| 1 | [[WMG:[[center:[-''VideoGame/Persona4'' '''[[Characters/Persona4 Main Character Index]]'''\ |
| 2 | [[Characters/Persona4TheInvestigationTeam The Investigation Team]] ([[Characters/Persona4YuNarukami Yu Narukami]] | [[Characters/Persona4NaotoShirogane Naoto Shirogane]]) | [[Characters/Persona4ShadowsAndPersonas Shadows and Personas]] | [[Characters/Persona4SLinksAndNPCs Social Links and NPCs]] | '''Antagonists''']]-]]] |
| 3 | |
| 4 | The antagonists of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}''. |
| 5 | |
| 6 | '''Every person listed here is a WalkingSpoiler. Thus, expect all spoilers ahead will be unmarked. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.''' |
| 7 | |
| 8 | For tropes relating to the characters appearing in ''Persona 4: Arena,'' click [[Characters/{{Persona 4 Arena}} here.]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ---- |
| 11 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 12 | |
| 13 | [[folder:'''The Suspect''']] |
| 14 | !!Mitsuo Kubo |
| 15 | [[quoteright:268:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mitsuo.png]] |
| 16 | [[caption-width-right:268:The Copycat Killer]] |
| 17 | |
| 18 | -->''"[[AttentionWhore All the cases...All on me...]]"'' |
| 19 | |
| 20 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Tsuyoshi Takahashi (Japanese), Creator/KyleHebert (English) |
| 21 | \ |
| 22 | A student from another school in Inaba. A loner all his life who only found solace in video games, he is first seen trying to ask out Yukiko on the protagonist/Yu's first day of school. He fails, as with everyone who does so, and spends the next several months as a recurring background character, loudly complaining about the latest happenings to anyone who will listen. |
| 23 | \ |
| 24 | After the Investigation Team manages to save three victims in a row, King Moron is found dead, arranged in the same manner as the first two victims, and Kubo appears on the Midnight Channel, taunting the viewers to catch him if they can. Now the biggest suspect in the case, the Team rushes into the TV after him, tracking him to a dungeon inspired by an old-school 8-bit RPG. There, they find him facing down his Shadow, which claims that he's "nothing." |
| 25 | \ |
| 26 | After his Shadow is defeated, the Team drags him back to the real world, where he claims responsibility for the murders and relishes in the attention his actions gained him. Unfortunately for the Investigation Team, it's quickly proven that he was a mere copycat killer, with Morooka as his only victim. Nothing is stated about him after this, other than that the police admitted they made false charges after Namatame becomes the next suspect. |
| 27 | ---- |
| 28 | * AbhorrentAdmirer: He tries to flirt with Yukiko and make her leave with him. She's clearly uncomfortable around him, and his attempts at flirting are so bad that she doesn't even realize that's what he was trying to do until after he leaves. |
| 29 | * AdaptationalAttractiveness: He didn't become a handsome guy in it, but the anime noticeably scales down his creepy face a bit, as it looks proportional now. The anime enlarges his eyes, reduces the definition of his lips, and generally gives him a more boyish appearance. |
| 30 | * AdaptationalExpansion: ''The Animation'' delves into more of his perspective, including his attempts to take credit for the murders only to be mocked online. |
| 31 | * AdaptationalVillainy: As bad as he is in the game, he's even worse in the anime. He hits on Yukiko a second time, and [[WouldHurtAChild threatens Nanako in the supermarket]] just for being in his way. |
| 32 | * AssholeVictim: Not only did he kill Mr. Morooka, he ''also'' took credit for the other two murders as well, coming face-to-face with the ''real'' killer and being promptly thrown into the TV. He would've been an ''actual'' victim if it weren't for Yu and the rest of the Investigation Team saving him. |
| 33 | * AttentionWhore: He claims to be the infamous serial killer of Inaba, and even goes as far as to murder someone and replicate the killer's crimes, just so people will pay attention to him. When the Investigation Team finds out, [[DisappointedByTheMotive they're incredulous that attention was his motive]]. |
| 34 | * AxCrazy: He even gets thrown into the loony bin at the end. |
| 35 | * BaitAndSwitch: Given the previous events so far, you'd expect Mitsuo to at least accept himself and his Shadow would become a Persona. He outright rejects it further after its defeat, causing it to simply disintegrate. |
| 36 | * BarrierChangeBoss: To some extent since his Shadow uses wall spells. |
| 37 | * BelievingTheirOwnLies: After being constantly ignored even after his confession, Mitsuo actually believes he is responsible for the murders of the first two victims. |
| 38 | * BeYourself: Subverted. Unlike the other "victims" up to his point, he refuses to accept his Shadow since it'd mean coming to terms with being an EmptyShell. During his boss fight, unlike the previous Shadows, Shadow Mitsuo never says that he's "the true self", instead saying "Come.. I'll end your emptiness". This indicates that Mitsuo was so caught up in his delusions that he has become no different from his Shadow. |
| 39 | * BigBadWannabe: Kubo claims responsibility for killing Mayumi Yamano, Saki Konishi and Kinshiro Morooka. In truth, he only killed Morooka. In fact, his claims of being the killer only causes the real killer to attempt to murder him. |
| 40 | * BlackEyesOfEvil: His eyes are entirely black, without any pupils. He's also one of the antagonists (though not the main one). Kanji even lampshades how creepy Kubo's eyes look. |
| 41 | -->'''Kanji:''' Looking at those fish eyes really pisses me off! |
| 42 | * ChekhovsGunman: His first appearance is on the first day of school, when he tries to ask Yukiko out on a date (and fails miserably). He doesn't show up for a while after that, but Kubo ultimately proves important to the plot. |
| 43 | * CreepyMonotone: Not so much himself, but his Shadow doesn't show much emotion. |
| 44 | * DeconstructedCharacterArchetype: Of the {{Otaku}} character trope. Unlike most examples of otaku, Kubo is an example of how his indulgences make him an IneffectualLoner with a LackOfEmpathy. This toxic lifestyle and the impact on his social life is what drives him to [[AttentionWhore commit murder for the sake of attention]]. |
| 45 | * DirtyCoward: In ''The Animation'', he tries to heckle six-year-old Nanako at the grocery store, but flees when Yu shows up to stand up for her. Kubo's also shown taking his rage out on a punching bag with Kanji's face taped on it, but is too scared to actually confront Kanji face-to-face. |
| 46 | * DiscOneFinalBoss: As a pretty clear-cut case of a RedHerring, he ''looks'' like a final boss if you aren't paying close enough attention. |
| 47 | * DramaticallyMissingThePoint: He gloats when his Shadow disappears, not realizing that this essentially amounts to failing to come to terms with his own inner thoughts. |
| 48 | * EmptyShell: To the point he kills Mr. Morooka and tries to take credit for two existing murders just to avoid feeling like he's nothing. Even his Shadow is depressed and unenergetic, with a CreepyMonotone for a voice. |
| 49 | * EvilCounterpart: In the anime to Yu. They both suffer from loneliness (Mitsuo [[IJustWantToBeSpecial wants to be special]] while Yu [[IJustWantToHaveFriends wants friends]]), and Mitsuo's shadow even pulls a NotSoDifferentRemark on Yu. |
| 50 | * EvilIsPetty: Kubo committed murder on Morooka purely because he wanted attention. |
| 51 | * FameThroughInfamy: He wants people to pay attention to him so badly that he tries to take credit for the first two murders, and goes so far as to actually murder Mr. Morooka to this end. |
| 52 | * FetusTerrible: His Shadow takes this form, also talking in CreepyMonotone and revealing Kubo's motivations for committing murder. |
| 53 | * FillerVillain: He has little effect on the overarching plot beyond briefly throwing the Investigation Team off the trail and killing Mr. Morooka, as he isn't actually the killer and is immediately dealt with after being rescued from the TV world. |
| 54 | %%zce* FishEyes: According to Kanji, at least. |
| 55 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: There are several hints that he's not the actual killer. |
| 56 | ** Before his dungeon, the investigation team point out that whoever the killer is obviously had to possess a certain amount of strength to get the drop on Kanji. There's no way a wimp like him could pull that off. |
| 57 | ** In his dungeon, the deaths are presented as retro RPG encounters. For the "female announcer" and "corpse discoverer," Mitsuo is prompted to "fight" and they are "defeated," but for Mr. Morooka, not only is he referred to by name, the prompt given is "kill." |
| 58 | ** He talks a lot about the murders, but never the kidnappings, and indeed doesn't seem to see how they're connected. He also doesn't recognize Kanji or Rise, and takes a while to identify that Yukiko is there (all of whom he supposedly kidnapped and threw into the TV) and seems confused that the Investigation Team is there. This makes it clear that he only knows about the murders from the news and doesn't know the murders and kidnappings were linked, which is something only the killer and Investigation Team would know. |
| 59 | ** His Shadow has the normal boss battle music, "I'll Face Myself -Battle-". For someone who is claiming to be a serial killer, you'd think he'd have a special boss theme, but he does not. This is changed in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Golden]]'' where he does get his own boss theme, but even then it isn't unique; it's just an 8-bit remix of the normal boss music. |
| 60 | ** And finally, there's the elephant in the room: If his shadow manifested in the TV world, that means he didn't have a Persona, and therefore ''couldn't'' have pushed others into the TV ''or'' entered on his own. |
| 61 | * ForTheEvulz: He only killed Mr. Morooka and claimed responsibility for the murders of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi to [[AttentionWhore garner attention]]. |
| 62 | * FromNobodyToNightmare: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted.]] While he ''did'' kill Morooka, he is dealt with quickly and not presented as much of a threat despite it. Even his Shadow and its boss form just show him as desperate and pathetic rather than dangerous. |
| 63 | * GoMadFromTheIsolation: Mitsuo's otaku behavior and lack of any real friends led to him slowly losing his mind. This eventually morphs into him becoming so desperate for attention that he'd commit murder just to have people notice him. |
| 64 | * {{Gonk}}: His eyes and facial expression make him look like a deranged Gerber Baby. |
| 65 | * HateSink: He isn't portrayed at all sympathetically. Not only are all the party members completely disgusted with him, they found him creepy and repulsive even before he killed one person and claimed credit for all the other crimes. |
| 66 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: By claiming to be the killer, he gets put right in the killer's sights and thrown into the TV world himself, where he would have [[KarmicDeath become another victim]] if he wasn't rescued in time. |
| 67 | * IJustWantToBeSpecial: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]], as it drives Mitsuo to commit murder just to get attention. It's also shown that his {{otaku}} behavior and isolation have driven him to become so lonely that he considers FameThroughInfamy to be better than being ignored. |
| 68 | * InferioritySuperiorityComplex: His Shadow may be a manifestation of his terror about being "nobody." |
| 69 | * ItsAllAboutMe: His motive is nothing more than to gain attention, no matter how warped it is. |
| 70 | * JackTheRipoff: Kubo claims to be behind the three murders in Inaba, but he's actually only behind the murder of Mr. Morooka. He copied the real killer because he wanted attention. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't replicate Mayumi and Saki's cause of death (difficult to do so in the first place given that they were killed by the Shadows of the TV World), so he simply hit Morooka in the head with a blunt object. He also messes up how the body is found, leaving Morooka hanging from a water tower instead of an electrical pylon like Mayumi and Saki. The real Killer even scoffs at the shoddy manner he replicated the crime scene. |
| 71 | * {{Jerkass}}: Even apart from murdering someone and claiming to be a serial killer solely because he wanted attention, Kubo's also a misanthrope on par with the actual killer. His EstablishingCharacterMoment is trying to hit on Yukiko when she's clearly having a bad day, and immediately reacting in anger then storming off when he's rejected. |
| 72 | * KickTheDog: In the anime, he threatens Nanako when she tries to get the same item as he does in Junes. Luckily for Nanako, Yu is there to tell Kubo off. |
| 73 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: The main key that he is not the true culprit is his lack of knowledge about the TV World. The Investigation Team only point this out after finding out that he is nothing but a copycat killer. |
| 74 | * LonersAreFreaks: He was already a creep before the events of the story. Whether it was his loneliness that caused him to be this way or the other way around is unclear. |
| 75 | * MachineMonotone: His Shadow, which takes the form of a giant 8-bit soldier. |
| 76 | * MusicalSpoiler: In the original [=PS2=] version of the game, while he claims to be the killer, the fact that his boss fight uses the standard boss theme says otherwise. ''[[UpdatedReRelease Golden]]'' does give him a unique boss theme, but it's nothing more than an 8-bit arrangement of the standard boss theme. |
| 77 | * MythologyGag: |
| 78 | ** His Shadow Boss seems similar to the final boss of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'', the game that started this series, which certainly fits with his dungeon theme. |
| 79 | ** The character himself shares aspects with both Hazama from ''If'' and Nakajima from the original ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory: Megami Tensei'' novel, being a loner student with access to supernatural means who kills a teacher. |
| 80 | * NoSocialSkills: Due to his isolation and {{Jerkass}} personality, Mitsuo clearly has no idea how to act around other people his age. His very first scene has him getting overly familiar with Yukiko, calling her a pet name ("Yuki"), and asking if she wants to go with him when she has no idea who he even is. |
| 81 | * NonStandardCharacterDesign: Just ''look'' at those eyes and fish lips. |
| 82 | * ObviouslyEvil: Even ''before'' he murders King Moron, his creepy behavior and NonStandardCharacterDesign don't bode well for him at all. |
| 83 | * {{Otaku}}: While he's obsessed with video games and the like (as seen from his dungeon and ''The Animation''), he's actually a deconstruction of the trope. Kubo does like those things, but his lack of friends and bad social skills have left him feeling isolated. He ends up committing murder because he thinks that the attention that comes from [[FameThroughInfamy being an infamous serial killer]] is better than being a nobody. |
| 84 | * PsychopathicManchild: He's around 18 years old, yet acts like an immature brat with NoSocialSkills. His Shadow taking the forms of a literal '''baby''' and an 8-bit toy soldier drives the point home. |
| 85 | * PutOnABus: Following his rescue from the TV world, he is immediately arrested and taken into police custody, never being seen again for the rest of the game. |
| 86 | * RedHerring: His entire purpose in the plot, as his actions and claims throw the Investigation Team off the trail of the real killer. Notably, Kubo did commit one of the murders, but he's just a CopycatKiller in the end. |
| 87 | * ShadowArchetype: He represents what any of the Investigation Team members could have become without the other members' friendship and support. Unlike them, he does not have any real friends or companionship, and [[PsychopathicManchild he's so messed up in the head]] that he ultimately rejects his Shadow instead of accepting it and gaining a Persona. |
| 88 | * SlasherSmile: Does one of these at the beginning of episode 11. |
| 89 | * SmallNameBigEgo: He claims that he's the notorious serial killer, but in reality is nothing more than a CopycatKiller who's out of his depth. |
| 90 | * TheSociopath: His Shadow may be a manifestation of his inability to experience strong feelings. Said Shadow speaks with a CreepyMonotone and takes the form of a giant 8-bit soldier. |
| 91 | * SpeakIllOfTheDead: Claims that Mayumi was a stupid announcer, that Mr. Mooroka was a bastard, and that Saki was a bitch. He most likely does this to make his claim of him being the serial killer of Inaba seem more believable. |
| 92 | * SpannerInTheWorks: |
| 93 | ** Killing Morooka throws a massive wrench in the Investigation Team's attempts to piece together The Killer's patterns and motives. Initially, they assumed that The Killer targets people who appeared on TV and the Midnight Channel based on the pattern of the victims and abductees. But because Morooka did not fit either criteria, the Investigation Team were briefly left at a loss, even doubting that the Midnight Channel had any connection to the murders. |
| 94 | ** The Killer considers him this, saying that if Mitsuo turned himself and took credit for the crimes, it would be likely that the Kidnapper would believe the Killer had been caught and would stop "saving" people. Because of this, the Killer decides to throw Mitsuo into the TV in hopes that he'll die and thus be ruled out as the true culprit. |
| 95 | * StalkerWithACrush: Appears this way towards Yukiko. When Yukiko calls him out once the Investigation Team had caught him, Mitsuo, still delusional, asks if he'd gotten her attention. In the anime, he tries it again while on the end of his power trip from killing Morooka, but gets scared away by Chie and Kanji. |
| 96 | * SympathyForTheDevil: In ''[[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation The Animation]]'', once Mitsuo is arrested again, the news constantly ridicules and demeans him for it. This actually angers Kanji for how they look down on him. |
| 97 | * TarotMotifs: The Reversed Hermit, representing isolation, loneliness, and withdrawal from the world. |
| 98 | * UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Because of his insanity, he never wonders how he ended up in the TV World or even asks whether is he in reality or not. This is what causes Chie to doubt Kubo being the actual killer. |
| 99 | * VillainousBreakdown: Although he was already insane, Kubo falls even further into insanity after his confession is ignored and he refuses to accept his own Shadow. Kubo's goal was FameThroughInfamy; when he just gets mocked and ridiculed instead of being thought of as dangerous, Kubo really loses it. |
| 100 | [[/folder]] |
| 101 | |
| 102 | [[folder:'''The Lead''']] |
| 103 | !!Taro Namatame |
| 104 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/taro_namatame.png]] |
| 105 | [[caption-width-right:300:The Savior]] |
| 106 | [[caption-width-right:300:[[labelnote:Click here to see Kunino-sagiri]]\ |
| 107 | https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kunino_sagiri_transparent.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 108 | |
| 109 | --> ''[[ObliviouslyEvil I...I'm going to save her! Don't interfere!]]'' |
| 110 | |
| 111 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Koji Haramaki (Japanese), Zach Hanks (English), Creator/MatthewMercer (English, ''The Animation'') |
| 112 | \ |
| 113 | Once a secretary in the Yasogami City Council, Taro Namatame's affair with news reporter Mayumi Yamano was a hot local topic by the time the Protagonist arrives in town. It ultimately cost him his job, and by the time the Protagonist arrives, he has been reduced to a mere deliveryman. |
| 114 | \ |
| 115 | After kidnapping Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Naoto and Nanako, he becomes the Team's chief suspect. He is confronted and defeated inside a manifestation of Heaven created as a twisted fusion of his own messianic complex and Nanako's innocence. Now cornered, Namatame transforms into an entity known as Kunino-sagiri by merging with the Shadows around him. He also plays a pivotal role in determining the outcome of the case; should the player choose to simply let him take the blame for the murders, they will be "rewarded" with the Bad Ending. If the Protagonist/Yu convinces his teammates that something still seems off about the case, the game will move the player closer to the Normal and True Endings. |
| 116 | \ |
| 117 | Should he be spared, Namatame, still recovering from his experiences, will aid the Investigation Team by offering his perspective on the game's events thus far: after witnessing the deaths of Mayumi and Saki, Namatame concluded that anyone who appeared on the Midnight Channel would be murdered in the real world, and made it his life's mission to "save" them by hiding them inside the television. Unfortunately, his understanding of the TV world was ''extremely'' flawed, and his actions could have very easily caused ''more'' deaths. |
| 118 | \ |
| 119 | In the extended true ending of ''Persona 4 Golden'', he can be seen running again for public office, determined to be a political force for good in Inaba as penance for his actions. |
| 120 | ---- |
| 121 | * AdaptationOriginConnection: In the original game, it's implied that Kunino-Sagiri was simply the merger of Namatame, his shadow self and the nearby shadows. However, ''Golden'' expands upon it by revealing that much like Ameno-Sagiri, Kunino-Sagiri was another aspect of Izanami. |
