Naoto Shirogane

Naoto Shirogane is a playable character in Persona 4. A refined, serious youth, with formal body language and gestures.

Appearances

 * Persona 4: Playable Character
 * Persona 4 Manga
 * Persona 4 The Animation: Fortune Arcana
 * Persona 4: The Golden: Playable Character
 * Persona 4: Arena: Playable Character
 * Persona x Detective: Protagonist

Design
Naoto is androgynous in appearance, with short blue hair, blue eyes, and slightly tanned skin. Naoto wears Yasogami High's gakuran, save for one optional occasion in which Naoto wears a seifuku-style school uniform. Naoto is constantly seen wearing formal clothing such as blue shirts, ties and a trademark blue cap. On days off in winter, Naoto wears a dark blue coat with light blue bow tie and yellow buttons, and plaid blue pants. Naoto's summer outfit, however, is reminiscent of the clothing of Kyouji Kuzunoha and consists of a light blue shirt and a yellow necktie. In addition, Naoto bears resemblance to the Protagonist (Persona 3), having blue hair and cool eyes.

In Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, her appearance is the same as in the game, though there may be not as much care in keeping her biological sex a secret as there was in Persona 4.

Personality
Having lost both parents in a car accident when as a child, Naoto acts very mature in spite of being young of age. As a descendant of a famous detective lineage, Naoto wears formal masculine clothing and even speaks with a deeper voice than what is natural (in the Japanese version, Naoto uses male pronouns as well) as Naoto feels pressure from working in an environment where men tend to be sexist, and attempts to gain the respect of co-workers through questionable means. Naoto speaks in a very formal manner, adding emphasis to wishing to be treated as an adult. It is also implied in the story that Naoto has (like the other female party members) no talent in cooking.

Profile

 * Age: 15 at Game start, 16 when she first appears
 * Date of Birth: April 27th, 1995
 * Zodiac: Taurus
 * Height: 152 cm (5'0")
 * Blood Type: B
 * Initial Persona: Sukuna-Hikona
 * Ultimate Persona: Yamato-Takeru
 * Weapon: Pistol
 * Arcana: Fortune

Persona 4
A well-known detective, Naoto was dubbed the "Detective Prince" by the media. Naoto is first mentioned when the department which Ryotaro Dojima works has no lead upon their investigations for the bizarre murder case, resulting in Dojima's superiors employing Naoto to assist them- an action which greatly disturbs Dojima. Furthermore, Naoto claims that the only rewards wanted after solving the case is the truth, and wants no assistance from other departments, further annoying Dojima.

The first appearance of Naoto is during the Investigation Team investigations of the bizarre murder cases, when they ended up deducting Kanji Tatsumi as the potential next victim. Incidentally, Naoto was able to find out that Kanji might be the next victim, and tried to seek clues via Kanji. During that time, Naoto expressed interest in the case, which Kanji mistook as Naoto being interested in him. Kanji was shocked and conflicted of his feelings towards Naoto, and more importantly, his sexuality.

Naoto later enrolls into Yasogami High School, and immediately attracted the admiration of others. However, Naoto's serious nature often lead to the shunning and ignoring of admirers and classmates. Later, during one of the Investigation Team's meetings regarding the suspect of the case Mitsuo Kubo, Naoto appears and chastises the Teams' effort, deeming their investigation as nothing more but a 'game'. Naoto tells them that their game is about to end, and that Yasoinaba will soon return to it's peaceful, rustic self. Annoyed by Naoto's exclamation, Rise Kujikawa stammers back, saying that Naoto is the one who's been treating the case like a game. Surprised by the idol, Naoto reluctantly accepts that what Rise said might be true, lamenting that detectives are just employed for the time being- and once the case has been solved, they are simply pushed aside.

After the arrest of Mitsuo Kubo, the first suspect of the case, Naoto is still suspicious and decides to become bait to lure the culprit. While doing so, Naoto is interviewed by a TV show and subsequently kidnapped and thrown into the Midnight Channel. Through the Team's effort of gathering clues regarding Naoto, they found out that Naoto, despite the professional personality, is actually a workaholic who chooses to ignore the police department's advice and work alone. As such, Naoto is often deemed a kid trying too hard by the officers.

The Investigation Team eventually manages to detect Naoto's location in the Midnight Channel, and sets out to rescue the detective. Naoto's Mayonaka TV dungeon is like an industrial laboratory or military base filled with mechanical shadows and falcon symbols. The Investigation Team eventually finds Naoto, along with the other 'Naoto,' who is busy preparing for a "body-altering operation" of some sort. The other 'Naoto' taunts Naoto, saying that in reality Naoto is nothing more than just a child trying to play "superhero". Confused and surprised, Naoto denies the Shadows' claims. However, before Naoto can do so, it reveals a shocking secret: Naoto is actually female. The Shadow Naoto clarifies that the "body-altering operation" was to be a sex-change operation. Fueled by Naoto's declination, the other 'Naoto' transforms into a shadow and attacks the party.

