Yu Narukami

The protagonist of Persona 4, canonically known as Yu Narukami starting with its use in Persona 4 Arena, is a transfer student at Yasogami High School, and resides for a year at Inaba, a rural town.

Appearances

 * Persona 4 / Golden: Protagonist (Defaults to Yu Narukami in the 2020 release)
 * Persona 4 (Manga): Protagonist as Souji Seta
 * Persona 4 The Magician: Major Character
 * Persona 4 The Animation / Golden Animation: Protagonist as Yu Narukami
 * Persona 4 Visualive / the Evolution: Protagonist as Hayato Asakawa (浅川 隼人)
 * Persona 4: Kiri no Amnesia: Minor Character
 * Persona 4 Arena / Ultimax: Playable Character/Navigator/Protagonist (Yu Story Route/Episode: P4 and True Ending) as Yu Narukami
 * Persona 4 Arena (Manga): Major Character
 * Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena Stageplay
 * Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (Manga): Major Character
 * Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold Stageplay
 * Persona 4: Dancing All Night: Playable Character as Yu Narukami
 * Persona 4 The Card Battle
 * Persona 4 Colors
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth: Protagonist (P4 Route), Party Member (P3 Route)
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth -Roundabout-
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P3: Supporting Character
 * Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth - Side:P4: Protagonist
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Playable Character
 * Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Roundabout Special: Main Character
 * Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight: Cameo (DLC)
 * Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: Cameo (DLC)
 * Persona 5 Royal: DLC Boss Fight
 * Persona 5 (Manga): Cameo

Design
Yu Narukami has bowl-shaped silver hair and gray eyes. At 5'11" (180 cm) he is tall, although still shorter than fellow Investigation Team member and Persona-user Kanji Tatsumi.

At school and in the Midnight Channel, Yu wears the conventional school uniform of Yasogami High School and wears gray-framed glasses in battle. In the summer, he wears a light uniform. On days off, he is shown wearing a black jacket and gray turtleneck shirt along with black pants. On days off in the summer, he wears a short-sleeved white collared shirt and brown pants. At the school festival, while cross-dressing, he uses a female uniform with black leggings as well as a wig with long pigtails. He also has a black blazer which he is occasionally seen wearing in the manga adaptation of the game.

In Persona 4 Golden during the newly added Halloween event, he dresses as a vampire, wearing a huge black top hat, a white chemise along with black suspenders and black pants. During the other Golden-exclusive, the ski trip event, he wears a snowsuit with a beanie and yellow goggles, black turtleneck and possibly a white sweater vest. On colder days in the winter, he wears a white winter coat with a black and white pad scarf and matching black gloves under his school uniform. During the new epilogue, his hairstyle remains unchanged, but he wears an aqua v-collar shirt, gray plaid pants and tan shoes.

In Persona 4: Dancing All Night, Yu is shown wearing his Yasogami High School uniform, except the sleeves are rolled up and has a yellow bandana wrapped around his right arm. He also has a pair of yellow headphones around his neck and wears gray sneakers with yellow laces.

Personality
In Persona 4, he is a silent protagonist, as in the series tradition. Except for instances where he audibly speaks when summoning a Persona and so on, with his personality ultimately based on the player's actions and decisions. This is emphasized in Persona 4 Golden, as the Investigation Team members comment on how he doesn't talk much when equipped with the Butler Suit. His dialogue choices make him seem very neutral and include some limited sense of humor along with occasional flirtatious or silly behavior. Overall, he is portrayed through his dialogue options and actions as having a more extrovert personality than the Persona 3 protagonist, such as when both hear Jika Net Tanaka, with the former describing it as a "cheery song" unlike the latter, who describes it as an "annoying song." However, while he seems to have a strong moral compass, there are several dialogue options that show he could be mean if he wanted it. In one case, when asked to stay and help clean the basketball court, the options given to him are either to stay or to "be an ass and leave," though indicating an inclination to the former. Additionally, while the game portrays him as a calm and decisive individual, there are scenes that show him to having limits as to how much tolerance he has. One example, in particular, is the decision to kill Namatame, as the dialogue choice "Calm the hell down!" can be shown, and when selected, it demonstrates how he hardly ever shows to be this aggressive, as the Investigation Team gets surprised by his outburst at Yosuke.

The protagonist also portrays some feminine qualities, with dialogue choices such as telling Nanako to give her Mother's Day flowers to him or advancing on Teddie when the latter asks to give him "one of those 'Honey, I'm home' kisses". He is a decent cook, capable of not only making lunches that his friends compliment well in the game, but also excellent omelets compared to the Mystery Food X that the girls made during the celebration for Mitsuo's arrest. During that event, his omelet was the only one that truly won Nanako's favor, despite Nanako claiming that the girls' omelets were "delicious" just to be polite. In the anime, manga, and stage play's adaptations (and the game, depending on the player's choices) of the School Festival, he embraces acting like a girl by exclaiming he would do his best, willingly taking the girl's side of the table in the group date café, and confidently behaving like a sukeban in the "Miss" Yasogami Beauty Pageant.

In the manga adaptation, Souji Seta is a distant loner who demonstrates a high level of maturity, his overly formal speaking tone and lack of any sense of humor being one of the most telling signs. When he first interacts with eventual members of the Investigation Team, he acts politely around them and does not grow much discomfort with them as seen with his welcome interactions with Kanji after his Shadow's acceptance, contrasting his portrayal with Kanji in the anime. Even when he appears extremely uncomfortable with scenarios such as entering Kanji's dungeon or the girls hogging him in the King's Game when he is chosen as king, he does not hesitate to act through it (for example, calling out Chie as number 2 for her to sit on his shoulders and answering that he is fine when Chie does get on and asks about her being heavy) and does not let these events hinder his bonds with involved friends. In much of his childhood, he was passive to his parents' constant and abrupt moves for their jobs to avoid being a nuisance to them, saving very little time for him to warm up to and preserve existing friendships or have his parents present for him at school or home. This not only built up Souji's independence, dissociation, and loneliness, but his motivation to care for Nanako when Dojima focused more on his work than spending time with her. However, his bonds with his friends helped him become familiar with having meaningful friendships and grow into a stronger person who also preserves having his friends when leaving Inaba and understands himself.

In the anime adaptation, Yu Narukami is depicted as quiet, polite and calm for most situations. Before the awakening of his Persona, Yu seemed to be emotionless and cold at times, as well as occasionally deadpan. Afterwards, however, he is shown to value the bonds of friendship between the members of the Investigation Team and is highly concerned about his friends, going to great lengths in order to help others. As he grows closer to the group he opens up more and more, and by the end, he is as unique (though still quieter) as any of the other characters.

He has a dry sense of humor and sometimes does questionable things which he thinks are funny. He also seems a bit naïve and oblivious to certain situations, which somehow keeps working to his benefit; especially when dealing with the girls, as he is able to get away with things that would warrant a smack for any of the other male characters, mainly due to how little he would mean offense. He's also shown to be somewhat perverted, saying he wished that he taped "Yukiko's Hunt for Prince Charming" and repeatedly pressing his TV remote's record button during "Rise's Daring Challenge"; however, save for his actions in the King's Game, he does not seem interested in genuine relationships, through not intentionally reciprocating romantic feelings or advances from friends like Rise or Ai. During the course of the story, it is revealed his biggest insecurity is abandonment, fearing to lose contact with all of his friends when he moves away from them. By the end of the show, he accepts his Shadow and acknowledges that he has to accept being separated from them when the time comes.

In the second anime adaption, Yu appears to be friendly, reserved, determined, straightforward and has a habit of shaking people's hands when he meets new people, unlike his first anime counterpart.

In the Persona 4 Arena duology, Yu is also shown to be a fairly sarcastic and witty person, occasionally making jokes at the expense of the other members of the Investigation Team; however, for the most part, he is shown to be the most mature member of the group (an example of which is the fact that attempts to target his personal insecurities by enemies, more often than not, fall flat). He has a sharp mind and is able to quickly realize the trick behind the tournament that forces the group to fight one another. He deeply cares for his friends and one of the few ways to truly anger him is to threaten either them or Nanako which causes him to become very cold, the latter not being entirely an exaggeration from his title in the tournament, when the taunts about her being captive being the one ruse he actually falls for. He also has a great understanding of the bonds of people, which leads to Aigis and Mitsuru to realize that despite their different appearances, Yu reminds them of the protagonist of Persona 3. While not above making fun of him, he trusts Yosuke completely and generally understands him best out of the entire Investigation team and vice versa, continuing the theme that the anime established that Yu and Yosuke generally lead the team side by side, as well as discussing plans with each other on serious issues.

His characterization in Persona Q is essentially a combination of the above adaptations. He's confident and affable, but also strange and a little random at times. His dialogue choices during the P4 route support this, as they're noticeably more cheery and bizarre than his Persona 3 counterpart. He visibly blushes during the group date cafe, when Mitsuru and Yukari deem him to be boyfriend material, and when Naoto and Yukari cling onto his arms if the option to hide in Yukari's stall from the Creepy Doll was chosen.

