Chapter 8: Shido, Prideful captain of the SS Antisocial Japan. November 20 to December 18. Twenty Nine days.
So you may have noticed that we're repeating the start of the game, lets talk about the tropes associated with Sae while we go through the start of the game once again. Shadow Sae's motifs are dogs and that flower she wears. Dogs are very loyal creatures but in Japanese culture, they're associated with envy which makes the most sense. She is also more of an anti villain compared to the other Palace Rulers who were pretty much villains.
Futaba's palace is the same but well, Futaba was a victim. That's really about everything I had about Shadow Sae since well, I rather not talk about the character herself. I didn't do that for the other palace rulers so should I do things differently for Sae? Nah. So unlike last time, we sees the twins and the Crypt Keeper. The twins repeat what Arsene tells you and lets see what they mean by that. So if you pretty much throw your friends under the bus, you get the bad ending.
That won't be happening whatsoever so well, I'm not a monster. Sae mentions Akechi and well, here's a scene showing Akechi talking with the thieves about saving Joker. I wish this was in the game but at least, the anime added something good. As the truth serum wears off, we see those scenes that we couldn't before aka the conversation with Joker and Morgana which was about pancakes and how someone reacted and the scene between Futaba, Joker, and Morgana in Joker's attic.
Joker shows Sae the phone which has a complicated lock on it and well, this phone was given a certain app thanks to Futaba. A virus if you will and needs to be shown to a certain male. As Sae is trying to figure out what's going on, we heard an all too familiar voice speaking to someone. The voice says that Joker stole the guard's gun and committed suicide during the imprisonment.". Without saying his name and through clever hints, Sae figures it out.
Sae decides to trust Joker even though what he's asking for sounds insane. At the end of this interview, we get another rank 10 with Sae. Yeah. This confidant is similar to the Crypt Keeper and Morgana since it's story related. We do get the ability to fuse Satan from this so yeah. It's a unique Persona to say the very least. Once Sae leaves Joker alone, she meets up with Akechi and he's heading up the investigation team after all.
This shocks Sae before Akechi tells Sae that it was a joke and he's only here as a consultant. Akechi mentions how he made up another culprit to set the thieves up. If it wasn't obvious, Akechi is the traitor and this wasn't too big of a surprise for me. Throughout the entire game, Akechi has been someone who has been against the Phantom Thieves and how they do things. So tell me this. If he wasn't the traitor and had a change of heart, why would he now decide to work with them?
I doubt it was because of Darth's death but something else. Some other ways I thought he was a traitor is due to his Phantom Thief Costume. Noticed how Crow's costume didn't have any black or darker colors to it. All of the Phantom Thieves had this in their costume except for hi. He also claimed that he wasn't a rebel but someone who sticks to their justice. This is also why I didn't have him go up in Baton Pass either.
After giving Akechi the phone, reality warps for a split second. Once Sae leaves, Akechi changes from the detective prince to a smug prick. Akechi heads down to the interrogation room and asks the guard to join him since well, Joker is so scary. The guard does this and gets killed for his action. He also shoots Joker and that's game. Joker dies at the hand of a red nose smug prick. His mask's long nose is ,I hope, a reference to Pinocchio.
You know how the wooden doll's nose only grew bigger as he lied. Crow's mask had a very large nose but does it rival another characters? If you really want to feel the twist of this impact, watch these four scene in order. Scene 1, Scene 2, Scene 3, and Scene 4. For the anime, you had to wait ninety three days for the conclusion to this and this is how the anime ended. Akechi won and Joker died. Pretty bold cliffhanger but that's not how the story ends.
As Akechi is in the elevator, he talks to Shido and he's Akechi's boss. Yep. It's Shido. The guy who people want to change this country thanks to the Phantom Thief's actions. Akechi plans to kill off the other Phantom Thieves as the storm blows over and the smug prick says that they're nothing without his guidance. Oh and Shido knows about Morgana too. While both Akechi and Shido plan what they're going to say, the bald one mentions the SIU Director.
Like Darth and Eggman, the SIU Director will suffer the same fate. I don't really bad for him at all since well, he was an evil person. I get why they would want to clear up any loose ends and well, so long SIU director and that leaves only two members left of the Bald Man Squad. Lets go back to Sae and she interacts with Alibaba aka Futaba. Futaba tells Sae that Akechi is evil and here to kill Joker. The guard is part of the whole scheme as well so yeah.
You really can't trust the government after all. I doubt everyone in the force is working with Shido but a good majority are. Trust Futaba on this one Sae and well, Sae decided to trick the guard mainly in order to save his own life. Smart move since well, Akechi can't be trust. We see how the suicide went off in a cutscene and how it affects the Phantom Thieves. We also see other Shujin teachers and other students of Kosei high aka Hifumi and Yusuke's school.
