The Psychology of Makoto Nijima (Persona 5 Royal)

Makoto Nijima has such an interesting and dynamic character arc throughout the story of Persona 5 Royal. Growing up, Makoto was raised by her sister Sae Nijima after the death of both their father and mother. This led to a lot of tension between the sisters and Makoto constantly feeling as though she was a burden to her elder sister who was tasked with taking care of her. This set Makoto's life on autopilot where she would do whatever the adults in her life told her to do. In essence this led to her being completely isolated from the rest of her classmates with her sole focus when we meet her being her duties as the class president. This in turn leads in the discussion about Makoto's inability to meet her most basic needs at a fundamental level based on William Glasser's Choice Theory/Reality Therapy. Eventually though she is able to meet with the Phantom Thieves she catches wind of the local mob taking advantage of Shujin students and from here we follow her journey as the Phantom Thieve's advisor, Queen. So join me as we talk about not only her context within William Glasser's theory, but also where she is at developmentally within Erik Erikson's theory, and how she is able to display true grit in the face of adversity.
I do want to note that all counselors will come at situations from different theoretical orientations, backgrounds, and belief systems. My opinions correlate with my own education and professional experience up to this point in my education as a Master's level counseling student.
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[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Hey everyone! If you liked this video then we would really appreciate it if you made sure to like the video and subscribe so that we know you're still enjoying this content and want more like it! :)

[@もちの花]

As long as you want to make it I'll watch it! I'm sure the same goes for a lot of your subscribers

[@ChevelleRocks88]

Damn that scene with Sae and Makoto at dinner. She didn’t hold back at all. All she says is sorry.....Makoto didn’t ask for this life. She is a victim too.

[@GiftedContractor]

That one is actually dialed back - in original persona 5, she doesn't even say sorry.

[@josiahharris3151]

@@GiftedContractor sae in the Japanese dub is heartless

[@B_A-tr]

"Useless and alone" well thats an hoo boy from me "A queens coronation" badassery beffiting of a queen

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Yeah, we even changed the thumbnail after some thought because we realized it was a bit too much of a hoo boy! I hope the video did her justice though!

[@gaslightgatekeepgirlboss6321]

It boggles my mind when people call Makoto badly written. She's the most well written character in the Phantom Thieves, and one of the most well written characters in the whole game, along with her sister. It's like people forget "something I personally dislike" =/= bad writing. Edit: Makoto best lady

[@Toonman451]

Agreed to both points!

[@BigKlingy]

People generally just don't like her Confidant, for focusing more on an NPC than Makoto herself. I've seen a pretty decent defense of it recently, though.

[@edmg7]

The complaint I've heard is that she "lacks personality", which to me translates to "doesn't have an over-the-top anime quirk". Not saying that I think the other girls are poorly written or anything, but they are more quirky than Makoto. I see the appeal, but it seems shallow to like a character for how much more fun they are for their joking or dating sim capabilites.

[@gaslightgatekeepgirlboss6321]

@@BigKlingy it's not focused on an NPC considering helping said NPC is what helps Makoto reflect on what she wants to do. Like what do people just expect to go around taking her to Mitsuru-esque hang outs and then she randomly realizes she wants to be a police officer? That makes even less sense to me. Her confidant is perfectly fine. And even if didnt, the same people who complain about her confidant not being enough are the exact same ones who complain that she gets too much screentime in the main plot anyway lmfao. I'm not referring to you btw, just different people.

[@gaslightgatekeepgirlboss6321]

@@edmg7 considering Makoto's upbringing with an emotionally and verbally abusive older sister who clearly hasnt been a good pillar of support besides external needs, her "lack of personality", aka trouble of showing over the top emotions, is an even better thing writing wise because she's acting exactly like what an emotinally malnourished person would act lmfao. Agreed that people are more or less looking at the girls in a shallow sense when they complain about lack of personality. It's one of my gripes with the persona fandom, how they simplify a complex character like Makoto to "beep boop robo trash waifu".

[@DanGalarzaCyber]

The key is that she's the only one with a visible parent that's not a throwaway NPC: Sae. Everyone else gets invisible moms and dads. Sae had a very hard life and it turned her into an emotionally stunted externalizer. Makoto, having to live under that, was turning into an internalizer instead.