Yu's most consistent trait in all of his depictions is his need to be connected to people. He views himself as a weak person and gets his strength from his bonds and being accepted by others as shown in the anime and by his own admission in Persona Q, as when he is separated from them, Yu withdraws into himself and loses the confidence he normally portrays.

Persona 4
The protagonist is a high school student who moves to the countryside of Inaba to live with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako Dojima for a year as a result of his parents working abroad and attends Yasogami High School. The students in his school are shocked about his transferring.

The protagonist first appears in the Velvet Room, where he encounters Igor and his assistant, Margaret. Igor remarks that a mystery awaits, and it is his fate to discover it. The protagonist later awakens from his subconscious and reminiscences about his old school.

Upon reaching Yasoinaba, the protagonist meets up with his uncle and his cousin. On the way back, Dojima stops by the gas station, and the protagonist is welcomed by an attendant of Moel Gas Station, who offers him a job. The attendant gives the protagonist a handshake, and shortly after, he begins to feel somewhat sick, but dismisses it as car sickness before going on their way.

After the protagonist falls asleep at the Dojima Residence, he awakens in a fog-ridden area. He hears a voice, telling him to follow it, if he wishes to find the truth. The protagonist eventually encounters another presence, but the heavy fog makes it impossible to see the other person. The voice claims to be intrigued by the protagonist and decides to lend him his power for the time being.



The next day, the protagonist enrolls in Yasogami High School and befriends Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi and Yosuke Hanamura. Chie tells the protagonist and Yosuke about the rumor of the Midnight Channel and asks them to try it out. The protagonist also meets Saki Konishi, an upperclassman and Yosuke's senpai who is working at Junes.

Later that night, the protagonist tries to gain access to the Midnight Channel and sees a blurred image of a female student on his TV. Intrigued, the protagonist touches the screen and discovers that he can reach his hand inside. The TV tries to pull him in, but because the TV screen is too small, he gets stuck before pulling himself out.

The next morning, the protagonist, Yosuke and Chie have a discussion about their discovery and come to the conclusion that they all saw the same girl. The protagonist tells the two about how he was sucked into the TV, although they don't believe him. The trio goes to the electronics department of Junes and goes over the TV sets on display. The protagonist tries to re-enter, this time using a wide-screen TV large enough to insert his body in. Seeing the protagonist stuck midway inside the TV, Yosuke and Chie panic, accidentally pushing him and themselves inside, as the three fall into the Midnight Channel. While exploring, they eventually encounter a mysterious bear mascot named Teddie who urges them to leave.

The next day, during a school assembly, the team learns that Saki mysteriously passed away. Devastated, Yosuke swears to investigate the Midnight Channel, and they conclude that the female student they witnessed on the Midnight Channel must have been her. He asks the protagonist for his help, due to his capability to enter the TV. The two then enter the Midnight Channel, leaving Chie behind to keep her from harm. Inside the Midnight Channel, the protagonist and Yosuke once again encounter Teddie. Infuriated by their return, he angrily accuses them of being responsible for "throwing people" inside the Midnight Channel. Upon learning that the protagonist and Yosuke aren't responsible, Teddie makes the pair promise to help find the culprit, and gives them a pair of glasses, allowing them to see through the fog in the Midnight Channel.

During their investigation at the Twisted Shopping District, the protagonist and Yosuke are ambushed by monsters, which Teddie calls Shadows. The protagonist hears a voice, calling out to him to awaken his true self, and is presented with a card. Crushing it triggers the awakening of his initial Persona, Izanagi, helping him dispatch the Shadows. Bewildered by his power, Teddie is intrigued by the protagonist and begins to respect him.

As they continue exploring, the protagonist and Yosuke later end up in a liquor store, owned by Saki's family. Inside, they hear an inner voice of Saki expressing her hatred towards Junes for ruining her family's business, and Yosuke in particular for being the son of the owner. While Yosuke is devastated by this revelation, another "Yosuke" makes his entrance and mocks him for hating his boring life and simply wanting to solve the case of Saki's death to to be the hero. Yosuke's continuous declination of his Shadow's taunts causes the other "Yosuke" to go berserk and attack them. The protagonist defeats the shadow using his Persona, and Yosuke is forced to come to terms with his true feelings, which lets him awaken to his own Persona, Jiraiya.

Later that night, the protagonist tries to tune in to the Midnight Channel again, which this time displays a blurry image of a young woman in a kimono. Yosuke concludes that the blank figure is Yukiko, as that's what she wrote during a TV interview. To further complicate the issue, Yukiko has stopped showing up to the school, worrying Chie. However, it turns out that her absence was due to being busy helping out at her family inn, and has been forced to skip school. However, still worried, Yosuke suggests the protagonist tune in to the Midnight Channel tonight again.

One night, the Midnight Channel displays a show called "Princess Yukiko's Search for Prince Charming," where Yukiko is dressed up as a princess in a journey of scoring herself a "hot stud," or a Prince Charming. As Yukiko's behavior in the TV was rather bizarre and out of character, Yosuke calls the protagonist and suggests to meet up in the Junes Food Court the next morning.

The three eventually set out to rescue Yukiko and use Teddie's help to guide them to the castle. Along their way, Chie faces her Shadow self and receives her own Persona. The three later create the Investigation Team dedicated to investigate the origins of the Midnight Channel, and solving the bizarre murder cases. Through the team's activity within the Midnight Channel, however, they all express the same question upon the protagonist's latent skill of invoking his Persona without having to face his other self.

Throughout the course of the year, the protagonist rescues Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa and Naoto Shirogane. All three of them join the Investigation Team. Additionally, Teddie joins the group as well, after facing his own Shadow self and receiving a Persona.

As the story progress, the protagonist receives an anonymous letter, threatening him to stop his activities of saving people. Despite the team's worries, they've decided to continue watching the Midnight Channel. The protagonist eventually receives the threat again. This time, however, the letter directly tells the protagonist that if he does not stop his actions, someone close to him will die.



The letter was later discovered by Dojima, and upon thinking the protagonist's possible connection with the recent murder cases, the protagonist was detained at the police station. The protagonist tries to explain Dojima the full truth of what's been going on, including the mysterious other world, but Dojima doesn't believe him in the slightest. Dojima eventually coerces the protagonist to spend a night in the police station, but at midnight, he is shocked to see Nanako's silhouette in the Midnight Channel, who is revealed to have been abducted. The Investigation Team eventually discovers the identity of Nanako's kidnapper, based on bits of information salvaged by Dojima. The Investigation Team finds out the true murderer is actually Taro Namatame, the lover of Mayumi Yamano, the first victim of the murders. The protagonist is asked to save Nanako at Dojima's request, as he was injured in a car crash while trying to chase Namatame.

The Investigation Team eventually succeeds in saving Nanako in Heaven, but her health begins to deteriorate critically after her exposure to the Midnight Channel, causing her to fall into a coma.



On December 3rd, Nanako's health has suddenly worsened, rushing the protagonist to the hospital. Unfortunately, Nanako dies. The Investigation Team eventually manages to sneak in Namatame's ward. Grief-ridden and devastated, members of the Investigation Team try to kill Namatame by pushing him through his hospital room's TV. Depending on the protagonist's decisions of dealing with Namatame, Nanako may die or awaken.

Bad Ending
In the Bad Ending, if the protagonist decides to find and kill Namatame after Nanako is hospitalized, Nanako will die. The game then cuts to the following spring, where the protagonist says goodbye to his friends and leaves Inaba to return to his hometown, the Investigation Team not realizing that the man they killed was not the real murderer. The credits then roll with "Corridor" playing in the background.

Neutral Ending
The Neutral Ending occurs if the protagonist calms the Investigation Team down, and fails to identify the real culprit, or spares Namatame but cannot convince the Investigation Team that they need to dig deeper into the case. This will result in Nanako being revived but remaining hospitalized, and Teddie returning to the TV world. The game then skips to Spring, where the protagonist prepares to return home and Dojima asks him if he's ready. He tells the protagonist that it is too bad that Nanako is unable to see him off due to her hospitalization, but eventually gives him thanks in the end. The protagonist finally returns home, leaving the mystery unsolved. The same downbeat credits sequence in the bad ending roll.

Normal Ending
In the Normal Ending, the protagonist manages to calm down the Investigation Team and points out his doubts about Namatame being the murderer. The Investigation Team eventually discover the murderer of Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi is actually Tohru Adachi, who was also the one sending him the threat letters.



Cornering him in the TV world, the Investigation Team manages to defeat Adachi. However, he was only playing a small role of the whole plan: he was controlled by a being named Ameno-sagiri, who plans to turn reality into a Shadow-ridden world. The Investigation Team eventually manages to defeat it. By proving humans' potential towards Ameno-sagiri, it promises to lift up the fog that has been infesting Yasoinaba, but exclaims that as long as humanity wishes for the fog to return, he will awaken once again.

The Normal Ending ends with the protagonist bidding a heartfelt farewell to his friends and leaving Yasoinaba.

