Widely considered to be one of the best RPG's of recent years, Persona 4 blew everyone away with its incredible presentation, fun gameplay, and excellent cast. Today we'll be talking about that last aspect in some more detail. I should warn you ahead of time that this article will contain spoilers, so if you haven't beaten Persona 4 yet, it's unadvisable to continue reading.
Recently a friend told me something interesting he'd heard on /v/ a while ago: the protagonist and antagonist of Persona 4 represent different facets of the people who are most likely playing the game (weeaboos, anon, etc). If you take some time to think about it, it makes a lot of sense.
Let's take a look at the protagonist first.
Like every SMT protagonist, he doesn't speak and doesn't have a default name (the manga gives him the name "Seta Souji", but it's not really official); the kind of person he is ends up being shaped by the player's choices.
If you play the game right, he's fucking awesome. Unlike Persona 3, Persona 4 doesn't put a limit on how many girls you can juggle. If you can get them, you can keep them, and nobody else will care. So obviously, you'll get as many as you can. Not particularly realistic, but it's a lot more fun, and makes the protagonist a ladies' man of the highest order.
His charisma doesn't just extend to his ladyfriends: pretty much everyone in your social links ends up loving him (though that isn't really unique to Persona 4), and depending on how well you can manage your social links, by endgame you'll have built up quite the social network.
These unwavering bonds are ultimately what save the Protagonist and unlock the road to his ultimate Persona in the game's true ending. And what a glorious moment that ends up being. Tossing off glasses has never been more manly.
Bottom line is, the protagonist is a blank slate for you to fill up with what the game offers you. And obviously, you'll want to make him as awesome as possible, which is what ends up making him so likable.
Let's talk about the antagonist now.
The antagonist of Persona 4, Tohru Adachi, is a pretty interesting fellow. To some he comes off as suspicious right at the start, others are fooled by his façade and are quite surprised when they learn about the kind of person he actually is. At first he seems to be a chipper, kind, and likable young man, and a helpful source of information to the cast, given his position in the investigation of the murders and disappearances. But all isn't what it seems to be.
If the player chooses to take revenge on Namatame at the hospital, they receive a sad, bitter ending that leaves the mystery unresolved. However, should they choose to spare him, and then later make the right guess at the culprit, a looming shadow suddenly closes in on Adachi and makes him look fairly suspicious. The party manages to successfully incriminate him, causing him to run away into the TV world. The party gives chase, and upon finding him, it becomes clear that his previous demeanor was nothing more than a ruse. He greets them with a malicious sneer, gleefully telling them of his sordid exploits, displaying no remorse over his terrible deeds.
Although at first glance he just comes off as ragingly sociopathic, his monologue before fighting him gives some more insight into his character.
It becomes clear that while he probably is sociopathic to some degree, he's also probably become incredibly frustrated and cynical regarding life's various obstacles and expectations. It's probably not unfair to assume that he's had quite a few of his ambitions crushed and torn aside (being spurned by Mayumi Yamano was probably not his first romantic rejection going off what he says), and rather than simply getting back up and trying again and again, he's given up and deemed them unachievable, putting himself in a place where he can't get out of, no matter how hard he tries. He gives no importance to consequences and morality, because in his unhappiness and despair, he sees no reason to.
Doesn't that all make something click?
The protagonist and Adachi are great foils for one another, and they represent different facets of the player.
The protagonist represents everything any lonely weeaboo would ever want out of high school: kicking ass, fucking bitches, hanging with bros, charming everyone who runs into you, earning money, being essentially self-sufficient, someone who you can look up to and admire.
Meanwhile Adachi represents what will probably happen to any social shut-in who can't manage to crawl out of the hole life's dug for them: stuck with a mediocre job they don't like and only took up because of a selfish perk, unsuccessful with women, lonely and bitter with life, and ultimately committing horrendous crimes for no reason, other than simple amusement. If the protagonist is the player's Persona, then Adachi is the Shadow, something that must be overcome in order to move on and become a better person.
I think that might be part of Persona 4's message. So you don't think you can ever be as cool as the protagonist. My question is: why not? Life ends up giving some people a pretty bad hand to win the game. But losing hope and not giving a fuck about anything is only going to make you spiral downwards, and ultimately won't help you at all. Everyone has flaws and insecurities they're uncomfortable with, but usually they're not something unsurmountable, even if you need a little help to eventually overcome them.
So do it. Fight your shadow self, unlock your Persona, and make your life awesome. Max out your social links, and try to save others from their Shadows if you see they need help. Make your true self someone you don't have to be ashamed of.
