As I stated before, the Shadows are based off the Jungian Archetype. A Shadow Self is the unconscious emotions and undesired feelings that person they represent, with various other Shadows appearing, often around them, to apparently represent or make up either normal upsets or regrets of other people, or the same feeling that comes from that person. They are the major threat in the persona series, and often bosses end up as being the Shadow Self of a major character.
We hear of the Shadows from Teddie, a strange bear-like creature that lives in the Midnight Channel and who is the one that throws the main trio (the Protagonist, Yosuke, and Chie) out the first time the end up in the world and see the first of where Shadows often appear - around those who have been thrown into the TV World, and with a great deal of their dark feelings turning into monsters (luckily, the first area is free of monsters, as it appears the Shadows leave or calm down after a violent death). When Yosuke and the Protagonist return, he asks them to promise to figure out what is going on, as the people being thrown into the world are changing things and making the Shadows agitated and, thus, are making things hard for him.
The Twisted Shopping District works as the 'dungeon' of both Yosuke and Saki due to their history, and serves as the first area you and your Persona appear and do battle against Shadows - specifically mouth-like weaker Shadows that appear early on and are very easy to deal with, Slipping Hablerie. The simple Shadows appear to only have mouths and start off as Shadows reminiscent of No Face from Spirited Away. As most of the 'dark' and Shadow aspects of Yosuke and Saki appear to be from gossip and what other people say, it's no surprise that the only Shadow in it is something that appears to be continually talking or only speaking.
Due to this area being the area of Saki's demise and the reason for Yosuke suggesting they investigate the murders, and thus re-enter the world, this is the area that Yosuke is confronted by his Shadow Self, and the first time you truly face off against the power of the TV World and the Jungian idea of Shadows.
[I am a Shadow, the true self...]
Yosuke Hanamura: The Magician Jiraya
Yosuke is one of first characters you meet during the game, and is often seen in comedic situations. Like you, he has moved to Inaba recently and, thus, does not know some of the people who have been there for a while. Yosuke's father manages Junes, a major chain store that has moved into Inaba recently and is blamed for the decline of stores in the Central Shopping District, including the liquor store that Saki's family owns. He is overall happy-go-lucky and tires to not make light of what his family's reputation has done to his own, or what he feels about moving from the city to the country.
Yosuke's initial look into the Midnight Channel is not a positive one, and after Saki's death, Yosuke becomes determined to figure out what is going on. He brings in Chie and the Protagonist due to his belief that the police cannot figure out the real killer, and he is the first to be confronted by Shadows, as well as to confront his Shadow Self. It is after this that the Protagonist and he can become closer, mostly through hanging out with Yosuke and seeing him interact with people at Junes, and you learn more and more about how he feels and what he does, as well as the pressure put on him by gossip and by what the other workers believe. Though the comic relief and often open to flirting with the girls or saying the wrong thing to everyone, overall Yosuke is an important member and one of the first who shows off investigative skills and an ability to figure out patterns in the mystery you have come into and, no matter what, will do all he can to help everyone out and will be there for people, in his own way.
As stated before, Shadows are the unconscious and 'undesired' emotions and feelings of the ones they confront. Denying those feelings result in the Shadow gaining power and transforming into a monstrous being that the Protagonist must defeat. In this case, the Shadow points out how unhappy Yosuke is with being alone and being 'bored' in the small town, even claiming that Yosuke used Saki's death as an excuse to come to the more 'exciting' world in the TV. Yosuke's denial of this results in the Shadow's transformation, and the acceptance is what allows the Shadow to transform into a Persona and aid Yosuke and the Protagonist in their quest.
TAROT ANALYSIS
Yosuke's initial look into the Midnight Channel is not a positive one, and after Saki's death, Yosuke becomes determined to figure out what is going on. He brings in Chie and the Protagonist due to his belief that the police cannot figure out the real killer, and he is the first to be confronted by Shadows, as well as to confront his Shadow Self. It is after this that the Protagonist and he can become closer, mostly through hanging out with Yosuke and seeing him interact with people at Junes, and you learn more and more about how he feels and what he does, as well as the pressure put on him by gossip and by what the other workers believe. Though the comic relief and often open to flirting with the girls or saying the wrong thing to everyone, overall Yosuke is an important member and one of the first who shows off investigative skills and an ability to figure out patterns in the mystery you have come into and, no matter what, will do all he can to help everyone out and will be there for people, in his own way.
As stated before, Shadows are the unconscious and 'undesired' emotions and feelings of the ones they confront. Denying those feelings result in the Shadow gaining power and transforming into a monstrous being that the Protagonist must defeat. In this case, the Shadow points out how unhappy Yosuke is with being alone and being 'bored' in the small town, even claiming that Yosuke used Saki's death as an excuse to come to the more 'exciting' world in the TV. Yosuke's denial of this results in the Shadow's transformation, and the acceptance is what allows the Shadow to transform into a Persona and aid Yosuke and the Protagonist in their quest.
TAROT ANALYSIS
The Magician (I), Reversed
Shadows represent the unconscious or unwanted, and thus are often the 'reverse' of what the character shows. Reversed cards can sometimes be used in readings (some simply use the card as-is) but often the reversed version of a card is not a 'bad' reading - it simply means a change of how things are. The Magician in general is represented by a man controlling the elements around him, and being able to channel power from Heaven and Earth, the infinity symbol or a symbol of power over his head.
Reversed, the power can be misused or mishandled, or the power might go to the Magician's head. In the Fool's Journey, a similar makeup of a myth arc like the Hero's Journey, The Magician is the first person the Fool meets, and who shows him how to use the power of the Minor Arcana.
Yosuke has to admit what he sees, as denying his 'other' self only serves to agitate it and create the 'reverse'. When it returns to Upright, it regains the power that it had - someone controlling the elements he has at his disposal, and channeling the power to allow him to do whatever he needs to do.
THEME: I am Thou, Thou Art I
Accepting yourself and what you feel is a major theme of Persona 4. Though the Protagonist never faces his 'Shadow', he views everyone facing theirs and has to help defeat them and learn from them. The Shadows are often accepted by the character saying "You're me, and I'm you", and any new Social Link has a screen showing the corresponding Tarot as well as the words "I am Thou, Thou art I". Yosuke and the Protagonist are the first two who face their 'Shadows' in a way and end up accepting something about themselves (mostly Yosuke does) that they don't want to face. Because of the event with Saki, as well as Yosuke accepting it, he gains a Persona called Jiraya. Accepting it, the screen often says that the 'strength to face one's true self' becomes manifest as the Persona itself, and allows them the power to fight and aid the Protagonist in the TV World, not to mention a better understanding of themselves that slowly manifests the more time the Protagonist spends time with them and builds their Social Link.
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