Shinjiro Aragaki

Shinjiro Aragaki is a character from Persona 3. He is a student who rarely attends Gekkoukan High School and a founding member of the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad.

Appearances

 * Persona 3 / FES / Portable: Playable Character
 * Persona 3 Portable (F ): Moon Arcana Social Link
 * Persona 3: Owari no Kakera
 * Persona 3 (Manga): Major Character
 * Persona 3 The Movie: Major Character
 * Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Gunjou no Meikyuu- /Final Chapter: Hekikuu no Kanata e (Special Performance)
 * Persona 3 Portable Drama CD Volume 1 / Volume 2
 * Persona 3 Comic Anthology: Memento Mori: Major Character
 * Persona 3 Portable Dengeki Comic Anthology: Major Character
 * Persona 3 Portable Dear Girls Comic Anthology: Major Character
 * Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight: Playable Character (DLC)
 * Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: Playable Character (DLC)
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Playable Character
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P3: Major Character
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P4: Supporting Character
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Playable Character
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Roundabout Special

Design
Shinjiro is the tallest playable character in Persona 3. He has unkempt brown hair, worn perpetually under a beanie, and steel-colored eyes. He is somewhat warmly complected, a change from the generally pale cast (there is occasionally some discrepancy with his color scheme in anime cutscenes on the console versions of the game, especially regarding his skin tone).

His clothing is relatively simple, consisting mainly of a maroon peacoat, black pants and brown Chelsea shoes. Persona Suppressors can cause the body to become unable to regulate body temperature, hence why Shinjiro is always wearing a coat and hat.

As seen in his dialogue portraits, Shinjiro typically has a "shifty" look about him. He often has his hands in his pockets and his head held low, eyes cast off to the side. In Persona 3 Portable, Shinjiro has extra portraits, including an elusive smiling face. In his battle animations, he assumes a more confident and straightforward pose with his weapon: an axe.

Also in Persona 3 Portable, he has a costume that allows the player to see another side of him: the butler uniform. When wearing this armor he shows his full head of hair, as it is the only time that the player can see him remove his beanie.

When he was a child, which was shown in Akihiko's flashback in the manga adaptation, he used to have short hair, his trademark beanie and wore a dark long sleeve shirt.

In the manga adaptation, when he was a student and a member of SEES, he wore the school uniform of Gekkoukan High School except he wore a turtleneck shirt.

Personality
A reliable and serious character whose cold exterior masks his weaker, gentler self, Shinjiro's difficult past weighs him down, causing him to constantly push others away with a tough-guy act. Ever since accidentally causing the death of Ken's mother, he has given up being a member of SEES to live a normal life, even though there are only so many Persona-users and so SEES needs all the help they can get, something even Yukari, who has no love for SEES or the Dark Hour, has the sense to realize. As he points out to Akihiko, both of them are held back by the guilt of their pasts; they just have completely different ways of dealing with it.

Various parts of Shinjiro's personality are revealed in the different versions of Persona 3, and he is (like most other male characters) difficult to know when playing the male protagonist's route. In FES and Portable, the dorm recordings show an event regarding Shinjiro's "other side." He is revealed to love dogs, in particular Koromaru, who he spoils; in the same scene, he is shown to be an avid cook that enjoys learning from cooking shows.

In Persona 3 Portable, via the female protagonist's Moon Social Link, the player is able to see the most of Shinjiro. Progressively, he is revealed to be a kind and caring person, always worrying after the other members of SEES. He takes great pleasure in being able to help his friends (though he might not admit he even enjoys their company), and he doesn't want to see them make the same mistakes he might have made in the past. He seems to have a deep relationship with Akihiko, being his childhood friend and always worrying about him even after leaving SEES. Despite trying to keep her at arm's length, Shinjiro admires the female protagonist, and views her as a strong leader. Additionally, he also protects Ken from danger due to the past and takes care of him like a younger brother, mostly seen in Persona 3 The Movie as both are even closer unlike the games and eventually, before his death, feels no regret but hopes Ken will grow up and stay strong.

In Persona Q, despite his normally calm and quiet demeanor, it is shown that he easily loses his cool whenever he's with his childhood friend, Akihiko. They often get into fights, usually resulting in childish banters. He is also often dragged into his friend's antics, mostly involving competing over just about anything. During those times, his competitive nature surfaces. He never really admits it, but Shinjiro also apparently hates losing.

