Shinjiro Aragaki

Shinjiro Aragaki is a character from Persona 3.

Appearances

 * Persona 3: Playable Character
 * Persona 3 (Manga)
 * Persona 3 FES: Playable Character, mentioned by Akihiko in The Answer
 * Persona 3 Portable: Playable Character, Social Link: Moon (female route only)
 * Persona 3 Portable Drama CD
 * Persona 4 Arena: Mentioned by Akihiko

Design
Shinjiro is notable for his towering height, as he is the tallest playable character in the game. He also has unkempt brown hair, worn perpetually under a beanie, and steel-colored eyes. Interestingly, he is somewhat warmly complected, a change from the generally pale cast. (There is occasionally some discrepancy with his color scheme in anime cutscenes on the console versions of the game, especially regarding his skin tone.) His clothing is relatively simple, consisting mainly of a maroon peacoat, black pants, and brown shoes.

As seen in his dialogue portraits, Shinjiro typically has a "shifty" look about him. He often has his hands in his pockets and his head held low, eyes cast off to the side. In the most recent incarnation of the game, Persona 3 Portable, Shinjiro has extra portraits, including an elusive smiling face. In his battle animations, he assumes a more confident and straightforward pose with his weapon: an axe.

Also in Persona 3 Portable, he has an interesting costume that allows the player to see another side of him: the butler uniform. When wearing this armor he shows his full head of hair, as it is the only time that the player can see him remove his beanie.

Personality
A reliable and serious character whose cold exterior masks his weaker, gentler self. Shinjiro's difficult past weighs him down, causing him to constantly push others away with a tough-guy act. Various parts of his personality are revealed in the different versions of Persona 3, and he is (like most other male characters) difficult to know when playing the Male Protagonist's route.

In Persona 3 FES / Portable, the dorm recordings show an event regarding Shinjiro's "other side." He is revealed to love dogs, in particular Koromaru whom he spoils; in the same scene, he is shown to be an avid cook that enjoys learning from cooking shows.

In Persona 3 Portable, via the female protagonist's Moon Social Link, the player is able to see the most of Shinjiro. Progressively, he is revealed to be a kind and caring person, always worrying after the other members of SEES. He takes great pleasure in being able to help his friends (though he might not admit he even enjoys their company), and he doesn't want to see them make the same mistakes he might have made in the past.

Persona 3
Shinjiro is Akihiko’s childhood friend and was an orphan at the same orphanage. He is a Senior in Gekkoukan High School, although he doesn't attend class often. In battle, Shinjiro relies on his brute strength and wields a heavy axe. His Persona uses physical attacks (as one can determine during play, the connection he has with Akihiko even manifests in his Persona - Castor, the twin brother of Polydeuces/Pollux of the Gemini - both in this game focus on a heavy physical offensive).

Tough-talking, foul-mouthed Shinjiro was one of the original Persona users who made up SEES, alongside Akihiko and Mitsuru. But during one fateful mission his Persona went out of control and accidentally killed an innocent bystander: Ken’s mother. Shinjiro forced himself away from the group after the incident. He began skipping school and living as an outcast. He also started doing shady deals with Strega in order to get suppressants that could help control his Persona.

Shinjiro and Akihiko have stayed in touch over the years, but Shinjiro refuses Akihiko's invitations to rejoin SEES until he learns that Ken has decided to join their group. He is fully aware of Ken's vendetta and is ready to take responsibility for his actions. Though he puts on a brave front, the guilt of having killed an innocent woman ate away at him.

Shinjiro meets Ken at the site where Ken's mother was killed, during the October full moon mission. He had no intention of resisting to Ken's attempt to extract revenge, but he warns Ken that if he continues, he could end up just like him. The two are interrupted by Takaya while Ken struggles to go through with his plan. Takaya takes a shot at Ken and Shinjiro jumps in front of the bullet, taking his own life. This final sacrifice earns Ken's respect and inspires Akihiko's resolve. Later the members of SEES discover that the drugs Shinjiro was taking were slowly killing him.

During the final confrontation with Nyx, the protagonist hears Shinjiro's voice cheering him on along with the voices of the living SEES members.

The Journey
In Persona FES, a hidden camera reveals that Shinjiro enjoys cooking shows. Shinjiro also has a love for dogs, especially Koromaru. In The Answer, it is also learned that Shinjiro joined SEES because Akihiko did. He arrived at the dorm and refused to leave soon after Akihiko moved there. Akihiko did not want Shinjiro to join, for he was afraid that he may not be able to control his Persona.

Persona 3 Portable
Shinjiro represents the Moon Arcana Social Link for the Female Protagonist route, and expands his and Akihiko's character past their subplot. It is available through the month of September starting September 7th on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. He shows a more caring side to him that concerns for SEES, and grows to trust the protagonist as a leader, while alluding to her of his eminent demise. At Level 9 of his Social Link, Shinjiro will mention that he lost his pocket watch. The player may find and obtain Shinjiro's pocket watch at the police station by talking to Officer Kurosawa and if given to Shinjiro during the Max Social Link event before the the October Full Moon Event, Shinjiro will survive the fatal gunshot from Takaya (Most likely because the pocket-watch was around his neck, so it could've taken the bullet). He will be admitted into the Tatsumi Hospital and will not be able to rejoin the party due to being in a coma. Although, a leather watch will be given to the protagonist if the player gives Shinjiro the watch and maxes out his Social Link before the October Full Moon Event. The Leather Watch given by Shinjiro bestows the Ultimate Moon Persona, Sandalphon.

