Ryuji Sakamoto

Ryuji Sakamoto is a playable character from Persona 5. He is a student at Shujin Academy who lives a double life as a Phantom Thief.

Appearances

 * Persona 5: Playable Character; Chariot Confidant
 * Persona 5 Royal: Playable Character
 * Persona 5 (Manga): Major Character
 * Persona 5: Mementos Mission: Major Character
 * Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers: Major Character
 * Persona 5 The Animation: Major Character
 * Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: Playable Character
 * Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight: DLC support voice
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Playable Character
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Roundabout Special
 * Catherine: Full Body: DLC NPC

Design
Ryuji has short spiky dyed blond hair and dark brown eyes. According to Sadayo Kawakami, his hair is naturally black. He has a noticeable widow's peak and his eyebrows are unusual in that he lacks the outer sides. He is shown to be muscular.

He wears his winter school uniform a bit modified. It consists of the standard black blazer, unbuttoned to reveal a yellow t-shirt with a comic style star symbol and the word 'ZOMG!' He has plaid trousers rolled up to reveal his ankles. His pants have black suspenders that hang down instead of being worn on his shoulders. He has a white belt. His white sneakers have a rising sun flag motif.

His summer school uniform is the same as his winter's, except his yellow t-shirt is replaced with a red one reading 'NO MO RULES' and he no longer wears his blazer.

His burglar outfit consists of matching black jacket and pants with knee pads, a red ascot, combat boots, a pair of yellow gloves, and a skull mask.

Due to his injury, he walks and runs with a slight limp, and occasionally trips if he overexerts himself.

In Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, he retains his Shujin Academy uniform except he wears a yellow with black "X" design and a red tattered scarf, and yellow and light blue sneakers with matching laces. He wears sunglasses on his head, a golden chain bracket on his right wrist and metal bracket on his left wrist.

Personality
Ryuji is known as a disruptive "problem student" at school whose bad behavior causes all sorts of trouble for the teachers. He is quite proud of his status as a self-proclaimed "troublemaker" and his rebellious, mischievous and disobedient nature are the perfect qualities to be a Phantom Thief. He can sometimes be vulgar and aggressive, as shown in his early interactions with Yusuke Kitagawa and Makoto Niijima. He is also rather short-tempered, easily taking offense from even the slightest of comments. That said, he will never resort to violence, unless he is provoked by Suguru Kamoshida. He is very straightforward when it comes to expressing his feelings, especially in regards to his hatred of selfish adults and authority figures who abuse their power. He is deeply empathetic when it comes to the plight of others; simply listening to the protagonist's story of how he got arrested makes him extremely angry, and hearing about Kamoshida's sexual abuse greatly upsets him.

Ryuji can be clumsy and overly energetic sometimes; he has a habit of yelling constantly, despite frequent warnings from Morgana to keep his voice down, which usually results in loud outbursts that often includes accidentally revealing himself and his friends as the Phantom Thieves. This, combined with his frequent density, causes him to be viewed as an idiot by his peers, Morgana in particular and makes him as some sort of comedic relief in various situations. Ryuji also occasionally has a hard time accepting blame for things, though it's less he doesn't recognize when he's at fault so much as he hates being held solely responsible for an incident when he feels he isn't the only issue, or if it was simply beyond the group's control.

Beneath his seemingly delinquent-like behavior, Ryuji is actually a kind and altruistic person who is still trying to cope with his inability to continue becoming an athlete after the injury he suffered at Kamoshida's hand. He deeply cares for his mother and takes fervent effort as an athlete to relieve her worries; he reveals his father was an alcoholic who beat him and his mother and then left, so his mother is the only family he has. When he tells the group about the aftermath of his confrontation with Kamoshida, he is broken when he admits that, following a meeting with the school authorities, she apologized to him for being a single mother and not giving him a strong father-figure in life. He even calls himself a "bad son," due to him messing up his efforts to make things easier for his mother. He's generally friendly and on good terms with everyone in the Phantom Thieves (despite frequent bickering), particularly Ann, with who he shares somewhat of a love-hate relationship. When Yusuke mentions that he's ignored at school, Ryuji immediately offers to take him out for ramen.

