Line #7 FanFic/CrimsonAU


1	-->''Akira Kurusu. Delinquent. Thief. Leader. Hero. Who is he? How many masks can one man wear?''
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3	''Crimson'' is a currently-ongoing ''VideoGame/Persona5'' retelling that goes into great detail into the life of Akira Kurusu and those involved in his life. What will change and what will remain the same?
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5	The ongoing rewrite can be read [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/11310144 here]]. And [[https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/51310/crimson here]]. The discontinued original version can be read [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12546921/1/Crimson here]].
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7	-----
8	!! The ''Crimson'' alternate universe provides examples of:
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10	* ActionizedAdaptation: Downplayed, but the AU is more likely to show the characters engaging in physical heroics outside the metaverse -- especially the chapter in which Akira, Morgana, Makoto, and Haru [[spoiler:stop a runaway train heading straight for Shibuya.]]
11	* AdaptationalAbomination: Caroline and Justine go from relatively ordinary-looking young girls to non-human ''things'' that hide from Akira's sight but cause him intense fear. According to an author's note, this is because Drowz finds their canon characters irritating.
12	* AdaptationalBadass: In canon, [[spoiler: Akechi only ever used two Personas (Robin Hood and Loki) despite having the Wild Card. The fic adds another Persona, Fenris.]]
13	** Kaneshiro, who was a minor threat in canon is much more dangerous, with his crime ring being an extremely powerful [[TheSyndicate Crime Syndicate]] with far reach and heavy presence throughout the fic. Kaneshiro himself is also much taller, more muscular, and physically intimidating and more involved with Shido in real life and his Shadow managed to [[CurbStompBattle overwhelm]] [[spoiler: [[TheDragon Akechi.]]]]
14	* AdaptationalCurves: Kaneshiro, who was short and portly Gonk in canon is described as tall, muscular, and threatening.
15	* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance:
16	** In canon, Makoto cameos as a nameless NPC during the Kamoshida story arc and doesn't receive an official introduction until the second story arc. She meets Akira far earlier in this story.
17	** Played straight with Haru, who appears during the first story arc and [[spoiler:becomes an official Phantom Thief before Makoto or Futaba.]]
18	** Eiko appears in the game after completing Kaneshiro's palace, but here she makes her first appearance before the Phantom Thieves know who Kaneshiro is. She is heavily implied to be a prostitute paying off her debts and Iwai can tell that she's a drug addict.
19	** Futaba makes an appearance during the Kaneshiro arc, contacting the Tatterdemalion group in her Alibaba guise.
20	* AdaptationalHeroism: Downplayed by Kobayakawa. While he's still fundamentally the same EvilPrincipal who knowingly turned a blind eye to Kamoshida's abuses, his viewpoint reveals he's been regularly suffering from blackouts in a context that indicates his membership in the evil GovernmentConspiracy is because of some sort of compulsion or mind manipulation.
21	* AdaptationalIntelligence: Downplayed, but compared to the game where Ryuji had the tendency to hold the ConflictBall, here he actually acts as the ''buffer'' to Akira's paranoia and Ann being the CommanderContrarian. He also displays some IdiotSavant tendencies in regards to physical fitness, asking several salient questions about Akira's BMI and caloric intake when planning a training regimen.
22	* AdaptationalJerkass: Downplayed in each case.
23	** Akira is this towards Mishima due to holding more of an understandable grudge against him for leaking his records to the school. The ongoing rewrite seems to be downplaying this further, with Akira having a JerkassRealization after snapping at him and remembering Mishima was as much a victim of Kamoshida as anyone else.
24	** Makoto [[spoiler:retraumatizes Shiho during her investigation into Akira in hopes of obtaining information. She even knows it might be a bad idea to attempt this, but does it anyway. She comes to quickly regret her decision.]]
25	** Ann with Akira and Makoto, especially [[spoiler: after the above fiasco with Makoto triggering Shiho's trauma. She dresses down Akira for not breaking ties with Makoto earlier and forces a FriendVersusLover situation. Ann then confronts Makoto about Shiho where she slaps her and lies about being in a relationship with Akira. She fully admits that the latter portion was done intentionally to hurt Makoto. This scene has also not appeared in the rewrite.]]
26	** Sae is much more abrasive to Sojiro and Akira than she is in the original game.
27	** Ohya is much less forgiving of Akira blowing her off than she is in the game, even tracking him down at Leblanc when she can't get ahold of him. As she explains, from her perspective, he used her to get information on Madarame and blew her off once he was no longer getting anything out of their deal.
28	* AdaptationalNiceGuy:
29	** Morgana is shown to be a bit less self-centered than his canon self. There's also a lot less focus on his conflicts with Ryuji.
30	** [[spoiler: While still a crooked politician, Shido is this to a certain degree. He is already aware that Akechi is his son and he treats him nicely. Considering his character, however, this could be a ruse.]]
31	* AdaptationalPersonalityChange: In canon, Madarame's Palace was an art museum to emphasize his ego as an artist with little talent and needing to steal. Here, his Palace is changed into a factory to represent how he's OnlyInItForTheMoney and seeing his apprentices as a means to an end.
32	* AdaptationalSympathy: Downplayed by Madarame, who gets to actually show what kind of man he was prior to his plagiarism scheme. Notably, he's shown reacting with complete horror at Yusuke's mother's death, and does everything he can to ensure the toddler Yusuke isn't scarred by the sight.
