| Akihiko Sanada | Gallery | Quotes | Social Link | Party |
"I was too obsessed with power. Ever since I lost Miki, that's all I've cared about. I thought that if I was strong enough, I could protect anyone. But I was wrong... And now you're gone too... I'm such an idiot. In battle, there's always a chance of dying... I knew that! But I was so focused on fighting that I didn't notice anything else! It didn't matter how tough I was! Look what happened!"
Akihiko Sanada is one of the playable characters in Persona 3. He is a student at Gekkoukan High School and a member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.
Quick Answers
What is the significance of Akihiko's social link in Persona 3?
How does Akihiko's character develop in Persona 3 Reload?
Can you romance Akihiko Sanada in Persona 3?
Appearances[]
- Persona 3 / FES / Portable / Reload: Playable Character
- Persona 3 Portable (F): Star Social Link
- Persona 3 Em: Star Social Link
- Persona 3 (Manga): Major Character
- Persona 3: Owari no Kakera
- Persona 3 The Movie: Major Character
- Persona 3 Comic Anthology: Memento Mori: Major Character
- Persona 3 Portable Dear Girls Comic Anthology: Major Character
- Persona 3 Portable Dengeki Comic Anthology: Major Character
- Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Ao no Kakusei- / -Gunjou no Meikyuu- / -Souen no Kesshou-/Chapter 4: Ai no Seiyaku/Final Chapter: Hekikuu no Kanata e
- Persona 3 Lunation the Act
- Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight: Playable Character
- Persona 4 Arena: Playable Character/Protagonist (Akihiko Story Route)
- Persona 4 Arena Ultimax: Playable Character/Navigator
- 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 Character
- Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Playable Character
- Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: DLC partner
- Persona -trinity soul-: Supporting Character
- Persona 5: The Phantom X: Side/Playable Character
Design[]
Persona 3/FES/Portable[]
Akihiko has short silver hair, gray eyes (hazel-brown in Persona 3 The Movie), and wears a small white bandage above his left eye.
He wears a slightly modified version of the usual Gekkoukan High School school uniform, where he replaces its standard jacket with a red sweater vest, opting to carry the jacket over his shoulder instead. Similar to other students, his dress shirt underneath alternates between long-sleeved for winter, and short-sleeved for summer. Additionally, he wears the usual black necktie and black gloves. He is only seen without his gloves in his standard summer outfit, but is also without them while wearing his bathing suit in Yakushima and briefly during the school field trip to Kyoto.
In Persona 3 The Movie, he wears gloves that expose the back of his hands. This new design of gloves is kept onward, being seen in both Dancing in Moonlight and Reload.
His standard summer outfit consists of a red V-neck T-shirt and white pants.
His winter outfit is a white jacket and a red scarf and white pants.
During his flashback scene in The Answer, which occurs sometime before the beginning of Persona 3, a much younger Akihiko is depicted having softer facial features and a bandage around his nose. He wears a red shirt under his white button up shirt and black pants.
Reload[]
After the third full moon operation, he is given new battle gear. Alongside the standard SEES shoulder guard, numbered "1" in Akihiko's case, his equipment consists of fingerless gloves, a white belt-bag on his back, and a black harness that loops over his shoulders. His Evoker holster has moved from his belt to underneath his right arm. He also rolls up his sleeves to elbow length.
While cooking, his attire consists of a white v-neck shirt with dark red apron, and brown pants.
Dancing in Moonlight[]
In Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, he wears his standard black slacks and a slightly different white dress shirt with red buttons. He wears a red zip-up hoodie in place of his usual sweater vest over top. He additionally wears red-and-black sneakers, and black headphones around his neck.
-trinity soul-[]
In the parallel universe anime spin-off Persona -trinity soul-, an older and more mature Akihiko is seen with slightly tanned skin and doesn't wear the band-aid above his left eye. He is seen wearing a black suit with a light brown collar shirt, red tie and black gloves.
