Ayanokoji's True Character - Clearing Up a Misunderstanding

KingPeaceM2 said:
For those who read all that u a legend

Samyeaager said:

nah, the dude who wrote it is the actual legend

Miserable_Crow said:
Hi guys, so season 2 has started and I decided to take a peek at the discussions today... and wow are some of them fierce. Personally I like the anime and I don't think LN readers should ruin the experience for anime-onlys, but there is a certain aspect that the anime doesn't portray as well simply by nature of the medium. Basically, I just want to expand a bit more on Ayanokoji's character here so that you can (hopefully) have a better experience watching. I think one of the best things about COTE is Ayanokoji himself, and you will have a richer experience viewing the events actually knowing what Ayanokoji's mindset is.

There's no reasons for Ayanokoji to hide his true abilities. He only cares about people as tools. He's edgy.

-these are the assumptions that a lot of people have. These are fair assumptions, since the anime certainly presents Ayanokoji this way. But, as you probably know from the LN/LN readers, Ayanokoji is an extremely unreliable narrator. I'll try not to spoil anything here beyond what the first season has already told us in my explanation.

The short explanation is: Ayanokoji is a lot like Kei, and a lot of how he acts is actually a defense mechanism.

The long explanation is:
Ayanokoji was brought up in an environment where victory was everything. That was a concept instilled in him since he was a small child. Everything was a competition and friendship was impossible. It's stated in the LN that as a child, when he saw what happened to the 'losers', at first he felt fear and anxiety... but eventually he felt nothing. He had to completely shut down his emotions to survive. And okay, sorry, minor spoiler here because the rest of this explanation literally wouldn't make sense without it - but if you don't want any spoilers at all, please just refer to the 'Ayanokoji is like Kei' explanation. Sooo the reason why Ayanokoji was in that environment in the first place was because his father is a top contender for 'Most Awful Anime Dad' award who wanted to create a perfect tool (Ayanokoji). Ayanokoji obviously hates this and escapes, both to mess up his dad's plans and for himself.

So Ayanokoji applies to Advanced Nurturing School, where his father can't reach him (because the school is supposed to be cut off from the rest of the world). The thing is, Ayanokoji's 'true' personality is a lot like his dad's, because, well, his dad raised him to be that way. He's cold, ruthless, and only cares about victory. BUT, and this is a big but - Ayanokoji hates this. He hates his father. He hates that mentality. He hates... himself.

On one hand, he wants to change. On the other hand, he doesn't know how to change.

The first half of the COTE anime, or the first 2 volumes of the LN is Ayanokoji's beginner attempts to change. He adopts a persona that is as different from his 'true' self as could be - a persona that he believes to be 'human' rather than a 'monster'. He is an average teenage boy who tries to help others (Ichinose, Sakura, etc) if he truly sees them in trouble. Of course, his lack of understanding of what 'average' entails and his lack of social skills makes him REALLY BAD AT BEING NORMAL but he's trying. This is not Ayanokoji being fake for the sake of it. This is Ayanokoji trying his best to become what he thinks is an ideal human.

Ayanokoji genuinely doesn't want to compete anymore. He applied to the school to get away from all of that. This is why he is always reactionary, and even though he was suspicious of the Points system from the beginning, he didn't pursue it. He just wants a normal life.

Then the teacher of Class D finds out about Ayanokoji's abilities and threatens to expel him if he doesn't advance their class to A. This would send Ayanokoji right back to his father whom he hates... ugh can we have more teachers like Koro-sensei and less like Chabashira?

So at this point, the flip is switched. Ayanokoji now HAS to win. But how does he win? Is a few months of acting sorta friendly with people enough to change his sixteen years of conditioning? Haha. No it's not. In the real world, people either grow up to be completely like their parents or the complete opposite of their parents, right? It's because that's the example we saw in our developmental years, so we literally do not know any other way to live. It's the same with Ayanokoji. When push comes to shove, he reverts to the 'tool' mentality, because he doesn't know any other way to live.

I would argue that in his past environment, Ayanokoji... actually disassociated whenever he had competition. He had to suppress his emotions to live. So when Chabashira gave him the ultimatum, it triggered the trauma and the disassociation again. How did Ayanokoji survive in the past? He was ruthless and didn't get concerned over others. So how will he survive this time? He doesn't know anything EXCEPT to be ruthless and to distance himself from others.

