History Characters / PersonaTheSougawaFiles

As a protagonist, Rina is aligned with the Fool Arcana, and her initial Persona is Gilgamesh, the main character of Literature/TheEpicOfGilgamesh. Gilgamesh was a powerful, semi-divine king who went on a journey to become immortal and truly godlike, though he ultimately learned to be content with what he had. As a Persona, Gilgamesh takes the form of a crystalline knight with a spear and an axe, and no discernible face features due to its helmet.

* BigSisterInstinct: Arsene_Phantom confirmed on her Tumblr that Rina views Wilma as a little sister. [[OfficialCouple Though it eventually turns into more than that]]. She also treats Kouki like a younger sibling.
* BigSisterWorship: She’s very fond of her big sister Furuta, especially since she’s the reason Rina is even in Sougawa.

* EvilGenius: He designs Nobuyuki's technology; to be specific, he designs the elemental bullets and Shadow controlling remotes. He also apparently made Nobuyuki's cane.

** After Shadow Kazuki's battle, Yuudai states: "If you get enough Shadows gathered together, you could get enough power to control the entire city!" This is a warning that he knows far more about the Shadows than he's indicated so far, and a strong hint towards the Mother Shadow.

* KarmaHoudini: Possibly. He's supposedly gone right back to his usual work after Nobuyuki's downfall, with the public none the wiser to his actions. Rina and Arata do discuss confronting him after they've quelled the Shadow threat for good, though. Subverted when the Freedom Fighters deduce he's the mastermind behind everything.

* AnimalMotifs: Insects and arachnids. His combat form is half-human, half-insect and he essentially wants to turn Sougawa into a hive mind.

* WickedCulture: This man literally summoned the Bible into existence just so he could read from it. He engages in a discussion with Rina about the story of Adam and Eve and uses it to support his points.

* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Gives one to Rina that gets under her skin, though he gets cut off.

* UnskilledButStrong: DiscussedTrope. Rina points out they still stand a chance against Yuudai because while he has an absurd amount of power from the Mother Shadow, it's safe to assume he has no real idea how to use it and his weakness is a lack of finesse. This gives the Freedom Fighters the motivation to rise up against him.

* WorthyOpponent: Considers the Freedom Fighters as such.

* RedOniBlueOni: The blue to both Tamiko and Hikaru’s red.

->'''Persona:''' [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante]]

->'''Persona:''' [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Virgil]]

Arata's initial Persona is Virgil, a character in Literature/TheDivineComedy. Virgil is Dante's guide throughout his journey, and protects him from any dangers. As a Persona, Virgil appears as a black humanoid figure made of smoke, almost like a ghost or wraith, with its only clear feature being a pair of red eyes.

The most influential crime lord in Sougawa, Nobuyuki seeks to take control of the city with Shadows and rule over it with an iron fist.

A popular businessman who's actually working with Nobuyuki... though he's not very good at it.

* AxCrazy: He's a total ''lunatic,'' made clearest when Izumi interrupts him and he flies into a rage.

A mysterious armored figure with unknown powers. Seems like an ally at first, but...

Satomi's Persona... though it's far more of a separate entity than most Personas. Satomi didn't develop it herself, and it was instead forced upon her by Yuudai's experiments, resulting in a half-Persona, half-Shadow monstrosity.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: To a terrifying degree. Yuudai's mind is so warped that he believes, since he desires the best for his beloved city, that he's ''incapable of doing anything wrong.''

* GenreSavvy: Yuudai is a dangerously smart man, and even willing to rub that in the Freedom Fighters' faces from time to time. He knows they won't attack him because they need information - which he decides to give in the form of a long MotiveRant, all designed to stall for time so Satomi can arrive to bail him out. That's right, this man weaponized his MotiveRant!

-> "You're coming with me. I need to make sure you won't wake up."

* EvilAllAlong: Downplayed - her first action was saving Rina's life, but she's not treated as a good guy necessarily. Still, the Freedom Fighters lean towards her being an ally - until she nearly chokes Rina out.

* AntiVillain: Arsene states she wrote him as such. He's not necessarily ''evil'', he's just radically obsessed with freedom to the point of coming off as a lunatic.
* AxCrazy: ''Big time.'' Grendel is absolutely nuts, made clear starting from his first few lines. However, it's implied this is just because he's spent most of his life trapped inside Satomi's head and [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity the sudden ability to break through drove him crazy]].
* DarkIsEvil: Grendel uses some darkness spells and is the most AxCrazy Persona by far.

* {{Foil}}: To Gilgamesh, unsurprisingly. Gilgamesh is stalwart, sophisticated, and works in sync with Rina, willingly following her orders. Grendel is conniving, utterly insane, and desires nothing more than freedom from Satomi's mind (though he doesn't seem to hold anything against her specifically).
* ImAHumanitarian: He has an unhealthy obsession with devouring things - including the Freedom Fighters.

* Leitmotif: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0o-fBIjYjw Arrow To The Head]]

* ChokeHolds: Nearly chokes Rina into unconsciousness. Luckily, [[BigDamnHeroes Clerval interferes]].

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Oh, boy, where to ''start?'' She was separated from her brother at birth and experimented on for ''fourteen years'' by Yuudai. He injected Shadow essence into her over a two-week period consistently, until he managed to get her to develop crazy powers. Not only that, he treated her less like a person and more like an idea.

* TheQuietOne: Barely talks; she doesn't say a word in her first appearance and barely speaks more than a few sentences in her second and third.

!! The Grunts
-> '''Gerald:''' You kids are something special. No wonder we're supposed to kill you.

The main people in the Shadow Syndicate. Named ones include Jim, Gerald, Chris, Isabelle, Piper, Sylvester, Cathy, and [[OddNameOut Eduard Dominic Laurin von Junkermann, The Third.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:''"These ones won't explode, I promise!"'']]
-> "You all make me proud to be serving such a beautiful city!"

* TheDragon: Appears to be Nobuyuki's second-in-command, despite being kind of silly.

* BumblingSidekick: To Nobuyuki. While Nobuyuki seems to ultimately trust him, he slips up several times. However, this turns out to be an act.

* TheStarscream: Implied. He doesn't get the chance to betray Nobuyuki, but makes it clear he was treacherous enough that he likely would've ditched him given the chance.

!! The Grunts
-> '''Gerald:''' You kids are something special. No wonder we're supposed to kill you.

The main people in the Shadow Syndicate. Named ones include Jim, Gerald, Chris, Isabelle, Piper, Sylvester, Cathy, and [[OddNameOut Eduard Dominic Laurin von Junkermann, The Third.]]

* BilingualBonus: Eduard's one line is entirely in German: "Ich weiß nicht! Ich glaube, er ist auf den Turm! Verletzt mich nicht, bitte!" [[labelnote:Translation]]"I don't know! I think he's at the top! Don't hurt me, please!"[[/labelnote]]
* IdiotBall: Lampshaded in-universe. The grunts usually aren't very smart, and Nobuyuki and Yuudai both get repeatedly irritated over their poor performance.
* OverlyLongName: Eduard Dominic Laurin von Junkermann, The Third. This stands out even more because everyone else has simplistic names like Jim and Chris.
* SmugSnake: Most of them fall under this; they're decently competent and know the weaknesses of the Freedom Fighters, but their egos more often than not get in the way.
* TokenMinority: An odd example, as ''all'' of the grunts are foreign (due to Sougawa's lack of immigrant support, they're forced to turn to crime) but the only one that's blatantly German is Eduard.
* TheVonTropeFamily: Eduard Dominic Laurin '''von''' Junkermann, The Third.

