Or why Akane is Kougami’s redemption, and is to Kougami what he failed to be to Sasayama.

Kougami quoted Sasayama’s words when he said “if you don’t like how I do things, then shoot me [with the dominator]. That’s your job”. When Sasayama disobeyed and attacked Kougami so he could go after Touma, Kougami didn’t have the guts to shoot him; when Kougami went against Akane’s orders, she hesitated but did shoot him.

Kougami admired Sasayama’s investigation skills, and considered him to be “more than an enforcer, a Detective”. When he became an enforcer too, Akane reminded him that not being an inspector anymore doesn’t mean his purpose has changed, and he felt he could go back to being a Detective too (not inspector) with her by his side.

In PP0, Kougami noticed how Masaoka calls Sasayama by his first name, and asked him why, to which he replied “if we’re not even close enough to be on first name basis, there is no way we can put our lives in each other’s hands”. Kougami understands that it is a “proof of trust”. However, he never got to call Sasayama “Mitsuru” before he died. But at the end of season 1, Akane decides to trust Kougami even though he betrayed her and the MWPSB, and when she risks her life to catch Makishima, he instinctively calls her out by her first name.

Kougami left Akane like Sasayama left him; only this time Kougami succeeded where Sasayama failed, and killed Makishima. But the story repeats itself as Akane is left alone facing Sibyl (she is the only one to know Sibyl’s truth), the enemy that drove Kougami away from her, just how Kougami was left to deal alone with Makishima (he was the only one to believe in his existence for 3 whole years).

Sasayama advised Kougami to “think with his heart instead of his head”; this is what lead Kougami to become an enforcer after Sasayama’s death, and pick up on his habit of smoking. As opposite to him, Akane has a natural control over her heart as shown by her constantly clear hue, and she does not become an enforcer and never drifts away from her own values. Even though she understands them, she disapproves of Kougami’s actions (towards Makishima mostly: when he told her to kill him, she was tempted but refused, etc), as he disapproved of Sasayama’s (following his own hunches instead of orders, putting himself in danger, etc).

All Kougami wanted was to build a strong trust between him and Sasayama, but his feelings didn’t reach on time and Sasayama faced his end alone because of it. Akane wanted the very same bond between herself and Kougami, and she eventually succeed. In spite of their trust, Kougami still decides to take actions against Makishima on his own because 1) he wants to avenge Sasayama 2) he trusts Akane enough to know she would not make the same mistake as him even if Makishima had killed him.

BASICALLY THESE 2 RELATIONSHIPS MIRROR EACH OTHER, AND EVEN THOUGH SHINKANE DOESN’T END HAPPILY EVER AFTER, AKANE PICKS UP THE BROKEN PIECES LEFT BY SASAKOU AND PATCHES KOUGAMI TOGETHER AGAIN