But Ayanokoji is an unreliable narrator. Even though he says he views everyone as tools, it's also clear from some of his subtle actions and narration that he genuinely wants to help his friends and for them to be happy. He just needs to justify it to himself as something for 'victory', because that's all he's supposed to care about. Remember, he is used to suppressing his own desires and emotions for victory, because of how he was brought up. On the other hand he wants to become different than how he currently is, but he doesn't think he has the power to do that himself...

And this is where Ayanokoji is, mentally, for Season 2. You could say a big theme for COTE is: Can people change? How does someone change? Ayanokoji is still in the process of that.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps you understand Ayanokoji's motives a bit better, and enjoy the anime even more!

Samyeaager said:

nah, the dude who wrote it is the actual legend

Samyeaager said:

nah, the dude who wrote it is the actual legend

kycnui said:
Welp, this guy really convinced me to regain that hope I had for COTE. If only Lerche couldn't fuck up anymore...

Miserable_Crow said:
Hi guys, so season 2 has started and I decided to take a peek at the discussions today... and wow are some of them fierce. Personally I like the anime and I don't think LN readers should ruin the experience for anime-onlys, but there is a certain aspect that the anime doesn't portray as well simply by nature of the medium. Basically, I just want to expand a bit more on Ayanokoji's character here so that you can (hopefully) have a better experience watching. I think one of the best things about COTE is Ayanokoji himself, and you will have a richer experience viewing the events actually knowing what Ayanokoji's mindset is.

There's no reasons for Ayanokoji to hide his true abilities. He only cares about people as tools. He's edgy.

-these are the assumptions that a lot of people have. These are fair assumptions, since the anime certainly presents Ayanokoji this way. But, as you probably know from the LN/LN readers, Ayanokoji is an extremely unreliable narrator. I'll try not to spoil anything here beyond what the first season has already told us in my explanation.

The short explanation is: Ayanokoji is a lot like Kei, and a lot of how he acts is actually a defense mechanism.

The long explanation is:
Ayanokoji was brought up in an environment where victory was everything. That was a concept instilled in him since he was a small child. Everything was a competition and friendship was impossible. It's stated in the LN that as a child, when he saw what happened to the 'losers', at first he felt fear and anxiety... but eventually he felt nothing. He had to completely shut down his emotions to survive. And okay, sorry, minor spoiler here because the rest of this explanation literally wouldn't make sense without it - but if you don't want any spoilers at all, please just refer to the 'Ayanokoji is like Kei' explanation. Sooo the reason why Ayanokoji was in that environment in the first place was because his father is a top contender for 'Most Awful Anime Dad' award who wanted to create a perfect tool (Ayanokoji). Ayanokoji obviously hates this and escapes, both to mess up his dad's plans and for himself.

So Ayanokoji applies to Advanced Nurturing School, where his father can't reach him (because the school is supposed to be cut off from the rest of the world). The thing is, Ayanokoji's 'true' personality is a lot like his dad's, because, well, his dad raised him to be that way. He's cold, ruthless, and only cares about victory. BUT, and this is a big but - Ayanokoji hates this. He hates his father. He hates that mentality. He hates... himself.

On one hand, he wants to change. On the other hand, he doesn't know how to change.

The first half of the COTE anime, or the first 2 volumes of the LN is Ayanokoji's beginner attempts to change. He adopts a persona that is as different from his 'true' self as could be - a persona that he believes to be 'human' rather than a 'monster'. He is an average teenage boy who tries to help others (Ichinose, Sakura, etc) if he truly sees them in trouble. Of course, his lack of understanding of what 'average' entails and his lack of social skills makes him REALLY BAD AT BEING NORMAL but he's trying. This is not Ayanokoji being fake for the sake of it. This is Ayanokoji trying his best to become what he thinks is an ideal human.

Ayanokoji genuinely doesn't want to compete anymore. He applied to the school to get away from all of that. This is why he is always reactionary, and even though he was suspicious of the Points system from the beginning, he didn't pursue it. He just wants a normal life.

Then the teacher of Class D finds out about Ayanokoji's abilities and threatens to expel him if he doesn't advance their class to A. This would send Ayanokoji right back to his father whom he hates... ugh can we have more teachers like Koro-sensei and less like Chabashira?