There is also some other references such as Robo-Giorno. The news reporter announce Joker's death and this shocks the Phantom Thieves except for Ryuji who smiles. Joker wakes up back in the Velvet Room and asks Igor why he's been killed. On my first playthough, I didn't have an answer since I was unsure on how things went done. I got that Akechi betrayed the Phantom Thieves but that was about it. He then decides to show how things got to this point.
Remember the scene at the festival? Akechi fucked up big time and all because of pancakes. I'm sure that this won't become a meme. We then see how Futaba got involved in this little scheme and do you remember how she really wanted to see Akechi's phone? This is how she got the virus onto the phone and it's perfect. In the room where Joker died, we see the trio of Futaba, Makoto, and Yusuke planning something there.
This shows how versatile and powerful the metaverse can really be. Joker is still alive but the cognitive copy of him and the guard are no longer alive. The pose the real Joker is in it is pretty good too. Later the night of the twenty first, Sae tells Joker not to fall asleep until they reach their destination. Joker sees another scene of the thieves talking about how Akechi was against them from the start and was the true culprit of the mental shutdowns.
I'm not sure when this took place but well, it had to be sometime during late October or maybe early November. Here is a video on how the plan went down if you're curious. I'm sure that I'll explain it wrong and well, they know that Akechi was nothing more than a tool for the mastermind and also in his personality. Personal opinion on that. Oh and way to good Futaba. Show that inkling girl whose better and well, the metaverse is a place that can screw over even geniuses like Akechi.
So with the whole gang all here, Joker is alive much to the joy of everyone around them and Sojiro is me. I was wondering how all of this went down and well, they explain it better than I could. Just watch the video I mentioned above. If I went into detail about it, it would be rather long and I rather let the game do it for me. So like with Eggman, lets talk about the SIU Director's voice actor. He was played by Kirk Thornton whom I've mentioned before.
He is the voice actor I chose for Gurat from Fairy Legion Royal. I also wanted to mention some other roles he played since as Kaname Ohgi from Code Geass and Shadow the Hedgehog. A pretty big actor for such a minor role just with like Eggman. Both of these men both worked under someone and died the same way. Despite the player knowing how their boss is, the thieves don't right now. They later learn soon thanks to Sojiro spilling the beans.
So with Sae and Sojiro helping the thieves out, Akechi talks with Shido. Shido also seems to remember Joker but from where? So the SIU Director died from a stroke and he was mainly used by Shido to forge evidence. Oh and I really want to get rid of Akechi's smile soon rather than later since he is in the limelight for "defeating" the Phantom Thieves. So if Shido wins this election, he will become the prime minister.
Well, Sojiro seems to know Shido from his past job and baldie was the only one responsible for stealing Wakaba's research. Sojiro is a smart dude since from the moment Wakaba died, he knew that Shido was involved. He couldn't do anything about it given how Futaba was in danger. So much to the surprise of no one, Shido has a palace and he has already mentioned his final key word if you were paying very close attention.
As the thieves plan to take down Shido, Shido remembers meeting Akechi 2.5 years ago. Akechi mentions that he was a young politician and I question that part due to a statement mentioned just a bit later. Not him being someone who was rising up against bureaucracy but something else. So anything bad Shido got himself caught up in, he had Akechi take care of them thanks to the metaverse. This is why Wakaba had to die.
Shido says that any suspicions should be snubbed out being that even the smallest doubt could lead to ones fall. That last part was ad-libbed by me but I'm not wrong. This whole scene is pretty both of them explaining their evil plan and how it was done. Akechi is smart no doubt but he's no detective unlike another Persona wielding detective. Since Joker is well dead, we don't have to go to school so that's nice I guess.
For a while, we're off to find that last key hole of Shido by going out much to the shock of Sojiro. Day 1 fails but hey, we still got time. The election won't happen until the 18th of December and Yusuke points out that Shido is 53 years old. I truly don't know if 53 is young in the world of politics but how is 50 or 51 years old considered young Akechi? In what regards? 50s means that you're past or going through middle age at this point.
That line has always bothered me to say the least since whenever I think young, 50+ doesn't count to mind except if that species lives to 100+ years like the giants from One Piece. It's also a really good thing that the app doesn't have a limit on guessing key words since well, they would be screwed at this point. Ryuji's theory about a barrier may be possible but highly unlikely. Instead of Shido, it's Akechi instead. Oh boy.
Lets see what comes out of his mouth and it's about the Phantom Thieves. His hate boner for them is strong after all. None of the thieves are happy about this and well, Japan has an infection. This infection was the Phantom Thieves but has switched over to the duo of Akechi and Shido. So by luck, Shido just so happens to be near Yongen-Jaya and it's time to get that word. Joker slowly begins to remember his connection with Shido as Haru and Ryuji go off.
