What I mean is, both can have the same epiphany. The realization that the entities that they had devoted their lives and loyalty to didn’t really give two shits about them. The NUSA with Reid and Arasaka with Takemura. They both have the opportunity to plot new paths in life. But, depending on V’s choices, only one will do so.
For Reid, Songbird has to die. For Takemura, Songbird has to be captured and returned alive to the NUSA. In Reid’s case Songbird’s death is the trigger that causes him to reflect on his life choices up to that point. He decides to hit the road becoming something of a lone wanderer. If V chooses the Tower ending and disappears for three years, Takemura ends up participating in a failed coup against Yurinobu, Hanako dies, and he gets framed for her murder. Apparently being in hiding for all those years also gave him plenty of time for self-reflection. A disheveled Takemura ends up giving V a call to somewhat begrudgingly admit that they were right. Devoting his entire existence to a megacorp was stupid.
In every other ending Reid ends up dead at Vs hands, Takemura decides to commit sepuku, or they both end up back at their old jobs, doing the same soulless work, only this time probably feeling a lot more dead inside.
Will opening their eyes and freeing them from their self imposed corporate servitude make them happy? Probably not. But, now they have the potential to be, somewhere down the line. Or at least one of them will. So which one do you prefer to save? Reid or Takemura?