The Truth About Ryuji Sakamoto (Character Analysis in Japanese Context)
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- čas přidán 30. 06. 2024
- Ryuji Sakamoto from Persona 5 highlights many sociocultural issues that are unique to Japan, especially when it comes to delinquent youth subcultures, as well as alcoholism's ripple effect. This is due to Persona 5 and P5 Royal's unique premise, which deals particularly with Japanese cultural issues. This video analyzes Ryuji's character under the appropriate sociocultural context.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:48 Ryuji- Setting the Stage
3:38 Part 1: The "Loner" Delinquent
6:40 Part 2: "Nomucommunication": Alcoholism & Japan
11:28 Part 3: Channeling the "Banchou": Delinquent Youth in Japan
18:26 Part 4: True Banchou Spirit: Looking Out For the Crew
22:38 *P5R SPOILERS*
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Links to Sources:
Intro Song = Colors Flying High Instrumental Vers. by Anthony Seeha
• Persona 5 Royal - Colo...
Domestic Violence & Its Lasting Effects on Adolescents
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
Japan's View of Alcohol-Dependency Pt 1
www.reuters.com/article/us-ja...
Japan's View of Alcohol www.japantimes.co.jp/life/201...
"Nomucommunication"
www.rehabs.com/pro-talk/how-t...
Alcohol Vending Machine
• Alcohol Vending Machin...
Japanese Stigma Towards Mental Health
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/f...
General Overview of Japanese Delinquent Subcultures
gaijinrider.altervista.org/Art...
"Yankii" & "Bousou" Info
timeline.com/yankii-subcultur...
Pictures of Japanese Yankii & Bousou Riot (all IRL pictures included in this video)
timeline.com/photos-japanese-...
Banchou Info
gutternaut.net/2020/05/bancho...
#Persona5Analysis #RyujiAnalysis #Persona5RoyalAnalysis - Hry
So sorry for all the issues with audio in this video (levels, quality all over the place, etc.). This video was honestly the hardest that I've done direction wise in a long time, and so I recorded over a long period of time, scrapping some parts & adding parts at times. I'm happy with how the analysis turned out though.
And just a note, if you'e wondering why I haven't focused more on teachers' abuse of power in Japan, I'm saving some of that for the P5 villain roundup video sometime in the future. Also bc a major part of the issue of Kamoshida was covered in the Ann video.
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No worries
Ryuji is really the best boy of the group. There's a random conversation you can get in Mementos where Yusuke says something about no one wanting to hang out with him from his school and Ryuji, like the bro he is, says "You wanna get a beef bowl sometime?"
There's an optional conversation when you're trying to get info on, I think, Kaneshiro and if you speak to Ryuji he hasn't found anything out because he was helping an old woman who was lost.
pure and special boi
ryuji is easily one of the best characters in the game, but hes also easily done the most dirty by the writers and the phantom thieves :/
Not really, he actually has it better than Mishima who is treated as a bigger loser as well as previous Persona characters that get the short end of the stick. Like one dude who has the nickname Brown because of an incident where he shat himself. One dude who was fat and gotten pantsed leading to the nickname Undie Boss, Then you have Da Man and Trash Can boy who gets thrown shade and in a lot of comedic misfortune a lot.
Yeah.....oftentimes the Persona bro gets the short end of the stick :(
@@LadyVirgilia ikr!! the way persona4 treats yosuke and kanji really ticked me off :/
He literally almost slips up on every celebration. He kinda deserves it in my eyes especially the ass kicking after Shido.
@@RayzeCruxis how does he deserve to be beaten and abandoned for saving everyone’s lives?
Ryuji doesn’t get the love he deserves, he was the first to stick up and give you love, and he remained authentic to himself.
Honestly as tone deaf as the scene where the girls beat Ryuji up is, I hate the scene in his confidant when the track team beats him up more, because it's treated less like a joke and more like something Ryuji feels has to happen as a way of atoning for the "sin" of not letting Kamoshida's abuse go unchallenged. Given his background as a victim of abuse, it almost feels like the game is saying (accidentally) that Ryuji has internalized that physical violence against him is an acceptable outlet for other people's frustrations. The track team gets to beat him up because his actions initially got them in trouble, the girls get to beat him up because he worried them... the way the game shows him just sort of accepting these things as reasonable reactions hurts my heart.
Anyway I just found your P5 analysis videos the other day and I'm enjoying them very much! Thank you for making them, they've been very informative.
i agree wholeheartedly he makes me so sad sometimes
Yep. Short end of the stick.
This is especially weird to me seing as he is the one who is the loudest in declaring when other people are being wronged
I also have some beef with the fact that Ryuji is ALWAYS the butt of every joke even among the PT: like, Morgana makes a scene and runs away when Ryuji calls him useless, when he had been calling Ryuji names from the start of the game, along with Ann and Futaba, mostly. Ryuji is always the idiot, the monkey, the cretin who acts without thinking and makes everything worse...
And when there's some slapstick, you can be sure that HE will bear the brunt.
My bro Ryuji may not be the brightest, but he has a heart of solid gold and he doesn't deserve your abuse!
I always think of Ryuji as the personification of an orange cat. He’s a bit loud and stupid, but he’s also extremely loyal, has the best heart, is absolutely hilarious, and will always protect those he loves. I’m still extremely salty we can’t romance the boys because his chemistry with Joker is so great.
The "beat-up" Ryuji scene for me is like a Nikon camera.
Not Canon.
LMAOOOOOO
Yeah. If the devs won't take it out of the game then I'll just take it out of my mind.