So why are you sending Joker and Morgana to go get Haru and Ryuji? I get that being in a big group is a bad idea but why send the guy whose supposed to dead to a large crowd? Why not Ann or Makoto? I get that it's for plot reasons but well, it's just weird. Both Joker and Ryuji have met Shido before back in May during the celebration after taking Kamoshita. It's been a long time. This conflict was Joker finally remember that Shido was the man who got him arrested and ruined his life.
Yeah. If it isn't obvious, the palace involving Shido is quite fitting for Joker isn't it? Shido ruined his life and countless others just because they got in his way. If he was accidently bumped on the street, he would sue that person who bumped him regardless if it was intentional or not. Spill his coffee on his suit? You're getting sued. On the way there, Shido mentions sail and steer in the flashback. So Shido sees the Diet building as a ship.
It's unique I'll give him that. So like with Sae's palace, not much has changed but that changes as they see that the thieves are on a boat. Japan is submerged in water with only a boat sailing away and this is most apocalyptic palace so far. The other palaces looked nice in comparison to how this is the evil version of Noah's Ark. After entering the building, everyone on board is wearing a mask. We don't get too far before we get caught by security.
This security is Cerberus and it's rather fitting. Despite fighting a giant dog, no one seems bothered by this. I mean I'm more bothered by all of the Shido posters everywhere. This man's ego is so big since well, you can't go five feet without seeing Shido's bald head. We need five key cards in order to reach the treasure and maybe, we'll learn if Shido shines his head using wax. That may not be true but I can say this.
Shido's safe rooms look really cozy. Ryuji also goes through some solid character growth as well so good on him. In this short time frame, all of your confidants except for Sae and Sojiro check in with you since they were unsure if you were alive. It started with Kawakami, Mishima, Ohya, Chihaya, Tae, Shinya, Hifumi, Tora, and Kasumi. I didn't mention Maruki or Iwai since Maruki doesn't show up and you need to get rank 10 with Iwai. I didn't since he was being stubborn.
I could have gotten him to rank 10 but no. He didn't want to hang out until later. Oh and Kasumi is a much better stalker than Makoto. Kasumi wants to join the Phantom Thieves in their quest but well, Shido is too strong of an enemy for a rookie like her. I mean Akechi is working under Shido so yeah. It's too dangerous for her right now and well, Kasumi has a goal of her to complete. During this period of time, I'm also pretty sure that this comic happened off screen by the way.
Before taking down Shido, we do a couple of last minute prep work aka hanging out with the twins one more time. They learn that according to the twins, Sojiro managed to cut up a god in order to make his curry. If you don't want to die by the god slayer Sojiro, don't make fun of his curry or hurt Futaba. The chainsaw comes out if he's pissed off.
After reading so many books, I managed to get some new Technical skills. This will make Joker and the rest of the gang stronger than needed to take down Cruise Director Shido. That isn't Shido's nickname since like the two female palace rulers, Shido is an important character to the story overall. The other palace rulers don't really effect the story past their confession. They get name drops here and there but well, we don't see them effecting the plot.
It's mainly shown best with Darth since he's currently sleeping with the fishes while under the stars. In due time and about nine days before the election, we finally begin our journey as the Phantom Pirates since this heist has us stealing the treasure off a boat. It's only fitting plus we did have a pirate captain on the team before he evolved into Goku. The perfect outfit for sneaking around this place is having the dancer Joker travel along with his butlers and maids.
You may think this is stupid which it totally is but hey, it makes sense just a bit. We need to find a politician, a former noble, a TV station president, an IT company president, and some cleaner so why not dress up as the staff? They'll never see us coming except for Joker who will pose as Shido's favorite pop star. You may think that's silly but well, I'm sure Shido is a fan of a pop star maybe one who can boost up his image or something.
Everything is coming together and well, the cat is wearing the maid outfit for some reason. I guess it could be because he's voiced by a female but I got nothing. After taking down several very unpaid members of the staff, we eventually obtain a membership club to the exclusive restaurant where you need a card to enter it. This is where we can take down the politician where Makoto and Ryuji decided to have dinner together.
Not in the romantic fashion since well, Makoto is a bit out of Ryuji's level. The politician Ooe shows up with him transforming into Yamata no Orochi. We learn why Shido killed Eggman because he was going to expose Shido's name and well, he eventually got cracked. If you pledge loyalty to Shido, you get the ability to decided who get hits with a mental shutdown. Ooe here picked someone who isn't too important but that engineer who caused that subway accident back in Spring.
This may seem like a waste but this was to take out a president of some company and some diplomat who sided with someone not named with Shido. I guess Ooe really wanted to kill two birds with one stone huh. This snake eventually get all of its heads sliced to bit thanks to Haru's ax. Futaba and Morgana saw that Ooe here was a fusion between a cognition and a shadow. Expect the other VIPs to be the same and well, Shido seems to have a scene with the snake.