Persona 4 Arena[]
In Persona 4 Arena, a 20 year-old Akihiko is seen. He has another band-aid on his right cheek, a cross-shaped scar in his hair on the left side of his head, and chin stubble. He wears brown pants, and the left thigh of his pants is bandaged, while the right has several tears on it. He wears reddish brown mixed-martial arts gloves and a matching cape. He does not wear a shirt, and he seems to have been injured by a huge animal, as he has three scars on his chest, and a few scars on his arms as well. In addition, he carries a machete, a bottle of water, large knife and an Evoker with him.
In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, his casual attire is a light gray suit with a black collar shirt.
Personality[]
"Heh, I won... I talked to her longer than you did."
A cool and well-respected upperclassman, Akihiko is serious and determined, while also cracking small jokes on occasion. Of all the members of the group, he is the most prone to sarcasm; one instance being if the protagonist talks to him while he and Junpei are taking a break from studying for first semester midterms, where he will state that Junpei isn't studying for his exams as Mitsuru told everyone to go back to their routines. He tends to show excitement for a big challenge, something that eventually rubs off on Junpei. He is eager to train and fight, often to a fault. Early on in the game, while injured due to the Magician full moon Shadow, he will repeatedly express interest in fighting despite being unable to. This draws criticism from Mitsuru, who views Akihiko's eagerness to fight as if he treats their work as a game. At one point, Yukari even accuses him of caring more about having a good fight than doing the right thing. Akihiko is shown to have noble intentions though, not caring about being acknowledged for S.E.E.S.' efforts and chastising Junpei for expecting praise for fighting to save the world. It is later mentioned in a dorm dialogue that he and Shinjiro's goal when they first joined S.E.E.S. had always been to eliminate the Dark Hour. Akihiko is a kind and principled young man who will go out of his way to help someone, being willing to take on additional risk to save Fuuka from Tartarus despite having never met her before, even after Junpei and Yukari pointed out that she had been there for ten days and had most likely not survived.
Akihiko also has an aggressive side, which he usually demonstrates when dealing with Shadows. He never gives up and always tries to get stronger in order to protect what is dear to him. Akihiko's guilt as his driving motivator is alluded to early on, telling his juniors that he knows what it's like to feel powerless and that he never wants to feel that way again. It is later clarified that Akihiko blames himself for not being able to save his younger sister, Miki, from the fire that claimed her life. Seeing himself as too weak, his feelings of ineptitude and fear of loss culminated in an obsession with attaining strength, though this often results in him overworking himself. Akihiko is also shown to be very smart, if not quite on Mitsuru's level, as he is consistently shown to score good grades and often picks up on things that Mitsuru misses, like giant Shadows appearing during the full moon and how Fuuka disappeared. He even tells the protagonist that a strong mind is just as important as a strong body. He is also very competitive; despite not being particularly interested in picking up girls, he willingly goes along with Operation: Babe Hunt once challenged, treating it like a match and even getting disappointed when they have no luck. Afterwards, it takes six months for Junpei to get him to admit defeat, after which he takes most of the group out for ramen.
He acts like a protective older brother for the younger S.E.E.S. members, especially in Persona 3 Portable if the player chooses to play as the female protagonist, where Akihiko is shown to care a lot about her. As elaborated on in Persona 3: Official Design Works, Akihiko cares greatly about his image and wishes to present himself as a reliable role model. Akihiko is on good terms with his childhood best friend Shinjiro and keeps in touch with him even after the latter quit S.E.E.S.. He cares a lot for him, something made especially clear when Akihiko finds out about the dangerous drugs Shinjiro takes in order to prevent his Persona from going berserk. However, their conversations are not always civil, as the majority of Akihiko's interactions with Shinjiro throughout the game are in an attempt to try and convince him to come back to S.E.E.S.. Akihiko shows himself to be occasionally hypocritical, telling Shinjiro in one instance that he can't keep dwelling on the past, of which prompts Shinjiro to remind him that he isn't any different as he can't let go of his guilt over not being able to save his sister's life - the inciting incident that spawned Akihiko's entire reason for fighting. Indeed, much like Junpei, Akihiko views S.E.E.S.'s activities as a form of escapism from his normal life, and he occasionally questions whether he really wants the Dark Hour gone.
