Moments of Truth: Kanji; Persona 4 social links explained
Facing your true self is a central theme of Persona 4, and many of its highlights are rooted in moments of truth.
I recently explored how Persona 4 balances a warm coming-of-age story with themes of unearthing painful baggage. If you haven’t played Persona 4, you should stop reading this piece immediately and check out that essay, which outlines why it’s a great RPG everyone should try.
If you have played Persona 4 and are ready for some heavy spoilers, by all means continue…
A cool byproduct of researching my previous essay is it gave me fresh insight on social links in Persona 4.
I was aware that social links become more forthcoming as you get to know them better. But I never noticed that all of them have at least one moment of complete honesty. Understanding that dynamic helped give me a better perspective on the characters and inspired this series.
The following is a brief of summary of Kanji’s moments of truth, along with some perspective on his circumstances and behavior:
Kanji Tatsumi
Arcana: Emperor
Initial Trope: Antisocial tough guy
Hidden Truth: Living a lie due to fear of rejection
The tension between our true selves and the masks we wear is central to Persona 4, and no character personifies this better than Kanji.
The skull shirt, bullet necklace, and “get bent” attitude — it’s a prickly disguise Kanji wears to avoid rejection and ridicule. Known locally for beating up biker gangs, he’d rather be sewing and making dolls.
Experience has taught Kanji that his interests don’t align with society’s expectations. Finding the courage to make peace with that and forge his own path is the crux of his story.
Kanji does not make a good first impression in Persona 4. He’s a threatening loner with a short fuse. The one person he’s interested in seeing is Naoto, and it’s clear Kanji has feelings for the Detective Prince that he’s not quite ready to embrace.
This issue comes to a head when Kanji faces his shadow.
Ostensibly the shadow is confronting Kanji for denying his feelings toward Naoto, but really it’s just one facet of a much larger dynamic, which Kanji identifies in his first moment of truth:
The search for truth is central to Persona 4 and Kanji’s social link takes a somewhat unique approach on the topic; it’s less about seeking answers and more about being true to himself.
A major focus of Kanji’s story is that change is hard. He’s developed effective tactics for keeping others at a safe distance, and those dynamics have taken on a life of their own. The seething tough guy act has become a habit for Kanji, one that he needs to break.
Kanji’s initial message to the world is that he wants to be left alone, but that’s not really true. He wants to be accepted and appreciated; embracing that is a crucial first step for Kanji.
Acceptance starts from within for Kanji, but he soon earns it from others by being himself.
One example is the young boy in the park, who was bullied into throwing away a borrowed doll. Kanji sympathizes and helps him search for it. When that’s unsuccessful, Kanji brings a replacement doll and another one for the boy — leading to a subtle but important moment of truth.
Afterward, Kanji shares a memory that goes straight to heart of why he adopted that tough shell, and muses on how things might be different now.
As Kanji’s behavior changes, he runs into another obstacle: the reputation that follows his antisocial behavior. Unreliable rumors are a recurring theme in Persona 4, and we see this shortly after meeting Kanji, when Yu confronts Kanji about a rumor he’s been bullying kids at school
It’s touching to see how much Kanji cares what Yu thinks of him, and it helps him realize how someone could get the wrong idea about him.
The best example of this is the local police, who are always warning Kanji to stay out of trouble. Fittingly, they’re also part of the scene where he tells a truth that brings things full circle.
Through turning over a new leaf, Kanji had people willing to vouch for him when the police came with questions, but the final test was him owning the story about the dolls. Let the cops laugh if they want to — that’s their problem, not his.
An often-overlooked aspect of Kanji’s social link are the questions “what does it mean to be a man?” and “what does it mean to be strong?” Resolving those questions is central to Kanji’s arc, as he confides another memory to Yu.
It’s noteworthy this was the first time Kanji visited his father’s grave alone; he likely wasn’t proud of how he was living and didn’t feel like he could face him. Having taken that step, Kanji recognizes he probably misunderstood his father.
Kanji starts giving sewing lessons for friends and selling crafts out of his mother’s textile shop. He’s gone from being ashamed of this talent to sharing it to make others happy.
Kanji’s final moment of truth addresses one last issue: the feeling he’s always making trouble for his friends. He does this by recognizing his role in how people perceive him and resolving to do better.
Honesty, courage, and acceptance are central to Kanji’s arc. Through determination and commitment, Kanji comes to accept himself and be honest with others, setting aside his disguise and having the courage to let the world accept or reject him on his own merits. By overcoming that fear, he begins the process of reversing the damage it did to his reputation and social life.
Anyone who has ever tried to hide who they are, only to discover that a full time disguise is much too heavy a burden, should be able to empathize with Kanji and celebrate his success.
Nathan Lamb is a former reporter and news editor, who occasionally writes about video games for fun. His passions include the Persona series and history. He previously wrote about on the overarching themes of death and mortality in Persona 3.