Our next target is the former noble and he's lounging by the pool. Before we can take him down, the group turn into mice and Yusuke makes a pun which earns a boo from Futaba. If you're an intruder to Shido, you get turned into a mice if you're near one of his gold statues. Despite looking like really cute and totally marketable, the mice thieves aren't really fighters. This is a rather prepawsterous situation after all.
In time, there is a switch to prevent being turned into a mice and that means we can take our revenge on them. After getting our revenge and first will seed, we reach the pool deck and that means one thing. It's time for the Palace's Swimsuit episode. I mean we already had our beach episode earlier but well, you can never go wrong too beach episodes. Unlike the beach in the real world, Shido's pool requires clothes so Morgana will stay in his maid outfit for now.
This beach episode will have Haru joining us and we shouldn't stick out. We eventually find our noble and well, Ryuji tries to get his attention. It doesn't work since well, this noble is more into the ladies rather than the fellas especially ones in swimsuits. Ryuji decided to get the info by using the power of swimsuits and well, this is your normal beach episode with fanservice glory. Sometimes, the simple plan is the best plan and girls in swimsuits always catches the eyes.
After seeing Ann's "amazing" acting in action, these ladies have to deal with Forneus in order to get our letter. I mean it's better than dealing with a literal cock right? I'm also sure if there is ever a Persona racing game, Forneus is totally going to be one of the vehicles I'm calling it now. So fun fact I didn't notice about this scene is that Haru's swimsuit looks similar to the costume you can have her wear if you picked the swimsuit.
This may be due to the fact that Haru doesn't show up for the beach adventure but it's a way to reuse a model. I like Makoto's swimsuit but well, Ann's swimsuit is rather revealing. I mean Ryuji did pick them out so blame him. So why didn't the noble like Haru? I mean she's the daughter of Darth who was a very important man here in Japan. So after taking down the noble, he reveals that he was able to have some mental shutdowns by giving Shido some wealthy nobles.
Shido is also quite picky about who he allows on board his boat and doesn't allow anyone to not wear a mask. It may seem like he doesn't care about what someone looks like but Shido is just worried about getting sick and Ann's acting skills have leveled up. She's still in the lower levels but well, it's better than before I think. It's time to retire the dancer and the staff plan but instead, we go with the caroler plans aka everyone in Christmas outfits.
I may be writing this in November but in game and reality, it's December and we celebrate the holiday early respectively. We also turned back into mice and we get not one but two puns from Yusuke. I mean I like how he's the one making the puns. I didn't expect him to be so good at giving admice especially about pro-squeak around these shadows. If you don't like these puns, Futaba don't like them either. In due time, the mice get attracted by the sweet smell of cheese and it looks rather silly.
Said cage looks all of them up and well, we get to see all of the Phantom mices. My favorite one is Haru since it's wearing a cute little hat. After finishing off another room involving mice escapades, we reach the back deck and face against elite shadows aka the SWAT force. This doesn't take too long since they aren't too much of a challenge at this point. Our next target is the TV station president and he's hiding out in a room similar to Sae's palace.
This is due to them both involving gambling but unlike that palace, this one has King Frost aka the top dog among the Jack Frosts. I really like King Frost since it's a really unique persona. We eventually find the TV station president and well, Haru decides to get us the letter of introduction this time. This man was funded greatly by Darth before he got carried away. Shido asked the president here to try and defend Darth's actions but that was a tall order.
Due to Darth being too much of a risk, he had to be cut off and used to be trap the Phantom Thieves as we saw ever. Haru doesn't take it kindly about what the president says about her father and how he was the one to broadcast his death. The president turns into Hanuman and he isn't alone. He's teamed up with a pair of Garduas. He doesn't last too long due to said president really not being a fan of the cold which Yusuke is the best at.
After taking him down, the president tells the thieves about Kaneshiro or Porky. All of the money he was taking from Shujin and others around Shibuya went directly to Shido. Madarame aka Smeargle's counterfeit business helped as well. He's also the one making sure that Akechi and dear old Shido is always on the news. Unlike the last two, we see Akechi and what happened to Joker. So Akechi thinks that the reason behind Joker's "sucide" is because of pride.
It's fitting since well, Akechi has a whole lot of pride in his image. He also will go after the other Phantom Thieves mainly for the victims and their families. So I got to ask. Who is he talking about right here? I doubt any of the palace rulers and the targets that he killed had family. Maybe the people who died because of the targets Akechi killed for Shido. That does make sense since none of the Phantom Thieves's targets probably hurt anyone too drastically.
So it seems that everyone in the studio audience wants Akechi to take them down but I really wish that one of them didn't. Not because they like the Phantom Thieves or anything like that but just because they misclicked. It's stupid but it would make me laugh. As Akechi is making them laugh, he has an inner monologue about how he was a child who wasn't wanted by society and how he wanted to be needed.