While generally caring and straightforward, Akihiko can be quite abrasive at times, such as when he pretty much forces Shinjiro to come back to S.E.E.S. by leveraging Ken's status as a newly-joined member. He also expresses deep distrust and hostility towards Metis in the early parts of The Answer, even more so than the rest of the party, as he fully expects her to turn on them again at any time and even suspects her of having an ulterior motive for protecting Aigis. He can be blunt and isn't above making a harsh comment to someone, even to a friend, a trait he shares with the similarly-aloof Mitsuru. However, Akihiko is also shown to be scared of Mitsuru, and greatly dreads being on the receiving end of one of her "executions."
Akihiko ignoring his fangirls.
Akihiko is generally more socially awkward and oblivious than the other SEES members, failing to recognize the uneasy tension between Yukari and Mitsuru preceding the Emperor and Empress full moon battle and not understanding the reactions to his choice of a speedo for his swimsuit during the group's trip to Yakushima. Though things often fly over his head, Akihiko is also easily flustered by petty insults, teasing, as well as compliments, with Yukari later remarking that he is "awkward in social situations." According to one Tartarus dialogue between he, Mitsuru, and Shinjiro, Akihiko has always been easily worked up, and would often get excited and run off alone during the early days of S.E.E.S.
Akihiko is sometimes depicted as stiff and unapproachable, displaying a complete disregard for his fanbase of female students who follow him around. He finds this irritating and will sometimes complain to the protagonist about it, saying they talk so much that they give him a headache. Akihiko is revealed during Operation: Babe Hunt to be extremely shy and awkward when approaching girls. His romantic illiteracy is especially prevalent in his Social Link in the female protagonist route, with one instance stating that "he seems to be completely incapable of recognizing female emotions." Upset at Junpei's victory over him during Operation: Babe Hunt, his console recording later in the game depicts him in his bedroom reading about how to talk to girls, trying (and failing) to rehearse a conversation without getting irritated at his own awkward delivery. Despite being shy and awkward around girls, he does grow to love the female protagonist, and becomes more comfortable around her.
According to Shinjiro, Akihiko is actually quite the crybaby. Whenever Shinjiro did something wrong when they were kids, even with good intentions (such as stealing a doll so that Miki could have a toy of her own), Akihiko would attack him while crying the entire time. He hides how sensitive he is by responding logically to everything, which leads to his severe bluntness at times. Around Shinjiro, Akihiko also shows a childish side to him, such as getting more excited than Junpei at the prospect of eating Shinjiro's cooking for the first time. Despite repeatedly verbalizing an admiration for Shinjiro's strength, Akihiko also fights with Shinjiro (sometimes physically) over trivial things, which Mitsuru often has to break up.
After Shinjiro's death, Akihiko is reminded of the pain of loss and the feeling of powerlessness, just like he had experienced with the death of his sister. At Shinjiro's memorial, he admits that he was a fool to believe that he could protect anyone if he was strong enough and laments how power became that all he cared about after Miki's death. Contrasting with the way he viewed fighting Shadows as a game early on in the story, Akihiko recognizes that he knew the risks of battle but was blinded by his own guilt and obsession, resulting in watching yet another of his loved ones dying. While recovering from an emotional breakdown, Akihiko realizes that he can't keep blaming himself and decides to move towards the future, a renewed determination that triggers the evolution of his Persona. This resolution allows him to help lift Ken from his own state of despair after Shinjiro's passing. Both become closer as a result of this event, and learn to accept the loss of the people they loved, though Akihiko occasionally remarks about his deceased friend, contemplating what Shinjiro would do in the face of the challenges Akihiko finds himself facing. While initially conflicted when Akihiko learns about The Fall, he ultimately decides to try and defeat Nyx, even admitting to Ryoji Mochizuki that he doesn't care if it's impossible.