| 122 | * AllForNothing: In reality, his plan to "save" people who appear on the Midnight Channel was completely pointless, as the Midnight Channel actually shows people who become prominent in the public consciousness, not people who are going to be sent into the TV world in the near future (he had inferred the wrong pattern from Mayumi and Saki, the first two victims), not to mention that he was completely unaware of the fact that if someone stays in the TV World for too long, they are ''killed'' by the Shadows there. Unlike Adachi or you, he clearly doesn't know how the Midnight Channel works at all. |
| 123 | * AnimalMotifs: His design references the legend of the "Hare of Inaba". His family's delivery company has a hare for a mascot, and the same hare is on his cap, also he lives in a town called Inaba, making him the figurative hare of Inaba. |
| 124 | * AntiVillain: He really does just want to do good, but a lot of people almost die because of his ignorance. |
| 125 | * AngelicAbomination: Kunino-sagiri is a creature made of the Shadows that absorb into Namatame resembling an angel, based on Namatame's messiah complex. |
| 126 | * TheAtoner: He initially promises to "save" people from the Killer in memory of his dead lover, Mayumi, but his actions wind up doing far more harm than good. In the end, he winds up filling this role properly, aiding the investigation team and trying to help the people of Inaba. |
| 127 | * AttackItsWeakPoint: Kunino-sagiri's antenna is its weak point in the manga. |
| 128 | * BarrierChangeBoss: His Quad Converge spell multiplies the power of one random element (which he then spams) by 4, and cuts all others to 1/4. It's kind of nasty, but so easily turned against him. |
| 129 | * BattleThemeMusic: "A New World Fool" as Kunino-sagiri, shared with the Killer. |
| 130 | * BigBadWannabe: {{Inverted|Trope}}. Thinking that the Killer used conventional methods to kill Mayumi and Saki as well as his interactions with Shadow Mayumi, he thought that the Midnight Channel was a safe haven. Guessing that the Killer was targeting individuals who were featured on TV, he thought that Yukiko was the next target, thus setting up his kidnapping method via putting them in the Midnight Channel and planning to retrieve them later, unaware that he's doing the same as the Killer. |
| 131 | * BreakThemByTalking: Kunino-sagiri does this to Soji in the manga. |
| 132 | -->"You think yourself a hero...? You want everything to go just as you see fit. But the real hero...is me...I'm the savior...I know...I know, in truth...how empty you are inside. Always obeying your parents and others, playing the part of the good little boy, to keep up appearances. You may have convinced yourself that you make your own choices now...but you're nothing but a puppet on strings. |
| 133 | * BroughtDownToNormal: After his rescue from the TV world and Kunino-sagiri's defeat, it's implied that Nanatame lost the ability to enter the TV world himself or force others inside. When he tried to confess his crimes to the police, he was unable to replicate his methods and thus was let off without punishment. |
| 134 | * TheCallHasBadReception: The cause of all his problems is his lack of understanding of the Midnight Channel and how it works, not helped at all by the Killer's manipulations. |
| 135 | * CassandraTruth: He attempted to warn Saki Konishi about the Midnight Channel, but she was creeped out by his demeanor and didn't listen. He later attempted to warn the police about it, but was passed off as a lunatic. A few days later, Saki popped up dead. |
| 136 | * CommonalityConnection: The reason for how he ended up having an affair with Mayumi Yamano. Both of them bonded over the stress of their work life, and how they came from Inaba. |
| 137 | * TheChewToy: He's played for a chump by two of the main antagonists, has a grotesque fog god smuggled inside of him without his knowledge instead of an Izanagi Persona, nearly gets murdered and incarcerated due to a terrible misunderstanding, and in ''Golden''[='s=] new ending, it's implied that he outright loses the power to enter the TV World. |
| 138 | * ChronicHeroSyndrome: Deconstructed. His obsession with trying to save people from The Killer, while well-intentioned, only causes him to play right into The Killer's hands. The Killer even lampshades this, mocking Namatame for being so caught up in the delusion that he still continued "saving" people even when it appeared that the killer had been caught. |
| 139 | * CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: A depressed layabout put to work as a delivery guy after his political career dried up... who turns out to be a dangerous, competent kidnapper and a major threat in a fight once his back's against the wall. |
| 140 | * DefeatMeansFriendship: Once he's beaten in the Midnight Channel (and provided you spare him), he supports the team's efforts to stop the Killer. |
| 141 | * DespairEventHorizon: He hits it after Mayumi dies and only gets worse as the events of the game continue. It makes sense, since his part of Izanagi represents despair. Thankfully, he gets better. |
| 142 | * DidntThinkThisThrough: His plan to protect the killer's prospective victims by throwing them into the TV world hinges on him assuming that the TV world is safe. Were it not for the Investigation Team, the end result would have been involuntary manslaughter. |
| 143 | * DiscOneFinalBoss: In spite of the build-up to his fight and all signs pointing to Namatame being the Killer you're chasing after, he ends up not being the one responsible. The battle against him is nevertheless appropriately tough, and WILL send you packing if you're not careful. |
| 144 | * DrowningMySorrows: Falls into this after the scandal involving his affair. [[DespairEventHorizon The murders only worsen his problem.]] |
| 145 | * EarlyBirdCameo: It's possible to talk to him at several portions of the game, well before his true role in the plot is revealed. |
| 146 | * EarnYourHappyEnding: In the extended epilogue of ''Golden'', it is revealed that Namatame has been released from prison early and has begun putting his life together again. When the protagonist returns to Inaba, he sees Namatame making a speech about his plan to return to public office again to atone for the mistakes he had done over the last year. [[VideoGame/Persona5 A few years later]], he is currently the state secretary of Inaba. |
| 147 | * EasilyForgiven: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. After the Killer is apprehended, he is released from prison with his slate wiped clean. Apparently, [[ThrowTheDogABone none of the people he kidnapped pressed charges (including the Dojimas)]] and his incoherent ramblings and [[DePower inability to reproduce his methods]] were not enough to implicate him of any crime, which means there was basically a lack of evidence. The fact that he genuinely [[AntiVillain thought he was doing good]] [[ObliviouslyEvil and saving people at the time]], plus the fact that he ended up [[HeelFaceTurn helping the heroes catch the true culprit]] later on, and [[TheAtoner genuinely feels guilty]] for his actions may have contributed to this. |
| 148 | * FinalBoss: If you fail to realize he's not the killer, fail to deduce the killer's true identity, or actually protect the true killer's identity in ''Golden'', he is the last boss you face in the game. Otherwise, he's a DiscOneFinalBoss. |
| 149 | * {{Foil}}: To both Yu and Adachi, in their assigned roles as the agents of Despair, Hope and Emptiness respectively. Unlike both of them, he never awakened his Persona powers properly, leading to he and they following very different paths: |
| 150 | ** Much like Yu, he is trying to use his powers to save people. Unfortunately, his actions end up putting those he throws into the TV in danger, while Yu ends up rescuing them from death. Namatame is isolated from the rest of the town and has seemingly no points of contact other than his father who runs the delivery service, while Yu has an entire team of TrueCompanions behind him and a broad range of options for social interaction besides. On the flipside, both flail around trying to find out who the Killer is without realising who it is, and both are ultimately pawns of Adachi. |
| 151 | ** He and Adachi both arrive in town under acrimonious circumstances, one because he was fired for having an affair that went public, the other for an unspecified mistake that got him ReassignedToAntarctica. Both put people inside the TV, but for completely different reasons. Namatame is apologetic after he's captured and takes responsibility for his actions whereas Adachi is mostly remorseless even once he's stopped and [[NeverMyFault constantly dodging the blame for his actions]]. |
| 152 | * ForcedToWatch: Despite trying to save them both, he could only watch as Mayumi and Saki died violently on the Midnight Channel. |
| 153 | * AGodAmI: Develops a messiah complex at some point, believing that he is a righteous savior protecting the innocent. The truth is a lot more complicated than that. |
| 154 | * TheHeavy: While he turns out to not be the Killer, his actions nonetheless drive most of the plot. His kidnappings were what led to the formation of the Investigation Team and led to what it is now. The real killer deliberately manipulated him into serving this role, ensuring that the murder mystery ''he'd'' triggered would continue to wreak havoc in the town. |
| 155 | * HeelFaceTurn: He's not exactly a villain to begin with, given his good intentions, but after he's given the chance to explain himself, he decides to support the Investigation Team, becoming an ally to them. His help proves crucial in finally finding the Killer, and kicking off the endgame. |
| 156 | * HeelRealization: Throughout the game, he kidnaps people he saw on the Midnight Channel and throws them into the TV to protect them from a Serial Killer. He sincerely believes that the TV World is a safe place, and that they are returned to the real world after the danger has passed. What he doesn't realize is that they can't escape on their own, and once the fog lifts in the TV World, they will be killed by the Shadows. Once he himself enters the TV to escape police pursuit, it hits him just how wrong he was, and he does everything he can to assist the party as atonement. |
| 157 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: Fail to complete the Heaven dungeon on time and he learns the hard way why throwing people in the TV was a bad idea. One of the bad endings has the Investigation Team throw him back in the TV, where he will be killed by shadows just like the people he tried to save would have been. |
| 158 | * IgnoredEpiphany: When questioned by the Investigation Team in the hospital, he admitted that when he entered the TV World for the first time, he realised that it was not the safe haven that he thought it was. However, caught up in his own messianic delusions and the trauma he had been through, he remained in denial. |
| 159 | * IncitingIncident: Had Adachi not picked up on his frantic calls to the police, none of the kidnappings would've occurred as Adachi suggested he should do that after realizing that he has the ability to interact with TV's as well. |
| 160 | * InterruptedSuicide: When the investigation team go to speak to him in the hospital, he is seen sitting by an open window he was trying to climb out of. |
| 161 | * KarmicDeath: The Investigation Team has the option to [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this on him by throwing him back into the TV after learning that he probably won’t be tried for nearly getting several people killed due to the supernatural nature of his crimes and after being taunted with this fact by his shadow. Unfortunately this ends up being [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] since he was being tricked into “saving” people by Adachi and doing so leads to a bad ending. |
| 162 | * LateArrivalSpoiler: {{Downplayed|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/Persona5'' as you need to watch two specific TV programs on separate days to learn that he wasn't the Inaba Killer, as he's noted as the state secretary of Inaba on one program, while the true killer is being interviewed on the second one. |
| 163 | * LockedOutOfTheLoop: Essentially the reason behind Namatame being an antagonist. To his knowledge, throwing potential targets into the TV World is saving them from suffering the same fate of Mayumi or Saki. The fact that Yukiko and the others all survive is proof of this for Namatame. Having never stepped foot into the TV World himself, he had no idea of the dangers he was putting them in. |
| 164 | * MyGodWhatHaveIDone: After he realizes that his actions could have potentially caused ''more'' deaths, he's understandably horrified and [[HeelFaceTurn resolves to help the party going forward.]] |
| 165 | * MythicalMotifs: Just like how the main cast are based off of Japanese gods, he is based of the legend of "Hare of Inaba". In the legend, after having his fur flayed off by a shark the hare asked Onamuchi's eighty brothers for help on how to regain his skin; the brothers gave him bad advice on purpose, telling him to bathe in the salty sea, causing the poor hare great pain. This is referenced by Adachi giving him malicious advice to start throwing people in the TV so they'd be safe, and this makes Namatame to unwittingly cause great pain for everyone involved. In the myth, Onamuchi later comes by the hare and offers him some actual good advice, telling him to bathe in the fresh water at the mouth of the river and then roll in cattails. This causes the hare's skin and his form as a god to be restored, and he rewards Onamuchi by telling him that he will be the one to marry a princess. This is referenced by the investigation team showing him compassion and helping him see the true nature of his actions, and thus he rewards them with vital info for solving the case. Also of note is the rabbit logo on his delivery company and also on his hat, and him being based in the town of Inaba, thus making him a true Hare of Inaba. |
| 166 | * NewAgeRetroHippie: Kunino-sagiri has elements of this, including a billowy T-shirt with a heart and peace symbol on it, in addition to frequently making the two-fingered peace sign ([[{{Irony}} which he uses to attack]]). |
| 167 | * NiceGuy: The only reason he's listed on the Antagonist page is because of the ObliviouslyEvil nature of his actions causing trouble for the people of Inaba. When he realizes his errors, he shows himself to be a good man who wants to protect innocent people. |
| 168 | * NotMeThisTime: In the endings where you spare him but fail to catch the true killer, despite confessing to the multiple kidnappings, he flatly denies involvement in the murders of Mayumi and Saki. This is also brought up if you nail the killer; Dojima notes that he has shaky motives and an ironclad alibi. |
| 169 | * ObliviouslyEvil: He genuinely believes he's "saving" people by throwing them into the TV. Unfortunately, because of his own flawed understanding of the TV World and the Killer's manipulations, he never realized that doing this would have actually killed them instead, and indeed is how the Killer offed the first two victims. Once he discovers the truth about the TV world, he is horrified and becomes desperate to atone. |
| 170 | * PunnyName: Taro Namatame, as in Tarot. |
| 171 | * RedHerring: Ultimately, it turns out he's not the one behind the murders, in spite of fitting a lot of the criteria prior to the fight against him. |
| 172 | * SadlyMythtaken: Kunino-Sagiri in the original Japanese myth is just a minor fertility god. He's not an angelic abomination. |
| 173 | * SanitySlippage: By the time the Investigation Team catches up to him, he is clearly losing his mind. His crazed and delusional demeanor [[NotHelpingYourCase does nothing to sway the Investigation Team away from believing he’s the real killer.]] |
| 174 | * ShadowArchetype: For the entire Investigation Team. Just like them, he was trying to protect people from the Killer. However, he was completely alone, meaning he had nobody to keep his sense of reality in check, resulting in a series of mental breakdowns and a twisted messiah complex. It doesn't help that he was being manipulated by the killer into doing his work for him through exploiting his flawed understanding of the TV World. |
| 175 | * SympatheticAdulterer: He knows that his affair with Mayumi was wrong, but he genuinely loved her, the feeling was mutual, and his relationship with his wife was often troubled even before the affair. |
| 176 | * TacticalSuicideBoss: Makara Break is a move Kunino-sagiri will take advantage of during its first phase to keep you from reflecting its attacks back at it. Yet, it ''stops using anything other than ma-dyne spells'' the entire part of the fight that is Quad Converge. This allows you to feed him his own powerful magical attacks with impunity. |
| 177 | * TarotMotifs: The reversed Judgement; a lack of reflection and self-evaluation. Overwhelmed by the despair and his own messiah complex, Namatame never really reflected on the decisions he had made and whether or not he's actually saving people. He admits to the Investigation Team in the hospital that he started to have his doubts, but nonetheless continued his kidnappings. Had he actually stopped to reevaluate his methods, perhaps none of the tragedies with Nanako's kidnapping would have happened. |
| 178 | * ThrowTheDogABone: He manages to regain a normal life after the events of the game and the new ending in ''Golden'' even has him running for mayor. ''VideoGame/Persona5'' eventually reveals he became the state secretary for Inaba. |
| 179 | * TooLongDidntDub: It's pretty noticeable when Matthew Mercer takes over for Namatame in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Golden]]'', since Atlus reused all of his previous audio, only recording new lines for the parts where he talks about the game's new events. |
| 180 | * TragicVillain: He’s only ([[ObliviouslyEvil technically]]) a villain because of a massive TraumaCongaLine and the manipulations of Adachi. He's not some insane SerialKiller, he's just a distressed man being manipulated into believing that he's the only one who can save people from the Killer. |
| 181 | * TraumaCongaLine: This guy has had it ''rough'', to say the least: |
| 182 | ** He is stuck in a loveless marriage with his wife, whose singing career caused them to drift apart. |
| 183 | ** His affair with Mayumi is exposed, resulting in him being the subject of a public scandal that saw him losing his job and divorced with his wife. |
| 184 | ** Not long after, he discovered that the woman that he loved was found dead, and saw her die in front of his own eyes on the Midnight Channel. |
| 185 | ** He then fails to save Saki Konishi as well, and had to watch her die on the Midnight Channel just like Mayumi did. |
| 186 | ** He ends up becoming an UnwittingPawn to the Killer, who exploits Namatame's desire to save people by throwing them into the TV World, making him TheScapegoat for the very murders that he tried to prevent. |
| 187 | ** He later escapes into the TV World himself, only to find that he's trapped in the Midnight Channel with Nanako, where he ends up getting possessed by the shadows around him to become an angel-like monstrosity born from an aspect of a cognitive god. |
| 188 | ** When Nanako apparently dies by his actions, the Investigation Team became so pissed that they came very close to dumping him into the TV world the same way he did his victims which would result in him being killed. |
| 189 | ** Finally, there's his realization that his attempts to save people was what was endangering them in the first place. |
| 190 | * TheUnfought: His Shadow (or rather, what the Investigation Team believes to be his Shadow) shows up on the TV after Namatame is captured to taunt the Investigation Team into throwing Namatame back in but is never fought. The Investigation Team mistake Kunino-Sagiri for his shadow but it was actually a monster implanted by Izanami. |
| 191 | * UnwittingPawn: His original idea to throw people into the TV World came from the Killer, who would continue to sit back and enjoy the suffering he was obliviously causing. Ultimately, along with the Protagonist and the Killer, he is one of the GreaterScopeVillain's three "game pieces" -- Despair, in his case -- meant to determine what humanity desires most. |
| 192 | * WhatTheHellHero: Though he may have had nothing but the best of intentions, Chie rightfully calls Namatame out on never questioning the nature of the TV World. |
| 193 | [[/folder]] |
| 194 | |
| 195 | [[folder:'''The Killer''']] |
| 196 | !Tohru Adachi |
| 197 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/adachi_0.png]] |
| 198 | [[caption-width-right:350:''"Mangle them, Magatsu-Izanagi!"'']] |
| 199 | |
| 200 | -->''[[YouMeddlingKids "Dammit! You're all such a pain in the ass!]] I'll [[IllKillYou kill you]], just like [[SerialKiller I did those other ones!"]]'' |
| 201 | |
| 202 | ->'''Arcana:''' The Jester, Hunger[[note]]Lust in the JP version[[/note]] (''Golden'')\ |
| 203 | '''Persona:''' [[Myth/JapaneseMythology Magatsu-Izanagi]]\ |
| 204 | '''Weapons''': Pistols\ |
| 205 | '''Voiced by:''' Creator/MitsuakiMadono (Japanese) and Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (English)\ |
| 206 | '''Stage actor:''' Masami Ito (''[=VisuaLive=]'' and ''[=VisuaLive=] Evolution'') |
| 207 | \ |
| 208 | Originally a side character turned antagonist, Adachi became a Social Link in ''Persona 4 Golden'', representing the [[EvilCounterpart Jester]] ''and'' [[TheHedonist Hunger]] [[note]]Lust of the Thoth Tarot in the JP version[[/note]] Arcanas. |
| 209 | \ |
| 210 | Adachi is a seemingly bumbling detective who was transferred to Inaba due to an unknown incident (presumably a serious offense). One of the main authorities on the murder cases along with Dojima, he has a habit of divulging critical information to the Investigation Team, making him a seemingly useful ally. Turns out that not only is this all just an act, but ''he's'' the one behind the murders. |
| 211 | \ |
