Boy with Earring

Protagonist
Also known as	The Pierced Boy (P1) Naoya Toudou (Manga) Naorin (by Brown in manga) Yuuya Narumi (Drama CD) Jihei "Jay" Suzakuin (Novel)
Japanese Name	ピアスの少年
Romaji	Piasu no Shounen
First Appearance	Megami Ibunroku Persona
School	St. Hermelin High School
Date of Birth	December 24 c. 1979
Age	17
Zodiac	Scorpio (Hindu) Capricorn (Western)
Height	174 cm (5'9") 175 cm (5'9")
Weight	56 kg (124 lbs)
Blood Type	O
Weapon	One-handed sword
Firearm	Submachine gun
Arcana	Emperor
Secondary Arcana	Strength, Moon, World
Persona	Seimen Kongou, Amen Ra, Vishnu
Japanese VA	Katashi Ishizuka (PS) Akira Ishida (Drama CD 1) Kishō Taniyama (Drama CD 2)
English VA	Grant George (PSP)

"As for his fate... That's for you to decide."

—A message about the protagonist at the end of the game, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

The protagonist of Megami Ibunroku Persona is a student of St. Hermelin High School. He is referred to as the "the pierced boy" in the Japanese version of Megami Ibunroku Persona, and the "Boy with Earring" in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. In the original English release, Revelations: Persona, he had no piercings.

Appearances

• Megami Ibunroku Persona / Persona: Protagonist
  • Megami Ibunroku Persona (Manga): Protagonist, as Naoya Toudou (藤堂 尚也, Tōdō Naoya)^?
  • Persona CD Drama: Protagonist, as Yuuya Narumi (鳴海 優也, Narumi Yuuya)^?
  • Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze: Major Character, as Jihei Suzakuin (朱雀院 慈平, Suzakuin Jihei)^?
  • Megami Ibunroku Persona Digital Collection: Host
• Persona 2: Eternal Punishment: Minor Character

Design

The protagonist has black hair, brown eyes in Megami Ibunroku Persona or purple eyes in Eternal Punishment, and a ring piercing on his left ear. He wears the St. Hermelin uniform without alterations. He has a black wristwatch on his left arm, and black shoes. He also appears to be wearing light lipgloss or lipstick, as shown in Megami Ibunroku Persona and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment. The manga does not keep this feature or his more prominent eyelashes.

In Revelations: Persona, he was one of the many characters redesigned to make him "more American": his skin was paler, he had shorter red hair, he had blue eyes, had no color on his lips and no pierced ear.

Personality

"Get it now? I'm every inch like you. I'm you... and you're me. We're two sides of the same coin... No, not just two. There are tens of thousands of "you"s inside yourself. ...Someone seems to be aiming to take your place, but that won't happen. Your will is rooted nice and deep. You have a good grip on yourself."

—The protagonist's other self, to the protagonist, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

For the most part, the protagonist is silent, and his personality is controlled by the player, setting up a pattern the protagonists of later games would follow. However, the decisions that lead to the game's true ending and the gaining of the ultimate Personas paint the protagonist as a natural leader; a compassionate, perceptive, yet blunt person who is motivated to seek his personal reason for life and discourages hiding from the truth. He also shows a rather rude or informal and laid-back side, his other self in Alaya Cavern telling Maki to shut up so he can concentrate on his game when she expresses her shock at seeing another version of the protagonist and referring to Igor as "old man Igor" after giving the protagonist the items to fuse the party's ultimate Personas.

In the manga, Naoya also inherited this same trait, though since he is mostly going along with everyone else, the rest of the party are surprised when he shows his hot-headed side while leading them. Like Eriko, despite the dangerous situation they were put in, Naoya couldn't deny the excitement he felt whenever he's summoning his Persona, describing the feeling as liberating. He can also be extremely pragmatic in combat, as he doesn't hesitate to use lethal force against Aki, who is a child. According to Kazuya, Naoya can't express himself well so he always acts like everything is other people's business and always playing cool, which caused him to often get misunderstood as a quiet or unsociable person. He also suffers from survivor's guilt due to his twin brother Kazuya's death and as a consequence he has very low regard of his own well-being. This can be seen when Naoya blocks Reiji's attacks against Hariti by jumping in front of Reiji's attack and taking the hit. All those times being mistaken as Kazuya by his mother left Naoya subconsciously suffering from identity crisis and he depended on his earring to assure himself that he is Naoya. Recovering his childhood memory and confronting Kazuya made Naoya realized how indecisive he was and determined to face his problems, which finally helped him to come into terms with his self-resentment. At the end of the series, Naoya has learned to speak out his thoughts and became more sociable with his friends.

Profile

Megami Ibunroku Persona

The protagonist is a nameless protagonist, who has to be named by the player at the start of the game. All that is known about his life is that he is a second year student at St. Hermelin High School,

In the true ending of the game, unlike the other students, his fate is unknown.

The plot of this game is followed in exactly the same manner by the English adaptations of Megami Ibunroku Persona while different in the manga.