So at this point, the flip is switched. Ayanokoji now HAS to win. But how does he win? Is a few months of acting sorta friendly with people enough to change his sixteen years of conditioning? Haha. No it's not. In the real world, people either grow up to be completely like their parents or the complete opposite of their parents, right? It's because that's the example we saw in our developmental years, so we literally do not know any other way to live. It's the same with Ayanokoji. When push comes to shove, he reverts to the 'tool' mentality, because he doesn't know any other way to live.

I would argue that in his past environment, Ayanokoji... actually disassociated whenever he had competition. He had to suppress his emotions to live. So when Chabashira gave him the ultimatum, it triggered the trauma and the disassociation again. How did Ayanokoji survive in the past? He was ruthless and didn't get concerned over others. So how will he survive this time? He doesn't know anything EXCEPT to be ruthless and to distance himself from others.

But Ayanokoji is an unreliable narrator. Even though he says he views everyone as tools, it's also clear from some of his subtle actions and narration that he genuinely wants to help his friends and for them to be happy. He just needs to justify it to himself as something for 'victory', because that's all he's supposed to care about. Remember, he is used to suppressing his own desires and emotions for victory, because of how he was brought up. On the other hand he wants to become different than how he currently is, but he doesn't think he has the power to do that himself...

And this is where Ayanokoji is, mentally, for Season 2. You could say a big theme for COTE is: Can people change? How does someone change? Ayanokoji is still in the process of that.


Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps you understand Ayanokoji's motives a bit better, and enjoy the anime even more!

NaughtySempai said:


i would like to add few things and correct one

no
he don't see friends as a friends but as a tool
he was raised as a perfect guy who can do anything
he is searching for someone to defeat him , this is the main motivation for his help and making them strong so that when times comes and people became strong(horikta ) he can compete and LOSE

he actially have 2 mindsets
one who wants to be normal human
and other who wants to win( his dad's conditioning)

that is why he try to hold his power sometimes but unable to do so( like in grip strength with sudo , or with kei)

Miserable_Crow said:
Hi guys, so season 2 has started and I decided to take a peek at the discussions today... and wow are some of them fierce. Personally I like the anime and I don't think LN readers should ruin the experience for anime-onlys, but there is a certain aspect that the anime doesn't portray as well simply by nature of the medium. Basically, I just want to expand a bit more on Ayanokoji's character here so that you can (hopefully) have a better experience watching. I think one of the best things about COTE is Ayanokoji himself, and you will have a richer experience viewing the events actually knowing what Ayanokoji's mindset is.

There's no reasons for Ayanokoji to hide his true abilities. He only cares about people as tools. He's edgy.

-these are the assumptions that a lot of people have. These are fair assumptions, since the anime certainly presents Ayanokoji this way. But, as you probably know from the LN/LN readers, Ayanokoji is an extremely unreliable narrator. I'll try not to spoil anything here beyond what the first season has already told us in my explanation.

The short explanation is: Ayanokoji is a lot like Kei, and a lot of how he acts is actually a defense mechanism.

The long explanation is:
Ayanokoji was brought up in an environment where victory was everything. That was a concept instilled in him since he was a small child. Everything was a competition and friendship was impossible. It's stated in the LN that as a child, when he saw what happened to the 'losers', at first he felt fear and anxiety... but eventually he felt nothing. He had to completely shut down his emotions to survive. And okay, sorry, minor spoiler here because the rest of this explanation literally wouldn't make sense without it - but if you don't want any spoilers at all, please just refer to the 'Ayanokoji is like Kei' explanation. Sooo the reason why Ayanokoji was in that environment in the first place was because his father is a top contender for 'Most Awful Anime Dad' award who wanted to create a perfect tool (Ayanokoji). Ayanokoji obviously hates this and escapes, both to mess up his dad's plans and for himself.

So Ayanokoji applies to Advanced Nurturing School, where his father can't reach him (because the school is supposed to be cut off from the rest of the world). The thing is, Ayanokoji's 'true' personality is a lot like his dad's, because, well, his dad raised him to be that way. He's cold, ruthless, and only cares about victory. BUT, and this is a big but - Ayanokoji hates this. He hates his father. He hates that mentality. He hates... himself.

On one hand, he wants to change. On the other hand, he doesn't know how to change.

