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| Shoki Ikenami | Gallery | Quotes | Confidant | Party |
Shoki Ikenami is a major playable character from Persona 5: The Phantom X.
Appearances[]
- Persona 5: The Phantom X: Playable Character
Design[]
Shoki wears a Kiga High School uniform.
Personality[]
In spite of what his fame might lead people to believe, Shoki is a very polite, humble and friendly young man. He appears very straight forward and noble, quick to defend others. However, he sometimes struggles with setting boundaries with people, including his fans, and especially with pushy individuals such has Shimotsuna.
He is very protective of his parents, and loves them dearly, in spite of the fact that they were the subject of very damaging rumors. From a very young age, he learned to put on a facade to hide his unhappiness, initially out of a desire to do right for his parents, especially his mother as to not worry her, but also to protect himself from being hurt. Though noble, his willingness to put his feelings aside for the sake of others and struggle with boundary-setting sometimes leads him to overlook his feelings and emotions, and even be self-sacrificing to the point of self-neglect.
In truth, he instinctively keeps distance from others, and in moments of weakness, questions his own sincerity as a person due to having had to suppress his true feelings and thoughts for so long. This has an apparent effect on his acting, a fact unnoticed by him until Aran draws attention to it. However, in spite of his reflexive emotional distance, he is very earnest when he's able to let his guard down. He is very eager to make connections with others (even over simple pleasures like guy-talk) and is shown to very easily bond with people.
Though he is honored to have the opportunities he receives through that fame, he struggles with the pressures that come with it, and is regretful that such fame has prevented him from being able to enjoy acting for the sake of it. However, he does truly love acting, and his passion for it shines throughout Chapter 4.
Profile[]
Persona 5: The Phantom X[]
Shoki is a half Italian third-year student at Kiga High School who is well-known among part of Kokatsu's female students for his handsome looks. He also does stage plays at Kiga. Both his parents are actors as well, with his father being a stage actor and his mother an actor in Italian films, leading both of them to be lesser known in Japan. His love of acting stems from his parents.
When he was young, Ikenami's mother was the subject to slanderous rumors about an alleged affair with a film producer (who she had merely been having dinner with). Though Ikenami's parents both denied it, they continued to hound her and spread more and more rumors about his mother, eventually leading the public to believe them and his mother's reputation to completely collapse in Japan, and his father marked a fool for defending his wife.
Eventually, Ikenami's mother returned to Italy to shield her family from her tarnished reputation, though she deeply regretted leaving Shoki, and would regularly stay in contact with him, always apologizing for not being strong enough to face the slander and running away. Shoki spent his childhood burdened by the incident, but he sought to keep smiling for his mother's sake as to not add to her suffering and shame. However, he was often bullied and gossiped about, which led to a very lonely childhood.
He pursued acting during much of his schooling, and eventually became noticed due to the efforts of Takami Shimotsuna, the editor-in-chief of a Gossip magazine.
He is seen reading on the train during Chapter 1 and 2. During the former, two Kokatsu students fawn over his good looks.
"Chapter 4: The Melancholy of the Masked Actor"[]
Shoki, Aran Hirano and his schoolmates go to Kokatsu Academy come to help for a school festival jointly run between both schools, and begins work on a theater production with the protagonist, Motoha, Shun and Riko as Aran's insistence. Shoki and Aran quickly form a bond with the Kokatsu students.
Shoki reveals that although he is famous, he has actually begun refusing roles due to his dislike of pressures of fame, and that he is looking forward to the simpler pleasures of acting in a small stage production.
After Shoki finished the rehearsal at Kokatsu Academy, Shimotsuna and her secretary approach him as he is speaking to some fans. Shimotsuna, wanting to interview Ikenami, loses patience with the two girls when they won't leave them alone, and starts to threaten them. Ikenami defends them, confronting Shimotsuna about pestering his fans. Shimotsuna requests going to eat with him at the restaurant, but when Ikenami said he just finished for today, she continues to insist. The protagonist and Shun came to his rescue by claiming one of their teachers needed him for something. Shimotsuna is furious and takes it out on her secretary, firing and replacing him with Daichi Osaka.
When the protagonist, Lufel, Motoha, Shun, Riko, Aran and Shoki go to Shibuya for prop shopping, Shimotsuna once again approaches Shoki. She questions who the other students are, and she tries snap a picture. Riko requests that she not photograph them on account they’re in the middle of club activity. Annoyed, she warns the girls not to stick too closely to Ikenami, as they might get cyber-bullied. When Shun comes to their defenses, she sees the boys are worthy of her eyes and gushes over their appearances. Daichi reminds her that they're ordinary students, but she snaps at him for offering unwanted advice. Though Motoha tries to come to his defense, Daichi apologizes to his employer for questioning her choices in men. Shimotsuna asks Shoki to join her for tea, and he reluctantly agrees to join her. Lufel begins to suspect that Shoki's desires are being stolen by Shimotsuna. They later discover she has a palace, but are prevented from exploring deeper due to the interference of strong shadows.
Shoki speaks to his mother on the phone, letting her know he is doing well. When she apologizes to him for leaving him alone, he insists that she need not to.
