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WELCOME TO ME RANTING ABOUT AKIRA KURUSU FOR AN UNECESSARY AMOUNT OF TIME!

HIS CHARACTHER ARC IN THE GAMEHIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE PHANTOM THIEVESWHAT I THINK IS UNEXPLORED IN HIS CHARACTHER DURING THE GAME BECAUSE ATLUS WANTS TO HAVE A SILENT PROTAG BUT I LIKE OVERANALYZING

MY THOUGHTS ON EVIL END AKIRAHE HAS SO MUCH TRAUMA GOOD LORDCONCLUSION.

edit: changed it to be easier to read on mobile..even if the website is still broken lol

edit edit: from 2024, reread this when was fixing the images, added some thoughts at the end there, also some maruki stuff at akechi's part i suppose

HE HAS A CHARACTHER ARC IN THE GAME GUYS

ok most people know abt his characther arc in the game. i think.(?) so i am going to just basically summarize my thoughts on how i Think that affected him by trying to understand the subtext in the game?? keep in mind that this is all my personal interpretation n if u disagree thats fair tbh akira is a silent protag and you kinda project on him involuntarily because of that. but thats how i see it as i try to objectively analize his characther the best way i can! persona 5 is very deep guys. anyway i wanna rant about it cuz i like having fun and being silly:

akira starts off the game by being basically shunned from society and ostracitized for trying to do whats right. as he gets into the metaverse and saves ryuji, i think thats what shows the audience his sense of justice. hes always trying to do whats right for other people, he pratically got into this whole mess saving a girl from being sexually assaulted, but as you can see he doesnt regret a thing. thats his sense of justice, and not only that, one of his defining characther traits!

but as you can see through the entire game, he hides behind masks to protect himself and/or others. one of the main pointers of this is the song "beneath the mask", the theme song for when youre exploring the city, and what i interpret to be akiras characther theme, since its. pretty obvious it is. it could be attributed to other characthers like akechi, but i think it fits him the most!

MY PERSONAL BENEATH THE MASK INTERPRETATION

"I'm a shape shifter
At Poe's masquerade
Hiding both face and mind
All free for you to draw
I'm a shape shifter
What else should I be?
Please don't take off my mask
Revealing dark"[...]

this shows how akira fits himself to the view of other people so hes valued. in my mind, theres a sort of transactional relationship between akira and his confidants. as much as i think the relationships are genuine, akiras always doing something for them to help them. and the favors payed back! but i do feel like he sees himself in this sort of caretaker, savior role, that he performs over and over. he has many masks he needs to keep, lots of responsibilites on his shoulders

"A mirror right in front of me
That's where I find
An empty glass
Reflecting the sad truth
It's telling words not to be told
I need the mask"[...]

"the mirror right in front of me, reflecting the sad truth -> i need the mask" what this implies to me is that he sees himself as nothing but his masks. theres nothing in the mirror because there is no HIM. he doesnt have a defined personality, he sees himself as the roles he performs for other people, his masks.

"I can't tell you
How to see me
Just a cage of bones
There's nothing inside
Will it unleash me?
Burning down the walls
Is there a way
For me to break?"[...]

theres no one inside of him, as he is his masks. and he cant tell people how to view him, because peoples perception of him differ from one to the other, as he appears to be doing this on purpose. if he is wearing masks around people, there is no real akira for anyone to see, "theres nothing inside", again with the theme of him seeing himself as no one but his roles.

"will it unleash me? burning down the walls? is there a way for me to break?" obviously the walls are metaphorical. the emotional walls hes built around himself are so strong, hes wondering, is it worth it, to show myself? to not perform for other people? is there a real me? who am i, really? is what this song is telling me, personally.

yusuke once described akira as sort of a mirror in my playthrough, and that sort of stuck with me. i think thats how he sees himself as well, always kind of...changing aspects of himself, and mirroring people, to an unhealthy degree

in the end of the game, he takes off his glasses to show himself. in royal its a little more sinister, with his reflection being joker, one of his many masks. it shows how royal is more of a bittersweet ending, i guess, with everyone going away, the world going back to its sad sad self...with royal being the definitive persona game, i still think akira views himself as kind of. a role he needs to play for other people. its kind of sad, he shows himself, but never truly, as he thinks theres no real him. i..think

THE PHANTOM THIEVES...

disclaimer: i have a lot to say about some of these but others i dont have that many thoughts on. again this is like..a personal preference thing, i love all the pts though. this is mostly me ranting abt how i kind of see their parallels and stuff..not really a comment on the transactional nature of their relationship since i already talked about that. again im just ranting and having fun and being silly

ryuji sakamotomorganaann takamakiyusuke kitagawamakoto nijimafutaba sakuraharu okumuragoro akechisumire yoshisawa

RYUJI SAKAMOTO

RYUJIIIIII i love him very much atlus did him dirty (as they did w every p5 chara but you know) but i still love him.

i think honestly from ryujis perspective, his first impression of akira is this kind of heroic dude who saved him. but after playing p5r n strikers u can see how much him and akira r like super close. one of my favorite moments in strikers is ryuji commenting on akira playing the "hero" thing up in natsumes jail, it was incredible. hes so done with akiras shit lmao. strikers really showed his dorky side!