!! Satomi
-> "You're coming with me. I need to make sure you won't wake up."

A mysterious armored figure with unknown powers. Seems like an ally at first, but...
----

* ChokeHolds: Nearly chokes Rina into unconsciousness. Luckily, [[BigDamnHeroes Clerval interferes]].

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: A bumbling businessman who works for a crime boss - and is trying to turn everyone in the city to blissful husks.

* MaliciousMisnaming: He refers to the Freedom Fighters by mocking names like "Failure Fighters", "Fire Fighters", and so on.

* ObviouslyEvil: Downplayed, as while he does present himself decently well as a businessman before the minor reveal that he's a villain, there have been jokes about his name being pronounced ''You Die.''

* AGodAmI: He refers to himself as "the god of Sougawa" when summoning his Persona.

* AffablyEvil: He's actually very friendly, even after the reveal that he's the main villain. This does ''[[not make him any less terrifying]].''

* TheStarscream: Implied. He doesn't get the chance to betray Nobuyuki but makes it clear he was treacherous enough that he likely would've ditched him given the chance.

* TheDragon: To Yuuda.

* BumblingSidekick: To Nobuyuki. While Nobuyuki seems to ultimately trust him, he slips up several times. However, this may be an act, as he turns out to be the BigBad.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: A bumbling businessman who works for a crime boss.

* LaughablyEvil: In contrast to [[HateSink Nobuyuki]], Yuudai is downright hilarious in his eccentricities and bumbling nature.

* PluckyComicRelief: Serves to be a more goofy foil to Nobuyuki's serious moments.
* SmugSnake: Yuudai is devilishly smart and good with technology, but his ego makes him a rather bumbling lackey.
* TheUnfought: Yuudai runs away instead of actually battling the Freedom Fighters, and never gets a proper showdown. This has a high chance of being subverted after the reveal that he's the true villain.

* WellIntentionedExtremist: Discussed in Chapter 92; Arata brings up the possibility Yuudai was working with Nobuyuki because he genuinely sought to make the city a better place.

!! The Armored Figure

* AnAxeToGrind: Wields a pair of battleaxes.
* TheDragon: To Yuudai, presumably.

* TheQuietOne: Barely talks; she doesn't say a word in her first appearance and barely speaks more than a few sentences in her second.

'''WARNING: Unmarked spoilers below.'''

* BeneathTheMask: Of course; it's Persona. All of the characters have a hidden side of themselves, [[spoiler:which even causes Arata's Shadow to pop up]].

** Tamiko looks like just a goofy {{Chuunibyou}}, but is actually a brilliant manipulator [[spoiler:and it's implied she's a lot sadder than she lets on]].

** Hikaru's old girlfriend [[spoiler:died in a fire, and when Hikaru tried to carry on her heroic tendencies, his parents didn't support him. He spent a long time hating himself because he thought he was unable to save her and that Izumi was just hanging out with him because of her]].
** Izumi probably has it the best out of the Freedom Fighters, but [[spoiler:her old coach still passed away from cancer - and even on his deathbed, he was pushing her to exceed her limits]].
** Wilma is so lacking in confidence because [[spoiler:she wasn't supposed to win the trip to Sougawa at her old school, but the winner got sick, so she ended up going and felt like everyone resented her because she wasn't the "real" first place winner]].
** Ryouichi's mother [[spoiler:was caught having an affair, and abandoned her husband. This led to him distancing himself from Ryouichi out of grief, leading to a lot of pent-up anger issues and Ryouichi growing up with no friends besides Tamiko]].
** Tamiko's parents [[spoiler:were overly religious and didn't support Tamiko's fascination with the occult, which led to them ''burning her studies.'' No wonder Tamiko abandoned them as soon as she could. But even with that, Ryouichi was her only real friend when she grew up]].
** Kazuki [[spoiler:found out that the members of his beloved theater troupe were criminals, but couldn't sell them out to the police or he would lose his dream job]]. Furthermore, while his parents haven't come up, it's not a good look when they're nowhere to be seen - and he's implied to have a FriendlessBackground on top of that.
** Arata [[spoiler:never knew his biological parents. ''Nobuyuki'' took him in as one of his own, and trained him to be an assassin from birth. He never really grew up with any friends as a result]].

* InvisibleParents: The ''only'' parent actually seen onscreen is Ryouichi's father, Nori Fukui. [[spoiler:Though it also depends on if you count Nobuyuki as Arata's father]].
* ItsPersonal: After Nobuyuki [[spoiler:personally attacks Rina's home and sister]], the Freedom Fighters decide they have to take him down.

* ParentalAbandonment: One stated example, one inverted example, and a few implied ones. As revealed in Ryouichi's Social Link, [[spoiler:his mother walked out on him after his father caught her in an affair]]. Meanwhile, Tamiko's parents [[spoiler:pretty much neglected her due to being overly religious and not agreeing with her worldview, leading to her abandoning ''them'']], Kazuki lives with a theater troupe and doesn't mention his actual parents, and Arata [[spoiler:is abandoned by the closest thing he had to a father, Nobuyuki, after betraying him]].

** Kazuki is Justice. The card represents fairness, law, and truth. Kazuki is an upstanding young man who [[spoiler:ultimately has to decide whether to turn in his criminal theater troupe or keep going to pursue his dream job]], and also has to deal with being honest to himself about what he wants.
** Arata is the Hanged Man. The card represents new perspectives, self-sacrifice, and letting go. [[spoiler:Arata is forced to let go of the life with Nobuyuki he's known for all his life to turn to life as a normal person]].
* ThouShaltNotKill: An unspoken rule is they don't kill anyone, not even Nobuyuki's grunts. [[spoiler:Rina breaking this rule when she accidentally kills Nobuyuki is enough to get her to scream in anguish]].

* BigSisterInstinct: Arsene_Phantom confirmed on her Tumblr that Rina views Wilma as a little sister. [[spoiler:Or, well. More than that.]] She also treats Kouki like a younger sibling.

* BiTheWay: If the April Fool's chapter is telling the truth, Rina states she prefers guys over girls... but also states she doesn't exclude them. [[spoiler:This is later confirmed when Rina admits she was briefly infatuated with Kazuki, but doesn't want to pursue a relationship with him; she then mentions she's interested in someone else, and at the end of the chapter, she calls ''Wilma.'']]

* {{Determinator}}: If Rina makes a promise or sets a goal, she’ll go for it, no matter what it takes. [[spoiler:This proves crucial in the battle against Nobuyuki, where she has to use all of her willpower to withstand Humbaba's strongest attack so Gilgamesh can land a crucial blow in. She ''succeeds.'']]

* HeroicBSOD: Has two major ones. Coincidentally, both are centered around Nobuyuki. [[spoiler:She breaks down crying after confessing everything that happened to her sister shortly after finding out about Nobuyuki's attack on her, and she outright screams in anguish after she accidentally kills Nobuyuki]].

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Her reaction [[spoiler:when she accidentally shoves Nobuyuki off the Sougawa Clock Tower]].