[@godoatthegoat2884]

Basically, Sae is adult Makoto if Makoto never started thinking for herself and kept doing as she was told. And Sae probably sees herself in her, back when she still had ideals of justice before their father died. They mirror each other

[@sheafit28]

Everyone else gets invisible parents... except Futaba, Yusuke, Haru, and Akechi.

[@roberttyson3043]

@@sheafit28 and kasumi/sumiré

[@geers1518]

@@roberttyson3043 and Shinya, tho only through maxing the Tower.

[@duke0salt717]

@@godoatthegoat2884 uhh ya that's probably the best way of putting it I've ever seen

[@B_A-tr]

You use anime scenes, wise decision. "Yeet" - Ryuji Sakamoto

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I love how the anime hits on a lot of things that just aren't explicitly shown in the games.

[@ShukakuTheCrazy1]

My Queen! Also I really wish her confidant dealt more with her than with her friend

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Yeah, I can agree with that. But we do get some good insights and nuggets!

[@megabyte01]

Not to get off-topic, but I'll never forget the scene where, still processing the death of her father, Makoto recalls his words of advice: "the most important part of your life is how you choose to live it". I can't help thinking this advice is a summary of the game's message.

[@tylernelson9039]

I always loved her confidant because it didn’t focus on herself as much. Makoto had done herself justice for everything that happened to her when awakening to her persona, in my eyes. That justice being doing what she feels is right, only for herself. So it was interesting that the rest of her growth in her confidant came from reflecting on her actions of helping someone with their problems, like she’s always done before. However, now she’s actively learning from it and using it to strengthen herself instead of denying that growth because she felt inferior. Don’t get me wrong, I wish we had more moments of her own life too. I think the new scene in Royal was a nice consolation though.

[@forgottenmessiah]

I think its because main story focuses Makoto other than the other thives cause of her sister and her being the most mature one in the group, i think thats why her confidant is like this if it was like about her father it would be soo good, i mean too good and all of people would date Makoto. They need to give oter girls chance😅

[@sonic23233]

I made her my girlfriend in game

[@italex827]

It just goes to show. Everyone has layers. Like a cake. Or an onion for those of you who are dwellers of the swamp.

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

What about Parfait? You can't tell me a damn person on this planet doesn't love Parfait?

[@edmg7]

I completely agree with this analysis of Makoto. If there is one thing I might add that I appreciated about her story is that it felt like it properly tackled a scenario that is more unique to females. Now any ladies that read this and think I'm completely off feel free to tell me I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the way the principal manipulated Makoto and the expectations her sister placed on her were things that would not have happened the same way if she were a male character. The former would probably not think a male student as easy to manipulate and the latter thinks a male has fewer obstacles in climbing up the career ladder. While the pressure of meeting adult expectations is certainly something felt by lots of people regardless of gender, this style of inferiority as well the kind of confident mask put on in an attempt to meet very demanding authority and audience seems to be to something I've heard more women say they've gone through. I find Makoto's story very refreshing because of how well it handled that (though maybe I'm just bitter that western nerd properties keep failing to handle it properly).

[@uberkirbeeh7954]

It makes even more sense as sexism is still strongly present in Japan’s culture. Women still have to work twice as hard to earn respect when climbing the work or school ladder.

[@gaslightgatekeepgirlboss6321]

No, you're completely accurate. Sexism is still a terrible thing in Japan after all, misogyny being the very reason Sae and even Naoto from Persona 4 act the way they do. But also in addition to misogyny, Japanese society has a disdain for orphans, and Makoto happens to be both as well. She HAS to work thrice as hard more than anyone else because of the circumstances. It's a unique situation that's relatable to Asian women. Makoto has a very cohesive and understandable backstory and background that isn't over the top on how tragic it is, it's tragic because its realistic.

[@BigKlingy]

Japanese society also places huge emphasis on academic success and being accepted into a good university, I think most students would take up an offer like the principal's over there. I recently completed the Tower SL in Persona 4 and it's kind of amazing how much of a brutal critique of that system it is, I feel it often gets ignored by the fandom since it's optional and kind of hard to unlock (you need max Understanding to even start it).

[@uberkirbeeh7954]

@@BigKlingy Japanese school system really scares me. No way I would have ever been able to pass any grades if I was in it.