This does explain why Akechi is always seen in the public's eyes and thanks to the host's comments, Akechi is starting to figure something out thanks to someone not turning off their phone during a live show. This whole scene is much longer than the first two so I wonder if it's on purpose or something like that. After the third mice adventure, we meet up with the thug from before and it's time for round two with Baphomet.
Like before, these goats were nothing and we eventually make our way back to the main hall. This is due to the IT president being a recluse compared to the other targets. So we need to get some food delivered to him and hopefully, the thieves don't charge too much. Futaba is the one to handle this one since said recluse will be on guard if a whole group shows up and Futaba is the tech expert. These two bond rather fast and it seems that we'll get this letter with no issue.
I mean I doubt that heavily since well, this is Shido's palace. Said IT president is the one responsible for having the Phantom Thieves target the Medjed. The group's defeat shocked them but well, it didn't interfere with their plans like with Kamoshita. It may have alerted Shido about someone having the ability to travel in the Metaverse but in the grand scheme, Kamoshita doesn't mean shit. Said president turns into Oberon and has two Titanias teaming up with him.
Said fairy king doesn't have that Titania teaming up with him but two nameless ones. On the way here, I've fought against my fair share of fairy royalties so they went down. Said president's biggest crime involves the cognitive psience research and how he delete the original copy after they stole them. He wasn't involved with the mental shutdowns though. After this, Akechi and Shido have a chat about how Shido is pretty much the most popular man in Japan.
After congradulating each other, Shido asks Akechi to take any customer of the mental shutdown business who is rather suspicious. This confuses Akechi since the election is coming up soon and unlike my previous playthroughs, this makes sense. Akechi asks why and Shido mentions something about him feeling rather anxious about the whole thing. Shido tells him to do his job and this alerts Akechi since well, he isn't an idiot.
He starts to figure something out and while that's going on, there is only one target left. It's the Cleaner and well, the Christmas thieves decide to go back into their normal clothes. Like Porky, the Cleaner is a Yakuza and much more threatening compared to the other one. However, the thieves are here to give the cleaner a new tattoo thanks to Yusuke much to his chagrin. Yusuke does draw a phoenix like the Cleaner wants and well, it's a Yusuke drawing.
Said cleaner likes it much to Yusuke's joy and wants him to be his personal tattoo artist. After Yusuke rejects him, the Cleaner gets angry and turns into the Ongyo-Ki. He's basically the boss of those shadows you fought in Porky's palace. Thanks to the power of art and lust aka Ann and Yusuke's showtime, the Cleaner is taken out. He gives us the fifth and final letter due to there being no longer a reason to do any cleaning so the thieves are around.
He decides to get out of dodge before its too late and leave Shido to sink with the ship. The final calling card needs to be flashy and Futaba has an idea since any other way will go unnoticed due to Shido's power. Due to the Cleaner and Shido having no real relation to each other, we don't see a scene in the real world. Before reaching the main hall, Akechi finally returns and says,"Long time no see.". The line is all too familiar to all Sonic fans.
The reason for him being here is because of what was going on with Shido and the clues mentioned in the stage show earlier. So aren't Akechi and Joker already rivals? They aren't friends and we managed to go up a rank with Akechi during this exchange. Makoto asks the prince why he would work for someone like Shido and this reason is simple. It isn't because of Shido or this country but because Shido is Akechi's father who Akechi wants revenge on. Dun dun!
We learned about how Akechi's dad was pretty much a piece of shit due to him leaving Akechi and his mom alone. He's nothing more than a scandal for Shido since well, most people won't like Shido having a child born without marrying her. I think that why but Akechi managed to get the power to get revenge on Shido thanks to the metaverse. Akechi's nice guy image slowly fades away, revealing a very angry and bitter young man.
The fight begins with Akechi bringing in some help in the form of Cerberus and Cu Chulainn. Said detective is able to make people and Shadows go psychotic and well, he shows it off using an unknown Persona since that wasn't Robin Hood. These two psychotic Personas don't last long since Cerberus can't handle the cold while nuclear power handles the human. So Akechi's ability to turn others psychotic comes from himself.
Well, Akechi doesn't handle this defeat well and the thieves know that Akechi is lying to himself. He hates Joker because despite everything he has now, he sees himself as inferior to Joker who is criminal trash living in attic. Akechi is lost in his anger and well, the true Akechi comes to light. He's the true criminal behind the mental shutdowns and well, the detective prince is gone. Darkblade takes his place and he has a second Persona like Joker.