It is possible to have an extra scene with him if the S.Link is maxed before October 4th, in which the female protagonist can attempt to spend more time with him and possibly start a romantic relationship with him. By confessing her feelings for him and dismissing his attempts to desist her from pursuing him by selecting certain choices, he will finally admit to have loved her also, but knowing it would be a grave mistake for them to be together on her behalf.

During the final days of the game, a student in her classroom tells the protagonist of his discharge from the hospital, stating that the pocket watch absorbed one of the bullets.

During the final scene in the game on a New Cycle, the protagonist can choose to spend her last moments with Shinjiro if she accomplishes the above event, with him stating that he is glad that he had met her.

Persona 3 Drama CD
Shinjiro was first mentioned when the girls (Aigis, Mitsuru, FeMC/leader, Fuuka, Yukari, Yuko and Rio) had a conversion on mature guys. They mentioned that they can't seem to think of any mature guys that they know of aside from Ken, who was apparently, just a kid. Suddenly, one of them brought up Shinjiro and how he saved the 'leader', Yukari and Junpei in Port Island. It was also mentioned that he also saved other students who almost got into trouble because they got drunk.

After some time, the girls began to complain about their aching feet thanks to the geta they were wearing. They headed for the shrine to have some rest and also, to patch up their feet with the bandages which Fuuka brought. The 'leader' began to complain about her geta being to tight, so Aigis tried to loosen it up, but ended up breaking it instead. She apologized, but the 'leader' said it was okay and tried to walk with one geta, but Fuuka told her she might hurt herself, so she asked for the broken one to be passed to her and said she'll just limp anyway.

Suddenly, she screeched which alarmed the other girls, though as it turned out, she just tripped and dropped the broken geta somewhere. The others proposed to help her look for it when Shinjiro suddenly came, holding her missing item. They talk about it for a while when Shinjiro finally proposes to fix it with his handkerchief, which amazed the girls. They ask him what he was doing there and said that he was looking for someone - a dog...

Before leaving, he asks Mitsuru about Akihiko when she asks him if he has anything else he wants to say. Shinjiro answers that Akihiko should eat vegetables to which Mitsuru replies that it's so like Shinjiro to say something like that. After he left, the girls realize that the dog he was looking for might be Koromaru.

Battle Quotes

 * Tch. (Using Persona skill)
 * You ready for this? (Using Persona skill)
 * This is how I do things, got it? (Summoning Persona for first time)
 * Castor! (Enemy weak to attack/Critical with Phys skill)
 * Son of a bitch, I guess I'll have to finish it. (Encounters a Shadow when split up)
 * Heh. Bring it on... (Encounters a Shadow when split up)
 * My next strike will be the last! (Enemy survives attack)
 * Tch. What a tough bastard... (Enemy survives attack)
 * Tch. Who does he think he is? (Given an order from the Tactics menu)
 * Alright, let's kick some ass! (Requesting All-Out Attack)
 * Lets do it! (After confirming All-Out Attack)
 * It's your call. (After denying All-Out Attack)
 * That's one tough mutt. (When Koromaru successfully does a Critical/Weak Against attack.)
 * Nice. (Cheering on Protagonist)
 * Come on, finish it. (One more)
 * Tch! Physical attacks are out. (Enemy blocks attack)
 * Want me to go? (Requesting Co-Op attack)
 * Tch. I don't need your help. (Healing item used on him or healing spell)
 * ....Why now?! (After stumbling from attack)
 * That's that. (Battle ends)
 * Adios, asshole. (Battle ends)
 * Tch, how the hell did I get myself into this? (Battles ends on low HP)
 * Don't mock me. (Scoring a Critical Hit)
 * Bring it. (Scoring a Crtical Hit)
 * Get lost. (Scoring a Critical Hit)
 * Still alive? Good. (Enters battle)
 * Shit... (Faints during battle)
 * ...Alright, I'll keep looking around. (After denying Access Point or Stairs)
 * Cool, I found something rare. (After finding something rare)
 * I found some cash... (After finding money)
 * I got something... (After finding something)
 * Hey, come here. I found someone... (Finding someone who's wandered in Tartarus)
 * This is the way I do things, got it? (Using Persona skill)
 * Slash attacks aren't working! (Enemy resistant to Slash)
 * Tch! Physical attacks are out! (Enemy resistant to Strike)
 * That enemy can't be pierced! (Enemy resistant to Pierce)
 * Fire's useless against it! (Enemy resistant to Fire)
 * Ice isn't working. (Enemy resistant to Ice)
 * Wind isn't working! (Enemy resistant to Wind)
 * Forget about using Electricity! (Enemy resistant to Electricity)
 * Using Light attacks is not a option. (Enemy resistant to Light)
 * Resistance to Darkness, huh? (Enemy resistant to Darkness)
 * You must be kidding! Almighty attacks wont work! (Enemy resistant to Almighty)
 * Alright, let's do this. (Final Nyx battle)
 * Adios, asshole. (After battle)

Trivia

 * The Shirt of Chivalry, a type of costume for males in FES and P3P, is noted for the kanji symbols on their backs that symbolizes the character. Shinjiro's sign on his back is Kanji for "life" or "fate" (命), a play on irony with his subplot.
 * When an enemy dodges his normal attack he will fall without following through with the attack.
 * During the Social Link rank 10 Event, Shinjiro is surprised that the female protagonist is the one to return his pocketwatch. While overlooked in western culture, objects such as clocks are something of taboo in Asian cultures. The word for 'clock' also sounds like 'end' or 'death', referring to Shinjiro's near-death experience on October 4th.
 * October 4th, 2009 was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the day when the moon appears biggest in the year.