True Ending


The True Ending takes up following the events of Ameno-sagiri's defeat. Similarly to the Normal Ending, the protagonist decides to visit his friends one last time. Prior to leaving the Dojima Residence, Nanako gives the protagonist a letter. After bidding farewell to his friends, should the protagonist decide to regroup the Investigation Team one last time in Junes, the True Ending unlocks. The letter states Adachi's feeling of uneasiness despite his game being over and it is up to the protagonist to solve it.

The Investigation Team eventually realizes that Ameno-sagiri said that those who have awakened their powers are supposed to play their roles to override the world with Shadows as well, which implies an existence of a conductor who gave the protagonist, Adachi and Namatame their power to enter the TV. Entering the Velvet Room for assistance, Igor then tells the protagonist that he is going to grasp a truth even his powers cannot predict, and he will play a role in assisting him, by giving him the Orb of Sight, which erases lies and reveals the truth, playing an important part of their final confrontation.

Reminiscing his actions during his first visit to Yasoinaba, the protagonist remembers the gas station attendant and goes to visit him during the rain. The attendant reveals that he took an interest in the protagonist's potential, and decided to give his powers a little push through their handshake. The attendant also mentions that Adachi, Namatame and many others are awakened by him as well. He stirred the spark in the protagonist so he could awaken other peoples' Personas, and fulfill their role in her experiment.

However, the protagonist's power of the Wild Card is something the attendant did not foresee. They also reveal that Ameno-sagiri is actually birthed from an aspect of him. Chastising the protagonist's greed to reach out for the truth, the attendant finally reveals his true identity: the great goddess Izanami. She then tells the protagonist that since he is so determined to stop her, she shall await the protagonist in the other world, but tells him that he should also have the preparation to accept his loss towards her as well.



In the protagonist's final confrontation with Izanami, he uses the Orb of Sight, revealing Izanami is already dead, as she loses her current form and reveals her true form, Izanami-no-Okami. When Izanami-no-Okami is on the verge of defeat, she tries to send the protagonist to the underworld with her "Thousand Curses," but her attacks are repeatedly intervened in by the protagonist's comrades, each shielding him from harm. After falling to the curse himself, the protagonist hears the voices of his friends, telling him to continue fighting. Accumulating the power of the bonds he forged, the protagonist channels the powers of his Social Links to his initial Persona, Izanagi, transmogrifying Izanagi into his true form, Izanagi-no-Okami. Returning to the battle and enduring all of Izanami's assaults, he summons Izanagi-no-Okami defeating Izanami with Myriad Truths.

Upon Izanami's defeat, Izanami tells the Investigation Team that she will no longer interfere with humanity, and encourages them to live their lives with their own decisions, though she cannot ensure their happiness. Igor would later tell the protagonist that due to his efforts, the fog within humanity's hearts has finally lifted, and tells them to see the bright future of the world he had created with his own eyes. The fog on the Midnight Channel was lifted, revealing a beautiful, peaceful land which Teddie remembers was once the world he lived in. The story ends with the protagonist bidding a heartfelt farewell to his friends and leaves Yasoinaba. As the train leaves the station, the protagonist pulls out a group picture of the friends that he spent his year in Inaba while Teddie's voice is heard in the background, promising that someday they will meet again.

Accomplice Ending
Unique to Golden, if the protagonist calms down the Investigation Team, correctly guesses Adachi is the killer and Adachi's Social Link is at Level 6 or higher, a choice is given: Either confront Adachi or destroy the evidence that would help incriminate him. If the latter is chosen, on the night before the protagonist leaves Inaba, he will meet with Adachi, alone, at the police station. Choosing to be vague will cause Adachi to leave, triggering the Neutral Ending.

Otherwise, the protagonist will claim to be on Adachi's side. Adachi will then put a lighter and the warning letter that was sent to the Dojima residence atop the table. If the protagonist does not burn the letter, Adachi will say he didn't "expect much else." He'll then laugh it off, and say he would send the letter to forensics. Before leaving, he will subtly threaten the protagonist, idly noting he should be careful on his way home as "you never know what might happen." This will trigger the Neutral Ending. Should the protagonist set fire to the letter, Adachi will call the protagonist's phone, telling him he'd be keeping tabs.

With this, Adachi's Social Link is maxed, and the protagonist will receive the key item, Adachi's Number.

On the ride out of Yasoinaba, the protagonist will spot Adachi crossing the train tracks. He will clench his phone, and the screen fades to black.

New Epilogue
As an exclusive bonus content to Golden, if the protagonist manages to save Marie before defeating Izanami, the scene will then shift into a few months after the last scene of the true ending (and after the events of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax), where the protagonist will reappear at the Inaba train station on a visit. He will find several changes around town, such as Namatame giving a passionate speech about change while running for mayor, and the remaining family shops working together to make sure they all stay open next to Junes. The protagonist will eventually meet up with his friends, who changed since the last time they met, and will head to the Dojima household, where a surprise party was set up earlier by Dojima.



While eating, the protagonist will learn about the recent changes in the neighborhood and see Marie on the news as the popular new weather girl (depending on their relationship, she may also declare her love for him while on the news, much to the group's shock and surprise). Nanako will appear shortly after, welcoming back her "Big Bro," and sits down with the rest of the group. Nanako will then whisper something into everyone's ear before they all welcome the protagonist "home." As the rest of the Investigation squad starts to complain to Kanji who said something different than everyone else, the protagonist will respond by smiling brightly. The scene ends with another group picture of the protagonist and his friends including Marie all smiling together.

Persona 4 Arena
During the events of story mode, Yu returns to Inaba for Golden Week where he reunites with Dojima and Nanako for a meal until Margaret takes him into the Velvet Room. Soon he sees the return of the Midnight Channel alongside Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko as the four of them investigate. However, all of them get dragged into a weird fighting tournament called the P-1 Grand Prix. When the Grand Prix started and he first had to face off with Yosuke, he told him that "Nanako" got inside the TV World again. He soon finds a young girl who claims to be Yasogami High School's student council president but is also forced to fight Chie and Yukiko. Eventually, he encounters a girl who shares his power, as well as Margaret's sister, Elizabeth, who had left the Velvet Room for her own reasons. Yu arrives in the announcement room, he is reunited with "Nanako," but it turns out to be an illusion created by Shadow Labrys and she reveals the president's true form as Labrys. After defeating Shadow Labrys, Labrys is suddenly hacked by the true mastermind behind the incident who somehow knows who he is. After Labrys leaves with Mitsuru Kirijo, Akihiko Sanada and Aigis, Yu decides to reform the investigation team and plans to finish this case.

In Elizabeth's story mode, Yu and Aigis help her understand the nature of the Wild Card throughout the course of the story. She eventually gains her own Fool Arcana, then continues on her journey.

Arena Ultimax
In the Persona 3 story mode, Yu, Yosuke and Chie reached the Tartarus entrance where they confronted and heavily injured by Sho Minazuki. They are saved by Labrys, Mitsuru, Ken, Koromaru and Junpei's arrival. After Sho retreated to the top of Tartarus, Yu wanted to go with the Shadow Operatives to look for Rise, Naoto and Kanji, but Mitsuru insists for them to rest.

In the Persona 4 story mode, Yu and his friends gathered at Junes and discussed the culprit behind the P-1 Grand Prix. When he returned home, General Teddie appears in Midnight Channel and suddenly announces the second P-1 Grand Prix with Mitsuru, Akihiko and Aigis crucified. Yosuke immediately calls Yu, but the electricity turns off and Inaba is surrounded by red fog. Yu is able to meet Chie and Yosuke after defeating a shadow. The three of them are then confronted by Sho, who reveals that he is the culprit behind the previous P-1 Grand Prix and the one who kidnapped Mitsuru, Akihiko and Aigis. After exchanging a few words, Sho leaves.



Entering Yasogami High, they are surprised upon meeting Adachi, who was supposed to be imprisoned. Questioning his presence, Adachi left cryptic clues of what happens to Yu, Yosuke and Chie before he leaves. Once they reached Tartarus, they eavesdropped the conversation between Sho and Adachi, but the former senses their presence, forcing them to engage in combat. Sho was defeated, but the tide turns when Minazuki, Sho's other-self, replaces him and summons Tsukuyomi. Yosuke and Chie protect Yu from his attack, rendering them unable to fight and defenseless. Minazuki goads Yu to abandon his friends so he can fight him without any burden, but Yu refuses to do so. Before Minazuki can deliver a finishing blow, Labrys and Naoto arrive, saving Yu. Minazuki contemplates killing Yu at the time since he is the greatest threat against him, but Adachi convinces him not to since he has something more important to do. Reuniting with Mitsuru and the rest of their friends, Shadows starts to gather around the tower. While his friends fend off the Shadows, Yu goes to the top of Tartarus. At the top of Tartarus, he stops Minazuki right before he kills Adachi and defeats him. He makes Minazuki realizes that his strength comes from his bond with Sho. However, they are interrupted by General Teddie who reveals himself to be Hinokagutsuchi, the being that Sho tried to awaken. With the help of Adachi, Yu is able to defeat Hinokagutsuchi. Transported to the TV World by Margaret, Yu is glad that all of his friends are safe. He then tells Sho that he will gladly take him on anytime he wants one-on-one before the latter leaves.

