Persona 5R - Jazz Convos with Akechi

[@oinka]

I found a "new" one that I didn't manage to get in the video (in the 3rd semester): "In all honesty, I wasn't sure if teaming up with you again would work out. This may not apply to you, but... I'm sure there are others among the Phantom Thieves who hate me. Well, the deal's already been struck, so I intend to do my part... There won't be any elaborate schemes this time."

[@marjbon5008]

@@mi_ki_yo_mi_art He knows akira does not hate him because akechi also realised that he may be joker's wish.

[@alleycat2297]

the game really goes out of it's way to establish that akechi is important to joker on some level. hmmmm

[@blooper5li]

I think a lot of the third semester mementos bus rides and Thieves Den conversations add extra context to this, as it becomes clear that many of the other Phantom Thieves don't hold Akechi in the same contempt that he imagines they would. Yusuke in-particular has some great quotes showing his acceptance of Akechi's true nature. I think a lot of the Phantom Thieves recognize that they could have gone down the same road he did if they had no place to belong, which really hammers home the "power comes through bonds" theme that every Persona game pushes in some capacity.

[@superdoodzz]

This is good since it does make a lot of sense since the only PT that seems to like Akechi is Joker since Haru and Futaba had one of their parents killed by him, Ryuji hates his guts, and everyone else other than Sumi and Joker probably doesn't like him from the previous experience he had w them, Sumi probably is neutral on him since she doesn't know about the history w him and the PT and has talked to him only when he was the detective prince and now just casual Akechi but she doesn't seem to like average Akechi very much, and for Joker it's very clear he sees him as a friend

[@alexinator-hh5fe]

"At the time, the only thing on my mind was how exactly I was going to turn her down." Akechi only has two things on his mind. Homicide and how much he enjoys spending time with Joker. Possibly both of those things at the same time.

[@krudekris5147]

P5R has really improved Akechi's confidant and character arc that's all I'm gonna sayy

[@mach186282]

It's a nice surprise to see how open Third Term Akechi is to discussing his thoughts and fears in the jazz club...Contrast it with his no-nonsense down-to-business attitude in the Palace or how peeved he sounds if you try to talk to him next to Penguin Sniper or invite him to darts. On another note, 1:55 "It might feel good to be able to unchain myself though." HMMMMMMMM.

[@blooper5li]

Spoilers for P5R (duh) . . . . . . . The third semester managed to retroactively flesh out Akechi's character in some really meaningful ways, but I think I'm almost more-impressed by how they managed to improve pre-betrayal Akechi too. Before Sae's palace, despite keeping his detective facade on, bits and pieces of Akechi's true personality manage to shine through in meaningful ways. He's fiercely competitive, hell-bent on becoming his best, and determined to cut his own path through the world with nobody else's assistance. As a series, Persona loves pushing the narrative that the bonds you form with others are what awaken your true potential. Ultimately, your confidant with Akechi shows him the futility of his own path. In becoming close with Joker, Akechi realizes that it's not a matter of "if" he'll be bested, but a matter of "when". The two of them are very similar: driven, ambitious, and near-superhumanly proficient. The main difference between the two is how they value the bonds of others. Akechi's inability to create meaningful bonds slows him down, and pushes him towards revenge and chaos rather than his own justice, a flaw that would eventually become his undoing. By the third semester, Akechi begins to learn from his mistakes and relies heavily on Joker as the one person he can completely trust. He comes to regard the bond between the two of them as deeply special and begins fighting to protect his own beliefs rather than to destroy the beliefs of the man who ruined his life. His bond with Joker pushes them both to new heights as they take on the distorted world of the third semester. I think what I appreciate most about P5R Akechi is that it shows that his detective prince facade and his true self aren't as different as the game would initially have you believe. Akechi's true self is ruthless, intense, and ultimately unstable, but the conversations you have with him both within his confidant and elsewhere have him show Joker glimpses of his true nature. Third semester Akechi isn't an unleased demon, but rather a person who is finally able to reveal who they really are. Whereas many individuals would find Akechi's true self utterly detestable, Joker and many of the other Phantom Thieves (particularly Yusuke) accept Akechi for the person he is, and push him to fight for his own justice. The idea that Joker may have wished for Akechi's return shows how valuable their bond was to him, and I appreciate how the game ends with Akechi's true fate unknown.

