#AND THEN makoto talks about becoming police chief

[solipsismbyproxy]

Ranking persona 5 royal confidants - II: Priestess

Part of my ongoing project to rank the Persona 5 confidants. To quickly recap, the three things I think are most important in a good confidant are a solid overarching story, a deeper exploration of the confidant's motives and personality traits, and a meaningful role for the protagonist to play and help change the confidant.

(As a quick note I'm skipping 0 and 1 (Igor and Morgana) since they're essentially just story checks and don't really fit into the social link structure in a normal sense.)

So, let's get into the Confidant for the Priestess Arcana, Makoto!

As a recap, Makoto's confidant revolves around a couple themes: links 1-2 are about her desire to learn more about normal activities to feel closer to other students her age - she invites you out to help teach her about new places so she doesn't feel awkward visiting them alone. 3-5 revolve around her talking to and eventually making a new friend, Eiko. Initially, you help her grill Eiko on why she is working at a shady cafe, then later, you talk with Makoto about her new friend and how their conflicting personalities change Makoto's goals (she becomes less sure that the standard honor-studenty path is right for her.) 6-10 are about her helping Eiko get away from a creep named Tsukasa. You are initially her double date to get a chance to meet him - in later links, you give advice on how to handle him and help Makoto confront him. The link begins and ends with conversations about Makoto's late father, who was a police chief investigating seedy gangs in Shinjuku. It's pretty heavily implied he was killed in a gang assassination by one of his targets, maybe even whatever group Tsukasa belongs to (his MO of luring in girls and pushing them to do sex work to pay off a fake debt is the same as the one Makoto's dad investigated, and this parallel is brought up by Makoto herself multiple times.) Makoto uses this incident to firm her belief that she wants to be a police chief in the footsteps of her father.

I love Makoto as a character, which is why it pains me to say I thought this confidant sucked. Maybe the most glaring reason why is that this is barely a story about Makoto herself. Throughout the story, we're told that it is pretty routine for Makoto to constantly check up on the students and making sure their actions are aboveboard. It feels like the main outcome of the social link is that you're saving Eiko from her life being ruined, not doing anything for Makoto. Maybe the main counterexample is her decision in rank 10 to become a police chief, but it's questionable that these events would have any major impact on that decision either way. It's basically already the path she is on given her honor student trajectory and her admiration for her dad from the start. To me, it just doesn't feel believable that she could take any other path even if the events with Eiko didn't happen. Further, the ending is incredibly anti-climactic. You essentially call it a day at running Tsukasa off from Eiko and getting her to commit to her studies. When the buildup of the confidant suggests that Tsukasa was, at least symbolically, the type of criminal responsible for her father's death, Makoto letting him off with a slap and a warning to stay away from one (1) of his victims is just...underwhelming? No change of hearts, no escalation, just a "stay away from Eiko!!" This feels like a complete letdown of any real tension - sure, you achieve a minor victory and saving your classmate/friends life from ruin is good, don't get me wrong, but letting Tsukasa get away and repeat his scam just does not give a sense of closure (and its basically all but confirmed he's grooming other victims simultaneously with Eiko!) This feels like a major loose end and one that directly contrasts with Makoto's desire to get justice.

Largely because the focus is shifted so far away from Makoto, we also really don't get to see any new aspects of her character in this confidant. The main things that are conveyed about her by this link are, IMO,

Makoto is sheltered and not very in touch with her peers

Makoto has a strong sense of justice and wants to protect her classmates at Shujin as part of her role as SC president

Makoto looks up to her father a lot

Makoto is hot tempered and quick to act when she sees injustice, even at risk to her own life

You know where we saw all these traits before? The entire Kanoshiro arc! That arc was set in motion by her feeling like a burden after her father died, feeling the need to do something about Shujin students getting scammed, and doing something rash that put her personally in a lot of danger. This arc basically feels like a diet version of that where, instead of neutralizing the threat and/or changing their heart, Makoto claims the smallest victory as enough and gives up. And since it functions as a diet version of that arc, at best this link feels like Makoto is wading completely in place from start to finish besides making a new friend. Her exposure to her peers' culture basically tops out at playing one (1) video game at an arcade, she gains the resolve to take...the most natural path forward for her anyways as an honor student in a family of cops, and she doesn't even make any significant progress towards neutering the gangs who very likely killed her father. It feels essentially like there's no character development at all.

On to the final piece of the puzzle - protagonist involvement. Unfortunately, the social link fails here too. At basically every turn, Joker is just an extra body there because Makoto doesn't want to balone. Half of the social link setups are: 1&2-I want someone to go with me to new places (excusable, I suppose) 3-I need you to help me grill this girl and act as a witness 6-I need you to act as my double date so I can meet Tsukasa 9-I need you to get evidence and help me confront Tsukasa. Does it matter who you are besides a second body? A little, obviously you do have some input and you help her pick the right path forward with Eiko. But overall, it really feels like your involvement is justified as a helper filling in so it isn't just Makoto. This confidant is maybe the one that most makes you feel like a spectator to the events, and it really diminishes the link to me. Here's an (admittedly silly) test of protagonist involvement - could Ryuji have filled in for Joker in this link? I think for basically every rank, the answer is an easy yes.

