| Shin Megami Tensei characters |
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Shin Megami Tensei |
The story of Atlus' PlayStation 2 console role-playing game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is centered around a group of high-school students dedicated to capturing the culprit responsible for the murders and kidnappings that happened in their small town of Inaba. The game's timeline begins on April 11, 2011. Shigenori Soejima acted as the art director for the game, and was responsible for designing the game's characters. The general approach to designing the characters, and ultimately the setting of the game was by drawing from the memory and interpretation of the development staff about a "rural, countryside" setting.
There are eight player characters that form a self-made investigation team trying to solve the murders in the town of Inaba that are linked by the TV world, a dimension where they use alteregos known as "Persona" to defeat the Shadows, beings that represent people's hidden thoughts. The main protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the town from the city. He is met by Yosuke Hanamura, the son of the local department store manager; Chie Satonaka, an energetic girl with a strong interest in kung fu; Yukiko Amagi, a calm and refined girl who helps out at her family's Amagi Inn; Kanji Tatsumi, a first-year student known for is reputation as a notorious punk; Teddie, a mysterious figure in the form of a bear costume; Rise Kujikawa, a teen idol on hiatus; and Naoto Shirogane, a well-known junior detective under a male guise.
With the release of Persona 4 in Japan, much merchandise has also been released themed around the game's characters. Reception of the game's characters are mostly positive, and a few characters have been given good reviews.
Shigenori Soejima was in charge of designing the characters from Persona 4. With the series now taking place in a fictional rural town rather than a city like in the prequels, the characters coming from the city had their hairs made different from the ones from Inaba with 1UP.com commenting the Protagonist's and Yosuke's were more stylish.[1] The Social link characters had no models in their creation but Soejima had vague memories about their actions based on his experience when first hearing the ideas.[1] However, as a result of adding the mystery element in the game, the staff decided to make the characters act like real people. Therefore, none of them acted like stereotypes with director Katsura Hashino stating that this was since "the worldview was already pretty far from the ordinary."[1]
The Shadows selves of the characters appearing in the game are meant to act out-of-character in their first scene as a result of appearing in the TV program Midnight Channel. While in this case, the Shadows were entertaining the audience watching the program, once they encountered their real selves, they behave more coherently, trying to interact with them. This resulted in the portrayal of Kanji's Shadow which initially behaved liked a gay stereotype, but then revealed more about his real self. No changes were made to these type of scenes are meant to "depict the contrast between what people appear to be and how they really are."[1]
The male protagonist (主人公 shujinkō) has no spoken dialogue or name, following the tradition of the Megami Tensei games, his only speech occurring during battle when occasionally calling out the name of his Persona.[2] The voice acting is done by Daisuke Namikawa in Japanese and Johnny Yong Bosch in English.[3] His character design stayed relatively similar from initial conception, with his tone and expressions changing the most.[4] In order to emphasize his origins from Tokyo, he was given a distinct stylish hair to contrast the Inaba's citizens.[1] At the beginning of the game, he moves to the countryside of Inaba to live with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako Dojima for a year as a result of his parents working abroad, and attends Yasogami High School where he meets most of the game's cast.[5] His entire personality is decided and portrayed by the player's in-game actions and decisions.[2] He exclusively wields two-handed sword-type weapons.
When learning of the Midnight Channel's connection with the murders in Inaba, the protagonist has access to the TV world, where he investigates the case alongside his friends and is appointed as their leader as a result of his experience.[6][7] There he awakes his initial Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana, a swordsman wearing a black coat, but is the only character that does not require to face his other self to obtain it. The protagonist also has the unique "Wild card" ability, which allows him to swap Personae for use in battle.[2] After closing the case regarding the murders, it is revealed that the protagonist unknowingly gained his powers from the goddess Izanami for him to use while she aimed to transform people into Shadows.[8] The protagonist eventually defeats Izanami by transforming Izanagi into Izanagi-no-Okami (イザナギノオオカミ Izanagi-no-Ōkami) of the World arcana, thanks to the power he gained from his friends.[9] He then returns to his hometown in Tokyo, saying farewell to his friends.[10]
In the Persona 4 manga, he is named Sōji Seta (瀬多 総司 Seta Sōji). In this portrayal, he is depicted as being a distant, but otherwise friendly, loner with a pessimistic outlook on life, due to having to move frequently as a result of his parents' changing careers. In the the anime series, the game's remake, and the sequel Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, he is named Yu Narukami (鳴上 悠 Narukami Yū).[11] The anime features him as a straightforward teenager who is determined to solve the murder case. He will appear in the The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena using Izanagi.[12] In the live stage production, he will be portrayed by Toru Baba and his name will be chosen by the audience.[13][14]
