Kanji Tatsumi

Kanji Tatsumi is a playable character from Persona 4.

Appearances

 * Persona 4:Playable Character
 * Persona 4 Manga
 * Persona 4 The Animation: Emperor Arcana
 * Persona 4: The Golden: Playable Character
 * Persona 4: Arena: Playable Character

Design
Kanji is a male delinquent with a bleached-blonde swept-back crewcut, grey eyes with a scar above his left eye, many piercings, metal jewelry, and wears a black sweater with a skull-and-crossbones design on it under his school uniform, and wears shaded glasses in battle. On days off, however, he is seen wearing a black leather jacket instead and in the Summer, he discards his jacket and wears a black tank top with flaming skull design. On the camp out he wears his P.E. suit (except he wears it like his winter uniform) while at the school festival, he wears a blonde curly wig and a white dress, giving him an appearance similar to Marylin Monroe.

He also seems to be tattooed on his left arm. However, as it disappears during the summer festival, it is strongly implied that this tattoo is not permanent and can be attached at will.

In Persona 4: The Golden, during winter, he wears a black beanie.

In the anime, he wear ear cuffs on his right ear as well another ear piecing and even show him wearing it at Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonka Arena but the other way around.

Personality
A student of Yasogami High School, Kanji often skips classes and apparently gets into many fights in the streets. His family runs a textile shop with the Amagis being their acquainted costumers, and Kanji is also very skilled with tailoring for that very reason. He is portrayed as being insecure about his sexuality after meeting Naoto (who disguises as a boy) and developing a minor crush on her.

Persona 4

 * Age: 15 (Game start, 16 at the end of the game)
 * Date of Birth: January 19th, 1996
 * Zodiac: Capricorn
 * Height: 183 cm (6')
 * Weight: 65 kg
 * Blood Type: A
 * Initial Persona: Take-Mikazuchi
 * Ultimate Persona: Rokuten Maou or Takejizaiten
 * Arcana: Emperor

Kanji's S.Link begins on June 9th when a female student on the second floor of the classroom building accuses him of bullying other students. The Protagonist can find him in the practice building on the first floor next to the sewing room. To start this S.link, speak to Kanji and say you want to talk to him. You'll be lead to The Samegawa Flood Plain to confront him. Say you just want talk to him about the accusations of bullying. Kanji will then tell you the accusations are false. Upon seeing the Protagonist as a friend, you begin the Emperor S.Link

As the Protagonist continues through the S.Link, he supports Kanji in making dolls for a young boy whom you meet around level 3 of the Emperor S.link. With the Protagonist's support Kanji eventually begins to sell the dolls at the Textile Shop. At the final meeting Kanji goes to the Dojima residence with the Protagonist. Here he explains that he finally figured out what being a real man is. He also explains that his obsession with being a real man comes from his father's last words where he told Kanji to be a real man. According to Kanji, a real man is a male who does everything at one hundred percent. Kanji also admits to the Protagonist that the manifestation in his personal dungeon was a part of himself, revealing that he is becoming more comfortable with himself, especially his hobbies. He gives the Protagonist a cute strap, and his Persona evolves from Take-mikazuchi to Rokuten Maou. Comically, he states that he's going to start a puppet-making class, the first being in the Protagonist's room.

Kanji's Midnight Channel dungeon is the Steamy Bathhouse. His Shadow is a mostly nude version of himself surrounded in a bed of roses while holding two Mars symbols. It represents his questioning his true sexuality and being unsure of the opposite sex, as the sensitive side under his rough exterior is often gone unappreciated and even ridiculed by girls. Kanji's Shadow is made manifest due to his fear of being rejected by either sex. His Shadow is also accompanied by two other Shadows, one named "Nice Guy" and the other named "Tough Guy", possibly referring to the common homosexual stereotypes of a man who is gay being really nice and some times feminine, or being more masculine, strong and tough. Nice Guy will boost Kanji's stats in battle, whilst Tough Guy will deal damage to the protagonist's party.



After he joins the protagonist's crew, his sexuality is occasionally made fun of due to the form his Shadow takes. He's also kissed by a "drunk" Teddie when the gang visits a club at Port Island as part of the "King's Game", a mix of Simon Says and Truth or Dare. Even though Kanji displays interest in Naoto, he occasionally faces away from her due to shyness. He was both impressed and excited when Naoto enters the Miss Yasogami High pageant (despite her being forced), but is a bit disappointed when she skips out on the second portion of the contest (where she would have had to wear a swimsuit).