22:00 "but beating up the handicap kid is funny"
*P5 writers finally getting to end of story*: "ohH I knOW! LeT;S puT FUnNy beATuP sCeNe! RYuJI bEsT oPtIon!"
>completely forgets the point of his character in the first place
Ryuji doesn't get nearly enough love. I adore him sm and I resent the writers for making him into a pervert character who gets beat up for laughs after his arc gets wrapped up.
For all the problems Persona 5: The Animation has, it actually improves the "beat up Ryuji" scene a lot. In fact, I'd say it *almost* fixes it completely.
In the anime, it's a lot clearer that Ryuji tries to play the whole "dying" thing off as a big joke, even making fun of Ann for crying over him. It's easy to see why the girls would be a little pissed at him for that, and I think their reactions are pretty in-character too. Also, I should note that Makoto doesn't get involved in the anime version. She just stands there with Yusuke and Joker while the other girls yell at him. The scene would've been perfect if after that, Joker or Makoto or, hell, even Morgana just said to him, "Thanks" or "Good job."
Not to mention Ryuji apologizing to Mona after their little spat in the Okumura Arc, and cutting the unnecessary wild cat chase from it too.
Oh wow that scene sounds so much better!
I only watched the P5 Animation up to where the first season ended (right after the traitor scene is revealed), so I haven't seen any of the OVAs past Sae's Palace. But now I'm in the mood to watch the Shido Palace OVA at least.
What problems does the anime have? It told the story of the game perfectly. At least it doesn't do what the manga did and completely disrespect Ann's character by having her join the day the calling card is sent and Awaken literally just before the Kamoshida boss.
@@bessieburnet9816
It’s not that it had too many problems, but it didn’t add a lot of memorable anime-exclusive moments like the P4 Anime and P3 movies did.
And other than the summary of main story events, it disappoints in expectations of how much it added compared to the base game.
As a summarized version of the main events of the story for those who can’t spend hours playing the base game, it did its thing.
But it would have been nice to have a Confidant-related episode that includes a Mementos mission related to that Confidant, like the episodes in P4 where you have an episode relating to someone that isn’t part of the Investigation Team.
One of, IMO, the saving graces for the P5 anime series is the dub. It’s more expressive than in the sub.
I clearly remember how the scene made me mad before I actually saw it myself. As soon as Ryuji said that "their crying faces were ugly", I knew he was going to be sleeping with the fish.
I've been looking forward to this one, since I feel Ryuji's issues are far less obvious than a lot of the other party members (though imo Yusuke might be even more interesting). One thing about Ryuji is that I hate how Persona Q2 compares him to Kanji. The two may be bleached-haired delinquents, but they're very different. Kanji became a delinquent as a desperate attempt to seem more "manly" after he was bullied for not conforming to Japanese ideas of masculinity. (Notably, the Persona Inazagi in P4 was supposed to represent the "ideal Japanese male", and its dressed like a Bancho)
With Ryuji, I'm reminded of Nick Wilde from Zootopia. "If the world is only going to see me as a delinquent, then why should I bother trying to be anything else?"
9:17 Go out at night in Persona 4 Golden and you'll see a subplot about exactly this between two NPCs ("Drunk boss" and "subordinate") and it progresses through the whole game.
People refusing to seek help for their problems seems to be a common thing in Japan. With how few people speak out about sexual assault, I'm not surprised few alcoholics in Japan seek treatment. I think it plays into the culture of "don't bother others with your personal issues" and wanting to appear tough though endurance.
Hence why Morgana doesn't open up when asked about his problems when he was angsting. It goes double due to the fact his issues are whilst very human feelings, it does go a bit beyond the level that the average joe would experience.
I haven't played PQ2, so I personally can't comment on the Ryuji & Kanji comparison, but hearing about that irks me too. Sure they're similar on first glance, but their circumstances and intent behind adopting a delinquent persona are *very* different.
and yes good catch. there's a TON of peer pressure to drink in Japan with coworkers after work, and it's basically a must if your superior/boss is doing it due to that very "Confucian"-inspired obedience to authority.
My family and our entire community of Japanese Americans can attest to why there's a reason Japanese, and Asians on a wider whole, are known as a "model minority" in the U.S.. It's because the *vast* majority of 1st and 2nd generations to come here did as told when Executive Order 9066 went into effect, even though it infringed on their rights as citizens of this country.
Even afterwards, the ones who speak out so that such a thing never happens again are the younger generations who have less "Japanese" upbringing (like me lol). But even if the later generations are more "Americanized," this big stigma surrounding mental health treatment that still exists in our communities.
Kanji doesn't do a lot in Q2, most of his appearances are jokes about looking similar to Ryuji. It's a shame, since he was amazing in Q1. (Giving Ken a much-needed older brother figure) On the flipside, I found Teddie a lot better in Q2.
My brother-in-law has a friend who worked in Japan, and told me about how he had almost no free time to himself, because every day it was long work hours followed by "optional but not really" after-work drinks followed by long commutes. I remember reading this is part of why handheld consoles are so popular in Japan: many people just don't have time for home console games.
I really should learn more about the internments. I know Australia had internment camps too, and the place that was the site of a major one now has one of the biggest Japanese-Australian communities. (Cowra, which was also the site of an attempted mass breakout where prisoners stormed machine gun encampments armed with improvised weapons. There's actually a lot of rebellion across Japanese history despite the stereotypes.)