[@oinka]

Very well said!

[@jj_grabes]

I heard the dry *Oh, sorry.* Akechi uses in the third semester during these events and I just rolled over laughing.

[@YuubiTimberwolf]

Akechi makes a surpisingly good philosophy teacher tbh Love chilling out with him and yes, "It might feel good to be able to unchain myself though." yes, can agree, going apeshit IS true therapy

[@alleycat2297]

3:47 i think his line about "not being able to feel the pain" subtly says A LOT. he says something similar about not feeling things in a different thieves den conversation. easy to miss

[@nicola7021]

Yep, the convo about the Slot Machine from Nijima’s Palace :(( Akechi: “Come to think of it, you all must have had a grand scheme to pull one over on me before we even entered the Palace.” Yusuke: “This is true, but it did take immense effort to maintain the charade. Deceiving someone for an extended period of time is more exhausting than I expected.” Akechi: “Is that so? Well, you stop feeling things once you get used to it.”

[@frisolaxod3835]

You know a lot of people actually miss these conversations when talking about Akechi's character, there's a lot of subtelty in the things he says. For example one could say that he might hate himself and it wouldn't be weird, since on 4:00 he says something very close to that. And he wonders a lot if he truly deserves happiness by around 4:20. We can also see how he knows how much he means to Joker in the pinned comment, since he already knows that Joker's wish may involve Akechi, and probably Maruki did Joker's wishes stronger than the others and that's why Akechi didn't disappear (or the reason why Akechi didn't go straight back to wherever he was since he's probably alive). On 2:18 we also see that he may feel isolated from his classmates because he doesn't really understand them and they just want to talk to him about "meaningless" things in his eyes, which may be because of his traumatic experience and anti-social behavior. But that same mentality is what brought him to get close to Joker whether he liked it or not. He also shows he likes talking to Sae on 0:43 keep in mind he says this DURING the heist so it isn't something to keep up appearances. He appreciates her more than others and he may not have been lying when he wanted to help her, which might be why he decided to use her palace to capture the PT, to get both Sae fixed up, AND the PT's finished. There's a lot of nice information about him from these conversations. People forget that these conversations really help to characterize a character more, especially with one who constantly gets into deep topics like Akechi. And this information isn't small, especially on a character who needs to have every second of screentime help to their characterization like Akechi has to.

[@ci7210]

I always felt Shido or the SIU Director were planning to kill her or have a mental shutdown. But Akechi didn't want to and instead used her palace to capture Joker

[@theonewho...1298]

4:37 You know I like that he considers he could just be a another mind controlled puppet. Also: 4:02 yeah going to agree with him that would be disturbing.

[@theonewho...1298]

4:22 "If their happiness hinges on the group's unhappiness. " Reason why the ideal world wouldn't work in the long run. Also could he be talking about Shido or the Thieves?

[@YuubiTimberwolf]

Since he knows at this point that he himself might be fake, he is saying that in context with his relationship to Joker and the fact that the thieves would certainly be happier in the Ideal world. Akechi doesnt want to be controlled, Joker wants Akechi with him (gay or not), Sumiri wants to be herself and win gymnastics for Kasumi and the Thieves would love to stay in that ideal world. Its a rather conflicting situation.

[@OriginalGameteer]

Plus now that I think about it In regards to success in Marukis world, how would that even work? Not everyone can get first in a competition, so how can granting everyone's wishes work if it could lead to some conflicts? If me and say another wanted to win something and for whatever reason that mattered more than anything, what would happen? Only one person can win. Granting everyone's wishes isn't a simple goal, like anything complications and problems will arise.

[@violetpaperstars]

@@OriginalGameteer maybe it isn't that maruki grants their wish to win in those cases, but rather, he changes their cognition of the event? like, they could have gotten last place, but they truly believe they've won, because that's what they wanted, and any logical loopholes in that (like not having a trophy to show for it) are just ignored. i remember maruki talking about something like that in his confidant.

[@frisolaxod3835]

@@violetpaperstars Yeah, he could easily just change people's thoughts so those supposedly bad events in which you can't grant everyone's wishes get fixed. And on those wishes that might be dangerous he just changes them outright.

[@charliebright9109]

I've been trying to figure out why i like 3rd semester akechi's sprites more than normal akechi, and i swear the reason is because he's wearing more eyeliner. Like, yeah, the eyebrow is lower and he smirks, but his lash line looks thicker too.