Yosuke Hanamura (花村 陽介 Hanamura Yōsuke) is a teenager who moved to Inaba a year before the protagonist and whose father is the owner of Inaba's Junes Department Store.[15] In order to emphasize his origins from the city Shigenori Soejima gave him accesories such as headphones and a bicycle as well as a stylish hair.[1] Little changes were made to his design in the making of the game.[16] Befriending the protagonist shortly afterwards the game's beginning, Yosuke is shocked to know that his friend Saki Konishi becomes the second victim from Inaba's murders. Noticing clues between the victims and the Midnight Channel, Yosuke and the protagonist go to the TV world to investigate her death.[17] He ends confronting his Shadow who represents his resentment of living in a small country town with little to do, as well as his inner wish for something exciting to happen.[18] With help from the protagonist, Yosuke accepts his other self and forms Investigation Team alongside him to know who killed Saki.[19] He is voiced by Showtaro Morikubo in Japanese and Yuri Lowenthal in English.[3]
His Shadow becomes the Persona Jiraiya of The Magician Arcana, whose head vaguely resembles that of a cartoon frog dual wields blades ranging from blunt wrenches to knives to daggers in battle.[19] Throughout the player's interaction with Yosuke, he overcomes Saki's death and confronts his feelings about Inaba accepting it as an enjoyable town despite his initial feelings. After this, Jiraiya evolves into Susano-o.[20] In the game's ending, he stays working in Junes, identifying the protagonist as his best friend. He will appear in The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena using Jiraiya.[12] Takahisa Maeyama will portray him in the musical.[13]
Chie Satonaka (里中 千枝 Satonaka Chie) is an upbeat girl with an obsession with Kung fu, and even uses their techniques in battle. Most of the time, she is friendly, cheerful, and energetic, but she has a short temper.[21] The best friend of Yukiko Amagi, Chie enters the TV World after Yukiko is sent to the TV World and may become the next victim from Inaba's murder.[22] There she encounters her Shadow who represents her jealousy of Yukiko's feminine side and her talents, as well as her wish and need to maintain control over Yukiko.[23] With the protagonist's and Yosuke Hamamura's help, Chie confronts her other self and joins the Investigation Team.[24]
Following the encounter with her Shadow, Chie receives the Persona Tomoe of The Chariot Arcana, a muscular female figure wearing a yellow outfit, that she uses in combat while she performs kicks.[25] Throughout the player's interactions with Chie (which can also be intimate), she discovers that she genuinely wanted to protect Yukiko without any underlying selfish motivations. After this, Tomoe evolves into Suzuka Gongen. The desire to protect people eventually inspires her to seek a career as a police officer.[26] She will be playable in The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena alongside Tomoe.[12] She is voiced by Yui Horie in Japanese and Tracey Rooney in English.[3] Minami Tsukui will portray her in the musical.[13] In the designing of the character, various sketches were made with some of them being reminiscent to previous Persona characters.[27]
Yukiko Amagi (天城 雪子 Amagi Yukiko) is an elegant, introverted girl, popular within her school. Her family owns a famous ryokan in the city, and Yukiko is always busy preparing herself to take over the business.[28] She is named the next owner of the ryokan and feels oppressed by her expected duties. Despite her elegant appearance, she carries a whimsical side prone to fits of laughter.[29] Yukiko becomes the third victim to be sent to the TV world, where she is confronted by her Shadow who represents her resentment towards having her destiny already chosen for her as inheritor of the Amagi Inn and her desires to be rescued.[30]
With help from the Investigation Team, Yukiko accepts her Shadow which becomes the Persona Konohana-Sakuya of The Priestess Arcana, resembling a Super Sentai heroine and being almost completely pink in color. She joins the Investigation Team to find the culprit behind the kidnappings and murders, and starts befriending the protagonist to the point of starting a romantical relationship depending on the player's actions.[24] Yukiko voices her wish to the protagonist to leave Inaba and find a career away from managing her family inn. She eventually changes her mind when she realizes she cannot find the heart to leave the family and employees who supported her.[31] Following such understanding, Konohana-Sakuya evolves into Amaterasu. She is voiced by Ami Koshimizu in Japanese and Amanda Winn Lee in English.[3] In the making of the character, various designs were made, some of them being drastically different from how Yukiko looks in the game.[32]
A younger Yukiko makes an appearance in Persona 3 Portable at the Amagi Inn, when the game's playable characters take a field trip to Inaba.[33] She will also appear in Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena with Konohana-Sakuya.[34] Risa Yoshiki will portray her in the musical.[13]
Kanji Tatsumi (巽 完二 Tatsumi Kanji) is delinquent who has a reputation as being a bully, and is the center of numerous rumors regarding a confrontation with a local biker gang.[35] As a result, he was initially given the "classic gang-style pompadour" in the making of his design.[36] The fourth victim to be sent to the TV world, Kanji is revealed to have a complex with his Shadow revealing he hates girls as a result of critizing his sewing and is more interested in boys.[37] After the Investigation Team comes to save Kanji, he accepts that this other self is an important part of his identity.[38] Learning of kidnappings in Inaba, Kanji joins the group to find the culprit.[39] His sexual orientation remains ambiguous across the series, with Kanji being first interested in Naoto Shirogane when first meeting him, believing him to be a boy, but is still attracting to her when realizing she is a girl.[40] Atlus prefers to leave the issue of Kanji's sexuality as open to the viewer.[41]