I never knew how much Ryuji’s loner status affects his outsider archetype. I genuinely forget that he is a loner because he becomes the best bro nearly immediately, but your analysis makes him finding this new little family all the better. Him having a hard time apologizing to Morgana is pretty understandable (especially with Morgana’s constant potshots at him). Apologizing is tough, especially in high school.
I love how Ryuji has a clear goal in running and does what he can to keep it up. I think the running aspect of his character is really important based on some articles that I’ve read about how cardio can help people whose anger can get out of hand. Running by nature is a freeing activity while also being pretty aggressive (dealing with the constant impact on the ground and maintaining the necessary form and breathing is really tough). I interpret his running as something that gives Ryuji freedom and control while giving him an outlet so his emotions never get too out of hand. This is just my interpretation.
The one thing we gotta remember is that no matter how deep Persona gets with serious topics… it’s still very much anime inspired and thus anime tropes will have for the sake of comedy regardless if you like said comedy. So yeah… that’s why the “every girl hits ryuji” scene happened.
JRPG's in general have a lot of anime tropes
I'm used to it
Atlus: "Oh yeah, I have a great sense of dark humor, guys."
(proceeds to beat up a victim of bullying and domestic abuse.)
26 minute video on Ryuji?! Sign me the eff up!!
Edit: For the record I cannot stand how the other thieves treat Ryuji, I'm pretty sure any compliment is given to him in such a backhanded manor they may as well still be insulting him and the way he just kind of accepts being on the recieving end of physical violence breaks me heart. Tragic that most put him down to just being the dumb comedy bro when he continues my trend of just wanting to protect the light haired good boi with an affinity for zio (It just keeps happening).
The wirst part is that Ryuji had to deal with an abusive fatber as well.
I don't blame the PTs for this, I blame how the writers are tone-deaf when it comes to the bro characters.
@@incognito200 Right, like as much as I'd kill for a 3 remake I would not be ready for another heaping of Stupei/Ace defective.
I mean that's his and his predecessors archetype of being that butt monkey bromantic foil designed to make the player look better by comparison. The cool loser to our power fantasy ace protagonist. Comedy is subjective and it's practically a formula to have that said bro characters fall under that but it's that's part of their appeal and doesn't take away from their good points. There's a difference of tone between comedic slapstick vs physical abuse played for drama. In a group of friends it's not uncommon to have friends throw shade towards each other whether it's playful or vitriolic, they can do so because they are close enough to do so better than a mere stranger to the group.
@@thomasfairburn5254 I'd never thought of the bro dynamic like that but now you say it it makes an unfortunately high amount of sense that it's to make the MC look better. And I see what you mean about friends busting each others balls but to me it felt like the balance between that and genuinely friendly interactions was extremely off center in the final product. I'm sure a lot of people saw the comedy in the post boat beat up, personally I was uncomfortable and annoyed seeing a character that was twice the victim of abuse being hit again for no reason.
@@ViviCaligo That's precisely how I feel about it. The amount of times they ripped on him got excessive. Even when they're talking about something else, someone will chime in (usually Morgana) with some variation of "you're an idiot." The few genuine compliments he got were in the confidants (like Ann being jealous of his relationship with his mother). I do have my issues with him, but I simply don't see the humor in an abused kid putting up with more abuse, comedic or not.
Ryuji is the true homie. And the only party member (other than Morgana who is story-based) to not require social stats to hang out with him. He'll be there for you no matter how stupid or uncool you may be lol
He is so loyal and kind he even goes out of his way to protect his ex-team mates who shunned him. Best boy!
I really wished that scene after Shido’s palace was changed, so that the girls don’t go out of character to beat the shit out of him. And you’d think that his friends beating him up after nearly dying would traumatize the poor guy, and make it hard to trust people even more.
You know, I have been thinking about this A LOT lately. We had comic relieves in fighting games that suffer a similar fate to Ryuji, constantly getting bombarded by misfortune and despite the writers trying to write it off as a joke and that Ryuji "can take it", they make it seem as if Ryuji is so dumb, he doesn't even remember anymore, why he got beat up and honestly, this seems like a huge Fuck You to the entire message of the game over "defying the ones, oppressing others". Making a joke, at expense of the audience, is what I am also trying to say, because I am pretty sure, the majority of all fans may be able to relate to Ryuji's backstory, more than they are willing to admit.
Ryuji is an ABUSE VICTIM, probably even worse than the majority of his own team, yeah, we had Futaba and Akechi, but with him, it NEVER improved. He is STILL suffering moments of complete misfortune, he is STILL getting constantly belittled for just being him and he is STILL treated like a circus animal by others for their own amusement. I mean, the game itself does not seem to have any problem making every person around Ryuji behaving like a total jackass towards him, mostly for no reason. And the fact, he is still playing along with this... I am not an expert, but this all seems like a super apparent case of peer pressure, emotional manipulation and gaslighting, making him feel as if he is "nothing" without the rest of the team, which SCREAMS narcissism on Ren's behalf. Because Ryuji got nowhere else to go and they may know of this.
If you have friends like those that Ryuji has, you won't need any enemies. Looking at all the facts at hand.
Well it doesn't help that Ryuji lacks the tact to shut up when he starts screeching We'Re ThE pHaNtOm ThIeVeS in public where anyone can hear him.
@@Drums_of_Liberation Oh, and that justifies harming a victim of domestic abuse even further for "laughs", let alone by his own teammates whom he began considering as his new family. Gotcha.
@@djjin5768 Never said it did jackass. Don't put words in my mouth. But a lot of Ryuji's misfortune post Kamoshida is also on him too. And it's not like he was any different when it came to the Morgana incident.