[@YuubiTimberwolf]

Also he CONSTANTLY looks like he will cause problems for no reason and i love that.

[@doggeydraws]

He's got a resting bitch face, he raises his eyebrows 24/7 to look more approachable. I do that as well otherwise I look like i hate everyone.

[@alleycat2297]

OMG TRUE

[@jj_grabes]

For a while, I thought he actually had a scar under his right eye, but then I realized it was just his face wrinkling during certain facial expressions.

[@SABlueAngryBlur]

3rd semester Akechi... really asking some interesting questions that reflects on actual life. I feel as if this spoke to me somehow.

[@funnyaccountname5763]

"It might feel good to be able to unchain myself though." This isn't foreshadowing, it's fiveshadowing, foreshadowing +1.

[@y2m3e.45]

Wow I guess I never saw the conversation or something, but I didn't know Akechi mentions people think he has a poker face. I swear I've always thought this just by looking at his normal face portrait. He has an extremely blank expression... and his eyes always looked kinda dead to me. They did a good job making his portrait give off that vibe

[@Celestcloud]

Akechi also has more life and personality in his eyes in the third semester or when he kinda looses it. Don't you think? (I thought i was the only one thinking he had dead eyes in his fakeself ahahaa omg)

[@nicola7021]

0:40 I know this is specifically about him rejecting the girl who confessed but… Out of context it really fits his wider narrative

[@superdoodzz]

I can't imagine Akechi getting angry that would be crazy if his character changed from detective prince to being pissed off that would be crazy

[@InternetPers0n]

Ikr? I'd never even think of it that'd be weird af

[@mellow4356]

i thought it said jizz in akechi

[@zobozo5059]

Burger Cat oh god lmfao

[@marjbon5008]

lol wtf XD

[@zobozo5059]

Meronnade you not wrong

[@GiblesWantToHug2651]

OMG!!!😂😂😂

[@mommykafkabuild]

SHUT UP😂

[@nursehellamusic]

1:56 LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOO Akechi is always calm.

[@Yokizeshi]

I love this pancake-hating boy so much thanks for uploading this!! I spent every evening with him in the Jazz club in the third semester but I didnt know he had so many lines during the base game; I love the contrast haha

[@Medoliena]

I simply cannot imagine Akechi on a bike 1:30 lmao

[@y2m3e.45]

Lol kinda cute

[@nicola7021]

I took Akechi to the Jazz Jin every night in 3rd Semester but I didn’t realise I could in the time before that so thank u so much for uploading this. Now I can see the full pancakey glory :)))))

[@kallistaa.810]

Thanks for showing these to us♥️

[@lumensd]

1:56 Oh, the irony...

[@playmakerbeyond154]

Kinda reminds me about one of P5A OVA... where Ren and Akechi hang out in this place...

[@ninarozenrad]

Yes thank you, I need my daily dose of Pancakechi

[@todd3143]

i noticed how his case doesn't have the a during one of my outings in the third semester, and thought that meant he was a fake. turns out, he just flips his case depending on whether there was a singer or not. if they had taken his logo out for the third semester, it would have been such a cool detail because the logo is important to akechi but not once did he disclose that fact to joker

[@kallistaa.810]

I really need these kind of video :')

[@blazelucifer9496]

Mans has the Avengers briefcase

[@purplestar9999]

0:00 (11/2) 0:16 (11/7) 0:24 (10/31) 0:43 (11/2) 0:56 (11/3) 1:11 (11/4) 1:28 (11/5) 1:45 (11/6) 2:03 (11/7) 2:19 (11/8) 2:36 (11/9) 2:53 (11/2) 3:13 (1/26) 3:24 (1/18) 3:37 (1/18) 3:50 (1/18) 4:01 (1/20) 4:14 (1/23) 4:35 (1/24) 4:56 (1/26) 5:09 (1/27) 5:20 (1/28)

[@hoaitamnguyentran1044]

Great video!

[@maskedranger8282]

Please could you do a Jazz Jin with Morgana video?

[@getyourwish2847]

1:57 you sure about that?

[@Esmeralda505]

-internally crying in why we can’t date Akechi in the game- T////T. On a serious note though, Akechi and Akira (or Ren) kinda remind me of Goku and Vegetas relationship to some extent OwO