i think every phantom thief was fucked over by a higher power, and ryujis the first person to stand by your side as you get to tokyo. i think ryuji is honestly what got akira to start with his characther arc in the game, akira protected ryuji so that confirmed his justice was correct! (to him)

MORGANA

therapy cat

but genuinely the cat is always there for you i think him and akira r super close! i honestly think the fact you cant do anything without him (despite being kinda annoying gameplay wise......) makes sense. i think akira was depressed when he left for a while

i think monas an interesting characther. he tries to frame his relationship to the pts as transactional, but later admits he thinks of them as family. i think that applies to akira very well. one thing they have in common in troubles with their identity, i think mona can show akira how to work through that!

ANN TAKAMAKI

ok shes the one i have a lot to talk abt

i think akira and ann have a LOT in common! i talked about this on my twitter a bit (self promo) ahem

"i THINK both ann and akira had put others before themselves i think both ann and akira had someone they loved sm they wished them back in their ideal realities and i ALSO think both ann and akira believe in "there are worse fates than death" thing"

honestly, the kind of self sacrificial nature they both have is something that is really interesting to me. ann tried to take kamoshida away from shiho by putting herself in harms way, and akira...well, you know. the everything.

"there are fates worse than death." i genuinely think akira w/o the pts coudlve caused a mental break in his targets..like i Personally think if it wasnt for the other phantom thieves, he couldve easily gone that route. but i think if you look at his sense of justice during the game, i think he sees what hes doing as the right thing, despite his doubts. i think ann can solidify that feeling from him. he helped her overcome abuse, and get away from that situation

anns story is one that really does mean a lot to me. the rank with shiho is so interesting. let me get off topic just to comment on how funny it is akira is just standing there by the way. thirdwheel king.

i genuinely think ann would be a really good influence on akira and someone he would open up to. they have a lot in common in my mind. from their justice to even their childhood...i kinda hc that akira has emotionally neglectfull parents, considering they never even contact the boy and just sent him to tokyo with no one he knew.

whatever theyre besties

YUSUKE KITAGAWA

i love yusuke so much so this is biased as hell

i genuinely think that yusuke can see how akira mirrors people! this is me reaching btw! im reaching! but dont you think its kind of in characther of yusuke to be observant of people, and kinda notice that in akira? i think its a p solid hc if i do say so myself.

also hc that yusuke would be someone that just Understands akira. like theres no need for explanation, he just kind of gets it. you know what i mean? i just feel like hes like...the same, in a certain way. i cant explain it now. maybe ill find the words later.

anyway

MAKOTO NIJIMA

why r u a cop fr why do u turn into a cop u literally had a sister who was corrupted by the system do u think u can fix it. u cant. u cant fix the system. kind of insensitive to akira who suffered bc of police brutality btw?? i love you anyway but reconsider ur carreer choices

point is both akira and makoto have a lot of responsibility put upon them. and both kind of put themselves in a leadership position, for different reasons obviously, but i think the common link might be to be valueable to other people. they both just wanna be recognized and be loved for who they are!

FUTABA SAKURA

shes my favorite characther actually! teehee

i feel like futaba brings out both the chaos and the Older Brother Protectiveness thing out in akira. i think the aspect of family is what brings them closer together. im ignoring the romance option of the game. leblanc siblings REAL

HARU OKUMURA

the coffee. its the coffee. they both are coffee connoisseurs. enough said.

had to google how to spell connoisseur for that.

i think haru is a very admirable person. she keeps calm in very tragic situations. i think her wish to be with her father in p5r is very interesting, she doesnt miss him necessarily, but the relationship she couldve had with him. i think the fact that both of them have to be collected with high stakes and perform this admirable persona (heh) so theyre taken seriously is very interesting :)

GORO AKECHI

i like goro akechi. hes my bestie. he and i go on tea parties sometimes

i think a lot of what i think about goro akechi has already been said. anyone who went to this page probably already thinks what i think. shuake..................etc

one thing that id like to mention is how akira, in my eyes, doesnt need to perform in front of goro. im just gonna quote myself actually.

akechis not only the only confidant where you dont just solve your friends problems and play personal therapist, hes also a moral dillema and akiras rival. every single close relationship the man has doesnt challenge his way of going abt relationships

read that persons emotions, wear a mask, say the right thing, and comfort them.

now goro breaks that mold. and i think them both having to perform and wear masks is something they have in common. very much so. obviously so.

royal is so interesting to me. akira chooses goro in the end of it all, to see him alive again. even if goro is truly alive in this perfect reality is one where they are together. kinda fruity. idk

2024 notes: the concept artbook basically confirmed that protag's/akechi's wish was to be with each other! so that's lovely, fucking crazy thats in the game, gay rights ig.

also just wanted to talk about maruki and akira and akechi a bit since i didnt in this whole madness.

its honestly so interesting how much akira and maruki parallel each other... like akira's wish was for akechi to come back, to stay alive and with him...