| 212 | After trying to force himself upon Mayumi Yamano in a fit of lust, he accidentally pushed her into the television world, discovering his powers. He then used Saki as a guinea pig to test his abilities after she came to the police station for questioning - [[MadonnaWhoreComplex but not before ranting to her about how he thinks girls her age should behave]]. Seeing the murders as a source of entertainment within a sleepy rural town he found insufferably boring, he manipulated Namatame into becoming his cat's paw by convincing him that the Midnight Channel predicted the murders and that the television world was a safe haven. |
| 213 | \ |
| 214 | His social link focuses on his laziness and dissatisfaction with his job while dropping subtle hints about his true feelings, and is unique in that it can be leveled up at night as well as day[[note]]Ranks 1, 2 and 6 are done in the day, while 3, 4 and 5 are at night[[/note]]. If his Social Link is Rank 6 before the endgame, his social link will rank up automatically with the plot. The Protagonist can later choose to either confront Adachi alone, or keep quiet about his suspicions. Choosing the former will shatter Adachi's Social Link and mutate it into the Hunger Arcana. If the Protagonist remains quiet, he is given the choice to aid Adachi by destroying a vital piece of incriminating evidence, increasing the Jester Social Link to Max Level and invoking the [[NonStandardGameOver Accomplice Ending]]. |
| 215 | \ |
| 216 | While he claims to be much more mature than the Investigation Team, it's clear the whole affair comes down to him throwing a tantrum over his poor lot in life. After he's exposed, he is chased into the Midnight Channel, where he reveals Persona powers not unlike Yu's. Defeated by a bunch of mere teenagers, he is dragged back to the real world, where he is arrested, tried, and convicted of his crimes. Adachi represents "Emptiness" in the experiment, and because his actions are the most influential, he unintentionally sentences humanity to an AssimilationPlot. |
| 217 | \ |
| 218 | For the tropes related to before the reveal and his Social Link click [[Characters/Persona4SLinksAndNPCs here]]. |
| 219 | \ |
| 220 | For tropes relating to him in ''Persona 4: Arena Ultimax'' click [[Characters/Persona4ArenaUnaffiliatedFighters here]]. |
| 221 | ---- |
| 222 | * AccidentalMurder: [[DependingOnTheWriter It depends on the adaptation]] on his knowledge of the TV world when he killed Mayumi: |
| 223 | ** His first murder was one of these. He accidentally pushed Mayumi completely into the TV during what is implied to be either an attempt to rape her or scare her, unaware that people could go completely inside the TV and die inside. |
| 224 | ** Played with in ''Golden: The Animation''. He was already aware of his powers at that point and intentionally pushed her in, but didn't outright intend to murder her. |
| 225 | * AdaptationalBadass: |
| 226 | ** His game version is a relatively low-tier boss, much less complicated than both the Kunino-sagiri fight that came before him and the FinalBoss that follows him. His anime version, on the other hand, demonstrates the power to summon multiple copies of [[{{Superboss}} the Reaper]] and fights Yu on basically even footing, even having an advantage for a large chunk of the fight. |
| 227 | ** In ''Golden: The Animation'', he effortlessly dispatches several of Yu's late stage Personas, and Magatsu-Izanagi is capable of one-shotting the FinalBoss. |
| 228 | ** The manga adaptation has him dominating Chie, Yukiko and Naoto at the same time without much effort, before proceeding to battle the Protagonist to a stalemate. Magatsu-Izanagi also has the ability to stretch and grow additional arms. |
| 229 | ** In general, every appearance Adachi makes that isn't in ''Persona 4/Golden'' implies that canonically he's at least as powerful as Yu with ''just'' Magatsu-Izanagi. The kicker is that in the games, he's not just fighting Yu, but the whole Investigation Team by his lonesome, and from a gameplay perspective he's probably intentionally made an easy boss as a warm-up for the much more punishing FinalBoss. |
| 230 | * AdaptationalNiceGuy: Practically ''all'' adaptations following the original game make him at least somewhat more sympathetic. He even gets to join in on cheering Yu on during the final battle in ''Golden''. |
| 231 | * TheAloner: He's not that keen on hanging around or depending on other people, finding it troublesome and believing true freedom to lie in solitude. |
| 232 | * AmbiguousSituation: When you first meet him, he is seen vomiting at the sight of Mayumi's dead body. It's left ambiguous whether or not he's faking it, or he's really shocked that he had just murdered someone. |
| 233 | * ArchEnemy: While he is this to the Investigation Team as a whole, being the killer they had spent most of the year in pursuit of, he is especially so to two particular members: |
| 234 | ** The first is the protagonist himself. Not only is their animosity personal as Adachi had been a [[BigBadFriend close friend]] [[WeUsedToBeFriends to the Dojimas]], but Adachi serves as the protagonist's EvilCounterpart and ShadowArchetype. ''Golden'' also implies that Adachi is [[GreenEyedMonster jealous of the protagonist]], having everything that Adachi could have wanted despite their similar circumstances. |
| 235 | ** He is also one to Yosuke. Adachi murdered Saki Konishi, the girl whom Yosuke had feelings for, with Yosuke angrily making it clear that he will never forgive Adachi for what he's done. Adachi on his part, however, simply laughs it off and spares Yosuke no second thought. There is also the fact that much like with the protagonist, Adachi is Yosuke's EvilCounterpart, being the person that he could have turned out had he never gotten over the SmallTownBoredom that he experienced when he first moved to Inaba. |
| 236 | * ArtisticLicenseGunSafety: He states that the only reason why he became a detective is that so he could legally use a gun without having to go through the process of earning a license to bear arms. Naturally, Japanese police have to take firearms classes and get certified to use a gun as part of their training. And that's not even getting into Japan's extremely strict gun control laws, which includes passing a written test with at least a 90 percent score, a doctor's note saying you're mentally stable enough to own a gun, and have an interview with the police as to why you should be allowed to own one. Considering that Adachi proves that he isn't the most stable cop on the force, it's a wonder any of the other cops even let Adachi near a gun. Of course, given that Adachi is such a compulsive liar, one must take his claims with a grain of salt. |
| 237 | * TheAtoner: It's implied that, after being apprehended, he is inspired by both the Investigation Team's optimism and Dojima's kindness, and tries to honor their wishes, even showing up to give encouragement to the protagonist in the final battle (in his own way). The epilogue in ''Golden'' furthers this, revealing that he's been fully cooperating with the police and behaves himself in prison. |
| 238 | * AttemptedRape: Implied with Mayumi -- he accidentally pushed her into the Midnight Channel before he could have his way with her. |
| 239 | * AxCrazy: He quickly descends into this after the reveal. This is especially prevalent in ''The Animation'', where his DissonantSerenity quickly descends into the deranged tantrum of a PsychopathicManchild. |
| 240 | * BadassInANiceSuit: He's shown wearing a suit all the time, even when incarcerated in ''Arena''. He once complains about how it got dirty while he was chasing down a lost cat, but the department wouldn't reimburse him for dry cleaning. His costume in ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' is called a "Fitted Suit." |
| 241 | * TheBadGuyWins: In the Bad, Neutral and Accomplice endings, he gets away [[KarmaHoudini scot-free]] from his crimes. This is especially so in the Accomplice ending, where he effectively blackmails the protagonist for burning the warning letter that could have incriminated him. |
| 242 | * BatmanGambit: Pretended to be a bumbling detective in front of the Investigation Team in order to make them believe the police to be even more ineffective than they were, thus making them keep saving the people, thus feeding Namatame's delusion... |
| 243 | * BattleThemeMusic: "A New World Fool", shared with Kunino-sagiri. |
| 244 | * BecomingTheMask: Implied in ''Golden''. If the MC maxes his Social Link (without taking the Accomplice Ending), Adachi will support him during the final boss fight, implying that Adachi still considers him a friend, despite all that has happened. |
| 245 | * BeneathSuspicion: |
| 246 | ** No one suspects the goofy, bumbling detective, [[SarcasmMode right]]? |
| 247 | ** When Yu forms a Social Link with someone, he gradually gains sharper insight into that person's feelings and true intentions. While he was probably spot-on with ascertaining that Adachi cared for the Dojimas, he misconstrues the young detective's enthusiasm regarding the serial murder case as a desire to see it solved instead of delight in the bedlam it was producing. |
| 248 | * BerserkButton: |
| 249 | ** He takes being rejected by women very poorly to the point where he threw Mayumi and Saki into the TV. |
| 250 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'' hints that insulting Dojima has become one for him. In ''[=P4AU=]'', when the police were questioning him, he was being pretty passive and cooperative. When one of them starts talking ill of Dojima, Adachi proceeds to rip into the officer by bringing up the cop's own crooked, unethical methods, using dirt he had heard while he was still on the force and said cop flipping out. |
| 251 | * BigBad: Adachi is the one whose actions kick off the plot, and he is responsible for most of the conflict in the story. While there is a GreaterScopeVillain with its own plans, Adachi's [[ForTheEvulz personal]] [[TheHedonist goals]] don't really intersect much with them. |
| 252 | * BigBadEnsemble: With the Fog-Bringer, who is responsible for the apocalypse Adachi is hoping to see. However, they are both only pawns to the GreaterScopeVillain. |
| 253 | * BigBadFriend: ''[[UpdatedRerelease Persona 4 Golden]]'' adds him as a Social Link. Max it out, and you'll be able to summon Magatsu Izanagi. Also if you became great friends with him, but don't choose to follow with the Accomplice End, Adachi's dialogue during the Team confrontation against him changes slightly; [[WeUsedToBeFriends it becomes more of a discussion between ex-friends]] (the Protagonist and Adachi). |
| 254 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: Even ''before'' he gets outed as the murderer, there are a lot of hints that he's not very nice under it all. Underscored during his Social Link in ''Golden''. |
| 255 | * BlatantLies: When you first corner him and ask him question about the cases, his answers directly contradict everything your team just put together (for example, he claims he only spoke with Saki a few times, when in reality, he repeatedly questioned her about finding Mayumi's body). This is the final nail in the coffin that he is the killer you are looking for. |
| 256 | * BlowYouAway: He frequently uses wind attacks. |
| 257 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: In Ultimax. Adachi considers his murders a game, and the Investigation Team arresting him and saving the world to be him losing the game. As the loser, he must now abide by the rules of the world that bored him, which means he's not going to let Sho Minazuki destroy everything and make his loss pointless. While Adachi still doesn't believe in the ideals of the heroes, he's a GracefulLoser and he's not going to let their victory go to waste. |
| 258 | * BreakingSpeech: While making your way through Adachi's dungeon, he insists the Investigation Team did all this, pursuing the true killer, out of boredom with their ordinary lives. He asks how is that any different from him killing Mayumi and Saki because he too was bored. |
| 259 | * BreakoutVillain: Initially just a one-off antagonist like the previous villains, Adachi's popularity led to developers giving him a more active role in future games. He got Social Links in ''Golden'', and actually invokes the option of becoming great friends with the protagonist/Yu to the point of his crimes never being exposed, due to the protagonist/Yu leaving the town without telling anyone about Adachi's deeds (the Accomplice End); following that, Adachi's appearances in other games and animated adaptations have all been expanding his past to try and make him less devious, or at least someone tragic that devolved into a killer, also showing that he indeed turned a new leaf. |
| 260 | * BrilliantButLazy: He's far from stupid. He is, however, a humongous slacker, even going so far as to encourage Nanako to take shortcuts in her homework that involved reviewing a short children's picture book. |
| 261 | * ButForMeItWasTuesday: Downplayed, but when he's confronted for his culpability in the murders, he had to take some time remembering his second victim's name. Invoked in ''Golden'', potentially, during Yu's confrontation with him at the climax of the Jester/Hunger Social Link. |
| 262 | -->'''Adachi:''' What do you think will happen if I shoot you?\ |
| 263 | '''Hero:''' You'd commit one more crime.\ |
| 264 | '''Adachi:''' You're right. That's all it would be. |
| 265 | * ButtMonkey: Constantly being yelled at by Dojima and treated like a joke by his peers. [[DeconstructedTrope This causes his more malicious side to run loose.]] |
| 266 | * CharacterizationMarchesOn: The numerous adaptations and spin-offs (particularly ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'') have fleshed him out into a more complex character than the PsychopathicManchild presented in the original game. |
| 267 | * ChildHater: Downplayed example. He seems to have a sort of grudge against teenagers, considering them to be naïve and entitled. His words imply that he resents them for having the opportunities he was not able to have as a kid. Subverted with Nanako as he did appear to like her and during her death, it's implied he's actually taking it hard and has to tell himself that it was Yu's fault as a way to manage his potential guilt on how his game ended up targeting someone he cared about. |
| 268 | * CityNoir: His dungeon, Magastu Inaba, is an urban wasteland consisting of sidewalks and roads glued together by police tape and street signs. |
| 269 | * ClassicVillain: He embodies both Lust and Sloth. |
| 270 | * CombatStilettos: Magatsu Izanagi uses them to stomp on downed opponents. |
| 271 | * ContinuityCameo: In ''VideoGame/Persona5''. He does not appear in person, but he appears on television on 12 December, being interviewed by a detective for the murders he committed years ago. |
| 272 | * ContrastingSequelAntagonist: Adachi is this to the antagonist of ''Persona 3'', Takaya Sakaki. Both have many similarities, such as being {{Straw Nihilist}}s, abusing their powers to use Personas to kill people, and the fact they use revolvers as weapons. However, they also have differences as well. |
| 273 | ** The first is their physical appearances. Takaya appears as an albino whose unkempt appearance would make him a DevilInPlainSight. Adachi, on the other hand, looks like an ordinary guy who would be less likely to stand out, especially in the small town of Inaba. This makes him harder for players to identify him as the Killer. |
| 274 | ** How they received their Personas are also different. Takaya's Persona was artificially created and forcefully implanted into him when he was just a child. Adachi, on the other hand, was given a genuine Persona by [[GreaterScopeVillain Izanami]]. Because of Takaya's Persona not being the real deal, he is not able to properly control it and is weaker compared to an actual Persona user. Adachi is able to easily control his Persona, and media outside the games have shown that his Persona is exceptionally powerful. Interestingly, the two nevertheless summon their Persona in the same way: clutching their head, as though in pain. |
| 275 | ** They also carry out their plans differently. Initially, Takaya and Strega directly antagonize [=SEES=] out of fear that they could end the Dark Hour and take away their powers. Adachi instead relies on the Investigation Team to succeed in their rescue efforts so as to keep his cat-and-mouse game going, and deliberately divulges information to the Investigation Team to help them rescue the abductees. |
| 276 | ** While Takaya fashions himself as a herald of Nyx through his cult, his actions have no bearing on Nyx's arrival nor does Nyx even acknowledge his existence. Adachi, on the other hand, is deemed as Izanami's chosen representation of what humanity desires due to his actions having the greatest effect on Inaba even if he was for the most part unaware of her existence. |
| 277 | ** Their relationships to the other human antagonists also differ. Takaya, while genuinely evil, still cared about Jin and Chidori and fought beside them as equals. Jin in particular was unshakeably loyal to Takaya and followed him unquestioningly. Adachi manipulated and exploited Namatame and Mitsuo and always fights alone. |
| 278 | ** Takaya and Makoto Yuuki never shared any personal animosity in the original games and Takaya barely acknowledges him above the rest of SEES when they fight. This is averted in ''Reload'' where they do team up once, with Takaya expressing interest in Makoto's power, though Takaya loses interest in Makoto once the latter rejects his nihilistic philosophy. Adachi and Yu, on the other hand, are played up as ArchEnemy counterparts in the anime and ''Arena'' games, and their grudge in the Persona 4 storyline adaptations is considered personal given that they had a genuine friendship that Adachi betrayed. Their respective Personas also reflect this --Takaya has Hypnos, brother of Thanatos, which has a few parallels mythologically but looks nothing like Thanatos or Orpheus. Adachi has a literal PalletteSwap of Yu's Izanagi as his own Persona. |
| 279 | ** Both men are nihilists who believe life has no meaning due to negative experiences in their pasts and use this as motivation for their misdeeds. However, Takaya was a legitimate TragicVillain who was forcibly given Persona powers through unethical experiments and is now dying because of the drugs he needs to take in order to keep said Persona powers from killing him, and he genuinely has nothing to look forward to other than a short, empty life full of pain. Adachi, on the other hand, is ultimately a spoiled manchild throwing a tantrum because he isn't getting the life he thinks he's entitled to; he does have a stable job and people who would gladly reach out to him if he would only let them in (Dojima and the protagonist), but chooses to shun the good things he could have in favor of short-term satisfaction, something that he comes to realise once he's defeated. And for all his nihilistic spiel, as pointed out by Yukiko, Adachi is actually afraid of dying unlike Takaya. |
| 280 | * ContrivedCoincidence: His first two murder victims happened to be people who appeared on the Midnight Channel. Both Namatame and the Investigation Team ended up misinterpreting the Midnight Channel as a predictor of who the next victim would be, something that Adachi played to his advantage. |
| 281 | * CoverBlowingSuperpower: All suspicions of him being the Killer are confirmed when he seemingly vanishes from a hospital room with a large TV in it and he's then found brooding in Mayumi Yamano's room in the Midnight Channel. This is Lampshaded by Yosuke. |
| 282 | * CurbStompBattle: The manga adaptation has him toy with Chie, Yukiko and Naoto at the same time. He easily dodges their attacks and dishes out more brutal counterattacks in return. What's more impressive is that he didn't even have to summon Magatsu Izanagi. |
| 283 | * CurbStompCushion: In the manga, while he does kick Chie, Yukiko, and Naoto's asses, once they [[HeroicSecondWind unlock their awakened personas]], the three of them manage to back Adachi into a corner. He's then forced to [[LetsGetDangerous summon Magatsu Izanagi]] to take them down. |
| 284 | * CutLexLuthorACheck: He’s a lot more competent and professional at his job as a detective than you see him prior to Dojima’s accident, and there's his erudite rattling off of the Criminal Procedure Code to piss off a detective beating him up in ''Ultimax'', meaning that he could've had an honest living working at the same level as Dojima hadn’t he turned to murder. |
| 285 | * DeathByAdaptation: In the live action ''Visualive: The Evolution'', he is struck down by the hero. His body disappears, and that's the last you see of him for the remainder of the story, giving the implication that he died. Subverted, since the ''Ultimax Stageplay'' shows that he survived. |
| 286 | * DesignItYourselfEquipment: Because he wasn't allowed to carry his gun off-duty, Adachi modified a toy gun to shoot real bullets. |
| 287 | * DetectiveMole: It doesn't help him ''too'' much, since two better detectives are on the case and outrank him, but it does let him drive Namatame into doing some very foolish things. It also gives him a convenient excuse to wander around the town without looking suspicious. |
| 288 | * DirtyCop: Claims the only reason he became a cop was so he could legally carry a gun, which is justifiable enough, given Japan's strict gun control laws. Though the veracity of those words is ambiguous, given his immaturity and tendency to run from the truth (and his encyclopedic knowledge of interrogation law). |
| 289 | * DissonantSerenity: |
| 290 | ** When he's revealed as the killer, he at first acts as a cliché evil murderer, and does nothing but taunt the party and laugh at the victims' deaths. However, when he's later confronted in Magatsu Inaba, he seems to completely drop any pretense, and tries to rationalize with the party as to why he's become as cynical and bitter in the first place, and only loses his cool when the fighting starts. |
| 291 | ** This is played up in ''The Animation'', where he's eerily calm and soft-spoken even as he's beating Yu to the ground and making his BreakingSpeech. |