With the case completely closed, Yu leaves Inaba and officially disbands the Investigation Team. Saddened that Yu is leaving again, Nanako begs Yu to stay and play with her, but Yu promises her that he will be back during summer vacation. Right before the door of the train is closed, Dojima teases Nanako, causing Nanako to enter the train with Yu because she is upset, ending up with Yu and the others panicking when the door closed with Nanako still inside with Yu as the train ready to leave.

In the True Ending route, after Yu defeats Hinokagutsuchi with Adachi, Yu tells Sho not to be afraid of bonding with people, but Sho says that he can only understand them through fighting. Accepting that if fighting is the only way for him to bond with Sho, Yu engages Sho in one last battle, in which he won once again. Sho insists that he will kill Yu one day, which Yu replies that he will gladly fight him again as long as the others are not involved. Yu reunites with his friends at Junes, celebrating their victory. He and Labrys also share a private conversation, where each expresses their confidence in Sho growing up and finding friends.

Playstyle
Yu's moveset is reminiscent of a standard "shoto" character (such as Ryu from Street Fighter), directly borrowing multiple moves of fighters from previous Arc System Works games such as from ' and  from ' (especially regarding the lightning element theme from the former). He is a Jack of All Trades complete with a traditional projectile/anti-air/expansion type special move format, along with a strong offense with his firm being one of the most radiant traits about him. He does not have many weaknesses and utilizes a lot of the system mechanics into his gameplay. With his two expansion type attacks, one either hits overhead with the other one that uses his Persona hits low, giving him a decent mixup game. This makes him a very basic character and easy to pick up for beginners as well as advanced players who learn to use the mechanics and integrate them into Yu's game. Also, his attacks also tend to have good range, and his Persona attack setups tend to be standard for those aiming for the aforementioned okizeme.

In the sequel, Yu gains only a few new tools. Out of all the characters who have had auto-combo changes, only his second hit remains the same as with his previous self in P4U. Yu also gains the ability to feint Raging Lion for some more tricky forms of crossups, and gains a new command throw attack which can offer him quite a bit on the offense. He also has a new move called Shiden Issen, a powerful dashing thrust that can be used to end and start combos as well. Yu can also now use his Zio in midair.

However, his weaknesses tend to be his lackluster meterless damage (as since he's well on using his SP for very good combos, he often relies on it a lot), and his damage outside of the corner. He also has some long recoveries on his Persona attacks, so it may as well be quite easy for quick opponents to Persona Break him.

Other changes in Ultimax include his j.(B) x2 being used as j.2B and his old j.D also being usable as 2D, along with many new pressure tools due to his new moves. He also is one of the few characters to gain a secret move.

The only Megaten-series skills available to Yu are Zio, Swift Strike, Ziodyne, Cross Slash and Myriad Truths.

Yu, like in the previous Arena game, has 4 Persona Cards/Units as usual.

Move List
Yu's theme/leitmotif is known as Reach Out To The Truth -In Mayonaka Arena/Arena Ver.- (or lit. In Midnight Arena), a reworked-remix of the original battle theme of Persona 4 (especially since the instrumentals are radically different from the original version and its many arrangements). The OST disc version has slight differences in adding small extra guitar chords.
 * Moves with a localized name from the original Japanese name will be shown in with a slash along with them, while the real translation will be in parentheses.
 * Reversal/Furious Action:
 * Kenkon Itteki/Big Gamble (Gambling Effort): Original skill. An uppercut lifting slash of lightning with both hands with Yu rising from the ground at a set height. Yu's main "dragon-punch" style anti-air which packs a good amount of invincibility and launches the foe. Can be done in midair as well. The ground version on the first hit is air unblockable, and the midair version is Yu's fastest attack at 4 frames. However, due to how high Yu flies up compared to most DP-type moves having height variations, this attack can be very easy to punish if blocked/whiffed. Possibly based off of his critical hit's final blow.
 * Skill Attacks/Special Moves:
 * Zio: Persona-based attack. Yu's first basic spell with Izanagi where he zaps his foe with a lightning bolt. However, in P4U, Zio is shown to be a lightning bolt projectile thrown by Izanagi's following hand in an inward tossing fashion, just after generating a surge on the palm of said hand. The C version is the projectile version, which can zone well. However, opponents can dodge the projectile leaving both Yu and Izanagi rather open. The D version is the same animation with more startup, but instead causes a small lightning explosion that can negate projectiles and briefly causes the kanji for "ministry" (省, shou) appear in the middle of the blast radius (which can be hard to see). The D version also causes a Fatal Counter on hit, and is also very safe on block for wakeup situations but is rather slow on startup as said before. The SB version is an enhanced version of the C version projectile which functions the same, only it flies faster across the screen and deals two hits, making the first hit blow over most weak projectiles and also can be super-canceled like so with the C version (and it also causes shock on hit). Like certain projectile attacks in recent fighting games, both the C and SB versions can be super canceled, even on hit or block. But unlike past with SC'able projectiles, instead of just canceling the startup animation, the Zio itself must hit the opponent for it to be super canceled.
 * In Ultimax, Zio can now be used in the air, allowing for more zoning usage with this move from various heights. Yu himself will also halt and carry his aerial momentum upon its usage, but now it has more recovery upon landing to prevent abuse.
 * Denkou Sekka/Swift Strike (Voltaic-Flint Speed): Persona-based attack. The Swift Strike skill. Yu alongside Izanagi going low and stick its spear out, slides along with it to clear the ground in front. A low sliding attack that can hit low and sweep foes as well, and goes under a majority of moves with its low profile. This attack tends to be good for low mixups and distance coverage via expansion-move usage. The C version does 1 hit and goes a small distance with a fast startup. The D version goes further with a slower startup and does 3 hits. The SB version does 5 hits while having a very fast startup and full-screen coverage. All versions can be canceled (especially the D and SB versions being super-cancelable) and are unsafe on block, so they should be used with caution and mainly in combos. It causes a lightning effect on hit.
 * Shishi Funjin/Raging Lion (Lion Flourished Swift): Original skill. Yu twirls inward while taking to the air diagonally to position himself, then dives with a two-handed thrust diagonally to the ground. Acts as Yu's leaping overhead move, and can be done in midair where Yu's aerial momentum can be halted as he leaps up a small bit into the air before diving, and the aerial rise can also act as a countering-bait against throws. All versions, both ground and air, hit overhead, making it Yu's main overhead mixup tool and makes up for the lack of an overhead command normal. Also forces crouch on hit to enable crouching-target combos. The A version starts up fairly making it Yu's primary quick overhead mixup tool, but quick opponents can block it to stop your offense due to the disadvantage on block. The B version starts up slower and Yu leaps higher into the air, so it can go over foes if not spaced properly. The SB version leaps high to the air very fast and also starts up fast, making it the stronger overhead mixup tool with long hitstun on counter hit. The A version does a normal knockdown on-air hit and the B version does a ground bounce on counter hit and knockdown on air hit, with the SB version doing a no-tech knockdown, so knowing which knockdown effect each version does is key to managing this in combos. Both the B and SB versions can Fatal Counter.
 * In Ultimax, Yu can now feint this attack by holding down B, leaping to the air and turning but not diving down afterwards. This enables him to perform all sorts of aerial tricks such as cross-ups and the like by making use of the aerial momentum gained from the initial leap, especially added with the possible opponent's reaction the feint causes. Sadly, the move also has more minus frames on block, making it more risky to use in blockstrings.
 * Also, the move now causes ground slide on hit instead of a knockdown, making new sorts of combos accessible from this move.
 * Yuumou Kakan/Heroic Bravery (Dauntless Courage): Original skill and new move in Ultimax. Yu for the A version, leans forward bring his sword with both hands into a turning downward slamming singled-handed slash with his leading hand, all with blade covered in lightning. It does not hit overhead despite the appearance, and works well as a combo and safe pressure tool which can plummet on air hit. The B version instead starts off with a delayed running animation from Yu where if he reaches his opponent during said animation, he will grab the opponent with his leading hand like with his normal throw, then fling them up and perform and outward turning launch slash with his following hand to fling the opponent up, starting all sorts of juggle/air combos. The B version works like an unblockable command throw tool for tick throw mixups, but can be rather unsafe due to the delay making it predictable on disrespected pressure strings, and thus it can be punished with a jumping attack or countered with a faster move, though it can be confused with a dash cancel of Yu's in order to bait the opponent into jumping away out of fear. The SB version is a faster B version, which can catch those who are expecting the B version to be caught off-guard in blockstrings.
 * SP Skill Attacks/Super Moves:
 * Ziodyne: Persona-based attack. The Ziodyne Spell. Yu calls upon Izanagi while clenching his fist (his tarot card calling animation) to unleash a surge of lightning on his enemy, portrayed in P4U is a multi-hitting lightning beam fired from Izanagi stretching out its body. It causes a lightning effect on the opponent and wall-sticks/wall-slams them to the corner, and has a good amount of invincibility making it a great move for punishing attacks and ending combos. Like with Zio, it can also be done in the air, but already long before Ultimax oddly enough. The C version has faster startup, making it most used in combos, while the D version is slower on startup but safer on block. It can be 1 More Cancelled in order to have Yu move freely while Izanagi is still firing the beam at the opponent, though it can cost a hefty amount of meter.
 * In Ultimax, the SB version does more hits and inflicts shock onto the opponent.
 * Shiden Issen/Lightning Flash (Violet-Volt Brandish): Original skill and new move in Ultimax. Yu readies a single-handed sword thrust by putting his leading hand forward to aim and drawing his sword back with his following arm, then flies forward with an electrical forward sword thrust. Does multiple hits and crumples the foe on ground hit or ground slides the foe on air hit. It has a decent amount of startup invincibility and the fact that Yu moves during this attack makes it more of a combo extender as opposed to Ziodyne's combo finishing nature. B version also has more startup but deals more damage than the A version, as well as carrying the opponent to the corner. The SB version instead acts as a grab/cinematic attack, where the opponent instead of suffering multiple hits takes one hit as Yu charges into them, Yu then thrusts his sword for a single powerful thrust that causes ground slide instead of the usual crumple, even on ground hit. It also carries both the A and B version traits, being fast on startup and more damaging, as well as projectile invincibility only on the 4th and 5th frames. However, it doesn't have any invincibility outside of that, so it's a bit poor as a reversal. It also has Fatal Recovery, so it also can be very easy to punish.
 * As of Patch 1.10, some of the invincibility has been removed from the blackout portions of the attack. The SB version also does less damage and starts after the blackout.
 * Awakened SP Skill Attacks/Super Moves:
 * Juumonji Giri/Cross Slash (Cruciform Cutter): Persona-based attack. A skill that's seen not in the Persona series but in past installments of the Shin Megami Tensei franchise. Yu readies his sword with both hands in front of himself in a low stance charging it with lightning, then does a one-handed turning outward slash forward. If it connects, the opponent is locked in hitstun and Izanagi will then appear from its The Fool tarot card from above where-ever the opponent is hit and dives with a plunging dropping slash, crumpling the opponent. Both slashes will produce a lightning ray effect across the screen forming a cruciform cross of some sort, hence the name of the attack. Acts as a cinematic super where the initial hit must connect. Has a long horizontal range not mainly due to how far the first slash's actual hitbox reaches, but how far Yu himself steps forward, making it a great in-and-out poke if used as one (since Yu steps back a bit further than his original starting position after slashing). The move can even connect right behind himself if spaced in certain ways, making it a bit of a possible anti-crossup tool. Yu can also start combos on the crumpling opponent if he manages to be close enough to them after the move's end, and the move itself is often used for high damage combos. It has startup invincibility, but despite its advantages, it can be punished on block/whiff (especially if the opponent dodges it). It can also only be 1 More Cancelled on block instead of on hit due to its cinematic nature.
 * In Ultimax, the SB version does a bit more damage and inflicts shock onto the opponent on hit or block. As of Patch 1.10 however, the SB version does less damage than before, less than both the C and D versions as a trade-off.
 * Raijin Enbu/Thunder God Dance (Thunder God Stage Dance): New move/original skill in Ultimax that is a secret move for Yu. Persona-based attack, but Izanagi only appears at the very end. As this move is a 10-input multiple-sequence input attack not unlike the Deadly Rave of Geese Howard and his son Rock Howard of SNK fame (does has 10 inputs and usually deals 10 hits in total or more depending on the game they appear in), and by Arc System Works' proxy, Order-Sol's Dragon Install: Sakkai (Killing World; has 9 inputs total but in special situations has 10 moves total) and from Dimps' The Rumble Fish 2, Zen's Gouraisenbu (Booming Thunder Whirling Martial; has 9 inputs but deals 10 hits in general). Yu starts off the attack with a strong adjusted reaping slash, then in quick succession, Yu performs in single animations in this order:
 * 5AAA (Shadow Mode/P4U version)
 * 5B
 * A version Yuumou Kakan
 * 5AAA (Normal Mode/P4U2 version)
 * j.2B/j.(B) x2
 * 2B
 * All-Out Attack starter
 * B version Yuumou Kakan slash
 * Cross Slash (without Izanagi), for a 9 move/hit combo discounting the initiating slash.
 * He then gestures in a finishing pose to call Izanagi forth for an upward scooping launch slash that carries Cross Slash's effects for both the 9th input and 10th, and the final blow does 10 hits on its own.
 * So more like Deadly Rave fashion, the move at least has a total of 10 inputs that must be done in accurate succession, and each input can be purposely dropped for combo extensions. It also can be comboed from almost anything. The inputs are more parallel to Order-Sol's Sakkai due to the more complex inputs at the end as opposed to something like Deadly Rave and Gouraisenbu. However, due to Yu's notable over-reliance on meter for all sorts of utility purposes, and since it costs 150 SP, this move is often not ideal to perform unless one has the right mind and skillset to pull it off in tight matches, as through reward it does a lot of raw damage standalone.
 * Mortal Blow/Instant Kill:
 * Ikuman no Shingon/Myriad Truths (Many Myriad's True Words): Persona-based attack. Izanagi-no-Okami's original ultimate skill, portrayed as where Yu will slowly twirl his sword with both hands and plants it to the ground, sending electricity along the entire ground. On hit, the opponent will be shocked into a bind where Izanagi will undergo a cinematic transformation into Izanagi-no-Okami and causes a purifying lightning bolt to rain down on the opponent from the cloudy skies summoned. It has full startup invincibility and due to its full-screen range, it can be used to punish certain supers or most slow attacks from a distance. Other than that however it has a very low practical use.