Overall, I was really disappointed with Makoto's Confidant. It trapped the player as a pure spectator in Makoto solving someone else's problem, in the same way we already saw her doing so in the main character. I learned nothing about Makoto, felt no bond to her, and didn't feel like my progressing the social link changed anything in any way. I would rate this confidant overall as a 2/10, with its only redeeming quality being that it is cute to see Makoto try out the arcade and make a new friend. This is easily a bottom 5 confidant for me, and possibly even a bottom 2, and it depresses me because I like Makoto as a character way more than any of the other confidants she's competing with on that list.

Here are two scattered ideas on ways to improve Makoto's social link:

Make the endgoal of the link the investigation/shutting down of the gang that employs Tsukasa. You can easily condense some of the earlier links to squish the current rank 9 to rank 8, and make a rank 9 that does this - either gated behind Mementos or through real world police work. This gives proper closure to the Tsukasa stuff, gives a more compelling arc for Makoto (she appreciates both the difficulty and the rewards of investigating criminals) and can even tie into some sense of avenging her father by taking down one of the gangs he was after. By shifting stuff around, you can give Joker a larger role by having him advise Makoto on how to handle the situation, and by participating in the Mementos quest or the actual investigation work. Queen gets a chance to show off her tactical brilliance and maybe her decisiveness can even pay off here instead of working against her all the time (imagine how cool it'd be if she caught the gang leader fleeing through a motorcycle pursuit!!)

Refocus the social link on working through and assuaging Makoto's guilt about Kamoshida. This is obviously a big plot point for her character in the main game that I feel isn't addressed particularly well in either the social link or the game, and it is something that upsets her. Working through this with her and helping her both change the system and deal with her own guilt would be a good way for Joker to make a serious, thoughtful, emotional impact. We also get to explore a pretty big part of Makoto's character, and get a sense of progress for her. One big downside to this idea is that this is complicated by the principal's death, and it feels really bad to have a main cast member's link be gated behind a date to complete or to have this sort of plot be completely independent of the principal (maybe it would only be unlocked after the principal dies? Could help) Either way, that's getting too much into the weeds but I think this is a much more obvious place for Makoto to progress as a character and heal from her past than the current plot.

Let me know if you have thoughts on either of these solutions, or anything I said above! I'll be back soon with a dive into The Empress, which will take a much different tone from this one :)

#persona 5 #persona 5 royal #makoto niijima #persona 5 makoto #social links #confidant #4 am rambles #persona series #why'd they do makoto like that :( #P5r confidant rankings

[therobotsoul]

I just realized that Tumblr is the perfect place to talk about headcanons and stuff so please let me tell you about my amazing Persona 5 Spin-off: Fist of Justice.

So. If you've been on the Persona 5 Fandom for long enough you'll know the conflict of interest with Makoto Niijima being a Phantom Thief, and watching Joker get fucked by the cops, but still wanting to become a cop herself because of her dad. So I thought... Well let's try it. Let's make Makoto a cop and see what happens.

The story would start with Makoto's second year in the force, the first cases being fairly normal police procedural stuff. However, two characters appear at some point in the story that would slowly turn the story into a much higher stakes game. The first is Lavenza, who warns Makoto that someone from her world has been in the Metaverse and has stolen her compendium (I headcanon that a Velvet Room attendant with a compendium could summon every persona on demand, which would make them even more overpowered than they already are). The other character is Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4, and an incredibly respected private detective by this point.

So, the game from that point on is about finding who stole the compendium and is messing around in the collective unconscious.

Some new stuff I would add is that, while palaces are back, targets' reactions can be different. Some flee, some confess but believe they're right and don't move an inch, some become aggressive, etc. This is because I want to make Makoto follow some procedure and not just rely on forcing confessions out of people.

Some other stuff happens, like Naoto and Makoto becoming closer, some appearances by the other Phantom Thieves and even more important, and even deeper and more developed relationship with Sae, how they healed together after all the shit they went through, etc.

At some point in the story it becomes clear that the case involves higher-ups in the police itself. Makoto gets abducted and tortured much like Joker, and completely loses her shit after escaping, having to hide from her own colleagues while going berserk on a bunch of people. This is a bad thing, btw, she's right, but she's threading on thin ice mentally.

At the end, turns out that the bad guy was Tokyo's chief of police and he wanted to control the will of people and such. The real kicker is that he has a plan B, which is assaulting the Diet building for real and just take over. And as a little extra he kidnaps Sae in the process. Makoto goes there and beats the shit out of everyone, saves her sister and, seeing what the police had been doing to her physically and mentally, quits.