Kanji's Persona, Take-Mikazuchi or Rokuten Maoh, specialize in electricity skills and strong physical attacks along with possessing two skills to buff defense and attacks.

Persona 4 The Animation
Kanji is first seen fighting a bunch biker gang and punks in the middle the of the fray. He is next seen at school where he meets Yu for the first time. There, Yu notices that he dropped a pink bunny keychain which embarrasses Kanji as he snatches it back and leaves. When Kanji discovers Yosuke and Chie spying on him, he chases after them when Chie mentions the word "queer". Eventually, Kanji ends up chasing Yu and Yukiko too.



When Kanji woke up in a bath house he sudden hears someone else's inner voice talking about him which he was anger and declined it then he saw he other self welcoming him. As the Investigation team arrive they were aware that he was actually fighting his other self knowing that he was alright and could take care of it. But then he was starting to feel tired, stressed, and losing a bit of his strength/energy as refused him other self. Then he did not fall into unconscious but only seeing his shadow transformed with blast or hit him unconscious for a short while then as he regain conscious he saw the guy he met protecting him as he fell he saw the bunny keychain he made for the little boy. As he refuse to a commit Yu's words and comment come back to his sense and accept his shadow then he punched his shadow with the keychain into his fist and able to defeat. But unlike in the game he did not punch him and only told him to stop and say "You're me and I'm you, damn idiot" then his shadow nodded and smiled and reborn as his Persona, Take - Mikazuchi.



During the school camping trip, Kanji reveals he has been childhood friends with Naoki Konishi, Saki's younger brother. He doesn't know much about Naoki's situation after the murder of Saki due to being in separate classes. At night, Yosuke and Yu are still slightly homophobic after Kanji's episode in the Midnight Channel. To prove he is a man, Kanji rushes to the girls' tent. He ends up sharing the tent Chie and Yukiko abandoned to escape Hanako's snoring. Hanako, unconsciously, cuddles tightly with Kanji. Kanji seems to enjoy being smooshed between Hanako's breasts. On the final day of the trip, Kanji is shown to have gotten no sleep and embarrassed about the night before. Yukiko and Chie slip into their bathing suits at the behest of Yosuke. After seeing the two Kanji's nose bleeds, a Japanese cliche on when a man is sexually turned out, and is kicked into the river along with Yosuke and Yu. At the end of the episode, the group sees Hanako approach them, blushing. Kanji and the others assume she is going to confess her love to him after the previous night. It is revealed shockingly, especially to Kanji, that Hanako is actually 'rejecting' him.

On June 22, when Adachi came along awhile he eating his nikudon he got from Aika, it seens that he doesn't trust him. After he done with him he started to chase the "culpit" with investigation team except Yu. AS they have the "culpit" corner, he, Yosuke and Chie do an All Out Attack and started to dog pile on him.

On June 23 when they are at the entrance to Rise's dungeon he didn't have the propper glasses just like in the game on June 6, but only he only recieved the goofy glasses from Teddie and he had to wear them almost in the rest of the episode. Then when Shadow Rise transformed, he lost the glasses as he try to find them, Teddie gave him to right pair of glasses that suit him best in battle. When Shadow Teddie begins to suck them in, Kanji along with Yosuke are holding on to the pole and unable to defeated until Yu's persona was until to defeated it.

Then at school when Mitsuo keep pursuing Yukiko to go out with him, Kanji step him and told him who he is as he give him death glare and scare Mitsuo.

In Shadow Mitsuo's illusion where Yu started lose his friends, He is seen hang out with Naoki about that it feels strained to keep meeting up and do nothing.

On August 16, he and others saw Nanako and helps her to find Yu until they give up unable to find him until they saw "Teddie" rode the bus and that he wasn't sure awhile questioning him that "Normally he's uh, really high -wired." After "Teddie" ran away which leave he and others confused and shocked. Then on August 18 awhile Yosuke keep complain and jealous of Yu dating older women he butt in and reminder him what he said "urgent business"? and he was in the middle of practice. When Nanako told them that that not the same women she saw, he was shocked with guys as well, then he got even more shocked that the older women who though Yu is "dating" has a child.

Then during to save Naoto, Kanji started to have strong attraction to her even though Naoto is female and he even helps to back back to her senses. After Naoto accept to other self, Kanji catch her into his arm.