| 292 | ** He gets called out on this in December by Kanji when he sounds more annoyed that Namatame won't be convicted rather than genuinely upset. |
| 293 | * TheDitz: Or at least, [[ObfuscatingStupidity plays a very good one]]. |
| 294 | * DrivenToSuicide: He casually decides to blow his head off with his gun after the Investigation Team defeats Magatsu-Izanagi and the Reapers in ''The Animation''. He's interrupted by Ameno-Sagiri taking over his body. |
| 295 | * DrunkWithPower: Started when he realized his power to enter the TV World (and throw people in), and it just kept snowballing from there. He also gets [[LaughingMad scarily gleeful]] when he's allowed to let Magatsu-Izanagi loose. |
| 296 | * DuelBoss: In both anime adaptions, Yu has to fight Adachi alone. |
| 297 | * DullEyesOfUnhappiness: As soon as he's outed as the culprit his eyes become dull and lifeless, reflecting is fatalistic view of the world and his role as the GreaterScopeVillain's avatar of emptiness. |
| 298 | * EducationMama: His parents only cared about his grades when he was in school and [[AssimilationAcademy the school was more or less the same way]]. |
| 299 | * EntitledBastard: He thinks that his hard work in his youth means that the world ''owes'' him success and an intimate relationship. Because he has neither, [[NeverMyFault he feels it's the fault of life, society, and the women around him]]. He also talks about his power to throw people into TV sets as if it was given to him to make up for his unsuccessful lot in life. |
| 300 | * EntitledToHaveYou: He becomes disgusted with the thought of Mayumi being sexually active with Namatame, arguing that he "had his eye on her first." |
| 301 | * {{Ephebophile}}: He, a 27 year-old man, tried to hit on high-schooler Saki Konishi while interrogating her. Her rejecting his advances, as well as slapping him for being a pervert, is part of the reason why Adachi threw her into the Midnight Channel, leading to her death at the hands of the Shadows in the TV World. |
| 302 | * EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: It's implied that he does genuinely care for Nanako during his Social Link and from his reaction to her death, it's possible that he didn't expect her to somehow end up on TV, and Namatame's delusions led him to kidnap her and accidentally set up her death. |
| 303 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: He’s genuinely shocked when Yu betrays his friends in the accomplice ending and essentially punishes him for it by blackmailing him; in the ''Golden'' anime adaptation he's even disappointed by the outcome. |
| 304 | * EvilAllAlong: He spends most of the game as a seemingly amicable detective, only to be revealed as the game's resident AxCrazy SerialKiller right before the final dungeon. |
| 305 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: |
| 306 | ** His aloof upbringing and the various misfortunes that befell him in the past have resulted in this mindset. Being treated with genuine kindness confuses him and he'll try to laugh it off, poke holes in the motivations behind the altruism, or simply flee. In the ''Golden'' anime, Yu gets a brief look at past events from Adachi's perspective, and finds out his earlier kindness caused Adachi to feel anger and revulsion. When Dojima's kindness has a stretcher sent to Adachi, he literally can't speak for his shock. While he cooperates with police, afterwards, Dojima mentions Adachi refuses to even see him. It's implied Adachi was trying to push his former boss away. |
| 307 | ** He assumes the Investigation Team is there to kill him and tells them to leave once he's defeated, since the Shadows will finish him off. He's utterly baffled when they tell him he's an idiot. |
| 308 | * EvilCounterpart: To Yu, Yosuke, and Teddie, respectively. |
| 309 | ** Of all the malicious beings that have qualities similar to Yu, Adachi stands out by being his complete equal and opposite. While Yu used his newfound powers to help people and wanted to gain friends, Adachi became DrunkOnTheDarkSide and ended up ''losing'' friends. The point is hammered home by his Persona, Magatsu-Izanagi, which is literally a more twisted version of Yu's own Izanagi. In the English dub, the two even share the same voice actor. |
| 310 | ** Like Yosuke, a lot of Adachi's misfortune serves as part of the game's comedic relief, and him frequently being yelled at by Dojima mirrors Yosuke often drawing the ire of the other members of the Investigation Team. Furthermore, both Yosuke and Adachi are rather lustful towards women, and while it wasn't as strong as his feelings towards Mayumi, [[{{Ephebophile}} Adachi also had an unreciprocated crush on Saki]], even attempting to seduce her during his questioning of her (made much more blatant in ''The Animation'') only to be violently rejected. But while Yosuke doesn't let his unluckiness and disrespect from his peers bother him too much, Adachi's grates on him to the point that it's part of his motivations. While Yosuke is a ChivalrousPervert that still loves Saki in spite of learning that she secretly hated him, Adachi is a StrawMisogynist who was angered by Saki spurning his advances enough that it was [[NotGoodWithRejection part of the reason he killed her]]. To top it all off, Adachi's motivation for his villainous actions is that he was bored of Inaba after being transferred there from the city by his superiors, just like how Yosuke initially felt after being forced to move there by his parents. |
| 311 | ** Finally, both he and Teddie share a nihilistic mindset and believe that life is empty as a result. However, the conclusions they draw from that belief differ greatly. With the help of the party, Teddie understands that being empty isn't inherently bad, as he can create his own meaning and his life can be filled with good things. This is in contrast to Adachi, who concludes that the emptiness of life makes it all worthless and uses it to justify his crimes. |
| 312 | * EvilIsPetty: Both of his initial murders are for incredibly petty and perverted reasons; the first one was just him throwing a temper tantrum because a celebrity he had a crush on had an affair, and the second was just because he saw a high school girl talking to an older man and deemed her a "whore" who had to die. All of the other attempted murders were strictly ForTheEvulz; when they find out, the Investigation Team even lampshade how petty and childish Adachi is. |
| 313 | * EvilLaugh: Has an extremely unsettling one after the protagonist burns the warning letter in the Accomplice Ending. |
| 314 | * ExasperatedPerp: The Investigation Team questioning him about Ms. Yamano's disappearance, his questioning of Saki and the warning letter he sent leads to him getting frustrated and impatient enough to blurt out something only the Killer would know. |
| 315 | * FauxAffablyEvil: On the surface, he appears to be a goofy and EndearinglyDorky detective. However, beneath that dorky exterior lies an AxCrazy lunatic. Even though he retains his sense of humour, it only serves to accentuate his creepiness. |
| 316 | * FightingFromTheInside: In the manga, he resists after Ameno-Sagiri takes over, helping Soji and the others defeat it. |
| 317 | * FlingALightIntoTheFuture: Even though he's now outed as the Killer for the rest of his life and has to serve a jail sentence later, he realises that something is ''very'' wrong after reading through Namatame's reports which were almost a carbon copy of how he heard about the Midnight Channel, prompting him to send a letter to the Investigation Team to warn them that there's more to the case than it seems and to find out how the Midnight Channel rumor started in the first place. This potentially causes Izanami to be uncovered. |
| 318 | * FluffyTamer: Possibly due to his knowledge of how the TV world operates and the powers Izanami bestowed upon him, Adachi is capable of controlling the Shadows. In ''The Animation'', he's able to use ''three Reapers'' as his {{Elite Mook}}s against the Investigation Team. This ability becomes an important plot point in ''Ultimax'' when Sho Minazuki wants to use Adachi to control the monstrous Hi-No-Kagutsuchi. |
| 319 | * {{Foil}}: To many characters on the Investigation Team, as his "Jester" social link is an alternate take on the Fool. The Team is unsure of what exactly it's doing, but is determined to find the truth, while he is perfectly content with simply drifting through life, looking for the easiest and most amusing solutions. Specifically, though, he has a few direct opposites. |
| 320 | ** First off is Yosuke. While both characters are initially upset about moving to the countryside, Yosuke overcomes it by bonding with others, while Adachi snaps from the boredom. |
| 321 | ** He's also the EvilCounterpart to Teddie. While Teddie is a Shadow who desperately wants to be more human, Adachi is a human who has "the same goal" as the Shadows. Teddie became drunk off the pleasures of the human world once he attained a human form, while Adachi became drunk off the power to enter the TV World. Rise lampshades this if you ask about Teddie while meeting at the food court during December. |
| 322 | ** His attitude toward personal success and relationships is the opposite of Yu. Where Yu has to strive for those around him in relationships and develop himself, Adachi expects success to come to him. |
| 323 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: There are quite a few hints throughout the game that Adachi is more than who he appears to be: |
| 324 | ** He is one of the few major characters who does not have a Social Link in the original game which highlights his importance to the plot. |
| 325 | ** He is one of the few characters who does not have a Social Link but does have a character portrait in the original game, which sticks out like a sore thumb once you start getting Social Links from everyone up to supernatural otherworldly ladies dressed in blue and foxes you meet in the woods. |
| 326 | ** Even in the UpdatedRerelease, his Social Link arcana is unique in that it does not exist in reality, indicating that the bond between him and the protagonist is all an act. From Rank 7 onwards, his Social Link can only progress in story cutscenes which only occurs for story-driven events such as Teddie and the Investigation Team. And even once his true Arcana: ''Hunger'' (Lust in the Japanese version) is shown, the Arcana in question is from the Thoth tarot deck instead of the standard Rider-Waite deck the rest of the Social Links are based on. The only other cards from the Thoth deck that have been used in Persona are the Aeon, Universe and Apostle Arcanas, the latter of which only appears in [[VideoGame/Persona5Strikers a spin-off]] of ''Persona 4'''s [[VideoGame/Persona5 sequel]], the second at the very end of ''VideoGame/Persona3'' for the protagonist, and the Aeon by non-human characters like [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot Aigis]] from ''Persona 3'', and [[AmnesiacGod Marie]] from ''Golden''. |
| 327 | ** In ''Golden'', Adachi has a very irregular schedule and some of his ranks require meeting him at nighttime. |
| 328 | ** He acts extremely suspicious at times, mostly loitering around at Junes (the place where Shadow World can be entered) and claiming that "he is busy" even though he is clearly not. |
| 329 | ** The Personas associated with the Jester arcana are based on [[ObviouslyEvil evil or mischievous figures]]. |
| 330 | ** You can see hints at his StrawMisogynist tendencies if you choose certain options in his Social Link. |
| 331 | ** The first time you see Adachi, Dojima asks him how long he's going to act like a rookie. Key word: ''[[ObfuscatingStupidity Act]]''. |
| 332 | ** When he comes across the Investigation Team at Junes after Yukiko was rescued, he's seen talking to himself about how the town's gotten a lot more interesting with the ongoing serial murder case, which foreshadows his view of the whole affair as a game. |
| 333 | ** At the start of Rise's arc, he seems ''far'' too eager to declare the case over and the murderer caught after arresting someone who just happened to be outside Rise's shop on an extremely flimsy pretext. |
| 334 | ** When Adachi is having dinner with the Dojimas after Mitsuo's arrest, he expresses gratitude that he could stop seeing suspects in every '''shadow'''. |
| 335 | ** During the events of Nanako's kidnapping, before the revelation of the kidnapper's identity as Namatame, various hints point to Adachi as a possible suspect. When the protagonist is in the interrogation room, the Investigation Team is guessing the identity of her kidnapper, who is thought to be the killer at the time. Should the player pick the option "Someone Dojima knows", everyone will turn and stare at Adachi who would be quick to defend himself. Adachi makes a legitimate point by saying that Dojima doesn't seem to have any other friends, but that only makes Adachi ''more'' suspicious. |
| 336 | ** Whoever delivered the warning letter to Dojima's house without attracting suspicion would be someone who regularly visits their house. Adachi is the only visitor to the house apart from the Investigation Team. |
| 337 | * ForTheEvulz: By his own admission, he kick-started the entire plot for what amounts to needing some entertainment. |
| 338 | -->"Reasons...? None, really. I could do it, that's all. And it was fun... I guess that's my reason?" |
| 339 | * FourEyesZeroSoul: Used to wear glasses in his youth. He can get a pair of glasses in ''Arena Ultimax'' via DLC. |
| 340 | * FreudianExcuse: It's implied via his [[UnreliableExpositor possibly unreliable exposition]] and more or less outright stated in ''Golden: The Animation'' that his misanthropy was a result of him isolating himself and focusing on his studies so he could become successful in life, which led to his perception of people souring as he watched others make the connections that he failed to. When he actually got the job he wanted in the police force, he found that all of his hard-fought accomplishments were overlooked in favor of younger talent, leading him to believe that HardWorkHardlyWorks. Combine both, and you get a sociopathic PsychopathicManchild who believes relationships to be a sham, thinks the world is inherently cruel, and takes the first ounce of control he's been given in his life to mean that he's automatically entitled to everything. |
| 341 | * FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Of course, the way he presents the above motivations makes him come off as a brat throwing a tantrum rather than elicit any form of sympathy in the moment, which the Investigation Team calls him out on. The only real tragic element that they find to Adachi's character is that they could've turned out like him if they had made different choices in life. |
| 342 | * FriendlessBackground: It's implied that prior to meeting the Dojimas Adachi never had any friends in his youth, preferring to keep to himself and focus on his studies. |
| 343 | * GlassCannon: In spite of being the normal route's [[PreFinalBoss penultimate boss]], Adachi is rather frail for the point you fight him, though he can still pack a helluva punch nonetheless. He can throw out [[BlowYouAway Magarudyne]], [[ShockAndAwe Maziodyne]] and Vorpal Blade, all of which dish out a ton of damage thanks to his high strength, Power Charge and Heat Riser. He also wields good status buffs and effects (along with Ghastly Wail for a OneHitKill). While you'll likely beat Adachi before long, he can fuck you up in a hurry if you don't take him out quickly. |
| 344 | * GracefulLoser: After he's defeated, he actually acts like this despite the trouble he gave the team: |
| 345 | ** He agrees to accept punishment for his crimes in whatever manner you choose. To his surprise, they instead drag him out into the real world and force him to take account for his actions. In addition, for all his rants about how much he hates ThePowerOfFriendship, he acknowledges that if he'd been more like the protagonist, maybe things would've turned out better for him. |
| 346 | ** Taken to higher levels in ''Arena Ultimax.'' The way he sees it, he lost his "game" and as such must suffer all of the consequences of losing, which is why he fights against Sho Minazuki because his punishment cannot continue if the world he found too boring ceases to exist. He also harbors no grudge against the Investigation Team and is actually secretly happy he can still be friends with Yu. |
| 347 | * GreenEyedMonster: |
| 348 | ** Part of his fall into evil is his jealousy towards those who end up more successful in life than him. |
| 349 | ** ''Golden: The Animation'' implies that he is one to Yu. When Yu moved in with the Dojimas, Adachi felt subconsciously threatened that Yu was taking Adachi's place as a second family to the Dojimas. He's also jealous of how Yu has a successful school life with loyal friends to support him, which Adachi didn't have. |
| 350 | * GrinOfAudacity: His SmugSmiler expression becomes this when he lackadaisically tries to feign ignorance when asked about his role in the murders, despite him being in the TV World being evidence that he had one. |
| 351 | * HardWorkHardlyWorks: He claims to have devoted a significant portion of his youth to his studies. When life didn't pan out the way he liked despite his efforts, he took all the wrong lessons from the fallout. ''Persona 4 Golden the Animation'' pretty much implies [[SincerityMode that he is actually being sincere about this]]. |
| 352 | * HateSink: [[DependingOnTheWriter Depending on the adaptation]], it’s either played straight or {{Subverted|Trope}}: |
| 353 | ** His original characterization in the vanilla game is meant to present him like this. He's an unrepentant murderer who instigates the deaths of others for his own amusement, and acts like [[NeverMyFault everyone except himself is at fault]] for how rotten his life is. However, this ended up backfiring hard and he became [[BreakoutVillain beloved within the fanbase]] precisely for his evilness. |
| 354 | ** Subverted with ''Golden'', which fleshes out his personality as a more sympathetic character beyond the PsychopathicManchild of the original, or at least established that some of his NiceGuy feelings were indeed genuine. |
| 355 | * TheHeavy: He's the one who is really moving the plot along and the one that the team is after. In fact, the GreaterScopeVillain came to the assumption that Adachi's desires represent humanity's wishes as a whole, as he had been the most active and impactful participant in their experiment. |
| 356 | * HeelRealization: |
| 357 | ** Of a sort. He's fully aware of how evil he is, but he only stops blatantly denying it after his VillainousBreakdown and subsequent defeat by the Investigation Team. It was extremely humiliating, and it left him humbled and at their mercy. Instead of killing him (as he expected), they instead haul him back to the real world (metaphorically and literally), demanding him to face the consequences of his actions just like everyone else. The final nail comes when he learns that Dojima (who had pretty good reasons to hate him) had requested, as a personal favor, that an EMT with a stretcher be sent out to treat and apprehend the exhausted Adachi because they had been partners. Adachi is completely unable to say anything. He later confesses to the first two murders, and shows full cooperation with the police. |
| 358 | ** In the True Ending, the Team receives a letter from the recently-convicted Adachi, which contains his suspicions about a higher being orchestrating the entire thing, the few vague clues he can offer. When the protagonist finally does face that being, Adachi is there to... call them a bitch too, and tell you you should think so too and thus kick its ass, since you're not like him. |
| 359 | * HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Realising this is how the player identifies Adachi as the killer, musing over the facts of the first two murders, the mysterious warning letters sent to Yu's house, and the fact that despite the increase in police presence throughout Inaba, nobody suspicious was noticed by the locals, and [[EurekaMoment realising]] that Adachi, as a police officer, can [[BeneathSuspicion walk around in plain sight without getting noticed]], and has easy access to both murder victims as well as the Dojima residence. |
| 360 | * HiddenDepths: For a guy who claimed to have only joined the police so he can be legally allowed to carry a gun, ''Ultimax'' shows that Adachi can rattle off the Criminal Procedure Code without effort. This, alongside flashbacks of his past in ''Golden: The Animation'', implies that Adachi did start off as an idealistic young cop whose idealism was crushed by constant setbacks in life. |
| 361 | * HoistByHisOwnPetard: He writes threatening letters that mention the word 'kill', even though he knew Namatame genuinely thought he was saving people, has a radical change in attitude after Dojima's accident and [[INeverSaidItWasPoison makes what essentially amounts to the same slip of the tongue]] ''twice''. Ironically he had been intentionally "letting slip" clues to the investigation team earlier before revealing himself as the killer as a genuine slip up. In addition, the letters narrow down the culprit to people with unfettered access to the Dojima house, meaning the Investigation Team, Nanako, Namatame, Ryotaro Dojima, and Adachi. |
| 362 | * HumansAreBastards: Believes humanity and the world it's crafted to be annoying, dull, and hypocritical. |
| 363 | -->"If crimes could be solved by appealing to morality, we wouldn't need the police!" |
| 364 | * {{Hypocrite}}: His belief that humans are hypocrites is ironic because of how much of a hypocrite he really is. He makes other people's lives miserable while still acting like he's the only one who's had a rough existence, calls the Investigation Team self-righteous for their responses to his long tirade against how much humanity and reality suck, and claims that they're only pursuing him because they wanted some excitement in their boring lives. Then again, he probably [[HypocrisyNod knows it and just doesn't care]]. |
