Shinjiro Aragaki

Shinjiro Aragaki is a character from Persona 3.

Appearances

 * Persona 3 / FES / Portable: Playable Character
 * Persona 3 Portable (F ): Moon Arcana Social Link
 * Persona 3: Owari no Kakera
 * Persona 3 (Manga): Major Character
 * Persona 3 The Movie: Major Character
 * Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Gunjou no Meikyuu- /Final Chapter: Hekikuu no Kanata e (Special Performance)
 * Persona 3 Portable Drama CD Volume 1 / Volume 2
 * Persona 3: Dancing Moon Night: Playable Character (DLC)
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Playable Character
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P3: Major Character
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P4: Supporting CharacterPersona 5: Dancing Star Night
 * Persona 5: Dancing Star Night: Playable Character (DLC)

Design
Shinjiro is the tallest playable character in Persona 3. He has unkempt brown hair, worn perpetually under a beanie, and steel-colored eyes. 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 Chelsea shoes. Persona Suppressors can cause the body to become unable to regulate body temperature, hence why Shinjiro is always wearing a coat and hat.

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 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 a 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.

When he was a child, which was shown in Akihiko's flashback in the manga adaptation, he used to have short hair, his trademark beanie and wore a dark long sleeve shirt.

In the manga adaptation, when he was a student and a member of SEES, he wore the school uniform of Gekkoukan High School except he wore a turtleneck shirt.

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 FES / Portable, the dorm recordings show an event regarding Shinjiro's "other side." He is revealed to love dogs, in particular Koromaru, who 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.

In Persona Q, despite his normally calm and quiet demeanor, it is shown that he easily loses his cool whenever he's with his childhood friend, Akihiko. They often get into fights, usually resulting to childish banters. He is also often dragged into his friend's antics, mostly involving competing over just about anything. During those times, his competitive nature surfaces. He never really admits it, but Shinjiro also apparently hates losing.

The Journey
Shinjiro is Akihiko Sanada'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. Shinjiro was one of the original Persona users who made up SEES, alongside Akihiko and Mitsuru Kirijo. Unfortunately, during one fateful mission two years ago in 2007, his Persona went out of control and accidentally killed an innocent bystander: Ken Amada'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's first in-game appearance is early on, when Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori and the protagonist encounter him at the hospital where Akihiko recovers. He briefly greets the party. He later appears when the same trio decide to investigate a back alley; he saves them from danger by shoving aside petty thugs and urges them to avoid returning to the area. He is met by Akihiko in several scenes, when the two reminisce on their past and how they survived a fire at an orphanage that killed Miki, Akihiko's sister.

Eventually, as the threat of the Shadows increase, Akihiko convinces Shinjiro to join SEES. 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).



On October 4th, 2009, Shinjiro meets Ken at the site where Ken's mother was killed, during the October full moon mission. Two years ago, Shinjiro accidentally caused the death of Ken's mother when his Persona went berserk while on a SEES mission. For this reason, Shinjiro distanced himself from SEES and began taking Persona Suppressors, consumed by guilt. Ken only saw him as a murderer, though, and had only ever joined SEES for the sole reason of getting revenge and killing him in return. Shinjiro had no intention of resisting Ken's attempt to enact vengeance, but he warns Ken that if he continues, he could end up just like him.



The two are interrupted by Takaya Sakaki 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. Just before he dies, he tells Ken to make his life matter and tells Akihiko to take care of Ken. With his last strength, Shinjiro stands up and takes a few steps away from SEES, telling them "This is how it should be." and collapses on the floor. This final sacrifice earns Ken's respect and inspires Akihiko's resolve.

Gekkoukan High School has a brief memorial for his sudden death. Akihiko visits it and expresses deep remorse for being unable to protect Shinjiro; in doing so, he obtains the desire to use his strength to protect others, evolving his Persona. 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 beyond the grave cheering him on along with the voices of the living SEES members, saying "Alright, let's do this."

FES
In FES, a hidden camera reveals that Shinjiro enjoys cooking shows. Shinjiro is also fond of 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.

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 7 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 imminent 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 October Full Moon Event, Shinjiro will survive the fatal gunshot from Takaya. 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 4, 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, but also knew 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 met her.

Portable Drama CD
Shinjiro was first mentioned when the girls (Aigis, Mitsuru, FeMC/leader, Fuuka, Yukari, Yuko and Rio) had a conversation 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 too 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.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Shinjiro is a playable character in Persona Q, and is readily available from the start if the P3 Route is picked. He will only be playable in the P4 Route after finishing the first dungeon.

His relationship with Akihiko is further expanded through their interactions in the labyrinths and strolls. The two share a deep bond of friendship, often expressed through endless banters even over the most childish things. Shinjiro never really admits it, but he hates losing, so whenever Akihiko challenges him, he doesn't back down.

After the two heroes complete the request, The Power of the Wild Card, Margaret explains to everyone how their Personas can now evolve and attain new power. Koromaru and Shinjiro stick around after everyone else is dismissed, and ask if it is possible for them to keep their personas, rather than attaining new ones. Koromaru explains, through Aigis, that he does not want his persona to change so that he can never forget his most important failure; Shinjiro states that his reasons are similar to Koromaru's, that he does not want to forget what he has done, and so that "he* doesn't lose his way." Margaret tells them that it should be possible for their personas to remain the same if they focus on keeping things the same when they start to attain new power.

Shinjiro's co-op attack hits all enemies in the front row.

Persona 3

 * "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/she think he/she 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)
 * “Now that's one hell of a mutt.” (When Koromaru successfully does a Critical attack/Strikes a weakness.)
 * "Nice." (Cheering on protagonist)
 * “Good job, Aigis.” (Cheering on Aigis)
 * "Come on, finish it." (One more)
 * "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 won)
 * "Adios, asshole." (Battle won)
 * "Tch, how the hell did I get myself into this?" (Battle won with low HP)
 * "Don't mock me." (Scoring a Critical Hit)
 * "Bring it." (Scoring a Critical 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)
 * "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 is 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 an option." (Enemy resistant to Light)
 * "Resistance to Darkness, huh?" (Enemy resistant to Darkness)
 * "You must be kidding! Almighty attacks won't work!" (Enemy resistant to Almighty)
 * "Alright, let's do this." (Final Nyx battle)

Trivia

 * After Shinjiro's death, Akihiko has a new battle quote: "Did you see that, Shinji?!"
 * The song One Hand, One Heartbeat could be seen as a dedication to Shinjiro. It plays during his school funeral.
 * According to an answer to a fan question in the Persona talk-show, Persona Stalker Club, Shinjiro wears his coat and hat all the time because the Persona Suppressors made it so his body was unable to regulate his body temperature.
 * 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 4, 2009 was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the day when the moon appears biggest in the year.
 * In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Ken Amada has a color variation which is based on Shinjiro's clothes.
 * If any particularly valuable equipment was loaned to Shinjiro, it may be reclaimed by checking a box of Shinjiro's effects in his room.
 * According to Akihiko, Shinjiro has a strong right hook.
 * Shinji's subplot and eventual death are foreshadowed by his and Akihiko's personas: Castor and Polydeuces. In mythology, Castor and Polydeuces are twins but have different fathers. While Polydeuces' father was Zeus, a god, Castor's father was a mortal, thus rendering Castor himself mortal. When Castor inevitably dies, Polydeuces shares his immortality with him, creating the Gemini Constellation.