Molly called Kill la Kill a "red lesbian" type show. And tbh nothing has ever been more true. Because something that stands out to me is that pretty much everyone in this show wholeheartedly believes what they fight for is right. In this fucked up quasi-metaphorical space, your power is pretty much directly proportional to how strongly you believe in what you do.
Satsuki is a normal human, but even in her backstory where she's a middle-schooler, she can take down a giant like Gamagoori because she's just THAT sure that what she believes in is right. Her sense of justice gives her literal strength. Even Mako, who essentially has no skills whatsoever, is given extraordinary narrative impact simply by always believing really hard and acting on her feelings. And I think this narrative device is illustrated really well by how almost nobody ever lies in this show. Everyone is always shouting exactly what they're fighting for.
Ryuko is always wholeheartedly fighting for her dad, and then for herself, and for her friends. Mako is always wholeheartedly fighting for Ryuko, and for her family. Satsuki is always fighting because she believes it's the moral thing to do. The elite four always fight because they believe in Satsuki THAT MUCH. Conviction is the name of the game. It's what sets these characters apart from the rank and file. Even Ragyo utilizes this meta-narrative, believing fully that her goals are the natural order of things, and being made near-untouchable by it.
There are three notable exceptions to this rule. First, there's Maiko Ogure. A minor antagonist in the early show, Maiko makes almost no impact on the plot whatsoever. Her lies and deceit earn her an immediate ousting from the story. Even the other minor antagonists get redeemed in the final battle because at least they were honest. Maiko doesn't get to do shit.
Our second exception: Satsuki. As part of her plan, she compromises on her honesty in hopes of taking down Ragyo. She lies about her loyalties, she lies about the purpose of Honouji, and she lies to Ryuko's face about her dad. Unavoidably, the narrative punishes her for this, by making all her plans come to nothing. Only when she discards these falsehoods and fights openly alongside Ryuko for what she believes is right, does she truly get to succeed in defeating her mother.
The final exception is Nui Harime. Because Nui.... doesn't believe in anything. She's empty inside. The only thing she's concerned with is making all the humans die. She has her own goals, taking a noted interest in Ryuko, but when Ragyo tells her to off herself, she does so with no hesitation. She's even the only character who actively disguises herself. She's a dark reflection of what Ryuko would be without her human connections. A true nihilist. In the end, she's reduced to nothing, her consciousness fading away entirely inside the life fiber mass.
Kill la Kill is a show that cares about being who you are and standing up for what you believe in. And nothing else has ever punched me in the heart quite like it.