* ObliviousToLove: [[spoiler:Interestingly, despite there being obvious signs Wilma is into her, complete with an interrupted confession, Rina dismisses the possibility]].

* RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler:As of Chapter 91, she and Wilma are officially dating]].

* RousingSpeech: Gilgamesh gives her one [[spoiler:when she's about to give up against Nobuyuki. It gives her the push she needs to finish his Persona off]].

* AbusiveParents: His parents tend to put him down. [[spoiler: This gets worse in Chapter 36, when his parents find out about what happened to Amano - while it's never seen, Hikaru implies they called him immature and outright says that they just thought he would hurt more people and shouldn't have "stood around like an idiot". That said, Rina suggests that they're just worried about Hikaru and that maybe talking with them will help]].
** [[spoiler: Sure enough, it turns out this is ultimately a SubvertedTrope. It turns out that they were just worried he would get himself hurt, and once they realize they messed up, they apologize to him, and make up with him]].

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Dangerously toyed with in the fourth part of his Social Link, where Rina observes him at the edge of the school roof "staring down, looking contemplative". Luckily, she manages to convince them to sit down, and even helps Hikaru get better]].

* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler: His old girlfriend, Amano]].

* TranquilFury: [[spoiler: When Shadow Kazuki knocks out Izumi, Hikaru returns the favor for her rampage against Shadow Tamiko by calmly, viciously beating him down. Unlike Izumi, though, Shadow Kazuki manages to knock him out]].

* BerserkButton: Don't mess with Hikaru. [[spoiler: Shadow Tamiko]] finds this out the hard way.

* FastballSpecial: [[spoiler: Wiglaf hurls her at Shadow Tamiko to land the finishing blow]].

* InsecureLoveInterest: Hinted at several times. [[spoiler: This reaches its peak in Chapter 51, where she's worried her meltdown during the Shadow Tamiko fight is something Hikaru finds freaky and that he'd rather be with someone better than her, like Rina. Thankfully, he talks her out of it]].

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: After Shadow Tamiko knocks out Hikaru, Izumi ''loses it'']].

* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler:She starts off as this - Hikaru dated his other childhood friend, Amano, until she died]].

* InterruptedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:At the end of her Social Link, she's about to confess to Rina, but Arata interrupts, having overheard her Persona evolution. Wilma panics enough that she sprints away. Thankfully, things go much better in Chapter 91]].

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Downplayed example. Arsene_Phantom confirmed on her Tumblr that Wilma has a crush on Rina, but is far too innocent to realize that's what it is. [[spoiler:She does, however, seem to realize it at the end of her Social Link]].
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: A revolving theme of her Social Link; Rina makes these speeches to her regularly. It turns out she's so insecure because [[spoiler:she wasn't supposed to be the one who got a trip to Sougawa]].

* MissingMom: [[spoiler:His mother left him and his dad when said dad caught her in an affair with a rich guy]].
* NotSoAboveItAll: There are implications that even Ryouichi enjoys being kind of silly sometimes, considering he gets the idea to [[spoiler: [[FastballSpecial hurl Izumi at Shadow Tamiko to finish her off]].]]

* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: At the end of his Social Link, [[spoiler:his father]] calls Tamiko his girlfriend. He denies it, but Rina isn't convinced.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Izumi mentions that his dad isn't around much, and [[spoiler:his Social Link confirms the root of his anger issues is his dad essentially abandoning him out of grief. Thankfully, they patch things up]].

Tamiko's initial Persona is Odysseus, named after the main character of Literature/TheOdyssey. Odysseus went on a long journey home after sacking Troy and was well-known for his cunning and wit. Odysseus takes the form of a golden, orb-shaped automaton with wings and a single blue eye.

* BadassPacifist: Her Persona can’t fight, but she's still a valuable team member. [[spoiler:And heavens help you if you get her to ''break'' her pacifism..]].
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She may be the most outwardly goofy party member, but don’t underestimate her. [[spoiler:Especially if you put Ryouichi in mortal peril. Nobuyuki finds this out the hard way]].

* CuteAndPsycho: She seems just a little kooky, but her enthusiasm is legitimately adorable. [[spoiler:The "psycho" part really comes out when fighting Nobuyuki]].

* TheFundamentalist: Not Tamiko herself, as she never forces other people to conform to her beliefs, but [[spoiler:her parents, who ''burned her occult books'' because they weren't the "one true religion"]].

** The first and only time Tamiko flies into an outright ''rage'' is [[spoiler:when Nobuyuki nearly murders Ryouichi, which leads to her unloading all of her power onto him]].
* PreAsskickingOneLiner: [[spoiler:"I'M GOING TO DISINTEGRATE YOU!"]]
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:When Nobuyuki nearly kills Ryouichi, Tamiko ''loses it'' and blasts his Persona with all of the beams she can muster. It takes Nobuyuki darting into the fray himself to get her to stop]].

* StepfordSmiler: Implied with her dungeon. [[spoiler:Shadow Tamiko makes some comments that imply she [[DespairEventHorizon doesn't see a point in living because no one is on the same wavelength as her]].]] Her Social Link makes further comments on this starting at the third chapter, [[spoiler:with her believing she's little more than a joke to everyone and only popular because her {{Chuunibyou}} shtick is worth a quick laugh]]. Thankfully, she gets better.

Kazuki's initial Persona is Dante, named after the protagonist and author of Literature/TheDivineComedy. Dante travels through Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory to eventually find peace with God. As a Persona, Dante appears as a blood-red vampire with a big black mane.

* LoveConfession: [[spoiler:In the 4th chapter of his Social Link, he confesses to Rina that he likes her. Though she turns him down, he takes it in stride, even when she says she's interested in someone else]].

* SoulSuckingRetailJob: [[spoiler:Kazuki's Social Link revolves around him trying to get a job, but the only ones available are retail jobs. He can't bring himself to take them due to growing up in a life of privilege, even though he's fully aware he should shut up and get one. Thankfully, he does eventually swallow his pride and takes the plunge]].

* AccentRelapse: A variant. He speaks far more casually [[spoiler:after defecting from Nobuyuki]], with the implication that it's his "real voice".

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:What triggers his Shadow is that he can't decide if he still wants to work with Nobuyuki because he genuinely enjoys Rina's company due to her good heart. He makes the right decision in the end]].

* ChildSoldiers: [[spoiler:Raised from birth to be an assassin for Nobuyuki]].

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:While initially spying on Rina for Nobuyuki, his Shadows are formed from his doubts over working for him]].

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted. [[spoiler: Virgil has red eyes, but Arata's ultimately on the side of good]].

* BadassBoast: When [[spoiler:confronting the armored figure:]]

* BigDamnHeroes: The stuff other Velvet Room attendants could only dream of. [[spoiler:When the armored figure the group has been tracking down nearly chokes Rina out while she's alone, Clerval interrupts and not only saves Rina's life, but scares off the figure.]]
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Eccentric he may be, he's still a Velvet Room attendant. He provides Rina with valuable advice [[spoiler:and even saves her from being choked into unconsciousness.]]

* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: [[spoiler:Direct interference is against Velvet Room protocol, apparently, but it didn't stop him from saving Rina's life when she was caught flatfooted by the armored figure. Thankfully, he implies that Rina vouching for him will prevent Igor from punishing him.]]
* SlasherSmile: When he gets excited, he tends to give one of these. [[spoiler:Or when angry, if his reaction to the armored figure is anything to go by.]]