In The Answer, during the debate over what to do with the keys, Akihiko is in favor of the most logical choice; having long accepted that the dead are never coming back, he claims that the group have to live with the protagonist's death and accept the present. He believes that the protagonist died because he used all his power to protect everyone, and by tampering with the past, it would be disrespectful to his sacrifice. When Yukari expresses interest in going back to the past, Akihiko criticizes her for not having the strength to face reality, going so far as to say that even if there was a way to undo Shinjiro and Miki's death, he'd flat-out refuse. He believes firmly that nothing in the past was a waste, since all of it made the group who they are now. However, he admits to understanding Yukari's grief, saying it's a natural feeling for anyone, but nevertheless believes that if they saved the protagonist, they would be benefiting themselves rather than him. Above all, he knows what drastic consequences messing with the past can have, and believes it's simply too big of a risk to take. After the group defeats Erebus, however, he admits that he feels better now that he knows for certain what happened, saying it's like the "blinders have been removed."
Profile[]
Persona 3[]
The Journey[]
Akihiko Sanada is the captain of the Gekkoukan High School boxing team and, along with Mitsuru Kirijo and Shinjiro Aragaki, one of the original members 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, with Shinjiro and him both joining S.E.E.S. in their early teenage years. 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 SEES. 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, with the aid of 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 he states that his death is how things should be.
Akihiko mourning Shinjiro at his memorial in the school auditorium.
Akihiko, still in denial, hasn't attended Shinjiro's funeral: instead, he would visit him later alone, trying to escape the changes in his life, and even go so far as to converse with him as though he were alive: the Shinjiro in his mind would point out his stubbornness, getting Akihiko to realize his obsession with power.
The same Shinjiro would encourage Akihiko to continue living and fight for the future. Having faced the past and the future, the resolution causes his Persona to evolve into Caesar. He is one of the first to express his determination to fight Nyx, despite knowing she cannot be defeated.
Akihiko remains loyal to the protagonist and S.E.E.S. until the end of Nyx's defeat. When the protagonist confronts Nyx's true form Death, Ken's voice is the first heard, worrying that there's nothing they can do. Akihiko's voice is then heard consoling Ken and SEES, saying that they can't give up and they must believe in him. On Graduation Day, Akihiko remembers the promise SEES made and runs to him on the roof.
Portable[]
"You mean a lot to me... I love you."
- Main article: Social Link/Akihiko Sanada
Akihiko is a new Social Link if the player pursues the female protagonist's route, representing the Star Arcana. The Social Link is initiated by talking to him starting on May 25 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 4th, 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 her 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.
Maxing out his social link on a New Game+ as the female character will allow him to spend time with the female protagonist during the final cutscene on the roof, mentioning how he remembers falling in love with her.
"And starting now... we'll never be apart."
Reload[]
"For a long time, all I cared about was having the power to protect others. And I thought being hard on myself and competing with others was the only way I was gonna do that… But now, there are others who fight alongside me. So I have people who I want to protect, but at the same time, I want them to be there fighting with me… In the end, it's because I have all of you that I feel like I can become even stronger."
- Main article: Linked Episode
Akihiko represents one of the Linked Episodes to compensate his absence as a Social Link representative from the previous games for the male protagonist. He is found at Iwatodai Station at night starting on May 29th after receiving a text invitation from him.
His new Linked Episodes mainly consist on him learning how to appreciate his friends around him. A recurring arc for his Linked Episodes are him trying to invite the protagonist to get some food only to be bothered by a bunch of tough guys who would often chase him around after helping a group of female students.
The protagonist also would come to help Akihiko learn what he could be doing in the future after he eventually graduates from school, with Akihiko possibly becoming a police officer and to travel around the world. Completing his Linked Episode will make him give the protagonist his Hand Wraps which would unlock the fusion of Horus.
Akihiko would also make recurring appearances in Shinjiro's Linked Episodes, mostly focusing on his middle school life with Mitsuru and Shinjiro after the foundation of S.E.E.S. as they adventured Tartarus.
The Answer[]
Akihiko meets Mitsuru in a flashback.
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.
At the end of Caina, 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 junior high student. Mitsuru Kirijo approached him, revealing that she knew he was experiencing "something" each midnight and she was in the same situation, except she knew more about it. Mitsuru then presented him with an Evoker and offered him a new way of fighting. In the dorm after the flashback ends, Akihiko states that Shinjiro had joined right after, albeit without being offered, instead forcing his way into the dorm and joining for Akihiko's sake.
Persona 3 FES The Answer Boss Akihiko and Ken Colosseo Purgatorio
Akihiko and Ken boss fight.