Naoto's Shadow is a robotic doppelganger, equipped with large toy like laser guns, rocket feet and a jet pack; this form represents Naoto's resentment towards being treated like a child and not taken seriously. It can also be something of a split personality, as it can talk seriously one minute, and act helpless and innocent the next, similar to how the Wheel of Fortune may act unpredictably. After defeating the Shadow, Naoto reveals that her parents are detectives as well, but were both killed in one of their investigations. However, Naoto acknowledges her parents' passion of their job, and wishes to become a "hard-boiled" detective, inheriting the title of 'Shirogane', but as long as she herself is a girl, she can never achieve her dreams.

Eventually realizing that what she wanted was not to become a man, but to find her true self, Naoto's shadow acknowledges her resolution and transforms into Sukuna-Hikona, becoming Naoto's Persona. Later, during the Yasogami High cultural festival she wins the beauty pageant even though she didn't show up for the second round (a swimsuit competition). In spite of her extremely masculine personality she is a bit self-conscious of her body as she refuses to wear a swimsuit and immediately steals her physical examination results from Teddie when Rise is about to reveal her bust size.

Persona 4 The Animation
Naoto is first seen at The Tatsumi's Textile shop when she was about to leave and she glanced at Yu with suspicion. There, she later asks Kanji to meet-up with her after school, confusing him. Naoto and Kanji do meet-up before Kanji chases after Yosuke and Chie.

Then Naoto is seen again at the Junes department store where she told the investigation team about Kanji.

At the Summer Festival, when Nanako was about to give up finding Yu and left her magnifying glass behind, Naoto picked it up and told her not to give up until the case is over, and she gave her smile to encourage her.

After coming back to Inaba, she is seen in her room talking to someone on the phone concerning information about the investigation team and asks for it to arrive as soon as possible.

On September 17, when she is inside of the TV world, she still wears her school uniform (despite her shadow wearing her summer clothes like in the game). When her Shadow transformed, she is strapped onto a table, falling unconscious. Then she wakes up to see people she knows aging, and as she begins to lose hope of surviving the experiment by Shadow Naoto, Kanji snaps her back into her senses by saying that it doesn't matter how others view her and that he felt the same way about not being accepted for who he is. After she is carried, unconscious again, by Kanji to escape from Beelzebub's ultimate attack as the laborary destroyed. Naoto accepts her other self and said, "You're me and I'm you" as she blushed and smiled in relief. She rises up reborn as her persona, Sukuna-Hikona. As Naoto begins to understand the investigation team's secret, she collapses into Kanji's arms.

In October, Naoto helps Yu with the information about Nanako's mother when she was killed.

Social Link
The Protagonist creates the Fortune Arcana Social Link with Naoto after rescuing her, and through the Protagonist' interaction with Naoto, they team up to solve a challenge given to the Shirogane clan by the "Phantom Thief". In the events of their investigation, the Phantom Thief's identity is revealed to be Naoto's grandfather, who wishes to help her get back her passion of investigating cases for the truth, rather than investigating for the sake of the Shirogane name.

By the end of the Fortune Arcana Social Link, Naoto acknowledges her passion of investigation, and thanks the Protagonist. Having a change in her psyche and resolution, Naoto's Persona Sukuna Hikona transfigures into Yamato-Takeru. Should the Protagonist choose to establish a lovers relationship with Naoto, by the end of the Social Link, Naoto asks the Protagonist if it is weird for her to speak in a deep voice, and admits that she is in love with the protagonist. Should the Protagonist choose the second option, which results in the Protagonist replying that he likes Naoto's voice higher, Naoto will wear a seifuku just for him during Dec 24th to meet the Protagonist should the Protagonist accepts her invitation in which they spend the night together with her gift for him, a handmade watch that notifies him the distance of her location, reading Distance &lt;1m. In the Japanese version, Naoto instead asks the Protagonist whether is it weird for her to use male pronouns (僕, boku) to describe herself.