#persona 5 #persona5 royal #makoto niijima #sae niijima #naoto shirogane #persona series #headcanon

[landoftheway]

Rewriting Persona 5

Been thinking about my issues with Persona 5, and while I think I probably look on it more favorably than most SMT-oriented folk I do have some ideas for how I would change parts of its writing for the better (note that I’m talking about additions made to Royal’s improved version of the game, not the original, though many of these could also apply to the original):

The first major change is to remove all direct connection to The Conspiracy from the first two arcs. Principal Kobayakawa and Madarame should have no relation to Shido and the Thieves should not be on their radar until the end of the third arc.

I’ll go into this more during the Okumura arc, but it’s right after the Kaneshiro arc that I’d make a not-insubstantial change: introduce Haru as a recurring character on the same level as other Confidants. Have her be something of a school celebrity, someone pretty much everyone considers above all the goings-on at school (hence her lack of relevance to the Kaneshiro arc) but who through chance meets the Protagonist early-on. Tying into the mechanics of Confidants in the game, I’d have it be that the Protagonist gets to know her initially to get access to the rooftop gardening at school and she agrees in exchange for him being a taste-tester for her food and drinks (and gradually so that he can be someone she can vent about her issues with). Their Confidant rank should only be allowed to go up to Rank 5 before the Okumura arc, and when she later becomes a party member her combat-related Confidant bonuses would be applied retroactively. This does mean that the game would need to change some dialogue in her early Confidant ranks if it isn’t started until after her father’s death, but considering most of those scenes aren’t voice acted all that’d really need to change is to have her establish that she’s trying to distract herself from her grief before addressing it after Rank 5. Ranks 1-5 could instead mostly be about her desire to open her own little coffeeshop and get away from both the big business plaguing her family life and her arranged marriage.

The Kaneshiro arc is where I would make some of the biggest changes. I’m hardly the first person to point out that this is one of the weakest points in the game, if not the weakest point completely, and I’m also not the first to point out how a big part of that is how it feels like there’s no personal connection tying Makoto to Kaneshiro and the overall plot of the arc. My solution would be pretty much an entire rework of the arc where the villain isn’t a mob boss, but instead a corrupt cop: specifically one responsible for Makoto’s dad’s death. Rather than her father dying in a tragic accident, I would make it that he was killed by a corrupt officer who he was going to report who covered it up as an accident and has since risen up the ranks and is now a relatively high-ranking officer (not too high for plot reasons, but with substantially more authority than just an officer; probably inspector or chief inspector). The bank motif would be kept for his palace with the only change being that he specifically views the criminals as sources of money instead of the entire population of Shibuya. Makoto’s motivation would be that she’s always suspected this officer but has never had the means to prove it and initially she wanted to join the police to get the power to investigate them. Her awakening would be triggered by the corrupt officer’s shadow telling her that other officers were aware of the coverup from the start but played along for various reasons (fear, also being corrupt, etc.), and that’s what finally gets her to fully sign-on with the Phantom Thieves. The arc concludes with the officer publicly confessing to corruption but dying mysteriously while being held in prison before any details can be made public. The Phantom Thieves chock this up to the other corrupt officers on the force and bolster their resolve that their actions are necessary, while the audience is shown that the murdered officer, his mysterious assassin in a Black Mask, and some other officers who help clean up the scene are all members of the Conspiracy, the target was silenced to prevent anything about it getting leaked, and this is what draws the Phantom Thieves to the Conspiracy’s attention and kicks off their efforts to deal with them in Futaba’s arc.

Makoto’s Confidant is also something I’d change by focusing it more on her personal ambitions. Considering the changes I’d make to her motivations in the Kaneshiro arc I don’t think it would make sense for her to still want to be a cop (and let’s be real that never really meshed with the theming of the Phantom Thieves), so I’d have her Confidant be focused on her trying to figure out what to do instead. You could keep at least some of the structure of her original Confidant with her looking to help a fellow student getting involved in a shady business, but I’d have it be more focused on questioning what the right way of helping victims of crimes is when law enforcement is so corrupt. I’d make the conclusion of her Confidant be her resolving to dedicate her academics to finding the best way to guarantee real protection for the innocent and accountability for corruption in the police, keeping it vague enough that this could be expanded on further come the Third Semester arc from Royal.