This Persona is Loki and Akechi has gone crazy. The only way to beat the crazy out of him is with a lot of force and eventually, Akechi goes down with everyone gaining a level. Ryuji was the only one who didn't get to fight him since well, I really like use Haru or Yusuke as my physical fighter. I mean I really like swords and Haru wields an ax. Both of them are sharp while Ryuji's weapon really hurts. After this scuffle, Akechi finally gives up and knows that his time in the limelight is over.
Morgana says that Akechi was turning people psychotic in order to solve the cases while required him to join up with Shido. Despite Akechi seeing him as nothing special, the thieves see him as something special since he wasn't an easy foe to take down. Makoto finds her jealous of his abilities and how much Sae trusts him over her flesh and blood. I really don't get why Futaba and Haru would sympathize with him since well, he killed Futaba's mom and Haru's dad.
I know that Haru says that she won't forget him for that but well, I wouldn't forgive the guy who took the life of someone I cared about regardless of the reason. However, another Akechi aka Shido's version of Akechi shows up and decides to kill the real one since he doesn't need any loser. Shido was going to get rid of Akechi after the election since why would Shido leave a MURDERER to go free? That makes no sense.
Even though Cognitive Akechi says that he'll spared the real one, the real Akechi decides to kill his clone and seal himself from the others so they can stop Shido. Making this deal awakens Rank 10 for Akechi and this is the end for Akechi. Probably maybe. I'll explain what I mean. After saying goodbye to Akechi, we finally reach the main assembly hall and have a giant Daruma looking down at them. This Daruma won't come to life by the way.
I really wish that this was the case since well, it wouldn't be that strange to see within the Metaverse and would make for an interesting fight. So according to Makoto, Daruma are often seen as symbols for luck mainly for elections. They personally remind me of Darmuka and its evolved form. I'm a bigger fan of the original Darmanitan and Darmuka rather than the Galarian variation since well, I can't take that afro seriously.
The Zen Charm Pokemon's Zen Mode is pretty cool though since it's literally a snowman. If I ever decided to go back and play Generation 8, I'll try to capture this Pokemon if I get Pokemon Sword. I got Shield and I don't regret it. This was mainly because I really didn't like how Pokemon Sword's Gym Leader Roster compared to Shield's. Don't get me wrong though. We've had both Ghost and Ice type gym leaders before.
I just prefer that type combo compared to Fighting and Rock. I do like Fighting and Rock type Pokemon but well, the gym leaders that often represent those types aren't my favorite. Brock is the only one I really like out of the bunch since well, he was featured heavily in the Anime and has a frying pan as a drying pan. I mean what other gym leader has something like that? 4Kids may have a bad rap due to what they did to One Piece but well, they have a good line like this once in a while.
Despite me not been against talking or ranting about Pokemon for a couple of paragraphs, lets get back to Persona 5. With some last minute preparations, it's time to take down the leader of the bald man squad himself Shido. Sending the Calling Card seems like a issue at first but well, the Futaba cannon is ready much to the Thieves's confusion then joy at first. The Futaba cannon is basically the Phantom Thieves taking over Japan's airwaves to air their message.
It isn't a literal cannon. Even with their voices distorted, you can tell who is talking and their silhouette are shown to the generic public. You can also see Ryuji's hair color due to the light behind them and well, Joker is seen talking for once. Shido gets the message and well, it's time to rock the boat. I'm pretty sure that I'm saying that wrong but who cares? Before entering the palace, the police just now notice that Joker's corpse is missing from the morgue.
The Police Director isn't happy about this just like Shido. He's trying to stop the change of heart and well Akechi is unable to help out. We also see Shadow Shido and well, it looks unique. The Police try to get the location of Joker's body from Sae who plays the amnesia card and makes these trained professionals think that she was being manipulated by the thieves. They still blame Sae for his escape due to her being the last one to see Joker and the SIU Director being well dead.
She brings up how strange his death was but that doesn't matter to the unnamed detective. As this is going on, the police decide to talk with Sojiro about the Phantom Thieves. One agent is doing just that while the other one is admiring all of the coffee in the background. I think he's a fan of coffee and doesn't know which one he would like to drink. They decide to take Sojiro away due to him being a possible accomplice and well, I'm sure Sojiro will be fine.
As this is going on, Shido tells the public not to worry about the Phantom Thieves and says that the thieves are nothing more than criminals or troublemakers. Oh and Flashy Girl says that Shido looks like a criminal and I can't really argue against that. It's the shades that give me that impression. Outside of the Diet building, there is a crowd forming with a couple of familiar faces who are fans of the Phantom Thieves or Joker to be more specific.
These faces are Mishima and Ohya. We also have the support of Chihaya at Shinjuku, Hifumi, Iwai, and Tora at Shibuya, Kawakami at Shujin, Shinya in Akihabara, and Tae at Yongen-Jaya. All of these fans are confidants who will appear if you get their confidant up to Rank 10. This isn't the only time this happens since well, I'll talk about that scene when we get there. There is no time to waste. Off to the Assembly Hall where Shadow Shido awaits.
