Editing Shadow Mitsuo

{{Demonbox|p4
|image = <gallery>
P4-OtherMitsuo.jpg|P4
Mitsuo_2.png|Transformed
P4ShadowMitsuo.jpg|250px|True Form
Shadow Mitsuo.png|P4 Anime
shadow15.jpg|P4 Anime (Transformed)
shadow16.jpg|P4 Anime (True Form)
Visualive Boss Battle.jpg|Live Action
</gallery>
|aka = Mitsuo the Hero
|japan = 美津雄の影<br>
導かれし勇者ミツオ
|romaji = Mitsuo no Kage<br>
Michibi Kareshi Yūsha Mitsuo
|first appearance = ''[[Persona 4]]''
|arcana = [[Hermit Arcana|Hermit]]
|reality self= [[Mitsuo Kubo]]
}}
{{Q|I... have nothing... I am nothing... And you... are me...|Shadow Mitsuo speaking to Mitsuo}}
'''Shadow Mitsuo''' is a boss in ''Persona 4''. It takes the form of '''Mitsuo the Hero''' when confronted. It is the [[Shadow Self]] of [[Mitsuo Kubo]].

==Appearances==
*''[[Persona 4]]'' / ''[[Persona 4 Golden|Golden]]'': Boss
**''[[Persona 4 The Animation]]''
**''[[Persona 4 Visualive]]''

==Profile==
===''Persona 4''===
Shadow Mitsuo was found within the [[Void Quest]] dungeon being scolded by Mitsuo Kubo for not responding to his claims. The party had trouble at first figuring out which one was the Shadow. However, when Mitsuo notices the party's appearance, he brags about how he had "killed" the past murder victims, and that the Shadow is nothing but an impostor.

[[File:P4-MitsuoTheHero.jpg|thumb|250px|Mitsuo the Hero]]
With that response, the Shadow gathers all other Shadows in the area and switches into its true form, a floating baby with computer scripts encircling its head. In battle, the Shadow summons masses of floating bits to form a hard outer shell, "Mitsuo the Hero," an 8-bit knight character, acting as its barrier from attacks. The shell itself represents his desire to leave a mark on the world with his actions, as well as his desperate need for attention, to be remembered by all others as the "hero" he believes he is, even after his less desirable, weaker true self is gone. The "baby" represents the fragile, feeble nature of his true intentions, as well as his immaturity and his inability to face the real world by hiding behind video games.

During battle, Shadow Mitsuo makes a series of claims about Mitsuo that are not mentioned by him, though they shed a lot of light on his personality. Shadow Mitsuo says that, "I have to kill you to prove that I exist," explaining Mitsuo's desire to commit murder as a desperate act to try to make an impact on the world. At numerous points, he also references "ending your nothingness" in relation to the main characters.

[[File:Shadow Mitsuo|thumb|250px|Shadow Mitsuo]]
Unlike other Shadows in ''Persona 4'', Shadow Mitsuo changes his voice from being powerful and deep at first, to robotic when his true form emerges. He is also incredibly quiet, whereas most shadows tend to antagonize their counterparts through arguing, complaining, whining and insulting, Shadow Mitsuo stays silent in the face of Mitsuo's badgering. Of the few lines he does say, most of them have some element of self-hatred, and are only loosely tied to Mitsuo simply as he says, "And you... are me." However, in light of this, Shadow Mitsuo still has some desire to be accepted, even though he largely realizes it's impossible given his weary state, sadly saying, "So, you don't accept me." when Mitsuo denies him, before forming into his true form.

Unusually, once the Investigation Team destroys Shadow Mitsuo, the real Mitsuo keeps denying it, being thoroughly glad it was destroyed and adhering to his claims of murder. The Shadow, defeated and denied, responds by fading away, as Mitsuo's ego was so corrupted that it became indistinguishable from his Shadow.

