Age

Age is the same age as Patema. He was born and raised in the world of Aiga, a rigid utopian future ruled by a totalitarian government. It is considered sinful for the people of Aiga to look toward the sky. Age and his classmates are forced to walk to school and sit in class with their heads down. They are even transported to school via a moving walkway to make things even more robotic. Age's school is under complete video surveillance at all times.

However, Age is the black sheep of his classmates. Much like the heroes in similar utopian science fiction works like Nineteen Eighty-Four or Terry Gilliam's Brazil, Age is the only one who is willing to resist indoctrination. He drifts off during class to look at the sky, and talks back to the teacher when confronted. Age is very punk rock. Give him a few years and I'm sure he'll be donning a studded jacket and a mohawk. Age's rebellious nature often does him more harm than good. As you can imagine, a strict society doesn't take well to rule breakers. His teacher constantly berates him for being disobedient. The ruler of Aiga, Izamura, even interjects on behalf of Age's behavior sometimes.

This aspect of Age's personality directly stems from his father. His father had a deep fascination with the sky and never agreed with the rule that it should be off limits. He spent a long time building a flying machine. Once the machine was ready, a crowd of people watched as he attempted to take off. This crowd included Age who skipped class to be there. The machine ran fine and Age's father was flying high. However, once in the air, Age's father fell out of the machine and lost his life. This was a traumatic experience for the young boy and one that motivated his actions later in life.

Age also believes in equality. He has a moral objection to Aiga's ideal that they are superior to inverts. He thinks inverts are just as deserving of life as Aiga's citizens are. Being outspoken on this issue also persuades some of his classmates to think the same. He doesn't believe in Aiga's predominant religion and therefore doesn't see the sky or inverts as sinful.

This belief crosses over into how Age interacts with Patema. When the two first meet, Patema is scared. Age professes that he isn't going to hurt her or turn her in just because she is an invert. Although he also acknowledges that he could be punished for not doing so. Because he doesn't discriminate against her, Age develops a sense of compassion and camaraderie with Patema. This is exemplified when he brings her bread after her first night in Aiga.