| 365 | * IgnoredEpiphany: Unlike Namatame, he fails to recognize ThePowerOfFriendship, thinking it to be bogus, and believes Yu to be a dumbass even when he's defeated by both. He can't fully bring himself to ignore that he was ultimately at fault though, and broods over the fact that if he had been more like the protagonist, things may not have turned so sour. |
| 366 | * IJustWantToBeSpecial: Like Yosuke, in many ways, he's bored out of his skull by the quiet country life of Inaba. But when he gets his powers, he starts using them for murder and mayhem. Furthermore, this attitude seems to stem from his frustration and disappointment on how his life turned out despite working hard and following the path set out in front of him. |
| 367 | * IndirectSerialKiller: Subverted; he tricks [[UnwittingPawn Namatame]] into pushing most of the people into the T.V. world, but thanks to the efforts of the Investigation Team, no one is killed. |
| 368 | * INeverSaidItWasPoison: |
| 369 | ** He ends up giving himself away when he said that Namatame put the victims inside the TV -- no one but the Killer and the Investigation Team would have known that was how the victims were murdered. |
| 370 | ** Adachi also gave himself away even before he was listed as a suspect. When the Investigation Team discovered Namatame's diary which had the names of all the people he put inside the TV, Adachi showed no surprise and proclaimed that Namatame was the Killer. Naoto later pointed out that most of the people listed were classified as by the police as mere "disappearances" and any connection between them and the murders had yet to established. On the other hand, Naoto had somewhat perjured herself in that regard, as she referred to the list names as 'victims' as a whole, even the ones who weren't killed, and Adachi could have easily explained away his statement as being in regard to what she herself claimed about them. Therefore, Naoto doesn't bring up that particular point until Adachi makes a more obviously guilty statement, using it as further circumstantial evidence of his guilt now that he's proven he knows more about the murders than he should. |
| 371 | ** In the animation, even earlier, when he helps the Investigation Team take down Rise's fanboy stalker, he shows no confusion as to their bizarre actions, which indicates he already knows the disappearance victims are people who appear on TV and that the disappearances and killings are linked, all things the police haven't figured out yet. |
| 372 | * InsaneTrollLogic: |
| 373 | ** Unlike the other social links, his progresses more easily if you act like a jerk, just not to him. Nicely encapsulated in how the only way to further ascend his dungeon [[StupidityIsTheOnlyOption is to jump down a giant, gaping hole]]. |
| 374 | ** Adachi himself indulges in this. For instance, he keeps insinuating that he only put Mayumi and Saki into the TV and that it was the world itself that killed them. The world shaped by the thoughts and feelings of all humanity. Therefore, everyone is responsible for their deaths, including the Investigation Team. They rightfully point out why that's bullshit. |
| 375 | ** If you confront Adachi alone and tell him you believed in him, he tells you it's your own fault because the version of him that you believed in just existed inside your head. Your decision betrayed you, so why should you complain about it to him? |
| 376 | * InterfaceSpoiler: |
| 377 | ** In the original, the fact that he's one of the few major characters who doesn't have a Social Link at all might make the player suspicious. |
| 378 | ** The original spoiler is removed in ''Golden'', but replaced with an even bigger one -- he has a Social Link now, but you can only rank it up to 6 the normal way, and after that it increases through the plot. A character with no Social Link could mean anything; a character with a plot-tied Social Link is ''clearly'' important. Then again, at the time of ''Golden'''s release, though, Adachi's true role had been a LateArrivalSpoiler for quite some time, and it's perfectly possible that the player might be juggling too many Social Links at once to notice. |
| 379 | ** There's also the fact that Adachi's link is not only a 0 tarot card, but a Thoth tarot as well, specifically being the counterpart to the other 0 which is the Investigation Team. If the Investigation Team is the protagonists, then the other 0 must be... |
| 380 | ** Early in the game after the Investigation Team saves someone, the game will cut to a mysterious figure wandering around the fog-covered shopping district. Sharp-eyed players can notice that the mysterious figure resembles Adachi's character model. |
| 381 | * InVinoVeritas: Averted, as while he becomes genuinely inebriated, he's just as duplicitous in his "helpful" drunken babble and never implicates himself. |
| 382 | * IronicName: The kanji used to spell his name translates to "transparent." While he is pretty transparent about the police's movements, regarding his own actions, he... [[SerialKiller isn't.]] |
| 383 | * {{Irony}}: |
| 384 | ** Adachi in his MotiveRant comments how people like him, despite their hard work, will always get overshadowed by people with natural talent. Ironically, supplementary materials show that Adachi's power of the Persona is exceptionally gifted to the point of becoming an InstantExpert. Despite having no prior experience in the TV World, he's able to hold his own against the much more experienced Investigation Team. |
| 385 | ** He also claims to have joined the police force solely because he could legally carry a gun. ''Persona Stalker Club'' reveals protocol prevents him from carrying it off-duty.[[note]]This is real-life protocol used by Japanese law enforcement agencies to prevent such a thing from taking place.[[/note]] |
| 386 | ** A confessed misanthrope who resents almost everyone around him for supposedly keeping him down and not giving him proper respect has nothing but positive emotions towards his partner and superior Ryotaro Dojima, who never hesitates to use insults or violence against Adachi if he screws up or is being a nuisance. Such fondness was never enough to make Adachi turn himself in, or hesitate to feed the world to the Shadows, but it's notable nonetheless. |
| 387 | * IShallTauntYou: |
| 388 | ** In ''Persona 4 Golden'', Adachi mocks you for actually burning the evidence that could've convicted him if you actually pursue the Accomplice Ending. He even takes your cell number and taunts you as you're boarding the train, knowing that he's getting off scot-free. |
| 389 | ** This is also his primary tactic when dealing with the Investigation Team. |
| 390 | * ItGetsEasier: If him vomiting at the sight of Mayumi's dead body was genuine, it implies that Adachi was actually horrified that he had just killed someone, especially since he had never thrown a person into TV World before. But shortly afterwards, he had no compunctions throwing Saki into the TV. And later on, he even says that he "got a kick" out of throwing Mitsuo in as he hadn't thrown anyone in since Saki. |
| 391 | * ItIsBeyondSaving: His worldview on humanity itself. |
| 392 | * ItsAllAboutMe: Whatever pain and misery other people go through, especially those of the families of his victims, is apparently insignificant to his suffering. |
| 393 | * JadedWashout: Adachi's cynicism can be stemmed from dissatisfaction towards his job and being stuck in "the boonies". This causes him to believe that society ought to owe him something in return for his troubles, and is what drove him to murder Mayumi and Saki because they rejected him. |
| 394 | * {{Jerkass}}: Once he shows his true colors, he fits a little too comfortably into them. |
| 395 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Develops into one after you beat him; he sends the Investigation Team a letter helping them to expose the GreaterScopeVillain and cheers Yu on in his own... special way during the actual fight. |
| 396 | * KarmaHoudini: In the Bad, Neutral and Accomplice endings, [[TheBadGuyWins he gets away scot-free with his crimes]]. Especially the case in the Accomplice ending, where he takes the opportunity to blackmail Yu after the latter destroys Adachi's confession letter, betraying everything the Investigation Team stood for. |
| 397 | * KickTheDog: |
| 398 | ** His casual attitude toward the killings he committed. Even if you believe that he didn't know Mayumi would fall into the TV and die, it's clear that he was out to harm her from the beginning. |
| 399 | --->"I was just trying to punish the stupid bitch a little for betraying me." |
| 400 | ** In the anime, Magatsu-Inaba is this to the Investigation Team. It's blatantly a wrecked and torn-down version of Inaba which Adachi formed. This hits Yukiko hard when she recognises the ruins of her Inn and Yosuke is ForcedToWatch a replay of Adachi's memories of shoving Saki into the Midnight Channel. |
| 401 | * LackOfEmpathy: Adachi encourages Yu to adopt this mindset when he gets older, claiming that life is tough enough as it is without having to be bogged down by the feelings of those around him. |
| 402 | * LargeHam: After getting outed as the culprit, he drops any hints of innocence and replaces it with utterly ham-fisted douchebaggery. |
| 403 | * LateArrivalSpoiler: Some of his appearances in spin-off material quickly spoil his identity as the Killer. |
| 404 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'' is the worst about this, as he is blatantly identified as the Killer in his first scene. |
| 405 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona4DancingAllNight'' downplays this, as while nothing is explicitly stated, the fact that he of all people is a playable DLC character instead of more important supporting characters like Dojima should be a major red flag. |
| 406 | ** ''VideoGame/Persona5'' averts this during his EasterEgg cameo on the TV on 12/12; he is only identified as "Suspect Under Investigation", and no hints are given about his identity. |
| 407 | * LaughablyEvil: Say what you will about Adachi, but you can't help but find him ''hilarious'' thanks to his goofy facial expressions and his needless [[IShallTauntYou heckling of the Investigation Team]]. |
| 408 | * LaughingMad: Breaks into one in the Accomplice Ending should the protagonist burn the warning letter, accompanied with a new character portrait that is unsettling to say the least. |
| 409 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: |
| 410 | -->"Games like this gotta have surprises or they get boring fast." |
| 411 | * {{Lestrade}}: Justified -- since he was behind the whole scheme, he was always a step ahead of the Team. Therefore, it was imperative for him to play dumb as to not arouse suspicion. |
| 412 | * LivingWithTheVillain: Your biggest hint to finding the killer is the fact that he's welcome at the Dojima household any time, giving the opening he would have needed to send the hero a threatening letter without arousing suspicion. |
| 413 | * MadonnaWhoreComplex: He accused Mayumi of being a whore upon learning she was sexually active with Namatame. Then he accused Saki of being a whore because of the ''mere sight'' of her coming near Namatame. |
| 414 | * ManipulativeBastard: He first manipulated Namatame into attempting to commit the murders with delusions of messianic grandeur, then tries to manipulate the Investigation Team into [[RedHerring chasing after Namatame]]. |
| 415 | * MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: He just wanted some cheap thrills and laughs. Once he's aware that his actions will have apocalyptic repercussions, he's pretty cool with it. |
| 416 | * MisanthropeSupreme: Adachi despises humanity, believing that deep down, [[HumansAreBastards everyone is just as selfish and cruel as he is]] and refuses to accept that one could truly be good at heart. |
| 417 | * MoralityPet: Nanako, of sorts. She's one of the few people whom he genuinely treats nicely. As shown in ''Persona 4 Golden: The Animation'', he was actually pretty close to the Dojima family before Yu arrived. Once she dies, he seems notably beaten down and [[NeverMyFault starts repeating to himself that "It's all Yu's fault"]]. |
| 418 | * MoralSociopathy: In ''Ultimax'', it's clear that while he's still an unpleasant person, he's determined to ensure that no one doubts the conclusion that he's the killer or questions the outcome of the case, even if it means that he's punished for it. The reason? It's part of the "rules" he plays by. |
| 419 | * MotiveDecay: His first two murders were largely motivated by jealousy and a MadonnaWhoreComplex, respectively. All of the other ones were just ForTheEvulz. Despite this, he still manages to be [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkcmxrkHXD0 one of the more realistic depictions of a serial killer]], psychologically. |
| 420 | * MotiveRant: He goes into one just before the Investigation Team fights him. Part of it was SmallTownBoredom, and part of it was feeling like there was AlwaysSomeoneBetter than him in spite of how hard he worked. Adachi tells the Investigation Team that the reason he committed the first murder was because he found out a celebrity he was crushing on had a sexual affair with a married man, and he threw a temper tantrum that she was "spoiled". And the second murder had a similar reason: when the killer spotted a high school girl talking to an older man, he accused her of being unchaste and murdered her for being "a whore". From then on, Adachi fell headfirst into ForTheEvulz, as he committed the rest of the attempted murders strictly because he thought he could get away with it. The Investigation Team is [[DisappointedByTheMotive aghast that their entire adventure started because of one man's childish, perverted insecurities]]. |
| 421 | * MurderByInaction: As he makes sure to let the Investigation Team know, he himself didn't kill Ms. Yamano and Saki; he merely threw them into the Midnight Channel and let the Shadows do it for him. Of course, they point out to him that since Adachi had some idea of what would happen to them when he put them in, that doesn't make much of a difference. |
| 422 | * NeckLift: Does this to [[MissionControl Rise]] during the manga. He then loads his revolver and prepares to shoot her in the abdomen before Chie stops him. |
| 423 | * NeverHadToys: He hints at this, complaining that his parents made him spend his childhood studying. |
| 424 | * NeverMyFault: He got a bad shake, that's all, his idiot superiors dumped him in Inaba, they overreacted. Besides, he was gentlemanly, there was something wrong with those "stupid bitches" for getting it in their head to reject him. Besides, they were just playing Namatame, right? Really, he did the world a favor. For the record, [[InsaneTrollLogic you're all just as bad if not worse for going on this adventure to stop him]], selfish brats... Yeah, you get the idea. Though it's implied he was being truthful about what he got in Inaba. |
| 425 | * NiceJobFixingItVillain: It's all but implied Adachi would have completely gotten away with the murders if he hadn't sent the threatening letters to Yu, as he eventually uses it to figure out the Killer's proximity to the Dojimas and a police officer being in on it all along. It's even the evidence that's required to arrest him. |
| 426 | * NightmareFace: [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/c/c4/Creepy_Adachi_2.png Adachi's scowl]] just looks ''wrong'' on his face. Like a SlasherSmile someone flipped upside-down. It goes to show what an ugly person he is on the inside. The one he makes [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/a/aa/Creepy_Adachi_4.png during the Accomplice Ending]] is ''worse''. Mainly because it's the face of a murderer who knows that he just got away with everything and has you, the idiot who covered for him, under his thumb ''forever.'' |
| 427 | * NoodleIncident: What got him transferred to Inaba. While he claims it was a small slip-up that got blown out of proportion, his crimes in this game imply it was ''much'' more serious. ''Persona 4 Golden: The Animation'' seems to imply that he's actually telling the truth. Adachi was actually a [[HardWorkHardlyWorks serious, hard-working cop at his youth that just never got along with people (possibly due to having to focus on his studies), and got shafted because of it]]. |
| 428 | -->"I was supposed to be the best of the best, and instead they stick me in the boonies." |
| 429 | * ObfuscatingStupidity: He intentionally plays up his status as Dojima's BumblingSidekick throughout the game to lure suspicion away from himself. |
| 430 | * ObviouslyEvil: The Personas of the Jester/Hunger Arcana in comparison to those found in the Fool Arcana. While the entities in the latter are mostly [[NobleDemon noble at best and neutral at worst]], the ones in the former are either overtly sinister (Baphomet, Chernobog, Pale Rider i.e. The Horseman of Death, Gurr, Kumbhanda) or immensely egotistical (Loa and Saiten Taisei aka [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest The Monkey King]]). If that wasn't enough, one of them is the outright archenemy of Take-Mikazuchi, Kanji's initial Persona, and the ultimate incarnation is Adachi's own Persona, the evil counterpart of the hero's. |
| 431 | * OhCrap: |
| 432 | ** After his SayingTooMuch moment below, particularly in the anime. |
| 433 | ** Also in the anime: during the height of his Breakdown, he attempts to make good on his threats to kill Yu with a massive lightning attack while emptying his gun at the same time... only to nearly shit a brick when the smoke clears and Yu is standing there ''completely unharmed''. |
| 434 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Adachi suddenly becomes more competent and helpful near the game's end, dropping the ObfuscatingStupidity as he does. This is a subtle implication that he's getting desperate, as he knows he's running out of time to throw the Investigation Team and the other cops off of his trail. |
| 435 | * PermanentlyMissableContent: In ''Golden'', if the player does not complete Rank 6 of Adachi's Social Link by November, they will lose the opportunity to see the remaining events. |
| 436 | * PetTheDog: Whenever he upsets Nanako with his apparently offhanded attempts to toy with Yu, he's quick to try and lift her spirits. |
| 437 | * PoliceAreUseless: Shares this attitude with the Investigation Team, but for different reasons. Being a police officer himself gives him a veritable front row seat to all the bureaucratic hand-wringing, shortcuts, pitfalls, and misfires of law enforcement that he finds himself lamenting over, more out of the consequence that as a detective, he has to get yanked around by these incompetent decisions. The fact that they can't seem to find the Killer out, despite him being smack dab in their midst, possibly amplifies this sentiment. |
| 438 | * PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Is quite misogynistic, considering any woman who doesn't give in to his advances to be a "worthless bitch". |
| 439 | * PreFinalBoss: He's fought right before Ameno-sagiri, the FinalBoss of the normal route, though he's [[GlassCannon pretty easy to deal with due to his relatively low health.]] |
| 440 | * PrecisionFStrike: In the manga, he screams "Go to hell!" before launching a lightning attack at Soji, and muttering "... Fuck. You pest... You pest!!" when Soji survives. |
| 441 | * PsychopathicManchild: Outright called immature by Naoto and Yukiko. Despite his claims to the contrary, it's quite clear that he's basically throwing a massive temper tantrum. |
| 442 | * PullingTheThread: When all the clues are assembled (how the TV world and Personas works, the timeline of kidnappings and deaths, the threatening letters at the Dojima house) and through deductive reasoning, it becomes clear that he is the only person who could have been the true killer. |
| 443 | ** To make use of the TV world, the killer had to have a Persona. This fact rules out the Investigation Team who all entered the TV world after Mayumi's death, all except the protagonist (who obviously didn't do it) got their powers after Saki's murder, and all except the protagonist, Yosuke, and Chie were victims themselves. It also rules out Mitsuo, who clearly doesn't have a Persona when he enters the TV. |
| 444 | ** Because he has been incarcerated since his encounter in the TV world, Mitsuo Kubo could not have kidnapped Nanako, which means he couldn't have sent the threatening letters at the Dojima house either. Mitsuo's entry into the TV world is also anomalous: The other victims were kidnapped in front of their own homes per Namatame's modus operandi; Mitsuo, on the other hand, disappeared inside the police station as he was about to confess his crimes, which brings up the question of how did Mitsuo get into the TV world? Mitsuo couldn't have entered himself because he clearly has a Shadow inside it (therefore no persona, therefore no way to enter on his own) and if he did know about the TV world and its role in the murders, he would've pushed Morooka in instead of bludgeoning him, which was a clear clue he wasn't the real serial killer. Namatame only managed to get away with kidnapping people because he was BeneathSuspicion as a deliveryman going to people's homes, but that wouldn't work in the middle of a police station, especially since the police would recognize him due to his being part of the investigation for Yumeno's murder. Whoever pushed in Mitsuo had to be a third party who wouldn't look out-of-place at a police station... like one of the only two named police officers. |
| 445 | ** The culprit would have to been able to closely monitor the Investigation Team to know they were rescuing people and know where the Protagonist lives to be able to deliver the letters. Since nobody suspicious has been spotted spying on the team or the Dojima residence, it would have to be someone who has regular access to a months-long case, ''and'' Dojima's house, ''and'' the Investigation team, which rules out people like acquaintances of the kidnap victims, or the other Social Links. |