Persona Manga

History

Naoya is a childhood friend of Maki Sonomura and the two of them often played together. He used to have an older twin brother named Kazuya whom he had a close relationship with and the two of them were always together. According to Maki, both Naoya and Kazuya were not so different in personality that she and their parents sometimes mixed both of them. One day, when he was a 4 years old, Naoya had a cold and was being taken care of by Kazuya and their mother. Kazuya and their mother had to go shopping, but Kazuya went out of his way to buy a manga to cheer up Naoya. On the way home, however, Kazuya was hit by a truck and passed away. Kazuya's death greatly shook their mother to the point that she started to treat Naoya as if he was Kazuya.

During Kazuya's funeral, one of his relatives gave her condolences by telling how kind Kazuya was for trying to buy a manga to cheer him up, which led to his death. This made Naoya feel responsible for Kazuya's death. To comfort his mother who was still unable to accept Kazuya's death, Naoya started to act like Kazuya to the point he almost believed himself to be Kazuya while thinking that it would be better for "Naoya" to disappear because he was unneeded. His mother's breakdown and treatment of him led her to separate herself from Naoya by staying in her parents' house while Naoya was taken care of by a hired housekeeper and Maki's family. After his mother recovered from her loss, Naoya overheard his parents arguing over what happened, so Naoya pierced his ear as a proof that he is not Kazuya and made himself forget the day Kazuya died out of guilt.

The resulting guilt caused Naoya's shadow to manifest in Maki's ideal world and takes the identity of Kazuya with the same appearance as Naoya, but his ear is not pierced.

Growing up, Naoya and Maki grew quite distance after the latter got sick with Naoya thinking that she was too gloomy and felt sorry for her. He always took notes and handouts in her place whenever she's absent due to her illness. Because of their closeness, their classmates misunderstood their relationship and teased them. Though annoyed, Naoya wasn't bothered by the teasing, but he noticed that Maki "always looked like she was about to cry," so Naoya began to distance himself further from her out of consideration to her feelings, but both still remained on good terms as friends.

Plot Overview

Naoya joins in on the bet made between Mark and Uesugi (he placed his bet on Mark to even the bet) to play the Persona game. Once they played the game, a little girl suddenly appeared and he, along with everyone else, falls unconscious and dreams about Philemon. Following their teacher's suggestion, they all went to the hospital for a check up and also to visit Maki. Naoya apologizes for not visiting her for the past few days, and Maki reveals that they are childhood friends to Mark when he questioned their closeness. However, Maki's condition suddenly worsened, and she was taken for emergency surgery while Naoya and everyone else waited for her.

In the middle of the surgery, an earthquake occurs and the surgery room was suddenly blocked by a wall when they opened the doors leading to the room. Monsters then started to appear in the hospital, attacking and killing the people inside. This incident awakened Naoya's Persona, along with his friends' Personas, allowing them to escape from the hospital. They then find out that they cannot leave the town. On their way back to school, they met up with Eriko Kirishima and Maki's mother, who reveals that the organization that she was working with, SEBEC, is the one responsible for what happened to their town.

Personas used in the manga

A list of Personas used by Naoya during the manga.

• Seimen Kongou: Naoya's initial Persona, gained while trying to defend himself from demons at the Mikage Hospital. Despite not being used after the fight with Tesso, Seimen Kongou protected an unconscious Naoya against Kazuya for a brief time.
• Airgetlam: Awakened during the fight with Tesso, Airgetlam was used multiple times due to his powerful Mamagnara spell. Naoya also tried to use Airgetlam's Dorminer spell on Kazuya, but it didn't work since Kazuya's Persona, Lilim, made him immune to ailments.
• Marduk: Was first used in the fight against Tesso to reflect a Megido spell back to him. Aside from that, his only appearance was when his Tetrakarn spell protected Naoya and Maki from the Harem Queen/Chisato Kasai.
• Vishnu: Was used in the final fight against Pandora.

Naoya never used Amon Ra, his ultimate Persona from the game.

Persona 2: Innocent Sin

Despite not making any physical appearances in Persona 2: Innocent Sin, the protagonist is mentioned a few times, mostly by returning Persona characters comparing Tatsuya Suou to him. For example, should Tatsuya visit Honmaru Park before the first boss fight, Yukino will say to Tatsuya that he reminds her of an old friend who "also liked to take the scenic route." Also, Eriko tells Tatsuya that he reminds her of their "old leader."

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

When Maya Amano's party, after choosing Eriko Kirishima's route, ends up in a reverse dimension and are trying to find a way out, the party finds the protagonist from Megami Ibunroku Persona there. However, it is revealed to be Chizuru Ishigami's Shikigami in disguise.

In Eriko Kirishima and Kei Nanjo's flashback at Araya Shrine, it is revealed that after the events of Persona, he had to go away and would not be able to see his friends for a while. The reason behind his departure isn't stated, as when he gives his reason, there is no text box. Later on, in the epilogue, the St. Hermelin Persona users have a reunion in Parabellum Bar. There is a knock on the door and the door opens, but the person entering is unseen. It is assumed that this is the protagonist from Persona.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (TV Series)

A character with a similar appearance to the protagonist appears as a major antagonist in the second season of the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner (TV Series). In season 2, episode 12, Kyouji Kuzunoha fights a student known as Kamiya from St. Hermelin High School who is working with the Dark Summoner Haruna. He summons Vishnu but is overpowered by Kyouji’s own Susano-o in the ensuing battle. Despite the visual similarities, Kamiya is likely only referential and not meant to be the literal protagonist of Persona.