@@Drums_of_Liberation So whenever you say stupid shit, you deserve to get physically beat up? 🤨
@@TheBeastBandit it's not real life. it's a video game. And personally i'm 50 hours in and I wanted to beat him up so many times I am sad that there wasn't a chance.
One of the funniest things is how he's voiced by Setsuna F. Seiei in JP and also voiced Light Yagami. It's amazing how he's not really changing the range of his voice but just changing how he sounds out words and speaks.
You mean Mamoru Miyano
*ways to improve the post-shido scene*: delete it
I loved this boy the second he came on screen and it's very nice to finally see a video that gives him proper credit for how much he developed as a person.
the incident with Mona during Okumura's Palace... honestly i just hate the writing of that scene and how it was built up, i wouldn't put it past Ryuji to make Jokes like that especially given how much the PT's success got to his head during that time but the entire argument felt kinda artificial for me but that may just be me.
AS FOR THE BEAT UP SCENE *Inhale*
I know... i truly know it was for comedic purposes but i hate that scene so much, so so much... it's not like he pretended to be dead to make the girls sad, He had no control over how he would be ejected from the Palace... he could have actually died in that instance he had no control over the outcome making the girls response, of beating him up soooo WRONG .
of coure it would be posible to argue that the girls wer acting out of confusion & emotion rather than thinking about that he didn't "play dead" on purpose but even than it just feels highly out of character and very forced for the girls.
in the end whats done is done and thank you so much for this Video i realy enjoyed it :D
I 100% agree, I'm not a fan of the trope but this scene was definitely distasteful.
I wouldn't even agree that Ryuji "isn't the brightest".
He sure is when it matters. Yeah, he blurped out that they are the phantom thieves in the worst possible moment, but so did Ann and no one treats HER like the groups "special" kid.
Good point about Ann! I’ve thought the same thing. Honestly, neither Ann or Ryuji are unintelligent imo, but the game likes to act like they are for some reason?
I've never understood why people view characters like them as unintelligent. I mean sure, they have their idiotic moments but so does every member of the phantom thieves.
Ryuji is far from the smartest, but I'd never call him dumb because he's shown as always making an effort to retain knowledge, try and use critical thinking in a lot of the situations they get in. And to his credit, he does succeed in retaining a lot of what he learns throughout the game about things like the metaverse and helps to try and create solutions to roadblocks based on what little of the cognitive world they know. Is he right with his ideas? Not often but he makes a good effort.
@@VonSnuggles1412 Yeah, of course, Ryuji doesn't know much about the Metaverse same as everyone ^^
Not even Morgana knows everything and he was made for the express purpose of being their guide there.
I even think that Ryuji has a huge 'social intelligence'. I couldn't think of a single occasion where he failed to read the room. Something Morgana absolutely lacks.
@@dalekdalek4324 to be fair, it makes sense that morgana wouldn't have a whole lot of tact considering he's like 2 years old
@@VonSnuggles1412 Ryuji certainly isn't super smart or anything, but my impression of him was always that he was just a really honest, genuine and straightforward guy, and just spoke his mind without putting too much thought into it. He's always shown as being consistent, always standing up for the other PT's and just anyone around him. I certainly appreciate him being honest and open than Morgana being a passive aggressive, condescending jerk. Bit of a tangent, but the beach scene with Ryuji after all the female thieves walk out just pisses me off, because it's so out of character for him. He gets relegated to comic relief/insulted by people around him so often that none of it is funny.
I had always wondered how nomucommunication was regarding in terms of alcoholism...my mother was an alcoholic. And seeing Ryuji having a similar situation but in a culture that encouraged excessive drinking especially in terms of maintaining employment, I wondered how Japan takes to that... Thank you. This was enlightening.
Ryuji getting beaten up after Shido’s palace and then left behind was definitely thoughtless, as well as him getting beaten up in his Confidant.
Both of them are more or less jokes, the former is horrible to actually think about, that any of the Phantom thieves would beat up one of their close friends, who has a bad knee, and is probably still injured from the palace, to the point of knocking him unconscious against a metal sign post specifically because they thought he almost died and were wrong about it. And that after that, they’d just leave him there.
It’s completely out of character, and subversive to the game’s own themes, and the game basically asks you to not take what’s happening in the game seriously, unless you want to believe that all your favorite PTs are actually pretty terrible people.
It’s especially weird comparing it to Kamoshida’s abuse, Mishima was beaten so bad he had bandages, multiple volleyball players had casts on, they were explicitly injured by abuse in ways that lasted whole weeks, Ryuji gets knocked unconscious and you can still take him to Jazz afterwards.
Meanwhile in his confidant, his teammates beat him to the point of bleeding from his mouth, and it’s played off like a goofy thing that happened.
It’s just so weird to contrast them that it’s hard to think the same person wrote both kamoshida, and Ryuji’s abuse scenes.
Ryuji in is confidant says that “he can take it” when story wise, it’s clear that he *can’t* Ryuji’s leg injury is mentioned throughout the entire story and he never recovers from it in the course of the game, and it’s a result of physical abuse. It’s reads like he’s internalized that abuse towards him is ok.
