Fuck. That takes any of the humor out of the situation and immediately makes Togusa feel bad about his joking.

"Hell. Why- why?" There's not really any more you can ask. "Was he- that important?" Hesitant, because he knows there is a very good chance that James doesn't have the whole story.

But when he takes a step back (literally) and looks at the picture now, the image of James as a completely different person than the teen he met. If somebody needed to step up into the shoes of a hero, he'd do it, wouldn't he?