Ryuji cares a great deal for the well-being of others around him, such as when he attempts to help end the abuse of the volleyball team, even going as far as letting them beat him up in an attempt to air out their frustrations. He has a strong sense of right and wrong; when Morgana warns him and the protagonist that stealing Kamoshida's treasure may result in his death, Ryuji is shocked and reluctant to take that risk, believing that he and the protagonist going around secretly doing whatever they wanted would make them no different from Kamoshida. He changes his mind after Shiho Suzui's attempted suicide, but even after it's done, he wonders if it really was for the best. After a chance encounter with Masayoshi Shido, however, Ryuji comes up with the idea to continue as the Phantom Thieves, in order to get rid of adults who have gone unpunished for so long and give courage to all those who need it. Ryuji is also a rather forgiving person, as evident by his willingness to help out his former teammates on the track team despite them viewing him as a traitor, as well as being the first to forgive Makoto for getting the team blackmailed, despite having despised her up until then. He even tells Natsuhiko Nakanohara that someone treating you like dirt doesn't give you the right to do the same to them.

As the story progresses, Ryuji eventually becomes glory-obsessed, losing sight of why he became a Phantom Thief in favor of seeking fame and popularity with women. It comes to a head after the Phantom Thieves are cornered by Shido, resulting in him breaking down and calling himself "an idiot" for his past behavior. He's able to eventually reconcile his weakness after talking with the protagonist and striving to become a better person after the protagonist makes him realize he can still change as a person.

Hobby-wise, apart from being on the track team, he also does muscle training. He can drink a 500mL bottle of carbonated water in one go which he did as training during his track and field club days. When he was active, he could also do 1000mL bottles. He is often impatient and has a habit of tapping the ground with his toes when he's bored, and prefers to get "straight to the point" during conversations. He claims he never reads, and his artbook profile claims he only reads manga. When it comes to food, he's particularly fond of ramen, to the point of being fussy about the flavor and texture of the noodles. Though not a cook by any means, Ryuji displays some versatility in the kitchen, as he mentions a recipe involving combining of honey and sliced lemons as a way of restoring stamina, something his mother taught him. Ryuji is also quite perverted, such as when he stares at Ann in the Mona car while the group were traveling through the desert in Futaba's Palace. When Ann confronts him about this later, he doesn't even try to deny it, saying that "it was a great view."

Persona 5
Ryuji Sakamoto is a student of Shujin Academy and knows about Ann Takamaki since middle school even though they are not too acquainted. Ryuji borrowed money from Ann in middle school so he could buy a stuffed dolphin for his mom from a school trip, but never paid her back, which Ann holds against him.

He originally came from a household with an abusive father, who eventually abandoned him and his mother. Later on, Ryuji got a great opportunity for his future and to ease his mother's burden by becoming a star athlete on the school's track team. However, this earned disdain from the volleyball coach, Suguru Kamoshida, who then abused Ryuji and the entire track team. To put more salt in the wound, Kamoshida began telling everyone at Shujin about Ryuji's parents. This caused Ryuji to try and attack Kamoshida but in a manner of "self-defense" broke Ryuji's leg and caused the track team to disband.

The protagonist first meets Ryuji after Kamoshida picks up Ann by car, and Ryuji, who is nearby, calls him "pervert" before greeting the protagonist who inquires about Kamoshida. Realizing the protagonist really knows nothing about Kamoshida, Ryuji quickly assumes he is a transfer student and the two get along. The two accidentally enter Kamoshida's Palace, the embodiment of Kamoshida's Shadow erected at where the school should be. Ryuji wants to help the students trapped in the palace, but fails. They are blocked by Kamoshida at the entrance when they try to escape and are nearly killed but was saved when the protagonist awakened his Persona ability. With the help of shape-shifting cat called Morgana, they manage to escape from the Palace. When the two confronts the real Kamoshida, however, the teacher has no idea what they are talking about. To make sure whether they were dreaming or not, Ryuji suggests they once again go to the Palace using the app installed in the protagonist's smartphone, at which they succeed.

Meeting Shadow Kamoshida again, the Shadow reveals that he intentionally injured Ryuji's leg while acting as his advisor to ruin Ryuji's ability to participate in athletics again. His scheme is for the principal to invest in his volleyball team only and to gain admiration and submission from all the students of his school, but Ryuji was a great threat to him for drawing that attention. Kamoshida's true intention angers Ryuji deeply and Captain Kidd calls out Ryuji to awaken to his Persona ability for vengeance. Returning to the real world, Ryuji vows to expose Kamoshida's true self and becomes friends with the protagonist after both confide their backgrounds to each other.