Which really makes you reconsider the idea of him
being a “tank” even if that’s a completely different situation.
the thing with his knee is a really different scenario. Getting punched in the face, even getting knocked out, is a HELL of a lot different than getting your femur broken. It's still really annoying, especially since that scene should be more about the thieves getting Ryuji to a doctor (he survived an explosion) than getting some goofy tactless "payback" for them worrying. It just makes no sense that Ann would go from crying about Ryuji possibly being dead to beating him to the point of him collapsing and then leaving him alone at night. The game is so unrelenting with giving Ryuji shit constantly, the thieves can't have a conversation without someone insulting ryuji in some way.
Genuinely cannot stress enough how much I love this character. He deserves the world.
I agree that the scene where the PTs beat up Ryuji for not-dying is terrible, but even worse than *that* are the *2* scenes where he's sexually harrassed by a pair of "flamboyant men"; the first of which taking place *immediately* after he'd been easily flagged as an obvious minor.
@Rage Kage Nothing against you if you found it funny. For me though, it just felt like a really lazy joke that relied (perhaps, I'll admit, unintentionally, given an alternate cultural context) too much on an overplayed, ugly stereotype.
@Rage Kage Actually, the "beach episode"'s existence was very important for Futaba's character. So overall, it was fine, if you ask me.
@Rage Kage I'm suspected to be on The Spectrum. I don't read generalizations easily. My apologies.
@@Canido19Of course you're on the spectrum
It must be super inconvenient to have blonde hair in Japan.
Seriously impressed with the level of research performed, context given, and even speaking about your personal life when giving these character analyses.
These videos are very well done, and I can’t wait to watch more and see what else you’ll produce.
Thanks for making these!
awww that's so kind of you to say! thank you! ^^
I feel I relate with Ryuji a lot, and the P5 cast in general. I’m generally considered a “punk” where I’m brash and have a bit of a short fuse. With that, I’m also dependable, reliable, and I won’t back down against anyone. I just felt so connected with this cast, and especially Ryuji.
I love this series I cant wait for Yusuke's video!!!!
Yeah, I never really found scenes where a character gets beat up for no reason funny. I always had a soft spot for Ryuji because I also suffered an injury that keeps me from doing a lot of things I used to be able to do before, and during that scene I actually caught myself holding that spot lol
If anything it made me really sad to see an abuse victim getting hit because haha funni anime scene when he just risked his life to help said people, not too dissimilar to the track team.
Honestly on my most recent playthrough of P5 i found myself relating so much more with ryuji. Always trying to not be a bother to others, constantly stuck in the past held back by mistakes and things out of my control. Hell even the whole "turned on, and fight witb athletics" bit. I accidentally broke a girls leg and felt HORRIBLE, to which so many people who i considered friends/acquaintances turned on me. I was told i was better off dead, and considered it too. Then later in school i got into football as an attempt to make friends (and keep parents happy) and despite being a starting lineman, was bullied despite my efforts. When i quit my senior year after breaking my leg and ending my junior season, i ran into the coach at a grocery store who asked me "why arent you doing football this year, was it too tough for you?" I wanted to deck the dude so hard. Just more and more i relate to the guy. So while the past has been at my coattails ive been doing my damndest to move forward towards something i wanted and not what others want.
Loving the deep dive series. Can say that their social commentary is pretty good, even from the perspective of a westerner but their comedy is REALLY dated and very ill timed in places.
Ways to improve questionable scenes in P5 Ryuji edition:
Pre 5th Palace
1: Make the troubles a little more apparent before the blow up.
2: Try to not have the character currently feeling slighted also be the one who has up to this point been proportionally responsible for belittling the other party involved. ( This even extends to gameplay. No joke, Ryuji is the ONLY one insulted when he misses an attack. Everyone else gets told to aim, or focus)
Post Shido
1. Don't make the scene period. It undermines everyone involved for the sake of a cheap laugh.
Agreed. One of my main reasons for not liking Mona as much is the constant insulting/devaluing towards him. I can't really see any reason for Mona to dislike him so much, most of the events involved are either not that important or not his fault. Mona never says things like that to the other PT and they never really treat it as anything other than 'friendly teasing' or 'rivalry'..
@@skyrunnerblake1481 also, morgana saying futaba was "more useful than you" being somehow "inexcusable" while morgana literally called ryuji a carnal ape? like what?
@@ironCondor623 this is the kinda thing that makes me leave Mona on the bench all the time haha. Learn some decency before you can fight with my PT haha
I'm sort of curious how he gets away with his altered uniform at the school. His summer uniform is basically just a T-shirt with his school pants.
Or Ann,for that matter.
Japanese "collectivism" seems to be entirely about everyone making choices for you, and none of them being responsible. That sounds far more authoritarian, or even totalitarian, than collectivist.
That's probably the reason why the most extreme collective societies, ala communist ones, were either poorly disguised full-blown dictatorships or quickly devolved into such dictatorships.
If individuals aren't valued, then exploitation and abuse of power is way easier to excuse 'for the good of the state / group / society'.
Individualism has its own flaws aplenty, but history has shown there is a self-destructive tipping point when overvaluing the group over the individual.
I hated when all the girls beat him up. It wasn't funny at all. It was just tasteless.
Same, just like the whole Amagi Inn scene from P4. They deserve payback.
@@riyadislam3441 Which they never seem to get or apologize for.
Same. Its a stupid japanese comedy stereotype and in the light of almost having lost Ryuji I just couldn't get in the mood.
He is reckless and he is treated as comic relief, but that doesnt mean he doesnt deserve to be written as a serious character once in a while too.
In real life this would definitely be atrocious.
If in Persona 6, the boys attack the girls in the same circumstances, there'd be riots from the fans I'm sure xD
@@thejonbrownshow8470 For real! If the reverse happened in any media, the crazy people would be screeching up a storm and calling it "abuse!" But it's "funny" when the guys get beat on. Smh. People and their logic baffle me sometimes.