The first half of the COTE anime, or the first 2 volumes of the LN is Ayanokoji's beginner attempts to change. He adopts a persona that is as different from his 'true' self as could be - a persona that he believes to be 'human' rather than a 'monster'. He is an average teenage boy who tries to help others (Ichinose, Sakura, etc) if he truly sees them in trouble. Of course, his lack of understanding of what 'average' entails and his lack of social skills makes him REALLY BAD AT BEING NORMAL but he's trying. This is not Ayanokoji being fake for the sake of it. This is Ayanokoji trying his best to become what he thinks is an ideal human.

Ayanokoji genuinely doesn't want to compete anymore. He applied to the school to get away from all of that. This is why he is always reactionary, and even though he was suspicious of the Points system from the beginning, he didn't pursue it. He just wants a normal life.

Then the teacher of Class D finds out about Ayanokoji's abilities and threatens to expel him if he doesn't advance their class to A. This would send Ayanokoji right back to his father whom he hates... ugh can we have more teachers like Koro-sensei and less like Chabashira?

So at this point, the flip is switched. Ayanokoji now HAS to win. But how does he win? Is a few months of acting sorta friendly with people enough to change his sixteen years of conditioning? Haha. No it's not. In the real world, people either grow up to be completely like their parents or the complete opposite of their parents, right? It's because that's the example we saw in our developmental years, so we literally do not know any other way to live. It's the same with Ayanokoji. When push comes to shove, he reverts to the 'tool' mentality, because he doesn't know any other way to live.

I would argue that in his past environment, Ayanokoji... actually disassociated whenever he had competition. He had to suppress his emotions to live. So when Chabashira gave him the ultimatum, it triggered the trauma and the disassociation again. How did Ayanokoji survive in the past? He was ruthless and didn't get concerned over others. So how will he survive this time? He doesn't know anything EXCEPT to be ruthless and to distance himself from others.

But Ayanokoji is an unreliable narrator. Even though he says he views everyone as tools, it's also clear from some of his subtle actions and narration that he genuinely wants to help his friends and for them to be happy. He just needs to justify it to himself as something for 'victory', because that's all he's supposed to care about. Remember, he is used to suppressing his own desires and emotions for victory, because of how he was brought up. On the other hand he wants to become different than how he currently is, but he doesn't think he has the power to do that himself...

And this is where Ayanokoji is, mentally, for Season 2. You could say a big theme for COTE is: Can people change? How does someone change? Ayanokoji is still in the process of that.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps you understand Ayanokoji's motives a bit better, and enjoy the anime even more!

INSANELYWP said:

yeah i was kinda confused on why op didn’t mention this fact. his white room mindset makes it so he has to win. he will do everything in his power to win. however he hates this and is searching to lose. because if he loses, he proves the white room and his father wrong. which is ultimately his final goal. current ln is kinda cool cause he’s basically trying to nurture horikitas class into one that can defeat him.

Miserable_Crow said:
Hi guys, so season 2 has started and I decided to take a peek at the discussions today... and wow are some of them fierce. Personally I like the anime and I don't think LN readers should ruin the experience for anime-onlys, but there is a certain aspect that the anime doesn't portray as well simply by nature of the medium. Basically, I just want to expand a bit more on Ayanokoji's character here so that you can (hopefully) have a better experience watching. I think one of the best things about COTE is Ayanokoji himself, and you will have a richer experience viewing the events actually knowing what Ayanokoji's mindset is.

There's no reasons for Ayanokoji to hide his true abilities. He only cares about people as tools. He's edgy.

-these are the assumptions that a lot of people have. These are fair assumptions, since the anime certainly presents Ayanokoji this way. But, as you probably know from the LN/LN readers, Ayanokoji is an extremely unreliable narrator. I'll try not to spoil anything here beyond what the first season has already told us in my explanation.

The short explanation is: Ayanokoji is a lot like Kei, and a lot of how he acts is actually a defense mechanism.

The long explanation is:
Ayanokoji was brought up in an environment where victory was everything. That was a concept instilled in him since he was a small child. Everything was a competition and friendship was impossible. It's stated in the LN that as a child, when he saw what happened to the 'losers', at first he felt fear and anxiety... but eventually he felt nothing. He had to completely shut down his emotions to survive. And okay, sorry, minor spoiler here because the rest of this explanation literally wouldn't make sense without it - but if you don't want any spoilers at all, please just refer to the 'Ayanokoji is like Kei' explanation. Sooo the reason why Ayanokoji was in that environment in the first place was because his father is a top contender for 'Most Awful Anime Dad' award who wanted to create a perfect tool (Ayanokoji). Ayanokoji obviously hates this and escapes, both to mess up his dad's plans and for himself.