====''The Animation''====
Shadow Mitsuo appears in ''Persona 4 The Animation'' in episodes 11 and 12. In episode 11, he is seen on the Midnight Channel following the credits, laughing about his new-found attention and daring the Investigation Team to catch him. When they arrive at his dungeon, Void Quest, however, he takes on a very different personality. He watches the Investigation Team through a television set as though he was playing them like characters in a game, signifying Mitsuo's obsession with video games. Upon reaching the end of his dungeon, he is found being assaulted by questions and insults by Mitsuo, which he dismisses or ignores. He constantly reminds Mitsuo that he is a nobody who has wasted his life, saying that "He feels nothing." When Mitsuo calls him an imposter, he emerges to "end Mitsuo's emptiness."

The episode cuts abruptly to the future in which Mitsuo has been caught and found guilty of the murders in Inaba. Yu and the Investigation Team have no reason to meet each other anymore, and slowly dwindle off as they become more busy with other things and concerned with their own lives. A year passes as their friendship begins to fade and Yu is leading up to the point where he must return home, showing his deep grief that their relationship was artificial as he sees all his friends don't care about him, and his cousin Nanako no longer interacts with him. Sitting in his room one night, he attempts to enter the television and finds himself unable to. Shocked, he begins to question what's going on, and Shadow Mitsuo appears in the darkness.

Shadow Mitsuo tells Yu that he is a nobody, and that true friendship doesn't exist. He claims that Yu is just like himself, as they've wasted their lives on things that don't truly give them happiness. Yu can't manage to summon his Persona during this period, consistently failing, until Shadow Mitsuo comes forth and attempts to choke him to death. He is however, saved by Yosuke who pulls him out of the 8-bit shell that contains Shadow Mitsuo, as Yu thanks him. Revitalized, Yu tells Shadow Mitsuo that he isn't nothing, and releases every Persona he has in his arsenal upon the Shadow, ultimately defeating it with Izanagi.

As Shadow Mitsuo falls apart and descends, and Mitsuo himself wakes up, Mitsuo continues to deny his Shadow and claim that he committed the murders in Inaba. Shadow Mitsuo then mysteriously disappears from the area, as Mitsuo's ego has turned himself into the truly evil being.

The anime's approach to Shadow Mitsuo greatly increases his power and significance in the series, as he utilizes a large series of exploding blocks in the air about himself, generates a nearly impenetrable shield and constantly builds up Hero Mitsuo about himself. His ability to also nearly defeat Yu and bring him to the brink of insanity and despair was also important to the characterization as the jumping point in the series and to show how far Yu's personality development has come.

==Stats==
===Mitsuo the Hero===
<tabber>
Persona 4=
{{stats|p4
|Level= 45
|Arcana= Hermit
|HP= 1400
|SP= 1000
|EXP= 0
|Yen= 0
|Strength= 28
|Magic= 28
|Endurance= 21
|Agility= 28
|Luck= 28
|Phys= <abbr title="No Strong flag, damage reduced to 75%">Strong</abbr>
|Fire= -
|Ice= -
|Lit= -
|Wind= -
|Light= Null
|Dark= Null
|Alm= -
|Skill= Command
Fight
Item (Bomb)
Spell (Gigadyne)
|Boss= -
}}
|-|
Golden=
{{stats|p4
|Level= 45
|Arcana= Hermit
|HP= 1400
|SP= 1000
|EXP= 0
|Yen= 0
|Strength= 28
|Magic= 28
|Endurance= 21
|Agility= 28
|Luck= 28
|Phys= <abbr title="No Strong flag, damage reduced to 75%">Strong</abbr>
|Fire= -
|Ice= -
|Lit= -
|Wind= -
|Light= Null
|Dark= Null
|Alm= -
|Skill= Command
Fight
Item (Bomb)
Spell (Gigadyne)
|Boss= -
}}
</tabber>