Score Attack
Yu is the 10th character the player faces in Score Attack. His buffs involve an overall increase in power and the ability to cancel any move into each other making combos that were otherwise impossible.

Ultimax Skills
Yu learns the following skills as he levels up in Arena Ultimax :

Persona 4 Arena (Manga)
Yu Narukami faces off against Akihiko Sanada as his first opponent. Despite winning he takes several severe injuries that would affect him in his next fight. His next opponent is Yosuke, and though the two fought each other fiercely and refused to believe what the illusions were saying, he fell unconscious and loses due to the injuries he got from his fight with Akihiko.

Persona 4 The Animation
At the end of Persona 4 The Animation, a single day keeps repeating itself in a. It is revealed to have been caused by Yu's unease surrounding his relocation from Inaba which in turn, causes a Shadow Self to appear in the battle with Margaret. Appearing as a pile of televisions sets with Yu's image on them, this Shadow is not fought and is quickly accepted. Shadow Yu states that he was afraid of "a future without my friends," and that he would have to go on without them. Yu quickly agrees with his Shadow, stating that all he wants is to be with his friends, whether this fantasy is real or not. By then, Shadow Yu lifts into the air and transforms into Izanagi who delivers the final blow to Margaret's Persona (either Lucifer or Helel, but most likely the former).

Persona 4 Arena
The Malevolent Entity takes the form of Shadow Yu during Yu's Arcade mode.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Shadow Yu is the Shadow Type of Yu in the game. In the P4 Story Mode, he is the first enemy that is encountered. Upon seeing Yosuke with Teddie, the doppelgänger of Yu's Shadow calls them useless vermin and proceeds to attack them, however, he is defeated by Yosuke. He also appears in the P3 Story Mode, trying to persuade to Labrys that bonds are worthless before being defeated. One of his intro animations involves him appearing as a stack of TV's before forming into his body, a callback to how Yu's true Shadow only appeared in the anime series.

Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (Manga)
In the manga, the personality of the doppelgänger is slightly expanded upon. He considers himself the champion of the P-1 Climax and aims to replace his counterpart as the true Yu Narukami. He is egotistical and self-centered, but places a great deal of his confidence into his Champion's Belt (which he made himself), and is reduced to a weeping mess when it's destroyed. After being taunted by Yosuke's fake and encouraged by the real Yosuke, he betrays the doppelgängers and switches sides, however he is quickly destroyed by an unaware Chie.

Persona 4: Kiri no Amnesia
Yu does not physically appear, as he sends a text to Yosuke and Chie saying that he won't be able to make it that afternoon referring to the TV world.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
The P4 hero and his teammates are transferred into an alternate reality of Yasogami High School, where they meet with two people, Rei and Zen. They later meet the S.E.E.S team in the labyrinth You in Wonderland and decide to join forces to defeat the guardians and dissolve the world so they could return to their home.

In this game, the player can choose to either play as the P3 or P4 hero.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
The P4 hero is first encountered in Junessic Land ambushing and attacking the P5 hero, but the two manage to get on even hands. Their teammates were shocked by this confrontation. In reality, it was merely a mistake and the P4 and P5 cast settle with each other quickly and become teammates. Unlike most other installments, the P4 hero is not silent and speaks in full sentences. Yu learns three unison attacks by performing special screenings which he can access with the following characters: P3 hero, P3P heroine and P5 hero.