** Kazuki's Shadow deconstructs PursueTheDreamJob, as [[spoiler:he has the job of his dreams... but happens to be working for criminals, and would lose everything if he exposed them]].
** Arata's Shadow deconstructs [[spoiler:BecomingTheMask, as he's begun to genuinely feel admiration and longing for a normal life - and can't figure out what the "real" him is]].

* {{Irony}}: He’s weak to fire. Hikaru’s primary element is fire. Not only that, but Shadow Hikaru even uses a fiery laser from his shield. [[spoiler: And to top it all off, a fire is what killed his old girlfriend]].

* BondVillainStupidity: [[spoiler: Exploited by Rina; seeing how Tamiko loves to talk, she goads her on into talking at one point, giving Izumi enough time to startle her]].

** This applies to her actual fight as well. [[spoiler: While Tamiko is able to knock out Hikaru, the tables swiftly turn against her as Izumi freaks out. Ultimately, her fight is around a thousand words shorter than Shadow Ryouichi's]].

* GlassCannon: [[spoiler: Her eye form only takes a few hits to finish off, but it has access to ''Dyne spells.'']]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: At first, Shadow Tamiko seems fairly easy - like a breather in comparison to Shadow Ryouichi. [[spoiler: Then it turns out the Shadow is the carousel..]].

* OneWingedAngel: Takes the form of a headless jester-like figure carrying a scythe and riding a carousel. [[spoiler: Subverted when it turns out that Shadow Tamiko is actually an eye controlling the entire carousel]].

* SinisterScythe: She wields one, which she uses to fight Nobuyuki's men. Her berserk form also has one. [[spoiler: When she goes all-out, she sends energy scythes at the party as one of her moves]].

* AttackTheTail: [[spoiler: Gilgamesh cuts off his tail, giving Rina an advantage against him]].

* BreakThemByTalking: [[spoiler: Tries this on Rina as a last resort when she's about to finish him off. It doesn't take]].
* BroughtDownToBadass: [[spoiler: Rina manages to immobilize him by letting him grab her and then nailing him with a Kougaon spell, giving Tamiko a chance to analyze him. This destroys his cover and forces him to fight the Freedom Fighters directly. It does not impede him in the slightest, instead encouraging him to get creative with how he takes down the Freedom Fighters]].

* LogicalWeakness: [[spoiler: The bat that hides in the shadows is sensitive to light attacks]].
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Takes the form of a vicious bat-like creature, with arachnid-like legs and a barbed tail. The light reveals he's more reptilian than bat, as he's covered in scales]].

* TranquilFury: [[spoiler: When Gilgamesh cuts off his tail]], he drops any sense of politeness in favor of quiet rage.
--> '''''"You [[spoiler: cut off my tail]], Princess. You have forfeited your right to a quick death."'''''

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: His true form, by far. It's a massive snake made entirely of flesh, with the face having a massive mouth that has tendrils sprouting out all over and an uncountable amount of teeth. No other facial features, either]].
* BreakThemByTalking: [[spoiler:Briefly taunts Hikaru when he's about to finish him off. Exploited by Kazuki, who gears up for an attack while he's speaking]].
* FacialHorror: Dear ''lord.'' The Freedom Fighters break both his masks midway through the fight, and what's beneath ain't pretty: [[spoiler:neither head has an actual face, just a huge mouth with tendrils sprouting out]].

* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: [[spoiler:His true form has an uncomfortable amount of teeth inside its mouth]].
* OneHitKill: [[spoiler:Defeats most of the Freedom Fighters in one hit each after he turns into his true, grotesque form]].
* OneWingedAngel: Takes the form of a two-bodied black-and-white snake with both halves wearing faceless masks. The black half wields whips, and the white half uses magic. [[spoiler:When the masks are torn off to reveal fleshy mounds, he reveals ''another'' OneWingedAngel form, his scales peeling off to reveal flesh and both faces fusing together into a tentacle-mouthed serpent head]].

* SurpriseCreepy: He's a hell of a lot creepier than Shadow Kazuki, that's for sure - especially since his dungeon starts off happy-looking. [[spoiler:ESPECIALLY his final form]].

* UnskilledYetStrong: Even worse than Ryouichi in this regard, to the point where the Freedom Fighters agree the Shadows are getting too strong and they need to strike at the source after regrouping. [[spoiler:After his masks are torn off, Arata only uses his mouth to attack, yet he manages to one-shot every Freedom Fighter he manages to actually attack]].

* AGodAmI: He refers to himself as "the god of Sougawa" [[spoiler:when summoning his Persona]].

* BadassBoast: Shortly before [[spoiler:summoning Humbaba:]]
--> "Yes, child. Now you understand! You aren't the only ones to [[spoiler:have overcome your inner demons! I destroyed mine long ago]]! You've finally realized the magnitude of the threat you have brought upon your little team! Unfortunately for you, it is far too late for salvation. Did you think I would fall so easily to a band of ruffians? I control the very fate of this city! I am the god of Sougawa itself! Those Shadows you struggled against are my servants! No matter how much you work together, you are still mere insects compared to me! I created this empire from nothing! And I refuse to fall to a group of impudent teenagers! I WILL MAKE THIS CITY REBORN!"

* BadassNormal: He's able to keep up with seven (eight if you count Tamiko) Persona users at once with no special abilities. [[spoiler:Until he reveals his powers, that is]].

** When he [[spoiler:summons Humbaba]]: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Q57JfIz2Mg Unholy Insurgency]]
** Finally, during [[spoiler:Gilgamesh's SlowWalk through Humbaba's Holy Flames:]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRuwCLF6rBM Catastrophes Before The Calamity]]

* BerserkButton: Betrayal, if his reaction to [[spoiler:Arata turning on him]] is anything to go by, as well as his [[spoiler:dismissal towards Rina trying to taunt him about Yuudai running away]].

* BreathWeapon: [[spoiler:Humbaba can breathe fire - AKA Inferno, the highest-tier Fire spell]].
* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Nobuyuki repeatedly refers to a "new age" in Sougawa and is also [[spoiler:the only major character so far to outright die. His Persona, Humbaba, appears as a massive, flaming mechanical butterfly]].

* CombatPragmatist: He's able to keep up with the party in combat fairly well by using every dirty trick in the book, along with just a lot of plain BadassNormal moments. He even uses a shard of glass to try to stab Rina when he's out of options. [[spoiler:He keeps this up when his Persona is summoned - when Tamiko proves to overwhelm it too much to fight back, he steps into the fray briefly just so he can attack her himself]].
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Not once does he let up on his antagonistic behavior, even trying to kill Rina at the last minute. Even when ''falling to his death,'' he's screaming threats at her]].

* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: He dies from falling off the Sougawa Clock Tower]].

** This goes right down to their [[spoiler:Personas and fighting styles. They both wield rapiers. However, Gilgamesh specializes in ice, while Humbaba uses fire (and light). Furthermore, in legend, Humbaba was a monstrous giant defeated by Gilgamesh]].
* EvilIsPetty: In response to Rina trying to rescue her friends, he has his group attack her and her team several times with killing intent [[spoiler:and even launches an assault on her sister and apartment]].

* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:"I am... the will of Sougawa!"]]
* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In the first part of his fight, [[spoiler:Rina blasts him with a point-blank Agidyne that does absolutely nothing. It's a hint that Nobuyuki has more supernatural resistances, and confirmed when he summons his Persona shortly after]].
* FlamingSword: [[spoiler:Humbaba can summon these; it's how it uses Agidyne]].

* HateSink: Virtually nothing positive can be said about him. Sure, he ''may'' have "good" intentions (and even that's flimsy), but he's still narcissistic, psychopathic, and [[spoiler: willing to attack innocent people just to hurt Rina]].
* HiddenDepths: In the April Fools chapter, Arsene states that Nobuyuki has a "cool backstory" that she plans on exploring in bonus chapters. Since it's, well, April Fools, the seriousness of this is debatable, but it's a hint. This is strongly supported by [[spoiler:the reveal that Nobuyuki has a Persona. How did he get it? He even says he "overcame his inner demons", implying there's more to him than he lets on]].

* KnightOfCerebus: As one of the only outright antagonistic characters, he’s definitely this. All comedic moments cease when he’s in the story. [[spoiler:And that’s not getting into him ransacking Rina’s apartment]].
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:Reveals himself to have a Persona named Humbaba after the party corners him and promptly proves himself as an even more capable fighter]].

* LargeHam: Nobuyuki has his hammy moments when he [[spoiler: summons his Persona, but Humbaba itself is even hammier than ''Gilgamesh.'']]
--> [[spoiler:''"YOU WILL BE PURIFIED!"'']]
--> [[spoiler:''"THE HOLY FIRES SHALL CLEANSE YOUR SOUL!"'']]
* LightEmUp: [[spoiler: Humbaba can use Kougaon, firing off lances of light to blind the Freedom Fighters]].
* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler: Humbaba has Kougaon as one of its moves, and is certainly not the Persona of a good man]].

* NoIndoorVoice: [[spoiler:In the same vein as Shadow Ryouichi, Humbaba screams every single one of its lines]].

** Gets legitimately angry when [[spoiler:Arata betrays him; he smashes his cane on the ground hard enough to break it]].
** He gets even more furious when the Freedom Fighters corner him, and proceeds to chew the scenery [[spoiler:after Humbaba awakens]].
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Nobuyuki seems like he legitimately wants what's best for Sougawa and views his leadership as the only path to its salvation. That all goes out the window [[spoiler:after he attacks Rina's apartment and after Arata reveals that Nobuyuki simply desires obsessive control over the city]].

* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Humbaba primarily uses fire based spells]].

* StuffedInTheFridge: Downplayed. [[spoiler: Nobuyuki personally attacks Rina's home and beats Furuta to near death, leaving a note beside her for Rina. However, Furuta survives this]].
* SwordCane: [[spoiler:His cane doubles as a gun]].
* TarotMotifs: He fits Reversed Fool to a T. He constantly holds back despite having the potential to go all-out against the Freedom Fighters because he sees them as insignificant, he's rather reckless in how he goes about things, and takes large risks like [[spoiler:attacking Rina's house and trying to kill her even after he's lost, the latter of which leads to his death]]. This helps solidify him as Rina's EvilCounterpart.

* VillainousBreakdown: Gradually loses it as the Freedom Fighters continue to prove too strong for him to fight. This culminates in him [[spoiler:going completely berserk when summoning Humbaba... and it ''still'' isn't enough, which leads to him trying to kill Rina in desperation even though he's already lost. This results in his death]].
* WalkingSpoiler: The final confrontation with Nobuyuki has a number of revelations relating to him (namely [[spoiler:the reveal of his Persona, as well as his death]]) that make it difficult to talk about him freely.

* BaitAndSwitch: When the Freedom Fighters attack Nobuyuki, Yuudai is contacted via walkie-talkie and says he's getting some sort of device ready that ensures the Freedom Fighters "won't even touch him". They confront him shortly after and it turns out the device is [[spoiler:a raygun that he uses to blast a hole in the wall, running away]].
* BumblingSidekick: To Nobuyuki. While Nobuyuki seems to ultimately trust him, he slips up several times.

* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:Uses Nobuyuki's grunts to buy time to fire up a device that lets him flee from the Freedom Fighters]].

* {{Foil}}: To Nobuyuki. Their personalities are almost completely opposite. Nobuyuki is cold, calculating, and stoic. Yuudai is charismatic, bombastic, and expressive. [[spoiler:Furthermore, Yuudai has no powers (relying on gadgets to get stuff done) and knows when he's beaten, while Nobuyuki has a Persona and is blinded by his sheer arrogance. This leads to Yuudai getting away alive and Nobuyuki dying]].
* KarmaHoudini: Possibly. He's supposedly gone right back to his usual work after Nobuyuki's downfall, with the public none the wiser to his actions. Rina and Arata do discuss confronting him after they've quelled the Shadow threat for good, though.

* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Yuudai runs away instead of actually battling the Freedom Fighters, and never gets a proper showdown]].
* VillainWithGoodPublicity: He’s a well-respected CEO amongst the public, but is actually working for a crime lord.

* CassandraTruth: A variant. He says "Yeesh, kid, you're training for fencing, not monster fighting." Lampshaded by Rina.

* BigSisterInstinct: Arsene_Phantom confirmed on her Tumblr that Rina views Wilma as a little sister.

* BunnyEarsLawyer: Eccentric he may be, he's still a Velvet Room attendant, and provides Rina with valuable advice.

!!Shadow Arata
--> “Who am I really?! Am I the goody-two-shoes butler? Or the double-crossing traitor? LET ME DECIDE!”

* HateSink: Virtually nothing positive can be said about him. He's arrogant, downright psychopathic, and [[spoiler:is willing to attack innocent people just to hurt Rina]].

* TheSociopath: Displays most of the traits of a diagnosed psychopath. He's superficially charming and polite, has an inflated opinion of himself, is cunning and manipulative, has ''zero'' remorse or guilt even past his defeat, is impulsive and irresponsible, refuses to accept responsibility for his actions... the list goes on.

* WouldHurtAChild: Entirely willing to send his men after the Freedom Fighters - with lethal intent.

->'''Persona:''' [[Literature/TheOdyssey Odysseus]]

* BeneathTheMask: Of course; it's Persona. All of the characters have a hidden side of themselves, [[spoiler:which even causes Arata's Shadow to pop up.]]

** Tamiko looks like just a goofy {{Chuunibyou}}, but is actually a brilliant manipulator [[spoiler:and it's implied she's a lot sadder than she lets on.]]

* BondOneLiner: Along the lines of VideoGame/Persona5, they all have All-Out Attack phrases, posted on Arsene's Tumblr - besides [[MissionControl Tamiko.]]

* DarkAndTroubledPast: While not as bad as [[VideoGame/Persona5 The Phantom Thieves of Hearts,]] all of them don't have particularly comfortable lives.