Ryuji is a true homie.
That unfair scene for ryuji beat up by girls poor guy😢
For real.
Ryuji and his mother also had to deal with an abusive father as well.
Not really it's comedic slapstick not on the same level as his actual abusive past with his father and Kamoshida played for drama. Said comedic slapstick, he brought on himself by his foot in mouth remark to the girls whilst they were emotional triggering an angry born out of worry reaction. It's funny cause he ruined his five minutes of fame the moment he opened his mouth. You can't even take him being beaten up by the girls seriously as his pose afterwards is so exaggerated.
@@thomasfairburn5254 I agree that was the intention, but the placement really wasn't the best as it killed any serious reflection on what happened, as well as failing to deliver any real character development to Ryuji.
@@blabbitybla2780 I wouldn't go far to say there's no character development. Ryuji has developed heaps in the main game. Him getting past his glory seeking and resolve to change after his chat to Joker, post Okumura arc is that development. As for the placement, I see it as the serious tone being killed with a comedic shift which gives the vibe "The serious final battle is truly over, yep we have room to be our goofy usual selves and relax a bit."
Ryuji is actually really cool. I just realized he dye his hair blonde to attract attention away from Ann.
Great video as always
Thanks for all the hard work that you put into your videos Lady
THIS IS SO GOOD. Thank you for covering my favorite character in P5. He inspires me every day ❤
After shido's palace, I was irked abit but accepting if they want to beat ryuji's ass "for real", but what I don't accept is they abandoned him outside the main building of shido's palace (forgot the name of it lol), like he could of been arrested unconscious by the police (from what we've seen in game and this video and joker's, I know that don't sound totally impossible xD), and sure he's made if sterner stuff, but it's possible the girls jeopardized the group with getting our boy caught(tho joker and the boys were messed up not atleast dragging him home), but yeah I guess it can be summed up was that that scene was tone deaf, out of strikers and royal, this was probably the scene with ryuji that striked me as kinda actually stupid, all "for real"s aside
i like to call joker,ryuji,ann and morgana as the OG 4 or the Founding Phantoms
without them there'd be no phantom thieves
tbf, isn't morgana the one that proposed the idea of phantom thieves?
See, this is where Persona shines over mainline SMT. You wouldn't be able to make videos like these about Isamu and Chiaki.
I’d KILL to have her make a video about my princess of yosuga
This was in depth and great. Keep up the good work.
You’re videos are incredible, I’ve learned so much about Japanese culture by watching these. Thank you so much for your work
Having studied and lived in Japan a small bit (informed, but knowing full well I've barely scratched the surface), I'm finding these videos reminding me of things but then expanding greatly.
In other words, they're great and thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Your knowledge and research into this video was absolutely awesome thank you. Subscribed.
These videos are awesome thank you keep it up
Now that I've started watching your videos, I'll have to play the game again. Woohoo!
... But those Palaces are going to hit differently. Must take many showers.
Your videos are always so good :))))
Love your vids
Loving the use of "Through the Canyon Road' from Trails of Cold Steel as the background music for Part 1 of the video. I'm gonna have to go watch all of these videos again to see if you used any more "Trails of" music in them.
Edit: oh there most definitely is more "Trails of" music in these videos. Part 3 is a version of "Belief" also from "Trails of Cold Steel"
I haven't even watched the video but I don't need to watch it to know he's the goodest boi.
(I will still watch it ofc.)
the goodest of bois
There's a reason he was my permanent party member in literally my every play through of persona 5 Royal and Strikers. Bro doesn't get the love he deserved due to a bit on inconsistent writing by Atlus, but hey, I'll show him I care in my own way by just making him the member of my team.
I'm sorry for the loss of your aunt. Great video btw
I have been trying to like this character, he seems to be a fan favorite, but he just felt so one note to me. I loved his confidant, but he just felt like all he ever did in the story was argue and demand attention. I felt like he was put there just to be comic relief without being interesting past the Kamoshida arc. But this honestly paints him in a much deeper light to me! It makes more sense why he just pushes for fame above all else and hating society accepted abuses. Another fantastic analysis video, thanks!
I'll protect this cinnamon roll. He doesn't deserve it. It's the writers' faults. You don't treat a child abuse survivor as a joke and make him get beat up. It could've triggered bad memories about his dad.
My favorite best bro in persona
To add on to the video, I’d like to say that some countries in Europe - at least France (I say this since I’m French) and most likely britain as well - suffer from (although likely to a lesser extent) this drinking peer pressure you mentioned.
And regarding the ryuji beat up scene, I don’t like it at all and I think it’s unfortunately not uncommon in anime and other related media to see these “girl(s) beat(s) up guy bc he’s dumb” scenes. There’s not even anything funny about it? Like is that some kind of gag that japanese people love or what? And in general after the kamoshida arc both ryuji and ann really get slandered and tossed aside :/
There is one moment that defines Ryugi as the best character for me. When Ann first find out about Joker and Ryugi being phantom thieves Ryugi is very hostile to her trying to keep her away from Kamoshidas palace and what lies within it. Idk how most people see this but for me it shows that he cared about somebody he hardly knew to the point that he didnt want them to be in danger and there are many other instances of this spread out the story. Also Ryugi>Joker
The only issue I have with Ryuji is how he sees women (mostly Ann) as sexual objects... it took me 1 run to see his qualities because I couldn't stand the cutscenes where he litteraly harasses Ann !! All for the sake of fan service and the targeted audience.. such a shame for such a good boi
He's a teenage boy what do you expect? And it's not like the Akechi fan girls were any different
@@Drums_of_Liberation what the heck?? That doesn't excuse his behavior.