===Shadow Mitsuo===
<tabber>
Persona 4=
{{stats|p4
|Level= 45
|Arcana= Hermit
|HP= 4000
|SP= 1000
|EXP= 9982
|Yen= 3000
|Strength= 28
|Magic= 30
|Endurance= 26
|Agility= 28
|Luck= 28
|Phys= <abbr title="No Strong flag, damage reduced to 75%">Strong</abbr>
|Fire= -
|Ice= -
|Lit= 
|Wind= -
|Light= Null
|Dark= Null
|Alm= <abbr title="No Strong flag, damage reduced to 75%">Strong</abbr>
|Skill= Character Setup
Whisper
Chant
Prayer
Dekunda
Dekaja
White Wall
Red Wall
Blue Wall
Green Wall
Stagnant Air
Agilao
Maragion
Bufula
Mabufula
Zionga
Mazionga
Garula
Magarula
Ghastly Wail
Megidola
Evil Touch
Evil Smile
Arm Chopper
Atom Smasher
|Boss= -
}}
|-|
Golden=
{{stats|p4
|Level= 45
|Arcana= Hermit
|HP= 4000
|SP= 1000
|EXP= 9982
|Yen= 10000
|Strength= 28
|Magic= 30
|Endurance= 26
|Agility= 28
|Luck= 28
|Phys= <abbr title="No Strong flag, damage reduced to 75%">Strong</abbr>
|Fire= -
|Ice= -
|Lit= 
|Wind= -
|Light= Null
|Dark= Null
|Alm= <abbr title="No Strong flag, damage reduced to 75%">Strong</abbr>
|Skill= Character Setup
Whisper
Chant
Prayer
Dekunda
Dekaja
White Wall
Red Wall
Blue Wall
Green Wall
Stagnant Air
Agilao
Maragion
Bufula
Mabufula
Zionga
Mazionga
Garula
Magarula
Ghastly Wail
Megidola
Evil Touch
Evil Smile
Arm Chopper
Atom Smasher
|Boss= -
}}
</tabber>

==Strategy==
===''Persona 4''===
This can be a difficult fight due to the enemy's sheer firepower. Be prepared to equip [[Bravery Vessel]]s on party members that would be used to cure status conditions, Personas that have [[Null Fear]], items or skills that can heal the Fear or Exhaustion status condition and the proper buff and debuff skills to survive the boss encounter's attacks. The enemy may take two forms, the first being the 8-Bit hero which is a form of "outer shell" and the 2nd is Shadow Mitsuo. Both forms can attack twice every turn.

In the first phase, 8-Bit Hero uses only "Attack" and "Bomb." "Attack" is a normal attack and "Bomb" can deal [[Status Changes in Persona 4|Exhaustion]] which causes SP to decrease over time. [[Teddie]]'s [[Energy Shower]] is useful to negate Exhaustion's effects. If Shadow Mitsuo successfully reforms the 8-Bit Hero for the first time in battle, it "levels up," causing its normal attack to deal more damage and opening up the "Gigadyne" spell that inflicts heavy Almighty damage to the whole party. All of his attacks deal heavy amounts of damage even on base level and the "Spell" command in particular can cause multiple wipeouts, so buffs and debuffs are necessary to soften the impact of his hard-hitting attacks. Defeating the 8-Bit Hero will leave Shadow Mitsuo vulnerable for an [[All-Out Attack]], which does approximately 70 damage to him.

Shadow Mitsuo or the "Core" can act twice per turn, can use every element and has a lot of status spells which can inflict Fear on the party. He usually starts with casting an elemental Wall skill which telegraphs the element he will be using (i.e., if he casts [[Ice Wall]], he will use [[Ice]] attacks), and on the next 2 turns he will use his first action to cast a Ma- spell of that element. If he gains a [[One More]] through any means, he will use that to cast [[Megidola]] to further damage the party; hence, whoever is vulnerable to his telegraphed element should guard to avoid this scenario. Negating the Wall skill with a corresponding Break skill will not change his behavior. His other attacks can inflict Fear (which can also be aided by [[Stagnant Air]]) which should be cured quickly, otherwise he will instantly kill any fearful party members with [[Ghastly Wail]].