His Persona is Take-Mikazuchi of The Emperor Arcana, which, like Kanji, is a large being and fights alongside him using brute force and Electric attacks.[38] Throughout the protagonist's interactions with Kanji, he reveals to be skilled at tailoring inspired by his family who runs a textile shop but stopped making dolls when accused by fellow students. Kanji eventually learns to take pride in his skills, rather than hide them, and forms a friendship with the protagonist.[42] Shortly afterwards, Take-Mikazuchi evolves into Rokuten Maoh.[43] He will appear as a playable character in Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena with Take-Mikazuchi.[34] He is voiced by Tomokazu Seki in Japanese and Troy Baker in English.[3] Seki's portrayal was highly praised by the game's staff due to the delivery of his lines.[1] Youichiro Omi was cast as Kanji Tatsumi for the Persona 4 musical.[44]
Rise Kujikawa (久慈川 りせ Kujikawa Rise) is a cheerful girl and one of the most popular idols in Japan nicknamed "Risette" ("Risechie" (りせちー Risechī) in the Japanese version). However, she quits her job and moves to Inaba to live with her grandmother, tired of the spotlight.[45] Shortly after arriving to Inaba, Rise is kidnapped and taken to the TV world, where her other self is manifested. Rise's Shadow represents her anger at being stereotyped as an airheaded popstar, represented as a sex symbol.[46] When the Investigation Team comes to rescue her, Rise accepts her Shadow as part of herself, stating she does not has a several selves. Immediately after, she gains the Persona is Himiko of The Lovers Arcana, which she uses to help the Investigation Team to stop Teddie's Shadow.[47][48]
Recovering from her experience in the TV world, Rise joins the Investigation Team to track the culprit behind the murders in the town, taking Teddie's spot in fights, analyzing enemies and advising her comrades.[49] During the protagonist's interactions with Rise, she is initially happy for leaving behind the title Risette. However, numerous reminders of her time in the spotlight, a new replacement idol and a letter from her biggest fan, make her regret her departure. Depending on the player's actions, Rise may end having an intimate relationship with the protagonist. Realizing that Risette is also part of her true identity, she voices her plans to return to her idol job by spring.[50] Following this, Himiko evolves into Kanzeon.[50] She will appear in The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena but it is unknown if she will be a playable character.[51] She is voiced by Rie Kugimiya in Japanese and Laura Bailey in English.
Teddie, known as Kuma (クマ, lit. "Bear") in Japan, is a strange stuffed-bear-like creature, who resides inside the TV world.[52] Learning that somebody has been throwing people in the TV world to kill them, thus causing mayhem, Teddie makes a promise with the protagonist and Yosuke Hanamura to find the culprit when the two visit the TV world for the second time.[53] Lacking techniques, Teddie helps the Investigation Team by giving them advices about how to defeat Shadow or track the people who were thrown into the world.[54] As he interacts with the Investigation Team, Teddie starts questioning his own existence and grows curious of mankind's habits such dating girls. In the game Teddie also starts making jokes referencing his name. The translation of these jokes to the English version was noted to be difficult by the Atlus staff.[55] When fighting Rise Fujikawa's Shadow, Teddie's Shadow is manifested, who represents Teddie's fear that his existence is superficial and "hollow".[56]
Aided by the Investigation Team, Teddie accepts his doubts regarding his existence and his shadows turns into the Persona Kintoki Douji of The Star Arcana.[57] After recovering from the battle, Teddie grew a human body out of his fur and leaves the TV world.[58] Using his bear suit, Teddie starts working in Junes and living with Yosuke. He also becomes a fighter with Rise taking his spot. When the protagonist's cousin, Nanako Dojima, dies after being sent to the TV world, Teddie unconsciously transports to the TV world where he remembers that he was actually a Shadow who erased his memory and took the form of a bear to become likable to humans.[59] As Nanako revives, Teddie decides to join the Investigation Team once again with Kintoki evolving into Kamui, realizing he played an important role in saving Nanako's life.[60]
Following Izanami's defeat and the TV world returning to its original state, Teddie returns to the World of TV.[61] In the sequel The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, Teddie appears as the organizer of "P-1 Grand Prix" in the TV World, a tournament between Persona users. Teddie will also be playable alongside Kintoki Douji.[62] He is voiced by Kappei Yamaguchi in Japanese and Dave Wittenberg in English.[3] Yamaguchi will portray him in the musical.[13] Early designs of Teddie were to feature him as a more serious-looking character.[63]