Naturally the next big thing in need of change is the Okumura arc, the other major weak point of the game. First order of business: scrap everything to do with Morgana leaving cause there’s pretty much no way to make that entire sequence not stupid. At absolute most you could have a bit where Morgana keeps second-guessing himself about his usefulness to the party now that Futaba is here and he gets reassured of his place by the team, but frankly there’s better things to do with this arc’s time, most of it involving Haru. Going off the changes to her Confidant I talked about before, have it be here that the Metaverse Navigator app appears on her phone after repeated contact with the Protagonist and the manifestation of her father’s Palace, and rather than being guided by Morgana I’d have Haru take the initiative on dealing with the Palace before the Phantom Thieves, her being worried that they might end up hurting her father and feeling that the situation is partly her responsibility for not keeping her father on the straight-and-narrow. As part of the lead-up to this we should get more scenes of her interacting with the Phantom Thieves as a whole; I’d have the Thieves be similarly motivated by media pressure to go after Kunikazu and they start by trying to get Haru to open up to them about her situation, culminating in the reveal of her solo activities as Noir. I’d then have the Thieves catch up with her in Kunikazu’s Palace when she gets stopped in a similar moment to her awakening from the OG game, only I’d change the dialogue slightly to emphasize Haru no longer being afraid to stand up to her father completely, even if it means hurting him, and that’s what fully awakens her Persona. The rest of this arc would play out largely the same, albeit with a hopefully better mechanically-designed dungeon and boss fight.

As far as Haru’s Confidant after her father’s death goes, I’d keep it mostly the same but change its conclusion to be Haru working with Takakura to air all of their company’s dirty laundry from when Kunikazu was in charge to the public, even at the risk of the company collapsing, followed by Takakura overseeing the fallout while Haru is free to pursue her dreams of starting her own private café.

The Sae arc wouldn’t need much change, but considering the changes I proposed in Makoto’s backstory I’d slightly alter Sae’s motivations to be that she did also suspect that her father’s death was foul-play, but felt that holding such doubts towards the system her father had been a part of was insulting his memory. As a result she doubled-down on her work, both to bury those doubts and to take care of herself and Makoto, and over time gradually lost sight of even trying to do the right thing anymore as opposed to just winning her cases and pushing forward at all costs. This would, much like the original game, get resolved at the very end by her deciding to become a defense lawyer instead to actually use the skills she developed in a positive way.

As part of the lead-up to the Shido arc the audience should get tiny bits of info about high-level corruption in the first two arcs, the first real demonstration of the Conspiracy being made in the third arc, and every subsequent arc should prominently show how the Conspiracy is using its power to target the Phantom Thieves more and more as they become an increasing thorn in their side, culminating in Akechi’s direct infiltration during the Sae arc. With the improvements made to Akechi’s confidant in Royal I don’t think there’s really a lot that needs to be changed narratively from here to the end of Royal’s Third Semester arc. Shido works as a culmination of the primary threat the Thieves have faced since the start of the game, Yaldabaoth works as a representation of the systems which prop up that primary threat, and Maruki works as a direct foil to the Thieves and their methods for dealing with the prior two issues.

So yeah, those are the big changes I’d make. Personally I think this would both strengthen the core themes of the game while also making the escalation of threat not feel so extreme at certain points. Like I said at the start I still like the games we got (see my Megaten tier list here for how I think they stack up to other Megaten games), but there’s no denying that the writing could do with some touching-up.

#not included is every instance of bad writing that has little-to-no bearing on the plot #cause including all of that would balloon this post like crazy #but suffice to say i'm aware of it and how it would also need to be touched-up #persona 5 #p5

[asexualannoyance]

when will Persona 5 Royal condemn the systems that enable all of these bad people?

#persona 5 royal #persona 5 #maybe i am just not competent enough to understand it? #or i missed it somehow #but still #they are always talking about like individuals #and not about the systems in which these people operate #AND THEN makoto talks about becoming police chief #like GIRL #what do you want with the pigs??? #you are better than that #i promise you that you becoming police chief because you want to change the system from within somehow is not gonna work out #how you think it will #go join a local organisation #this way you can do more #to actually help people #also the holy grail and the prison stuff in mementos #doesn't sit completely right with me #but i don't think i can properly articulate that

[thepancakedetective]

University Life

Akira is fidgeting with the end of his hoodie string. Akechi looks up from his university level criminal law homework and shoots him an annoyed look.

Akechi: Some of us are trying to get somewhere with our lives, I suggest you do the same. 

Ann rests her head on Shiho’s lap as she poses for a new Instagram post. Shiho is busy watching her latest soccer match and analyzing places for improvement. 

Ann: Speak for yourself Mr. Future Prosecutor. I’ve already established my future —as the next cover girl model for Vogue! 

Akechi sighs and shakes his head.

Akechi: I wasn’t talking to you. 

Futaba glances up from her laptop which displays an incomplete code for a client. 

Futaba: I don’t understand why you’re so hard on your boyfriend for choosing not to go to university. 

Akechi opens his mouth ready to retort before being interrupted by Makoto. Makoto is working on the same homework essay as Akechi.

Makoto: It’s only natural to be concerned. Four months have passed since graduation and Akira hasn’t shown any career interest outside of his numerous part time jobs. 