Whenever Shadow Mitsuo falls to 75%, 50% or 25% HP, it will try to reform the 8-Bit Hero, and if he succeeds, then the 8-Bit Hero must be fought again at full health. If the party deals enough damage while he is still reforming his "Outer Shell," then the shell will disappear and he will again be vulnerable to an All-Out Attack. At the 25% HP threshold, he will dedicate both his actions to reform his outer shell, which will practically guarantee a successful reformation of the 8-bit Hero unless the party mounts a powerful assault to interrupt it. 

A potent Persona to use for the fight is [[Black Frost]], which is accessible at level 38 and a required Persona for [[Social Link/Margaret|Margaret's Social Link]]. The plot-mandated Fool Social Link would be at Rank 7 when [[Void Quest]] becomes available, so Black Frost would be able to immediately learn [[Mind Charge]] and [[Fire Amp]] on fusion; give it another level and it picks up [[Agidyne]]. These three skills used in combination can provide enough firepower to create huge dents in both of Shadow Mitsuo's forms.

==Battle Quotes==
===''Persona 4''===
*''"I am... a Shadow... Come... I'll end your emptiness."''
**[[Yosuke Hanamura|Yosuke]]:''"Is that thing supposed to be a game character...? Geez, how insulting can he get!?''"
**[[Teddie]]:''"It's all jaggy and blocky!"''
**''"Come..."'' (Battle Opening)
*''"There's no need to be scared. It'll be quick."''
*''"Why? Don't you want to be at ease?"''
*''"I... I need proof that I exist... that's why... I have to kill you!"''
*''"Fill this void... with your deaths!"''
*''"The only thing that can prove I exist... is your deaths!"''
*''"I won't disappear... I'll always exist..."''
*''"What's the matter... I am here..."''
*''"It's useless... I'm always rejected..."''
*''"Come on... if you try and fight you'll die..."''
*''"I... why?!"''
*''"Why?!"''
*''"I exist..."''
*''"I'm... right here..."''
*''"Damn... Damage... Damage... Why?!"''
*''"How?!"''
*''"If you will die... I..."''
*''"Hehe... will this be... too much for you?"''

==Gallery==
{{Gallery|title=''Persona 4''|class=none|collapse=hide
|Image:MitsuoConfront.png|Mitsuo angered by his Shadow Self
|Image:Mitsuo_1.png|Shadow Mitsuo setting up his shell
|Image:Mitsuo_3.png|Shadow Mitsuo attacking
|Image:Shadow_Mitsuo_model.png|Shadow Mitsuo model
}}

{{Gallery|title=''Persona 4 The Animation''|class=none|collapse=hide
|Image:Misuo is seen in the midnight channel.jpg|Shadow Mitsuo in ''Persona 4 The Animation''
|Image:Misuo confronted his Shadow.png|Mitsuo trying to get his Shadow's attention
|Image:Mitsuo the 8-Bit Hero.png|Mitsuo the 8-Bit Hero in ''Persona 4 The Animation''
}}

==Trivia==
* In the original version of ''Persona 4'', the standard boss theme, "I'll Face Myself -Battle-" plays during the Shadow Mitsuo encounter like other early to mid-game bosses. In ''Persona 4 Golden'', an 8-bit rendition of "I'll Face Myself -Battle-," "[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjuormKijYw Shin Mitsuo Tensei"/"Revelations: Mitsuo]," will play instead.
* If a party member somehow gains access to Shadow Mitsuo's Command Skill and uses it (regardless of the Command used), the name on the user's 8-bit command prompt will always be "Mitsuo" due to it being a pre-rendered animation.
*Mitsuo the Hero is a reference to the {{W|Dragon Quest|''Dragon Quest'' series}}.
**His unique attack, Gigadyne {{J|ギガダイン}}, is a reference to the electric spell "{{wikia|DragonQuest|Kazap|Gigadein}}" {{J|ギガデイン}} first appears in ''Dragon Quest III'', a third tier spell in the "Dein" family.

{{-}}
{{P4Bosses}}

[[Category:Persona 4 Golden Shadows]]
[[Category:Persona 4 Shadows]]
[[Category:Persona 4 Enemies]]