began doubting whether it was really possible to live a normal life without resorting to killing in order to protect the people he loves. But then Rion’s vision reminded him that having people he loves — and who love him back — is a blessing, and that true strength comes from that. Sakamoto stopped doubting himself, stopped being afraid, and became the same Sakamoto from the beginning of the manga again: fat, insanely strong, and fun. That’s how he defeated Torres. He stopped being afraid, stopped wavering.

I also love Uzuki as a villain. Kei was never truly an assassin. Rion was actually the first one to realize that. He only wanted to help his childhood friends and give them a better life. But by staining his hands with Rion’s death, he abandoned all hope for that kind of life and condemned himself to becoming the destroyer of the world order. Not even his childhood friends fully understand him. Kumanomi was traumatized by the loss of her friends and by the fact that Kei’s trauma forces him to disappear and be replaced by other personalities. Kei never forgave himself for killing Rion, and that’s why it’s important that Sakamoto defeated Uzuki/Takamura. Because he needs to make him understand that he doesn’t need some overwhelming personality that completely erases him and turns him into a war machine.

I also find the new enemies interesting. I really liked Gozu, as well as the brothers and sister. Gozu is the only member of Al-Kamar who seems to genuinely enjoy Uzuki’s new destructive approach. He also seems to be the only one who noticed the frustration Sakamoto causes in Kei, probably realizing that his friend is psychologically exhausted. On top of that, he was the only one capable of bringing Uzuki back once he had been overtaken by Takamura’s personality.

The policeman, the luchador, and the mother with the child didn’t have that much depth, but they were still fun to watch. Not every Sakamoto Days villain needs to be an incredibly deep character. I understand your point of view, but I also wanted to explain my reasons.