As portrayed in 7 Seeds, Ango is still suffering from the effects of his upbringing and survival training. When he hears a certain melody, he remembers it from when that same melody was used to commence one of his most horrific experiences. When he sees a boat, he also sees a memory from his training. When he explores an alley on a Naval missile ship, he gets flashbacks. Ango made some mistakes, and some things that were inexcusable. Not only is he trying to survive in a whole new world, but also the deep-seeded childhood trauma from the old one. A lot of his actions can be explained by his PTSD and trying to overcome it is ultimately what his redemption is all about.

Beneath his tough and cruel exterior, he is truly a caring person, and this is demonstrated through how he can’t forget about Shigeru, his old friend. While it’s also the source of his pain, it’s also the source of his motivation to live. Upon meeting Natsu, he projects Shigeru into her in what many people can reasonably see in an unhealthy manner, but through Natsu, he can show that he’s not the bad guy some may think he is.

Another reason Ango shows his way to redemption is that he has a good friend, and that is Ryo. They grew up together and Ryo understands Ango’s trauma and frustrations more than anyone. Ryo is also capable of making bad decisions for the sake of Ango, but he always has Ango’s best interest at heart. By the time they finish their quest on the Fuji ship, Ryo comes clean to Ango about what happened to Shigeru, one of Ango’s best friends in their life before the disaster, and this helped Ango overcome his greatest trauma.

Upon being introduced to Natsu and throughout their exploration of the Fuji ship, Ango shows that he’s protective of Natsu not because she is a vulnerable and meek teenage girl, but because he sees so much of Shigeru in her. He sees her as a little sister and as a reminder to not fail again, as long as he can channel that drive in a healthy manner. He was there for her every step of the way. While he is initially against her doing some of the heavy lifting due to his protective nature over her, he comes to value her contributions and gives her credit for her (rather unique) contributions to saving the day. The fact that he starts to see Natsu for who she truly is and trust her is another major step in his path to redemption.

Upon his (and Ryo’s) introduction to the Summer B team, they suffer a unique culture shock when they are exposed to their leisurely activities. Due to Ango’s isolated upbringing, he has NO concept of what fun is so he thinks that their nightly dancing is some sort of training exercise. At first, he personally dislikes their carefree nature and has trouble coping with it. As he spends more time with Summer B and getting to know them, he starts to loosen up and be more open with his new friends and discover a new side of himself.