In Persona Q2, he seems to be able to understand Goro Akechi's distance from their respective group and just by how Akechi reacts and takes his responsibilities, he's able to tell Akechi has done things he may regret in the past and how he can be quite distant with the Phantom Thieves.

The Journey
Shinjiro is Akihiko Sanada's childhood friend and was an orphan at the same orphanage. He is a senior in Gekkoukan High School, although he doesn't attend class often. Shinjiro was one of the original Persona users who made up SEES, alongside Akihiko and Mitsuru Kirijo. Unfortunately, during one fateful mission two years ago in 2007, his Persona went out of control and accidentally killed an innocent bystander: Ken Amada's mother. Shinjiro forced himself away from the group after the incident. He began skipping school and living as an outcast. He also started doing shady deals with Strega in order to get suppressants that could help control his Persona.

Shinjiro and Akihiko have stayed in touch over the years, but Shinjiro refuses Akihiko's invitations to rejoin SEES until he learns that Ken has decided to join their group. He is fully aware of Ken's vendetta and is ready to take responsibility for his actions. Though he puts on a brave front, the guilt of having killed an innocent woman ate away at him.

Shinjiro's first in-game appearance is early on, when Yukari Takeba, Junpei Iori and the protagonist encounter him at the hospital where Akihiko recovers. He briefly greets the party. He later appears when the same trio decide to investigate a back alley; he saves them from danger by shoving aside petty thugs and urges them to avoid returning to the area. He is met by Akihiko in several scenes, when the two reminisce on their past and how they survived a fire at an orphanage that killed Miki, Akihiko's sister.

Eventually, as the threat of the Shadows increase, Akihiko convinces Shinjiro to join SEES. In battle, Shinjiro relies on his brute strength and wields a heavy axe. His Persona uses physical attacks.

On October 4th, 2009, Shinjiro meets Ken at the site where Ken's mother was killed, during the October full moon mission. Two years ago, Shinjiro accidentally caused the death of Ken's mother when his Persona went berserk while on a SEES mission. For this reason, Shinjiro distanced himself from SEES and began taking Persona Suppressors, consumed by guilt. Ken only saw him as a murderer, though, and had only ever joined SEES for the sole reason of getting revenge and killing him in return. Shinjiro had no intention of resisting Ken's attempt to enact vengeance, but he warns Ken that if he continues, he could end up just like him.



The two are then interrupted by Takaya Sakaki while Ken struggles to go through with his plan. Shinjiro attempts to attack Takaya, only to get himself shot and pushed aside as Takaya prepares to kill Ken. Just as Takaya fires at Ken, Shinjiro jumps in front of the bullet, taking his own life. SEES, who’ve arrived too late to stop Takaya, finds their dying comrade along with a very distraught Ken. Just before he dies, he tells Ken to make his life matter and tells Akihiko to take care of Ken. With the last of his strength, Shinjiro stands up and takes a few steps away from SEES, telling them "This is how it should be." before collapsing on the floor, dead. This final sacrifice earns Ken's respect and inspires Akihiko's resolve.

Gekkoukan High School has a brief memorial for his sudden death. Akihiko visits it and expresses deep remorse for being unable to protect Shinjiro; in doing so, he obtains the desire to use his strength to protect others, evolving his Persona. Later, the members of SEES discover that the drugs Shinjiro was taking were slowly killing him.

After Shinjiro's death, the player can revisit his room in the SEES dorm to reclaim the equipment they gave him.

During the final confrontation with Nyx, the protagonist hears Shinjiro's voice beyond the grave cheering him on along with the voices of the living SEES members, saying "Alright, let's do this."

FES
In FES, a hidden camera reveals that Shinjiro enjoys cooking shows. Shinjiro is also fond of dogs, especially Koromaru.

It is revealed in The Answer that Shinjiro joined SEES right after Akihiko did, though Akihiko claims that it'd been uncertain whether or not Shinjiro would be able to "reliably summon his Persona" due to his weaker potential. Akihiko mentions that while he told him not to join SEES, Shinjiro insisted, barging into the dorm and refusing to leave. While reminiscing, Akihiko guesses that Shinjiro did so for his sake.