Ryuji: I think you guys just need to chill. Give a man sometime to figure themselves out! Look after months of searching, I’ve finally landed a job as a personal trainer at that fancy smancy gym down in Shinjuku. The benefits and pay are awesome. Plus, I get to work out for free. 

Akechi: Exactly why I’m concerned. If Ryuji has already landed a good paying job, what does that say?

Ryuji: Hey, what do you mean by that?! 

Yusuke is in deep thought staring at his unfinished painting. 

Yusuke: Maybe the answer lies, in where it does not speak.  

Everyone sends him a quizzical look. Haru puts down her tea cup and gently pets the sleeping cat in her lap.

Haru: I think what he means to say is, why don’t you all give Akira a chance to talk? I’m sure it must be unpleasant to not be included in a conversation which is centered around yourself. 

Everyone turns to look at Akira who has frayed the ends of his hoodie string ties. His eyes are hidden behind the glare of his glasses. 

Akira: I’ve come to a decision. 

Akechi: Well, please don’t keep us waiting. 

Akechi gives Akira one of his forced Detective Prince smiles. Akira pauses before opening his mouth as if to gather his thoughts.

Akira: I want to open a private investigation firm. 

A few eyes widen at this sudden statement, predominantly Akechi’s whose mouth hangs open a few centimeters. 

Akechi: You what? I understand the adrenaline rush of what we all did in highschool to expose that filthy conspiracy ring must have hit you the hardest as our former leader, but I didn’t expect it to go to your head so much. 

Haru shoots Akechi a warning look.

Haru: Give him a chance to explain himself. 

Akechi frowns are resigns himself farther down in his seat. 

Akira smiles at Haru and nods his head.

Akira: I’m not asking to reinstate the Phantom Thieves. I just want to offer that same platform of help again to the people who need us.

Akechi opens his mouth but is cut off by Akira.

Akira: Outside the law. We’ve all seen what happens when the legal system fails. Even with amazing people like your sister Makoto, that corruption still lies there. By the time you and Akechi get into the legal system to clean it up, there may be countless lives which fall through the cracks. That’s why I want to do this. I hope you all can support my decision. 

The room is silent. Ryuji is the first one to talk.

Ryuji: If my man wants to become a private investigator, of course I’ll support him. Maybe I can even assist in catching the perp! 

Futaba smiles and pulls down her headphones.

Futaba: Likewise. If you ever need assistance accessing police records or other resources, I’ve got your back. I still owe you for helping solve my mother’s death. 

Akechi and Makoto exchange looks. 

Makoto: I don’t see why I wouldn’t support your decision. I can see it took you a great deal of courage to come to it. I’ll be here to support you with whatever legal knowledge I know. Of course, my sister would probably be more of a help than me at this point. I can contact her to get the steps of establishing a reputable private investigation firm. 

Ann wraps her arms around Shiho.

Ann: You’ve already got my vote, chief. I can always use my celebrity and industry connections to assist in cases if needed. Also if you need a hot undercover detective, you can count on me!

Yusuke nods his head at the painting.

Yusuke: I can see it now. Truly a wonderful sight. If my artistic expertise and skill can be of use, I would be happy to present them. 

Haru: It looks like we’ve come to a decision. As everyone has already noted, I as well am willing to help in whatever way I can. My...father has left me with many financial resources at hand. If you need an initial investment, I would be happy to provide. 

Akechi looks at all of them in disbelief.

Akechi: You all can’t be serious. Just accepting things so easily like this. Truly naive.  

Akechi gets up from his seat and grabs his things, haphazardly shoving them into his backpack. Ann gets up to follow him as he pushes past to move down the attic stairs. 

Ann: Akechi! Wait—

Makoto stops her and shakes her head.

Makoto: Leave him. He just needs time to process things. 

Akira: I should go. 

Before waiting for the other’s reply. Akira is down the stairs and out of the cafe door scanning for any signs of the upset brunet. He is nowhere in sight. But Akira has a feeling he knows where to find him. He arrives at Inokashira Park finding Akechi shortly, sitting hunched over at a lone bench. His hands cover his face.

Akira: Akechi... 

Akechi just shakes his head silently. Akira takes a seat next to him.

Akira: I’m...sorry. 

Akechi looks up sharply, redness outlining the rims of his eyes. Anger bubbles in his next words. 

Akechi: What could you possibly be sorry about?

Akira: You would have preferred I discussed this with you prior.

Akechi laughs without humor.

Akechi: Akira. I’m just upset that you didn’t ask for my help. It’s petty I know. But this. This is one thing in your life I could have helped you with. You know I’ve been somewhat of a private detective myself. I want to help you so much Akira. But you never give me the chance. That’s why I’m upset.

Akira’s eyes are downcast towards his losely interlocked fingers. 