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. He believes that the protagonist died because he used all his powers to protect everyone, and by tampering with the past, it would be disrespectful to his sacrifice.
Akihiko helps the group defeat Erebus, the grand manifestation of humanity's grief and negative emotion.
Episode Aigis -The Answer-[]
During the Colosseo Purgatorio sequence, Ahikiko can now use his Theurgy when at half health or when Ken is knocked out.
Persona 4 Arena[]
After graduating from Gekkoukan High, Akihiko went to college. He decided, however, to perfect his punch and traveled the world in his pursuit of becoming stronger. Around that time, he had also become associated with Mitsuru's Shadow Operatives and is called upon to help retrieve Labrys in the TV world in Inaba. During the "tournament," he comes across Chie Satonaka and becomes impressed by her resolve to protect Labrys, though he has never seen her before and reminds him of his reasons for fighting. After the incident, Akihiko decides that he'll eventually, in the far future, leave the Shadow Operatives and become a police officer. Mitsuru tells him, however, he needs to go back to college so she assigns Aigis to help manage Akihiko. With a new resolve, Akihiko is determined to find the mastermind behind the incident and put an end to their plot.
Playstyle[]
Akihiko is the token boxer character with a special mechanic dubbed the Cyclone meter and boasts the second highest health in the game. Not only does Akihiko have a snappy offense and multiple ways to close the gap between him and his opponent, he also is blessed with Paralysis on some of his attacks and can ignore projectiles and some normals. He is also not as reliant on his Persona compared to other characters, thus Persona Breaks don't really affect him as much as others but they do provide him with whatever zoning tools he does have. All being said, he has no reliable option against opponents that like to fight at long range and is quite heavy, becoming something of a double-edged sword. He's also an example of a Rekka style character: a character that links special moves with other special moves which also affects his Cyclone gauge. This increases the cyclone gauge by one (max of three) for every special move he cancels. This is important as it changes the properties of some of his follow-ups as well as give more damage, for example his Corkscrew follow-up becomes a wall-bounce at level 3. Thus it becomes imperative that players have his combos on point to take advantage of his moves as some of his most advanced combos on Fatal Counter can push around 7000 points of damage.
In Arena Ultimax, due to rarely having to rely on his Persona, Akihiko only has two Persona cards which can be considered a buff/nerf (Persona gets broken easier but recovers faster). His cyclone gauge has increased by two making it a maximum of 5. He has a new rekka move called the 'Sonic Uppercut' and his C attacks have been changed. His 5C is now what his 2C was in Persona 4 Arena and his new 2C is an Anti-Air attack that inflicts the ailment Silence upon hit. His B corkscrew now sends the enemy backwards upon contact while his A corkscrew generally remains the same. With the addition of Enhanced SP-skills, Akihiko's three specials have now increased in specialty.
- Enhanced Thunder Fists now has a hitbox and if the enemy is not blocking they will be inflicted with shock
- Enhanced Maziodyne now does extra damage and hits and inflicts shock even on block
- Enhanced Cyclone Uppercut will make Akihiko do two uppercuts. If Akihiko's Cyclone gauge is at 5 then he will do three uppercuts for massive damage.
His leitmotif is called "The Wandering Wolf," which has a remix called the "The Wandering Wolf -Straight Mix-" for the Persona 4 The ULTIMATE in MAYONAKA ARENA Original Soundtrack that features much more heavy guitar chords and instrumentals.
Score Attack[]
Akihiko is the eighth character in Score Attack. His Cyclone meter will always be at 3 levels and will always have Thunder Fists active.
Persona 4 Arena (Manga)[]
Akihiko faces off against Yu Narukami. Although he puts up a tough fight and gets in several hits that would affect Yu later, Akihiko was ultimately defeated by Yu when the latter unleashes Izanagi. When the possessed Labrys attempts to crush Aigis' neck, both Akihiko and Mitsuru smash through a wall and hit her, releasing Aigis from her grasp.
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth[]
Akihiko's co-op attack is a piercing attack, which hits the target and pierces through, damaging one of the enemies behind it in the back row.