33	* AdaptationalVillainy:
34	** In the canon video game, we heard how Kamoshida beat up students, including Ryuji, and he threatens to do that to the Phantom Thieves after the calling card, but we see Kamoshida going through with it when Akira saves Makoto from him.
35	** [[spoiler:While involved in the Conspiracy, Kobayakawa is never seen requesting a Mental Shutdown on-screen in the canon video game nor does it do it after Makoto decided to stop the Investigation. In this continuity, he immediately asks to have Sae receive a Mental Shutdown when she puts him in his place.]]
36	** We see more explicit detail about how Madarame exploits his apprentices, and how some of them may be beyond help, regardless of what happens to Madarame.
37	** Sugimura has always been a nasty person in the game, but the Crimson version not only sends threatening messages to Haru when she goes into hiding from him, [[spoiler: he is also bad enough to have a Palace of his own]]. He also forms an alliance with Kaneshiro [[spoiler: eventually abducting Haru and bringing her to Kaneshiro in the hopes that the latter would drug her into compliance]].
38	* AdaptationDeviation:
39	** Other than the additional story elements, the main difference is that Crimson!Akira is much more likely to come into conflict with his friends and confidants. This reflects a more realistic approach to how difficult it would be for a teenager to keep so many strong-willed people happy.
40	** Madarame's Palace goes from a museum to a factory, and the looming deadline is changed from the threat of Madarame initiating legal action against the Thieves for breaking into his atelier to Yusuke's impending expulsion from Kosei High on false charges of plagiarism.
41	* AdaptationExpansion:
42	** Several of Akira's Confidants plays a more direct role in the story than they did in the game, even interacting with one another. Dr. Takemi in particular learns about Akira's status as a Phantom Thief during the Kamoshida arc.
43	** The author admits to being bothered that the canon Phantom Thieves never collect any real-world evidence of the Mementos targets' crimes, but merely take Phan-Site posts at face value. In the fic, they're always shown verifying requests before deciding to take them on.
44	* AdaptationNameChange: Haru's codename is change to Rose instead of Noir, though the name returns back to Noir once Haru fully supports the Phantom Thieves.
45	* AdaptationOriginConnection: Iwai was originally a member of Kaneshiro's gang. In the game, Iwai is simply stated to be ex-yakuza, while Kaneshiro's crime ring is not actually related to the yakuza at all.
46	** Likewise, despite being the main antagonist of Makoto's arc, Kaneshiro had little to do with her until she recklessly charged into his hideout. Here, he's apparently responsible for the death of her father.
47	* AdaptedOut: The SIU Director does not appear in this story.
48	* ArtisticLicenseLaw: Sae is allowed to prosecute Kamoshida despite the fact that Sae's younger sister went to the school where Kamoshida worked and came ''that'' close to being one of his victims, giving Sae a blatant personal stake in the outcome of the trial and a blatant conflict of interest.
49	* AscendedExtra: The newscaster that interviews Akechi is Mitsuyo Togo, who was originally a one-off boss for Hifumi's Confidant.
50	** Junya Kaneshiro was a filler villain back in the canon game. Here, he is planned to become a major threat to the Phantom Thieves.
51	** [[spoiler: Sugimura is a Palace ruler.]]
52	* AskAStupidQuestion: When Akira asks how Morgana knew which office was Kamoshida's, Morgana responds by sarcastically wondering whether the office door clearly marked "Suguru Kamoshida" was Kamoshida's office.
53	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Takemi is very good at this.
54	** Takemi's examinations of Akira lead to her quickly realizing he's going through repeated physical trauma, and eventually realizes he's almost certainly a Phantom Thief.
55	** When Ohya drops by her clinic and asks for an exam as a cover to get some dirt on Akira, Takemi very quickly notices Ohya's bloodshot eyes and hand tremors, realizes she is an active alcoholic, and directs her to substance abuse counselling.
56	* BadLiar: In conjunction with his ComplexityAddiction, Akira tends to not create the best cover story for himself when he is put under pressure. Takemi ends up finding out he's a Phantom Thief after pressing him on the subject, and Iwai and Ohya are both quick to find the holes in the lies he told them.
57	* BerserkButton: Due to her late father being a police officer, Makoto doesn't take it well when Akira insults the cops.
58	* BetaCouple: Ann and Ryuji seem to be headed this direction.
59	** There's also a lot of romantic tension in later chapters between Iwai and Takemi, especially with both acting as {{parental substitute}}s to Kaoru.
60	* BigSisterInstinct: Deconstructed and played straight with Sae.
61	** When Sae finds out Makoto is spending time with Akira, who has a criminal record, she immediately tries to force them to never see each other again. She also chastises Makoto for getting involved with Haru's problems, and ultimately for trusting anyone other than Sae herself.
62	** Played more positively when she learns of Kobayakawa's attempt to blackmail Makoto by withholding a letter of recommendation if she doesn't investigate the Phantom Thieves. Sae reads him the riot act and threatens legal action to ruin him.
63	* BitchInSheepsClothing: The new Principal of Shujin, Shiori Toko, acts like she's set on fixing Kobayakawa's wrongs and seems to be interested in actually treating the students well. In truth, she's part of TheConspiracy and is trying to use and set up her students for a plan.
