![]() ![]() These aren’t normal struggles for video game characters. Kanji is much more than a mere delinquent. Kanji’s masculine front overcompensates for his conflicted feelings, which stem from female classmates ridiculing him for liking cute or “feminine” things. After Kanji joins the team, spending time with him during story moments and optional Social Links reveals that Kanji probably isn’t gay (he’s attracted to Naoto, after all), loves sewing and crafts, and is still haunted by the death of his father, whose dying words implored Kanji to be a strong man. Journeying through each character’s dungeon and meeting their Shadows displays their innermost fears and anxieties: Kanji’s dungeon is a steamy bathhouse and his Shadow is a flamboyant gay stereotype, because deep down Kanji questions his own sexuality. During character introductions, the player sees only their outermost shells: for example, Kanji is a rude, violent delinquent by the account of everyone other than his mother. This repeating arc in Persona 4 - introducing the character, rejecting their Shadow, accepting their Shadow, and joining the Investigation Team - is key to understanding each character. Over the course of Persona 4, players get to know the Investigation Team intimately, to the point where they seem like real people. ![]() After the team defeats the Shadow in a boss battle, the future party member accepts that the unpleasant Shadow is a real part of them, gains Persona powers, and officially joins the Investigation Team. Every Persona 4 main character (other than the protagonist) meets their Shadow and initially rejects it, which only makes the Shadow stronger. These personalized Shadows embody the parts of themselves they hate the most - the same concept of “shadow” introduced by psychologist Carl Jung. Unsuspecting humans trapped in the Midnight Channel are imprisoned in themed dungeons and confronted by Shadows resembling them. The Midnight Channel is a frightening alternate dimension accessible via television in Inaba and populated by apparitions called Shadows. In Persona 4, the heroes battle their inner demons by literally battling demons. Except, you know, with demon-summoning powers. Investigating these happenings and preventing more murders falls to a group of local teenagers called the Investigation Team. In Persona 4, the Japanese town is the sleepy, rural Inaba and the supernatural event is the murder of two townspeople, with the murders connected to the mysterious Midnight Channel. Most Persona games can be summarized as follows: a Japanese town experiences a supernatural event, which escalates into a world-ending threat, and the planet’s only hope is an unlikely group of teenagers. 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 ![]()
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