Together with the protagonist, they try to get information about Kamoshida from other students, but everyone is too afraid to talk. Morgana, in cat form, then approaches Ryuji and the protagonist, suggesting they steal the source of Kamoshida's corrupt heart to make him confess his own crimes. However, when Morgana mentions that Kamoshida will die if they by chance killed his Shadow, Ryuji and the protagonist ask for time to think. Not long afterward, Ann's friend, Shiho Suzui, attempts suicide and when Ryuji and the protagonist heard from Yuuki Mishima that Kamoshida called Shiho a day before, Ryuji and the protagonist realizes that Kamoshida has sexually assaulted her. Ryuji angrily confronts Kamoshida about this, resulting in Kamoshida's intending to expel him, the protagonist and Yuuki.

Finally having enough with Kamoshida, Ryuji and the protagonist agrees with Morgana's suggestion to steal Kamoshida's treasure and make him confess his crimes. They later are joined by Ann who also wants to expose Kamoshida after hearing everything from Shiho. To agitate Shadow Kamoshida once they almost reach the treasure, Ryuji makes and attaches a calling card on the school board under the name "Phantom Thieves of Hearts" that is addressed to Kamoshida, stating he will confess his crime soon. After Kamoshida confesses his crime in front of the whole student body, Ryuji and the protagonist's expulsion is cancelled, much to their relief.

With the case over, Ryuji and the others decides to celebrate at an expensive restaurant by using the money they got after selling Kamoshida's treasure. At the restaurant, Ryuji and the protagonist meet an arrogant man named Masayoshi Shido who quickly gets on Ryuji's nerves after rudely shoving them when they were waiting for the elevator. This encounter makes Ryuji decide to continue working as Phantom Thieves to cleanse the corruption from corrupt adults' hearts. The protagonist and Ann also agree with him, so they decide to continue being the Phantom Thieves.

Confidant

 * To check his Confidant dialogue options and skills, see Confidant/Ryuji Sakamoto

Ryuji's Confidant relationship is unlocked automatically on April 12th but his first Confidant ability is only obtained at rank 2. Maxing this Confidant makes Captain Kidd evolve into Seiten Taisei and unlocks the fusion of Chi You.

Ryuji's Instant Kill ability, granted at Confidant rank 7, triggers when the player ambushes a Shadow group which consists of Shadows at least 10 levels lower than the protagonist. The battle is skipped, earning the player a free Persona based on the possible enemies in that mob, but also denying experience, money, and items. The player will also be unable to gain the free Persona if their stock is full or if they possess a copy of it. While this is convenient in backtracking through earlier parts of Mementos, it's also not conducive for grinding. Unless the player has been grinding extensively (especially by hunting the Reaper) this ability should not be an issue in story-relevant Palaces.

Ryuji's Confidant revolves around his resolve to help reestablish the track club after Kamoshida disbanded it. One day while training, he faces Nakaoka and Takeishi who was still angry at Ryuji for getting into a fight with Kamoshida. Rejected by his former teammates, they go to train at Protein Lovers where they meet his alumni Ikeda who had joined the university track team despite how Kamoshida had no intentions of writing their letter of recommendation and used Ryuji punching Kamoshida as the excuse while letting word slip that the team is being reinstated as Shujin's Volleyball team is in turmoil since the incident with Kamoshida came to light but learn that Yamaguchi, one of Kamoshida's supporters is the new coach despite lacking any credentials and rampant alcoholism which raises Ryuji's concern that the team will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes he did with Kamoshida.