64	* BlamingTheVictim: The Shujin students blame Akira for his part in trying to coerce Ann into sleeping with Kamoshida, never mind the fact that Kamoshida explicitly confessed to threatening Akira with expulsion if he didn't cooperate.
65	* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Played for drama when Ohya reveals that Madarame's apprentices tend to end up homeless, drug addicts, or homeless drug addicts.
66	* BunnyEarsLawyer: The Madarame arc makes it clear that for all of Ohya's eccentricities (especially her alcoholism), she's still a very effective investigative journalist.
67	* CallForward:
68	** While investigating the possibility of Akira being a Phantom Thief, Makoto recognizes Haru at Rafflesia and wonders if she's a Phantom Thief. Not yet, but give it five months... (And Haru even joins after Makoto herself!)
69	** During the Madarame arc, Kobayakawa accuses Makoto of being a Phantom Thief. Not yet, but give it a month...
70	** When the Thieves first arrive at the nexus of Madarame's Palace, Akira realizes that a building that Madarame has been in would look similar to the real world on the inside. This fact will prove critical to the Thieves' big plan come November.
71	* CanonForeigner: The AU introduces several new characters, including Shiori Toko (Kobayakawa's replacement as principal of Shujin), Hideotoshi Kagawa (a police officer and former partner of Sae and Makoto's father), and Tatterdemalion (a group of more conventional vigilantes targeting the same people as the Phantom Thieves [[spoiler:and who have a working relationship with Futaba]]).
72	* CanonImmigrant: An interesting case with Maruki. The fic began before Royal, and there was originally no intention to include him. However, he does appear in the rewrite that began after Royal released -- though since the author hasn't played Royal, this is most likely just TheCameo so far.
73	* TheChainsOfCommanding: Akira was not exactly eager to be made leader, and it's shown that the stress has begun to take its toll on him.
74	* ComplexityAddiction: Akira's plans tend to be more complicated than necessary. They work more often than not -- even Ohya is impressed with his ploy to get Madarame to open the storage unit -- but also cause more problems than they solve.
75	** It's most obvious whenever Makoto is involved, since Akira is clearly falling for her but also needs to keep her off the Phantom Thieves' trail. This requires him to craft plans that divert her attention without looking like he's doing so. These tend to fail because they're so over-engineered they make Makoto suspicious that the situation is ''too'' perfect.
76	* ContinuityNod: Kagawa, an old-school Tokyo cop, isn't a fan of the whole "child prodigies as professional detectives" trend that produced Akechi -- though he does approve of [[VideoGame/Persona4 Naoto Shirogane]], who at least puts the case first and doesn't try to make herself the center of attention.
77	* TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Haru eccentrically thinks Akira's cat and the Phantom Thieves are magic. Makoto is dismissive of the idea, but the audience knows Haru is dead on the money.
78	* CuttingTheKnot: Lala tells Akira, who is noted to have a ComplexityAddiction, that being honest in relationships is almost always the way to go, and that people tend to make things more complex than they need to be.
79	** Eventually, even Ann comes around to this, asking Akira if they can just tell Makoto and Haru who the Thieves are -- partly because Akira has been spending so much time sneaking around them that they haven't been able to actually do any Phantom Thief stuff for a while.
80	* DarkerAndEdgier: The drama experienced by some of the main characters (especially Akira) is played up, as well as their willingness to do more serious risk-taking. The villainy of some of the antagonists is also amped up, such Kamoshida actually [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beating the tar out of Akira]] and [[spoiler: after his change of heart, outright confirming that he raped Shiho (in the game canon, it was only strongly implied that Kamoshida did more than just sexually harass her)]].
81	** Yusuke's poor eating habits, generally PlayedForLaughs in canon, are here revealed to be a direct result of Madarame's abuse. He also [[{{Deconstruction}} suffers the realistic medical consequences]] of severe malnourishment.
82	** The DomesticAbuse of Haru's engagement to Sugimura is not glossed over. One particularly harrowing passage shares a series of increasingly unhinged voicemail messages he leaves Haru while she's hiding at Makoto's apartment.
83	** In the game, Junya Kaneshiro was a SmallNameBigEgo who only cared about making money through scams. Here, he's a bona fide yakuza going to war with his old bosses. He traffics in drugged-up women who we see onscreen, nearly suffocates a teenager with plastic, murders a man with a power drill, and (in the most recent installment) is planning to kidnap Makoto to neutralize Sae as a threat.
84	* DeathByAdaptation:
85	** [[spoiler: Kobayakawa]] dies in the game as well, but [[spoiler:is killed due to Akechi a lot earlier here.]]
86	** [[spoiler: Madarame is stabbed to death by one of his former students. It’s later revealed that Akechi inflicted a psychotic breakdown on Madarame’s killer in order to make it look like a revenge killing. The fact that said student is a confirmed drug addict helps the cover.]]
87	** [[spoiler: Sugimura drowns when his limousine driver is hit with a mental shutdown and crashes the vehicle into the river.]]
88	* DeathGlare: Akira's got a pretty good one, and it's enough to even give adults pause. He's got nothing on Sae, though.