[@michaeljames6737]

@@uberkirbeeh7954 Same

[@B_A-tr]

Not having a mom: check Being the high priestess: check Being voiced by cherami leigh: check In short: makoto is rhea

[@mainaccount763]

at least she is not evil

[@B_A-tr]

@@mainaccount763 that is true

[@fujonazuna]

or a dragon

[@bessieburnet9816]

I bet she gets along swimmingly with Mitsuru and Elizabeth.

[@FlameSlayer1901]

​@@mainaccount763 RHEA IS EVIL???? :(

[@joshray3855]

Sae : "sorry... that was uncalled for" Me : "Jesus H. Christ, understatement of the year"

[@somasora7]

Really liked this one! To be honest, I could imagine a world where Joker doesn't exist and Makoto's the main character. On top of all the nuance and development you covered, she's integral to P5's story, and embodies its message of standing up against injustice. And she just has that vibe, honestly

[@clemendive7284]

In Persona 5 early development the dev team wanted to allow the player to chose a male or a female protagonist but that was scraped later.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

That would be so cool. I really think her character doesn't get enough credit and she would a great protagonist to follow in her own game.

[@cryguy0000]

@@clemendive7284 If that were true, why is it not an option in Royal?

[@sootythunder3111]

@@cryguy0000 probably would be too much work, with Royal it was more or less a just an expansion if they went the route of adding a female MC it would be like P3P were every interaction in the base game would have to be altered, social links, story beats, reanimating the animated cutscenes, new costume design, and you would have to rewrite the relationship between some characters from the ground up, take makoto for example her entire confidant would need to be scrapped because like half of it was you pretending to be Makotos boyfriend

[@archivist_13]

This is why I love the fics Queen's Lies and Queen's Checkmate, they're a fun look at what a P5 led by Makoto would look like

[@xbolt678]

I was always able to relate to Makoto; hell sometimes it was scary how similar our issues were, so despite me initially disliking her, as soon as we got to see more of the stuff she had to deal with I was able to empathize more and more. Her persona awakening was just so powerful and there was so much payoff. She's just a very easy to root for character in my eyes and I agree with basically everything you had to say. I would say Makoto and Kanji are the two Persona characters that really got to me. Nice video!

[@theroyalwraith791]

One small detail I haven’t seen anyone mention is that the scene when Sae yells at Makoto about their father and calls her useless is on June 19th, which in 2016 when the game was released (in Japan) was Father’s Day. It really shows how much their father’s death looms over them.

[@elae4051]

Minor correction, Japanese Father's Day is the 16th of June, HOWEVER that day in game is the moment Joker comes to her defense and what gives her the idea that her dad mightve sided with the PTs.

[@kevandre]

Makoto's definitely my favorite P5 character. I was initially attracted to her just because I love Cherami's voice- but as the game went on I grew to like her just as a character on her own as well.

[@rsarin18]

I've always really like Makoto's character and related to her in many ways myself, but I found it odd when a lot of fans said she was a bad character. I think her problems are much less visible than some of the other characters so people just saw her as bland and boring, when she is the exact opposite. Great analysis.

[@lonekirin905]

You make Makoto angry, your fate is sealed

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Truth.

[@B_A-tr]

Ah yes the return of eric, son of eric

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

We love Erik, son of Erik on this channel.

[@azurzelle]

Yeah! I really liked her, I can't wait to discover the rest of the video.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I hope you enjoyed! :)

[@michaeljames6737]

@@ThoughtBubbleYT people be hating on her

[@clemendive7284]

Makoto is the best, she's my favorite character along with Akechi

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

They're both really great!

[@pond_of_koi874]

first me with makoto niijima me: no anns better me after watching this me: move it ann a new queen is here

[@jonathanregan5682]

For me, Makoto get a trauma(from her father passed away) and survivor's guilt(from her sister has to take care of everything) and being a second in command in phantom thieves really help her out of this and I think it help her to empathize, to feel what it is like to be in her sister's shoes(albeit in a postive way, not cheating and stuffs like that). She doesn't need to be a top honor student to relieve her survivor's guilt and her trauma as well

[@Kadulikan]

Excellent analysis. Makoto's grit in defiance of her bleak situation is exactly what makes her my favorite character. Not only does she lack any positive intimate relationships, but nearly everyone she interacts with actively tears her down. It's heart-breaking. My favorite kind of story is one where a person is at their lowest point, but they use sheer grit to grow as a person. Very inspiring!