Naoto Shirogane (白鐘 直斗 Shirogane Naoto) is a young androgynous detective who moves to Inaba in order to aid the police in investigating the serial-murder case.[64] Naoto is actually female, but she dresses as a boy to gain the trust from the police.[65] Various outfits to hide her gender were made during the game's development with some being less effective in hiding it.[66] Learning of the Investigation Team's actions related to the case, Naoto acts as a bait by appearing in TV to be kidnapped by the culprit.[67] The group follows her to the TV world where Naoto is confronted by her shadow represents Naoto's resentment towards being treated as a child by the police as well as her views on the police force being dominated by men.[68] Naoto manages to come in term with her feelings and the Shadows turns into Sukuna-Hikona of Fortune Arcana.[69]
Following Naoto's recovery from her time in the TV world, she joins the Investigation Team to find the culprit, having gained clues about his method thanks to her kidnapping.[70] Throughout the protagonist's interactions with Naoto, she regains her passion for being a detective. Depending on the player's actions, Naoto can become intimate with the protagonist. She also decides that she is not a detective to uphold her family tradition, but because she wants to be and thoroughly enjoys it no matter her gender or age. Her Persona then evolves into Yamato Takeru.[71] In the game's ending, Naoto decides to stay in Inaba, still unaware what to do as the case is closed. She will also appear in The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena with Sukuna Hikona.[62] She is voiced by Romi Paku in Japanese and Susan Dalian in English.[3]
Igor (イゴール Igōru) is a mysterious, long-nosed gentleman who resides in the Velvet Room, which takes place in an unknown dimension and has the shape of a limousine.[72] Igor reads the protagonist's fortune in the game's beginning and later gives his advices.[73] As in the other Persona games, Igor's purpose is to assist the player in acquiring new powers and Personas.[74] Following Izanami's defeat in the game's ending, Igor leaves the protagonist to see the original form from the TV world, satisfied with his journey's conclusion.[75] Isamu Tanonaka voices Igor in Japan, while Dan Woren provides his English language voice. Despite the death of Tanonaka due to myocardial infarction in 2010, the animation version in 2011 still uses his original voices recorded in the game.
Margaret (マーガレット Māgaretto) is a woman who works as Igor's assistant. She replaces her sister Elizabeth after the she had set off on a journey. She appears alongside Igor in the Velvet Room, supporting the protagonist. After meeting her alone, she requests the protagonist to create a certain Persona with a certain skill from fusion, as a euphemism for drawing out those aspects of the protagonist's personality.[76][77] Although she seems very composed and dignified at first glance, she actually has a silly and whimsical sense of humor. Sayaka Ohara voices Margaret in the Japanese edition of the game, while Michelle Ann Dunphy voices Margaret in English.
In the second playthrough, Margaret challenges the protagonist's team to fight her using multiple Personae, as she wants to discover for herself the reason why her sister abandoned her role in the Velvet Room. Margaret also appears in Persona 3 Portable, as the one in charge of the Vision Quest.
Ryotaro Dojima (堂島 遼太郎 Dōjima Ryōtarō) is a detective and caretaker of the protagonist. Dojima is Nanako's hard-working single father, but mostly spends his time away from family due to the murders.[78] When the protagonist starts getting related with the incidents, Dojima starts questioning him, but wishes to avoid doubting him.[79] Nevertheless, he comes to appreciate him as another member of his family.[80] While interacting with him, Dojima reveals his obsession with a hit-and-run accident that killed his wife, Chisato Dojima, and continues to investigate it, to the neglect of his daughter.[81] Dojima later realizes he was scared of seeing Nanako who reminds him of his late wife, and decides to spend more time with his family.[82] However, he still continues to search for Chisato's killer, but as his duty as detective.[83] Unshō Ishizuka provides Dojima's voice in Japan while David Lodge provides his English voice.[3] He will be portrayed by Masashi Taniguchi in the musical.[14]
Nanako Dojima (堂島 菜々子 Dōjima Nanako) is the young cousin of the protagonist, and Dojima's's only daughter. Nanako is a very innocent character, but is usually left at home due to her father's work. Nanako is capable of taking care of herself.[84] When the protagonist starts spending the day with her, Nanako starts calling him "Big Bro" and starts bonding with him.[85] During her talks with the protagonist, Nanako worries about whether her father loves her or not due to the little time he spends at home and her mother's death.[86][87] The protagonist helps Nanako come to terms with her father's busy professional life, realizing that he also missed her mother as much as she did.[88]
In late parts of the game, Nanako is kidnapped by Taro Namatame and placed into the TV World.[89] During the investigation of Namatame, Nanako passes away for reasons unknown to the doctor; the protagonist is then forced to choose between exacting revenge on Namatame or sparing him. If Namatame is killed, Nanako's death is set and the worst ending will occur. If the protagonist chooses not to take revenge and save his life, Nanako will be miraculously resuscitated, with Teddie's involvement being critical to the event.[90] Nanako is voiced by Akemi Kanda in Japan and Karen Strassman in the English language editions.[3]
Kinshiro Morooka (諸岡 金四郎 Morooka Kinshirō) is the homeroom teacher of Yasogami High School's Class 2-2.[91] Known as King Moron in English and Morokin (モロキン) in Japanese, he is snobbish and judgemental to current teenage pop culture and constantly reminds his students to study hard, addressing them with disdain almost to the point of verbal abuse. He is insensitive to the problems of others. He constantly threatens to expel students that misbehave. Osamu Ryutani provides Morooka's voice in Japan, and Kirk Thornton provices his English voice.