Stats

Megami Ibunroku Persona

Arcana Type Subtype Level SP cost Emperor Varies Varies 5 Varies MAtk MDef Strength 9 Vitality 9 Dexterity 8 Agility 8 Luck 8 Varies Varies

Battle Quotes

Revelations: Persona

• "Get them!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Persona!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Aaaah!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Haa!" (attacking without Sword equipped)
• "Die!" (when using a sword)
• "Eat this!" (when using a gun)
• "Ugnh!" (when hit)
• "Aagh..!" (Dying)

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

• "Take this!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Persona!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Here goes!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Uoooah!" (when summoning a Persona)
• "Die!" (when using a sword)
• "Ow!" (when hit)
• "Eat this!" (when using a gun)
• "Gwoah!" (Dying)

Gallery

Megami Ibunroku Persona
Illustration of the protagonist and Vishnu The protagonist playing a game in the opening cutscene of Megami Ibunroku Persona The protagonist as he appears in a PSP remake cutscene The protagonist as he appears in Revelations: Persona

Megami Ibunroku Persona Manga

Cover Volume 1 Cover Volume 2 Cover Volume 3 Cover Volume 4 Cover Volume 5 Cover Volume 6 Cover Volume 7 Cover Volume 8 Cover Naoya as he appears in color Naoya and Kazuya as children Naoya and Kazuya together Sketch of Naoya Sketch of Naoya and Vishnu Official illustrations of Naoya and Eriko by Shinshū Ueda (the official manga artist of the Megami Ibunroku Persona manga) Naoya and the group Naoya and the group

Persona 2 duology
His unused sprite in Persona 2: Innocent Sin The protagonist's portrait from the PSP remake of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment The protagonist's copy portrait from the PSP remake of Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Megami Ibunroku Persona Digital Collection
The protagonist wearing his school's gym uniform from the dress up mini-game in Megami Ibunroku Persona Digital Collection The protagonist wearing a blue plaid shirt, blue pants with a design, and a bowler hat The protagonist wearing a white shirt, black overalls, and a hat with mouse's ears similar to Mickey Mouse The protagonist wearing a cloak that covers part of his head and designed shoes

PERSONA 20th Anniversary Festival
The protagonist on PERSONA 20th Anniversary Festival visual art by Asuza Shimada

PERSONA 25th Anniversary
The protagonist on the Persona 25th Anniversary Key Visual Art Promotional artwork for the Namjatown collaboration

PERSONA 25th Anniversary Festival
Illustration of the protagonist and Nanjo by toi8

Trivia

• If the protagonist visits the Historical Society prior to the hospital at the beginning of the game, Mark remarks, "You're awfully studious all of a sudden. Is Hell about to freeze over?" This could be hinting that the protagonist may be a little lax with his schoolwork. This is an opposite of him in the manga, where Uesugi remarks that Naoya has good grades and never arrives late at school.
• In the manga, the protagonist has a habit of touching his face whenever he thinks of his other self.
• The protagonist was the one who pierced his own ear, at the age of 12.
• The protagonist is both a Capricorn and a Scorpio. In Western astrology, the protagonist would be a Capricorn. In Hindu astrology, the protagonist would be a Scorpio, due to a difference in dates. The artbook lists the Hindu astrological sign for the protagonist.
• He apparently enjoys the Atlus game Groove on Fight as his other self is shown playing it in Alaya Cavern.
• In the manga, Naoya is one of the few characters who never used his ultimate Persona, the others being Maki Sonomura and Yuka Ayase.
• Despite only appearing in Eternal Punishment, an unused sprite of the protagonist appears in the loading screen of the PlayStation version of Innocent Sin.

The protagonist agreeing with Nanjo that distance won't separate them

• Although being a silent protagonist, in Eternal Punishment in Kei Nanjo and Eriko Kirishima's flashbacks he appears along with Maki Sonomura at school during graduation, in Nanjo's flashback the protagonist agrees with him that distance won't separate their friendship and in Eriko's flashback he explains he won't be able to see them for a while.
• In an interview with character designer Kazuma Kaneko, it's revealed that the protagonist's design was made to give off a androgynous look to appeal to female players. His overall looks were based off of Tomoya Nagase of the band Tokio.
• According to the Shinsu Ueda Artbook, the manga version of the protagonist was born on December 24 and is a Scorpio. This date, however, is incompatible with the Scorpio zodiac sign which ranges from October 23 to November 21. The manga version of the protagonist should instead be a Capricorn (December 22 - January 19).
• In the Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze novel, the protagonist is half American.
• In Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Yukino alludes to him as a friend who wouldn't stop gambling and playing poker or blackjack when they had serious problems to deal with.