[@TheOwlet22]

Great vid as always! X3❤️ Also to add since Its interesting, this is from my friend who's Japanese so I might be wrong since cultural barriers, but she told me that Makoto's also probably be considered a weirdo by Japanese/Eastern Asia society, because she doesn't have friends despite being an honor student and president, she told me it was unusual. Which leads me to believe she never really had a good support group outside of her family, and when that was tarnished that's when all the things happened to her like you said.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

That's honestly super interesting! Thank you so much for sharing! :)

[@TheOwlet22]

@@ThoughtBubbleYT no probs, honestly P5's heavy on Japanese/East Asian Sociocultural Commentary and I just wanted to share some of it, being that I'm also East Asian so I kinda understand some of the stuff within it as well (not by much tho since by the end of the day I'm not Japanese, for the whole experience, I gotta ask my friend for that XD)

[@BigKlingy]

@@TheOwlet22 Doing well on your exams in Persona games raises your charm/makes you more popular with your classmates for a reason.

[@TheOwlet22]

@@BigKlingy yup I noticed that too, but I just think it's an aspect of the culture thats often not talked about with characters such as Makoto.

[@gaslightgatekeepgirlboss6321]

@@TheOwlet22 you should check out LadyVirgil's Makoto analysis video on this. It explains what you're talking about perfectly!

[@seiishin2766]

Took me a while to really appreciate her, but i admire her a lot as a character now.

[@veevzdrawz8499]

ive never disliked makoto, even when she was against the phantom thieves. in fact i immediately resonated with her, relating to her extreme insecurities about being dependent and the need for external validation lol.

[@akai3974]

I liked Makoto the moment she got that sick ass Persona awakening I didn’t like her at first but as soon as we got to saes palace I liked her a lot

[@sleipnir_8364]

Remember when Makoto's mysterious hair design turned out actually to be just a hair band? Mind blown

[@Toonman451]

I feel like you hit every point about what makes Makoto such a great character. This was a fantastic analysis that really brings to light and gives the due diligence Makoto deserves! Thank you for the awesome video! :D

[@chloenelson3951]

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN

[@Akechi_The_Phantom_Detective]

What a fantastic analysis, it's really easy to appreciate the perspective of someone who specialises in this type of field when it comes to well crafted characters like this and Dr. Maruki. In Makoto's case it really feels like we're only scratching the surface as well because her social relationships and how they're affected around people her own age play such a significant role in how she develops and personally I think more than anyone it's her relationship with Joker that highlights this the most. In P5R we get a hint of how much she's grown because rather than be devastated at the chance to reconnect with her father and sister again following her awakening from Maruki's actualisation, she was upset with herself for not being there to save Joker when he'd been fighting for her and everyone else the whole time. It's even reflected in her romantic options with him as well, where she says that she wants to be there for him as a partner and personally that makes her the best character in the game IMO.

[@shinigamimiroku3723]

Another great video! She's such an interesting character, and her struggles fit so uniquely within the larger context with Persona 5; they really hit a home run with Makoto.

[@MrZoichi]

This video put a lot of scattered thoughts I had about makoto into succinct points. Great video that shows what makes her a great character.

[@Aya-yz6mm]

Makoto Niijima is my favorite female character in Persona 5. Thank you so much for this great insight!

[@emrose5758]

I understand and respect Makoto a lot more after seeing this.

[@izzyxp6830]

Great assessment! Makoto is a character who I I didn't quite get to know well during my play through of the original game. Royal allowed me a second chance to really get to know her again and what I found was an incredibly strong woman who was thrown into a completely unfair situation and as a result was desperately fighting to obtain some level of power and usefulness to Sae and by extension the world. However in this internal war that she fights she loses the one thing that makes getting any of that worth while; her sense of self, her individuality, her wants, desires, understanding, bonds etc. All of these are essential in order for one to truly feel like they belong, which is exactly what she gets from becoming a Phantom Thief. Amazing video and I'm already pumped to hear your thoughts on the the rest of the cast. (My personal shout out would be for Ann or Ryuji) either way I love your content! Keep it up.

[@BaileyTheVirgin]

Loved this video! I think a “Psychology of Yusuke Kitagawa” would be pretty interesting too! Especially his hatred/familial bond with his former sensei, Madarame.