@@voice_0f_reason ah yes boys will be boys :) but when a girl does it to akechi its absolutely wrong and the behaviour shouldve never even crossed their mind!!!! 😡 (im agreeing with you btw im not sure how well the tone of this message will come across 😭)
@@voice_0f_reason my problem with this is that there is literally a group hangout scene (ann rank 5 going to the gym) where ryuji flat shoots ann down. The instances of him being pervy just seem so out of place.
Except he doesn't, he finds Ann attractive and they're friends. He hams up how attractive he finds her as a joke. Any time Ann even remotely implies getting with him, he outright denies her.
one on my favorite head canons is that ken from p3 is a younger ryuji. because it would make so much sense that he got his sense of morals from yuko and always wanted to help people like the person who told him if he thinks he will lose he will. because even when push comes to shove he never gives up.
8:28 This is very true. Even as a foreigner, this was abundantly clear to me when I visited japan. I was in Shinjuku going to a few bars most people drinking do not even give it a rest or drink slowly. Its just drink, and immediately get another and chug it down. I literally saw a woman with a shirt that said “HEAVY DRUNKER-REMEMBER NOTHING”.
I also saw a young businessman at like 5:30 in the morning in a bathroom in a train station, vomiting absolutely everywhere. He didnt look any older than 20. I saw something like that multiple times pretty much every time I went out. Alchoholism really is not even seen as a problem by most of japan’s society.
I'm not gonna lie. I thought there was gonna be some mention of the Hikuu subculture, what with that culture encapsulating the more no-go side of delinquent crimes compared to the far-less extreme Furyo crimes of mostly street fighting and shakedowns(I could seriously be wrong about that). But, still good video regardless. Also, I still stand by the comment on the Ann analysis where he got the stuffing beaten out of him for the wrong reasons. Slap him for shit that was warranted(Don't outright beat him up, a simple slap to the face is all that he should get), COUCHSHIDO'S SLEAZY SHITBAG VIPCOUGH, not for putting his own life on the line to save your asses!
He is THE best boy
RYUJI! 😍😍😍😍
thx!!!
Him getting beat up was NEVER funny! I was like WTF??!! It was so uncalled for!
Also I'm sorry about your relatives in Japan...
thank you!
@@LadyVirgilia No problem.
ryuji deserved so much better
I stumbled accross your videos today and i find a bit paradoxical what you say about alcoholism in Japan. There is a certain pressure to drink and like you said in other videos people that don't fit in the mold are shunned. But problems linked with drinking too much are seen as a lack of willpower. How can people be at fault for problems they encounter when they dring if they are encouraged to drink ?
Because Japan does not give much space to individuality. You have to be part of the group and if the group goes drinking, you go too. Now, if you start developing some kind of issues, that's your problem. Because you weren't strong enough to keep that under control. After all, the rest of the group is still drinking and living normally, right...?
Even if, really, they all have their own issues (like alcoholism, not actually wanting to be there, etc) and are hiding them because "shikata ga nai" (it can't be helped). And you, you're making it a point to show and talk about your problems when they're not? So selfish!
@@frostieschocopop i'm glad you mention alcoholism. Evenings like that make people likely to develop it. But in Japan people still think the major factor is the lack of willpower ?
@@barongeoffrey75 It has more to do with the fact that showing your problems (mental or physical) to society is not well perceived. Disabled people are treated badly (still) and people affected by mental illness should stay silent. There's an indie horror game by Chilla Arts focusing on that specific issue.
The problem with forcing people to kill their individuality is that the homogeneity created will only smother specific categories of people.
Every time I watch one of your videos I'm like... "This Lady clearly has had exposure to Geert Hoffstede's Dimensions of Culture at some point." Which makes sense as you mention a degree in Social Work and I'd expect you've probably taken classes in Intercultural/Cross Cultural Communication courses.
Ryuji's friends constantly make fun of him, like seriously.
As someone who loves martial arts, but has a pinched nerve in the C6 portion of my neck currently and am considering getting a disc replacement to finally be rid of the pain and numbness, I can certainly understand how Ryuji feels, wanting to get back into running after getting his leg to rights. I've always wanted to be able to get back into martial arts since I was forced to quit long ago due to car troubles.
Though, since I am desperate to get answers as to how someone is after such a surgery, I am very sorry to have to ask such a question here, but has anyone gotten or does anyone know anyone who has gotten a disc replacement, especially in the neck, and how things have been for them after the recovery period from the surgery?
That mean gang going out of control at velocity.
Deadpool: that's the greatest name ever.
The gangs: hell yeah it is!
I noticed on the Ryuji and Ann vids, you edited the thumbnail so the colors of the character portraits are softer and less glaring.
Would you do the same for the rest of the video thumbnails?
3:57 Invalid observation.
In the _vast_ majority of anime (both modern and classical) at least 50% of the cast of characters have blond or otherwise brightly coloured hair.
I physically could not take having any of the girls on the team after that Ryuji moment. I just could not see them as actual friends to him or Joker after that. That's just fucked up.
Your friend risked their life and you repay him by beating him up.
If I was Ryuji I'd fucking just say "You know what. Fuck all of you" and just left the phantom theives. There's no fucking excuse for his friends to just openly assault him especially when hes a victim of abuse and a lot of people who play and have been are going to resonate with him on a extremely personal level.
