Persona 4 Analysis - The Game That Changed My Life
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 พ.ค. 2024
- Patreon: / namscomp
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / namscompendium
My Other Persona Videos: • Persona Videos
Welcome to my Persona 4 Analysis. Persona 4 is a very special game for me and in this Analysis, I'll be going over the good and the bad. As well as explaining how Persona 4 changed my life. Persona 4 is the game that changed my life forever after I played it. This Persona 4 review will contain spoilers as it's an in-depth analysis.
This is a follow up to my Persona 3 Analysis so there will be light Persona 3 spoilers.
0:00 Opening
3:30 Persona 4's introduction
13:52 Combat
20:37 Fusion & Dungeon Design
24:01 Social Link Go!
1:09:21 Party Member Discussion & Analysis
1:37:10 Story Analysis & Conclusion
2:16:49 Patreon Credits & Outro
So the last time we were here, I took a deep look at Persona 3 FES for the PS2. And while I think the game was pretty good, it was just shy from true greatness. I had my issues, some small, others not so small. But at the end of that video, I still recommended the game while also mentioning that I actually preferred Persona 4 over that game. So allow me to take some time out of your day to explain why.
Persona 4 is a game that needs next to no introduction. For the longest time, Persona 4 was the main moneymaker for the company Atlus. While I attribute a lot of Persona’s mainstream success to Persona 5, Persona 4 wasn’t exactly an unknown game. If you were a fan of JRPG’s at the time, you most likely heard of Persona 4, even if it was in passing. It also helps that Persona 4’s legacy didn’t just end after one game. - เกม
If you played Persona 4 on PlayStation 2, the controller will rumble when the gas station attendant shakes your hand
This. And when Dojima tap your shoulders when they were talking about making box lunches. It was before Golden Week event IIRC.
69th like nice
Is this a thing on a PC?
@@TheFo0l he specified the PS2 version, it's not on any other version
@@TheFo0l We're talking about the original P4. Not the Golden version. Original P4 is PS2 exclusive.
Wow really had to stretch this out to ten minutes smh
Yeah coulda finished at, “Persona 4 is my favourite and is really great.”
What a shill, Amirite?
@@firepuppies4086 soda
@@Benjamin-dw7rp pepsi
@@YesLegend936 Dr Pepper
I almost cried at the ending cutscene with everyone running along the train
They are my friends too
Reminded me of the ending of the first season of Digimon Adventure.
As soon as they started running I did.
And then they come back to fight each other and to DANCE
BRUH. Seeing them in summer vacation? Now THAT'S what made me cry
i cried
"Oh cool, i just finished P4G, i might watch this video"
.... wait, THE OLD LADY AT THE HOSPITAL HAS A SOCIAL LINK?
I missed so many Social Links. Excited to replay it in a year or so with New Game+ so I can basically skip the dungeons and trait grinding.
(Honestly though the combat is so boring compared to other SMT games.)
@@haruhirogrimgar6047 doesn't seem very different from p3.
@@returnedtomonkey8886 The games feel very different to play. The setting and writing style feels completely different, the number of things available for you to do, and the dungeon crawling especially feels different than P3.
@@haruhirogrimgar6047 i was thinking mainly of the combat. Doesn't seem.too different, otherwise i know p3 is dc levels dark.
@@returnedtomonkey8886 With p3 depending on the version you can't choose your teammates moves during combat. And being able to tell the group to split up makes the dungeon crawling infinitely more bearable for P3 imo (though I am also emulating it so I can turn on 2x speed for the combat which P4 desperately needs.) And the fusion also just lacks some of the QoL P4 has (which P4 was also pretty lacking on compared to Devil Survivor) and I consider Fusion to be part of combat.
yeah, I'm the coolest most epic person that nick has ever met.
69th like you’re welcome kid.
HOLY SHIT I NEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPH
Shit man, hell you doing out of Megaton
700th like.
Nicknamed Moriarty
Kinda like how shadow kanji's boss has added symbolism to it. he has status moves that only effects people based on gender. the guys are toxic, while the girls get enraged over nothing.
Very obvious “symbolism” but sure
@@sock312 it's still symbolism, obvious or not, one could say Yukiko's bird cage being open is obvious as well
Fitting
So obvious that I just noticed this now, thanks for the comment
Heh, there many such little things hidden in plain sight in this game. One could spend a shit ton of hours looking for them (like the vid OP did) and still not catch them all!
"He went as far as to not hold hands" as he should. No physical contact until 40 years after marriage, dude. Everyone knows that.
40 years into marriage is waaaay to early, i'd say you wait until your partner is on their death bed to hold hands
Wow absolutely not... they have to be a minute from death to hold their hands
you guys hold hands ?
You may only hold the hands of a corpse.
"Going in as blind as possible is the best way to enjoy"
I spoiled myself by watching the anime first, but this game still caught me off guard. That's how good this game is. 11/10
You got a bad ending by accident, didn't you? Because same if so
@@slothysam lmao no
I spoiled myself with the killer's identity and the game still fooled me to the point I was convinced I must've interpreted the spoiler incorrectly
@@slothysam i misclicked one of the questions and got a bad ending but even though i beat the game again with the true ending now it still doesnt feel right after the bad one
@@andalouchien same lol
One creepy thing in the game is when you fail to do something in the winter, I’m not sure what, but the Naoto calls you and tells you that shadows are attacking the small town and proceeds to get cut off with her screaming in the end. Resulting in Yu collapsing to the floor in disbelief. Small creepy fact.
wait really? i know this game has a LOT of different endings,but i've never hear about that one before!0_o
@@dimitryryutta Its when you fail to defeat adachi before christmas during the last stretch of the game prior to the new third semester from Golden.
Like hell the game's not dark enough, right? There's a serial killer that remains hidden throughout the year, a copycat murder occurs, mystery kidnappings, a kid DIES (gets better though, in most endings), Naoto's dungeon suggesting that failing to save her means her body being found altered and stitched up, mass hysteria about turning into monsters, and that Piano music.
It's all the more unnerving that this happens in what is practically the happiest setting for a Persona game.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
@@bogsphil So basically Diamond is Unbreakable?
"Hey babe, what movie do you want to watch?"
Me: ...
Facts
Small correction:
Adachi got assigned to the Inaba Police-force not by random chance or coincidence. He got transfered there because, despite graduating with flying colours, he messed up a major case (If I remember correctly he messed up some important evidence.) and because he was still in his very first year as a officer he wasn't fired but instead got sent to "nowherevile" as he calls Inaba. That's btw realistic, because that's how the Japanese police actually gets people to be stationed in such remote places. You have a bit to say about where you want to work after going through police-academy, and, as you can imagine, not a lot of people want to move to some far out countryside for their job unless they are forced to do so in some way.
Ah, that makes his character more unlikable tbh. I could actually relate to him somewhat if it were by random chance (bad luck)
@@thelegacyofgaming2928 bro he messed up during his first year and got punished severely for it, despite doing really well academically
@@thelegacyofgaming2928 i mean getting royally screwed because you made a mistake in your first year is pretty shitty luck.
@@thelegacyofgaming2928 To be honest, that's the fault of the police force assigning a major case to Adachi so early in his career.
@@nephel6158 I don't remember all this detail in the game, is this in the anime?
Someone: Hey Kanji, wuts ur sexual orientation?
Kanji: Shut up or I'll knit ur dog a sweater
WITH MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY AND PRECISION
ITLL BE SO CUTE YOULL FALL OVER
ITLL BE VERY CUTE AND FLUFFY AND I HOPE YOUR DOG ENJOYS IT!!!!
Reminds me of when he told the Aiya owner to not call him Kan-chan or he will destroy the place and renovate it.
I'm about to get super nosy! Tigger needs a cute sweater!
I think the biggest part of this game that people misunderstand is the party members shadows. They think that that is literally what they are thinking. While that is a part of them, the shadow is a exaggerated personification of those feelings. Chie isn't a dominatrix inside. She just has feelings sometimes that she is ashamed of in regard to how she sees Yukiko. Kanji isn't hardcore gay on the inside. He just has tendencies that would normally be considered girlish that he likes, such as knitting, and cooking. He suppresses these feelings which causes them to spiral out of control in the TV world
I'm playing this game as an adult and honestly I can't imagine teenage me being able to understand the messages the game is presenting. 😅 The wjole concept behind the party's shadows is to show that people are not one sided beings, every one has a dark, sinister side that they don't like to admit, but you can only embrace yourself fully if you embrace those not-so-glamorous sides too. And that is only something I'm just beggining to work on as an adult, teen me would not have had the self awareness to see this plot and relate it back to myself, so I can imagine why this message flies past a lot of people's heads, especially a younger audience.