[@morgancolaizzi6824]

I love theses videos so much! Psychology is really interesting, and seeing these analyses of some of my favorite fictional characters is really cool!

[@rhyolite_777]

We stan a Queen 😤👸🏽

[@Org13fan1]

Maybe you could do an analysis on the psychology the palaces and the palace owners next. I'm really interested on your take on how the palace, shadow selves, and boss forms correlate with the respective owners and their mental states.

[@mikebliss3153]

Best Girl.

[@harmonicajay91]

Your name is John? My name is John!

[@sta292]

3:05 DAMN this, uh, felt personal LOL

[@TheSlammurai]

"Controlled and alone" Not anymore.

[@Someguyonline7732]

If im being honest Makoto is my favorite persona character. I love her arc, and her hair/headband. Shes also one of the most fun to use in strikers Also big credit to cherami leigh. Makoto and female V are two of my favorite female characters in fiction from voice acting

[@thepinapple8829]

Ever planning on doing some more of these on the older games? Really curious about what you would say regarding Persona 2. Although it's understandable if you don't, the older games are kind of hard to get into sometimes.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I'm definitely not opposed! I just honestly don't like making vids about games I haven't personally played so until I can manage some time to play them, it probably won't be for a bit!

[@striberx]

While I do relate to Futaba the most? I do relate as well to Makoto and the thought of feeling useless to others. Both Makoto and Futaba are my fav girls in P5 and one I'd love to be around with. Heck, technically all of the phantom thief girls I'd befriend heavily.

[@rohanlawrence5161]

Fantastic! Just Fantastic! While makoto isn't one of my favorites, this was a really well done in depth analysis, will make my next playthrough of P5R even more fun.

[@jayyy3820]

One of the best parts of the game is when she slaps eiko

[@Sablemike38]

Good analysis, mate. P5's social links really help to iron out the characters' personalities and growth, and by the end of the game she is imo one of the better displayed and developed Phantom Thieves. One thing I'm not so hot on, though, is how agressive and assertive they display her in fights. Sure, she is the thieves' "advisor" and has strong leadership qualities and tactical thinking, but I feel they went too hard on the "badass heroine" style in with her language and agressive attitude against shadows. Following slightly on that line, I actually think Ann/Panther is the most bland of the Thieves. While all the others are fairly useful in a fight and have utility, most people I've watched build her purely as a powerhouse for having the highest magic stat of the team. After the first two palaces she doesn't really bring anything to the story during palace infiltrations, except for Futaba's palace. I realize I'm complaining about game design and not the personality of characters on a psychology channel, but I just felt I had to bring that up.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

No! I think that's great to bring up because honestly how you use a character I feel like can color an individual's perception of that character and I agree with a lot of what you say!

[@Sablemike38]

Excuse the random callback after so long, but I just thought back to this comment and realized that's a pretty common fate for the first team-mate/love interest in a game. Because they're developed so early in the game/series they're easily left at the sideline towards the end as the story and other characters progress. Take Ashley from Mass Effect for example. She remains the archetypical soldier type in a series filled with mercenaries and multitude of galactic species. In a way, Tali is her exact opposite in this manner (and hot, imo). Her character development throughout the series makes her one of my favourite characters.

[@rubydearest]

You're amazing omg

[@rararasputin8608]

If I were to keep it JRPG-related, I would suggest Edelgard von Hresvelg. As one of the more polarizing characters, she is a personal favorite. For this, it would be dabbling with the Crimson Flower variant. There's the standard interactions, along with Hanneman, Lysithea, Manuela, etc.

[@talosdarkpaladin]

I absolutely loved this video. I think you were spot on. Legit made me cry - as the game does, often. At some point in the next few months I will be streaming Persona 5 royal - are you happy for me to link these videos to my viewers as they become relevant? I think they'd love these analysis as much as I do ❤️

[@gulusgammamon]

I originally didn't think her as a great character in p5v but I think royal did wonder for her with the follow up to her original time and her social link and sae's palace really give her the place she needs with a friend outside the phantom thrives who she grows naturally to have a friendship with and how her feelings for her sisters being a true reflection to how her sister is vs the rank 10 being how she thinks about justice

[@Max-qb5ui]

An episode on Yu Narukami would be awesome

[@LunaP1]

I had a thought about the location of where the main characters meet. Shujin Academy seems to amplify those with malice and those with despair. Those with malice have their hearts twisted by the mere presence of this school and those with malice drag those with despair down in to a dark place. Just look at the characters that were affected by their attendance to Shujin Academy in all P5 games.