Later during practice, Aran admits she find Shoki's performance unmemorable, and speculates that Shoki might be stopping himself from being truly authentic and vulnerable, which may be reflected in his acting. Shoki appreciates the critique, seeing them as an opportunity to grow and find what is missing in his acting.
Later on, Shimotsuna intrudes into Kokatsu Academy with Daichi and her colleague Kokoro — a famous independent producer, in tow. When she is refused entry by Kumi Katayama (due to not having permission from the school), she begins harassing the teacher. When Ikenami arrives to see the commotion, Shimotsuna surprises Ikenami with an opportunity work with Kokoro, who insists that Ikenami is a perfect fit for the lead role in his web series themed around abusive parents, having been told by Shimotsuna that Ikenami's parents were abusive and thus all the more appropriate for the role.
Annoyed at Shimotsuna's dismissal of the school play and of his friends, and disturbed at the fact that the show's filming would prevent him from enjoying his time at school due to having year-long production schedule, Ikenami turns the opportunity down, insisting that while he is grateful, the play and the time at school matter to him. He also explains that his parents aren't abusive, and were always good and kind to him. Though Kokoro understands, Shimotsuna is incensed at being shot down and losing face in front of Kokoro, and threatens to ruin Ikenami's reputation as well as those of his parents (and even anyone else to Ikenami), should he not submit to her will.
Speaking privately to his friends, Ikenami — though scared at the blackmail, he expresses his pain and frustration with Shimotsuna's constant abuse and harassment, but that he played along as to not draw her ire. However he reached his breaking point due to her constant dismissal of his life, friends and parents. As he expresses his earnest desire to perform with his friends, Lufel senses his strong inner desires.
However, fearing Shimotsuna's retribution against his parents and friends, he loses his resolve and begins seriously contemplating backing out of the play, and goes to call his father. Not wanting to see their friend be subjugated and lose himself again, the Phantom Thieves resolve to stop Shimotsuna and change her heart. However, before leave to go to Shibuya, they are abruptly sent to Mementos at Kokatsu instead, alongside an unsuspecting Ikenami. They discover that Ikenami had somehow received the Metaverse Navigator app and conclude that he must have somehow received the app and accidentally activated it.
Before they can make sense of the situation, they are attacked by a Shedim shadow, which they cannot fight due to Ikenami being present, forcing them to retreat. With the shadow in constant pursuit, The Phantom Thieves flee into Shimotsuna's palace. Though reluctant to explore the palace with a civilian, they are forced to until the Shadim is no longer skulking around the Palace's entrance. Over the course of their investigation, Ikenami learns that Shimotsuna had been the one to tarnish his mother's name and thus the one who instigated his family's pain and suffering.
When confronting Shadow Shimotsuna, she transforms Motoha and Riko, and then later Shun and Lufei into magazines in retaliation for insulting her, leaving just Wonder and Ikenami left. Ikenami prepares to capitulate to Shadow Shimotsuna to protect the others, but asks that Shimotsuna leave his parents alone as well, leading Shimotsuna incredulous over Ikenami's continued belief in them. She proceeds to attack their characters and question his mother's sincerity; emphatically insisting her harsh portrayal as an adulterer and liar had been true all along. As Shoki denies it, Shadow Shimotsuna begins to attack Shoki's sincerity and authenticity as a person due to his penchant for putting on a facade and keeping people at a distance. She states that he's also liar and a bad person, but states that she's the only person who'd ever truly accept him.
With encouragement from the Phantom Thieves, however, Shoki finds his resolve against her lies. He pretends to comply with her, tricking her into letting her guard down. He steals her magic recorder pen-scepter, which Wonder breaks, freeing the trapped Phantom Thieves. Shoki awakens his persona, Ghino. With Ikenami joining them, the Phantom Thieves begin their plans to steal Shimotsuna's treasure and change her heart. However, upon returning to the real world, a chance encounter with Aran leads Riko to discover that Aran had somehow also received the Metaverse Navigator App, leading them to question if she had been the one to send them to Mementos instead of Shoki. They begin to wonder if she is possibly connected to the mastermind and decide to keep a close eye on her.
In Other Languages[]
| Language | Titles | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Japanese
|
池波 星輝 (Ikenami Shoki) | ルーチェ (Ruche) | ||
 Korean
|
이케나미 쇼키 (Ikenami Shoki) | 루체 (Luche) | ||
  Traditional Chinese
|
池波星輝 (Chibo Xinghui) | LUCE | ||
 Simplified Chinese
|
池波星辉 (Chibo Xinghui) | LUCE | ||
Trivia[]
- In the opening movie, Shoki actually made an appearance at around 01:28-01:29, suggesting that he may have a non-trivial role in the main story. This is confirmed in the 1st anniversary livestream that he will become a Phantom Thief and join the group in Chapter 4.
- Shoki's Code Name Luce is the Italian word for Light.
- Luce's AOA Finisher line “Or Che Mi Conoscete” translates to “Now That You Know Me” and appears to be taken from a line of “La boheme” an opera by Giacomo Puccini. The full line reads as “Or che mi conoscete, parlate voi, deh!”