During the final battle against Enlil, he and his team are forcefully removed from the field. However, Hikari's call sends the four wild cards back, and they defeat the enemy together with a single unison attack. When Yu returns to reality after the final battle, Nanako greets him and his comrades he prepares dishes alongside her for celebration. A dinosaur movie then begins to air on TV, and they watch the movie eating the dishes.

Persona 5 (Manga)
Near the end volume 1 of the P5 Manga, Hisato Murasaki talks about his history with the series and shows a drawing of Yu Narukami alongside Raidou Kuzunoha.

Persona 5 Royal
The protagonist appears as a "cognitive echo" called "Investigation Team Boy" in a DLC Challenge boss in the Velvet Room. He can be fought on two different difficulties, Level 50 and Level ???, and his strategies will slightly vary depending on which level he is fought on. His roster of Personas consists of Izanagi, Kohryu, Sraosha, Kaguya, Yoshitsune and Izanagi-no-Okami.

His Investigation Team glasses can be seen on the Rank 3 Faith Arcana Confidant when the protagonist tries some glasses for Sumire Yoshizawa for her father, Shinichi Yoshizawa.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night
The protagonist, going by the name "Yu Narukami," appears as a playable character in the spin-off Dancing All Night, which is set a month following the epilogue of Persona 4 Golden. Narukami stars in 5 songs, more than anyone else in the Dancing series:
 * "Specialist," a remix of the song playing while taking tests
 * "Dance!", a remix of Pursuing my True Self
 * "Time to make History," the battle theme of Persona 4 Golden, now with a second verse
 * "Signs of Love (TK Remix)"
 * "Maze of Life," the opening of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth.

Narukami's dance style is very proactive and still. He dances perfectly on beat and mostly focuses and staying in one spot throughout. He has a very "cool" way of dancing due to it seeming pretty cocky when he does things like dust off his shoulders, or all of Specialist. "Dance!" is an oddity in the game as it mostly reuses parts from his other dances. When dancing with other people, he almost always syncs up perfectly, and also seems to know exactly what the other will do as shown in Yosuke's "Backside of the TV," where they are on sync throughout. He also reuses his own dances when pairing with members of the same gender, as in something like "Maze of Life" he does the exact same dance when with Margaret, Naoto and Chie. When he pairs with Nanako, he dances a lot slower and on beat with her, always putting her before him. He is also featured to dance with Adachi, in which they almost completely sync up despite Adachi's apparent terrible dance style.

In the opening he dances with no emotions, though in game he is almost always seen smiling.

Quotes
P4 Anime (English)=
 * "Per...sona... This power... It belongs to me..." (After defeating Slipping Hableries)


 * "You liked her, right? I mean Saki. Then isn't that proof enough?" (after punching Yosuke)


 * "You're still her friend, aren't you?" (To Chie about her true feelings)


 * "You're right. Maybe Chie isn't your prince, but is it really all that really important? Chie came all this way and risked her life to save Yukiko. I think that's pretty good proof that she truly does care. What more could she have done?"


 * "You made it, right? I know. I think it's cute." (to Kanji about the bunny charm he crafted)

P4A=
 * "You're right. I've no use for the truth, did I? As long as I had them, I didn't care if it was an Illusion, it didn't matter. I know who you are, and you're me." (Confronting himself.)
 * "What? Sister-complex Kingpin?" (In response to his title)
 * "Good to see you guys again." (Upon seeing his friends again in story mode)

Battle Quotes
P4=


 * "What's going on?" (Starting Arcade Mode)
 * "It's only natural." (in E3 trailer)
 * "Here goes!" (While chosen in the Character Select screen)
 * "Lend me your strength." (While chosen in the Character Select screen)
 * "I see!" (While performing Big Gamble)
 * "Go!" (While performing Zio)
 * "Cunning." (While performing Awakening super move, Ziodyne)
 * "Strike through! Ziodyne!" (While performing super move, Ziodyne)
 * "COME ON!" (Character's long string of combo ends)
 * "I can still fight!" (Awakening)
 * "HRAAGGHH!" (Awakening)
 * "This power...!" (Awakening vs. Aigis)
 * "Gotcha! Cross… Slash!" (While performing Awakening super move, Cross Slash, if attack connects)
 * "Cross Slash! Persona!" (While performing Cross Slash)
 * "Let's end this…" (Instant Kill)
 * "Thousands die while a million are born." (Izanagi's transfiguration into Izanagi no Okami while performing Instant Kill; if it connects)
 * "This fight… is over!" (while Izanagi no Okami performing Instant Kill)
 * "Behold, the truth!" (Alternate quote on Myriad Truths)
 * "What is this pressure...!?" (vs. Elizabeth)
 * "My persona... Is it reacting to her?" (vs. Aigis)
 * "I won't lose." (Intro)
 * "Let's begin!" (Intro)
 * "Come at me!" (Round win)
 * "Calm Down." (Round win)
 * "I should leave them be." (Round win)
 * "I wouldn't do that." (Round win)
 * "You should be better than this!" (Round win vs. Yosuke)
 * "Let's keep this up." (Match win)
 * "That's a win for me." (Match win)
 * "That felt... strange." (Match win vs. Aigis)

Victory Quotes
General Character Specific P4AU= Shadow Yu
 * "Looks like I won this time..."
 * "I can't stop now."
 * "I should leave them be..."
 * "Calm down. You won't be able to win when you're that worked up."
 * Yu Narukami: "Facing myself, hmm..? It seems the time has come for me too.
 * Yosuke Hanamura: "The last time we went at each other was at the river... Haha, that brings back memories."
 * Yukiko Amagi: "Her attacks were a lot more vicious than you'd expect... That was a close fight."
 * Teddie: "I couldn't read his movements at all... I'll get tripped up if I underestimate him."
 * Naoto Shirogane: "If she was paying close attention to my moves, I'm not so sure I could win a second time..."
 * Aigis: "She has the same power of the Wild Card... This feels so strange..."
 * Labrys: "Make sure you take care of that Persona... It's your other self, after all."
 * Elizabeth: "Could the younger sister Margaret mentioned be...?"
 * Now, Let's begin! (Character select)
 * Lend me your strength! (Character select)
 * Let's settle this!
 * "Is this it?" (Continue?)
 * "Give me strength... just once more!" (Retry)
 * "I'll get back up as many times as necessary!" (Retry)
 * "I'll show you my strength." (Character select)
 * "Heh... A new Shadow..." (Character select)
 * "Get out of my sight." (Starting the round)
 * "Come, so I can crush you." (Starting the round)
 * "What lies ahead... is death!" (Starting the round)
 *  "I am a Shadow, the true self." 
 *  "I am a Shadow..." 
 * "I'm the only real self." (vs. Yu)
 * "Hahahaha... Who're you gonna destroy this time with those legs?" (vs. Chie)
 * "You think someone like you can defeat me?" (vs. Kanji)
 * "Guess you still haven't had enough..." (vs. Labrys)
 * "Weak!" (Recovering from landing on the ground)
 * "Go to hell!" (Activating Shadow Frenzy)
 * "Bring hell!" (While performing Ziodyne)
 * "Ziodyne!" (While performing Ziodyne)
 * "Too slow!" (While performing Cross Slash)
 * "Persona!" (While performing Cross Slash)
 * "You're mine!" (While performing Lightning Slash)
 * "Take this!" (While performing Lightning Slash)
 * "No...!" (Non-final round loss)
 * "Gyargh!" (Non-final round loss)
 * "Fall into the darkness..." (Non-final round victory)
 * "Hehe..." (Non-final round victory)
 * "Perish, you!" (Non-final round victory)
 * "Let's keep going, you!" (Non-final round victory)
 * "Hehehehe...Hahahahaha!" (Final round victory)
 * "Hmph..." (Final round victory)
 * "At last, I can be myself!" (Win against Yu)
 * ""Heh... I can still do this..."" (Retry from Continue?)
 * "What?"
 * "Dammit!"
 * "You..."
 * "That was nothing!"
 * "I'm still up."
 * "I knew it..."
 * "I saw that."
 * "You're nothing!"
 * "Temblee!"
 * "Oh no you don't!"
 * "Die!"
 * "Never!"
 * "Let's keep going!"
 * "You won't feel this."
 * "I'll show you!"
 * "You won't espace!"
 * "Closing in!"
 * "Gotta Ya!"
 * "Those without power... will only die!"
 * "For me to become myself..."
 * "Where...Where are you?"
 * "You're no longer needed... I'll take your place."
 * "What is this power?"
 * "Haha... If you have no talent, it's best you give up sooner than later."
 * "How's it feel to let your whole team be blindsighted?"
 * "Hide it all you want, but your powerless. You can't win against me!"
 * "Haha... a wannbe hero of justice, huh?"
 * "You think you can win? Don't be so sure..."
 * "That's right...I can still do this!"
 * "Heh...don't run away."
 * "Guh! Impossible!"

Normal Type

 * General
 * "It seems I've won."
 * "That was quite a battle."
 * "Let's put an end to this."
 * "I learned a lot from that fight."
 * "That was a good bout. I hope to face you again sometime..."
 * "We might become even stronger through this."