in the bad end, we see a picture of akira and akechi with all their friends, but they're the only ones who are looking at the camera. in the artbook, its said how it shows how they're aware that it's all fake. ITS CRAZY because maruki and akira only want everyone else to be happy...maruki sacrificed his happiness for his wife.... akira sacrifices himself for the good of others... he lets go of akechi for whats best for the world and for what him and his friends believe in.... do you understand my ramblings still...

even in the ending song "our light/僕らの光" it abranges this theme,

"Even if we’d never meet again

Even if the time that has passed should transform into pain

That pain will guide me

Towards the stars of the sky that shine above me."

this song is about dealing with life, terrible things will happen to you yet you keep going ....... but the sadness will persist no matter what.... you still go on, remembering what once was. its really good imo. i still think this game can abrange topics such as this in interesting ways despite its many failings.

this is one of the reasons i enjoy royal's ending... its bittersweet but it feels correct for the story i think. also tinfoil hat theory that akechi is alive is reallll hear me outtt

SUMIRE YOSHISAWA

im very passionate abt sumire yoshisawa actually i love her very much

both of them have deep rooted identity issues of who they really are and who they perform for other people. also sumis inferiority complex towards her sister...she kinda projects her ideals on akira in my eyes, admires him a lot. but they do have a very odd romantic relationship in the game. almost like sumi mistakes admiration for love. huh

but i do think they care about each other. their true identity is hidden to themselves and they have to figure out who they are. what if...they did that together...as besties...omg..

AHHHH THE SAVIOR COMPLEX OF IT ALL

he has the BIGGEST savior complex like r u kidding me how do u kill god THREE TIMES and not develop one. i hc that he kinda feels responsible for peoples problems while they cant go to the metaverse as phantom thieves later on. his role as a leader is gone from his life, and he is directionless in this world. it feels as thought without the joker role he is nothing. im taking this from beneath the mask and the royal ending..at least its kind of how i interpreted it

plus hes always out there pratically solving peoples problems for them. "but they helped him out of prison" yes i agree. im just saying that having a savior role in a bunch of peoples lives affects how you view yourself. i hc he thinks hes worthless without that role. it sure feels that way, with the way you go about in both p5r n strikers

also im giving akira kurusu a personality disorder. apologies for the projection. my excuse is that he has one.

BAD END AKIRA HELL YEAH

oh my.

if you look at personas bad endings, theyre mostly by akira being selfish. specially taking yaldys and marukis deal. i think it shows how his selflessness is something that defines him as a characther, if he is selfish, the game frames that as a bad ending.

the bad endings are so interesting to me. it almost feels like akiras actions are the definition of what happens in the world, almost as if the entire world is his responsibility. if you think about it, all the bad endings that affect the entire world are based solely on what akira decides. its, a little disturbing

plus the end where he sleeps forever, where he just gives up. goes to show how much everything has affected him. talking about that.

I JUST WANNA TALK ABOUT IT CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT IT

not only was his future ripped away from him and he was taken away from everything he knew because of his probation, he is thrust in multiple positions where he did not necessarily have a say in. he chose to be joker, yes, but he takes it upon himself to be the leader so much, i feel it weighs on him. another one of his masks, you know?

the interrogation room is such an odd occurence from my perspective, as playing as the mc. it feels as though all the trauma he has gone through passes a little bit by everyones heads. he suffered a lot...he couldve died...its pretty obvious he was scared as shown by some of his dialogue options. "im just glad i didnt die". i dont feel as though as he regrets it, but is nonetheless haunted by it

having the entire world on your shoulders does something to you, tbh! like! his position is a lot for someones mental state. specially maruki putting akechis death and multiple people dying and reliving trauma on him, pratically. and he has to choose whats "right." not what he wants. as always.

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY SITE AND LOOKING AT THIS MESS

TLDR he has a savior complex and a personality disorder. he masks himself to please other people. also i love him very much

AKIRAS CHARA ARC: WHO AM I -> BABY I AM THE MASK AND THE WEARER!

akira has issues and i feel like his characther is a bit overlooked sometimes...or maybe im just pretentious and like overanalyzing? both? but i did have fun writing this. i wonder where personas going this year, actually. im very critical but equally as passionate about it, as you can see

ok thank you for reading omg. if you actually read this i dont understand why youd do that but i love you anyway . if you just skimmed thru it i also love you (parasocially) anyway if u disagree w this. do uwanna kiss abt it

also if u have any more thoughts on him HMU i loooove talkin abt him sm for some reason it just scratches an itch in my brain

i genuinely had so many thoughts abt him ik its been talked abt before but listen here i like typing. its fun. im hyperfixated on persona 5 and i really think akira deserves some love! hes not just some guy hes bisexual. ^_^

edit from the future: its kinda funny re-reading all this. i was so insane about this man its CRAZY. i still agree with what its said mostly and i miss my persona 5 phase honestly. also it had some typos, yikes; prolly still does. anyway, im kind of more critical of the game and its writing nowadays but it still holds a very dear and special place in my heart. this page was also fun to make + its nice to know that like 2 people at the time cared about what i had to say abt a random fictional characther. thanks to everyone who was nice to me on my puter :)