Akira: All my life I’ve been going with the flow of events and letting others do the talking for me. This time I wanted to choose my own decision independently. I hope you can understand. 

Akechi sighs and leans his head tiredly against Akira’s shoulder.

Akechi: I can understand even though it still makes me upset. But it’s my own ego that’s causing me to feel like that. Honestly, I’m happy that you’ve come to a decision. It’s fitting for you. I just wish I could have been a better support as your boyfriend. 

Akira’s fingers laced together with Akechi’s.

Akira: You already are. 

Akechi turns and raises his eyebrow.

Akechi: How?

Akira watches the ducks mill around in the distance near the lake. The tip of Akira’s ears become red as he mutters,

Akira: I kind of wanted to become a cool boyfriend like you.

Akechi’s eyes widen and a small smile traces his face. His eyes are full of warmth. Akechi wraps his arm around Akira’s back.

Akechi: Does that mean I can still convince you to go into law with me?

Akira: No way in hell. I don’t want to take those crazy entrance exams.

Akechi presses against Akira. 

Akechi: I’m sure with me as your tutor, you’ll get in with flying colors. 

Akira: Mmh, maybe. 

Akechi: Imagine the excitement. Law student by morning, private investigator by night. Fighting the system along side your cool boyfriend. You’d like that sort of life right?

Akira: Now you’re just teasing me. 

Akechi purses his lips.

Akechi: I may be. But I’m also a 100% serious. What do you say? Will you give it a try?

Akira laughs.

Akira: I can’t win with you, can I? Okay, I’ll do it. 

Akechi: Good. I can think of a few ways we can celebrate the occasion. 

He presses his lips against Akira.

Akechi: I love you Akira. I’m proud of you. 

Akira kisses back.

Akira: I love you too Akechi. Can’t wait to start my next chapter with you.

Akechi smiles.

Akechi: Likewise. 

Part 2: [Link]

#persona5 #university au #persona universe did not exist #akeshu #shuake #goro akechi #ryuji sakamoto #ann takamaki #futaba sakura #haru okumura #makoto niijima #yusuke kitagawa #vandyfics

[junionigiri]

Vigilantes 55! The Number One Hero!!!

Appreciation for All Might as a hero and as a human being and as a character, upped to 1000000000000!!!!

Seriously. Wow, what a man. 50,000 people, inclusive of heroes and civilians, Japanese and American citizens, saved from imminent and violent death in the blink of an eye! And look at him, having a harder time commenting about it to the journalists than flexing about it! I love that we see how humble he is all the time, how he focuses not on his successes but on the problems that everyone still has to face? And also how it was more important for him to run and hide than bathe in the accolades

(Love this, also love this shot of Tensei, I have been fed for the next two weeks)

I love this. Look at the contrast of big strong All Might, and Yagi? Look how huge the costume is, especially around the hip and abdomen? I can’t find confirmation if the events of Vigilantes happens before or after All Might’s body gets destroyed by AfO, but if it does happen after then the ridiculous fit of All Might’s costume over him is due in part to the absence of one lung and parts of his stomach and guts :( It’s so absurd to think of them as the same person! But all the same, he wants to stay to keep on helping the people out--geez, we rarely ever see him think of himself in this story, it’s touching to see

Now, I am not a fan of how maybe ~25-50% of female characters are portrayed in this universe but I gotta say Tsukauchi Makoto is a character done right. She was shown in the past few chapters trying very hard to function and realistically fearing for her life, and she showed some disappointment in having her event be a failure. In other words, she’s shown to react as an actual civilian is going to react. She is also shown to get over that and to become the trustworthy leader that everyone needs! I stan, i stan i stan

Okay so this aspect of All Might’s quirk is intriguing to me. I mean on the surface this “psychological” aspect to OfA sounds like standard shonen manga fare, that ‘hearing people’s cries for help’ gives him a boost of strength. But maybe it’s an actual condition to OfA?

In BNHA it was established by Hell Boy man that OfA ‘listens’ to the wishes of its present holder. In that context, it was Izuku, who was so mad at Monoma that he wanted to take him down. In this case, OfA listened to Yagi’s wish to help the Tsukauchis in the crisis situation. It also explains how he lasted longer than he should have in the USJ and Kamino ward incidents, because during that time the kids were rooting for him to keep on surviving and fighting--which is a feat for someone with one lung and no stomach I gotta say.

Now I don’t know if this ‘targeted activation’ or apparent sentience of OfA will have any significant bearing to this story, or in BNHA? Maybe it just means that OfA will not be efficient in someone who has no ‘wishes’ or goals to help people in need--like, for example if it was given to someone neutral, like Pop Step. Imagine though, if the OfA gene ended up in the hands of a villain whose wishes were the exact opposite of All Might’s. (e.g., any given villain. Shigaraki. Or worse, Endeavor.) Would it lead to the corruption of all the spirits of the previous users?