Morooka is killed after Rise Fujikawa is rescued by the protagonist from the Midnight Channel.[92] However, his murder has nothing to do with the Midnight Channel, being a copycat murder committed by the attention-seeking Mitsuo Kubo, although the police initially declare the case closed as they believe they have caught the killer.
Saki Konishi (小西 早紀 Konishi Saki) is a third-year student at Yasogami High. She is the only daughter of the Konishi family that run Inaba's only liquor store, Konishi Liquors. She took a job in Junes' Inaba branch, despite objections from her parents, and blamed the store for ruining their business. As such, Saki blames Yosuke and his family for her current plight.[93] In the Magician Social Link it is revealed that Saki ran off with a college student, but came back after being "dumped", implying Saki was not as innocent as she seemed. She is the second victim killed in the TV world after the culprit attempts to assault her. Her death leads the way to the creation of the Investigation Team. Hitomi Murakami voices Saki in the Japanese edition of the video game, while Hina Nanase replaces her for the anime. Jessica Straus provides Saki's English language voice.
Kou Ichijo (一条 廣 Ichijō Kō) is a member from the Yasogami's Basketball Team and is very passionate about the sport.[94] He often hangs out with the Soccer Club's Daisuke Nagase.[95] An adopted child of a rich family, he becomes concerned regarding his place in the world without knowing his roots. He explains to the protagonist and Daisuke that he feels pressure to uphold the family name and do as he is asked. Soon, his grandmother tells him that his playing basketball is fine by her; Kou had been freed from his family responsibility, since his adopted parents had a biological daughter that was recently born. After this, Kou finds everything in his life meaningless since he felt he had nothing to live for; even playing basketball could not rekindle his spirits. It is through the protagonist and Daisuke that Kou realizes that he has to choose his own path in life and find his own meaning in living. Near the game's ending, Kou decides he will study abroad once finishing school to give recognition to see family in his own way. Kou is voiced by Daisuke Ono. He will be portrayed by Motohiro Ota in the musical.[14]
Daisuke Nagase (長瀬 大輔 Nagase Daisuke) is one of the protagonist's classmates. Despite his wild exterior, he is actually a a friendly teenager who initially acts shy towards girls.[94] It is revealed by Kou that Daisuke was humiliated during a break-up with his middle school girlfriend. This caused him to not put his full effort into anything, including soccer, since he was afraid that it would be all for naught. Through a couple of verbal fights with Kou and the protagonist, Daisuke realizes that he was giving up on everything too soon and he would rather quit than meet with failure. After realizing this, he speaks with his ex-girlfriend and gains the closure he needed by explaining how he felt. Daisuke thanks Kou and the protagonist for their help. Daisuke is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita. He will be portrayed by Motohiro Ota in the musical.[14]
Ai Ebihara (海老原 あい Ebihara Ai) is one of the protagonist's classmates. At first, she seems to be a "cold-hearted ice queen", and comes from a rich and influential family. She does not open up to many, and has a penchant for manipulating others. She is the sports team manager, but seems to possess little to no love for sports, and is more interested in the club's team captain (either Daisuke Nagase or Kou Ichijo, depending on which club the protagonist has joined) rather than her duties.[96] However, as the protagonist befriends Ai, she reveals that as a child she was overweight and called ugly by her peers. After her family struck its fortune and moved to Inaba, she decided to change herself and studied fashion while working to slim down until she became as attractive and popular as she wanted to be. The team captain she falls for, however, is not interested in her as she learns after forcing the player into asking, causing her to contemplate suicide by jumping off the school roof. When the protagonist consoles Ai after being rejected, she starts to fall for the player, who can accept or reject her love. In either case, she grows to trust the protagonist, who shows her that looks are not all there is to love and she wants to be true to herself. Kanae Itō provides Ai's voice in Japan, while Julie Ann Taylor provides the voice for English versions.
Naoki Konishi (小西 尚紀 Konishi Naoki) is the brother of Saki Konishi, the second victim of the murders. His father owns the Konishi Liquors store in the Shopping District, and he seems to hold a grudge against the protagonist for being friends with Yosuke, the son of Junes' manager. During the game, however, Naoki is quite resentful for different reasons. Naoki is constantly pitied by everybody for the death of his sister. As a result, Naoki seems trapped and is unable to move on with his own life since he's constantly reminded of Saki's death. However, later on in the game, Naoki reveals that he felt that he may have been different since he couldn't mourn for his sister in the same manner as seen on TV; or, at least, not as strongly as most people normally would. In the end, Naoki really did miss his sister, as he is finally able to mourn and truly move on. Naoki is voiced by Tsubasa Yonaga in Japan, and Derek Stephen Prince in the English language editions.
