Akihiko Sanada

Akihiko Sanada is a recurring character in Persona 3 related titles.

Appearances

 * Persona 3: Playable Character
 * Persona 3: FES: Playable Character
 * Persona 3 Portable: Playable Character, Social Link (Female MC Only)
 * Persona 3 Manga: Member of S.E.E.S.
 * Persona -trinity soul-: Ayanagi Police Chief

Design
Akihiko has short silver hair, grey eyes, and skin of pale complexion. His boyfriend is Niz. He wears a slightly modified school uniform of the Gekkoukan High School, where he replaces the standard jacket with a red sweater vest. Additionally, he wears black leather gloves. His standard summer outfit consists of a red v-neck t-shirt and white pants, while he is seen wearing a white jacket and a red scarf, as well as white pants on winter days. He is never seen without his gloves except the beach during summer vacation and brief school field trip in kyoto.

During his flashback scene in Persona 3 FES which takes place an unspecified amount of time before the beginning of Persona 3, a much younger Akihiko is depicted, having softer facial features and a band-aid around his nose. He wears a red shirt under his white chemise and black pants.

In the non-canon Persona -Trinity Soul- anime, taking place 10 years after the events of Persona 3, Akihiko is now an adult and considerably more mature. His skin is slightly tanned and he doesn't wear the band-aid above his left eye anymore. Akihiko is seen wearing a black suit-like outfit together with a yellow collar shirt.

Personality
A cool and well-respected upperclassman, Akihiko is serious and determined. He never gives up and always tries to get stronger in order to protect what is dear to him and feels guilty for not being able to save his sister Miki from the fire. He acts like an older brother for the younger S.E.E.S. members and especially in Persona 3 Portable if the player chooses to play as the female protagonist. Akihiko is on good terms with Shinjiro and keeps in touch with him even after he defects from S.E.E.S., and cares a lot for him as shown when Akikiko finds out about the drugs Shinjiro uses in order to prevent his Persona from going berserk. This part of Akihiko's personality is demonstrated once again after Shinjiro gets killed (or falls in a coma, in case the player manages to max Shinjiro's Social Link before his demise in female protagonist's storyline in the portable version), as he is seen griefing for his death or desperately begging Shinjiro to wake up, respectively. Throughout the story, it is hinted that Akihiko may be in love with Mitsuru because he once mentions whether his Persona being vulnerable to Mitsuru's Persona's abilities (referencing her Marin Karin spell and ice abilities) is supposed to mean anything. He also showed a hint of jealousy towards Ryoji when Yukari told him that he had asked Mitsuru out on a date, and showed great concern for Mitsuru during the time of her father's death when saying: "Mitsuru is a very strong person inside, but it's as if she just got her insides ripped out. I hope she's alright." and "Mitsuru will be gone for a while longer. Leaving her be is the best thing right now, huh… I wish there was something more I could do." as well as "We're going to Tartarus, huh? She may not be worried but that doesn't mean I'm not worried."

Persona 3

 * Age: 17(18)
 * Date of Birth: September 22nd, 1991
 * Zodiac: Virgo
 * Height: 175.5 cm (5'8.5")
 * Blood Type: A
 * Initial Persona: Polydeuces
 * Ultimate Persona: Caesar
 * Weapons: Gloves & Knuckles
 * Arcana/Social Link: Emperor/Star (P3P Female MC Only)

Akihiko Sanada is the captain of the Gekkoukan High School boxing team and, along with Mitsuru Kirijo and Shinjiro Aragaki, one of the original member of S.E.E.S.. He and Shinjiro grew up in an orphanage together with Akihiko's little sister, Miki, who died in a fire that destroyed the orphanage. Devastated by her death and feeling powerless that he could not save her, Akihiko vowed to become stronger. He took up boxing so he could learn how to fight, becoming a champion student boxer in the process.

