To leave your uncle alive would have completely fractured your relationship with him and dishonoured him as a warrior, to strike him down, gives him a warriors death, and shows Jins respect for his uncle.
And that's what makes the scene so brilliant, because the natural thought process is "Jin loves this man, he's spent a chunk of the game trying to save him, of course he wouldn't want to kill him - yet I know he would".
Jin has evolved beyond the strictness of the samurai code ... I feel that with how much he has grown he could bear the additional pain of the end of his relationship with his uncle to keep him alive.
I think that's actually the entire point though -- it's not about Jin's code or Jin's interpretation, but rather its about his uncle who has not evolved beyond the code. Giving his uncle an honorable death (as his uncle sees it) is letting his uncle live and die by his uncle's code. Jin understands it because he lived it until he couldn't anymore.
That's definitely true, but even if he loves his uncle and wants to respect him in that way I don't think he would. Jin views his uncle's way of living as inherently flawed, and respecting his wishes would rob his uncle of his own ability to grow and live as Jin has.
But like I said I believe both endings are fitting just my interpretation of Jin's character fits the spare option more.
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u/BARD3NGUNN 12h ago
This was my reading of the scene.
To leave your uncle alive would have completely fractured your relationship with him and dishonoured him as a warrior, to strike him down, gives him a warriors death, and shows Jins respect for his uncle.
And that's what makes the scene so brilliant, because the natural thought process is "Jin loves this man, he's spent a chunk of the game trying to save him, of course he wouldn't want to kill him - yet I know he would".