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— reaper, reaper.
PERSONA AU NOTES
Arcana: Tower (Persona 3, Persona 4), ??? (Persona 5)
Residence: Iwatodai City (Persona 3), Yasoinaba (Persona 4), Shibuya (Persona 5)
Age: 17-18 (Persona 3), 19-20 (Persona 4), 24-25 (Persona 5)
Persona: Cu Chulainn (Persona 3 & 4), ??? (Persona 5)
Affiliations: SEES (Persona 3), Shadow Operatives (Persona 4), None(?) (Persona 5)
Occupation: Student (Persona 3, Persona 4), Shadow Ops Agent (Persona 4), Teacher (Persona 5)
Melee Arsenal: Bo Staff (Persona 3, 4), Spear (Persona 5)
Ranged Arsenal: Throwing Knives (Persona 3, 4), Ofuda (Persona 5)
SYNOPSIS, PERSONA 3
“I’m Nagano. Starting today, I guess I’m stuck here with you guys.”Standoffish and taciturn, this ex-delinquent third year joins SEES following the incident on November 4th. In his earlier years, he was one of the more prolific young troublemakers around town, but it seems that he’s been shoring up his behavior as of late. Apparently, his bentos are to die for. Not that that’s relevant or anything, but. He's the president of Gekkoukan's Botany Club.
“I don’t care about everyone else’s motivations for ending the Dark Hour. We all have our reasons.”
“We have a common enemy in front of us. That's good enough for me.”
The teen moves into the dorms at an awkward time, after the shell-shocking discoveries made apparent by defeating the Full Moon Shadows—but it is no coincidence. Kaito is sent to join the team by the Kirijo Group, and it is revealed that he has been a Persona User for at least the past year. His existence was previously known only to Shuji Ikutsuki and a few Kirijo Group scientists, but with the former’s death, the organization saw fit for him to lend his talents to SEES.
Though he seems none too eager to get well-acquainted with his new teammates, Kaito’s an effective—if not unnerving—fighter, able to exterminate Shadows with ruthless efficiency. Whatever his personal reason for wanting the Dark Hour ended may be, it’s enough to drive him nigh single-mindedly into battle.
SYNOPSIS, PERSONA 4
“You should be mindful of where you let your eyes wander. There are bad people out there who are looking for the slightest excuse to get in your face.”Following the end of the Dark Hour and his graduation from high school, Kaito finds himself roped into joining the Shadow Operatives, working as an active member for the organization. While it isn't necessarily by choice that he continues to assist the Kirijo Group, he is dutiful in his task of investigating User and Shadow activity—and ensuring that any hints of the latter are forcefully dealt with. The man’s sole request is to be stationed in Yasoinaba, a sleepy rural city where his younger cousin Hanako and her family lives.
“Now please get out of mine.”
The life of a Shadow Operative out in the sticks isn’t the busiest, so Kaito has begun attending classes at a nearby university in hopes of achieving a long-term dream of his: opening a restaurant back in his father's hometown of Shibuya. Yet, the teen cannot help but find himself immersed in the news of bizarre murders and the rumors floating around about a certain television program that airs at the stroke of midnight. And with this heavy fog that fills his mind with hazy thoughts…
Kaito doesn’t believe in coincidences.
SYNOPSIS, PERSONA 5
“Good morning. I’m Nagano, living proof that your degree does not always determine where you’ll work. I went to school to make noodles.”Several years have passed since Kaito broke ties with the Kirijo Group in hopes of returning to society as a man, not a Persona User. After graduating from university, he moved to Shibuya, renting an apartment with his younger brother and preparing to finally settle into a life with some semblance of normalcy. His ill-tempered nature has been worn away by the stresses of everyday life, and the once brooding yet passionate Persona User has grown up to be an exhausted, apathetic adult.
“But, until further notice, I’ll be your Home Ec teacher. Dunno what happened to the last one. Didn’t really care to ask.”
“Okay. Get your skillets ready. Today, we’ll be making okonomiyaki...”
Right as he’s about to take on a job at an upscale ramen restaurant, Kaito receives a call from an old friend of his who works at Shujin Academy. As it stands, one of their teachers has fallen ill quite suddenly, and the school is in dire need of a replacement. Though Kaito complains and insists that he can't do the job, he ends up folding and taking the position anyway. Being a teacher introduces a slew of stressful responsibilities that he was never trained for, but his plentiful experience in working under pressure allows him to excel and gain some popularity as a Home Economics instructor.
Despite this, he finds himself more distanced from his peers than ever before. He cares little for their struggles, and only pays the bare minimum attention to his students outside of the classroom. Kaito’s become more concerned with what he’s going to prepare for dinner than the everyday affairs of the world around him. The only person who matters to him nowadays is his little brother, a third year at Shujin who won’t even confide in him when stress begins to tear his life apart. The pair used to be thick as thieves, and yet now they're so distant you might struggle to believe that they're brothers.
More than ever, Kaito feels alone in a sea of faces. What's the point of living if the sole bright point in his life has gone dark? What happened to the friends and comrades he made in high school? Did he just throw them all away? Why doesn’t any of this bother him as much as it should?
Regardless of the answers, the world keeps turning. Kaito tries to keep from dwelling on his frustrations—and like everyone else in the city, he finds it impossible to ignore the buzz about the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Coupled with a recent string of disastrous incidents whose culprits all claim to have suffered under inexplicable “psychotic breakdowns”, the teacher slowly but surely feels his past clawing him out of his newfound everyday life. It’s too suspicious to ignore.
As much as he wishes to, as much as he tells himself that he doesn't care anymore, he knows that he can’t leave well enough alone. Perhaps, he’s always known.
What remains to be seen is whether Cu Chulainn will still heed his call, years after the User has cast his partner to the wayside.
STATS, CU CHULAINN
VISAGE: Cu Chulainn appears as pieces of pearlescent white armor loosely held together by an ephemeral body made of translucent azure energy. The armor is regal, but not bulky, decorated with turquoise accents. A flowing white and blue cape billows behind the Persona, and clutched in its armored fingers is a slender spear with a spade-shaped head made from the same metal. In almost every regard, Cu Chulainn is elegant.
…Until you stare it in the eyes.
The Persona’s helm is made in the shape of a hounskull bascinet, with the conical visor split open horizontally at the middle. Rather than appearing as a muzzle, it is shaped more like a pair of gnashing jaws. Ghastly azure flames spill endlessly from the helm’s maw. Narrowed eye slits harbor a haunting blue gaze.
Cu Chulainn hovers behind its User with an open stance, arms thrown to either side as it impatiently awaits the order to kill. And when given permission, it surges forward, eager to crush enemies between its macabre jaws. By contrast, Cu Chulainn’s spear brims with magical energy, and thus serves as the focus of its spellcraft.
TACTICS: Cu Chulainn is an offensive powerhouse, equipped with a bevy of skills that empower Kaito’s ability to fight on his own terms against Shadows. With balanced offenses that allow him to attack through magical and physical means, both User and Persona may strike without hesitation—or mercy. Being accustomed to fighting alone, the teen is an extremely slippery foe, evading attacks with preternatural grace.
Independent of his Persona, Kaito appears to have some limited navigational skills, allowing him to sense the location of Shadows and Users across a wide area, as well as assess their affinities and vulnerabilities. These boons add to his ability to operate alone.
SKILL POOL