![]() Yosuke especially is vocal about this, not only before Shadow Kanji is defeated but long after, too. It is not just fear about the enemies they might encounter, too: it is certainly fear tinged with discomfort and, to a great extent, embarrassment. What is interesting as well is that the Investigation Team (apart from the silent protagonist, of course) react with something approaching fear when they first begin investigating the place in the TV World where Shadow Kanji is to be found – this dungeon is referred to as the “Steamy Bathhouse”, with the previous dungeon being “Yukiko’s Castle”. For Kanji, feelings of confusion and shame didn’t arise from encountering the Shadow Self, as with the others: those feelings are what created it. While these are all incredibly well-done, and thankfully don’t feel at all contrived, Kanji is fascinating on a more emotional level. The previous Shadow Selves encountered were as follows: Shadow Yosuke was born from Yosuke’s frustration at being bored and trapped in a small town like Inaba Chie is Yukiko’s best friend but she feels like the only thing she is good for is protecting her, and that to lose Yukiko would mean she is useless, thereby creating Shadow Chie Shadow Yukiko came from Yukiko’s anger at her dependency on others and the expectation that she takes over her family’s inn when she is older. Shadow Kanji is for me the most interesting Shadow Self encountered so far. It appears to be a reflection of not only all his negative feelings towards himself but the negativity he has experienced from everyone he interacts with. All of this creates Kanji’s Shadow, a reflection of Kanji’s confusion and his worry about how others perceive him: Shadow Kanji states that he prefers men because men don’t gossip about him as women do. Furthermore, Kanji is confused about his feelings towards the ‘slender young man’, with whom he had spoken to before Kanji’s disappearance and who had shown an interest in him (it turns out this person was assisting in investigating the disappearances). He is, therefore, reluctant to associate with girls. Girls especially are cruel to him for this because these aren’t ‘manly’ hobbies and as a result, he feels shame. It transpires that Kanji, despite his outward appearance as a tough delinquent, enjoys knitting, painting, and crafts. However, they are too late: Kanji’s Shadow appears on the Midnight Channel and the team have to enter the TV to rescue him. They work out he is probably going to be the next victim, and therefore attempt to save him before he is thrown into the TV. He is known locally as a delinquent and is feared by many, including the Investigation Team (despite the fact he is a year younger than them). ![]() It feels as though the bond within the Investigation Team is extremely strong because they have all seen each other’s Shadow Selves, and they all helped each other accept them. In defeating them, they accept their Shadow Self, turning it into their persona (the manifestation of their ‘true self’, now that they have accepted the qualities they don’t like as a part of them), and they join your team. You must defeat the Shadow Self of your party-member-to-be because when the affected person refuses to accept their Shadow as a part of them, it turns into a monster. Each party member, except for the silent protagonist, has a Shadow that is found within the TV World: the Shadow Self appears as indistinguishable from their real-world counterpart, aside from having yellow eyes and a purple aura. The most important thing to remember is that in Persona 4, the Shadow Self represents the side of yourself that you have tried to suppress, the qualities you don’t want to accept as part of you. If you don’t want at least some minor spoilers but still intend on playing the game, click away now! Here is a brief summary of the story if you want a reminder, or if you don’t intend on playing it but just want to know the story. ![]() Warning: Spoilers for Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden. Taking a look at Shadow Kanji from Persona 4 GoldenĪll screenshots in this article and the featured image were taken by me. ![]()
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