Yeah unfortunately there will still be those kinds of people who want to think that Kanji is gay and Naoto is trans. Eventhough Rise doesn’t want to you know. But hey those shadows show the “truth”. Then they play until the end of the game and the game explicitly tells them that shadows aren’t their true selves. Glasses get shattered and these “people” tend to do one of either 2 things: Act like the last part was a lie or the game’s story is “bad” because it enforces “bad” messages…
It's funnier when you consider Nametame's Shadow explicitly shows that the portrayal of a shadow isn't just overly exaggerated, but can actually be misrepresentative of their IRL counterpoint. Yet people at the end of the day still take all the shadows as being 100% factual just because "they aren't hiding anything"
I first played the game when I was 12 and it was pretty obvious that's what the shadows were portraying. It was after getting to Naoto that it was apparent it was an overexaggeration of their true feelings. I honestly didn't know that was a detail people didn't understand. Maybe I'm giving people too much credit lol.
Some don't realize, but the same Goes for Saki. She didn't hate Yosuke, she was just too lost in her darkness and haze of life, she appreciated him, but didn't have time, energy or will left to express it. That he was a good guy, but who she ultimately didn't think could understand what she was going through, given who he was to her family and what he represented in her life.
The Saki we hear is Yosuke's Shadow, or maybe remnants of her shadow, since it won and consumed her life. Those taunts just as much applied to her, guilting her for being so cold to such a nice guy who clearly could see she was struggling.
Those were not her true feelings, because the True Saki was killed by her Shadow, those CAN'T be her real feelings, they are just that small facet of who she was and thought sometimes, that everyone else in the party learns you must face, not fight, to escape it's destruction.
I honestly dont get the flack Yosuke gets for being very insensitive. Yosuke is a 16 year old high schooler in 2011 and he sure does act like it. Me and my friends constantly make jabs at each other offensive or not. As a teenager, you tend to be very negative and selfish. Something terrible could happen that gets you school days off, you know what happened is horrible but part of you is more interested in what to spend your newly obtained time on. Its eerily real and hits home really hard. That's why I believe Yosuke is one of the most believable characters in persona. I also forgot to add this but this was a very well put together video. These are some of my favorite analysis videos on youtube. Thank you!
I think it's also good to note that many people play him off as the comic relief character, yet he is always there when Yu needs him most and is always reliable. Not to mention that during his social link, you can see how much he cares about helping other people, almost to a fault. I guess I just don't get why people wrote him off as such a one note character when there's so much more to him than that. Like any well written character, he has layers that you slowly start to see the more and more you hang out with him.
@@raidoukuzonoha883 I think my favorite part of Golden is that most of the extra stuff they added (aside from a few things like the extra month) can be skipped. In Catherine Full Body and to some extent P5R, you're forced into a lot of the extra content they kind of just crammed in there.
But yeah, I totally agree on all points!
Hosenpfeffer Jones Royals improvements I’m ok with but chies new VA is pretty bad and I don’t like a lot of the added stuff like goin to okina city and Marie it’s just if I want skill cards I have to talk with her and with Royal I’m glad Kasumi wasn’t Marie 2.0
AvengingFossil I mean I think the cast of P3 is more realistic imo
Eh, I agree with most of this comment. But some people are turned off on Yosuke's character because he is somewhat homophobic in the game. I dont care what you see Kanjis sexuality as. He can be gay, bi questioning or straight, the fact still remains that Yosuke acts prejudiced towards him for a time. Now, I believe the game is highlighting this as stemming from his multiple insecurities , and the fact that he is a deleted romance option adds to that. But with that being cut out, it just seems like plain old homophobia that is never truly appologized for. Yousuke gets better of course and treats Kanji better in the game( the spin offs are another story). You can even go back to the bathhouse and he will say that he shouldn't be discriminatory. But thats really buried, and you gotta go out of your way to find that. It is not unvalid for some lgbtq people to be turned off by his character. Some people don't want to have to deal with that in their videogames and not have that behavior clearly rejected by the end of the game.
I legit CRIED when Nanako "died" she was legit the only thing that kept Narukami sane and seeing her die hit me hard
That hospital segment was an ongoing heart attack, especially the confrontation by the TV which could literally dictate your ending lol
Bro I originally thought she had died for good and realized I was playing one of the darkest games ever. Her coming back did take away from it being too dark, but I was still happy af
but she comes back and everyone could see it a mile coming
All other cases the team is just investigating and (apart from Yukiko) have no relation to the victims. But in Nanako's case it's personal - she is family, not just to you/Yu, but to the rest of the team as well. And it is also why I can totally see the "punish Namatame" scenario happen irl - your little sister just died, you're heartbroken and you have the person responsible at the palm of your hand, look me straight in the eye and tell me you would 100% not think of ending him on the spot.
@@FredMaverik Well duh, if Nanako died, Dojima would have probably Persona 3 summoned his persona with his police issued 6 shooter.
Okay, can we talk about the P4 anime? I feel out of the three big Persona games, the P4 had the best anime. It shows every important part of the game and everyone’s struggles with themselves, and I think Nanako’s arc and March 20th were done so well in that anime. Persona 4 is a very awesome Persona game.
It also gave us the absolute gem that Is Yu chad Narukami
I agree. In my opinion I think it's since the P4 Anime kinda got the pacing, humor, and some of the themes of what made the original P4 (and to an extent P4G) great. That and as others have stated P4 the Anime presented the best big bro- Chad Yu.
it was just like playing the game again
Even P4D was better than the other 2
P4 Anime is just really damn funny and I love it. Such great comedic timing
Can I just say, I appreciate the way you portrayed Yukiko. Many youtubers and people I know dumb down her social link to ‘you’re yes then you’re no’ and that there is no problem to solve and her entire social link is pointless outside of gameplay. Some even summarise her as ‘fancy cardboard’. I’m Glad someone other than me finally understands the idea that for Yukiko, freedom of choice is the problem, of which many people downplay it because it really isn’t a problem in the west. Being Asian, she’s the most relatable of the girls(which is why she’s my waifu, but you do you everyone else), as the idea of freedom of choice really isn’t an available option for many of us. Anyways, I’ve typed for too long, so thank you for finally telling everyone what her S. Link is actually about :)
Yeah. Rise is the same in terms of “yes then no” but the problem is that in the social links people don’t realize that their choice in dropping out of showbiz or relinquishing future management is primarily a selfish one that results in them again “running away from themselves” - both social links reveal that over time. So the “pointless” argument becomes completely irrelevant as it argues against a premise no one ever made.
i think rise and yukiko are my persona favs cuz they are almost polar opposites and their personality fits their image alot
she's fine, just kinda dull.
Indeed! It’s not that Yukiko suddenly changed her mind about owning the Amagi Inn, it’s just that she knows that she’s not doing it against her will. The point of her social link is to help her come to terms with the idea that she is not a doormat. In the end, she chose to take over the Inn not because of tradition or obligation, but because it’s what she herself wants to do.
Yukiko is one of my favorite persona characters. I do enjoy her social link because I feel like not all of the problems people in the social links face needs to be too big, hers was one of the ones with the smaller problems but it definitely felt like something a Teenager would worry about. (I’m a teenager myself so I’d know)
I don’t understand how some people dislike this game. It’s an absolutely beautiful game and the themes behind it are amazing. Everyone is like “ it’s too happy “ even though that’s the dumbest reason not to like it. This game seriously helped me a lot too and I’m glad people are finally getting into because of the PC port
Because this game isn't good, very simple
Hùng Vũ no. It’s a good ass game with a deep message to it. Unless you’re joking than haha real funny bro.
@@drowzee6076 I don't joke. I am saying the true. This is normal game, not good or great game
@@drowzee6076 Because it doesn't live up to what's come before it. Persona 2 IS and EP and Persona 3 have a much better story with a better cast of characters. Nocturne came out 5 years before persona 4 and it's a much better game. I'll give Persona 4 one thing it's way better Persona 5.
@@sonicsucks2961 I mean... *That's your opinion.* Don't pretend like it's a fact.
Adachi: “We already know that Namatame is the one who *put them all in.”*
Akechi: “I thought I heard something about *delicious pancakes.”*
True culprit detectives with names starting with ‘A’ and ending with ‘chi’ in persona games really have a way with words.
The big difference being that Adachi slips up at the end and Akechi slips up like 5 seconds after u meet him
Tbh i figured out it would be adachi really early. Japan loves its "unassuming incompetent good guy turned bad" twists waay too much. So adachi was pretty obvious. At least with aketchi he kept me in suspence for most of the game. I suspected him but wasnt 100% sure.
Ngl i feel like adachi could have come back from that slip up considering the investigation team was talking about it next to him like 10 minutes before
The tossing off the glasses scene has got to be the coolest scene in any game, movie, tv show, book, whatever. Every time I see it I get goosebumps.
He no longer needs them, to see the truth.