Shinjiro and Akihiko remained friends after Miki's death. However, an incident occurred during an early S.E.E.S. mission which put a strain on Akihiko and Shinjiro's relationship. Shinjiro's persona went berserk while combating a shadow, killing an innocent bystander (Ken Amada's mother) in the process. Feeling guilty, Shinjiro immediately left S.E.E.S.. Akihiko used the incident as a springboard to focus even more on his strength and fighting the shadows. He began to criticize his friend for retreating when others needed his help. Throughout the game, Akihiko repeatedly tries to talk Shinjiro into joining S.E.E.S. again. When Ken Amada joins the party, Akihiko, along with the protagonist, forces Shinjiro to join.

During the events of the Strength and Fortune full moon battles, Akihiko is unsettled and distracted by the absence of Ken and Shinjiro. He later realizes the date: October 4th, the day Shinjiro's persona killed Ken's mother. He leaves the others in search of Ken and Shinjiro, finding them both behind Port Island Station along with Strega member Takaya Sakaki, who has interrupted Shinjiro and Ken's conversation and intends to kill them both. He has already shot Shinjiro and was aiming to shoot Ken; but Shinjiro stops Takaya from killing Ken by taking another bullet despite knowing that Ken has made a vow to kill him to avenge his mother's death. Shinjiro's last words are a request that Akihiko take care of Ken, and that his death is how things should be. Mourning the loss of his friend, Akihiko nonetheless finds himself amazed that Shinjiro could face death so bravely and vows to face difficulty head on. This resolution causes his persona to transform into into Caesar. He is one of the first characters to express his determination to fight Nyx despite knowing she cannot be defeated.

Akihiko is depicted as aloof who is popular among female students, who often follow him around school. He finds this irritating and will sometimes complain to the protagonist about it. He is eager to train and fight, to a fault. Early on in the game, when he is injured due to a fight with one of the twelve full moon shadows, he will repeatedly express interest in fighting despite being unable to. This draws criticism from Mitsuru, who views Akihiko's eagerness to fight as Akihiko treating their work as a game.

The Answer
Akihiko does not originally come to see the closing of the Dorm. He only arrives after Mitsuru calls him over, and he becomes trapped in the dorm with them. During the debate over how to use the keys to the past or the present, Akihiko chooses the present with the support of Ken Amada.
 * Initial Persona: Caesar

A door to Akihiko's past reveals how he was recruited to S.E.E.S. After a boxing match during his years as a middle school student, Mitsuru Kirijo approaches him with a gun (an Evoker) and offers him a new way of fighting.

Persona 3 Portable
Akihiko is a new Social Link if the player pursues the Female Protagonist's route. However, his Social Link is of the Star Arcana instead of the Emperor. The Social Link is initiated by talking to him starting on May 25th with level 4 Charm or higher.

In this Social Link, Akihiko will express his desire to gain strength in order to protect others and concern for the well-being of the protagonist, who at earlier parts of the game he treats as a little sister. As time passes, the player sees Akihiko as not just a "cool upperclassman" that many of the girls in school fawn over, but as a man who cannot cope with the darkness of his past and cannot socialize well with others because of it. He later on grows more anxious towards the Female Protagonist, to the point of asking her if there was any way for her to stop fighting.

The Social Link then freezes until after the events on October 4, where Akihiko admits that his treatment of the Female Protagonist, that is similar to the treatment of his deceased sister Miki, would be considered as opening up and sharing the burden with her. Thus his resolution to stop the Dark Hour now serves a different purpose: to protect the people he loves and cherishes, including the Female Protagonist.

At the end of the social link, Akihiko gives the player a rabbit doll (stating that the doll is reminiscent of her and of his memories of a happier Miki) and finally comes to terms with his own past, at last looking forward to creating a better future. The rabbit doll grants the ability to fuse Helel, the lightbringer.

It is possible for the player to have a romantic relationship with him, though the player has to choose special dialogue choices that are scattered throughout certain ranks of his Social Link. If the player chooses all of the correct dialogue and has accepted the offer to be Akihiko's "girl" at Rank 9, the Lovers Route for this Arcana will be triggered.