89	* {{Deconstruction}}: ''Crimson'' takes a more realistic edge to Persona 5's story, casting Akira more as a teenager who is in over his head. Akira and the other Thieves' tendencies to [[IndyPloy wing it]] bites them in the ass as much as it works out in their favor. To that end, because of this, Akira's confidants also now play a more central role in the plot.
90	* DemotedToExtra: Of the confidants, Sojiro and Yoshida haven't yet gotten to do much outside their canon storylines, and Shinya only has one unnamed appearance, while Chihaya, and Hifumi have yet to appear at all.
91	* DespairEventHorizon: Madarame crossed it in his backstory. [[spoiler:Upon seeing the original Sayuri, he realized his own talents would never get him anywhere in the art world, broke down in despair, and committed MurderByInaction and committed to his plagiarism scheme.]]
92	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Happens on several occasions with several characters:
93	** Makoto when she attempts to try and talk to Shiho to get information, only to trigger the latter's trauma. This resulted in Ann being pissed off and coaxing Akira into staying away from her.
94	** As Akechi points out, Kobayakawa trying to effectively Blackmail Makoto into investigating her fellow students by threatening to withhold her letter of recommendation was poorly though out when Makoto is the younger sister of a very intimidating yet effective prosecutor. Sure enough, Makoto complained about her circumstances to Sae, who then angrily reads Kobayakawa the riot act.
95	** Akira deciding to take Yusuke to the Metaverse to prove Madarame's distortion on a whim, without giving a proper warning, resulted in the latter running away in shock and then getting captured.
96	** Makoto's decision to try and press charges against Sugimura using his recorded threatening messages against Haru is a near example. Kagawa, a former cop who was friends with her late father points out that if she does press charges against Sugimura, its highly likely that the brat's father would retaliate by usi his political influence to make an enemy of the SIU (i.e Sae's employers) who may then decide to fire her sister to escape the hassle.
97	* DiggingYourselfDeeper: Much like in canon, Kobayakawa blackmails Makoto into investigating the Phantom Thieves for him. [[ForWantOfANail Unlike in the game]], after Makoto has a falling out with Akira and Ann, she ends up telling Sae about the whole ordeal, [[KnightTemplarBigBrother and Sae puts an end to all of it]]. Kobayakawa, in a bid to save face, puts in a request for Sae to suffer a Mental Shutdown in retribution. [[spoiler: The Black Mask is less than amused though when he learns that not only did Kobayakawa incompetently pass off ''his'' task onto a high school student, but also expects him to kill Sae over something so petty.]]
98	* DirtyOldMan:
99	** Kamoshida, who sexually harasses the female students he's in charge of [[spoiler: and eventually rapes Shiho.]]
100	** Madarame, who has an interest in younger women [[spoiler: that Ann exploits to cajole information from him.]]
101	* TheDreaded: Sae ''terrifies'' Akira in their first meeting.
102	** Junya Kaneshiro. Madarame and Sugimura, both [[spoiler:Palace rulers in their own right,]] are terrified of getting on his bad side, as is every member of his organization. Even Akechi doesn't take him lightly.
103	* EasilyForgiven:
104	** Subverted between Akira and Mishima. While he says he forgives Mishima, he reveals he didn't mean it -- he just knows that anyone aware of his true identity has to be kept happy.
105	** [[spoiler:Haru has no issue forgiving Makoto for lying to her twice even though she used her as a means to investigating Akira.]]
106	* EldritchAbomination: Unlike canon, where Caroline and Justine's status as this was implied, here it is more pronounced to the point that they keep away from Joker's view [[GoMadFromTheRevelation to avoid going insane with their forms]], and even them speaking causes him intense nausea.
107	* EstablishingCharacterMoment: When Akira blows off his first two study sessions with Makoto, he assumes she won't care since she was forced into them by Kawakami. ''Wrong''. He gets his first taste of who Makoto really is when she marches up to him and tells him in no uncertain terms not to miss a third time.
108	* EtTuBrute: Yusuke is horrified when his father-figure Madarame callously throws him under the bus regarding false accusations of plagiarism leveled against Yusuke.
109	* EurekaMoment: Akira has a moment of realization about the nature of Madarame's distortion when Ryuji idly compares Madarame's exploitation of his students to a conveyor belt.
110	* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:Black Mask refuses Kobayakawa's request to give Sae a mental shutdown, partly out of disgust of the man's pettiness.]]
111	** Downplayed when Sugimura [[spoiler:abducts Haru and asks Kaneshiro to drug her into compliance. Kaneshiro doesn't have any problem with drugging and assaulting women on principle, but since kidnapping a rich, famous heiress would draw unwanted attention, beats Sugimura to a pulp instead of helping him. He then decides to just kill Haru instead.]] Like we said, downplayed.
112	* EvilIsPetty: Happens just as often, if not moreso than canon.
113	** Kamoshida inflicting a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Akira for luring Makoto away from him.
114	** Kobayakawa, upon being cowed by Sae for his attempt to blackmail Makoto, [[spoiler: attempts to make a request to inflict a mental shutdown on Sae. Fortunately, Black Mask refuses.]]
115	* ExactWords:
116	** When Akira asks Igor if he's given the Metaverse app to anybody else, Igor responds that Akira knows everyone with the power. The answer implies on the surface that Igor is responding in the negative, but in reality Akira has already encountered Akechi in passing, and Akechi also received the app from Igor.