You make it sound cringe ngl
@@sergiosalazar8702 It'd be way more cringey if I had typed out a whole paragraph explaining what I mean by that, which I was gonna do here so you could understand what I meant but I dunno if that's worth it. Seriously if I changed "no longer" to "doesn't" and added "anymore" before the comma you probably wouldn't have said anything.
I was just trying to make it sound more dramatic.
nah for me he's just striking a Michael Jackson pose
@@TallTapper Well, I mean, Yu's definitely the type.
I still think Joker breaking Arsene's chains that held him down because of how society tried to keep him down and summoning Satanael was a better scene. Putting a bullet through God's skull to save Christmas lmao.
I find Shu's Social Link to be very interesting because his situation is very similar to Adachi's childhood (or at least what we hear about it from him). Seemingly uncaring parents that only want him to be good at school. Only thing is that Narukami pivoted Shu off that path by showing him companionship. Sure I doubt he would have become as messed up as Adachi but his life probably would have been pretty miserable without that positive influence.
Am I the only one who got Aizen vibes from Adachi? I can't put my finger on it, but it might have to do with the jester card and having been isolated from everyone else and doing things out of boredom because he felt things were wrong, or something along those lines.
@@thelegacyofgaming2928 well there's also the fact.that he assumes a friendly facade while manipulating the events of the game from the shadows
@@marche800 That's probably it tbh
It's pretty interesting since in Persona 5 Magatsu Izanagi is in the Tower Arcana. The same arcana as Shu.
After hearing your analysis of Adachi, the fact that the protagonist and Adachi share the same voice actor just makes your analysis even better
That's what made me solve the mystery in original P4, before the game even started... So far, I'm 3 for 3 on spotting the secondary villain based on stupid nothing details
While Teddie’s human form isn’t explicitly explained, I assume he developed the form similarly to how he took on his bear form to be better liked by humans. I think he grew a human body (which note, is still hollow like his bear form) because he wants to be better liked by his friends. And now that he’s actually SEEN humans, he is able to make his form look like a human’s. I think the fact that his form is incredibly charming to those he speaks to is actually strong evidence for this theory. This human form fulfills Teddie’s main goal perfectly: to be well liked.
It’s still a lame excuse to make Teddie an IT member
@@sergiosalazar8702 he could've managed as a teddy bear for the most part tbh, he wasn't needed for any sort of espionage or blending in scenario lmao
Has anyone counted how many times he's said "But thanks to narukami"
Sheesh, after I completed the true end to golden I got really depressed that I didnt have friends like that lmao
Such a great game, and the OST is stuff of absolute dreams
*but thanks to the king, narukami*
You could become that friend yourself.
That’s probably my biggest complaint about the series, you realise how every single event in the whole damn town has to involve this random guy. It makes sense in the grand overarching story since you’re the ‘chosen trickster’ or whatever, but do I really need to be there during an intimate conversation between a girl and her dying dad?
@@SpinningTurtle66 😂
The difference for me between p3 and p4 is that p4 characters actually felt like they could be my friends. P4 being too happy is not bad it made me remember high school days. P4 will always be my favorite persona game.
Persona 5 is also a game I like a lot for this reason. The characters all have different personalities, but I feel like I could be friends with them in real life, which is saying something since I am bad at making friends.
@@user-mu1os7me8s I just recently finished Persona 5 in my PS3 (Is the first Persona game I play) and it has become my favorite game. I loved characters and also thought I could be friends with them in real life, I really enjoyed all the interaction they have with each other. But what I liked the most is the message it gives: if we believe in ourselves and in each other, we can change the world. This game really helped me all this quarantine, and I can proudly say that it has changed my life.
Not really, p4 characters are so happy that they feel unrealistic, p3 characters could all be more my friends than them.
The whole “they’re better bc they are an actual group of friends” is the most bs argument I’ve heard saying P4 is better. There’s lots to say about it, but y’all always choose the most volatile argument 😐
@@sergiosalazar8702 what they mean is that they feel like a group of friends who love each other while SEES are co workers and the phantom thieves only feel connected to joker rather then each other. It’s fine to like the other teams more tho
SAVE >>> WATCH LATER
Be back after a hundred hours of P4G or so...
I hope you enjoy!
Nanako is the killer
@@chugsfromtriad dammit, I didn't wanna get spoiled today 😭
@@chugsfromtriad I should’ve known.
It took me 63 hours to get the true ending idk
I just want to say to for those of you who thinks Adachi’s motive of becoming killer is unrealistic, that’s because you have nerve grew up in Japanese society. As a individual who grew up there, i can say this 100% , it’s very realistic. Our society is best to be called prison or robot factory. Only things we are allowed to do from very young age is one thing. Study, get good grade , go to good high school, good university and get a good job. That’s it. Nothing else. There is nothing fun about being alive. That’s why we have one of the highest suicidal rate amongst young and adults people. Do you know that even kindergarten students commit suicide because of our broken system ?? Yeah it’s messed up.
If i didn’t have good people around me in that environment, I could have been like Adachi like very easily.
Not even only the japanese society. This situation is present in the West just as much, only difference is that here it is as sugar-coated as possible. So if you are a failure, guess what? You didn't work hard enough. It's your fault, not the society. Why does the society have to care about you? Oh, you studied sooo hard? Well, too fucking bad because the college will leave you forever in debt. If not college, then the rest of the consumist society. Adachi is a very realistic character, one that would definitely exist if someone had the power to mess with the TVs. Also, the way he talks about women was ahead of its time, because that's exactly how a lot of entitled adults that lurk around 4chan treat women nowadays. His character is super believable today.
@@joaoassumpcao3347 I’ve gone to both Japanese and Canadian school ( high school and uni). It’s complicated long story but, in Canada everything is so fucking easy. You don’t even have to write entry exam to any of junior high, high school or college/university. And you don’t have to pay to go to school except post secondary school. Learning speed is very slow as well. And moreover working environment and system are so much more friendly I would say. I’m now living in Canada and now I don’t even work hard to get good grade or be stressed about anything.
I’m not saying this situation doesn’t exist in western society, I’m just saying it is completely different things in many levels. If you have doubts about it, please just go to Japan or other Asian countries , and experience it yourself. It’s something you can’t learn from news paper or anything like that.
hey something being realistic isn´t enough for it to be good writing, adavchi is well written because he is a a well written villain not because he is realictic
@@joaoassumpcao3347 The major difference though is cultural values.
In the West you're somewhat encouraged to 'find your own path' and 'be yourself', even if that eventually leads to falling in line with the rest. You're encouraged to go to school and get a good education, but it's not a damn all. If you screwed up, or weren't very good in school, there's still a path, even if it isn't the preferred one.
In Asian society (most prominently in Korea/China/Japan), it's all or nothing. Your actions and your schooling determine your life, and your status in life rides on that. If you can't get into a good college or get the highest marks, it's over. There's no coming back from that. If you miss your chances during internships and job fairs and interviews, there's nothing for you. People don't get fired often, and positions don't just open and close to where you can just keep firing and hit something. There's nothing. And their society perpetuates this. Individuality and personality aren't encouraged like it would be in the West, because that's not a sure way to success. Better to stick to the tried and true, and go the path that works, than try to fix what's not broken.
It's a different world, and often one Westerners won't understand, as much as they might try.
Adachi's motivations seem far more realistic when you consider similar crimes in Japan. You legit have people who randomly snap and just kill a few folks
that kinda happens all over the world, not just japan tho (coughcoughschoolshootingscough)
It’s crazy to me that your situation involving your first play through of Persona 4 is almost identical to mine, right down to the timing. I played the game in 2015 when I was going through a slump in my life, I felt like I had no direction. P4 not only gave me a life lesson similar to yours but also allowed me to grow out of my shell and meet new people and make new friends. I owe who I am today to this game and what it symbolizes. This is a wonderful analysis which captures all of my thoughts on P4. Thank you for this video.
Same as me two years ago. I think Ameno Sagiri is really keeping an eye on us
With Persona 4 reaching the truth is something the characters do in many different ways. They have to find the truth about who the killer is, and they are named the fool investigation team. They were played for fools the entire game, through Mitsuo Kubo and even Namatame and in the bad ending you can never move away from that. But when they graduate from it they are no longer played for fools but are now seekers of the truth. Seekers of the truth within there true selves and accepting the hidden side of themself that they hid away as while it does exist, it's not everything that represents their characters. Just like in the murder where they were given pieces and the path of the fool, but they had to look past the one-sided nature of the case to find the truth. Within themselves and the bigger picture with the killer.
Slight issue with your statement: The Fool arcana doesn’t necessarily represent foolishness, it represents a JOURNEY, specifically the beginning of one. I have at least a semi-passing knowledge of the Major Arcana because this series sparked my curiosity.
@@TheActualMrLink Yeah I realised this after playing 5 which has it to where the fool arcana is more so like a gateway to all the different arcanas in that exist. My statement still stands that the characters were played for fools throughout the game, but I guess it would be better to say that they graduated to seekers of the truth because they finally found a purpose for their journey. Their goals have become clear.