Persona -trinity soul-
Ten years after the events of Persona 3, Akihiko serves as an informant to Ryou Kanzato. Ryou is often seen talking to Akihiko about persona users and the Reverse cases on a cellphone. After Ryou disappears, Akihiko takes over as police chief. He reveals that he, Touru Inui, and Ryou Kanzato were part of some society that strives to not only cover up Persona phenomenon, but to prevent it from happening. Now an adult, Akihiko is no longer able to summon his Persona, Polydeuces (or Caesar more likely). Akihiko gathers Shin Kanzato, Megumi Kayano, and Takuro Sakakiba to help him fight Marebito.

Battle Quotes

 * Polydeuces! (Summoning persona: Polydeuces)
 * Caesar! (Summoning persona: Caesar)
 * That's how it's done! (Summoning Persona for the first time)
 * Did you see that, Shinji? (After the events with Shinjiro)
 * I've been waiting for this. (Prompting All-Out Attack)
 * Okay--NOW! (During AOA)
 * Well, I guess that's one way to go. (After denying All-Out attack)
 * Damn, I couldn't finish it off. (The foe survives from an attack)
 * I can't lose to an underclassman. (While summoning Polydeuces)
 * I'm fighting for him as well. (While summoning Caesar)
 * Don't overdo it. (Healing an ally)
 * Nice timing! (Being healed by an ally)
 * Amazing as always! (After Mitsuru hits a weak/critical spot)
 * You're pretty good too Takeba! (After Yukari hits a weak/critical spot)
 * You really are smart! (After Koromaru hits a weak/critical spot)
 * Good job! (After anyone hits a weak/critical spot)
 * Ok, everything's going according to plan. (Battle Won: Polydeuces)
 * We did it. (Battle Won: Polydueces)
 * I've regained my honor. (Recovering from knockdown)
 * Finish... it...(When Instantly knocked out by weakness)
 * Man, that's one hell of a foe... (Attack misses)
 * How did he dodge that...? (Attack misses)
 * Damn you! (Landed a critical hit, Persona: Caesar)
 * K.O! (Landed a critical hit, Persona: Caesar)
 * And...! (Getting One More)
 * Say your prayers! (Landed a critical hit, Persona: Caesar)
 * Don't worry. I can still keep going. (Battle won. Low at HP)
 * I won't hold back! (Summoning Persona: Caesar in The Answer when fighting 2-on-2)
 * My skills have improved. (Level up)
 * Let me pitch in! (Requesting Co-op Attack)
 * Tch, Slash attacks aren't working. (Enemy resistant to Slash)
 * Strikes are useless agaisnt it. (Enemy resistant to Strike)
 * Tch, Pierce attacks aren't effective! (Enemy resistant to Pierce)
 * It's resistant to Fire. (Enemy resistant to Fire)
 * Ice is useless, huh? (Enemy resistant to Ice)
 * Wind isn't working? (Enemy resistant to Wind)
 * Electricity doesn't seem to work on it. (Enemy resistant to Electricity)
 * It's resistant to Light. (Enemy resistant to Light)
 * Darkness wont work!? (Enemy resistant to Darkness)
 * Don't tell me it's resistant to Almighty attacks?! (Enemy resistant to Almighty)
 * Don't give up! We have to believe in him/her! (Final Nyx battle)

Trivia

 * Akihiko's Persona, Polydeuces, is a something of a giveaway towards his connection with Shinjiro if looked at in small depth. Polydeuces - other than being a celestial body - is another name for Pollux, who is one of the Gemini Twins with the other being Castor, the latter of whom is the Persona for Shinjiro. Both of whom (Personas) share a similar physical stature, facial build, and focus on sheer strength.
 * Akihiko is left-handed, thus his fighting style represents a southpaw stance, but when using gloves the Protagonist uses an orthodox style.
 * Akihiko has a band-aid in his left eye, just like the protagonist of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, although his is in the right eye.
 * The Shirt of Chivalry, a type of costume for males in FES and P3P, is noted for the Kanji symbols on their back that symbolizes the character. Akihiko's kanji means "Fight", a very fitting sign for his character.