117	** When Iwai turns himself in for attacking Sugimura, Sae gives him her word that no police, prosecutors, or SIU members are watching from the observation room. [[spoiler:Goro Akechi IS in there, but his job title of "Detective Prince" makes him not technically a member of any of those groups.]]
118	* FireForgedFriends: The Phantom Thieves, as in canon.
119	* FriendVersusLover: Akira likes Makoto as more than a friend. [[spoiler:However, when Makoto inadvertently triggers Shiho's trauma, Ann gives him an ultimatum. Either he goes through with her plan to eliminate Makoto from his life or she leaves the Phantom Thieves. He chooses to go through with Ann's plan.]]
120	* GameShow: When Akira and his classmates are visiting the tv studio, they end up being in the audience for a game show (unlike in canon when it was only a chat show) and he and Makoto end up being [[AudienceParticipation randomly picked to take part]], the two of them having to answer question about the other. Then after answering a few questions, the shows host suddenly suggest that Akira's answers were too ''dry''... and proceeds to have Gunge poured on Akira. Then the two of them go through a round in the style of Gladiators. But on roller-skates.
121	* GetOut:
122	** When Makoto visits Shiho in the hospital to interrogate her about the Phantom Thieves, Shiho demands that Makoto "get out of here" in a borderline MadnessMantra.
123	** Played for laughs when Yusuke visits Iwai to pick up some equipment and begins doing his eccentric rambling. Iwai tells him to get the hell out of there.
124	* GlobalIgnorance: When Yusuke tells the other guys that the foundation of Kosei High was established by Portugese missionaries hundreds of years earlier, Ryuji replies, "Wow, I didn't know South Americans founded your school." Akira starts to correct him but doesn't bother.
125	* GoodSamaritan: Yukio Kan, a stranger who helps Akira when the latter is having a panic attack and even offers to call someone to help, one of the few adults Akira meets who hasn't look down on him. [[spoiler: [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished Which makes it even that more sadder]] when seconds later he drops dead from a mental shutdown, even if he probably had a palace.]]
126	* GoneHorriblyWrong: Both Makoto and Ren plan to find out what each other are doing in regards to the investigating the Phantom Thieves and seeing how much she knows through Morgana. It doesn't work out.
127	* GratuitousEnglish: After their midterms, Ryuji triumphantly exclaims in English, "Done testing final done over." Clearly, he needs improvement.
128	* GroinAttack: Yusuke inflicts one on Sugimura.
129	* HardTruthAesop: Perception matters more than reality. It's repeatedly shown, especially with Makoto early on, that the objective truth simply doesn't matter if you can't convince anyone of it, and this fact can and absolutely will cause harm to those who don't deserve it if those around them perceive them as deserving.
130	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[spoiler:Madarame is assassinated after his change of heart to keep him from turning his benefactors in. Because Madarame's Palace has already been destroyed, Akechi improvises by driving a former apprentice turned drug addict into a psychotic breakdown so that said apprentice will kill Madarame in a blind rage.]]
131	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Madarame takes one look at Ann and concludes she's a stupid bimbo and an easy sexual conquest for him. Spending three seconds in Ann's company would tell anyone there's a whole lot more to her than that, plus she's a survivor of sexual harassment and watched her friend be driven to a suicide attempt after being raped by an older man, meaning the idea that she would hop into bed with Madarame is ludicrous. Of course, it's quickly justified when Ann plays up this angle to get intel from him.
132	* InstantSedation:
133	** Sugimura chloroforms Haru from behind and locks her in his car's trunk.
134	** Iwai later does the same to Sugimura at Akira's request.
135	* ItGetsEasier: Madarame's Shadow claims that he initially felt sick taking the Sayuri as his own and profiting off of it, but states this trope word for word.
136	* {{Jerkass}}: There are several examples.
137	** Kamoshida is somehow an even bigger one than in canon.
138	** Sae in regards to her treatment to Akira.
139	** The Principal doesn't try to hide the fact he will withhold Makoto's letter of recommendation that he originally promised her if she doesn't conduct the investigation into the Phantom Thieves.
140	** Madarame quickly establishes himself as this.
141	* JustAGangster: Kaneshiro and his followers start a MobWar in protest to the syndicate's leaders planning to turn them into a legitimate organization.
142	* KickTheDog: Madarame seriously considers kicking a cat he encounters (Morgana) when he learns that Yusuke knows about [[spoiler:the storage locker in his mother's name]], only refraining because he has more important matters to attend to.
143	* KnightTemplarBigBrother: Sae does NOT approve of how Akira gets along with her sister and doesn't bother trying to hide it.
144	* LikesOlderWomen: Downplayed. Outside of a mild physical attraction to Takemi and Kawakami, Akira mainly displays SingleTargetSexuality for Makoto, who can't be much more than a year his senior.
145	* MistakenForRomance: Tae assumes Akira is dating Ann, but when he denies this, she asks if he's going out with Makoto. Tae reveals that after drinking some of her medicine as part of her clinical trials, he spouts out the names of all the women he's met, including Haru and Ohya. This leads Tae and Kaoru to believe Akira's a ladykiller with four girlfriends, prompting Kaoru to take notes.
146	* MortonsFork: Sae stabs Kobayakawa with this when confronting him over his attempt to coerce Makoto into investigating the Phantom Thieves. She notes that a rapist was able to operate unimpeded on his watch, meaning he was either complicit (and therefore unfit for his position of authority) or grossly incompetent (and therefore unfit for his position of authority).
