PERSONAS: The Dungeon
Like Yukiko's Castle, the Steamy Bathhouse serves more as a way to throw in the stereotype of what the outside world might believe or say that the other person wants, but instead of being based on complete rebellion against tradition while embracing an ideal, this is more going towards what society or others would think they wanted. If you don't like the opposite gender, then you're obviously homosexual. For Kanji, this translates into going somewhere that might accept him - a tough guy who does things for 'nice' reasons - and where he might find someone who shares in his interests but won't laugh at him for having those interests. In the case of Kanji, instead of looking for a 'prince' to take him away, he's searching for someone who will accept him, and this manifests as the idea that it must be a man (because of a bad experience or experiences with girls) and that it must be in a homosexual way. This is part of the reason why Kanji's actual sexuality is a bit harder to figure out - he might be gay, but it's more likely he's bisexual because of how he reacts to the girls, and because of his issues with that sexuality. It's often shown in media and through conversations about media's portrayal of bisexuals that being such is very hard - I often use the "Chasing Amy" analogy because it does have points where the female protagonist points out that she 'loves who she loves', but at the same time is ostracized when she begins to date a guy who she cares for after spending a lot of time exclusively dating women. Though the main issue with the story is to not be so emasculated by having a partner with more 'history' than you, another issue is with sexuality itself, and the problems that can come from trying to find yourself and letting others push you into a specific box.
The Steamy Bathhouse - Floor 10
Arriving at Floor 10 of the Bathhouse, after the Shadow begins to warm to the Protagonist as someone who will accept him, the group is confronted by Shadow Kanji, who serves only to enrage Kanji with his admissions of liking guys and why that is, not to mention his deeper seated fears of not being accepted by anyone. The Tough Guy and Nice Guy summoned by Shadow Kanji in his next form are ones that focus on boosting and aiding the Shadow, not to mention making it near-impossible to throw out the stronger attacks against everyone, forcing you to focus your attacks and status ailments on the Tough and Nice Guys before you can even work on damaging the very dangerous Shadow Kanji. Compared to Yukiko's battle, this one is far more stressful and dangerous, and harder to get through. While Yukiko might have held back a bit at first because her Shadow still trusted Chie and the others, Kanji has no such trust, and as such his power is quicker to display and his allies serve to only keep him from attacks, and thus from any attempts to defeat the rejected Shadow and allow Kanji the time to finally accept that part of himself.
The Emperor: Take-Mikazuchi
Going from the more human and hidden Shadow you fight, with dual color schemes to show his 'nice guy' and 'tough guy' personas that he shows off to the masses and the few, Kanji's Shadow is similar to Chie's in that they are both strong and protecting themselves from harsh truths, or trying to wrap themselves up in an identity that can sometimes appear ill-fitted. Where as Chie's Shadow attempted to look like Yukiko with it's long, black hair, and was more feminine in a dominate way, Kanji's Shadow wraps itself into a rose and masculine shell, hiding behind two strong, burly men who keep away or strengthen his views. In contrast, the Persona that Kanji gets after finally accepting himself is taller than most, with a skeleton outline on a burly, almost robotic body that is over-proportioned in some areas and smaller in others. He carries a lightning bolt, and is the main one outside of the Protagonist who uses Zio (Lightning) attacks on his opponents, not to mention his physical strength. In contrast, Take-Mikazuchi seems larger than the other Personas, and ready to battle anything and everything that gets in his way, if not through magic than by physical strength alone.
Named for a god created by Izanagi after he slew the fire-god Kagutsuchi, Take-Mikazuchi is one who descends to pacify the deities of Izumo on command of Amatsu, and engages one in the first sumo wrestling match, easily defeating him. He is considered a god of thunder and a sword-god, which explains his use of that element as well as his wielding the thunderbolt like a sword, save when he drives it into the ground to summon lightning. Considering the main Persona of the Protagonist, as well as the one that Kanji gains, it's not surprising that this one appears after Kanji is saved by the group and accepts himself.
The Emperor's focus on control and power is a good one for someone so dangerous as Take-Mikazuchi as well as someone like Kanji. As he learns to control himself, by learning more about himself and accepting that to add to his power, Take-Mikazuchi becomes stronger as well. Thunder and swords themselves are also things that demand a great deal of control and that are often seen as a sign of power - Lightning is often seen as the highest form of fire, or a symbol of particularly strong gods, such as Zeus or Thor in Western mythology. Having weapons or lightning itself weaponized often a sign of power and status, and with now, the idea of controlling lightning safely has spurred on a sudden interest in Tesla and his experiments with electricity.
ELEMENT
Element: Zio (Electricity)
Weakness: Garu (Wind)
Electricity is an element that is not really seen within the standard mix of spiritual elements uses by various religions and people, but it is often put into the category of 'fire' or a higher form of fire, and linked to heavenly or divine power and might. Thunder and Lightning Gods are often depicted as the strongest of their group, and even as the leaders in some cases. Control over this element is one that demands control of other elements as well.
Of course, this element is abound in various other games and genres as well - Lightning Elementals are in many of the fantasy games or MMOs, and control over lightning is shown as a power that can be gained by the Sith in Star Wars, especially those who give fully into the Dark Side. But as an element or power, it's often one of the strongest ones that you can gain, or signifies the approach of powerful beings. Those with lightning as a power are often bigger or stronger than the others, and quicker to anger and fight (such as Sailor Jupiter from Sailor Moon). But they are also shown to have a variety of passions and feelings, and will do their best to fight for their cause.
Kanji's determination and work to figure himself out, to 'control' himself through self-knowledge and understanding his limits, means that holding a power over lightning is something he has to master. Knowing enough about himself to calm down and even hit his Shadow only shows that while he is confused about certain aspects of himself, he also knows that this confusion can be easily cleared up by reminding himself of why he does this or why he thinks a certain way. Even with being the butt of some jokes, Kanji becomes a bit slower to anger, and his understanding of himself will help the others they meet up with and who join them in the quest to discover the killer.
Next Time: The Long Lull (May-June/July)
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