Yumi Ozawa (小沢 結実 Ozawa Yumi) is one of the main character's classmates. Soon after the protagonist joins, Yumi gives subtle hints that she joined the Drama Club in order to escape from her life. During one of the club's meetings, a student informs her that her mother passed out. She rushes to the hospital, with the protagonist following, only to find out that her mother is well—she had lied about who it was in order to get Yumi to see her father, whom left her and her mother when she was younger. The protagonist learns that Yumi's father has a terminal illness. Yumi is torn between her hatred for him and her father's request to see his daughter before he passes away. As the Social Link progresses, Yumi becomes even more torn and distressed because she is unable to deal with any decisions regarding her life due to her parents. After Yumi's father passes on, Yumi decides to leave the Drama Club and to not blame any future hardships on her parents or anyone else. Yumi Ozawa is voiced by Melissa Fahn in the English language versions of the game. She is also one of the S.Links the protagonist can have a relationship with.
Ayane Matsunaga (松永 綾音 Matsunaga Ayane) is one of the protagonist's classmates. She is a very shy, also like Fuuka, and is often left out from the Music Club's activities due to her poor playing and unwillingness to speak up. In her Social Link, the protagonist helps Ayane practice, both in school and out. Though not very skilled with the trombone at first, continuous practice helps her perform very well. When one of the trombone players for an upcoming concert gets in an accident, Ayane is appointed to take his place. Just before the performance, however, the original trombone player returns and though she is given the choice of still playing in the concert, Ayane relinquishes the part back to the original player. At first, she is very distraught about not standing up for herself, but she soon accepts that it's good to be a little selfish from time to time, regardless of the consequences. Ayane then gives the protagonist a "ticket" to a future concert that she hopes he will attend as a thank-you. She is voiced by Michelle Ann Dunphy in the English versions of the game. She is also one of the S.Links the main character can have a relationship with.
Hisano Kuroda (黒田 ひさ乃 Kuroda Hisano) is an old woman dressed in mourning clothes who befriends the protagonist, referred to as a "ghost" by locals. The protagonist meets Hisano at his part-time janitorial job at the hospital. She reveals to the protagonist that he reminds her of her dead husband. At first, Hisano refers to herself as Death, confusing the Main Character. As the Main Character progresses in the Social Link, he learns that she feels guilty over her husband's death, feeling that she caused him to die by wishing for it. Hisano and her unnamed husband were very much in love for the time they were together, but eventually Hisano's husband became ill and gradually lost all memory of Hisano and their love. Alone, sad and helpless that he could actually forget about her, she wished for him to die in order for them both to escape the pain. It is through the Main Character that she realizes that even though her husband lost his memory, the time and love that they shared was genuine and true, allowing Hisano to move on. She eventually leaves Inaba to live with her children. Kuroda is voiced by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn in the English versions of the game
Shu Nakajima (中島 秀 Nakajima Shū) is a young student whom the protagonist can tutor part-time.[97] As the protagonist spends more time with Shu, it is revealed that Shu is depressed because of all the pressure he feels to be the best in everything alongside the constant stream of praise he receives from his mother. He also mentions a transfer student whom he envies, as this student surpasses Shu in almost every way. In order to stay on top and live up to his mother's expectations, Shu cheats on a test and ends up being suspended from school, much to his mother's disappointment and disdain. The Main Character helps Shu realize that he should find more meaning in his life than just trying to face forward and be number one at everything; he and his mother reconcile and start over. He is voiced by Liam O'Brien in the English editions of the game.
During the last month in game, when the protagonist converses with Shu, he mentions that he and that same transfer student are now great friends and his own popularity has also increased as a result.
Eri Minami (南 絵里 Minami Eri) is the stepmother of Yuuta, one of the children from the day care center where the protagonist can work part-time. Eri and Yuuta faced difficulties accepting each other as part of the family. Eri and Yuuta's father were only married for about half a year before he had to leave for China on business. As such, Eri and Yuuta had nothing that connected them and so they grew more and more distant. As the Social Link progresses, it shows that both Eri and Yuuta care about each other very much but are held back by their own fears; Eri fears that she could never be a good mother and Yuuta fears that Eri hates him or will hate him if he upsets her. The Main Character helps the both of them realize that in order for a relationship to work, both of them have to take steps forward and not be held back by their own biases. When they finally decide on working to become a family, Eri and Yuuta leave the day care center behind, thanking the protagonist for his help.
Sayoko Uehara (上原 小夜子 Uehara Sayoko) is a nurse from the hospital where the protagonist can work part-time as a janitor. She has a cynical view on her profession as patients leave her, whether by dying or recovering and leaving the hospital. As such, she attempts to seduce the protagonist often. Her attitude changes when she discovers that one of her patients from the hospital she previously worked at, a young boy not even in school yet, has died. When she learns of his death, her attitude changes from a flirtatious cynic to a strict workaholic. During one of the days that the protagonist is working, he is asked by a nurse to help bring in Sayoko to a hospital bed since she collapsed from exhaustion. It is then that she realizes that she was overworking herself and her coworkers to escape the loneliness of her patients leaving her and the pain of losing a patient under her care. She decides she will be leaving the hospital to rediscover why she originally became a nurse in the first place. Sayoko thanks the protagonist, gives him her work I.D.. It is later revealed that she went to Africa as a volunteer. Wendee Lee voices Sayoko in the English editions of the game.