147	* MurderByInaction: Played with by Madarame's canon involvement in Yusuke's mother's death. He definitely did nothing to help her, but his recollection of the incident has her death happen fast enough that he might genuinely not have had enough time to do anything even if he wanted to.
148	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Takemi has a subtle one when Akira informs her that because she called the police about Yusuke's malnutrition, he was thrown out of his home and expelled from school.
149	* MySisterIsOffLimits: Sae drives that point home to Akira on more than one occasion.
150	* NamedByTheAdaptation:
151	** The Niijima sisters' father is named Akihiko, after the ''Persona 3'' character who also has grey hair and became a detective.
152	** Yusuke's mother is named Chisako.
153	** Haru's fiancee Sugimura is given the first name Rin.
154	** The rewrite gives Principal Kobayakawa the first name Kishi.
155	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown:
156	** Akira receives one from Kamoshida after he and Morgana save Makoto from his advances.
157	** Akira later delivers one to a defector from the Dragon Syndicate in order to save the victim from being murdered by Kaneshiro. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone The parallel to Kamoshida is not lost on him.]]
158	* NotDistractedByTheSexy: Ann attempts to seduce Iwai into giving them more money for Kamoshida's treasure, but he scoffs and declares that he puts girls like her in his morning coffee when he's getting ready for a night with a real woman.
159	* NotQuiteTheRightThing: Takemi has a recurring problem with situations where calling the police ''should'' be the right thing, but will ultimately cause more harm than good.
160	** After Kamoshida delivers a brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown to Akira, forcing him to visit Takemi for treatment, she threatens to call the police. Akira only narrowly talks her down by explaining that the man responsible is a respected authority figure whose word about who instigated the fight ''will'' be taken over Akira's, and she'll only get him thrown in jail.
161	** The Phantom Thieves bring a criminally malnourished teenager (Yusuke) to Takemi's clinic for treatment, and Takemi fulfills her moral and legal obligations by calling the police to report suspected child abuse. Madarame's contacts in the police inform him, and Yusuke is immediately accused of plagiarism, thrown out onto the streets, and set to be expelled from Kosei within the week.
162	* ObfuscatingStupidity: The AU's version of Akechi is more willing to use this, incompetently flirting with Sae Niijima to cover the fact that he'll probably have to kill her someday.
163	* ObliviouslyEvil: Kobayakawa's viewpoint moment has him fail to comprehend why his actions are reprehensible, rationalizing that even if Kamoshida was a violent sexual predator, he brought athletic glory to the school and drove up enrollment, which would have (in his mind) helped the students.
164	* OhCrap: Akira, constantly, but especially when he learns during the Kaneshiro arc that [[spoiler:GPS data places him near the site of Sugimura's assault.]]
165	* OperationBlank: Haru comes up with "Operation Punish Akira" after he breaks up with Makoto over her conflict with Ann. Makoto herself objects to this, and it later becomes "Operation Destroy Akira Kurusu or Something Less Drastic."
166	* OutsideContextProblem: The Tatterdemalion group pulls camera footage of Morgana breaking into the secure storage facility where Madarame keeps his counterfeit paintings. They're at first able to chalk his actions up to him being an extremely well-trained cat, but then they see him take a specific file and then return it to its proper place. Since there are no pictures or color codes in the filing system, the only possible conclusion is that ''the cat can read.'' This group has no apparent connection to the Metaverse yet, so nobody has an answer for what's going on.
167	** As in canon, the Metaverse presents this for everyone not yet connected to either the Phantom Thieves or the conspiracy, from Makoto and Haru to Sae to the main body of the Dragon Syndicate.
168	* PayEvilUntoEvil: [[spoiler:It was primarily to secure his own position in the Conspiracy, but Akechi's murder of Kobayakawa was done after Kobayakawa tried to make him kill Sae for petty reasons.]]
169	* PetTheDog: Sae sincerely thanks Akira for bailing Makoto out of her encounter with Kamoshida, even if she does tell him he's still just a criminal and a lost cause to his face afterwards.
170	* PluckyComicRelief: As things get darker, the male Thieves increasingly fill this role. Special mention goes to Yusuke and Ryuji suggesting that Akira escape police investigation using a submarine and a connection to the British Embassy, and Morgana's awful texting skills.
171	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Kamoshida refers to Mishima with a homophobic slur while offering Akira a DealWithTheDevil.
172	* PoorCommunicationKills: Morgana overhears Kobayakawa assigning Makoto to investigate the Phantom Thieves, and immediately assumes the worst; this requires Akira to spend much of the story jumping through hoops to keep Makoto and Haru off his trail. When they finally do meet to talk things out, it becomes clear that Makoto and Haru never had any intention of turning them in to the authorities. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] as Lala repeatedly advises Akira to just have an honest conversation with Makoto, though Akira's ComplexityAddiction prevents him from following through. For even more {{Irony}}, Akira is on the other side of this conversation just a few chapters before, frustrated that Kawakami doesn't believe he won't tell on her for moonlighting as a maid.
173	* PragmaticVillainy: Sugimura's father reads him the riot act for starting trouble in public with Sae Niijima's sister, pointing out that his actions have painted a bullseye on them that they don't need and that any villainous actions he takes should be taken out of the spotlight.