Portable
In addition to reclaiming his stuff in his dorm room after his death, the player can find a bonus Skill Card depending on his level before his death.
 * Level 39 or lower: Fatal End
 * Level 40 to 52: Blade of Fury
 * Level 53 to 59: Heat Wave
 * Level 60 to 71: Deathbound
 * Level 72 to 76: Akasha Arts
 * Level 77 or higher: God's Hand

Shinjiro represents the Moon Arcana Social Link for the female protagonist route, and expands his and Akihiko's character past their subplot. It is available through the month of September starting September 7 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays until the October Full Moon Event on October 4. He shows a more caring side towards SEES, and grows to trust the protagonist as a leader, while alluding to her of his imminent demise. At Rank 9 of his Social Link, Shinjiro will mention that he lost his pocket watch. The player may find and obtain Shinjiro's pocket watch at the police station by talking to Officer Kurosawa, and give it to Shinjiro to max the Social Link. In return, Shinjiro will give the protagonist a leather watch which bestows the ability to fuse the ultimate Moon Persona, Sandalphon. In addition, the events of the story involving Shinjiro will be altered, starting with Shinjiro surviving the fatal gunshot from Takaya on October 4 which he will then be admitted into the Tatsumi Hospital and will not be able to rejoin the party due to being in a coma.

It is possible to have an extra scene with him if the S.Link is maxed before October 4, in which the female protagonist can attempt to spend more time with him and possibly start a romantic relationship with him. By confessing her feelings for him and dismissing his attempts to desist her from pursuing him by selecting certain choices, he will finally admit to have loved her, but also knew it would be a grave mistake for them to be together.

During the final days of the game, a student in her classroom tells the protagonist of his discharge from the hospital, stating that the pocket watch absorbed one of the bullets.

Maxing out his Social Link on a New Game+ as the female character will allow him to spend time with the protagonist during the final cutscene.

Portable Drama CD
Shinjiro was first mentioned when the girls (Aigis, Mitsuru, FeMC/leader, Fuuka, Yukari, Yuko and Rio) had a conversation about mature guys. They mentioned that they can't seem to think of any mature guys that they know of aside from Ken, who was apparently just a kid. Suddenly, one of them brought up Shinjiro and how he saved the "leader," Yukari and Junpei in Port Island. It was also mentioned that he also saved other students who almost got into trouble because they got drunk.

After some time, the girls began to complain about their aching feet thanks to the they were wearing. They headed for the shrine to have some rest and also to patch up their feet with the bandages which Fuuka brought. The "leader" began to complain about her geta being too tight, so Aigis tried to loosen it up, but ended up breaking it instead. She apologized, but the "leader" said it was okay and tried to walk with one geta, but Fuuka told her she might hurt herself, so she asked for the broken one to be passed to her and said she'll just limp anyway.

Suddenly, she screeched which alarmed the other girls, though as it turned out, she just tripped and dropped the broken geta somewhere. The others proposed to help her look for it when Shinjiro suddenly came, holding her missing item. They talk about it for a while when Shinjiro finally proposes to fix it with his handkerchief, which amazes the girls. They ask him what he’s doing and he says he’s looking for someone: a dog.

Before leaving, he asks Mitsuru about Akihiko when she asks him if he has anything else he wants to say. Shinjiro answers that Akihiko should eat vegetables to which Mitsuru replies that it's so like Shinjiro to say something like that. After he leaves, the girls realize that the dog he was looking for might be Koromaru.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Shinjiro is a playable character in Persona Q, and is readily available from the start if the P3 Route is picked. He will only be playable in the P4 Route after finishing the first dungeon.

Several characters appear frightened and intimidated by him (such as Rei), with Yukiko Amagi comparing him to a vampire from an old movie. Though he maintains his reserved demeanour throughout the game, he admits that he may give off "a mean vibe," and is unable to fault others for viewing him that way. Despite this, others later make note of his kind nature.

His relationship with Akihiko is also further elaborated on through their interactions in the labyrinths and strolls. The two share a deep bond of friendship, often expressed through endless banters even over the most childish things. Shinjiro never admits it, but he hates losing, so whenever Akihiko challenges him, he doesn't back down.

After the two heroes complete the request, The Power of the Wild Card, Margaret explains to everyone how their Personas can now evolve and attain new power. Koromaru and Shinjiro stick around after everyone else is dismissed, and ask if it is possible for them to keep their Personas, rather than obtaining new ones. Koromaru explains, through Aigis, that he does not want his persona to change so that he can never forget his most important failure; Shinjiro states that his reasons are similar to Koromaru's, that he does not want to forget what he has done, and so that "he* doesn't lose his way." Margaret tells them that it should be possible for their personas to remain the same if they focus on keeping things the same when they start to attain new power.