Akihiko and his team are mysteriously brought to an alternate reality of Yasogami High School where they are trapped. They encounter the Investigation Team and decide to work together in their joint efforts to escape.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth[]
Akihiko and his team are on a mission in Tartarus when they are suddenly brought to another world. Two of his teammates, P3 hero and Aigis, are separated from them at some point. When they are cornered by Shadows, two rescue teams show up to their aid: the Investigation Team and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Among them is a girl who claims to know the SEES members, though none recognize her. They later realize she is from an alternate world where she is the female counterpart of P3 hero.
Akihiko learns three unison attacks by doing specific side quests, which he can access with a selective few characters: the P3P heroine, Mitsuru, Shinjiro, Yusuke, Makoto, and Chie.
After Enlil is defeated, everyone returns to their respective worlds with their memory of the experience erased. Akihiko appears at the end of the game where he watches a science fiction movie with his team. The P3P heroine's version of Akihiko also appears in her world, where everyone watches a movie together.
Persona 5[]
A TV special in Persona 5 makes an allusion to Akihiko along with Katsuya Suou as "a legendary gumshoe who took down a bear" implying that after the events of Persona 4: Arena he became a police officer.[1]
Persona -trinity soul-[]
Akihiko appears in the parallel universe anime spin-off, Persona -trinity soul-, which is set in 2019.
Akihiko is an informant to Ryo Kanzato, shown only as the man Ryo discusses Reverse cases with over the cellphone. He appears in person after Ryo's confrontation with Keisuke Komatsubara leads to his disappearance, taking up the role of superintendent in his absence. He reveals that as an adult, he no longer possesses the ability to use Persona, but worked alongside Ryo and Noboru Inui to cover up Persona-related incidents and prevent their occurrence. To fight Marebito, he enlists the help of Shin Kanzato, Jun Kanzato, Megumi Kayano and Takuro Sakakiba.
Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight[]
Akihiko appears as a playable character in Dancing in Moonlight. The game is set sometime after October 4th, Shinjiro's death, as indicated by the various remarks made by himself and Ken Amada during Social events. Akihiko stars in two songs: "Light The Fire Up In The Night," and "Soul Phrase," the opening of Persona 3 Portable. Neither of his songs are remixes.
His dance style is mostly themed around a pre-workout but on beat, and he's mostly seen on guard or doing punches. Though he moves around quite a bit, his stance is rather static; he keeps his posture straight and his knees bent throughout his songs. In addition, while some characters repeat their routines after a FEVER, Akihiko doesn't. In "Light The Fire Up In The Night" he's much more active and does a lot more risky moves, while in "Soul Phrase" he moves strikingly slow.
Consistent with his passionate and dedicated nature, Akihiko rarely acknowledges when others join his dance, and instead remains focused on his own moves. While he will dance alongside Ken, Mitsuru, and Junpei, he does not sync up with any of his partners. With Junpei, they mostly play around; with Ken he slows down so Ken can keep up, and with Mitsuru they don't sync up but she is able to match with his energy. Unlike his other FEVERs, in Shinjiro's song Akihiko actively dances and syncs with him perfectly, doing everything in his power to show he can keep up, ending with Shinjiro walking away while Akihiko fades into the background.
Stats[]
The Answer[]
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In Other Languages[]
| Language | Title |
|---|---|
 English
|
Akihiko Sanada |
 Japanese
|
真田 明彦 (Sanada Akihiko) |
 Korean
|
사나다 아키히코 (Sanada Akihiko) |
  Traditional Chinese
|
真田 明彥 (Zhēntián míng yàn) |
 Russian
|
Акихико Санада |
Etymology[]
- The name Akihiko means "bright" (明) (aki) and "boy, prince" (彦) (hiko).
- Akihiko's surname Sanada means "real, genuine" (真) (sana) and "field, rice paddy" (田) (ta/da).
Trivia[]
- In his Persona 3: Official Design Works profile, Akihiko is stated to have been adopted into a wealthy family shortly after the death of his sister Miki at nine years old.[2]
- Akihiko's Persona, Polydeuces, is something of a giveaway towards his connection with Shinjiro if looked at in 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 Personas share a similar physical stature, facial build, and focus on sheer strength.