Anyways, hello to the Osaka stand-up team I love all of you I’m glad you’re back together when are you streaming your show on Netflix?! Please let it not be the last collab between the three of them

It’s touching to me that at this point Yagi trusts Tsukauchi a lot, not just with the secret of his real identity? It seems like he’s already made up his mind to share the facts about OfA and its temporal nature to him, and the only question is when. And this trust is a result of not only their collaboration as hero and police (because if it was then Yagi would have informed the Chief of Police first and foremost about this). They’re good friends at least and boyfriends at the most and you will have a hard time changing my mind on that

As wonderful as the entire chapter is, this is my favorite shot

Seriously i think i’ll make a PFP out of the three of them

And look, it’s so easy for us to say that Wow All Might is strongk, he ponch evil away but that thing he punched? It’s a cluster of bomb-monsters, maybe 50-100 of them, with powers of regeneration, designed to explode and kill the 50,000 people trying to recover! With one Nebraska Smash, he sends them all away in a tornado that guarantees that if any of those explodes at least it won’t spread! And just one punch,,,,

Like it makes you wonder just how strong he was in his prime, and how devastating an attack the United States of Smash was supposed to be

The most annoying thing of all though, is that the Kimblee Guy (called No. 6 by a mysterious someone giving instructions) is still at large. By the reverent way that the mystery telephone guy is talking about All Might, I won’t be surprised if it’s actually AfO with a prototype of what would be the League of Villains who is on the other side of the phone. Which will be v amazing, because then we can expect more backstories and crossovers into the main manga!

And Knuckleduster, our strongk hobo vigilante dad, is back! With,,, a sniper! Another murder is going to happen it seems gah what the heck is going on!!! 

As always I am quaking for hte next chpater!

#bnha vigilantes spoilers #vigilantes spoilers #bnha spoilers #all might #yagi toshinori #tsukauchi naomasa #tsukauchi makoto #iida tensei #ingenium #haimawari koichi #captain celebrity #aizawa shouta #eraserhead #fat gum #kaniko #knuckleduster #pop step #meta by juni #ofa

[cameronbrownfmp]

Yakuza Research

“It’s a country renowned for walking to the beat of its own drum, a cultural oddity in some respects but with a society that goes to great pains and being polite, civilised, clean and different to customs. Walking around almost any city you won’t find trash on the ground and you won’t need to fear being harassed or being beaten up for the way you look or for the few dollars in your pocket. Japan is on the whole smart, convenient and safe but then it also has some of the most feared and formidable gangsters on the planet.”

The name Yakuza is a generic term given to multiple groups of gangs in Japan, sometimes the people that become a part of this lifestyle call themselves Goduku, which means wicked or extreme paths.

The Yakuza goes back to the 17th century call themselves ninkyō dantai, which means a chivalrous organisation, however, the media and police don’t see it this way and instead refer to them as bōryokudan, which means violent group.

“In a paper called history of the Yakuza from 2014, it’s written that in Japan there are some where between two and three thousand gangs that we might call Yakuza”

These gangs belong to a number of conglomerates and might be thought of as crime families.

“According to historians some of the Yakuza like romanticize their beginnings, comparing themselves to ancient master samurai known as Ronin, although others say the roots of Yakuza come from gangs that defended villages from marauding Ronin. Its commonly thought that most of these past gangsters were merely men that peddled sketchy goods and ran gambling outfits as the word Yakuza is actually related to gambling, they do have codes of conduct though, the past and rituals associated with the past is important to Yakuza in fact some scholars tell us that Yakuza have an unwavering moral code that they are “makoto” or heroes, driven by money but also a will to do good. In that sense, we might call them Moral Gangsters or sometimes Ethical Hitmen. That’s one side of the tale though, and many of the Japanese public don’t see it that way.”

“One professor that has studied Yakuza

tells us, “Like the Mafia in Italy, gang traditions that are still influential today in Japan had their origins within the feudal structure of the preindustrial society”. Outlaws and bandits emerged, but so did stories of Robin Hood-type Yakuza. This seems to be a common theme in most cultures – the honourable criminal fighting oppression. We are told in Japan this was, and still is, a common thread – that the gangsters are neo Samurai that have basically put down their robe and donned a business suit. The sword is now a gun, but the principle is the same. But if you think dealing in prostitution, extortion, drug trafficking, smuggling, gambling, blackmail and other shady businesses is honourable, well, that’s up for debate. Are these modern-day Samurai really robbing from the rich and giving back to the poor though?”

The big four organisations in the Yakuza are the “Yamaguchi-gumi”, the largest of them all and now split in

to two, the “Sumiyoshi-kai”, the “Inagawa-kai” and the “Aizu Kotetsu-Kai” which is the oldest group. These groups are also well known by the Japanese people as they have large headquarters, known by the police and everyone else. They work very similarly to a normal corporation, however, most of their work is of a criminal nature.