Battle Quotes

 * C'mere, Take-Mikazuchi! (Enemy weak to attack/Critical with Phys skill)
 * Crush 'em, Rokuten Maoh! (Enemy weak to attack/Critical with Phys skill)
 * Here goes... PERSONA! (Using Persona skill)
 * Crushin' time! (Using Persona skill)
 * Hehe, come on down! (Using Persona skill)
 * Lay down and die already! (Attack doesn't kill enemy)
 * Damn, it ain't going down! (Enemy survives attack)
 * Damn, couldn't finish it! (Enemy survives attack)
 * Out of my sight, punks! (Battle ends)
 * Underestimated me, this is what you get! (Battle ends)
 * Barely a warm-up. (Battle ends)
 * Alright, powered up! (Level up)
 * I'll give as much as I got, dammit. (Recover from Down/Dizzy)
 * Hehe, Persona! (Using Persona skill)
 * Another Level, gotta keep at it! (On Level Up)
 * Just say the word and it's go time! (Requesting All-Out Attack)
 * We can smash 'em all! Let's do it! (Requesting All-Out Attack)
 * Now's our chance for a beatdown! (Requesting All-Out Attack)
 * It's my turn! You gotta let me do this! (Requesting Follow-Up Attack)
 * Yo yo! Let me at 'em! (Requesting Follow-Up Attack)
 * Armed and ready! (After confirming All-Out Attack)
 * Bring it on! (Performing All-Out Attack)
 * I live for this part! (Performing All-Out Attack)
 * Have at it! (Performing All-Out Attack)
 * Suck it! (Performing Critical Attack)
 * C'mon, don't be a killjoy! (After denying All-Out Attack)
 * Yo, mind if I kick a little ass here? (Follow-Up Attack)
 * Hehe, you ready for this? (After confirming Follow-Up Attack)
 * I'll send you to hell! (Performing Follow-Up Attack)
 * Go, Yosuke-senpai! (Cheering on Yosuke)
 * Awesome, Naoto! (Cheering on Naoto)
 * Damn, you messed with the bull, you get the horns! (Recovering from down/dizzy)
 * I got a level, gotta keep at it! (Level up)
 * I ain't gonna fall behind! (After you level up)
 * There you go! (Performing Help Recover)
 * Eat this! (Scoring a Critical Hit)
 * Get Bent! (Scoring a Critical Hit and Follow-Up Attack)
 * Amagi-senpai, seriously cool! (Cheering on Yukiko)
 * Cheers! (being healed)
 * Sorry... (Being Healed)

Trivia

 * When Kanji is forced to cross-dress for the "Miss" Yasogami High Beauty Pageant during the school festival, his 'Kanji-chan' form resembles the famous American actor, singer, and model Marilyn Monroe.
 * Theodore from Persona 3 Portable resembles him. One of Theo's fannames was even "Flight Attendant Kanji".
 * When Kanji is shirtless or in his "Miss" outfit, the skull tattoo on his left shoulder disappears. This may imply that it is in fact a decal, or temporary tattoo that he likes and keeps applying.
 * "Tatsumi" is also the name of one of the major locations in Persona 3, Tatsumi Port Island.
 * The Emperor Arcana often implies that the personality of that person reflects a strong will and a difficulty admit mistakes, so as to defend one's pride. Ironically, in one of the dungeon conversations with Naoto and him in the same room and after clearing one of Kanji's S. Link ranks, Kanji talks about the kid who thanked him for the rabbit doll he gave him, when Naoto hears this she starts using her logic with the conclusion that Kanji made that rabbit doll and gave it to a kid, which of course, Kanji denies, until Naoto stares in silence at him until he admits that she's 100% correct. Impling that Naoto is his weakness to admit something, the same goes for Akihiko Sanada, whose weakness is Mitsuru Kirijo.
 * In the Persona 4: Arena, Kanji's school uniform has a second year insignia in its collar rather than a first year insignia. One of the reason is that the story took place after the original story. This may also be an error because Yosuke's uniform still has the second year insignia (seen on some screenshots) instead of a third year insignia.
 * In the game when Kanji summoned his persona he hits his tarot card with his weapon but in anime he punches it in order to summon his persona.
 * During one of the Emperor social link scenes in the game, Kanji mentions "A pink alligator, like in that storybook", referring to the story Akinari Kamiki completed and gave to the Protagonist at the completion of the Sun Acarna.
 * In Persona 4: Arena, Kanji has color schemes resembling Potemkin from Guilty Gear, Iron Tager from BlazBlue, and Baofu from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.