** Hikaru's old girlfriend [[spoiler:died in a fire, and when Hikaru tried to carry on her heroic tendencies, his parents didn't support him. He spent a long time hating himself because he thought he was unable to save her and that Izumi was just hanging out with him because of her.]]
** Izumi probably has it the best out of the Freedom Fighters, but [[spoiler:her old coach still passed away from cancer - and even on his deathbed, he was pushing her to exceed her limits.]]
** Wilma is so lacking in confidence because [[spoiler:she wasn't supposed to win the trip to Sougawa at her old school, but the winner got sick, so she ended up going and felt like everyone resented her because she wasn't the "real" first place winner.]]
** Ryouichi's mother [[spoiler:was caught having an affair, and abandoned her husband. This led to him distancing himself from Ryouichi out of grief, leading to a lot of pent-up anger issues and Ryouichi growing up with no friends besides Tamiko.]]
** Tamiko's parents [[spoiler:were overly religious and didn't support Tamiko's fascination with the occult, which led to them ''burning her studies.'' No wonder Tamiko abandoned them as soon as she could. But even with that, Ryouichi was her only real friend when she grew up.]]
** Kazuki [[spoiler:found out that the members of his beloved theater troupe were criminals, but couldn't sell them out to the police or he would lose his dream job.]] Furthermore, while his parents haven't come up, it's not a good look when they're nowhere to be seen - and he's implied to have a FriendlessBackground on top of that.
** Arata [[spoiler:never knew his biological parents. ''Nobuyuki'' took him in as one of his own, and trained him to be an assassin from birth. He never really grew up with any friends as a result.]]

* InvisibleParents: The ''only'' parent actually seen onscreen is Ryouichi's father, Nori Fukui. [[spoiler:Though it also depends on if you count Nobuyuki as Arata's father.]]
* ItsPersonal: After Nobuyuki [[spoiler:personally attacks Rina's home and sister,]] the Freedom Fighters decide they have to take him down.

* ParentalAbandonment: One stated example, one inverted example, and a few implied ones. As revealed in Ryouichi's Social Link, [[spoiler:his mother walked out on him after his father caught her in an affair.]] Meanwhile, Tamiko's parents [[spoiler:pretty much neglected her due to being overly religious and not agreeing with her worldview, leading to her abandoning ''them'']], Kazuki lives with a theater troupe and doesn't mention his actual parents, and Arata [[spoiler:is abandoned by the closest thing he had to a father, Nobuyuki, after betraying him.]]

** Kazuki is Justice. The card represents fairness, law, and truth. Kazuki is an upstanding young man who [[spoiler:ultimately has to decide whether to turn in his criminal theater troupe or keep going to pursue his dream job,]] and also has to deal with being honest to himself about what he wants.
** Arata is the Hanged Man. The card represents new perspectives, self-sacrifice, and letting go. [[spoiler:Arata is forced to let go of the life with Nobuyuki he's known for all his life to turn to life as a normal person.]]
* ThouShaltNotKill: An unspoken rule is they don't kill anyone, not even Nobuyuki's grunts. [[spoiler:Rina breaking this rule when she accidentally kills Nobuyuki is enough to get her to scream in anguish.]]

* HeroicBSOD: Has two major ones. Coincidentally, both are centered around Nobuyuki. [[spoiler:She breaks down crying after confessing everything that happened to her sister shortly after finding out about Nobuyuki's attack on her, and she outright screams in anguish after she accidentally kills Nobuyuki.]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Her reaction [[spoiler:when she accidentally shoves Nobuyuki off the Sougawa Clock Tower.]]

* ObliviousToLove: [[spoiler:Interestingly, despite there being obvious signs Wilma is into her, complete with an interrupted confession, Rina dismisses the possibility.]]

* RelationshipUpgrade: [[spoiler:As of Chapter 91, she and Wilma are officially dating.]]

* RousingSpeech: Gilgamesh gives her one [[spoiler:when she's about to give up against Nobuyuki. It gives her the push she needs to finish his Persona off.]]

* AbusiveParents: His parents tend to put him down. [[spoiler: This gets worse in Chapter 36, when his parents find out about what happened to Amano - while it's never seen, Hikaru implies they called him immature and outright says that they just thought he would hurt more people and shouldn't have "stood around like an idiot". That said, Rina suggests that they're just worried about Hikaru and that maybe talking with them will help.]]
** [[spoiler: Sure enough, it turns out this is ultimately a SubvertedTrope. It turns out that they were just worried he would get himself hurt, and once they realize they messed up, they apologize to him, and make up with him.]]

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler: Dangerously toyed with in the fourth part of his Social Link, where Rina observes him at the edge of the school roof "staring down, looking contemplative". Luckily, she manages to convince them to sit down, and even helps Hikaru get better.]]

* TheLostLenore: [[spoiler: His old girlfriend, Amano.]]

* TranquilFury: [[spoiler: When Shadow Kazuki knocks out Izumi, Hikaru returns the favor for her rampage against Shadow Tamiko by calmly, viciously beating him down. Unlike Izumi, though, Shadow Kazuki manages to knock him out.]]

* FastballSpecial: [[spoiler: Wiglaf hurls her at Shadow Tamiko to land the finishing blow.]]

* InsecureLoveInterest: Hinted at several times. [[spoiler: This reaches its peak in Chapter 51, where she's worried her meltdown during the Shadow Tamiko fight is something Hikaru finds freaky and that he'd rather be with someone better than her, like Rina. Thankfully, he talks her out of it.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler: After Shadow Tamiko knocks out Hikaru, Izumi ''loses it''.]]

* UnluckyChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler:She starts off as this - Hikaru dated his other childhood friend, Amano, until she died.]]

* InterruptedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:At the end of her Social Link, she's about to confess to Rina, but Arata interrupts, having overheard her Persona evolution. Wilma panics enough that she sprints away. Thankfully, things go much better in Chapter 91.]]

* WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove: Downplayed example. Arsene_Phantom confirmed on her Tumblr that Wilma has a crush on Rina, but is far too innocent to realize that's what it is. [[spoiler:She does, however, seem to realize it at the end of her Social Link.]]
* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: A revolving theme of her Social Link; Rina makes these speeches to her regularly. It turns out she's so insecure because [[spoiler:she wasn't supposed to be the one who got a trip to Sougawa.]]

* MissingMom: [[spoiler:His mother left him and his dad when said dad caught her in an affair with a rich guy.]]
* NotSoAboveItAll: There are implications that even Ryouichi enjoys being kind of silly sometimes, considering he gets the idea to [[spoiler: [[FastballSpecial hurl Izumi at Shadow Tamiko to finish her off.]]]]

* WellDoneSonGuy: Izumi mentions that his dad isn't around much, and [[spoiler:his Social Link confirms the root of his anger issues is his dad essentially abandoning him out of grief. Thankfully, they patch things up.]]

* BadassPacifist: Her Persona can’t fight, but she's still a valuable team member. [[spoiler:And heavens help you if you get her to ''break'' her pacifism...]]
* BewareTheSillyOnes: She may be the most outwardly goofy party member, but don’t underestimate her. [[spoiler:Especially if you put Ryouichi in mortal peril. Nobuyuki finds this out the hard way.]]

* CuteAndPsycho: She seems just a little kooky, but her enthusiasm is legitimately adorable. [[spoiler:The "psycho" part really comes out when fighting Nobuyuki.]]

* TheFundamentalist: Not Tamiko herself, as she never forces other people to conform to her beliefs, but [[spoiler:her parents, who ''burned her occult books'' because they weren't the "one true religion".]]