While training one day, he runs into Takeishi accusing Nakaoka for exposing their personal lives to Kamoshida in hopes for a scholarship and kicks Nakaoka out of the team as Nakaoka confesses to being one responsible for Ryuji's suffering. However Ryuji knew that after all the suffering he has been through, he would have remained an obedient tool to Kamoshida's false promises and made the resolve to get the team to abandon Yamaguchi as the coach by spying on him with the protagonist's help. Eventually he learns that Yamaguchi indeed doesn't care about the team and wanted only the attention and fame as the protagonist records their conversation on day at a restaurant. There he reveals his intentions was to play the role of the sympathetic teacher who help saved the Track Team after Kamoshida's actions and have a coach do the actual work while he reaps the rewards and ensuring Nakaoka gets kicked out of the team after informing Takeishi subtly about Kamoshida learning about their darkest secrets and using him as a puppet to keep others in line. With the information recorded Ryuji realize the importance on relying on others to succeed and decided to help the team confront Yamaguchi.

Faced with the incriminating truth, Takeishi and Nakaoka comes to terms with Ryuji who stresses the importance of relying on one another and being independent from the demands of others. Shortly after the confrontation, Takeishi and the Track Team makes the decision to practice without relying on Yamaguchi, involving the PTA to stop Yamaguchi, and are able to rehire the old coach. Ryuji however declines the offer to join the team and has come to learn the importance on relying on others in times of need. Ryuji promises to help out and give his all as a Phantom Thief to the Protagonist for all that he has done to support him. His newfound resolve causes Captain Kidd to transform into Seiten Taisei.

Ryuji's farewell gift after maxing his Confidant is a Sports Watch, allowing Ryuji the ability to use Harisen Recovery from the beginning in New Game+ once the Confidant has been established.

Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers
Ryuji is first seen at the subway with the protagonist, Ann and Yusuke Kitagawa. They transform into their Phantom Thief outfits and enter the Mementos.

After discussing with the group, Ann and Ryuji talk loudly at a restaurant and lure one of the members of the criminal gang to Cafe Leblanc.

Later, he engages battle with Kazuya Makigami directly and changes his heart.

Quotes
Persona 5=

Trivia

 * Ryuji's name referencing (坂本 龍馬) from the bakumatsu period is supported by his Confidant subplot which is an allusion to the  : A lower samurai Toranoshin Ikeda (池田 寅之進)'s brother was killed by a higher samurai for possibly shoulder bumping. Informed by the witness, Ikeda quickly arrived at the scene and killed the two superiors for revenge. This serial murder stoked the tension between the lower and higher samurais in the next day. Sakamoto as a fellow lower samurai helped mediate, but things actually settled down after Ikeda had performed honor suicide by seppuku and confiscation of the salaries of Ikeda's and his brother's families, while the superiors' families received virtually no punishment for the initial killing. The unequal treatments led to desertion of many lower samurais including Sakamoto and his later comrade  (中岡 慎太郎) from their serving clans who were disappointed by their higher-ups' suppression.
 * In the Japanese version, Skull self-proclaims "Phantom Thieves' Captain Kirikomi" which loosely means "Assault Captain" or "Captain Foodie" (which could be an intentional double entendre.) "Captain Kirikomi" is a reference to the  card from the  series. "" precisely refers to curing fish slices from Hokkaido regional cuisine. The term was later borrowed for  in ship-to-ship combat, referring to the grappling hooks for closing the distance between the ships.
 * The official translation in-game is "charge commander."
 * Ryuji's civilian shoes are censored in the Chinese and Korean versions of the game, due to containing the . The symbol is a sensitive issue in many other Asian countries when they suffered from Japan's invasion during World War II; Atlus removed it out of courtesy when the issue was brought up.
 * Just like with Makoto Niijima and Goro Akechi before, the official twitter account for the Persona series posted a "Happy Birthday" message for Ryuji on July 3, 2017 JST.
 * Only in the English version, after escaping Kaneshiro's Palace Ryuji comments in the gang's message group "I'm a Phantom, on a steel horse I ride." This is a reference to Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive" from the 1986 album "" to which Makoto follows up with continual reference by stating that she is not wanted.
 * In the Japanese version, this conversation is completely different with Ryuji stating he wants to drive a stolen bike and Makoto instantly denies hers to be stolen from elsewhere.

Appearances in Other Media

 * Chain Chronicle: Skull, Warrior class. (Article in Chain Chronicle Wiki)
 * BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle: Color swap for Yosuke Hanamura
 * Granblue Fantasy: Skull, NPC. Collaboration event.
 * Catherine: Full Body: DLC NPC
 * Super Smash Brothers Ultimate: Skull, Cameo during Joker's Final Smash and Mementos, Spirit