I say this since well, he's literally standing there waiting for you and asks where the Thieves obtained the power to mess with the hearts of others. Before you can explain to him about Igor and the Twins, he says that he doesn't care just like how he didn't care about Akechi. He could also see Akechi's plan coming from a mile away and trick him using praise. I thought it was Akechi who killed Darth Burger not Shido but hey, Akechi was ordered to kill him by Shido so it still counts.
Even though Shido wouldn't have gotten this far without Akechi, Shido was able to use him to achieve his goals. After some arguing, Shadow Shido transforms into Samael. He also fights the thieves on top of a golden lion that was formed from a crowd of people that appeared earlier. The assembly hall also changes to have a more fitting battle arena. Sammy here dress up like a character from Gundam known as Char Aznable.
Lets be honest here. I have no idea who this is but well, I would say that he looks better than Darth Burger and Smeargle but not my favorite Shadow Self. His beast later gains wings and well, it becomes a griffin like creature. This doesn't last for too long since well, it becomes a pyramid. It's a more unique appearance compared to just the Shadow sitting in a chair but well, Kamoshita's true appearance is still my favorite boss design.
After slamming Mona as a car into this pyramid and sending a snake onto it, something comes out. It's Captain Shido and he isn't too happy about how the masses failed him. I call him Captain Shido since well, it fits how he wants to rule the country like a captain would. He later figures out that Joker is that same brat from earlier this year and well, I bet he figured it out thanks to the hair. After saying long time no see, Joker takes off his mask and reveals himself to Captain Shido.
Much to my surprise, he actually remembers Joker. I really thought he wouldn't remember such an insignificant ant like Joker due to his ego and he was also drunk at the time. I guess I was wrong and well, fate is an interesting force. To show off how important it is to sacrifice the weak, Captain Shido disappears and replaces himself with a buff version of himself. Unlike most Shadows, he fights you directly.
He doesn't transform into some kind of monster or have someone else fight their battles. I give Shido that. In due time thanks to the fist of the Phantom Star, Shido decides to fight Joker one on one since he doesn't like losing to these brats. No help from the other Phantom Thieves. Just you vs the man who ruined your life. He does this by unleashing his full power aka removing the exercise harness coming from his body and well, his skin gets really red.
I think he's mad or activate Gear 2. Pretty sure that it's the former rather than the latter since well, he isn't very flexible. There is also the noticeable aura of darkness coming off his body and well, he will fall just like the rest of them. With the power of Joker's neutral special, Shido finally falls with a couple of bullet holes within his body. Before passing out, Shido apologies for what he did to Joker and everything that he has done with the past couple of decades.
Don't forget. Shido here is in his 50s. While Shadow Shido gives up, the real Shido doesn't give up that easily and takes something to kill them by collapse the palace. This is only possible thanks to said drug killing Shido for just a small amount of time. Despite the risks, Shido takes the drug since he doesn't want to fail. His treasure turns out to be a wheel but not too long after, the ship begins to explode. The Thieves have very little time to escape since well, there isn't an obvious exit.
However, there is a single way out of here in the form of a lifeboat which just so happens to be there. It isn't Mona but something for Shido possibly in case things go bad. despite the distance, Ryuji decides to get it for the others and he succeeds. This is one of Ryuji's best moments but well, things can't go good forever since Ryuji gets caught up in an explosion. Is the blonde ape dead? I mean if you die in the metaverse, you die in reality. That's how Akechi went out.
Once the Thieves leave the metaverse, Ryuji isn't there and things are looking grim. The sad music plays as the Thieves mourn Ryuji's death especially Ann. Shido's treasure turns out to be a legislator's pin but well, no one is in the mood to celebrate. This sad moment doesn't last too long since well, the blonde ape is alive. This is a surprise to everyone since well, Ryuji was in the center of that explosion and he survived.
Does Ryuji have the will of P despite not being named with P? I mean he's just like Pell from One Piece and well, the explosion sent him flying out of the metaverse. Do you think someone saw this happen or what? Ryuji says something stupid about Ann's crying face and well, she doesn't take it lightly. He gets attacked by womanly fury and well, I feel bad for Ryuji. He has no idea what's going on and well, this scene isn't pleasant to watch.
On my first playthrough, this doesn't bother me. Seeing this scene and a certain hot spring scene made me dislike the girls. Mainly the latter scene rather than the former. I get that they are sad but well, you don't beat up the guy who almost just died a moment ago. You also give the guys a chance to explain themselves before beating them up. I really don't like hot springs tropes by the way. Really wish the other guys did something but well, don't mess with an angry woman especially four of them.