So Ayanokoji applies to Advanced Nurturing School, where his father can't reach him (because the school is supposed to be cut off from the rest of the world). The thing is, Ayanokoji's 'true' personality is a lot like his dad's, because, well, his dad raised him to be that way. He's cold, ruthless, and only cares about victory. BUT, and this is a big but - Ayanokoji hates this. He hates his father. He hates that mentality. He hates... himself.

On one hand, he wants to change. On the other hand, he doesn't know how to change.

The first half of the COTE anime, or the first 2 volumes of the LN is Ayanokoji's beginner attempts to change. He adopts a persona that is as different from his 'true' self as could be - a persona that he believes to be 'human' rather than a 'monster'. He is an average teenage boy who tries to help others (Ichinose, Sakura, etc) if he truly sees them in trouble. Of course, his lack of understanding of what 'average' entails and his lack of social skills makes him REALLY BAD AT BEING NORMAL but he's trying. This is not Ayanokoji being fake for the sake of it. This is Ayanokoji trying his best to become what he thinks is an ideal human.

Ayanokoji genuinely doesn't want to compete anymore. He applied to the school to get away from all of that. This is why he is always reactionary, and even though he was suspicious of the Points system from the beginning, he didn't pursue it. He just wants a normal life.

Then the teacher of Class D finds out about Ayanokoji's abilities and threatens to expel him if he doesn't advance their class to A. This would send Ayanokoji right back to his father whom he hates... ugh can we have more teachers like Koro-sensei and less like Chabashira?

So at this point, the flip is switched. Ayanokoji now HAS to win. But how does he win? Is a few months of acting sorta friendly with people enough to change his sixteen years of conditioning? Haha. No it's not. In the real world, people either grow up to be completely like their parents or the complete opposite of their parents, right? It's because that's the example we saw in our developmental years, so we literally do not know any other way to live. It's the same with Ayanokoji. When push comes to shove, he reverts to the 'tool' mentality, because he doesn't know any other way to live.

I would argue that in his past environment, Ayanokoji... actually disassociated whenever he had competition. He had to suppress his emotions to live. So when Chabashira gave him the ultimatum, it triggered the trauma and the disassociation again. How did Ayanokoji survive in the past? He was ruthless and didn't get concerned over others. So how will he survive this time? He doesn't know anything EXCEPT to be ruthless and to distance himself from others.

But Ayanokoji is an unreliable narrator. Even though he says he views everyone as tools, it's also clear from some of his subtle actions and narration that he genuinely wants to help his friends and for them to be happy. He just needs to justify it to himself as something for 'victory', because that's all he's supposed to care about. Remember, he is used to suppressing his own desires and emotions for victory, because of how he was brought up. On the other hand he wants to become different than how he currently is, but he doesn't think he has the power to do that himself...

And this is where Ayanokoji is, mentally, for Season 2. You could say a big theme for COTE is: Can people change? How does someone change? Ayanokoji is still in the process of that.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps you understand Ayanokoji's motives a bit better, and enjoy the anime even more!