The mysterious Fox (キツネ Kitsune) of the Tatsuhime Shrine, who is the guardian of the shrine but has problems with donations. The protagonist encounters Fox after donating some yen. Apparently the shrine does not receive many donations and the only person donating to the shrine is the protagonist. The Fox assists with helping his friends inside dungeons by restoring their SP, meaning the player must pay a certain amount of yen per point per character, going to the TV World alongside them. The rank is increased by answering the wishes of people who prayed at the shrine, to increase the donations. Increasing the rank also lowers the price of SP recovery from Fox.
Noriko Kashiwagi (柏木 典子 Kashiwagi Noriko) replaces Morooka as Class 2-2's homeroom teacher after he is killed. She flirts with her students, or, to the least, tries to grab their attention. Even though her personality is the polar opposite of Morooka's, she is greatly hated by the students of 2-2. Sayaka Ohara voices Kashiwagi in the Japanese edition of the video game, while Hitomi Nabatame replaces her in the anime adaptation. Mary Elizabeth McGlynn voices Kashiwagi in English.
Ms. Kashiwagi also makes an appearance in Persona 3 Portable. She is at the beach in the male protagonist's path during their "Operation Babe Hunt". Like in Persona 4, she likes attention from younger men and makes a pass at Akihiko.[98]
Hanako Ohtani (大谷 花子 Ōtani Hanako) is an obese classmate of the protagonist. She teams up with Ms. Kashiwagi for some scenes later in the game. It is also revealed later in the game that she is the person responsible for putting items in the Main Character's shoe locker, as she has a crush on the main character. Ryō Agawa provides her voice in Japan, while Jessica Straus provides her English language voice.
Mayumi Yamano (山野 真由美 Yamano Mayumi) is a TV reporter who became part of a publicized scandal for her supposed affair with Taro Namatame. To hide from the public, she stayed at Inaba's Amagi Inn. She is the first murder victim of the TV world. She died after the jealous culprit learned of her relationship with Namatame, and threw her into the TV World. Kanae Itō provides her voice for the video game, while Yuhko Kaida replaces her for the animated series.
Marie (マリー Marī) exclusively appears in Persona 4: The Golden, the PlayStation Vita re-release of Persona 4. She will interact with the main characters, becoming the self-appointed leader of the Investigation Team.[99] She will be voiced by Kana Hanazawa.[100]
Aika Nakamura (中村 あいか Nakamura Aika) is introduced in Persona 4: The Animation, where she is one of Yu Narukami's classmates. She has meek personality, and does not talk very much. Her family owns the Chinese Diner Aiya, where she works; Yosuke is surprised by this, saying, "Here we're classmates and I never knew!"[101] She is also in charge of delivery, acting as the Investigation Team's "catering service" in some episodes. Aoi Yūki provides her voice.
Mitsuo Kubo (久保 美津夫 Kubo Mitsuo) is the juvenile killer responsible for Kinshiro Morooka's death and is the second suspect the group believes to be behind the murder case. He makes a pass at Yukiko Amagi at the beginning of the game, and is rejected out of hand, since no one knows who he is. He is later revealed to be an isolated student who was expelled from a different high school prior to the beginning of the game. He is a copycat killer, as evidenced by the fact that Morooka died by blunt force trauma according to police investigations.[102]
Eventually the group manages to find him in the TV and save him from being killed by his Shadow. Kubo's Shadow Self stays quiet and says barely anything at all.[103] It takes the form of an unborn fetus that is able to build an 8-bit video game warrior as a barrier.[104] Mitsuo is then taken away by the authorities. Due to the fact the kidnappings did not cease after his capture, the group then comes to the conclusion he was a copycat killer and is in fact mentally unstable. It is later revealed that Tohru Adachi is responsible for sending Kubo to the TV World. Kubo is voiced by Tsuyoshi Takahashi in Japanese. Kyle Hebert voices him for the English release.
Taro Namatame (生田目 太郎 Namatame Tarō) is a man who makes few in the beginning in the game for being in an affair with the TV reporter Mayumi Amano who is first victim in the case. Namatame is later revealed to be responsible for sending people to the TV World, using his family's delivery truck to be unnoticed by the victims and hiding a TV plasma inside for transporting them after knocking them out. When kidnapping Nanako Dojima, Namatame is tracked down by Ryotaro Dojima and forced to escape with Nanako to the TV World. There, the Investigation Team confronts Namatame's Shadow who absorbs several from his kind to become Kunino-Sagiri (クニノサギリ), a large, red, humanoid creature with a gigantic halo shaped like a peace sign growing out of its head. Following Kunino-Sagiri's defeat, Namatame is arrested but his motives remain unknown.
In a critical point in the story the player can kill Namatame as the police would not send him to prison for finding him mentally unstable, ending automatically the game. If the Protagonist convinces the group to spare him, they learn Namatame's true motives. In reality, Namatame had figured out after Mayumi's death that her appearance on the Midnight Channel had foreshadowed her murder, and he sought out Saki Konishi in order to warn her. After she died as well, Namatame tried to contact the police and Tohru Adachi tricked him into throwing people into the TV to "protect" them from the killer; after the victims began to turn up alive after his kidnappings, he believed he was truly helping them. It was not until his experience within the TV world that he realized he had been sending the victims to their deaths.[105] He begs the protagonist to stop the culprit, as he and his friends are "the only ones who know about that world." Following Adachi's arrest and confession for his crimes, Namatame is freed from his charges. Like the protagonist and Adachi, he was given the power to enter the TV world by Izanami. Kōji Haramaki voices Namatame in Japan, while J. B. Blanc voices him in English.