| 446 | ** The Investigation Team is never seen on the TV when they go on their rescue missions, as there is no gossip about it, meaning the general population is unable to identify the members of the Team, nor connect the true nature of the TV world to the rescue missions. Whoever is sending the letters is not some random stranger, and would have to be someone who can link the Midnight Channel with the Investigation Team's activities, so the letters cannot be mistaken as a prank or coincidence. |
| 447 | ** Combining both of the previous points, the question arises as to why the letters were not sent to any of the other Team members' houses. The Protagonist's house is also the home of a detective who is actively investigating the case, making it an incredible risk to deliver a message that could have been sent to six other, less risky locations; the only reason for this to happen is if the killer ''knew'' they could be seen accessing the Dojima house without suspicion (say, they were someone who regularly entered as a guest), but couldn't be sure for the others. |
| 448 | ** Despite such high-profile and bizarre cases, nobody suspicious has been seen in or around Inaba, ''especially'' around the first two victims, Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi, despite both of them having media attention on them around the time of their deaths. The culprit thus has to be someone who would have a valid reason to approach both of them and not be suspicious. This means that the killer couldn't have been a stranger, ruling out shadows exiting the TV world like Teddie, who would’ve not only been a stranger in his human form, but also seem rather suspicious in his bear costume, or outsiders to Inaba like Hiiragi, who, while associated with Mayumi, is ''not'' associated with Konishi, and she would be seen as suspicious due to her celebrity status. |
| 449 | ** The police investigate Namatame the normal way due to his affair with Mayumi, and he's let go as he has a solid alibi. Killing someone via the TV world requires being in their physical presence, so even ''if'' Namatame had killed Saki (which he denies), there's no way he could've killed Mayumi. And his killing Saki also contradicts his stated motive, as he would have immediately realized the dangers of the TV world if someone he'd pushed inside had actually died, instead of the Investigation Team inadvertently fueling his misconception by rescuing all his victims. |
| 450 | ** The culprit would have to have some physical strength to be able to overpower an adult woman (and two teenagers) and throw her into the TV, thus making it likely that the killer is also an adult, not one of the teenaged or child characters. This includes Nanako, despite fitting a lot of the criteria[[labelnote:Including]]The fact that she lives with the protagonist, meaning that she would’ve sent the warning letters without suspicion, and she would've likely partially know what’s going on, thanks to overhearing Dojima and the Investigation Team[[/labelnote]]. |
| 451 | ** Despite also fitting the bill for many of those criteria, Ryotaro Dojima has been pushing for the investigation of the murders and kidnappings, when the rest of the station is just aching to close the case and be done with it; barring some convoluted, insane rationale, a smart killer would want the cases to be dropped ASAP, so why not have that happen by letting the corrupt police force just take their usual course? |
| 452 | * RealityWarper: Possesses a considerable amount of control over his area of the TV World, capable of outright barring the entrance to it from outsiders, creating multiple copies of himself, manifesting large scale illusions, kicking people out of it if you don't play by his rules, or even stopping the player from escaping it with spells or items. Adachi outright says that it seems the TV World itself is protecting him, apparently due to him desiring the same things the Shadows want, giving him considerable influence over his surroundings, enough to even shield himself from Rise's scanning abilities at first. |
| 453 | * RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: His persona, Magatsu Izanagi, is basically a blood-red version of Izanagi. |
| 454 | * RedemptionEqualsLife: After he's defeated, he tries to convince the Investigation Team to let him get killed off by Shadows in Magatsu Inaba. They refuse to let him do that, take him back to the real world, and he willingly cooperates in confessing to his crimes, even aiding the team in figuring out who The Conductor is from prison... [[InsultOfEndearment while still calling him a dumbass, although this time is much more affectionate than hateful.]] Dojima later notes that Adachi has become a model prisoner and seems to be working on bettering himself. |
| 455 | * RedemptionRejection: During his Social Link, at first. You can try to appeal to him before delving into his dungeon, but he flatly refuses, even adding for posterity that a) he hates people who try to appeal to his better nature in person, and b) if crimes could be solved by appealing to morality, there'd be no need for police. |
| 456 | * RedBaron: Magatsu-Izanagi is also known as the "Tempter of the Void." |
| 457 | * ReplacementGoldfish: For the old lady in his Social Link, as he has the same first name as her son who is usually away on business. |
| 458 | * ReverseGrip: Magatsu-Izanagi wields its weapon like this. |
| 459 | * SayingTooMuch: Adachi accidentally outs himself when he claims in the Investigation Team and Dojima's presence that it was Namatame who "put them in". Earlier on, it's a plot point that the police ''don't'' know how the murders were committed (which is what reveals Mr. Morooka's death as the work of JackTheRipoff, as he ''did'' have a clear cause of death), so how'd he find out? |
| 460 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In ''Golden'' he leaves the country if the Protagonist keeps his involvement a secret, but doesn't confront him... |
| 461 | * SerialKiller: Technically, he ''isn't'' one, as he only has two victims: Mayumi and Saki, and you need three to be officially considered a serial killer. The other victims were either Namatame's work (and all were rescued) or Mitsuo's. He does fit the ''spirit'' of the trope, however, as Namatame was his UnwittingPawn he intended for Namatame to unknowingly kill the victims with the TV world. |
| 462 | * ShadowArchetype: |
| 463 | ** Persona-wise, to Yu (his being the EvilTwin of Izanagi); motive-wise, to Yosuke (both share the same SmallTownBoredom); but most of all, to the whole Investigation Team -- whereas its members [[BeYourself learn to accept themselves and each other for who they are and take responsibility for their actions]], Adachi [[NeverMyFault ignores his own faults, blames others for his problems, and keeps running away from the truth]]. |
| 464 | *** He's actually meant to be a counterpart to the main character in the sense that Yu uses his power to help people, while Adachi uses his power to harm. This is more apparent in [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation the anime]], where Yu had his own personality. The Golden further emphasizes this as Adachi had a similar childhood to Yu's and they share a mutual fondness for magic tricks. Furthermore, where the Investigation Team and especially the main character make friends, form bonds, have fun, relate to others, and generally try to do as much good as they can in their small town, Adachi stays isolated, broods over his less-than-glamorous situation, and thinks himself above everyone else, which leads him into his nihilistic viewpoint and his mission of destructive chaos. |
| 465 | *** Made even more apparent in ''Persona 4 Golden''. He becomes a Social Link representing the Jester Arcana, which is an alternate version of the Fool Arcana that Yu represents. Moreover, should you get the bad "Accomplice" ending, Adachi will mockingly refer to you as his "partner" — ''Yosuke's'' affectionate nickname for Yu, perhaps reflecting that the protagonist has effectively swapped his "true" bond with Yosuke (which was based on trust, equality and a mutual desire to do good) for the "corrupt" bond with Adachi (which was based on deception and power imbalance). This also strengthens his status as Yosuke's EvilCounterpart. |
| 466 | ** While it's easy to miss, he can be one to Shu Nakajima, especially once Adachi's backstory is fleshed out in ''Golden'' and its animated adaptation. Like Shu, under pressure from [[EducationMama his parents]], Adachi had devoted his youth to his studies at the expense of his social life. And like Shu, Adachi developed deep-rooted jealousy towards those who were more talented than him. But while Shu realised under the tutelage of the protagonist that grades were not everything and learned to broaden his horizons beyond sticking to the "right" path of a good college and career, Adachi carried on the same path as he did and ultimately found himself in an unsatisfying and dead-end job. Had Shu not met the protagonist, it is likely that he would have ended up like Adachi. |
| 467 | * ShockAndAwe: He uses lightning abilities during the battle. |
| 468 | * ShooTheDog: In the additional months added in ''Golden'', it's revealed that Adachi refuses to talk to or see Dojima in order to provoke this. It doesn't work, since Dojima remarks that Adachi has forgotten how persistent he is, and eventually gets through to him. |
| 469 | * ShutUpKirk: He has quite a few one-liners to shut down the Investigation Team when they express indignation over what he's done and why he did it. Perhaps the most concise and to-the-point one is his response to calling him "a sad human being" or asking him what he'll tell Dojima. |
| 470 | -->"You say the dumbest shit." |
| 471 | * SignificantDoubleCasting: In the English version, both he (TheHeavy) and Yu (TheHero) are voiced by Creator/JohnnyYongBosch. |
| 472 | * SlasherSmile: Once when you chase him into the Midnight Channel. In the Accomplice End, when you burn the letter incriminating him, he laughs with a new character sprite. |
| 473 | * SmallNameBigEgo: For all his talk about being smarter than the hicks he shares a town with and being a criminal mastermind who got away with murder, the only reason the Investigation Team manage to narrow down and identify him as the true culprit is because of his own stupidity. |
| 474 | ** The warning letter he sent to the Dojima home without being noticed put him on a very short list of people who could do that. |
| 475 | ** By first trying to waylay suspicion to Namatame by saying how his list of victims "[[INeverSaidItWasPoison settles it]]", and later blurting out that Namatame "[[SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay put them all in]]" when cornered, he pretty much incriminated himself with ''[[SayingTooMuch his own goddamn mouth twice]]'', [[EpicFail and the second time in front of his friend and the only good detective in town]]. |
| 476 | ** He thinks he's the center of the universe, and relishes in his status as the Killer. Too bad for him, as he's just a pawn of the GreaterScopeVillain. |
| 477 | * SmallTownBoredom: His main motivation behind instigating Namatame's kidnappings, as he saw the cat-and-mouse game between Namatame and the Investigation Team as means to get excitement in his mundane life in Inaba. |
| 478 | * SmugSmiler: After being exposed as the true culprit, Adachi's main expression changes from ButtMonkey to this. Whenever he reverts back to the goofy grin he had before, it now takes on a whole new level of smugness that was never there before. |
| 479 | * SmugSnake: Overly confident in his plans? Check. Outwardly arrogant and mocking of the heroes? Check. Aspiring for greater power only to turn out to be a pawn of a GreaterScopeVillain? Oooohh, check. |
| 480 | * TheSociopath: Adachi practically embodies this trope. LackOfEmpathy for others? Check. Unwillingness to form genuine relationships with others? Check. ManipulativeBastard? Check. [[ItsAllAboutMe Grandiose sense of self-worth?]] Check. [[TheHedonist Pathological need for stimulation]] to the point that he would resort to murder? Definitely. On the other hand, unlike true sociopaths, Adachi genuinely cares for the [[MoralityPet Dojimas]]. It's just that he [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold buries those feelings deep down]] and is unwilling to admit them. |
| 481 | * SoftSpokenSadist: Moreso in ''The Animation'', where his voice is made softer and raspier in order to contrast with Yu's, due to them sharing the same voice actor. |
| 482 | * SourOutsideSadInside: Despite his SourPrude attitude, he's shown to have some deep-rooted apathy and depression whenever he's alone. For all his claims that he finds fun in the bedlam caused by the murders he had committed, he can't even find satisfaction in his own sadism and depravity. |
| 483 | * SourPrude: |
| 484 | ** When he accuses Saki of "fooling around" with Namatame, he acts disgusted with the thought of her being sexually active, then he mutters about his high school life. |
| 485 | ** He also projects this attitude towards success and intimacy upon the Investigation Team. |
| 486 | * StalkerWithACrush: To Mayumi and, to a lesser extent, Saki (because he thought Namatame, who "stole" Mayumi, was her sugar daddy). |
| 487 | * StrawMisogynist: Considers any woman who doesn't willingly give themselves in to him either a bitch or a whore. |
| 488 | * StrawNihilist: When confronted, he delves into a rant about the pointlessness of life and how much easier it would be if everyone were to become Shadows. The Investigation Team calls him out on this, saying that he's just throwing a temper tantrum. On top of that, he's a {{hypocrite}}, because he thinks life is meaningless yet he doesn't want to die. |
| 489 | -->"Those who succeed in life, they just happen to born with the magic ticket called 'talent.' If you don't have it, you can either accept or deny that fact until you die. That's your only choice. Once you realize that, all you have left in life is despair, the ultimate game over. Wouldn't it be better if that kind of reality was wiped away?" |
| 490 | * SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum: He intends to merge the Shadow world and the real world basically because he can't conceive of anyone being happy in the world the way it currently is. The rest of the Investigation Team outright calls him childish for it. |
| 491 | * SuperEmpowering: Those AdaptationalBadass moments are suggested to be the result of being backed by Ameno-sagiri, who gives him control over Shadows and the TV world along with a power upgrade. Even after Ameno's defeat some of his power as a Sagiri remains in Adachi. |
| 492 | * SupernaturalGoldEyes: Gets these when inside the Midnight Channel, along with his RealityWarper powers mentioned above. |
| 493 | * SurroundedByIdiots: Certainly sees it this way at the very least. To his credit, besides Dojima, the Inaba Police force seems pretty incompetent. |
| 494 | * TarotMotifs: As to be expected from an evil Social Link character, Adachi represents the Reversed Fool/Jester and the Reversed Strength/Hunger/Lust. His lack of maturity and his hedonism are indicative of the former while his unwillingness to face reality and habit of running away from the truth align with the latter. |
| 495 | * TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: In such a small town like Inaba, it would be incredibly easy to fly under the radar by just not doing anything extraordinary. That makes it hurt more when the Investigation Team finds out that Adachi, the bumbling comic relief detective who works under Dojima, is the killer. It's hard to believe that a man the Dojimas have had over at their house for dinner several times is actually a closet MisanthropeSupreme who was willing to end the world just for kicks. |
| 496 | * TokenEvilTeammate: Gets upgraded to this in ''Golden'' if you succeed in maxing his Social Link, where he cheers on Yu with the rest of the cast during the final battle, but does so by mockingly stating that if Yu gives up, he's no better than he is. |
| 497 | * TrickBoss: He starts out as a [[PreFinalBoss deceptively easy boss]], then [[FinalBoss the Fog-Bringer]] [[DemonicPossession possesses him]] and takes over. |
| 498 | * {{Troll}}: He constantly taunts your party as you progress through his dungeon. |
| 499 | -->'''Adachi''': Ahaha! I told you all to come, and you actually came!? Don't you guys have anything better to do? What a bunch of losers... "Let's find the culprit ourselves!" "Let's meet up today at the special headquarters today!" Am I right, or am I right? Man, it's embarrassing. How old are you guys? Ahahahahahahaha! Oh crap, my stomach's hurting... C'mon... You're all students, right? Shouldn't you be studying instead of wasting your time with this? Study hard, get into a good college, work at a respectable company, marry a cute girl... Why are you guys so desperate when it comes to something so useless? Won't you regret it once you're adults? |
| 500 | * TrueCompanions: When all is said and done, despite Adachi denying it, Dojima is this to him: |
| 501 | ** Dojima cares enough about him to call in an ambulance to get his injuries treated immediately. The fact that his boss still cares enough about him for this surprises the hell out of Adachi and he seems to be touched. |
| 502 | ** By the epilogue, Dojima is stated to visit him in prison regularly, and ''Ultimax'' shows that Adachi is secretly glad that they can still be friends. |
| 503 | * UngratefulBastard: While you definitely had it coming, his response to you burning the warning letter that could have incriminated him as the culprit is to blackmail you for abetting a murderer and rub the fact in your face. |
| 504 | * UnreliableNarrator: When he recounts his crimes, his rose-colored view of them is complemented by the player being shown exactly what happened. This is made more explicit in the anime, where the Investigation Team bears witness to full-on recreations of his past misdeeds while he narrates in a lackadaisical manner. |
| 505 | * UnskilledButStrong: Due to going into the TV World for the first time, he lacks the battle experience of the Investigation Team. However, his Persona Magatsu Izanagi is incredibly powerful, and he's able to hold his own against the Investigation Team despite them being far more experienced in using their Personas than him. |
| 506 | * UnwantedAssistance: Feels this way toward the old lady in his Social Link and Dojima, whenever his boss deigns to be nice to him. Given who he is, he can never outright rebuke either of them. It also shows that he has no idea how to react to people who want to genuinely help him. |
| 507 | * UnwittingPawn: His letter to Yu at the end of the game hints that he somewhat suspected he was being played by the GreaterScopeVillain Izanami, and his voicing such helps give the Investigation Team the little push it needs to flush out the true mastermind. |
| 508 | * VictoryIsBoring: In the special Accomplice ending for ''Golden: The Animation'', Adachi laments how boring it is once Yu leaves, even though Adachi had effectively won by blackmailing Yu for burning the warning letter. |
| 509 | * VileVillainSaccharineShow: While ''Persona 4'' has its fair share of dark moments, it is comparatively the most light-hearted and optimistic game out of the whole series. Adachi in contrast, does have his LaughablyEvil moments, but is still an AxCrazy serial killer and a [[TheSociopath Sociopath]]. |
| 510 | * VillainBall: The very warning letters he sent to Yu ultimately unraveled his game of cat and mouse. The messages he sent contradict Namatame's agenda of saving people, which causes the Investigation Team to realise that Namatame wasn't responsible for the murders and that there was another player involved. Not only that, but the warning letters also serve as a red flag that whoever sent them was familiar with Yu, which narrows down the list to Adachi. |
| 511 | * VillainHasAPoint: Adachi has a hefty, if warped, understanding of the game's greater themes: the controversial nature of truth, the dissonance between perception and reality, the fickleness of human thought, and the arbitrary nature of who gets the things needed for success in life. While the heroes rebuke him during their battle, they come to the realization that they could become just like Adachi if they don't work towards bettering themselves. Rise points this out after Adachi asks whether the Investigation Team wants to catch the killer to fulfill their sense of justice or to alleviate their boredom. In conclusion, Adachi's ''premises'' (that life is random and most people are selfish and morally grey) are correct, but his conclusion (that life holds no meaning) is not. |
| 512 | -->'''Rise''': To be honest, I can't completely deny what he said... But that doesn't justify what he did... Right, Senpai? |
| 513 | * VillainousBreakdown: |
| 514 | ** When confronted at the end by the team once they rebuke his views in his face and call him out for his immaturity, he loses his smugness and lashes out at them in fury. |
| 515 | ** Taken up a notch in the anime after the team gets their HeroicSecondWind and begins defeating the Reapers one by one. He really does sound like a child throwing a tantrum. |
| 516 | * VocalEvolution: In the English dub, Johnny Yong Bosch voices both Yu and Adachi. Since Yu [[TheQuietOne doesn't speak much]] outside of battle grunts and calling Personas, Johnny's voice for Adachi is pretty much his regular speaking voice. In the anime though, where Yu [[SuddenlyVoiced actually gets to speak more]], Adachi's voice is made more raspier, softer, and higher pitched to differentiate him from Yu, and to better fit both his fake role of Dojima's bumbling partner and his real one as the true culprit. This carries over into any spin off or adaptation from then on, although his voice loses the raspiness, his voice still maintains the higher pitch and sleazyness. |
| 517 | * VomitingCop: His first appearance. It's left ambiguous as to whether this was real or him faking it. |