** The first and only time Tamiko flies into an outright ''rage'' is [[spoiler:when Nobuyuki nearly murders Ryouichi, which leads to her unloading all of her power onto him.]]

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: [[spoiler:When Nobuyuki nearly kills Ryouichi, Tamiko ''loses it'' and blasts his Persona with all of the beams she can muster. It takes Nobuyuki darting into the fray himself to get her to stop.]]

* StepfordSmiler: Implied with her dungeon. [[spoiler:Shadow Tamiko makes some comments that imply she [[DespairEventHorizon doesn't see a point in living because no one is on the same wavelength as her.]]]] Her Social Link makes further comments on this starting at the third chapter, [[spoiler:with her believing she's little more than a joke to everyone and only popular because her {{Chuunibyou}} shtick is worth a quick laugh.]] Thankfully, she gets better.

* LoveConfession: [[spoiler:In the 4th chapter of his Social Link, he confesses to Rina that he likes her. Though she turns him down, he takes it in stride, even when she says she's interested in someone else.]]

* SoulSuckingRetailJob: [[spoiler:Kazuki's Social Link revolves around him trying to get a job, but the only ones available are retail jobs. He can't bring himself to take them due to growing up in a life of privilege, even though he's fully aware he should shut up and get one. Thankfully, he does eventually swallow his pride and takes the plunge.]]

* AccentRelapse: A variant. He speaks far more casually [[spoiler:after defecting from Nobuyuki,]] with the implication that it's his "real voice".

* BecomingTheMask: [[spoiler:What triggers his Shadow is that he can't decide if he still wants to work with Nobuyuki because he genuinely enjoys Rina's company due to her good heart. He makes the right decision in the end.]]

* ChildSoldiers: [[spoiler:Raised from birth to be an assassin for Nobuyuki.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:While initially spying on Rina for Nobuyuki, his Shadows are formed from his doubts over working for him.]]

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Subverted. [[spoiler: Virgil has red eyes, but Arata's ultimately on the side of good.]]

* ShoutOut: He says his username is [=RiverTrouble=]. [[Theatre/TheMusicMan Trouble in River City, perhaps?]]

** Kazuki's Shadow deconstructs PursueTheDreamJob, as [[spoiler:he has the job of his dreams... but happens to be working for criminals, and would lose everything if he exposed them.]]
** Arata's Shadow deconstructs [[spoiler:BecomingTheMask, as he's begun to genuinely feel admiration and longing for a normal life - and can't figure out what the "real" him is.]]

* {{Irony}}: He’s weak to fire. Hikaru’s primary element is fire. Not only that, but Shadow Hikaru even uses a fiery laser from his shield. [[spoiler: And to top it all off, a fire is what killed his old girlfriend.]]

* BondVillainStupidity: [[spoiler: Exploited by Rina; seeing how Tamiko loves to talk, she goads her on into talking at one point, giving Izumi enough time to startle her.]]

** This applies to her actual fight as well. [[spoiler: While Tamiko is able to knock out Hikaru, the tables swiftly turn against her as Izumi freaks out. Ultimately, her fight is around a thousand words shorter than Shadow Ryouichi's.]]

* {{Expy}}: [[VideoGame/{{Deltarune}} A jester with scythes, huh?]] She even says "I can do anything!"

* IAmNotLeftHanded: At first, Shadow Tamiko seems fairly easy - like a breather in comparison to Shadow Ryouichi. [[spoiler: Then it turns out the Shadow is the carousel...]]

* OneWingedAngel: Takes the form of a headless jester-like figure carrying a scythe and riding a carousel. [[spoiler: Subverted when it turns out that Shadow Tamiko is actually an eye controlling the entire carousel.]]

* SinisterScythe: She wields one, which she uses to fight Nobuyuki's men. Her berserk form also has one. [[spoiler: When she goes all-out, she sends energy scythes at the party as one of her moves.]]

* AttackTheTail: [[spoiler: Gilgamesh cuts off his tail, giving Rina an advantage against him.]]

* BreakThemByTalking: [[spoiler: Tries this on Rina as a last resort when she's about to finish him off. It doesn't take.]]
* BroughtDownToBadass: [[spoiler: Rina manages to immobilize him by letting him grab her and then nailing him with a Kougaon spell, giving Tamiko a chance to analyze him. This destroys his cover and forces him to fight the Freedom Fighters directly. It does not impede him in the slightest, instead encouraging him to get creative with how he takes down the Freedom Fighters.]]

* LogicalWeakness: [[spoiler: The bat that hides in the shadows is sensitive to light attacks.]]
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Takes the form of a vicious bat-like creature, with arachnid-like legs and a barbed tail. The light reveals he's more reptilian than bat, as he's covered in scales.]]

* TranquilFury: [[spoiler: When Gilgamesh cuts off his tail,]] he drops any sense of politeness in favor of quiet rage.
--> '''''"You [[spoiler: cut off my tail,]] Princess. You have forfeited your right to a quick death."'''''

* BodyHorror: [[spoiler: His true form, by far. It's a massive snake made entirely of flesh, with the face having a massive mouth that has tendrils sprouting out all over and an uncountable amount of teeth. No other facial features, either.]]
* BreakThemByTalking: [[spoiler:Briefly taunts Hikaru when he's about to finish him off. Exploited by Kazuki, who gears up for an attack while he's speaking.]]
* FacialHorror: Dear ''lord.'' The Freedom Fighters break both his masks midway through the fight, and what's beneath ain't pretty: [[spoiler:neither head has an actual face, just a huge mouth with tendrils sprouting out.]]

* MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily: [[spoiler:His true form has an uncomfortable amount of teeth inside its mouth.]]
* OneHitKill: [[spoiler:Defeats most of the Freedom Fighters in one hit each after he turns into his true, grotesque form.]]
* OneWingedAngel: Takes the form of a two-bodied black-and-white snake with both halves wearing faceless masks. The black half wields whips, and the white half uses magic. [[spoiler:When the masks are torn off to reveal fleshy mounds, he reveals ''another'' OneWingedAngel form, his scales peeling off to reveal flesh and both faces fusing together into a tentacle-mouthed serpent head.]]

* SurpriseCreepy: He's a hell of a lot creepier than Shadow Kazuki, that's for sure - especially since his dungeon starts off happy-looking. [[spoiler:ESPECIALLY his final form.]]

* UnskilledYetStrong: Even worse than Ryouichi in this regard, to the point where the Freedom Fighters agree the Shadows are getting too strong and they need to strike at the source after regrouping. [[spoiler:After his masks are torn off, Arata only uses his mouth to attack, yet he manages to one-shot every Freedom Fighter he manages to actually attack.]]

* AGodAmI: He refers to himself as "the god of Sougawa" [[spoiler:when summoning his Persona.]]

--> "Yes, child. Now you understand! You aren't the only ones to [[spoiler:have overcome your inner demons! I destroyed mine long ago!]] You've finally realized the magnitude of the threat you have brought upon your little team! Unfortunately for you, it is far too late for salvation. Did you think I would fall so easily to a band of ruffians? I control the very fate of this city! I am the god of Sougawa itself! Those Shadows you struggled against are my servants! No matter how much you work together, you are still mere insects compared to me! I created this empire from nothing! And I refuse to fall to a group of impudent teenagers! I WILL MAKE THIS CITY REBORN!"