This game made me very happy and depressed at the same time. I've had a very shitty life and terrible experiences with people. As a result I've withdrawn into a shell and became a loner. I'm not unhappy anymore but I'm not happy either. The main characters of this game were so relatable for me. A bunch of misfits that came together and saw everyone's worst aspects and yet still loved them no matter what. All of them were broken in some way but their friendship healed them and made them better persons. They love and would do everything for each other. I wish I could have met people like that in my real life.
This is why I also related so much to Adachi. He became what he became because he didn't have people like that around him. I've had bitter thoughts similar to Adachi's when I was younger and I still have from time to time. I understand him. He and I would have been such different human beings if we just had a slightly different life. Still, this game gave me a taste of what real friendship could be. It allowed me to escape for a precious little moment.
Yu's friends would never betray or hurt him. This feels so different than what my life has been. It's fiction, none of these characters are real, obviously I know it; but fiction or not it allowed me to cope and feel better for a little while. I feel like the memories the characters have had have also become mine. My only memories were sadness and loneliness, now I have some memories of friendship and love. This may be fiction, but it still did more for me than what real life ever did.
The ending made me sad. After all, everything is over and slowly but surely everyone will drift away from each other. But that's how life is. Nothing you get attached to lasts forever. Everything will die eventually, be it people or relationships or anything, really. This is something I still have issues accepting.
Are you me?
It's the moments and memories in life that you live for everything else either goes away or dies.
Everyone is like Adachi deep down, which is why everyone struggles with loneliness. Some people just aren't aware of themselves and most people are not honest with themselves to admit this, and even more are afraid of their safety threatened so they'd never admit their inner Adachi exists. Adachi is the story of identification with the ego, the person.
It is the story of victimhood, which is the role of the self.
Ultimately, Adachi is a false story, a lie. What he believes is not the truth. What he tells himself about the world is not the truth, and man perishes for lack of truth.
In the story of victimhood, we are powerless victims in a life we can't control and anything we do wrong is really society's or god's fault. In this false story we're like a hero that has been unjustly wounded. But it's just a story.
Adachi just couldn't see the truth yet, the truth being that the world is good and that bonds matter. When he was finally exposed to the truth , he found redemption. He didn't find redemption in paying and atoning for his sins, he found redemption in finding out that there was a better way than he was living, and a better perspective that he was seeing, a hope instead of a despair, purpose instead of nothingness. This was the gift that Yu gives him by taking him down.
In contrast, if you side with Adachi, he laughs in madness and despair, and players think this is because he sees what a complete fool Yu is. That isn't it. He's laughing tragically because you are confirming for him the divine comedy, you are proving to him his limited conclusions about truth and confirming for him that there is no hope. In this ark he says, "I see, so that's your truth, huh.", and confirm his inaccurate conclusion that truth is subjective to what one decides is true [and this conclusion is what allows false truth and people to live in the fog of their own bullshit]
@@thegreatdivinie no stop trying to forgive adachi he was a disgusting person, stop trying to generalize the entire of humanity in a video game character, his crimes were his own decision, he did something horrible to multiple beings sjust to satisfy his ideology, his actions were his and he enyojed it
keep chugging along bro. write your own story break thru
One thing I really like from the anime adaptation of Persona 4 is how, after Narukami is dragged down by humanity's desires, he creates his own palace of sorts where it's nothing but his life in Inaba continuing on loop without his departure ever arriving. It shows that while he may have gotten his persona without facing his own shadow, the anxieties that shadows are born from still built inside of him. Acknowledging the side of him that fears losing his friends by leaving ends up being the key to him accepting their strength and finishing the battle, rather than using them as a shield against the reality that things have to end. It shows Izanami's cunning in trying to use your own social links against you as well as emphasizing the process the others went through to get there with Narukami
A little correction; While it's true that only Naoto learns Mind Charge via leveling, you can actually get for Yukiko as well. It's her last hot spring skill, which unfortunately means you have to use up 5 afternoon periods to get it, but you get some other solid skills in the process (Marukunda and Spirit Drain).
This video is fantastic, by the by. Pretty much perfectly sums up my thoughts on my favourite game.
Are you for fucking real. I was wondering why the DEDICATED MAGIC USER didn’t learn Mind Charge!
Except p5R is way better. This game is great though
@@TheRealSlimShady509 I don't really agree but you do you. I think Persona 4 is better tbh tho
Adachi
@@TheRealSlimShady509 in what way do you think it's better exactly? Gameplay or story?
I think the ending of the anime really elevates the ending of Persona 4. Yu finally has to face his own Shadow, and his shadow is just scared of leaving Inaba. He doesnt want to leave his friends behind and all the memories they have together. Just as we as the players get filled woth a deep melancholic feeling as the gang runs to catch up with us on the train, so does Yu the character struggle to carry on with his life wherever it may take him. The story in Inaba is over, and its time to start a new story.
I did NOT want to leave this game when it was over. Im literally crying right now just thinking about it. I love this game and cherish what it taught me in such a short amount of time. Im 28 now and ive had to make my own story in life, and i have alot of regrets, but Persona 4 and the memories i have give me a place to relax and reflect on what ive learned so far, and it gives me courage through the tears to keep on going and i love it for that, and so much more.
For real.
The ending to this game makes me want to cry because you invest so much time into getting to know these characters and town over the course of an in game year that once it’s finally over it hits like a truck
Dark doesn’t equal maturity
And that’s coming from me, I’ll always treasure the moments I had with this game...when I first played it...at fifteen...ok weird coincidence
Same
Same can be said for p3
@@Eis7 look deeper, P3 looks emo on surface level only
It also doesn't equal good. Look at Sonic Forces. When you get down to it, the game is dark, but it's so cheesey to the point where it can't be taken seriously
@@DezuFuck exactly. Concept are cool but execution is key
For me, the one Persona that connected with me the most was 3. As a person struggling with suicidal depression due to PTSD from a scarring experience I had as a child, I wouldn't be seeing a therapist, taking anti-depressants, and better connecting with my family today were it not for P3. That's my story, anyway.......
There's always more time and people to work on life's problems with, and I'm glad that Persona 3 was able to be a catalyst in your change for the better.
What also helps sell Persona 3's narrative is that the people you meet are not really your "besties" or anything like that. They are your comrades in battle: A means to an end. They walk the same road with you and experience the same losses.
Persona 3 also had characters develop in the story rather than social links which makes you see all their evolved persona unlike other persona games.
We're actually the same bro. That's why I was really attached to that game
Social RANKU UP!!
Persona 4's cast really feels like a bunch of friends. The chemistry is just soo good. My gameplay in party based rpgs is "k what character do i like?". It took me too long to decide my final party of yosuke, the bro, naoto, gun girl, and teddie. Prescious boi. But DAMN if i dont feel bad
Yoo thats my party too
Yup. I always felt the girls are OP in this game.
Chie: 2nd best physical attacker (right after Kanji), Full Party Buff skill and an Insta-kill follow up. (For me, the only downside is her small HP and SP pool)
Yukiko: THE ULTIMATE RED MAGE! Best Healer, High SP pool, can learn Mind Charge (If you're willing to spend 5 days with her using the scooter) and Deals the most magic damage out of any other party member. (My Best Girl XD)
Naoto: Full party shield that blocks everything (Including almighty), Access to every element on the board including Almighty, as well as Heat Riser, Invigorate and Angelic Grace.
Rise: Full party shield, All-out-attack boosts, Can revive and fully heal the main character once if he dies, Recovers a lot of HP and SP to all party members after battle, Instantly scan enemy weaknesses and affinities, Full party super charge, Randomly gifts buffs, heals or cures status ailments during battle... need I say more? XD
(Note: If all your party members' stats are buffed, like when you use Chie's super skill or have Auto-ma skills on your persona, Rise will most likely give a Super Charge (Mind Charge and Power Charge) buff every time she helps your team in battle, which is like every 3 turns or so in my playthrough.)
Basically, I love this game despite the OP-ness of these characters.
Yukiko’s fire was OP as fuck. She’s my favorite too
Jesus christ.
Well, Jojo fan easily understand the logic that the power of spirit is Stand power. Woman has tough spirit as you know.
Holy crap, they got buffed to high heaven! I'm assuming this is based off golden cuz I played the PS2 Ver. And there was not all this. For Chie, her physical was pretty much the best but she didn't have a full party buff, just a single one and power charge. Yukiko is about the same, having Salvation was awesome and her fire hits like a boss. But mind charge as well?! Damn, that's op. Rise was pretty ok. She didn't do a crazy lot, from what I remember, her abilities were always outside of battle. Like seeing all chests, seeing shadows in a expanded AOE and healing like 5% HP/SP after battle. Now for the Vibein one... I didn't use her much so I'm not sure. She did have have mind charge which was awesome and almighty moves. Damn, I needed to play golden.