Like all Yakuza there is a hierarchy, with the top being the boss “Oyabun” and his family the gang members known as “Kobun”. They all exist within their hierarchy, having both older and younger members. Bellow the Oyabun there is a senior adviser and below him is the chief, and bellow them are the smaller gangs associated with the family, and these gangs have their own bosses, “Shatei gashira” this is very similar to the Italian mafia.

It’s thought that within the Yamaguchi-gumi there are around 500 separate Yakuza groups. On top of this, the Yamaguchi-gumi is said to be the richest criminal family in the world by a long way, with their estimated yearly net revenue being around $80 billion. The group which is around less than half of the Yakuza members are involved with many criminal activities. Most of their activities involve drug trafficking, pornography, invest and manipulate the stock market, construction, gambling and weapon trafficking, and extort money. The group started as a labour union for dockworkers in the city of Kobe around the early 1900s, by their founder Mr. Harukichi Yamaguchi, but nowadays the boss is Kenichi Shinoda. Shinoda has been jailed for murder, been involved in Yakuza wars, and is seen as businessman, for having expanded the Yakuza during his time. He believes that despite the murders that occur, the Yakuza is honourable. He has even stated how the Yakuza have helped the public, mainly after the events of the Second World War and also after natural disasters. This may be as to why the Japanese put up with these conspicuous business men.

After the Kobe earthquake that took place in 1995, around one million Japanese people became homeless, due to the earthquake. The Yamaguchi-gumi and then all four of the main crime syndicates helped out the Japanese people gathered supplies from all around the country, and gave them to the people. Another time in which the Yakuza helped out after an incident is when a tsunami struck in 2011, by offering housing and food supplies. One journalist wrote, “I’ll remain endlessly fascinated by the charity of the yakuza when natural disasters strike. It’s such an idiosyncratic, paradoxical thing for a group of criminal syndicates to engage in.”

The Yakuza have their own rules for their members, and if you break them there are two main penalties that can be received. One of these is death, whilst the other is expulsion from the group, with no way back into the world of the Yakuza. Another minor penalty is that they may have a finger cut off, just above the joint, this is called yubitsume. The member who breaks the rules has to cut of the finger himself with a knife called a tanto. The finger is then wrapped up and handed to the boss. This has occurred to a lot of members, many ex-members have gone to search for a prosthetic finger afterwards. This has shown just how strict the Yakuza are with their members, with their inviolable laws, which is unlike most other criminal organisations who may be more chaotic.

In 2011 the Yamaguchi-gumi made it illegal for the Yakuza to sell or use drugs, who have their own official website. Logos and offices. The Yakuza are trying hard not to commit murder of themselves or the public, however, it does still occur. The group are comparable to that of the triads in Hong Kong, in that a blind eye is turned to illegal activity, so long as no murders occur.

Vice magazine had a journalist interact with the Yakuza, and according to the journalist, they like fine food, women and exquisite tattoos.

The Yakuza see themselves as upstanding gentlemen, however, the public sees otherwise. Vice magazine stated that “Many believe them to be a stain on the proud legacy of Japanese morals and decency”, “People don’t want to talk about the Yakuza or acknowledge their existence.”

When it comes to violence the Yakuza state that they try to prevent it, rather than starting it, and that the Yakuza keep everyone in line and that they can stop chaos. One Yakuza member said that they like to help the young, with a form of tough love, and that if they step out of line they get into trouble. He believes that it is better than ending up in jail.

When it comes to tattoos, you don’t have to get one if you’re in the Yakuza, or you might prefer to get the name of your boss, however, some members go for body tattoos. You can just get the outlines done, which means that your journey is just starting. The koi fish tattoo symbolises strength and courage, especially in darker times, this comes from a myth that a koi fish swam up rapids in the Yellow River in China and turned into a dragon. The samurai is another one of the more common tattoos, as well as these flowers: a chrysanthemum, a lotus or a peony, this means longevity, growth and wealth. The Foo dog tattoos means protection, water symbolises change. A blue dragon means gentle and forgiving, whilst a black dragon is wise, and a tattoo of a severed head is threat to anyone that stands up to them. The tattoos should always be kept hidden as well as a former boss was arrested in Thailand, as someone photographed his tattoos and uploaded them online, he was also recognised for having a severed finger missing. As it turned out the former 72 year old boss was wanted in Japan for having a connection with a murder.

(2018), The Infographics Show, The Japanese Yakuza – Most Dangerous & Powerful Gangs In The World, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFH6q1hJMfo], (Accessed 16th March)

INDEPENDENT, Jake Adelstein, (2011), Mobsters on a mission: How Japan’s mafia launched an aid effort,[https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/mobsters-on-a-mission-how-japans-mafia-launched-an-aid-effort-2264031.html%3famp], (Accessed: 16th March 2021)