Originally Posted by Aquifina
I think you're underestimating how much of a role Ranka already plays in why Alto flies and, perhaps more importantly, *fights*. Yes, it's partly his sense of determination, and his desire to control his own fate--that's definitely a similarity between him and Sheryl. But there's more to it in that. Why does Alto join SMS?--he joins for reasons fundamentally linked to Ranka. While Alto complains in ep. 1 about the limitations he's laboring under, it's not at all clear he wants a military career--at least, that's what I recall from his early conversation with Luca about the matter, and he doesn't seem thrilled with the offer given by LT Glass after his first engagement. And, of course, he gets into that fighter in the first place to save Ranka.
Later, in ep. 3, Michel challenges Alto on the whole running away issue, and he never really answers that challenge. Indeeds, he still hasn't answered that question. What does happen is he runs into Ranka at the observatory in ep. 3. Of course, he gives Ranka some important encouragement, but I think in encouraging her, he encourages himself. Alto goes very quickly from frustrated adolescent to thoughtful contentment--surely there's a significance to that. And then in ep. 4, we see Alto go downright apeshit against that Vajra when he thinks of what had happened to Ranka.
IMO, Alto doesn't just fly for the sake of flying--I think Sheryl sings for the sake of singing, or rather, for the sake of excelling at her chosen profession. I think Alto does genuinely enjoy flying for similar reasons, but in ep. 3, Ozma tells Alto to think on "What you want to do, what for, and why you fight." I think Alto *fights* in large part to protect, and the person he's always protecting just happens to be Ranka, which is very much part of the "why" and "what for" in Ozma's query. Which is, of course, why Ozma *fights*--highlighting another similarity between the two characters (I remember Ozma's CO in ep. 4 commenting on how Alto's flying reminded him of Ozma in his younger days).
Finally, I think it's a mistake to characterize Ranka and Alto's relationship as somehow based on mutual pity; they both really help each other, but in different ways. Alto almost drives himself to distraction with his determination at times, because he frequently doesn't know how to direct it in a productive way. Ranka provides a goal for him IMO, but she's more than that--I think she has a calming effect on him. Again, returning to the observatory scene, Alto goes from snarling frustration at Michel's accusation to contentedly folding a paper airplane, which seems to be associated with the happier parts of Alto's childhood (I think there was footage of that in the latest preview). When Ranka sings Aimo, Alto says "That's right," which I interpret as his own resolution that his desire to fight goes beyond his family problems--the same question he couldn't answer himself before he ran into Ranka. I also think it's significant that it's Aimo that serves as the bridge in between the observatory scene, the burial, and Alto's official enlistment. Yes, he speaks brave words about going it alone and independence, but he really did need Ranka and her song to arrive at that conclusion.
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