Kagetora or Takaya?

I often read comments that seem to suggest that Takaya is 'better' than Kagetora, which doesn't make much sense to me considering the context of things. Takaya is Kagetora.

I don't deny that their personalities are different but that is solely based on the memories that each personality has. A person without any memories of the past would of course be different from someone whose had to endure four centuries of pain and bitterness.

Kagetora is a complex and layered character, and to me, Takaya is just one of those aspects of Kagetora that perhaps none of the other protagonists have seen before. The new punk-ish, heart-on-sleeve character that is Takaya is probably the closest to what Kagetora would've been like if he had not been so brutalized and used like a pawn in his teenage years.

Of course, Takaya does have his fair share of problems with his parents and while growing up, but it can't be compared with Kagetora's past. Ironically, the adolescent years of Ougi Takaya does mirror Kagetora's in some ways. Kuwabara sensei must have a penchant of torturing her already tragic hero :(

One of the main differences I've noticed between the two is that, although the earnest aspect of Kagetora's character remains, being reborn with no memory of his past has made him more open and consequently more approachable to Naoe. On the other hand, Kagetora has always given me the impression of sealing most of his emotions within; but since I haven't read the prequel novels I'm not entirely certain.

Yes, they are one and the same, Takaya and Kagetora, and I always prefer to use Kagetora because that is essentially his original identity to begin with. You really think that by suppressing the painful memories, Naoe was in fact given a second chance to make things right but fate can never too kind to these two.