| 518 | * WalkingSpoiler: The fact that he's a somewhat major character throughout the story - and a Social Link in ''[[UpdatedRerelease Golden]]''. |
| 519 | * WhatTheHellHero: In the Accomplice ending, Adachi gives a scathingly mocking one to the protagonist for burning the warning letter. While he took the opportunity to blackmail the protagonist, his off-guard reaction at first showed that he didn't expect that the protagonist had it in him to abet a killer simply due to personal feelings. |
| 520 | * WhenIWasYourAge: Part of Adachi's motive rant against Saki after pushing her into a [=TV=] in a Yasoinaba Police Station interrogation room. |
| 521 | -->"When I was in school, I wasn't allowed to do anything except to study my ass off." |
| 522 | * WhyDontYouJustShootHim: Actually does pull his gun on the Investigation Team during their final confrontation, but prefers to then duke it out with them using his Persona. In ''Golden'', with a currently-maxed Jester link, you have the option to confront Adachi alone over their past friendship before the Investigation Team unites to tackle his dungeon the next day. With Adachi's RealityWarper abilities, he easily seals the entrance and teleports behind Yu with his gun pressed to his head, chiding his for his dumb actions of confronting a known adult killer alone. When Yu tries to claim Adachi doesn't truly have it in him to shoot his former friend, he gives a [[NearMisses near-miss]] warning shot besides Yu's head to demonstrate that yes, he ''does'', but he won't kill Yu straight away because [[VictoryIsBoring that wouldn't be any fun]], challenging him to return with the rest of his team and face him all together with their '[[ThePowerOfFriendship friendships]]' to make things more interesting for him. |
| 523 | * WouldHitAGirl: Has no qualms being abusive towards women who are his murder victims, even [[AttemptedRape trying to sexually assault]] Mayumi when she spurned him. The manga adaptation shows him giving a brutal beatdown on the female members of the Investigation Team when they tried to battle him, including performing a NeckLift on Rise, and he came very close to killing them. |
| 524 | * WouldHurtAChild: Has no qualms about murdering teenagers like Saki and the Investigation Team. The letters he writes also imply that he may have had a hand in trying to kill '''Nanako''' of all people, or at least knew she was going to be kidnapped by Namatame and did nothing to help her. On the other hand, he took it badly when Nanako died and the fact that he had to insist that "it was Yu's fault" to himself implies he regretted getting her involved and was trying to blame Yu for failing to save her rather than admit his own fault. |
| 525 | [[/folder]] |
| 526 | |
| 527 | [[folder:'''The Fog''']] |
| 528 | !!Ameno-sagiri |
| 529 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amenosagiri_transparent.png]] |
| 530 | [[caption-width-right:300:The Fog Bringer]] |
| 531 | |
| 532 | --> ''"[[FogOfDoom To defy me is a senseless act that goes against your world's wishes. Now, let everything vanish into the sweet fog of illusion.]]"'' |
| 533 | |
| 534 | Ameno-sagiri is the power in the Midnight Channel that created the fog and is the one responsible for pushing it into the real world. It possesses Adachi after his defeat by the Investigation Team to explain itself. Ameno-sagiri's goal is to cover the world in fog and convert mankind into blissfully ignorant Shadows because it earnestly thinks that's what humanity wants. The Investigation team has to fight him to put a stop to the spreading of the fog. |
| 535 | |
| 536 | In the True Ending, the GreaterScopeVillain reveals that Ameno-sagiri was simply an avatar it created to go about its business. |
| 537 | ---- |
| 538 | * TwoDVisualsThreeDEffects: In ''the Animation'', giving it an otherworldly effect. |
| 539 | * AdaptationalWimp: In ''The Golden Animation'', Ameno-sagiri shows up for all of a ''minute'' before being one-shotted by Yu. He doesn't even get any lines, making him more of a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere. To rub salt in the wound, by the time he showed up, Yu was visually spent from the prior battle with Adachi. To a lesser degree, in ''The Animation'', while Ameno-sagiri almost kills Yu and is only defeated with the help of the party's ultimate Personas[[note]]In Yu's case, he uses Lucifer, which requires the highest level to fuse and is one of the best Personas in the game[[/note]], he goes down after a fairly brief battle, in contrast to the game, where Ameno-sagiri takes significantly longer to defeat than [[GlassCannon Adachi]]. |
| 540 | * AsLongAsThereIsEvil: After his defeat, he points out that he'll always be watching and will return if mankind wishes it. |
| 541 | * BattleThemeMusic: "The Almighty". |
| 542 | * BigBadEnsemble: He's the one controlling the FogOfDoom that plagues the TV World and is seeping into the real world, while Adachi committed the murders. He's not the one ultimately responsible for the game's plot, though - that honor goes to the GreaterScopeVillain. |
| 543 | * BlackEyesOfCrazy: A villain with black sclera. Well, only a single eye. |
| 544 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: "Mankind's desires are my desires." |
| 545 | * DemonicPossession: Of Adachi, after the former's defeat. |
| 546 | ** There is evidence to support that Ameno-sagiri may have intervened and possessed Teddie's Shadow as well, or even brought it into existence. Rise senses a "strong presence intervene", and Shadow Teddie shares such traits as voice, diction, and eyes with Ameno-sagiri. Moreover, unlike almost every other Shadow, Teddie did not seem to understand a word his Shadow self said, which would be odd. It is also the only Shadow self in the game that transforms without being denied at all, and doesn't share the Arcana of its host. (Teddie's arcana is The Star, Shadow Teddie's is The Moon). |
| 547 | * DidntSeeThatComing: Ameno-sagiri never expected people to [[EnlightenmentSuperpower overcome their Shadows and gain Personas]]. This is what gets him curious enough to let the Team test their resolve against him. |
| 548 | * ElectronicEyes: In ''The Animation'' Ameno-sagiri's eye zooms in and out on itself like a camera lens. It even has writing on its eye like a brand. |
| 549 | * EvilSoundsDeep: ''Very'' deep in the game, to the point where it's difficult to understand him. This is toned back in ''the Animation'', particularly in the Japanese version, where he is voiced by the high-pitched Creator/RyuseiNakao. |
| 550 | * EyeBeams: A sweeping laser beam that hits the entire party. |
| 551 | * FinalBoss: If all of the bad endings are avoided, he's the last boss you face in ''4'' if neither the True Ending nor the Hollow Forest in ''Golden'' are pursued. |
| 552 | * FogOfDoom: The source of it. |
| 553 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: There are at least a few hints that Ameno-sagiri is not the true mastermind. |
| 554 | ** He's a minor god in Japanese myth. A ''[=MegaTen=]'' game usually requires you to kill something bigger than that at the end of the story. |
| 555 | ** Despite technically being the FinalBoss, he's taken down normally with no twists and turns. Additionally, you usually unlock your own ultimate Persona during the last fight, so why not here-- especially when you can unlock the others at this time? |
| 556 | ** If you pay attention to the Velvet Room fusions before you fight him, you can actually notice endgame Personas at level 80+ that you aren't able to fuse without a LOT of grinding; sometimes level 90+ ones, such as Ardha. |
| 557 | * GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Subverted. It seems like this, but Ameno-sagiri was hinted to have possessed Teddie's Shadow earlier. This is more apparent in ''the Animation'' when Izanagi's killing blow stabs what looks like a miniature version of Ameno-sagiri. |
| 558 | * GracefulLoser: After his defeat, he congratulates the Investigation Team for proving their strength and resolve. |
| 559 | * IgnoranceIsBliss: Since he thinks this is humanity's mindset, he continues to preach to the Investigation Team that they should just stop fighting and embrace the fog. |
| 560 | * LeaningOnTheFourthWall: "I never tire of observing '''fools like yourselves'''." Another hint that it created the Shadow that says this. |
| 561 | * LightIsNotGood: His God's Judgement attack is a Light skill. |
| 562 | * NoSell: In battle he spends a few turns generating more fog that leaves him immune to all damage. |
| 563 | * {{Oculothorax}}: He's an eye with a torso. |
| 564 | * PiecesOfGod: One of the fragments of the main GreaterScopeVillain. |
| 565 | * SadlyMythtaken: Ameno-sagiri is a minor mountain god in the original Japanese myth and not a robotic eyeball that tries to take over the world with Shadows. |
| 566 | * TechnicolorEyes: More like "Prism Eye". |
| 567 | * VoiceOfTheLegion: Mixes his voice with Adachi's while possessing the latter. |
| 568 | [[/folder]] |
| 569 | |
| 570 | [[folder:'''The Avatar''' (''Golden'' only)]] |
| 571 | !!Marie (Kusumi-no-Okami) |
| 572 | [[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kusumi_no_okami.png]] |
| 573 | [[caption-width-right:245:The Fog Bearer]] |
| 574 | [[caption-width-right:245:[[labelnote:Click here to see Kusumi-no-Okami]]\ |
| 575 | https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kusumi_no_okami_hd.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 576 | |
| 577 | -->''"[[AmnesiacGod I remember...I remember everything.]]"'' |
| 578 | |
| 579 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/KanaHanazawa (Japanese) and Creator/EdenRiegel (English) |
| 580 | \ |
| 581 | A new character and Velvet Room resident introduced in ''Persona 4 Golden'', and the Aeon (XX) Social Link. |
| 582 | \ |
| 583 | Marie's true identity is Kusumi-no-Okami, a divine subordinate of Ameno-sagiri and one of three PiecesOfGod born from the GreaterScopeVillain, the other two being Ameno-sagiri and Kunino-sagiri. Her role is to gain insight into humanity's inner workings, and absorb the mists of Ameno-sagiri and Kunino-sagiri in the event of their defeat. If you complete the Aeon Social Link she regains her memories but is possessed against her will by Ameno-sagiri after his initial defeat, forcing the Investigation Team to fight her. |
| 584 | \ |
| 585 | In the epilogue of ''Golden'', she becomes a weather forecaster under the alias of Mariko Kusumi, using her rediscovered powers to control the weather in the region and more or less ''announce what she's going to do each day on TV''. If romanced, she'll also confess her love for the Protagonist at the end of her weather report. |
| 586 | ---- |
| 587 | * ApocalypseMaiden: Intended to contain the fog should both Kunino-sagiri and Ameno-sagiri bite the dust. |
| 588 | * AmnesiacDissonance: After losing her memories, she becomes your friend. Before losing them, she was your enemy. |
| 589 | * AmnesiacGod: Is actually a divine underling of Ameno-sagiri called Kusumi-no-Okami. |
| 590 | * AntiVillain: As one of the PiecesOfGod controlling the fog, she technically serves as the secondary BigBad. However, her AmnesiacDissonance means that she is pretty much in total opposition to their goals, and legitimately considers the Investigation Team to be her friends. |
| 591 | * AttackReflector: Her Alienation Wall skill will reflect all physical attacks. Her Shell of Denial skill will reflect all magic attacks, including Almighty spells. |
| 592 | * BarrierWarrior: As Kusumi-no-Okami, she can automatically reflect every kind of attack except Almighty. |
| 593 | * BecomingTheMask: In the True Ending, like Teddie she abandons her life as a Shadow to live as a human. In her case, she becomes a weather forecaster under the alias "[[MeaningfulName Mariko Kusumi]]". |
| 594 | * TheBerserker: Fights like one in her battle, as she's attempting to resist the fog's influence. |
| 595 | * BigBadFriend: Is one of the many PiecesOfGod that command the fog. |
| 596 | * BrickJoke: Seems Nanako was right about weather forecasters determining the weather, as shown when Marie takes the job in the extended epilogue. |
| 597 | * CastFromHitPoints: Her Draining Fog attack sucks out the party's 50 SP but inflicts some damage on herself every time she uses it. Her Endurance stat is pretty low too, which makes the boss fight one-sided if the party has enough Breaker items and Repel Joue armors in their inventory. |
| 598 | * ClosedCircle: Her dungeon, [[BonusDungeon The Hollow Forest]], serves as this. You can't bring any money or items in with you and you can't take any money or items out. All you get are your Personas, special equipment, and whatever items you happen to find in the dungeon. |
| 599 | * DeathSeeker: Part of an attempted HeroicSacrifice, she goes into the Midnight Channel and creates the Hollow Forest in an attempt to prevent the fog from returning. |
| 600 | * DemonicPossession: When the Investigation team reach her and nearly convince her to come back with them, the fog takes over her and she attempts to kill the team. |
| 601 | * DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu: You can hang out with her through her social link as Marie. |
| 602 | * DidYouJustRomanceCthulhu: And romance her too, as Marie. |
| 603 | * DisneyDeath: Seems to disappear after Izanami's defeat, only to show up in the Epilogue as a weather forecaster. |
| 604 | * DownInTheDumps: Her dungeon, The Hollow Forest, consists of wrecked versions of places she's been to in her Social Link, such as bits of the food court at Junes and the sign. |
| 605 | * TheDragon: She serves as this for Ameno-sagiri and Kunino-sagiri, though not of her volition. |
| 606 | * EvilCostumeSwitch: When she regains her memories, she switches from her usual ensemble to a white and red robe. |
| 607 | * FinalBoss: If you unlock the Hollow Forest but fail to determine Izanami's true role, she becomes the last boss of ''Golden''. |
| 608 | * GodIsGood: She is described as "The fertile will that protects those who live in this land and fulfills their wishes," providing something of a counterpoint to [[GodIsEvil Ameno-sagiri.]] |
| 609 | * GoldAndWhiteAreDivine: Along with a healthy dose of red. |
| 610 | * HelplessGoodSide: Forces beyond her control command her power, leaving her to unwittingly serve as Ameno-sagiri's [[TheDragon Dragon]]. Once Ameno-sagiri is defeated, her powers go out of control, and she must hide away to prevent her evil side from destroying the world. |
| 611 | * HumanoidAbomination: Though she looks human, she's actually a Shadow representing an [[AnthropomorphicPersonification aspect of humanity]] as a whole. |
| 612 | * IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: What the added boss fight with her in ''Golden'' (if you max her Social Link before fighting Adachi) boils down to. |
| 613 | * ImpliedLoveInterest: Even post-reveal, she gets a ''lot'' of ShipTease with the Protagonist/Yu. |
| 614 | * InTheHood: A hooded cloak to go with her divine appearance. |
| 615 | * KingOfAllCosmos: In the end, she becomes a weather reporter who changes the weather on a cheerful whim, but makes sure she doesn't cause a drought. |
| 616 | * LightIsNotGood: She's the game's secondary BigBad. |
| 617 | * LiteralSplitPersonality: While she, Ameno-sagiri, and Kunino-sagiri are PiecesOfGod, Marie represents their collective desire to protect humanity. When the desire to grant the wishes of humanity and the desire to protect them grew too distant from each other, her original personality split in two: Marie and Izanami. |
| 618 | * MacabreMothMotif: She has a design that resembles a moth when in the form of Kusumi-no-Okami. |
| 619 | * ManchurianAgent: Due to her amnesia, she wasn't aware of this fact while she was doing it. |
| 620 | * MeaningfulRename: Her "Mariko" alias in the extended epilogue came from the names of her two identities. |
| 621 | * TheMole: Her role in the large scheme of things was to blend in with humanity to determine their desire. |
| 622 | * NonIndicativeName: Uses an attack called "Hot Lightning", but it actually does Almighty damage. |
| 623 | * NoSell: As Kusumi-no-Okami, the only way you can even damage her normally is by using [[NonElemental Almighty]] attacks. (Though you receive "Breaker" items in The Hollow Forest that temporarily remove the resistance of your choice.) |
| 624 | * OnceMoreWithClarity: All of Marie's overdramatic, hammy poems take a much darker turn as she recites them in the Hollow Forest. |
| 625 | * OneWingedAngel: Her goddess form: a caped, mothlike giant that resembles Kaguya, the ultimate Persona of her Arcana. |
| 626 | * OptionalBoss: {{Zigzagged}}. The only way you fight her is by maxing out Marie's Social Link and it's possible to fight the TrueFinalBoss even without doing this; however, fighting her is required for the GoldenEnding. Additionally, if Hollow Forest is unlocked, the player will have no choice but to clear it. |
| 627 | * RetGone: Marie's fate should the Protagonist decide not to request Margaret to look into Marie's disappearance is to be rendered nonexistent. |
| 628 | * ShadowArchetype: Kusumi-no-Okami pretty much serves as Marie's Shadow Self, what with its desire for blissful ignorance over the harsh reality Marie herself is struggling to face. |
| 629 | * ShockAndAwe: Her Hot Lightning attack, despite being an Almighty skill. |
| 630 | * ShooTheDog: After the first phase of her battle ends and she starts losing control of herself, she starts yelling that, among other things, she hates the Investigation Team so that they'll leave her alone. No one believes it. |
| 631 | * SplitPersonalityMerge: In the True Ending, she merges with the rest of the PiecesOfGod after the Investigation Team's victory. |
| 632 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The counterpart to Ryoji from ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', being a friend of the party who turns out to be an amnesiac aspect of a powerful Collective Unconsciousness entity. |
| 633 | * TakeAThirdOption: She locked herself into the Hollow Forest because at this point she only had two option: either release the fog inside of her to complete Ameno-sagiri's goal, or to erase herself and the fog along with her. The Investigation Team gets the idea to destroy the fog as it manifests inside her (her OneWingedAngel form) to free her from it. |
| 634 | * TarotMotifs: Reversed Aeon-- destructive habits, repeating bad decisions, and an inability to move beyond them. |
| 635 | * TearsOfBlood: Invoked in her helmet's design as Kusumi-no-Okami. |
| 636 | [[/folder]] |
| 637 | |
| 638 | [[folder:'''The Mastermind''']] |
| 639 | !!Izanami |
| 640 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/izanami_p4g.png]] |
| 641 | [[caption-width-right:350:The Goddess of Yomi]] |
| 642 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Izanami as the Moel Gas Station Attendant]] https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/attendant_izanami.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 643 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Izanami's goddess form]]\ |
| 644 | https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/10425.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 645 | [[caption-width-right:350:[[labelnote:Click here to see Izanami-no-Okami]]\ |
| 646 | https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p4_izanami_no_okami_photoroompng_photoroom.png[[/labelnote]]]] |
| 647 | |
| 648 | --> ''"[[TrueFinalBoss Amazing...You've reached me at last]]."'' |
| 649 | |
| 650 | ->'''Voiced by:''' Creator/RomiPark (Games) , Creator/DaisukeNamikawa (as Moel Gas Station attendant and Ameno-sagiri, Games), Creator/TakahiroMizushima (Moel Gas Station attendant, ''The Animation''), Creator/RyuseiNakao (as Ameno-sagiri, ''The Animation''), Chizu Yonemoto (''The Animation'') Creator/KarenStrassman (English), Creator/DerekStephenPrince (English, as Moel Gas Station attendant, ''The Animation''), Creator/JohnnyYongBosch (English, as Ameno-sagiri, ''The Animation'') |
| 651 | \ |
| 652 | An extremely ancient and powerful [[AnthropomorphicPersonification manifestation]] of the [[UsefulNotes/CarlJung collective unconscious]] styled after a goddess from [[Myth/JapaneseMythology traditional Japanese folklore]], [[SchrodingersButterfly or perhaps its basis]]. You initially hear her name during a class lecture midway through the game: Izanami was the wife who [[DeathByChildbirth died in childbirth]] of a god named Izanagi. But when Izanagi went to bring his wife back from {{the underworld}}, he saw she had become a rotting corpse and fled. Enraged, Izanami chased after her husband to the entrance of the underworld, where Izanagi sealed her in. Izanami then threatened to curse 1,000 people to die every day unless she was freed, only for Izanagi to promise that each day he would give life to 1,500 new ones. |
| 653 | \ |
| 654 | While Izanami herself doesn't specify how much of the legend is true, she is the mastermind behind all the events in Inaba. In an attempt to fulfill the desires of humanity, she creates the world inside the TV and grants three [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawns]], the Protagonist, Namatame, and Adachi, the power to enter. Her plan is to then create a new world for humanity that matches the quality of the pawn whose actions are the most prolific. Because Adachi, who represents Emptiness, has the greatest effect, Izanami deems that humanity wants to live in self-deception and [[AssimilationPlot plans to slowly turn all of humanity into Shadows]]. |
| 655 | \ |
| 656 | In the True Ending, after Adachi and Ameno-sagiri are defeated, the Protagonist may surmise that something about the case still seems unresolved, and traces the events in Inaba back to Izanami, who has been watching everything unfold [[FullBodyDisguise as the local gas station's attendant]]. She reveals that Ameno-sagiri was merely an alter-ego that she created long ago, and she still plans on granting Adachi's wish despite his defeat. |
| 657 | \ |