It's the reason why I don't go for the harem since things will end up badly if you do. After this whole experience where Ryuji almost died, the group decides to go get some food leaving Ryuji behind and maybe using his wallet to do so. After a really good Ryuji scene, he gets this. Poor Ryuji. As this is going on, Shido wakes up and feels regretful for all of his actions over the past couple of decades. I say decades since he's really old despite looking young.
His lackies aren't happy about this sudden change since well, they are worried about their plans being exposed by the mastermind himself who is crying. After a good meal, Leblanc is discovered to have be ransacked and Sojiro is nowhere to be found. Futaba isn't happy about this and well, he shows up. He got taken to Shido's house but was eventually let go. He says that but I'm sure that he fought his way out. That's total head canon by the way.
Despite the mess, there is still curry within the pot. Shido's goons have some tact after all. They know how good Sojiro's curry is and don't want to mess with it. After some video games, Joker heads to bed and heads to the Velvet Room. The twins are proud of how you took down Shido and this includes Igor himself. He calls us truly marvelous after all. So I got to ask. Does Igor ever blink? I don't think I ever saw him blink even once.
We get another Morgana nightmare and well, kitty cat isn't taking it all too well. I'm sure that he'll be fine though. Before Shido reveals everything, it's time to do whatever I want. Prior to taking down Shido, I got Rank 10 with both Futaba and Haru whose Persona evolved into Prometheus and Astarte respectively. I like Astarte but well, Lady is just a unique Persona. Prometheus on the other hand is a sphere and would be hilarious to see being used as a bowling ball.
Do note that this wouldn't be good for Futaba but still. Imagine that showtime. I also went to the jazz club and learn that Sae called Makoto a mother in law. It's a unique compliment to say the least. There was also a lot of time spend at the temple. I also spent time with Ann, Haru, Sojiro, nd Yusuke since why not? This group are some of my favorite characters after all. In due time however, the 18th rolls around and that means Shido is going to confess.
I highly doubt that it's his secret for remaining so youthful despite being fifty+ years old. What's his secret? Shido also won the election since well, either no one else was running against him or Shido was so popular that no one stood a chance against him. During his victory speech, he decides to reveal what he has done to get this far. This includes him killing Darth Burger, made the Phantom Thieves into the bad guys, and kicked anything cute such as kittens.
Oh. I meant to say controlled the hearts of others. That was a total slip of the tongue. You can totally see the two people in the background freaking out as this is going on. His crowd of loyal sheep are shocked by this and well, the Phantom Thieves are going to celebrate their victory. Oh and Joker has to return back to school. Great. I totally missed going back there. Shido also doesn't get a chance to toast much to his disappointment.
Before going to bed, Mona is wondering what's in the depths of Mementos and Shido's lackies are working without their master. They were using him to achieve their own goals and if Shido squeals, all of them will suffer. The proxy SIU director knows about Sae's determination to get Shido thrown in jail and despite Shido looking like a fool on TV, his group is still going forward with their evil scheme. I guess even without Shido, their evil still exist.
If they lose the support of the general public, they're pretty much screwed. Before we end this arc, I want to bring up two super important things before talking about the voice actors for Iwai and Shido. The first thing is that I'm pretty sure that this comic happened off screen by the way. You can't convince me other wise. Akechi x pancake is the true ship involving Akechi. Despite getting to Rank 10 with Akechi during this chapter, I won't be talking about Akechi's voice actor is very simple.
We'll learn more about his voice actor in the next part alongside the rest of the Phantom thieves. We do still have Munehisa Iwai or Kaiji Tang. After doing some research, I learned about some of his roles. These roles are Detective Pikachu, Lü Bu from Records of Ragnarok, Osamu Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs, Samurai Jack and Zoro from Death Battle when I watched the show, Sanemi Shinazugawa from Demon Slayer, Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen, and Yasuhiro Hagakure from Danganronpa.
So for Detective Pikachu, I'm talking about the game rather than the movie. Dazai and Gojo are two of my favorite characters from that show while the Samurai Jack and Zoro was a neat surprise. This is due to me not watching Death battle anymore for a reason that I mentioned before in the past. Lü Bu and Hiro are characters from series that I like but they are in no way my favorite characters from those series. I do think that he's a good actor and I like to hear his voice more within a series.
Next up is another member of the bald man squad Shido or Keith Silverstein. He has a lot of roles such Coyote Starrk from Bleach, Kimimaro from Naruto, Gild Tesoro from One Piece, Hawk Moth from Miraculous Ladybug, Hisoka Morow from Hunter x Hunter, Mando Owada from Danganronpa, Ōgai Mori from Bungo Stray Dogs,Robert E. O. Speedwagon from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Wolfram from My Hero Academia.
There were a lot of roles so here are just some of them. So with this final voice actor role reveal, we have one more section to go before we finish Persona 5. This part will hopefully be smaller since it's only two sections of a year long story.
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