174	* PrecisionFStrike: Yusuke drops a very uncharacteristic f-bomb right before awakening to Goemon, admitting to his own Shadow Self that Madarame is "a fucking fraud."
175	* ProperlyParanoid: Akira has every reason to be concerned about the identities of the Phantom Thieves being exposed, especially due to his criminal record which would result in him going to jail if he is found out. After joining up, [[spoiler:Makoto]] remarks that this is a beneficial trait for the leader of a gang of thieves.
176	* PunkInTheTrunk: [[spoiler: Sugimura kidnaps Haru and takes her to Kaneshiro's while she is trapped in his car's trunk. She overhears him ask Kaneshiro for the drugs used on the girls in his prostitution ring in order to make her obedient. Kaneshiro refuses and orders her to be killed and dumped into the bay. Having learned earlier that Sugimura's car is his palace, Haru manages to use the app and escape to the Metaverse.]]
177	* RageBreakingPoint:
178	** Yusuke is finally pushed over the edge into awakening his Persona when Madarame claims Yusuke should thank him for letting him be a part of his legacy.
179	** Sae, much like in canon, goes on a tirade towards Makoto, though the circumstances for it are different. [[spoiler: Earlier, Makoto shoved Sugimura in order to stop him from hurting Haru, who immediately threatens to have her arrested for assault. When Makoto tells Sae about what happened, she harshly criticizes her for assaulting someone, not even paying attention to Haru's situation. It leaves Makoto too terrified to speak back.]]
180	* RapeDiscretionShot: [[spoiler:After Sugimura requests Kaneshiro's help in locating Haru, Kaneshiro gives Sugimura one of his drugged up prostitutes to "work off his frustrations." The chapter ends when Sugimura drags her into his car, saying that her name is "Haru" for the night.]]
181	* RecursiveFanfiction: A one-shot crossover with ''Fanfic/AkaneNoMai'' entitled ''Parallel Dimensions - Crimson World'' features two sets of Phantom Thieves (technically Akira Kurusu meets Ren Amamiya) teaming up to face a common threat. Can be read [[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13369463/1/ here]]. And [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/20344498 here]].
182	* RedeemingReplacement: Subverted with Shiori Toko, the new Principal of Shujin after [[spoiler: Kobayakawa's death]] who outwardly appears to be set on righting her predecessor's wrongs but is also in on Shido's conspiracy.
183	* ReformedButRejected: Much like his game counterpart, Toranosuke Yoshida was originally a scandal plagued politician who has since then changed for the better, but is still remembered as "No Good Tora". Akira believes that it's genuine after talking to him, but Ohya doesn't think that politicians "un-crook" themselves, thinking it's all a front. Akira speculates to Morgana that Ohya is hoping that people don't change.
184	* RelationshipCompression: Since WillTheyOrWontThey between Akira and Makoto is a big plot element, the two are shown growing close during Akira's first few weeks at Shujin. In the game, the two can't have a truly romantic moment until the end of Makoto's confidant, which usually won't be until at least the fifth arc.
185	* RunawayTrain: During the chapter "Impatient Threats", Akira, Morgana, Makoto and Haru are on a subway train when a mental shutdown takes hold of the conductor, leading him to speed the train up. Thankfully, Akira, Makoto and Haru manage to prevent a crash after breaking into the conductor's booth, with the former two hold down the conductor, and Haru taking hold of the accelerator to slow the train down, preventing a crash.
186	* RunningGag: Akira has a complicated, borderline-antagonistic relationship with all of his female confidants. His ComplexityAddiction and poor time management skills play a big factor in this.
187	--> '''Akira''': Why does every girl I know punch me in the face?
188	* SecretKeeper: Deconstructed. The list of people who know the Phantom Thieves' identities is growing fast, and Akira is less than pleased by the situation. At one point, he complains that there are more people who know the identities of the Phantom Thieves than there are actual Phantom Thieves.
189	* SherlockScan: Discussed and defied in Akechi's second conversation with Akira. He notes that Sherlock Holmes' deductions are [[BatDeduction flat-out magic]] and that in real life it's not possible to take one look at someone and figure out where he lives or who he murdered or whatnot.
190	* ShipperOnDeck:
191	** Haru is supportive of Akira and Makoto to the point of drawing doodles of them together.
192	** Eventually, most of the customers at Crossroads get on board the ship. Lala mentions that she gets a lot more tips on nights when Akira works because so many people are desperate to learn when he'll finally say something to Makoto.
193	* ShoutOut: In the rewrite, Dr. Takemi knows the term "Metaverse" from Literature/SnowCrash. She asks Akira if the Metaverse beats the shit out of the U-Stor-It, and gets blank stares in response.
194	* SliceOfLife: The rewrite gives the Phantom Thieves a few more chances to act like normal teenagers, working out at the gym and helping Yusuke move.
195	* SpottingTheThread:
196	** Makoto is VERY good at this. It's why [[spoiler:she quickly deduces that Akira must be a Phantom Thief despite lacking hard evidence. After she stops crying when Ann lies about Akira being her boyfriend, Makoto realizes the inherent flaws in Ann's behavior and deduces that she must be a Phantom Thief as well.]]