(FYI, I maxed out all the girls and chose Rise as gf. My final party was Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko. Btw, for the 1st 4 members, they are really good. Usually, I would replace someone later on but the starting 4 are just so good.)
Holy shit rise is straight up broken as fuck and overpowered as fuck no wonder why I don't even bother starting her social link
Hisano story hits hard. My aunt went through that when my Uncle got Alzheimer's.
I personally am a fan of Marie but I appreciate your analysis of her and you made some great points I can agree with.
Glad that you like her character! I'm just not really a fan of her personality, which is definitely just a preference thing.
Nam12399
Ok hear me out:
SHE CUUUUUUUUUUUUTEEEEEE
@@NamsCompendium Atlus could've done better with her character, but I honestly liked what they did with her character. I get why some people dislike her, though.
I'm actually kinda suprised that marie turned out to be so disliked. Tsundere characters are a staple anime trope and considering how much persona feels like an anime, i expected there to be a lot of overlap between anime fans and persona fans. I'm also suprised considering that i am part of the fire emblem fanbase, and the tsundere characters there are fan-favourites, like for example severa from awakening. Granted, fire emblem and persona are two very different franchises, but my experiences with the archetype were still influenced by it
@@dededeletethis9940 I hate anime and I love the persona games. Persona games have anime tropes and cliches but the games stand on their own and are still special.
So I first played the game, I thought it was pretty suspicious that we could only go so far in Adachi's social link. His arcana is also the jester so I started thinking he was suspicious fairly early on
Honestly he's the kind of suspect that you never think of, but if you consider him then it becomes obvious it's him
Nanako’s temporary death made me sob like a baby in my blind playthrough
DUDE THATS SO PAINFUL
Two years late, but, finally got around to watching this one. Honestly, the ending got me to tear up a little. The way Nam feels about Persona 4 is exactly how I feel with Persona 5. I played P5 when I was 14. I had just started high school, I was a loser. No friends, I was tanking every single class, and was mad insecure and depressed. I picked up the game thinking it would be about superheroes in some magical world, but then, it introduced those life-sim elements. It gave me the highschool experience that I actually wanted. I very quickly got attached to the cast and watched them work through their insecurities and trauma. Watching them overcome their struggles made me realize I could do the same, it made me feel like I wasn’t alone. After finishing the game at the end of my freshman year, I immediately started getting more confident. I found my current friend group, I love them like they’re my brothers and we still play games together to this day. I started taking more chances. I became an important member of my school’s choir. I asked out my crush (still happily together). And even got the lead in the school play. Throughout high school, I played P3FES and P4. Both also helped reinforce this newfound confidence. And even though I know Persona 5 has its fair share of flaws (and I think these days I like Persona 4 a LITTLE BIT more.), that game will always have a special place in my heart. It quite literally changed my life. And it’s a game that I probably won’t replay any time soon, but it’s also a game that won’t ever leave my collection.
"Most overpowered persona in the persona franchise"
*laughs in P5R Izanagi-no-Okami*
correction
*izanagi-no-okami-picaro*
What about Satanael
@@Acidrain-nt3ih Satanael has been dubbed "poor man's Izanagi" By the fandom because his damage output is far less than Izanagi-no-Okami Picaro
@Victor Tran P6 better give me that god damn Sinful Shell that does more damage than Izanagi No Okami. Damn it. And no shit awakening like Raoul's that is behind a paywall.
Yes
I feel like Marie would have worked better as a playable character, or, at the very least, had more of a primary role in the main story outside of her social link. I tend to overlook it, since I love everything else about the game, but her inclusion is definitely jarring. Hell, give her a Persona, make her a party member. After ther battle with Ameno-Sagiri, if you maxed he S-Link prior, all of her memories flood back, and THEN the extra content is unlocked. Then, after you save her, her Persona becomes Kaguya. There. I fixed her plot line.
This is why Kasumi in P5 works so much better in my opinion as the new girl Atlus puts in their re releases.
true i do believe royal had the better treatment. i do admit i love the cutscenes they added in p4g tho
Forcing Marie even further down my throat would make me dislike her even more.
@@godzilla4189 I think she still feels forced like how does she know you're going to be in sae nijimas palace also she offer to help us with shidos palace but we say no because it's too dangerous we have never denied anyone with a persona and some people might say it isn't her fight but it is shido is going to become japan's prime minister she lives there it is her fight
@@mrcat4508 It was explained that she followed the team to enter the Palace. But yeah, rejecting her to join during Shido's Palace is honestly dumb lol
I feel strangely nostalgic when watching this video, as Persona 4 was my first and favourite Persona game
Wonderful work. I discovered P4G via a playthrough on TH-cam during my teens. Been a sucker for the series ever since.
Also little tip: The reaper, the strongest non-story shadow has a chance to drop the omni potent orb.
An item that blocks every element aside from almighty.
DO NOT EQUIP IT IF YOU'RE PLANNING ON FIGHTING MARGARET!!
The game checks that shit and just has her pull out the 999 damage Megidolaon on the first turn.
Hell of a nasty surprise.
Dont all attendents do that? I know elizabeth does.
@@B_A-tr Nope. Suprisingly, the twins don't. Haven't tested it against lavenza though
Edit: Scratch that. Think I misremembered. It's a no go with the twins too.
I'm not really into overly anime kinda things. Yeah I'll watch some Dragon Ball and I have my fair share of series that I really like, but around the time I tried Persona 4 due to a friend's recommendation, I also heavily disliked anime troupes.
After playing P4, not only did I become a bit more tolerant of them, but Persona 4 became my 2nd most favorite JRPG of all time (the original Xenoblade Chronicles being 1st). I feel like this game made me a better person after playing it. Since beating P4, I've gone through P3 and P5 multiple times, with plans to tackle Persona 2 next.
It's not the best game ever made, but I can't think of many video games that genuinely made me felt like I became a better person after playing it.
This game is 20 bucks on Steam. Go fucking play it.
Yeah it really is special. Persona 3 will always be the best in my book though :)
Your comment is so on point. Even though Persona games are not perfect, they do stand out for making a lot of its players reflect on their own lives and change for the better, just reading this single video's comments proves it!
I have also played persona 5 and loved it to death. Should I play persona 5R as well?
@@sirp.zohani511 I'd say yes, but I'm late so... You probably played it already
None of the games are the best. Each game is not perfect. But Persona 4 is surely one of the best games ever made. The story was awesome
Glad to know this game saved another zoomer's life. It did for me a little later in life at around 2013 when I was 18, dreading for what will happen to my life in the future. Things we're not taught or prepared for in school were taught to me by P3 and P4, even made me interested in Jungian philosophy.
As a P4 fan, I'd suggest listening to "Welcome to Forever" by Logic. I think your soul needs to be repaired in these times.
lol good to know but Jung is useful only to make fun fiction like persona and not real life philosophy or psychology lol. Widely discredited today and only appeals to pseudo-intellectuals like Jordan Peterson etc
This is similar to me, Persona 5 was the game that hit me last year right before I turned 14. I was at a really bad point in my school life.
I got into the series through persona 5 and it instantly became my favorite game of all time. That stood until I played persona 4. I love this game with all my heart and even now I’m not sure why I have such an attachment to it. Maybe it’s because I can connect with the investigation team a lot or maybe it’s because I played the game during the summer of my junior year. Either way it’s a really important game to me and seeing videos like these always make me really happy.
I love Marie, mainly due to her reactions to exploring the outside world. Also Margret is the one leaving the poetry out. Naughty Empress. I don't do poetry due to my literal-mindedness, but I do love her responses to exploring the outside world. Like her claiming that salad dressing is worth fighting for. I liked Marie going to school too, but I wished she enrolled in the school which would lead to hijinks with a fish out of water XD
Finally someone else that appreciates Yosuke it seems like everyone I've seen talk about him either wants to bang him or just hates the guy meanwhile I feel like he's the greatest friend I could wish for even if it's just in a digital setting and thou I love Persona 3 and 5 the main group doesn't feel as close as the P4 cast do
And finally someone that doesn't get caught up on Kanji's sexuality I've made this argument before we're people are just making jokes about Kanji's supposed homosexuality and how Atlus won't let them bend him over it's not that Kanji is gay nor does it matter Kanji's preference for male company over female comes from how guys are just generally more accepting towards him then girls
Also loved the video
Yosuke is the best, I don’t like how much he sucks off Narukami but he’s definitely my favorite SMT character
@@horizontalnoodlelmao4286 Yeah he might be like that but even then he says that he just didn't trust him because he was kinda alien to him for actually liking it in inaba and much like Ryuji he respects Yu because he self aware enough to know that he doesn't have the right head for combat strategy and one mess up could lead to death so in that sense I can't really call it leaching off him also he thoroughly respects your opinion as the leader because of this also keep in mind you can talk him out of commiting murder
Even though I did it the first time around out of pure emotion as a matter of fact I knew Namatame wasn't the culprit because his journal was just to weird for someone who sent me a death threat and was actively supposedly committing murder but he was still responsable for the lost of Nanako who had nothing wrong and he was still going to walk free and that really pissed me off and also I was really sad and the shadow still taunted me pushing me even further also during this scene the investigation team was kind of scary there was no one screaming everyone was calmly suggesting we take a life even Naoto who always seems to keep her emotions in check though I was no better because I also wanted him dead I had to skip all the dialog to make the right choice (and I know murder isn't anything special in videogames but I usually change my mind set depending on the videogame GTA no problem even if you try to be peaceful you at some point will accidentally kill people with your car on the way home but in Persona 4 I was on the mind set that I'm just a high school student that wants to prevent further death and do what's right)
Back to Yosuke all he really wants is your respect and to be seen as your equal though I already respect him a lot and he's the character I feel the closest to in the game
Anyway... I'm sorry for going on a rant like that it's just I rarely get the chance to talk about these games since all my friends are just Spanish speakers so they can't really enjoy them
I love Yousuke too, he also reminds me of an old friend god i miss him so much ;(.