Shinjiro's co-op attack hits all enemies in the front row.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Shinjiro and the team wind up in a robotic movie world during an exploration in Tartarus. They are eventually separated from two of their companions, P3 hero and Aigis, and find themselves ambushed by Shadows before being rescued by the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and the Investigation Team. They also meet the P3 heroine, a female counterpart of their leader from a parallel universe.

The team agrees to join forces with the Phantom Thieves and the Investigation Team to uncover the mystery behind the parallel world they are now in.

In one of the side quests, Shinjiro was able to sense a dark side of one of the Phantom Thieves, Goro Akechi. He noticed this from how Akechi is distancing himself from the rest of the Phantom Thieves and felt they're similar. While Shinjiro couldn't fully figure out what Akechi had done, he encouraged Akechi not to let the past bind him and live his life without regret. Akechi appreciated Shinjiro's concern, but lamented that he couldn't understand it.

Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight
Shinjiro Aragaki only appears as DLC in the song "The Battle for Everyone's Souls," a remix of the Nyx Avatar music from Persona 3 from the album Burn My Dread -Reincarnation: Persona 3-. The song is most likely a reference to his fate.

His dance style is very slow and doesn't do any risky moves at all, with him barely moving from one spot and stopping a lot. When he does try certain risky moves, he normally does it improperly and a lot slower than it's supposed to be.

During his FEVERs, he can dance with either the protagonist, Mitsuru, Akihiko, or Ken:
 * During Mitsuru's, they dance as if there is nothing wrong, showing how she sees him as her equal and support, and it ends with Mitsuru running away as if something bad had happened;
 * With Akihiko, the two sync up perfectly with little to no mistakes, they also link arms at a point showing their protection over each other. The session ends with Shinjiro walking away from a still Akihiko;
 * With Yuki, they're almost on the same wavelength, likely due to them both knowing they will die soon. In fact, during the middle of the dance,they both assume the poses of their deaths, but can't fully understand each other, ending with Yuki backing off screen,
 * With Ken, it shows how they hold regrets, yet still understand each other in a way that would otherwise be impossible.

Battle Quotes
Persona 3=

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth=

Etymology

 * The name Shinjiro means "real, genuine" (真) (shin), "next" (次) (ji) and "son" (郎) (ro).
 * Shinjiro's surname Aragaki means "laid waste, rough, rude, wild" (荒) (ara) and "hedge, fence" (垣) (kaki/gaki).

Trivia

 * After Shinjiro's death (or coma), Akihiko has a new battle quote: "Did you see that, Shinji?!"
 * The song "One Hand, One Heartbeat" could be seen as a dedication to Shinjiro. It plays during his school funeral.
 * According to an answer to a fan question in the Persona talk-show, Persona Stalker Club, Shinjiro wears his coat and hat all the time because the Persona Suppressors made it so his body was unable to regulate his body temperature.
 * The Shirt of Chivalry, a type of costume for males in FES and P3P, is noted for the kanji symbols on their backs that symbolizes the character. Shinjiro's sign on his back is Kanji for "life" or "fate" (命), a play on irony with his subplot.
 * When an enemy dodges his normal attack, he will fall without following through with the attack.
 * During his Social Link Rank 10 event, Shinjiro is surprised that the female protagonist is the one to return his pocketwatch. While overlooked in western culture, presenting objects such as clocks is something of a taboo in Asian cultures. The word for "clock" also sounds like "end" or "death," referring to Shinjiro's near-death experience on October 4th.
 * October 4, 2009 was the Mid-Autumn Festival, the day when the moon appears the biggest in the year.
 * In Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, Ken Amada has a color variation based on Shinjiro's clothes.
 * Any equipment equipped on Shinjiro can be reclaimed by checking a box of Shinjiro's effects in his room.
 * According to Akihiko, Shinjiro has a strong right hook.
 * Shinjiro's subplot and eventual death are foreshadowed by his and Akihiko's Personas: . In mythology, Castor and Polydeuces are twins with different fathers. While Polydeuces' father was Zeus, a god, Castor's father was a mortal, thus rendering Castor himself mortal. When Castor inevitably dies, Polydeuces shares his immortality with him, creating the Gemini Constellation.
 * Shinjiro is the only human SEES member without a dance outfit for Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight.
 * During the Persona Super Live 2017, Shinjiro (along with the protagonist, Mitsuru, and Junpei) was cosplayed by one of the dancers.