197	** It runs in the family: merely hearing Akira refer to Makoto by her [[FirstNameBasis first name]] clues Sae in that the two are close friends.
198	** Yusuke also proves surprisingly good at detective work. When Akira discovers that Ali Baba bugged Leblanc, Yusuke is the first to point out how strange it is that someone planted a listening device in a coffee shop months before anyone could have known the Phantom Thieves met there.
199	* StupidEvil: Madarame's downfall comes due to his insistence on keeping Yusuke malnourished. When Yusuke goes outside and collapses in the batting cages, Takemi immediately calls the authorities which forces Kaneshiro to threaten Madarame, who then becomes desperate.
200	* SympathyForTheDevil: Yusuke and Haru feel this way for Madarame and Sugimura, respectively, even though they admit the men were not good people. Haru defeats Sugimura's shadow by recognizing that he's nothing but a confused child at heart, and telling him that (despite Haru personally never wanting to see him again) he deserves a chance at redemption. [[spoiler:His death not long after reforming]] is a big reason Haru decides to join the Phantom Thieves.
201	* TakeYourTime: {{Averted}} with the Confidants. Being a student with a job, and being a Phantom Thief means Akira's schedule and availability can be erratic at times. Many of them aren't going to wait around for Akira when it's convenient and are shown to be irritated when he doesn't follow through immediately with them or follow up on his promises.
202	* TeacherStudentRomance: Downplayed. Makoto acts as Akira's tutor, and they develop a mutual attraction to each other as the story goes on.
203	* TenMinutesInTheCloset: Ryuji and Yusuke's plan to get Akira and Ann to make up. Surprisingly, it works, but only after Ann and Akira climb out the storage room window and go back to Leblanc for coffee.
204	* ThatOneCase: The Niijima sisters' father was killed by a truck driven by a man pumped with drugs. Although the event is viewed as a freak accident, Sae suspects that he was actually murdered. [[spoiler: A member of the yakuza tells Iwai that Akihiko Niijima died after investigating Kaneshiro's operations, meaning Sae's deduction is most likely accurate.]]
205	* ThereAreNoTherapists: Subverted. After witnessing a horrible scene at the hotel, Akira is advised to seek therapy, but he chooses not to. He instead begins thinking of [[TheBartender Lala Escargot]] as his therapist.
206	* UngratefulBastard: Zig-zagged in regards to Sae. She does show some appreciation to Akira for helping Makoto when she was in a tight spot with Kamoshida, but she makes it clear to both Makoto and Akira she doesn't want Akira associating with her sister nor does she believe he has a future.
207	** Sae accuses Makoto of being this when she admits to shoving Sugimura to help Haru, saying that after all she did for her to secure her little sister's future, she puts it in jeopardy by assaulting someone.
208	* UnknownRival: Tatterdemalion become this for The Phantom Thieves when The Phantom Thieves expose Madarame for his crimes (something Tatterdemalion were already planning on doing), though it's very much downplayed.
209	* {{UST}}: Akira and Makoto, to such an insane degree that EveryoneCanSeeIt.
210	* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: While happy that his crimes came to light, Nakanohara doesn't feel good about Madarame's death, feeling indirectly responsible for it.
211	* WhamEpisode: Chapter 55 is this: [[spoiler: with Madarame being killed immediately after his confession by a former pupil of his. Akechi admits that he set off a Mental Shutdown on said student to keep Madarame from speaking. He also reveals to have set Kobayakawa to die much earlier than canon.]]
212	* WhatCouldHaveBeen: In universe example. After reconciling with Ann on their arguments regarding being Phantom Thieves, Akira thinks to himself had he not developed feelings for Makoto, he would have for Ann.
213	* WideEyedIdealist: Makoto at times, as she believes that going to the police would be more than enough to settle several problems such as Sugimura's treatment of Haru. The other Phantom Thieves are less so, especially Akira whose prior experiences have led them to believe DirtyCops are the norm.
214	* WithCatlikeTread: Upon realizing that Makoto is following them, Akira realizes they're going to have to be subtle about how they deal with the prob--
215	-->'''Ryuji:''' HEY YO! PREZ! IS THAT YOU?\
216	'''Akira:''' ''[thinking]'' Or. We could take the Ryuji approach.
217	* AWizardDidIt: An In-Universe example. When Makoto and Haru are investigating the Phantom Thieves and how they change hearts, Haru casually suggests this.
218	* {{Yandere}}: Like in the game, Sugimura is possessive of Haru, but it is taken to frightening levels to the point of leaving behind threatening messages on her phone. [[spoiler:It is enough to make him have his own Palace.]]
219	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Despite his best efforts, Akira breaks down in front of Makoto about the things he's had to do to infiltrate Kaneshiro's organization. She briskly shuts down any suggestion that he's "no different" from Kaneshiro.
220	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: After Takemi calls the cops to report signs that Yusuke is being abused, Madarame's benefactors inform him that Yusuke has officially become more trouble than he's worth and it's time to cut him loose.
221	* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Kaneshiro takes a liking to Akira when he takes part in his crime ring, much to his discomfort. Akira tells Sae that Kaneshiro unnerved him because "he liked him."
222
223	!! Parallel Dimensions - Crimson World provides examples of:
224	* {{Crossover}}: With ''Fanfic/AkaneNoMai''.

Context FanFic / CrimsonAU