* BadassNormal: He's able to keep up with seven (eight if you count Tamiko) Persona users at once with no special abilities. [[spoiler:Until he reveals his powers, that is.]]

* BerserkButton: Betrayal, if his reaction to [[spoiler:Arata turning on him]] is anything to go by, as well as his [[spoiler:dismissal towards Rina trying to taunt him about Yuudai running away.]]

* BreathWeapon: [[spoiler:Humbaba can breathe fire - AKA Inferno, the highest-tier Fire spell.]]
* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Nobuyuki repeatedly refers to a "new age" in Sougawa and is also [[spoiler:the only major character so far to outright die. His Persona, Humbaba, appears as a massive, flaming mechanical butterfly.]]

* CombatPragmatist: He's able to keep up with the party in combat fairly well by using every dirty trick in the book, along with just a lot of plain BadassNormal moments. He even uses a shard of glass to try to stab Rina when he's out of options. [[spoiler:He keeps this up when his Persona is summoned - when Tamiko proves to overwhelm it too much to fight back, he steps into the fray briefly just so he can attack her himself.]]
* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler:Not once does he let up on his antagonistic behavior, even trying to kill Rina at the last minute. Even when ''falling to his death,'' he's screaming threats at her.]]

* DisneyVillainDeath: [[spoiler: He dies from falling off the Sougawa Clock Tower.]]

** This goes right down to their [[spoiler:Personas and fighting styles. They both wield rapiers. However, Gilgamesh specializes in ice, while Humbaba uses fire (and light). Furthermore, in legend, Humbaba was a monstrous giant defeated by Gilgamesh.]]
* EvilIsPetty: In response to Rina trying to rescue her friends, he has his group attack her and her team several times with killing intent [[spoiler:and even launches an assault on her sister and apartment.]]

* FiveSecondForeshadowing: In the first part of his fight, [[spoiler:Rina blasts him with a point-blank Agidyne that does absolutely nothing. It's a hint that Nobuyuki has more supernatural resistances, and confirmed when he summons his Persona shortly after.]]
* FlamingSword: [[spoiler:Humbaba can summon these; it's how it uses Agidyne.]]
* HateSink: Virtually nothing positive can be said about him. He's arrogant, downright psychopathic, and [[spoiler:is willing to attack innocent people just to hurt Rina.]]
* HiddenDepths: In the April Fools chapter, Arsene states that Nobuyuki has a "cool backstory" that she plans on exploring in bonus chapters. Since it's, well, April Fools, the seriousness of this is debatable, but it's a hint. This is strongly supported by [[spoiler:the reveal that Nobuyuki has a Persona. How did he get it? He even says he "overcame his inner demons", implying there's more to him than he lets on.]]

* KnightOfCerebus: As one of the only outright antagonistic characters, he’s definitely this. All comedic moments cease when he’s in the story. [[spoiler:And that’s not getting into him ransacking Rina’s apartment.]]
* IAmNotLeftHanded: [[spoiler:Reveals himself to have a Persona named Humbaba after the party corners him and promptly proves himself as an even more capable fighter.]]

* LightEmUp: [[spoiler: Humbaba can use Kougaon, firing off lances of light to blind the Freedom Fighters.]]
* LightIsNotGood: [[spoiler: Humbaba has Kougaon as one of its moves, and is certainly not the Persona of a good man.]]
* NoIndoorVoice: [[spoiler:In the same vein as Shadow Ryouichi, Humbaba screams every single one of its lines.]]

** Gets legitimately angry when [[spoiler:Arata betrays him; he smashes his cane on the ground hard enough to break it.]]
** He gets even more furious when the Freedom Fighters corner him, and proceeds to chew the scenery [[spoiler:after Humbaba awakens.]]
* NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: Nobuyuki seems like he legitimately wants what's best for Sougawa and views his leadership as the only path to its salvation. That all goes out the window [[spoiler:after he attacks Rina's apartment and after Arata reveals that Nobuyuki simply desires obsessive control over the city.]]

* PetTheDog: Pretty much the only decent thing he does is give his underlings medical attention after they get beaten up particularly badly - and even then, he calls one of them an imbecile (though, to be fair, [[IdiotBall he had a point.]])
* PlayingWithFire: [[spoiler:Humbaba primarily uses fire based spells.]]

* StuffedInTheFridge: Downplayed. [[spoiler: Nobuyuki personally attacks Rina's home and beats Furuta to near death, leaving a note beside her for Rina. However, Furuta survives this.]]
* SwordCane: [[spoiler:His cane doubles as a gun.]]
* TarotMotifs: He fits Reversed Fool to a T. He constantly holds back despite having the potential to go all-out against the Freedom Fighters because he sees them as insignificant, he's rather reckless in how he goes about things, and takes large risks like [[spoiler:attacking Rina's house and trying to kill her even after he's lost, the latter of which leads to his death.]] This helps solidify him as Rina's EvilCounterpart.

* VillainousBreakdown: Gradually loses it as the Freedom Fighters continue to prove too strong for him to fight. This culminates in him [[spoiler:going completely berserk when summoning Humbaba... and it ''still'' isn't enough, which leads to him trying to kill Rina in desperation even though he's already lost. This results in his death.]]

* BaitAndSwitch: When the Freedom Fighters attack Nobuyuki, Yuudai is contacted via walkie-talkie and says he's getting some sort of device ready that ensures the Freedom Fighters "won't even touch him". They confront him shortly after and it turns out the device is [[spoiler:a raygun that he uses to blast a hole in the wall, running away.]]

* DirtyCoward: [[spoiler:Uses Nobuyuki's grunts to buy time to fire up a device that lets him flee from the Freedom Fighters.]]

* {{Foil}}: To Nobuyuki. Their personalities are almost completely opposite. Nobuyuki is cold, calculating, and stoic. Yuudai is charismatic, bombastic, and expressive. [[spoiler:Furthermore, Yuudai has no powers (relying on gadgets to get stuff done) and knows when he's beaten, while Nobuyuki has a Persona and is blinded by his sheer arrogance. This leads to Yuudai getting away alive and Nobuyuki dying.]]

* LaughablyEvil: In contrast to [[HateSink Nobuyuki,]] Yuudai is downright hilarious in his eccentricities and bumbling nature.

* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Yuudai runs away instead of actually battling the Freedom Fighters, and never gets a proper showdown.]]

* OnlyFriend: Prior to joining the Freedom Fighters, it's implied Ryouichi is her only real friend.

* StepfordSmiler: Implied with her dungeon. [[spoiler:Shadow Tamiko makes some comments that imply she [[DespairEventHorizon doesn't see a point in living because no one is on the same wavelength as her.]]]] Her Social Link makes further comments on this starting at the third chapter, [[spoiler:with her believing she's little more than a joke to everyone and only popular because she's funny.]]

* EvilLaugh: She has a habit of doing this. “Kuhuhuhuhu!”

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Rina takes note of the several times Tamiko's usual energy seems off - such as when Tamiko catches the group before their fight with Shadow Ryouichi, or her seeming kind of out of it when she visits her home.

* WalkingSpoilers: The final confrontation with Nobuyuki has a number of revelations relating to him (namely [[spoiler:the reveal of his Persona, as well as his death]]) that make it difficult to talk about him freely.