| 658 | After the Investigation Team chases her through Yomotsu Hirasaka, Izanami nearly manages to kill them all. However, the power of the Protagonist's Social Links revives him, and he destroys her in a single attack with the power of the [[AllYourPowersCombined World Arcana]] in the form of Izanagi-no-Okami. |
| 659 | ---- |
| 660 | * AdaptationalNiceGuy: In the anime. She's still arrogant but is far less condescending than her game incarnation. |
| 661 | * AffablyEvil: Downplayed. She is polite and has noble motivations, but she's also [[SmugSuper very condescending and arrogant]]. |
| 662 | * AnthropomorphicPersonification: She's a manifestation of the negative aspects of humanity's collective desires. |
| 663 | * AssimilationPlot: Her plan after determining Adachi was the winner of the [[HumanityOnTrial experiment]]. |
| 664 | * BadassArmfold: Her default pose when you fight her during her first phase, though she is in a straight-jacket in that form, so it's not like she can use any other arm position. |
| 665 | * BattleThemeMusic: "Fog" as Izanami, "The Genesis" as [[OneWingedAngel Izanami-no-Okami]]. |
| 666 | * BeneathNotice: Why would anyone suspect a lowly gas station attendant to be anyone of note? Hell, why would ''the player...?'' She only appears on one major cutscene towards the beginning of the game, and doesn't even get a character portrait until after the reveal of her true identity. |
| 667 | * {{Bifauxnen}}: Looks like a feminized Doppelganger of the protagonist. |
| 668 | * BitchInSheepsClothing: Like Ameno-sagiri, before the actual fighting starts she loves to rail on about how what she's doing, despite its blatant unfairness, is just and for the good of mankind and what mankind wants and how going against her in that makes you wrong. Once you actually confront her, she of course becomes quite arrogant and vicious, addressing your party as "mere mortals" and the like since they oppose the wishes for humanity. This ''may'' be due to the party opposing her desire to grant humanity's wish instead of actual malevolence, as she will congratulate the protagonist upon defeating her and showing that the wish of the few can overcome the desire of the many, but then again... |
| 669 | ** If you've sought out the true ending and saved Marie, she refers to the fog as "pointless". The fog, the basis of her entire plan and its outcome. |
| 670 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: She wants to abide by her experiment and only acts because she believes that's what humanity truly wants. The problem is that she really does not understand humans all that well, and the "true desire" she perceived is not something the Investigation Team wants. |
| 671 | * CharacterPortrait: It's worth noting that even though she's the third character you meet[[note]]Fourth in Golden, since you see Marie after you meet Dojima and Nanako, but before you go to the gas station[[/note]] and appears on rainy days throughout the entire game, she doesn't get a portrait until ''after'' you've figured out she's the one responsible for everything that happened in The True Ending. |
| 672 | * ChekhovsGunman: Minor character who offers you a "contract" on your first day in town? Turns that gas station attendant is the GreaterScopeVillain. |
| 673 | * TheChessmaster: Used three {{Unwitting Pawn}}s in trying to figure out [[BlueAndOrangeMorality mankind's desires.]] |
| 674 | * ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: Like all [[OurGodsAreDifferent deities]] in the [[TheVerse Persona universe]], [[AnthropomorphicPersonification she comes from and sees herself as an agent of humanity's desires]]. As such, [[InvokedTrope she gives this as the reason you'll never be able to beat her]]. |
| 675 | * ClippedWingAngel: Izanami-no-Okami looks like it will be this due to its decrepit appearance and its reduced stats. [[SubvertedTrope However, she gets higher HP, several party debuff spells, hard-hitting Almighty spells that can cause status ailments, an attack that instantly kills those afflicted with any status ailment, and gets two turns in a row each time.]] |
| 676 | * CreepyGasStationAttendant: Zig-zagged as the gas station itself is well off and in a town and that she's pretty friendly and normal-looking. Later... |
| 677 | ** Adults don't really mind her, but kids find her particularly off-putting, with Nanako regarding her as strange, and the Spacy Girl NPC seeing her as both a man and a woman. |
| 678 | * DamageSpongeBoss: The amount of punishment she can take is ''immense'', and she doesn't even have the highest HP in the game. |
| 679 | * DarkReprise: Her second theme, ''The Genesis'', incorporates an extremely creepy, dirge-like version of the investigation team's main theme ''I'll Face Myself''. |
| 680 | * DeathGlare: Shoots a particularly [[NightmareFace menacing]] look at the Investigation Team before they fight her. |
| 681 | * DidntSeeThatComing: In the anime, even though Yu was perfectly content in living in a LotusEaterMachine she created for him, Margaret breaking into it pretty much ended that plan. |
| 682 | * TheDogWasTheMastermind: Seriously, the gas station attendant? |
| 683 | * {{Doppelganger}}: As seen from her CharacterPortrait, her goddess form looks disturbingly like the Protagonist, [[AFormYouAreComfortableWith at least from his]] [[AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder point of view]]. This also serves a bit of a ContinuityNod to ''VideoGame/{{Persona 2}}'', where [[EldritchAbomination Philemon's]] own UnwittingPawn Tatsuya [[CallingTheOldManOut punches him]] [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu in the face]], only to find that behind Philemon's mask... [[AppearanceIsInTheEyeOfTheBeholder is Tatsuya's own face]]. [[GreaterScopeVillain Nyarlathotep]] similarly shows up with Tatsuya's face, after the hero's actions make him Nyarlathotep's unwitting pawn in ''Eternal Punishment''. |
| 684 | * DuelBoss: After defeating her in her second form, Izanami sends the party into the Underworld though the Protagonist is later brought back, forcing him to fight Izanami by himself. |
| 685 | * EldritchAbomination: Her degraded appearance was so legendarily hideous this is the best description for it. |
| 686 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: She outright calls Adachi evil as you progress through her dungeon. |
| 687 | * EverybodyHatesHades: Subverted. She is the antagonistic goddess of death, but her core motivation is essentially philanthropy, however warped. |
| 688 | * EvilCannotComprehendGood: She's incapable of understanding why the Investigation Team resists her plan. Of course, she isn't technically "evil", she just has problems understanding humans. |
| 689 | * FaceDeathWithDignity: More so in ''The Animation'' as she's completely composed and somewhat delighted when Yu Narukami eradicates her with Izanagi-no-Okami's Myriad Truths. |
| 690 | * FallenHero: [[SchrodingersButterfly At least in her myth]]. In ''Golden'', Marie is eventually revealed to be the positive aspects of the story. |
| 691 | * FemmeFatalons: She has 14 in total, and those 12 massive claws are not just for show. |
| 692 | * FightingAShadow: All your attacks eventually go right through her first boss form, forcing you to use the "Orb of Sight" to reveal her true self. |
| 693 | * {{Foreshadowing}}: Plenty of it. |
| 694 | ** The player might not remember it for long, but when the gas station attendant gives you a handshake, you actually ''do'' feel dizzy. Since the Attendant was Izanami, she gave you the ability to enter the TV World. |
| 695 | ** There's a lecture partway through the game that serves no purpose but to bring players unfamiliar with her myth up to speed. |
| 696 | ** In ''the Animation'', the Gas Station Attendant can be seen in Episode 22 where fog starts engulfing Inaba. When a man in a gas mask goes insane, the attendant is there, but his reaction is unfazed at most. Not surprising for the person who actually instigated it. |
| 697 | * AFormYouAreComfortableWith: In both her goddess and true forms. It [[EldritchAbomination doesn't last]] when [[OneWingedAngel she gets serious]]. |
| 698 | * FullBodyDisguise: Twice; not only is her gas station attendant form fake, but so is the goddess form she initially presents to the Protagonist. |
| 699 | * TheGameNeverStopped: In the anime, the True End episode has Yu confront her in the streets, where she drops hints that he'd be horrified if he knew what was really going on. It turns out the boss fight against her and the conversation are happening ''at the same time'' and all of his friends are being swallowed up by Shadows. |
| 700 | * GenderBender: As the gas station attendant, she appears rather androgynous - her lack of dialogue portrait until TheReveal makes it even harder to tell what gender she is. In the Japanese game/anime and the English dub of the anime, the attendant speaks with a male voice, but in the English dub of the game the attendant speaks with a husky, yet distinctly-feminine voice. Nanako describes the attendant as being male. When she reveals herself as Izanami, she loses the male voices. In English, her voice loses the huskiness and becomes more obviously feminine. |
| 701 | * GlamourFailure: The gas attendant does a horrid job trying to conceal her existence. Starting from when she gave you a handshake you had an odd headache for whatever reason to the fact that the attendant only appears on rainy days, the only thing that makes her able to fool you is that the first and only major encounter with her prior to TheReveal is at the start of the game, and she never reveals herself as Izanami or plays any other role until the endgame. |
| 702 | * GodCouple: Was a goddess married to the god Izanagi. |
| 703 | * GracefulLoser: Regardless of her grand plan being undone and questioning why the protagonist continues fighting a fruitless effort, she congratulates the Investigation Team when she is finally defeated. |
| 704 | -->"Children of man… Well done…!" |
| 705 | * GreaterScopeVillain: She is responsible for the awakening of Yu, Adachi and Namatame's Personas, and controlled [[AssimilationPlot the fog]] through Ameno-sagiri. But after giving her three [[UnwittingPawn pawns]] their powers, she doesn't do anything but watch for the majority of the year. It's only after the true culprit behind the serial murders is defeated that she involves herself through Ameno-sagiri, and only after Yu confronts her after guessing that she had something to do with it that she directly gets involved. |
| 706 | * {{Herald}}: She hands the Protagonist and his two counterparts the keys to the CallReceptionArea. |
| 707 | * [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist By Her Own Petard]]: She is defeated by one of her three {{Unwitting Pawn}}s and his new found friends, who refused her Adachi-derived judgment on humanity. |
| 708 | * HumanityOnTrial: Her motivation for giving the Protagonist, Namatame and Adachi their powers. This version lacks the KillAllHumans results, instead leading to her deciding she knows what is best for humanity and doesn't care if humans disagree with her. |
| 709 | * HumanoidAbomination: Her human and goddess disguises make her look human, when in fact she's a shape shifting AnthropomorphicPersonification of humanity. |
| 710 | * ISurrenderSuckers: Though she did lift the fog as Ameno-sagiri, she reveals that she was going to bring it back anyway sometime in the near future. |
| 711 | * JerkWithAHeartOfGold: She is doing what she feels is best for humanity, but she can nonetheless be very condescending when she makes her points. Played down in the anime. |
| 712 | * JustToyingWithThem: After her HP is depleted in OneWingedAngel it turns out that she was pulling punches the entire time since she keeps fighting anyways before wiping out the party with Thousand Curses. When Yu [[NoSell shrugs off the attack]] she pulls out [[ShockAndAwe Oho Ikazuchi]] which does 999 damage (the highest HP amount for the game). It's implied that despite her HP getting depleted, she didn't actually take any real damage before Izanagi-No-Okami was used against her, on top of her holding back attacks that could have ended the fight much sooner. |
| 713 | * KarmaHoudini: In all endings except the True Ending, she gets away scot-free due to no one able to find her true presence. |
| 714 | * KickTheDog: During her confrontation with Yu at the shopping district in ''Golden'', she calls Marie a "stunted dwarf of a life" and a "rubbish" who is only suitable for "getting rid of that pointless fog". |
| 715 | * KnightTemplar: Downplayed, in that it's more due to her [[BlueAndOrangeMorality naivete about humans]] than thinking that she is the ultimate moral authority in things. She still refuses to reconsider her judgement until the fight is punched out of her, though. |
| 716 | * LightIsNotGood: She's one of the Co-creators of Japan and the Goddess of Death, has a black, white and red color scheme and uses [[InfinityPlusOneElement almighty]] and death based powers. Despite all that, she's a WellIntentionedExtremist at heart. |
| 717 | * LiteralSplitPersonality: While Ameno-sagiri and Kunino-sagiri are avatars of Izanami, Izanami-no-Okami represents Izanami-no-Mikoto's desire to grant the wishes of humanity. When the desire to grant the wishes of humanity and the desire to protect them grew too distant from each other, the original goddess split in two. Marie reabsorbs the other parts of herself after the defeat of Izanami-no-Okami. |
| 718 | * LotusEaterMachine: In the anime her goal was changed from turning humanity to trapping them in their own individual dream worlds. She offers Yu the chance to never leave his friends, even though it's the exact same day. He gladly accepts this, up until Margaret breaks into it. |
| 719 | * MadGod: Unable to reconcile her dual purposes of fulfilling mankind's wishes and protecting them once humans began to indulge in delusion and self-destructive behavior, her soul and being fragmented. |
| 720 | * MakingASplash: World's End, which manifests as an immense flood that causes great damage and inflicts status ailments. |
| 721 | * TheManBehindTheMan: Technically, the goddess behind the three men and two minor gods. |
| 722 | * MasterOfIllusion: A relatively rare GreaterScopeVillain example. |
| 723 | * MythologyGag: ''Persona 4'' is the first ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' game since the original ''Megami Tensei'' Famicom duology ([[TitleDrop in which she was reincarnated]]) that a version of Izanami is a key participant in the plot. |
| 724 | * NominalImportance: Subverted to [[UnreliableNarrator screw with the player]]. She doesn't get a name or a portrait until after TheReveal. |
| 725 | * NonIndicativeName: Has an attack called "Kuro Ikazuchi", as well as a scripted attack called "Oho Ikazuchi". Despite "Ikazuchi" being the Japanese word for "Thunder", both attacks do Almighty damage. |
| 726 | * NotMeThisTime: When Naoto does her [[TheSummation Summation]], Izanami admits to her accusations, except for creating the Midnight Channel; it already existed and she only created a bridge between it and our world. |
| 727 | * ObliviouslyEvil: Especially in the anime. She believes that she is doing humanity a favor by [[LotusEaterMachine trapping them in worlds shapped by their own desires]]. If what Yu had was any indication, the perfect worlds she tries to give humans can easily turn into [[AndIMustScream worlds of eternal suffering instead of a paradise]], and she appears completely clueless about it. |
| 728 | * OneHitKO: Her OneWingedAngel has two different moves that kill instantly. The first is Summons to Yomi, which instantly kills anybody with a status ailment. When her HP is depleted, she will use Thousand Curses, which instantly kills a party member and prevents them from being revived. She will use this to wipe out the entire party, but thankfully Yu wil be able to get back up and gain Izanagi-No-Okami, which allows him to NoSell the attack. |
| 729 | * OneWingedAngel: When the Orb of Insight is used to reveal her true form, she gets much stronger and doesn't hold anything back. |
| 730 | -->"Well then... allow me to show you my full splendor..." |
| 731 | * PhysicalGod: Unlike Adachi, her claim to be a goddess is not exaggerating. |
| 732 | * PsychoElectro: Her final form is immune to Electric attacks to counter Izanagi, and favors the usage of two Almighty attacks that resemble intense lightning storms, Kuro Ikazuchi (Black Thunder) and Oho Ikazuchi (Great Thunder). |
| 733 | * RealityWarper: Turned Yomotsu Hirasaka into the Midnight Channel, and by extension is responsible for it morphing with each new victim. By the end of the game [[AssimilationPlot it starts affecting the real world]]. |
| 734 | * RedEyesTakeWarning: Has blood red eyes in her undisguised forms. |
| 735 | * RuleOfSymbolism: The final dungeon can be considered a continuation of Izanagi and Izanami's story, with the former finally returning to Yomotsu Hirasaka to [[MercyKill put his wife to rest]]. Izanami's true gruesome form is a reference to when Izanagi came to rescue her and accidentally looked at her on their way back. |
| 736 | * SealedEvilInACan: Averted. Her myth makes it sound like she should be sealed away on the other side of the TV. In actuality, [[VillainsOutShopping she's been working at the gas station all year]]. |
| 737 | * ShadowArchetype: For the entire human race. Though if her myth and motivations are to be believed, [[FallenHero this wasn't always the case]]. |
| 738 | * {{Shapeshifting}}: A human form, a goddess form, and her rotted true form are the only forms you get to see. Given what her fragments look like, she probably has much more than this. |
| 739 | * StupidGood: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] horrifyingly. Izanami [[BlueAndOrangeMorality sees all humans equally]], to the point she decides that a [[TheSociopath sociopath]] who murdered two people [[ForTheEvulz for fun]] is the best example of humanity's true desire [[MetaphoricallyTrue because his actions were the most prolific]] amongst her three pawns, and then tries to help him give everyone what he believes they really want: [[AssimilationPlot Oblivion]]. The Investigation Team actually ''do'' admit that Izanami might not be wrong about what most of humanity wants before fighting her, it's just that they don't want that kind of world. |
| 740 | * TarotMotifs: Reversed World, fittingly enough. An inability to grow after shedding the part of herself she deemed unnecessary, assuming she knows what's best for everyone when she really doesn't, and a lack of gratification from the end of the "game" she played with the protagonist. |
| 741 | * ThisWasHisTrueForm: Izanami's goddess form is another lie fabricated by the fog. Using the Orb of Sight, her true form is revealed as a giant rotting corpse with eight arms. This is likely a reference to the story of how Izanagi was shocked to see Izanami's appearance during her time in the Underworld. |
| 742 | * TrueFinalBoss: She is the last possible opponent that the Investigation Team can face off against, and can only be fought if players pursue the True Ending, which is locked behind a specific series of choices that need to be made after fighting the FinalBoss(es). |
| 743 | * TheUnfettered: Her only rules are defined by how she views mankind's wishes. Outside of those thin barricades, she can do ''anything'' to advance whatever goals are necessary. |
| 744 | * UndeathlyPallor: As befitting the dead goddess of the Underworld, she looks like she hasn't seen the sun for millennia. |
| 745 | * UnreliableNarrator: In her gas station disguise, she doesn't even have a {{character portrait}} until her true purpose is revealed. [[NominalImportance Why would someone without a portrait ever be important]]? Beyond that, the gas station attendant never appears in the main storyline outside of the opening scene - she's only ever found hanging around the gas station on rainy days, and she has no voice acting save for the opening scene[[note]]Which isn't all that unusual, as ''everyone'' is voiced in the opening scene[[/note]], suggesting she's just one of the many unimportant [=NPCs=] hanging around Inaba. |
| 746 | * VillainHasAPoint: Her talk before the battle against her makes it clear that it's the humans in general who want to live in blissful ignorance, and Naoto admits that she is right about most people. That said, Chie points out that ''they'' don't want that kind of world, with Rise expressing a similar sentiment on the party and Dojima's behalf after the Sleeping Table battle, and so the party opposes her as a result. |
| 747 | * VillainTakesAnInterest: In humanity in general, but she specifically narrows it down to three individuals. When confronted at the end, she states that she was "drawn" to the potential in the three of you. |
| 748 | * TheVirus: How her fog works, slowly turning humanity into Shadows. |
| 749 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: She and the other Sagiri just want to give humanity what they've always wanted: everlasting peace. The only problem, and a large one at that, is that they [[BlueAndOrangeMorality don't quite get humans]]. Because of this they eventually decide that [[TheSociopath one crazy killer]]'s actions summed up humanity's true desire the best, and thus the best way to achieve their goal is to turn everyone into Shadows, living mindless, meaningless existences. |
| 750 | * WomanScorned: Her mythos has her being abandoned and sealed away by her husband after her untimely death. |
| 751 | * WorthyOpponent: Lauds the Investigation Team's efforts after they defeat her. |
| 752 | * XanatosGambit: Her goal was to determine what humanity wanted and grant that wish, so from her perspective, it didn't matter which of her three pawns proved victorious. Although Yu's victory foils her AssimilationPlot and ultimately leads to her destruction, it also shows her what humanity truly wishes for and allows her to grant that wish, so in a sense, she still accomplished her goal. |
| 753 | [[/folder]] |
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