 * Character Specific
 * Yosuke Hanamura: "I can grow stronger because you're with me... Isn't that right, partner?"
 * Chie Satonaka: "Looks like you're steadily gaining the power to protect others."
 * Yukiko Amagi: "You've become even more refined, Yukiko."
 * Teddie: "Have you gotten better? I might not be able to stay as your "Sensei" much longer."
 * Rise Kujikawa: "I've seen your new power. I'll be counting on you, Rise."
 * Mitsuru Kirijo: "Whew... I dodged an execution..."
 * Labrys: "You've found your own path... There wasn't a hint of doubt in your eyes."
 * Elizabeth: "She truly is mysterious... It's like she was looking into the depths of my soul..."
 * Minazuki: "If I'd taken a slightly different path, I could have been you."
 * Adachi: "Why are you here again...?"
 * Marie: "So she can use a Persona too... It seems anything goes for her."
 * Shadow Yu: "I'll face you as many times as you keep standing back up."

Shadow Type

 * General
 * "Hahahaha! I'll destroy everything... all of it!"
 * "Stay crawling on the ground like that. You can't protect anything!"
 * "I'm glad I had no one. I didn't need anyone. Right from the very beginning!"
 * "*chuckle* You're toyed with so pitifully... It's like you're nothing but my plaything."
 * "All of you are nothing but a burden. You're nothing but scum that can only lean on others, doing nothing on your own!"
 * "Show a little kindness, and people instantly bow and scrape... Bonds are nothing but shallow games of friendship, no?"
 * "You say you'll protect others, but the truth is, you can't protect yourself! Hahaha, just look at yourself!"
 * "Hehe... just as I expected... now I have truly risen as the Self... I should thank you for this service of yours."

PQ=
 * Character Specific
 * Yosuke Hanamura: "Partner, partner... You never shut up. You're a weakling whose only worth comes from latching onto me!"
 * Labrys: "Now do you understand? This bond you found is nothing but an illusion."
 * Yu Narukami: "*chuckle* How is someone so weak a leader who inspires such loyalty? It's absurd!"
 * "Ready for orders!" (Battle start)
 * "Alright, Partner!" (Battle start, with Yosuke)
 * "Show no mercy, Chie!" (Battle start, responding to Chie)
 * "Haha, that's the spirit." (Battle start, responding to Yukiko)
 * "I'll try not to let you down." (Battle start, responding to Kanji)
 * "Yeah. I'm counting on you!" (Battle start, responding to Teddie)
 * "I'm ready!" (Battle start, responding to Naoto)
 * "Damn! Brace yourselves, everyone!" (Battle start, Enemy Advanced)
 * "Right. Let's go!" (Battle start, fighting low-leveled Shadow)
 * "You're going nowhere!" (Battle start, fighting Hand Shadow)
 * "That's not what comes to mind when I think of an idol." (Battle start, fighting Idol Shadow)
 * "A slime Shadow..." (Battle start, fighting Maya Shadow)
 * "I was a king once. N-Never mind..." (Battle start, fighting Engage King Shadow)
 * "Doesn't it hurt? Twisting itself like that?" (Battle start, fighting Happy Gene Shadow)
 * "Um... it's dangerous to sit so high up." (Battle start, fighting Reckless Okina Shadow)
 * "How does it not run over the lion?" (Battle start, fighting Wheel Shadow)
 * "I think all the blood rushed to his head." (Battle start, fighting Fierce Cyclops Shadow)
 * "That helmet looks cool..." (Battle start, fighting Rain Leg Musha Shadow)
 * "That's a big one... mostly just the face, though." (Battle start, fighting Machine Shadow)
 * "Time to prepare for war! I-I mean battle!" (Battle start, fighting Tank Shadow)
 * "Try not to get stabbed or trampled, guys." (Battle start, fighting Intrepid Knight Shadow)
 * "Here's one of those cute guys!" (Battle start, fighting Purple Sigil Shadow)
 * "Um... is that wooden horse your... thing?" (Battle start, fighting Jotun Shadow)
 * "That cow can walk on two legs? Not bad!" (Battle start, fighting Minotaur Shadow)
 * "They say, 'He who runs lives to fight again,' but..." (Battle start, fighting high-level FOE)
 * "Absolutely! Let's do this!" (Battle start, fighting Captor Spider)
 * "Hugh!" (Attack)
 * "Ha!" (Attack)
 * "Persona!" (Skill)
 * "Go, Izanagi!" (Skill, Izanagi)
 * "Take this! Izanagi!" (Skill, Izanagi)
 * "Take this! Izanagi-no-Okami!" (Skill, Izanagi-no-Okami)
 * "Missed!" (Miss)
 * "Damn!" (Miss)
 * "Easy!" (Miss, Enemy)
 * "Fine. I'll take whatever it throws at me!" (Bind)
 * "Ngh! So that's their plan!" (Bind)
 * "If I attack now... it'll hurt me too..." (Curse)
 * "Aghhh... what am I... doing?" (Panic)
 * "Watch out!" (Panic, while attacking)
 * "I'm sorry... I ate... your flan... (snores)" (Sleep)
 * "Ngh... no time to rest..." (Low HP)
 * "Yeah. I'll be okay." (Low HP, responding to Yosuke or Chie)
 * "Yeah... I have to agree..." (Low HP, responding to Teddie)
 * "Don't worry... I'm used to this..." (Low HP, responding to Rei)
 * "Leader, how's your health?" (Low HP, P3 hero as Leader)
 * "Yosuke, are you okay?" (Low HP, Yosuke)
 * "Chie! Are you all right?" (Low HP, Chie)
 * "Yukiko, how are you holding up?" (Low HP, Yukiko)
 * "Are you all right, Teddie?" (Low HP, Teddie)
 * "Zen, you don't look so good." (Low HP, Zen, after clearing Inaba Pride Exhibit)
 * "Sorry..." (Dies)
 * "Yosuke!" (Yosuke dies)
 * "You okay, Chie?" (Chie dies)
 * "Yukiko! ... Damn it!" (Yukiko dies)
 * "TEDDIE!!" (Teddie dies)
 * "Hey! Leader!" (P3 hero as leader dies)
 * "Zen! Rei! You all right?" (Zen and Rei die)
 * "Zen, you gotta get back up!" (Zen dies, after clearing Inaba Pride Exhibit)
 * "Let's all take a breath." (One Enemy defeated, more than 3 turns)
 * "Still in the game." (One Enemy defeated, less than 3 turns)
 * "I can get another hit in!" (Follow-up attack, prompt)
 * "I'm going to follow up!" (Follow-up attack, prompt)
 * "Leave it to me!" (Follow-up attack, prompt)
 * "All right!" (Follow-up attack, accept)
 * "Take this!" (Follow-up attack, accept)
 * "Giving this my all!" (Follow-up attack, accept)
 * "I'll show you my strength!" (Follow-up attack, accept)
 * "Didn't quite do it." (Follow-up attack, no enemies defeated)
 * "Damn! It wasn't enough!" (Follow-up attack, no enemies defeated)
 * "We're all ready. Is it time for an All-Out Attack?" (All-Out Attack, prompt)
 * "Going All-Out!" (All-Out Attack, accept)
 * "Altogether now!" (All-Out Attack, accept)
 * "Good. He's all alone now." (Kind Doctor battle, Calm Nurse and Caring Nurse defeated)
 * "Lets subde it, quicky!" (Best Friend battle, In response to Fuuka.)
 * "We're making headway. Don't lose focus!" (Best Friend battle, 50% HP)
 * "Just a little more until everything is solved!" (Best Friend battle, 25% HP)
 * "Yeah, it'll be fine as long as it doesn't connect." (Best Friend battle, Rabbit Foot misses)
 * "It can use both at once?!" (Best Friend battle, Rabbit Foot attacks)
 * "We need to plan carefully!" (Captor Spider battle, head shielded)
 * "They... grew back?" (Captor Spider battle, leg regrows)
 * "It takes the same time for the leg to regrow, huh?" (Captor Spider battle, two legs regrow)
 * "Is there some kind of pattern to this?"(Captor Spider battle, three legs regrow)
 * "Ngh! It's blocking its head?"(Captor Spider battle, four legs regrow)
 * "The connections we make give us strength... and we've forged new bonds in this strange world." (Quote against Clockwork God in final battle)
 * "We did it." (Battle end)
 * "Glad that ended well." (Battle end)
 * "Good job, leader." (Battle end, P3 hero as Leader finishes)
 * "Nice fighting, guys." (Result)
 * "Good. Let's keep this up!" (Result, battle ended in more than 3 turns)
 * "That was over fast! I felt bad for them..." (Result, battle ended in less than 3 turns)
 * "I'd rather not fight this one again." (Result, fighting high-leveled Shadow)
 * "I feel myself getting stronger." (Level up)
 * "Izanagi-no-Okami... so this is my potential..." (Level up Izanagi turns into Izanagi-no-Okami)
 * "Congratulations on leveling up." (Level up, P3 hero as Leader)

P4D= P5R=
 * Alright, I'm ready whenever! (Fever Mode)
 * That was my best dance, I wish I could always do that!
 * "I can't let it end like this." (Getting up after stunned)
 * "Ngh! This doesn't look good.." (After health is down a certain amount)
 * ''"Eat this!" (Attacking)
 * ''"Persona!" (Summoning Persona)
 * "Izanagi!/Yoshitsune!/Kaguya!/Kohryu!/Sraosha!" (Summoning Persona)
 * "Go, Izanagi!" (summoning Izanagi)
 * "This one's for you!" (Attacking)
 * ''"No... is this really it?" (After health is down a certain amount)
 * "Too Slow!" (If party misses)
 * "Sorry, I don't hold back"
 * "I won't go easy on you!"
 * "Damn!"