@@nunothedude why wouldn't you? If he was like Yosuke he was probably a great person
@@kanosupers5797 I said i love Yousuke too, and he was a great person...
The moment that made me cry in this game is when Nanako is in the hospital and social link you've maxed out at that point calls you and leaves a supportive message. No other persona game has made me feel connected to the social links like 4 did and that scene is one of the reasons why. My personal efforts were rewarded with personal catharsis at the lowest emotional point in the game and that shit is so powerful.
Something that I often see failed to mention about Marie is less “ugh i hate her character” and to me more... “ugh, i hate what she represents.”
Izanami as a final boss was transparently an allegory to the story of Izanagi fleeing from Izanami after he saw the truth (her rotting corpse). Adachi having Magatsu-Izanagi, the unclean version of Izanagi from while he was in the realm of the dead with her, represents that he hasn’t accepted the truth and is content to live in a lie. Whereas the protagonist’s Izanagi represents a version of him strong enough to accept the truth and deal with it by cutting ties with her.
Having the game then go back on that and say “izanami, who clearly represents this thing in the story that is bad, is actually now a plain ol’ anime waifu with absolutely no problems whatsoever because she just had amnesia when she did the bad and you should totally date her!” feels... Um... Counter to the point of Izanami being the final boss.
This is coming from someone who would be gung-ho with seeing an Izanami social link where she actually learns and grows from her mistakes or you at least get to learn about her like Adachi’s social link. But Marie doesn’t add anything to Izanami- all she does is grab and steal bits of her concept to write her own story which doesn’t quite line up with the original.
I thought the point of Marie was to redeem Izanami by getting her to stop the destruction she promised to Izanagi and let her be reborn as just another person. She still thinks he's a jerk but is no longer vengeful since he smacks her with the truth multiple times. She even remembers that she loves him.
@@davidkiller61 I’m aware of that, but I think you’re approaching this from a literal angle whereas I’m approaching it from a thematic one. I.E. You’re looking at what Marie is in the text, whereas I’m talking about what she represents in relation to the core theme of the game being “truth good, even if it’s uncomfortable.” Izanami obviously representing a peaceful lie, what does that make Marie?
That being said, I think Marie fails as a redemption arc too, because she isn’t the same... character? It’s to me like saying Adachi gets a redemption arc because he and Narukami both have Izanagi as a Persona- just because they share a name doesn’t mean they’re the same person, fundamentally. Marie shares almost no character traits with the Gas Station Attendant. She’s very much Izanami in name only. Marie isn’t the one responsible for the events of the game happening, she didn’t cause them, she’s just a byproduct of them- so why does *she* count as a redemption arc for a character she clearly... isn’t?
What I’m saying is... Yeah, Marie exists to say ‘look the izanami in the original kojiki lore can be good.’ But I don’t think that was ever in question, and feels irrelevant to who Izanami is as a character in Persona 4 as opposed to a character in general.
@@byssted I think it's actually supposed to be this whole thing where there's two sides to the truth. Izanagi fighting Izanami being the foul part and then the whole redemption thing where Izanagi saves Izanami from the underworld and decides to accept her despite her ugliness (the ugliness being she's one of the "monsters"). I agree with you, Marie doesn't feel like Izanagi at all and it should've been more like this: Marie gains all her parts and memories back, Izanami takes over as the dominant personality so you fight her, after the fight Marie swallows up the fog revealing the Hallow forest while simultaneously falling into it, then the crew has to go in and save the remaining good portion of Izanami so she can live thus redeeming Izanagi's past rejection of his wife and keeping his promise. Yeah it's a bit too literal but when you think about the game and how it had you running in the tv world hallow forest (the underworld essentially) to save Marie then can you really blame me for seeing it like that? Also don't the final bosses of SMT games seem to not always fit their conventional themes?
This game is the literal meme of: "What if the ______ were the friends we made along the way."
SPOILERS (but it does talk about some symbolism in the game)
Teddie's role as the Star Social Link (SL) bears (heh) a correlation among other automatic SLs from P3 and P5. In P3, where the idea of death was prevalent, the character of Pharos represented the tarot of Death, the SL that automatically ranks up. In P5, where Tricksters and Phantom Thieves were the talk of the story, Morgana (the one who teaches you about how to be a Phantom Thief) represented the tarot of the Magician, another automatic SL.
It's a stretch, I guess, but these automatic SLs have influence on when the game can possibly diverge into Bad Endings. In P3, Pharos had become Ryoji, a transfer student you befriend who reveals he is the avatar of Nyx. Through dialogue with him, your character could choose to spare or kill him (an idea forwarded by Ryoji himself) and thus determine the fate of mankind.
In P5, throughout the game, you are constantly tutored and advised by Morgana on how a Phantom Thief acts. The first divergence of the game tests you on this with dialogue choices with a prosecutor on a deal to turn in your accomplices. The game's second divergence tests you on your role as the Trickster, though it's not really the hardest choice to make when you get it.
P4 does this subtly within the time period of 12/03 to 12/05. The Star follows after the Tower, which represents a sudden upheaval, disaster, or trauma. The sudden death of Nanako creates a great change to the tone of the story despite having apprehended the culprit, and it leads into dialogue choices that tests whether you'll let this cloud your judgement. When you successfully reason that something is still amiss, the disaster is reversed, as Nanako is revived and is on track to a full recovery. However, the Star is still not fully realized, as the truth remains obscured. Note that through this period of time, Teddie (the Star) is absent, and that it is up to the player to figure out the truth without the game advancing the story correctly for them. Only when you correctly identify the true criminal is when Teddie reaches rank 10, returns to the party, and the Star is realized fully, as the hero (and the player) have -read a guide- solved the case. All that's left is to catch the bad guy.
It is important to note that Nanako's Arcana is Justice, and you have to invoke it upright in order to not get the bad endings in early December (another particular example of its upright side being invoked is Ken's NG+ Ending, it is quite different to all the other endings for good reason). If you want to save Nanako you must not betray Nanako.
The Star Arcana does get invoked during that part of December don't get me wrong... just the reversed Star.
The Star typical involves hope, however when Nanako is in the hospital, Teddie dissapears. In that moment, things seem almost completely hopeless. It's by not giving into that despair that the team sees clearly enough that something isn't right, and then hope (Teddie) is able to return
You're so right : Brosuke needs more love !
bought a Vita drunk a few months after my dad passed away and yeah my situation was pretty similar to yours. The only thing that sucked is that after I finished the game I felt so down! I was so invested in the story and characters I felt so sad to see it over (only lasted like a day or two, mind). 2 years later Ive finished 1,3,4 and 5 and playing through Innocent Sin
What did you think of persona 2
@@roberthouse7040 I haven't actually finished it yet... Ive kind of been putting it off for a while. I like the story so far, the characters, the whole theme around rumours etc I'm at the point where *SPOILERS* Jun joins your party and I want to finish the game and see where it goes but the combat is just such a chore! Between the encounter rate and how easy it's been so far I find it kind of mindnumbing, which is weird cause I found the persona 1 combat to be all right. So Idk I guess I'll just push through the rest at some point
@@LOLquendoTV It depends if you're playing th psp version or ps1 version. Psp version of innocent sin has easier combat and important extra content, while ps1 is harder. There is a psp version of Eternal Punishment that also has extra story content and helps flesh out some things but it never got translated, so the ps1 version is all you got. I also hope you played the psp version of persona 1 because that games localization was basterdized for the ps1 and an entire section of the game was missing.
