Shu Nakajima

Shu Nakajima is a character in Persona 4. A brilliant middle school student, he represents the Tower Arcana Social Link.

Appearances

 * Persona 4 / Golden: Supporting Character; Tower Social Link
 * Persona 4 Manga: Supporting Character; Tower Arcana
 * Persona 4 The Animation: Supporting Character; Tower Arcana
 * Persona 4 The Golden Animation: Cameo

Design
Shu is a boy with straight, short brown hair, brown eyes, and wears black rectangular glasses. He wears a dark blue plaid long sleeved shirt, black pants with a brown belt, and brown shoes.

In Persona 4 The Animation, in the summer he wears a blue-collared shirt with folded short sleeves, black pants, and dark brown shoes, and wears blue rectangular glasses.

Personality
He is smart and talented, but also somewhat cynical and prone to angsting. He believes he must keep up his status as the top student in his grade, so that his mother will love him, a goal that drives him to cheat on a test.

Persona 4
The protagonist first meets him when he takes the tutoring job available, which can only be accepted if the player maxes out the understanding status.

By tutoring Shu, the player discovers that he is under constant pressure of always being number one in his class by his mother. When a smart student who is also athletic and talented joined his class, Shu notices that the newcomer is unable to surpass him, and ends up being bullied. Over time, Shu feels increasingly pressured, recounting a recurring nightmare.

After discovering that he cheated on a test, a heated argument ensues with his mother. Shortly afterward, the protagonist helps him celebrate his birthday with the rest of the Investigation Team, learning about what he did. Later on, his mother apologizes to him for saying cruel things during the argument, and unwittingly putting pressure on him. As a result, Shu realizes he no longer has to be the best, in part because of the black mark on his permanent record from his suspension, and cancels the tutoring. As a parting gift, he gives the protagonist his Test Results to hold onto until he gains the perspective to laugh at his previous belief that he needed grades to earn his mother's love, giving the protagonist access to Shiva, the God of Destruction.

During the last day of the protagonist's stay, Shu reveals that he befriended the transfer student, and is going to play baseball the following day.

Persona 4 The Animation
In the anime, he is first seen staring at a group of kids, who are playing with each other. While walking down the road, Nanako spots him, and thinks he looks lonely.

On August 7th, Shu meets Yu for the first time. Initially, he does not trust him, and almost seems to resent him. During the summer festival, Shu steals one of the fireworks, as petty revenge for his classmates not inviting him. Yu gives him Othello Eppon Inc., a video game, for his birthday. He suggests that Shu invite his peers to play with him, and Shu thanks him. He claims Yu is the first person to go the extra mile for his sake, and cries with joy.

During the ending credits, he is last seen playing Othello Eppon Inc. with the other children.

Etymology

 * The name Shu means "excellent, outstanding" (秀).
 * Shu's surname Nakajima means "middle" (中) (naka) and "island" (島) (shima/jima).

Trivia

 * Shu's birthday is always on the night the player reaches Rank 9 of his Social Link.
 * Shu shares his surname with Akemi Nakajima, the protagonist of Megami Tensei, right down to the kanji used.