[@videocrowsnest5251]

How you summarized it: Grit sounds like it shares some elements with the Finnish concept of Sisu - Which is quite the powerful thing: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisu (It is mentioned at the top of the page too)

[@joelpandess2346]

Mannnn this video was good. God bless you dude

[@disneymaniaish]

Mini Makoto!!! so cute!!!!!

[@LunaP1]

I’d like to see an analysis of her sister Sae. I feel the reason she lashed out at Makoto was she was still subconsciously grieving.

[@もちの花]

As always, thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I'm glad you enjoyed!

[@Dinklr]

While there were a few confidant ranks of makoto's that were good(aka were actually about her) most of it focuses on a different character entirely with makoto being a pushy mom type character to eiko. Tbh the main story does a way better job of developing her character than her confident does. Either way good job it was an awesome video

[@frisolaxod3835]

I love your psychological analysis of P5R and FE3H characters! As someone who's planning on studying psychology it's really interesting and fun to watch. If I may suggest a character, do you plan on doing a psychological analysis on Marianne from Three Houses? I find her such an interesting character with a lot of hidden depth and probably the biggest character development in the game that doesn't necessarily require the player to help her.

[@Error-gz3pp]

I love how most people in the comments are also trying to analyze Makoto, and I’m just like, “Hm? Yes, I do like watching this channel. I’m also just really interested in this sort of stuff.”

[@johnseymore4774]

These videos are top tier, man. Keep up the good work.

[@staceytetzlaff2822]

Do you think it would be interesting if maybe we got a cutscene where Sae and Makoto get to talk with their father's ghost? I mean Sae can get all of that anger and frustration off her shoulders, and hey, maybe they can finally get his opinion on the Phantom thieves. And maybe if we did get that it could have drawn some similar parallels to the conversation that Nico and Bianca had at the Triple G Ranch in Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth .

[@zelestial1681]

Man. I wish I could just have a conversation with you. I feel you could help me in my own life.

[@TheSleeplessArtist]

Hello, I too am studying and working to be a LPC. Thank you so much for your work its really entertaining and informative especially now diring my residency. If you have time id suggest analyzing the individualisic and collectivest cultures of SMT 4 its one of my favorite games.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I haven't actually played SMT games outside of Persona, but I'll definitely look into it thank you! And I'm really glad you enjoyed! :)

[@NemoNobodySMT]

Great video!! Just curious, will you make video about Ann Takamaki and Ryuji Sakamoto?

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Nothing concrete is in the plans but it's definitely a possibility!

[@BgChf-dg5lv]

Kinda redeems her character. Nicely done.

[@ChibiMalzahar]

I know that wasn't the purpose but this thumbnail is really funny

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Yeahhhhh, we switched it up so it's a bit less aggressive lmao.

[@majora4463]

please do one on the makoto yuki (protangist of persona 3)

[@precious_muse]

Is Glasser’s theory relatively new? I’ve studied psychology quite a few times, and I’ve never come across a theory that saw”fun” as a basic need.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

It’s relatively new. It was developed and published for the world in 1998.

[@BLOO7475]

Knowledge 🎶 Makoto Social Link: 🎶

[@ily9718]

Goro Akechi hates pancakes. Joking aside though, great video Jon!

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Thank you so much as always!

[@cyzerraze6829]

Makoto gang

[@jonathanfaber3291]

9:40 ah the quality of character I have functionally none of

[@stanfordfeynman2796]

Now that I think about it, for me, I hated Makoto at first because she reminded me of myself a lot. She harbors a lot of the things I aspire to be as well as the things I unfortunately can only manage. I suppose that’s why she’s so hot and cold to me. She’s definitely great, but it’s one of those things where a character is almost TOO relatable. Ironically, the opposite of this for me was Ryuji. I often project my insecurity about my intellect on to dumb characters (typically male since I am male as well), and this results in me often hating them for it. Even now, I can’t get over my disdain for idiotic male characters because of the possibility I might relate to that stupidity. Call it an inferiority complex, but it’s interesting to me how much it actually affects my interest in characters. Thanks for the self-reflection! Lovely video

[@julianrobertson1869]

Correction on Makoto's age, she is 18 by the time you can start her confidant. Her birthday is in May

[@michaeljames6737]

thought it was February

[@toonkid5196]

Do you plan on doing an analysis on Morgana?