I love this video so much. I feel like Persona 4 is underrated by a lot of the persona community. For me, though, this game meant a lot to me. I was bullied a lot as a kid and hated a ton of different aspects of myself because of it. I struggled to make friends and for most of my life, (until I was about 16) I was generally alone. This is the game that helped me accept the parts of myself that I had come to hate. And its a huge reason for why I was able to get out of my depression after so many years. Shortly after playing this game I joined a friend group and had a lot of good times with them. While we've all gone our separate ways now, going back to this game really hits home more than ever. I love the other persona games, but the characters and relationships in this game feel so much more genuine than in the others. It will always hold a special place in my heart and I'm really glad I got to enjoy this video on your opinions of the game.
Wasn't this the best selling Persona game with tons of spin offs?
@@DezuFuck I don’t think he means it’s underrated in terms of popularity. While the game is popular and beloved by many, There’s a vocal crowd of people who adamantly believe persona 4 is mid, and easily the worst game in the series. It has been catching flak from the MegaTen fandom since 2008 tbh. I mean it’s cool to have your own opinions, but sometimes it’s overdone
@@kidnameless Worst part is the reason why it gets so much flak. It's ok to have your opinion, but people are out here saying that "game too happy so bad" like every good piece of media is this dark, depressive thing. In fact I think P4's brightness makes the darker moments really stand out and hit you. It's also the reason why P3 hurts so much: even though people keep saying "uhh it's dark and edgy" the game is basically P4 with a darker color palette when it comes to daily stuff. No-one would think P3 is sad if the game was 100 hours of memento mori
Underrated? I feel like no one can bring up and praise another persona game without someone immediately saying "p(x) is great, but p4 is the best one imo" and how it has the best cast 😂
@@dunkyourdonuts2282 lol really?? Usually I hear people say persona 3 has the best story or persona 5 is the best since it's the newest and most polished. At least for me I rarely hear about P4.
I can really relate to what you said at the end of the video. I first played persona 4 at the beginning of this year, when I was going through some rough times. I was going through lots of issues of depression, anxiety, and all that kind of stuff. I was starting to lose a lot of friends and I was becoming really distant from my family. For a while, I just felt like I was alone. I thought I was just an unlikable person or that I hadn’t tried hard enough. But persona 4 truly was life changing for me. It taught me that there are people out there who appreciate you. It taught me that even though there’s flaws about us we all want to reject, you can grow past those and become a better person. This video is basically a perfect representation of how I feel about the game so thanks.
I hope you’re doing better now than you were back then. Life can be really tough sometimes. Best wishes and I hope you’re in a better place.
There is something I want to get off my chest about this game. (And GGO web novel to an extent) I hope you don't mind me using this video as a way to do so.
When I discovered it I was at my lowest point yet in my life. And one of my coping mechanism was reading mangas and fanfictions or playing video games to an unhealthy degree while still trying to maintain my image as an "honor student". But it made me lose all passion towards my work and these medias so I quickly became hollow, hating myself for not living up to my parents' expectations (Like Shu), and dealing with my bullying the best way I could. I feared everything even my friends with my anxiety blowing up, scratched the skin off the hand, and cried for no reason, and even... Began to form "The perfect plan to kill myself without bothering anyone". That was horrible.
But then I discovered two characters, Mitsuo Kubo and Shinkawa Kyouji. These guys were supposed to be hated and the worst of the worst, but... I related to them to some extent, actually too much extent (Minus the creep factor towards girls since I was too busy being a mess to even think about sharing my life with someone), and, while that made me like the characters... That scared me... I already didn't have any self-esteem anymore but now I also thought that if I took one wrong step I'd end up like them. (And that's awfully true for Kyouji since I relate much more to his struggles about meeting, and eventually giving up on, his family's expectations for him.)
However now that I'm doing better, I'm actually really glad I found out about these two. Because thy kinda served as my first wake up call to stop going down my path of auto-destruction, and I can't really thank this two particular pieces of fiction for that. Of course some other elements played into my recovery but I can safely say that these two characters in particular were also involved in it. So now, I hold them dear even if their respective community hates them, for good reason of course.
(Also your video is really great of course !)
that was me with Adachi, huge wake up call if anything. As much as I despise p4 I will always have a soft spot for adachi
@@benderman1157 Didn't expect a response but it's really heartwarming to see I'm not the only one who has felt this way towards a character ! ^^ Sadly I can't exactly relate to him because I'm too young and have yet to see my ambitions being crushed , but thanks for sharing ! :3
@@realfromtherealreality4148 Honestly I related more to persona 3, it was around the time when I was the same age as the protagonist and my childhood friend was diagnosed with cancer. So death/mortality was something I was still trying to come to grips with. Persona 4 was to hit or miss for me but persona 3 kept that tone consistent and near the end *not giving any spoilers* was incredibly motivating for me. Persona 3 was a huge part of my high school life.
@@benderman1157 Oh don't worry about spoilers, I've experienced the story of Persona 3 ! ^^
But yeah I definitely see where you're coming from, and bless your friend of course. As for me, I'm already quite familiar with death, due to it striking my family numerous times, but since I was too young, it didn't hit me as hard as everyone else, so I had time to familiarize myself with the concept.
However like I've said on this post, what hits me really hard in a story, is when it tackles the subject of crushing expectations, self-deprecation, and isolation, which is why Mitsuo Kubo, among other characters like Kyouji hit way too close to home, despite their admittely flawed writings.
I don't think I have THE work that transcended me and made me want to go forward. I think it's everything that I've seen and played that made me develop such a strong relation to fiction that made me love it and helped me through tough times. (Which also explains why I have a precise list for some characters that I adore, but not one that is above everyone)
ah, don't really be weirded out with relating/sympathizing with characters that are supposed to be hated, the writers do that to make it so the characters aren't 1 dimensional, i used to see myself as messed up as well since i related to villians of stories until i read into how characters are supposed to be structured
I love this video so much, Persona 4 Golden is one of my favourite games and saw everyone shitting on it but this video sums up every reason why this game is so good. Thanks nam, very cool!
Fuck toxic fans. I personally don’t like it that much compared to the others, but that doesn’t mean that I have a reason to shit on them bc some people have different tastes
P4 is without contest my favorite persona game
I pretty much like all characters even Yumi yes. But i really think the best character are the IT and the main antagonist. the IT are a great friend group and each scene you see of them is just fun or even hearthbreaking (Namatame arc for exemple when they have to choose weither they kill Namatame and they will always do it together) each member have some depth (something that P5 members lack for exemple Ryujii or Ann) it's helped by the shadow concept like when Yosuke begin as just a Bro without anything particular but his shadow show us really all the depth of the character (My favorite shadows are without a doubt Yosuke, Rise and Teddy) And when a member is intelligent the game doesn't have to repeat it (I really disliked Makoto and Akechi in P5 because they were never really intelligent the other character looked just dumb) Yosuke and Naoto are just insanely smart (Yosuke not at school but he is one of the best detective of the game) but the best mastermind is the vilain. Adachi is my favorite character in the serie he is just so damn awesome each rank build up to his reveal he is realistic (with his superiority complex and all) and absolutely monstrous. he has also my favorite line in the series "Reason? i don't really have one... Cause i could? yeah it's my reason" just do damn perfect. He is a great finale to the IT and had just some master plan. each line in his reveal is just well written and he is a great way to symbolise the moral (he is also the only character that develop himself in spinoff.)
Storywise it's really good but it's not P3 level.
I feel like Yosuke is one of those people who doesn't put a lot of effort into something unless he's interested in the topic. It explains why his grades are lacking while his investigation skills is above the other characters despite having no training. Then again, Chie, Kanji, and Teddie aren't portrayed as particularly academic either, so it could just be a comparison thing.
Replaying Persona 4 Golden for like the 50th time now, it's still one of my favorite JRPG EVER.
The last five minutes of this made me cry all over again. Goosebumps, chills, the whole 9 yards. This game means so much to me ;-;
Dojima is also one of my favorites, but the whole thing with dojima and namatame is just sad. seeing a father who has just lost it all is so sad, he lost his daughter, his wife, and the only thing he has left is his own life which literally brought be to tears even though she didn't die
I played P4G over this past month. Let me say that as a school teacher, I've seen bad parents. Eri is one of them. She doesn't try, and the fact that she likes when someone watching her child says that they hate kids is very damning of her character. I felt bad for Yuta as his father up and dumped him on an apathetic bitch.
Now that Nocturne is coming out again, maybe an analysis on that :P? Great video regardless.
Lozzu damn right I’ll be making a nocturne video! Can’t wait for that remaster.
“You need to start a friendship and be romantically involved with Rise because her Social Link Skills are amazing”
*Guys literally only want one thing and it’s f*cking disgusting*
Yeah I am playing this game for the first time and have enjoyed it greatly. The game has this weird homely feeling and I can really relate to the living in a town middle of nowhere. The Investigation team also feels much more closer to each other than the groups in the other persona games.
That ending still makes me cry.
This was incredible. Thank you so much for an amazing analysis of my favorite game of all time.