Miserable_Crow said:
Hi guys, so season 2 has started and I decided to take a peek at the discussions today... and wow are some of them fierce. Personally I like the anime and I don't think LN readers should ruin the experience for anime-onlys, but there is a certain aspect that the anime doesn't portray as well simply by nature of the medium. Basically, I just want to expand a bit more on Ayanokoji's character here so that you can (hopefully) have a better experience watching. I think one of the best things about COTE is Ayanokoji himself, and you will have a richer experience viewing the events actually knowing what Ayanokoji's mindset is.
There's no reasons for Ayanokoji to hide his true abilities. He only cares about people as tools. He's edgy.
-these are the assumptions that a lot of people have. These are fair assumptions, since the anime certainly presents Ayanokoji this way. But, as you probably know from the LN/LN readers, Ayanokoji is an extremely unreliable narrator. I'll try not to spoil anything here beyond what the first season has already told us in my explanation.
The short explanation is: Ayanokoji is a lot like Kei, and a lot of how he acts is actually a defense mechanism.
The long explanation is:
Ayanokoji was brought up in an environment where victory was everything. That was a concept instilled in him since he was a small child. Everything was a competition and friendship was impossible. It's stated in the LN that as a child, when he saw what happened to the 'losers', at first he felt fear and anxiety... but eventually he felt nothing. He had to completely shut down his emotions to survive. And okay, sorry, minor spoiler here because the rest of this explanation literally wouldn't make sense without it - but if you don't want any spoilers at all, please just refer to the 'Ayanokoji is like Kei' explanation. Sooo the reason why Ayanokoji was in that environment in the first place was because his father is a top contender for 'Most Awful Anime Dad' award who wanted to create a perfect tool (Ayanokoji). Ayanokoji obviously hates this and escapes, both to mess up his dad's plans and for himself.
So Ayanokoji applies to Advanced Nurturing School, where his father can't reach him (because the school is supposed to be cut off from the rest of the world). The thing is, Ayanokoji's 'true' personality is a lot like his dad's, because, well, his dad raised him to be that way. He's cold, ruthless, and only cares about victory. BUT, and this is a big but - Ayanokoji hates this. He hates his father. He hates that mentality. He hates... himself.
On one hand, he wants to change. On the other hand, he doesn't know how to change.
The first half of the COTE anime, or the first 2 volumes of the LN is Ayanokoji's beginner attempts to change. He adopts a persona that is as different from his 'true' self as could be - a persona that he believes to be 'human' rather than a 'monster'. He is an average teenage boy who tries to help others (Ichinose, Sakura, etc) if he truly sees them in trouble. Of course, his lack of understanding of what 'average' entails and his lack of social skills makes him REALLY BAD AT BEING NORMAL but he's trying. This is not Ayanokoji being fake for the sake of it. This is Ayanokoji trying his best to become what he thinks is an ideal human.
Ayanokoji genuinely doesn't want to compete anymore. He applied to the school to get away from all of that. This is why he is always reactionary, and even though he was suspicious of the Points system from the beginning, he didn't pursue it. He just wants a normal life.I remember myself not wanting to impress anyone in high school with my high knowledge and everytime I would get a big assignment to write essays,I would ease my way out of it because I didn’t want to waste my energy on such little things,also because I knew I have a reliable service I can handle it to.I even remember the name of the site even after 4 years from that day: https://assignmentbro.com/pay-for-assignment This is one of my best findings from high school times.Hope someone will find it useful as I did.
Then the teacher of Class D finds out about Ayanokoji's abilities and threatens to expel him if he doesn't advance their class to A. This would send Ayanokoji right back to his father whom he hates... ugh can we have more teachers like Koro-sensei and less like Chabashira?
So at this point, the flip is switched. Ayanokoji now HAS to win. But how does he win? Is a few months of acting sorta friendly with people enough to change his sixteen years of conditioning? Haha. No it's not. In the real world, people either grow up to be completely like their parents or the complete opposite of their parents, right? It's because that's the example we saw in our developmental years, so we literally do not know any other way to live. It's the same with Ayanokoji. When push comes to shove, he reverts to the 'tool' mentality, because he doesn't know any other way to live.
I would argue that in his past environment, Ayanokoji... actually disassociated whenever he had competition. He had to suppress his emotions to live. So when Chabashira gave him the ultimatum, it triggered the trauma and the disassociation again. How did Ayanokoji survive in the past? He was ruthless and didn't get concerned over others. So how will he survive this time? He doesn't know anything EXCEPT to be ruthless and to distance himself from others.
But Ayanokoji is an unreliable narrator. Even though he says he views everyone as tools, it's also clear from some of his subtle actions and narration that he genuinely wants to help his friends and for them to be happy. He just needs to justify it to himself as something for 'victory', because that's all he's supposed to care about. Remember, he is used to suppressing his own desires and emotions for victory, because of how he was brought up. On the other hand he wants to become different than how he currently is, but he doesn't think he has the power to do that himself...
And this is where Ayanokoji is, mentally, for Season 2. You could say a big theme for COTE is: Can people change? How does someone change? Ayanokoji is still in the process of that.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope it helps you understand Ayanokoji's motives a bit better, and enjoy the anime even more!