Persona x Detective
Naoto will be the main character in this spin off novel to be released in Spring 2012. The novel is set after the game where Naoto is in her final year of high school. However, she is in a different school and setting,

Battle Quotes

 * Come, Sukuna-Hikona! (Enemy weak to attack/Critical with Phys skill)
 * Come, Yamato-Takeru! (Enemy weak to attack/Critical with Phys skill)
 * All yours! (Using Persona skill)
 * Let's go! (Using Persona skill)
 * Persona! (Using Persona skill)
 * Someone finish this one off! (Attack doesn't kill enemy)
 * It's quite tenacious! (Attack doesn't kill enemy)
 * I'll have my revenge for that! (recover from Down/Dizzy)
 * I see, so it won't work! (enemy immune to element)
 * I'm ready to go! Just say the word! (All-Out Attack prompt)
 * Our moment has arrived! Let's go! (All-Out Attack prompt)
 * The enemies have fallen! Let's finish them off! (All-Out Attack prompt)
 * Okay, understood! (Performing All-Out Attack)
 * Precisely! (Performing All-Out Attack)
 * Here goes! (During All-Out Attack)
 * I hope you're prepared! (During All-Out Attack)
 * Let's end this! (During All-Out Attack)
 * Shall I take over? (Follow up attack)
 * Let me do this! Please! (Follow up attack)
 * Leave this to me! (Follow up attack)
 * Now then, what's next? (Victory)
 * That's what come for underestimating me! (Victory)
 * Elimination complete! (Victory)
 * You've become even more dependable! (Protagonist level up)
 * My skills have been honed! (Level up)
 * I gained a level! (Level up)

Trivia

 * Naoto is the only character in the game who has a Persona of the opposite sex, possibly in reference to Naoto's androgynous appearance.
 * Interestingly, Naoto's resolutions stand in contrast with Yukiko Amagi; while Yukiko never wants to inherit her family inn business, Naoto herself willingly and passionately inherits her family business of becoming a detective, but is likely due to the nature of their careers, seeing as Naoto finds much enjoyment or satisfaction in seeking justice for others, and traveling rather then being stuck in one place and doing mundane routines.
 * Naoto can be said to be an exported character of Aigis; both characters wield firearms in battle, and are the only ones in their parties to be able to do so. In addition, both characters are pivotal in the game, Aigis being an android designed to eliminate Shadows and, subsequently, Nyx, while Naoto is a detective whose exploits help in finding the true culprit behind the events of Persona 4. The two also happen to be the latest party members to start their Social Links.
 * When Teddie was announcing the results of the physical examination, Rise was shocked at Naoto's results. Many players speculate that Naoto had the biggest breasts of the whole team, while others believe she may be the smallest member in overall features (due to her attempt to hide her feminine looks from others). Some database state that Naoto binds her chest with bandages and gauze.
 * Naoto's summer clothes (not school uniform) are similar to Kyouji Kuzunoha's. She is also very similar to Persona 3's Protagonist with her blue hair, eyes and hairstyle and both lost their parents in a car accident.
 * One of Naoto's usable weapons, "Athena Kiss R" might be a reference to Aigis' Kiss of Athena.
 * In the North America release, the gun left behind by the bonus boss in Secret Laboratory is Algernon, with it's description stating that it was named after an experiment in finding happiness. This is a reference to the book Flowers for Algernon.
 * Naoto is reminiscent of Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV of Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, as well as the Protagonist of Persona 3.
 * Naoto is very popular among fans and constantly ranks in the top 3 in character popularity polls.
 * In the Japanese version, Chie compared Naoto's family to the Kindaichi family. Kosuke Kindaichi was a character in a series of detective novels that were popular in Japan and later spawned an unofficial spinoff named Hajime Kindaichi.
 * In Mayonaka Arena, Naoto is the only character to use a special One-Hit K.O move system outside of everyone's natural Instant Kill, which are the spells Hamaon and Mudoon. Her Hamaon/Mudoon seemingly worked like Instant Kill techniques of another series worked by Arc System Works, in this case the Hokuto no Ken fighting game where specific attacks count down the Naoto's Fate Counter tagged under her opponent's fate guage (Naoto is fighting in a mirror match, then it goes under yours as well). When it hits 0, the skull on the fate counter will turn red allowing the Supers Hamaon and Mudoon to instantly kill someone when they get hit from it (Hamaon will shoot a light beam from the ground and Mudoon will shoot a dark smoky blast across the screen). To offset this, half of the counters taken off from the Fate Counter are recovered (the opponent will always start a round with at least 7) and her damage in general is lower than most characters. What's more, both Hamaon and Mudoon are blockable and have a chance of missing.
 * Naoto is also the only character of the Investigation Team who doesn't wear her school uniform in the game. (Barring Teddie's cases.)
 * Naoto's Awakening Super is unique in that not only is it based off her critical attack from Persona 4, but during the attack she can choose to fire during its walking animation ("Hold Up!") or kick the opponent away into multiple wallbounces (Critical Shoot). The way Naoto fires her gun while walking seems to be a nod to a majority of Hollywood movie scenes.
 * Naoto is the only party member whose Social Link can Reverse if you pick the wrong option during one of her Social Link events (the option that says "You're on your own."), as well as having one of the two social links in the game that can be compromised in such a manner (the other being Ai Ebihara's Social Link).
 * Naoto's theme in Persona 4: Arena is a remix of Secret Base from the original Persona 4.