Tohru Adachi (足立 透 Adachi Tōru) is a young police officer in the Inaba police department, and Ryotaro Dojima's junior partner. He often accidentally reveals crucial information regarding the investigation to the protagonist, and is constantly reprimanded by Dojima for running his mouth.[106] For most of the game he appears as merely a bumbling comic relief character, but this is in fact just an act. Mitsuaki Madono voices Adachi in Japan, while Johnny Yong Bosch does his English adaptation voice.[3] He will be portrayed by Masami Ito in the musical.[14]
Following the revelation that Toru Namatame is not the culprit behind the murders, it is revealed that Adachi is behind the two first murders. He became interested in Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi until he pushed them into TVs when they spurned his feelings. After the two initial murders, he tricked Namatame into kidnapping people under the idea that he was keeping them from danger, which is reinforced as every person Namatame "rescues" is then saved by the protagonist's group. He explains that his reason for doing so is nothing more than to entertain himself and disgust for the human world.[107] Adachi uses his handgun in battle. His Persona is Magatsu Izanagi (マガツイザナギ, lit. "Corrupted Izanagi"), which resembles the protagonist's initial Persona.
He gained his power from Izanami like the protagonist, though for most of the game he is unaware of Izanami's influence. He is defeated by the party and arrested for his crimes.[108] If the player continues towards the true ending the protagonist receives a letter from a recently convicted Adachi, stating his suspicions of a true conductor behind all of the events of the case, providing the investigation team with new insight to their reasoning.
Ameno-sagiri (アメノサギリ), the God of Fog, and the being that was partially influencing Tohru Adachi's actions.[109] Responsible for the fog appearing on rainy days, it takes the form of a gigantic eyeball with a golden disc for an iris and black pipes protruding from its form. It believes itself to pursue "mankind's desires", and it is the presumed final boss if the player chooses not to pursue the True Ending or fails to identify Izanami, Ameno-sagiri's creator, as the true culprit. Ameno-sagiri itself is benevolent, promising the protagonist that it will lift the fog after being defeated, although it is revealed through its final words that it is not dead, but will remain dormant until enough people wish for the fog to return.[110]
Ameno-sagiri has no known voice actor, although he does speak through Adachi when he takes control of him after he is defeated by the group.
The goddess Izanami (イザナミ) is the mastermind behind the events of Persona 4. Claiming that it is what humans desire, she aims to cover the world in dense fog and turn mankind into Shadows, which would cause all humans to live acting on instinct and cease all suffering.[111] Disguising herself as a Moel gas station attendant (MOEL石油の店員 Moeru Seikyu Ten'in), she was able to directly grant outsiders like Taro Namatame, Tohru Adachi and the protagonist the ability to enter the TV.[112] She also created the entrance to that world as well as the rumor of the Midnight Channel to see how humans would use it. Karen Strassman provides the voice of Izanami in the English adaptations.
During the battle, her initial form is that of a goddess, but after she is defeated first time her true form is revealed: a massive, skeletal monster, already dead and rotting, under the name of Izanami-no-Okami (イザナミノオオカミ Izanami-no-Ōkami). The main character defeats her by turning Izanagi into Izanagi-no-Okami. Like Ameno-sagiri, Izanami is primarily benevolent; she believes that the world wants this of her, and that seeing the intentions of the protagonist and his team has opened her eyes to the contrary.
The characters of Persona 4 have received major positive critical response as a result of the players' intertactions with them and the themes discussed. The protagonist's role has been noted for allowing the player to build his own "self" along the game while questioning their own.[2] Various comparisons were made regarding the social interactions from Persona 3 as the development of the social links are relatively faster and more important for the game's battles. The tone was noted be sometimes lighter than in the prequel as it avoided touching depressing themes, but at the same time the character's struggles were much more complex.[113][2] Additionally, the protagonist's relationships with his relatives who he starts living with were commented for adding more variants to the relationships with these ones focusing on family relationships.[114] Moreover, the inclusion of Shadow versions of the playable characters were praised for the themes they discussed, leading to personal crisis regarding which are their real traits.[2][115] Kanji Tatsumi's storyline received several responses for his portrayal as homosexual which remains ambiguous across the game. This resulted in positive and mixed reactions from writers as controversial as how he was treated across the storyline and how it could appeal to the fans.[41][115]
Characters designs employed in the game were noted to be "solid" with a clever use of animation for battles.[116][113] The English voice actors' performance has been noted to be overall good with notes on the quality and delivery of the lines.[117][116] However, flaws have been found within the execution of certain lines with IGN noting few moments in which some actors sounded much more older than their respective characters.[113][118]
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