Why would they just let that happen!? Why would Joker even let that happen!? I get the volleyball team in a sense but their closest friends by that point!? Come on Atlus! It's a great game but you can't just say thats ok to happen and not address it either! At least show us Ryuji being upset about it or a fucking apology to the man!
Fun fact The Rising sun was removed from Ryugi's shoes in P5s wider Asian release such as South Korea and especially China. If you know a thing or two about WW2 it should be obvious why it's censored
This feels less like a culture emphasizing social harmony, and more like a culture emphasizing social apathy.
Japanese society really doesn't tolerate punks, but Japanese punks are some of the coolest 🤟
A society thag would think Ryuji a delinquent is itself delinquent. But then that is the entire plot of the game, the polite society of adults cynically screwing each other over, and dismissing those who refuse to accept it as immature and sticking their nose into "adult business"
i understand why you cant romance ryuji but it always made me kinda mad bc hes one of the best characters
I must say, Ryuji was the main reason why I kept playing this game after the start. I'm not usually a fan of turn-based games, and while I could see this game had a very compelling story right from the get go, the beginning was feeling a bit bland to me and I wasn't digging the gameplay. I was ready to quit, admitting Persona just wasn't for me and I had better games to play.
Then I started really liking Ryuji, the atmosphere in the beginning where it's just the two of you, two outcasts bonding over your distaste for authority figures and your fight against the corrupt teacher ruining your life, that all got to me. The texts he sends you after that night where you eat noodles together saying you're a real friend was what convinced me to keep playing, 'cause that felt like a real friendship, Ryuji was like the cool troublemaker best friend I (and I think most people) wish I had.
Thanks to that I got the chance to keep playing and MAN, I love every companion in this game. The initial formation felt like a true brotherhood with me and Ryuji being best bros, Ann being the heart of the team while Morgana was the funny pet. Then Yusuke added his fabulousness to the team and Makoto gave us her badassery. I had to stop eventually since the game left GamePass, but I still intend on buying it when I get the chance, at the point I stopped even the gameplay had grown on me, I was having fun with the turn-based combat!
It all started because of Ryuji. My man Ryuji is a bro FOR REAL.
The beat up scenes are pretty poor, ngl. In fact, I fail to come up with a reason for why those scenes are in Royal, given how much attention was puto into remaking and fixing Akechi's confidant.
Bu anyways, there's something I though when replaying the game about Ryuji's interactions during the tutorial parts: He is a stand in for the player. Not an avatar like Joker, but the guy who represents us in all our limited and flawed ways. He is the one asking the questions to Mona, questions we would have, but given Joker's silent nature and how disrespectful and irritatin Mona is, they make Ryuji the punching bag for all the insults Mona has to spit for the sake of explaining things clearly to the player without humilliating him. So I don't know what to think about the writer's intention or if I'm overthinking it. Since P5R is well over 100 hours of gameplay, it could very well be considered a waste of productive time, so are the writers using Ryuji as a way of telling the players "stop playing games and wasting the most important years of your life and start doing something useful"?
Ryuji has one of my favorite persona’s in game and was the first confidant I maxed out in Royal. I honest to god hated that the PT decided to just beat up Ryuji, it’s not really about the whole him being an abuse victim part, even though that’s a reason, but it’s the fact that the scene made the PT jerks and out of character. Like for real I hated how they just had the characters beat him up for a “joke”
What was the song at 11:30?
My Asian advanced biology professor had a caffeine addiction. They did almost take thier own life for one reason or another. My professor is very smart, but not very wise. If they didn't get help when they did, I am afraid of what would have happened to them or were they would be found.
4:03 Oh look, it’s Joey Wheeler
with no brim?
We could all use a bro like Sakamoto
I didn't mind that Ryuji had a hard time apologizing to Morgana, because let's be real, Morgana was acting like a brat, and he constantly makes fun of Ryuji or berates him for being less competent (e.g. "Oh Skull, you're pathetic..." any time Ryuji misses an attack). It's one of the biggest things I dislike about Morgana, and I wish the protagonist would stand up for him more.
I always had him dressed with the "dance outfit" cuz.. yknow
You know? I kinda take back my first comment regarding the whole slap thing.
I really like this commentary of Ryuji, and coming from playing P5S really makes me favor his character.
But regarding the scene with Ryuji and the girls, I don't see it as an inaccurate response. Like, thinking that your friend and classmate died but turns out that they're okay. On the one hand, you're relieved that they're alive (and rightfully so), but on the other, you're most likely shocked and possibly upset because that could have died (and you thought they did). But in this context, there's the saying, "There's a time and place for everything," and that wasn't the time nor place for Ryuji to make that joke. Especially looking into a perspective like Ann, first almost losing her best and only friend before the phantom thieves by suicide to now losing someone whom she known since middle school and who is a part of the phantom thieves sacrifice himself to save them dies. It wouldn't be troubling for her, but to all of the phantom thieves.
Rlly my biggest criticism of how p5 handled Ryuji is the fact his disability was rarely ever mentioned
Somethin i realize is that people in spain and latinamerica referred to thugs as Yanquí.
I guess that this is where they took the name.
i hope this doesn’t come off rude and i absolutely loved the video, but perhaps a trigger warning about your aunt’s story would have helped, particularly about your uncle... and yes i completely agree that the way ryuji got beat up multiple times by other students felt kind of off, just like how ann’s PT costume design felt off considering her history with kamoshida