Eri Minami

Eri Minami is a character from Persona 4. She is the step mother of Yuuta and is associated with the Temperance Arcana.

Appearances

 * Persona 4 / Golden: Supporting Character; Temperance Social Link
 * Persona 4 The Animation: Supporting Character; Temperance Social Link
 * Persona 4 The Golden Animation: Cameo
 * Persona 4 Arena: Cameo

Design
Eri is a young woman with wavy brown hair and brown eyes. She wears a faded purple peacock coat with a pink dress with a darkish purple ribbon tied to her wrist, a golden pendant around her neck, and dark pink slippers.

Personality
She is a kind and gentle person who wants her stepson to accept her. Eri is soft spoken, a little gullible, and somewhat timid by nature, but truly loves her stepson, Yuuta. Unfortunately, her gullibility leaves her believing what Yuuta's peers label him, initially causing a rift between the two. She also has a subconscious fear of facing these accusations, and thus cannot see Yuuta's desire to be closer to her. This changes when the protagonist helps the two understand one another, causing them to become much closer.

Persona 4
A young woman from the city, she is the stepmother to Yuuta, a child the protagonist takes care of during his daycare part-time job. She has a hard time adjusting to the new environment and has trouble getting along with the headstrong Yuuta. Befriending her will help the protagonist realize the potential of the Temperance Arcana.

Her husband, Yuuta's father, is working abroad which leaves her in the house alone with her step-son, who doesn't accept her as his new mother. During social interactions with her, she mentions that she didn't know her husband had a son until right before she married him, but she thought it wouldn't matter, because her husband told her that she wouldn't have to work.

As the Social Link develops further, Eri reveals to the protagonist that she feels very distant from Yuuta as a mother, and from the other mothers who come to the daycare, as well as feeling obligated to go back to her home in the city. She also apparently gets various bits of information from television, such as believing a person's fate is determined from the day they are born. Later on, Yuuta becomes afraid that his stepmother hates him, which seems to make the two of them even more distant from each other. During one of the visits to the day care, the protagonist finds that Yuuta has an interest in Phoenix Ranger Featherman R, which he reveals to Eri during one of their conversations. Afterwards, Eri buys Yuuta a Featherman R DVD, which slowly seems to bridge the gap between them. During another visit with Eri, she breaks down from the stress of Yuuta's grades in school. Yuuta takes this as though the protagonist was bullying her, and retaliates by hitting him. Despite this misunderstanding, Yuuta and Eri's relationship begins to improve.

By the end of the Link, the protagonist has managed to help the two become closer to one another. Yuuta finally accepts Eri as his mother, while she comes to realize that he's not really what his peers have been labeling him as, and that she had been afraid of facing him. She realizes that she was foolish to believe the TV and the spiritual lectures, and decides that she will no longer try to escape into her own personal time. She thanks the protagonist on Yuuta's last day at the daycare, and gives him the Clover Bookmark, which allows him to create Vishnu, the ultimate form of the Temperance Arcana.

Persona 4 The Animation
On August 18, she is first seen with Yu at the park. Then, during the Summer Festival, she, along with Yuuta, are watching fireworks and getting along.

Back when she is first seen on August 10, she apologizes to Kaneko's mother about Yuuta's behavior about a broken toy, but Yu takes the "blame" for her and says he'll pay for it. On August 18, she meets with Yu and says that Yuuta is not her actual son, only biologically related to his father. She wonders if her stepson hates her and wishes that she could get along with him. At the Summer Festival, Kaneko harasses Eri by calling her a terrible mother, which enrages Yuuta, pushing Kaneko. Kaneko's mother attempts to hit Yuuta with her bag, but Eri protects him, resulting in a minor head wound. After Yu treats her injuries, she wakes up to see that Yuuta is alright and embraces him. Eri thanks Yu for everything and walks away taking Yuuta's hand. During the credits she is seen happily holding Yuuta's hand alongside Kaneko and his mother who seem to be having trouble getting along.

Persona 4 The Golden Animation
In the opening intro, Eri and Yuuta can be seen eating at other tables at Junes.

Persona 4 Arena
In an anime cutscene she is seen briefly with Yuuta shopping at Junes Department.

Etymology

 * The name Eri means "picture, painting" (絵) (e) and "village" (里) (ri).
 * Eri's surname Minami means "south" (南).