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

Not in the immediate plans, but probably at some point!

[@runeramdas]

Have you ever looked into "Enneagram Types"? www.enneagraminstitute.com/type-5 Makoto's a classic type 5... her biggest motivation is knowledge and having things figured out... biggest fear is being useless

[@andrewrogers3067]

Question, though it is off topic, what are your thoughts on Ann? You've done a fantastic job on all of these videos describing every character, and I'd like to know your thoughts on Ann given that, at least in my opinion, she one of the least well written characters in the game, and there's quite a few videos going into detail on how Anns writing was....Less then stellar to say the least. She's like the one outlier in a sea of well structured characters, but even in Royal which improved on many characters in the game (Akechi and to a lesser extent Haru), Ann really wasn't improved as much as the others.

[@gaslightgatekeepgirlboss6321]

Is there any reason you think she's less well written than some? I'm not diagreeing btw.

[@andrewrogers3067]

pain Well there are people who can explain it better then I can but I’ll do my best. Ann’s character growth and her confidants revolve around her trying to prove she’s more then just her looks, which is fine, but when it comes to characters who have suffered sexual harassment and the feeling of helplessness, it seemed inefficient.

[@TheOwlet22]

@@andrewrogers3067 to also add to your point, Ann's whole thing was also to be the Femfetal of the group. Like prove she's more than just her looks and "dominate" what she wants in life. The game doesn't really show her develop into that type of character at all, she doesn't really change after her awakening and what's worse is that she's used for her looks in later parts of the game. Tbh tho I still love Ann, I mean I can agree she's not used to her fullest potential but I still love her regardless. I do like the idea that someone proposed on reddit tho that her confidant should have focused more on her developing further the backbone she built in the main story and don't let the "looks" consume her, instead she should be comfortable of how she looks and how she can use it for her own self expression, and slowly but surely she'll develop to the type of person that is similar to the female villains she admired when she was a child. I think the confidant touched this by having a character thar is meant to represent Ann's almost ideal self to be her rival, but it isn't really clear and is just downright confusing.

[@jethiliusavalar6449]

Hot take: with the exception that she doesn't call the shots, she's the leader

[@Pausenmacher]

Big Disagree.

[@ChristianGibbons777]

#NewViewer BTW💙💚❤️🖤😎 This already seems interesting. Also given how I’m a fellow autist, what do you think of the idea 💡 of a future Persona game where the protagonist is diagnosed as autistic and that using Personas is more challenging for them given their social issues??? Making developing your social links or confidant stats more challenging than normally yo build up could be a way to throw a curve ball. Imagine the character getting hit with Cancel Culture and corrupt colleges weaponizing social media to ruin your life orchestrated by the antagonist who foresaw the potential of your protagonist’s ability to use multiple personas. While also having the antagonist having influence in academia across multiple nations in the west and so on???

[@blightedadmiral7006]

No character has a father is this game

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

I mean. Akechi and Kasumi do. And Haru did.

[@blightedadmiral7006]

@@ThoughtBubbleYT nobody has a healthy relationship with their father.

[@ThoughtBubbleYT]

@@blightedadmiral7006 that’s fair. 😂

[@blightedadmiral7006]

@@ThoughtBubbleYT it is a dramatic story after all

[@TheWolfgangGrimmer]

@@blightedadmiral7006 Kasumi actually gets along perfectly fine with her father, whatever issues she may otherwise have. Also Joker and Futaba have a pretty fulfilling relationship with Sojiro, and while he may not be either one's literal father, he effectively is all Futaba's ever had for a father, and the closest role model Joker has available during the time span of the story.

[@fagitocumaeda]

Congrats on making me not hate makoto as much lol

[@cryguy0000]

I like key points about Makoto. But things like her favoritism in the story and gameplay, her relative lack of change after her awakening and her robotic (I'm not sorry) way of interacting with people makes her my least favorite Phantom Babe. She's not someone I would really be friends with, even if I sympathize with her struggles.

[@cyzerraze6829]

Makoto gang