- This connection also gives away Shinjiro's fate; Polydeuces was immortal and Castor was not, and in their myth, Castor dies (in response, Polydeuces requests to share his immortality with Castor, which leads to the two brothers forming the Gemini Twins constellation).
- Akihiko is left-handed, thus his fighting style represents a southpaw stance, but, when using gloves, the protagonist uses an orthodox style.
- Akihiko is also one of two Persona-users in the game who use his left hand when handling his Evoker (the other being Jin Shirato of Strega).
- Though he rarely eats sweet things, Akihiko likes pancakes.[3]
- In Persona 3: Official Design Works, character designer Shigenori Soejima states that Polydeuces was designed to have a small head and big body to symbolize Akihiko's initial immaturity, contrasting with Caesar's well-proportioned body, of which indicates power and the knowledge of how that power should be used.
- Polydeuces' left arm is additionally shaped like a tank cannon shell to reflect the mythological figure being known for having an "iron fist."
- The mythological figure of Polydeuces was a renowned boxer, likely contributing to Akihiko's choice of sport.
- 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" (闘), a very fitting sign for his character.
- One of the portraits in Persona 4 Arena is an edited version of the one used in Persona 3 Portable during All-Out Attacks and co-op attacks.
- In The Answer, when the group is trying to see what is wrong with Aigis, a Mitsuru voice line plays with Akihiko's sprite and textbox. This only happens once and is fixed in the European release.
- Some of Akihiko's early concept art bears a resemblance to Teddie from Persona 4.
- In the second episode of the 2017 anime series Gamers!, two characters are shown to be in the middle of a fight in the arcade version of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, using Akihiko and Chie Satonaka.
- In Persona Mobile Online, there is a character called Eita Sanada that alongside sharing Akihiko's last name, shares a lot of design elements such as his gray hair, boxing stance and also has a Persona of the Emperor Arcana, Oberon.
Persona 4 Arena[]
- According to Zen United, the European publisher of Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko's appearance in said game was originally going to be modeled after Jason Statham and how he looks in the Transporter movie series. Soejima was asked to redesign him to look more "wild or rugged" by Wada, the game's director, after they noticed that no other character in the roster would be able to fill that role.
- In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko reveals that he learned how to summon his Persona without the aid of an Evoker. He still uses it when executing Maziodyne and his Instant Kill attack, Earth Breaker, however. He also uses his Evoker during his fight against "himself" in story mode.
- In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko's Cyclone Uppercut attack is based on his critical hit animation from Persona 3.
- In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko is the only male character (aside from Yu and Teddie) to have his weight be a mystery like the female characters.
- In Persona 4 Arena, Akihiko mentions possibly joining the police force; this may be an allusion to his role in Persona -trinity soul-.
Appearances in Other Media[]
| Title | Details | Date | External Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chain Chronicle | Collaboration event
|
Article on the Chain Chronicle Wiki | |
| BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle | DLC Playable Character | June 5, 2018 | Article on the BlazBlue Cross Tag Wiki |
.png "Akihiko Sanada (BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, Character Select Artwork).png (1.12 MB)")
References[]
| Characters | |
| Playable | Makoto Yuki - Yukari Takeba - Junpei Iori - Akihiko Sanada - Mitsuru Kirijo - Fuuka Yamagishi - Ken Amada - Aigis - Elizabeth |
| DLC | Shinjiro Aragaki - Goro Akechi - Theodore - Lavenza - Sho Minazuki - Labrys |
| Locations | |
| Port Island | Velvet Room - Tartarus - Gekkoukan High School - Paulownia Mall - Iwatodai Station - Port Island Station - Naganaki Shrine - Iwatodai Dormitory - Moonlight Bridge |
| Music | |
| Songs | Our Moment - Moonlight Serendipity |
| Albums | Persona Dancing P3D & P5D Soundtrack Advanced CD |
| Archive | |
| Lists | Social - List of Patches and Updates - Trophies |
| Corporate | Atlus Co., Ltd. |
| Personnel | Kazuhisa Wada - Shigenori Soejima - Ryota Kozuka - Shoji Meguro Toshiki Konishi - Atsushi Kitajoh |