Thanks for watching! These videos take a long time to make, so if you'd like to show some support. Please consider checking out my Patreon!
www.patreon.com/NamsComp
So will you do P5 or no as I like your vids on 3, 3 the answer and 4
MrCynical 64 Yep I’ll be doing a video on Persona 5 for sure. Gotta round out the modern trilogy after all. But that won’t be for a long time. I want to shine some attention to the classic games beforehand. Plus I need a break from the modern games after how long this video took.
Very well,i will go along with this
Nam12399 true I had to take a break when I played 5 a year ago
I remember someone once mentioned that Teddies deal makes more sense in Japanese.
The ending of this game will always make me tear up.
The TH-cam algorithm has struck gold with this one
Fantastic video that really showcases why I like this game so much, a lot of the stuff on this game just... felt real... and personal
This is not a game, it's an experience.
Also Naoto gang let's go!
for someone with only 3k subscribers, the quality of your videos surpass that of those with over a million, and i like that
cant wait for the next review!
I really appreciate the kind words! Thank you so much for watching
I recently finished P4 blindly since it came out on steam and I got to know the Persona serie's thanks to P5R. It's become, without a doubt, my favorite game of all time. Made me laugh, socked me, made me cry a lot (specially that ending), it has a lot, the characters feel alive, even though the graphics are not stunning and you can only see a frame of the character who's talking to see his way of expressing it made me feel they were genuine. A lot of game characters nowadays just feel bland, not bad but not impressive, P4 character's made me love them, made me continue playing through their social links to see them evolve and mature. I could go on and on but seeing your vid made me wanna write this commnet. Great job on this Analysis.
What a great analysis, also I love how you appreciate Yosuke’s character and social link. Too many people hate on him despite him being such a proactive member of the team, a great and relatable character and someone who has a strong motivation for being involved in wanting to solve the murders.
From an identity perspective, I think Persona 4 greatly succeeds in how much it ISN'T dark. Usually mainline SMT is compared to Persona, with the latter being mocked for how it's nowhere near as dark as the former. And while I do think Persona games don't have anywhere near as dark of the atmosphere, tone, and writing as mainline SMT, I genuinely believe that they do not need it; Persona 4 is a testament to that statement.
You can argue that a lot of Persona games try to replicate the themes of Shin Megami Tensei and fail, but I think Persona 4 was made with the intent of not being like that.
Persona 4 was never meant to be a dark post-apocalyptic RPG about Law VS Chaos, and frankly, that's one of the reasons I personally love it so much. It has its own unique identity, and it isn't ashamed of it either. OK, maybe it should be ashamed of how much it was milked until Person 5 came out, but I digress. Persona 4 is the antithesis of "Dark MegaTen Games", and while some may obviously dislike that, that's totally fine.
This game holds a special place in my heart for characters that I relate to and understand, a setting that I almost wanna call home, and an experience that left such an impact on me.
Your channel is criminally underrated. I hope these great long form analysis videos you've been doing get more attention. Seriously, great job.
Today, I beat persona 4 for the 3rd time with the goal of getting the epilogue ending. In the scene where Yu using the ultimate form of Izanagi to defeat Izanami, chills were literally sent up my spine and I stood up out of joy. A game has never hit me this hard and I am so glad that I was able to experience this for the first time ever from a video game. Even persona 3 wasnt able to do that with the nyx fight. Persona really does hit hard, even for me who has barely played rpg games in general.
Besides that, your video was excellent and I’m very glad I was able to find someone else who also has the same arguments for characters arcs I really appriciate.
10/10 game and video :)
I think it’s funny that everyone thinks Persona 4 is just a lighter hearted game the Persona 3.
The reason that is the it follows Carl Jung’s Id, ego and super-ego concepts.
The ego is the characters everyday selves. The superego is what is shown on tv (Yukiko being the perfect matron of her family’s inn, Kanji’s bad boy-tough guy image, and Rise’s idol persona are good examples).
The Id is what deep down the part of you that is hidden from the world.
This makes sense in Inaba because the town is see as happy to lucky, but in the tv world, it has a dark side and later in the game (spoilers) both sides are merging as one.
So it makes sense that in theory it isn’t as dark, but it is, but only in a different way.
even BEFORE i was a weeb, i've heard about P4
and yes, it's a very inspiring game indeed. makes you want to become a better person
Why did you convert to weebaboo
@@trolledfrog6789 because manga/anime is objectively superior to what trash the west puts out these days. Bloody far left propaganda everywhere, I'd rather not pay anything for it.
TBF, I didn't expect P4G on Steam to be real until it was finished downloading.
I love your video and your restropective about persona 4 in this video..
Persona 4 the golden is one of my favorite video games of all time, not just because of gameplay but also the story and characters. I can really relate to most of them.
There are things that i dont really agree with you, the first one is the fox social link. Now, i know fox social link isnt that intresting, is just a bunch of side quest. But the point of the fox quest is not about the side quest, is about the fox. It is stated that not many people in Inaba still pray and give offering to the fox. Considering that is based of Japan, where there are still shrines everywhere, it makes the fox lonely and sad. Its kinda a feeling when you're a God, but the people doesnt need you anymore. Helping the Fox, makes people from Inaba realize that the fox is still there to grant their wish and making them give offering to the fox.
The 2nd one is about Izanagi and Izanami that you didnt tell in the video. Izanami and Izanagi are famous characters in Japanese mythology. The lore said that Izanami and Izanagi created Japan, and Izanami gave birth to a lot of God. But she died when she gave birth to Kagutsuchi (god of fire). Izanagi miss his wife, so he travel to Yomi no Kuni ( The realm of dead ), to find his wife and bring her back. Once he found Izanami, Izanami said that she will go back, if Izanagi wait, and didnt turn back to see her. Izanagi, cannot do that, and decided to look back to Izanami, and saw that Izanami turn into a really ugly, creepy thing (?). Izanagi that terrifed about this, run away. Because of this Izanami become angry to Izanagi, and promise that she will kill 1000 people every day. While Izanagi counter this by giving birth to 1500 more every day.
Why i told you this? Because the last move that Yu used using Izanagi no okami persona is the power of 1500 people that he promise to gave birth to counter the Izanami. Izanagi and Izanami lore is really connected to persona 4, considering Yu's persona is Izanagi himself, but i kinda didnt like it when you didn't even mention it.
Anyway nice vids man
This was really good! I'd love to see more analyses
been waiting for this one.
Been so excited for this!
Finally, lookin forward to this man!
Just finished this video. Absolutely amazing
dude your videos are awesome i love to listen to you while drawing
Just finished watching your video, it’s was amazing and summed up why I loved this game so much too, hats off to you for putting this much time and effort into this lovely video! 💗
How they dealt with Kanji was so good. Instead of going the lazy route of just making him a closet gay, they actually made him a more complex character and made him realize that he actually liked girls but just couldn’t handle their company. Think a lot of people go through that and instead of dealing with it becomes confused and think they must be gay. Oh and Yosuke is best bro, hands down.
Kanji and Yosuke are so well-written and Kanji's lesson of accepting the fact that even if you are into stuff that isn't stereotypical masculine/macho that doesn't make you any less of a man nonetheless a weirdo and using that to positively connect with people. I've taken this lesson to heart and is genuinely something I wished I had heard earlier in my life. Meanwhile with Yosuke the reason he's my favorite P4 character and why I like him the most is he feels the closest to an actual friend from the way he behaves, banters, etc. Also that fight scene in his social link reminds me of one from Clannad: After Story and the friendship in that one is even very similar and for both they're some of my favorite scenes. Yosuke I'd argue is the most likeable Persona 4 character and an absolute homie and I've never seen another character like him in any other medium making him truly special.
yeah, but imo he probably just doesn’t care about labels. that attraction to other genders is still there given dialogue n such... but i wont deny that there are people questioning/experimenting that end up realizing that they are just hetero.
honestly I see him as a bi guy who's still repressing a part of himself
@@cornblaster7003But he's not so take that shit somewhere else. He clearly likes Naoto and shows no signs of liking any dude in the series apart from the shadow being flamboyant.
Great video, looking forward to seeing more from you
Dude thank you definitely persona 4 helped me in my time of need
It. Has. Finally. Arrived. Been waiting with anticipation for this, thank you.
Persona 4 is something above special to me. I was going thourth a really rough time when I first played persona 4 golden. I sat down and beat it in a week then beat it again. And I still beat it once a year. It's not only my favorite video game its my favorite piece of media. The good things the bad things the horrible things in the game I love them all cause they where all part of the exprince that made me happy during a not a great time. I really connected with this video, thank you even though I didn't agree with some things i am glad persona 4 had such a big impact on there lives as mine
Thank you for making this analysis!
I constantly rewatch this video i love it so much one of my fav vids of your’s mostly because persona 4 is one of my favorite games of all time