The one and a half true bro moments of Sunohara I was referring to were the following:
Half a bro moment in Nagisa’s route, when he found out who was trying to stop Nagisa from reviving the drama club. That’s where we see Sunohara do what he does best: Getting stuff done. This time, he didn’t dick around and mess it up. Only half a point, since he did it partially for his own amusement and was going to bully the perpetrator.
The full bro moment was during Kyou’s route, when Kyou asked Sunohara out just to act like she had no interest in Tomoya, thus getting out of her sister’s way. However, Sunohara had already gained an understanding of the entire situation. So then, Sunohara, THAT Sunohara, who would pounce at every female he thought he had even a tiny chance with actually saw through Kyou’s act and rejected her. As he himself pointed out later, he could’ve just kept his mouth shut and walk off with a cute girlfriend, but he didn’t. THAT is the act of a true bro.
I’m not denying that Sunohara is important to Tomoya. They obviously need each-other. But that’s the thing: Sunohara is not sacrificing himself for Tomoya. He needs Tomoya just as much as Tomoya needs him. Who would Sunohara have if it weren’t for Tomoya? They are friends. They surely are bros. But Sunohara is not a “bro” character.
Sure, Sunohara lets Tomoya hang out at his place. But if he didn’t, who would he hang out with? In school, Sunohara calls Tomoya to tag along all the time. And while we’re talking about Sunohara’s room, let’s take a look at the early common route. If Tomoya decides to record over Sunohara’s mixtape, completely destroying it, Sunohara tells him not to come to his room again, but Tomoya does it anyway. As long as they’re still friends, Tomoya can do whatever the heck he wants with Sunohara.
The Sunohara route is actually where Sunohara is the least likeable. I do find his reason for not objecting to a relationship between Tomoya and Mei touching, as I stated in the route topic, but his overall behavior during that route is still quite disappointing. Without getting too much into detail just yet, let’s not forget that Sunohara is extremely naive and I personally think that he was trying to stay out of Mei’s business similarly to how Tomoya’s dad was staying out of Tomoya’s business.
Sunohara can’t compare to Masato. Masato already has a ton of bro moments throughout the common route and certain girl routes. Masato (LB Refrain spoilers) is fully aware of the fact that he’s an idiot. He went through a life-changing experience but he insisted on acting exactly like he used to so that his bro could be at peace.
Once again, in my opinion, Sunohara is a friend. A good friend in an important position. But he is not a bro.
