#Persona 4 golden naoto professional
Naoto’s arc revolves around her desire to be a career detective, something she’s already pretty much gone professional with by the time Persona 4 starts. And to get there, we have to talk about Naoto. What makes it worse is how Kanji’s internal struggle is eventually resolved. In Persona 4, Kanji being gay is not only incorrect, but the very notion of it is a joke. In fact, this scene and others in which Kanji struggles with who he is attracted to often have a comedic tone, making the possibility of his queerness into a gag, an ongoing bit. When that sort of thing happens in a text, that’s an endorsement on behalf of the writer. He’s legitimately distressed through his assumption that Kanji is gay, and the game proceeds without ever challenging Yosuke on this moment. If you see this scene in the game itself, Yosuke is practically screaming at Kanji. When Kanji tells Yosuke that he has no problem being around girls now, Yosuke asks him to prove it, saying that if he can’t, “we’re gonna be stuck here all night half scared to death.” “During a school camping trip in which the protagonist, Kanji, and Yosuke are gathered in the same tent, Yosuke goes so far as to ask, “Are we gonna be safe alone with you?” suggesting that in Yosuke’s mind, if Kanji had been gay, he would also be prone to behave inappropriately. Because if Kanji is gay, that would be an actual problem? Yosuke is a JerkĪs writer Carolyn Petit points out in an article for GameSpot titled, “ Denial of the Self: Queer Characters in Persona 4,” there are sequences even outside of that dungeon that reinforce how the writers of Persona 4 actually feel about sexuality. But he’s totally not gay, and Persona 4 goes out of its way to make sure you know that. In brief, Kanji can still be a cool mandude and like sewing pillows and stuffed animals. Kanji eventually accepts this part of himself, and the story ends up being framed as a sort of challenge to gender perceptions and masculinity. Kanji’s dungeon (each dungeon is a sort of manifestation of a character’s internal struggle) is a hypersexual bath house, with Kanji’s shadow self prancing around in a towel and speaking with a hyperbolic lisp meant to directly imply he’s gay. He thinks things like animals are cute, and most notably struggles with an attraction to Naoto (more on her in a bit). He has sewing skills, and is shown helping a child repair a stuffed animal. But as his storyline progresses, the player and gang come to realize there’s more to Kanji than meets the eye, and that “more” quickly implies Kanji is struggling with his sexuality. When he starts getting involved with the story, nearly the entire Scooby gang is afraid of him. He’s loud, brash, and at a glance, super masculine in a borderline toxic sense. Kanji’s whole deal is he’s the game’s bancho, a scary delinquent who hits enemies with folding chairs, puro-style. However, two characters, Kanji and Naoto, are struggling with concepts that are far more insular, especially in 2008 when Persona 4 was new. These are immediately relatable or familiar struggles that cast a wide net, making these characters more accessible to the wide audience. Yukiko nearly crumbles under the pressure of her family’s socio-economic status. Chie struggles with being less popular than her friends because of her obscure interests. Yosuke struggles with moving away from an urban environment, initially feeling like he’s above the rural life. Reach Out to the Truthįor the most part, the character vignettes powering Persona 4’s themes of self are pretty straightforward.
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This is because Persona 4 flirts with notions of queerness, and instead of using them to reinforce that primary theme, pulls back at the last second and antagonizes its own characters for possibly making “incorrect” choices.
![persona 4 golden naoto persona 4 golden naoto](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/2/2e/P4D_Naoto_Shirogane.png)
![persona 4 golden naoto persona 4 golden naoto](https://images7.alphacoders.com/870/870235.png)
However, in a game in which the primary theme is “reaching out” to the “truth” in oneself, or coming to terms with the jaded edges on one’s self, Persona 4 manages to completely drop the ball. I still appreciate the anime pop aesthetic, and the darker themes underneath the bright colors.
#Persona 4 golden naoto series
As more of an adult now, I really appreciate how as a whole, the Shin Megami Tensei series is embracing wider difficulty options. For the most part, I loved it once again. After playing and really enjoying Persona 4 on the PlayStation 2 back when it came out so many years ago, I recently attempted to revisit it via Persona 4: Golden on the Vita. So when a game under that umbrella disappoints me, it really stings. Shin Megami Tensei is one of my favorite video game series.