Etymology
His first name, "Yu," means "quiet," a reference to his silent demeanor.

His surname, "Narukami," means "howling god," which is a reference to a recurring entity in the series of the same name. As Narukami is also a Japanese god of thunder, it also references his initial element Electricity. Spelling-wise, "Narukami" can also be read as "to become a god," foreshadowing how Yu manifests the World Arcana in the true ending, however, the characters of his name mean completely different things ("sound" and "above," respectively), meaning that the reference is an oral-only pun.

The name Souji Seta means: 瀬 (se = currents/torrents), 多 (ta = many) 総 (sou = everything/the whole of something), 司 (shi/-ji = to govern/direct)

Persona 4 Arena Moveset
Some of Yu's moves in Arena are named after certain expressions and terms via idioms, such as Kenkon Itteki (localized as "Big Gamble") and Shishifunjin  (localized as "Raging Lion"). Izanagi also gains the skills Swift Strike and Ziodyne, which it did not have in the original Persona 4 (though they can be gained from proper fusion). Yu is one of two characters to have two Personas (the other being Aigis), namely Izanagi for all normal Persona attacks, Specials and Supers, and Izanagi-no-Okami for his Mortal Blow/Instant Kill attack, Myriad Truths, known as Ikuman no Shingon in the Japanese version.

His latest move in Ultimax also amps up the theme naming of his attacks, which is known as Yuumou Kakan. His new SP Skill also joins in, being known as Shiden Issen. The literal translation of the move also plays hand-in-hand with his lightning theme, funny enough.

However, the franchise's Japanese name for Swift Strike oddly enough, Denkou Sekka is also an expression that fits into Yu's theme naming for his attacks, being the term for "lightning speed."

Trivia

 * The protagonist has a low tolerance for bad riddles.
 * He doesn't like Witch Detective, whose story is similar to that of Twilight.
 * The protagonist was initially nicknamed "Banchō" by Japanese fans for being the protagonist and his Persona Izanagi's leather long coat, which is reminiscent of the stereotypical banchō. The title was eventually picked up by Atlus Japan for the mock title of Yu in Persona 4 Arena, though in the English localization, "Banchō" was translated as "Kingpin."
 * When wearing the "Cheer Squad Outfit" in Persona 4 Golden, the other members of the Investigation Squad will mention how similar he looks to Izanagi.
 * The calendar in his room in the Dojima Residence features both the logo of Persona 3 as well as promotional art of the game featuring the protagonist of Persona 3 and Thanatos. In Persona 4 Arena, his updated calendar features an image of from  instead.
 * He may also have knowledge of a 2nd language (English in the Japanese version, or Spanish in the English version) when certain optional conversation choices are used during the conversation with a woman in Okina City appearing in Persona 4 Golden. He may also have basic knowledge of French, as there is a magazine in his room with the title Prêt-À-Porter. He may also (rarely) have French phrases in conversation choices.
 * Unlike the rest of the Investigation Team, the protagonist uses his hands to break the card in order to summon his Persona, whereas the others use their respective weapons to do so.
 * However, in Persona 4 The Golden Animation, Tohru Adachi also breaks his card in his hands, unlike in the games.
 * The protagonist has the same English voice actor as Adachi in Persona 4.
 * He also shares the same Japanese voice actor as Touma Shikura from Persona -trinity soul-.
 * In Persona 4 the Animation, Yu is the only party member who doesn't deny his Shadow's accusations, possibly because he has already learned from all his other friends' struggles and that his shadow was the last to appear.
 * When the protagonist wears the Gekkoukan High School uniform, he imitates the Persona 3 protagonist's victory pose when wielding a two-handed sword, a one-handed sword, a bow and an axe.
 * In the instructional manual of Persona 4, the protagonist is named "Raidou Kuzuhona" in reference to Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV.
 * In the manga adaptation, Persona Q -Roundabout-, he is shown to be close with the P3 hero, to the point the others think that it is like a date instead of friendship. It is possible because the two of them possess the same power. In another event, in P3 's storyline, he also said that he feels something close between him and the P4 protagonist should they be paired as the destined partner in Group Date Cafe.
 * In the anime, it is shown multiple times that Yu passes time by making.
 * The protagonist of Persona 4 is the second tallest Persona protagonist in the series at 180cm, the tallest being Tatsuya Suou (who is only taller by one centimeter).
 * When put in serious situations, he may put on glasses (such as the time in Persona 4 The Animation when he was catching a fish.)
 * In Persona 4 the Golden Animation, in his initial battle with Adachi and following the two seeing the other's memories, Adachi remarks that Yu's life is a "masterpiece," although it was never shown.
 * In BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle, set after the events of Persona 4: Arena Ultimax - Yu still wears his Yasogami uniform, despite having left Inaba following Golden Week. Yosuke brings this up, questioning why he's wearing it, leading Yu to state that he wore it so often, he didn't even realize he had been wearing the wrong uniform to school the entire time.
 * Yu is mentioned as having defeated Mikuratana-no-Kami by dancing in Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, meaning he was directly responsible for the events in both games.
 * Yu is one of the 3 major characters of Persona 4 that never had their voice actor changed. The others being Yosuke and Yukiko.
 * Souji Seta is a name that the mangaka sometimes uses when he's playing games, chosen out of a selection of names ATLUS provided him to name the protagonist. He doesn't intend for the name to have a meaning that's connected to the character or the story.
 * Before he was named by the spinoffs, manga, or anime, he was referred to as Kosuke Tsukimori in the original instruction manual.
 * In Persona 4 Golden, although the rest of the Investigation Team's motorcycles have their birthdates printed upon the license plates, the protagonist's license plate reads 7-10, the date the original Persona 4 was released.

Persona 4 Arena

 * Yu and Teddie are the only characters that do not face their shadow self in their Persona 4 Arena story mode. Yu does face his shadow self in his Arcade Mode though and immediately picks up that his Persona and Shadow cannot co-exist.
 * Yu shares many similarities and parallels to his fellow Wild Card wielder and predecessor, Aigis:
 * They share Room 2-2 as their default stage.
 * They are the only characters to have received themes that are full remixes of a battle theme (Reach Out To The Truth and Heartful Cry) from their original game.
 * They both change their Personas to their alternate forms during their Instant Kills.
 * In their story modes, before they proceed to the Announcement Room to confront General Teddie, they both must fight Elizabeth, who wishes to see them unleash the Wild Card's true power. In addition to this, they are the central characters of Elizabeth's own story mode, where she pursues them both in order for her to understand the true potential of the Wild Card.
 * In Aigis' story mode, Elizabeth saves her from the Malevolent Entity's deceptions and illusions and will confront her for almost giving in to them, and will deliberately let her win, along with reminding her that she is never alone and her bonds will lead her to the truth. This scene is extremely similar to the scene when Margaret confronts Yu in the animation finale when he also gave in to illusions Izanami created.
 * Yu's Furious Action "Big Gamble/Kenkon Itteki" is based on his critical-hit animation from Persona 4.
 * Sometimes when Yu K.O's the opponent, he will say, "I should leave them be" a reference to an early prompt in Persona 4, where the text box would say, "You should leave him be" after seeing Yosuke get injured.
 * Yu, Naoto and Mitsuru are the only characters who possess skills in their movesets they do not naturally learn in their original games; however, in Yu's case, in the original Persona 4, it's possible to re-create an Izanagi with the skills Swift Strike and Ziodyne.
 * Despite having various expressions in the art book of Persona 4 Arena, Yu is shown with only three expressions throughout the game.
 * Almost true to Daisuke Ishiwatari's previous affiliation with the company SNK, Arc System Works in Ultimax includes a secret move for Yu that is uncanny to Geese Howard/Rock Howard's Deadly Rave attack, in that it's a multi-sequence input super with a total of 10 inputs. However, due to the more complex route, it plays a lot more akin to Order-Sol's Dragon Install: Sakkai since Guilty Gear XX Slash, another pre-dated Deadly Rave reference.
 * Yu and Yukiko are the only two characters whose Auto-Combo's second inputs in Ultimax do not change out of the rest of the Investigation Team's.
 * Yu wears his Yasogami uniform despite no longer being a student at the school. Yu states he wore it as wearing anything else in the TV world "didn't feel right."
 * In the second episode of the 2017 anime series, the characters Keita Amano and Tasuku Uehara play the arcade version of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax. Tasuku's Teddie defeat's Keita's Yu, without losing any HP.
 * In the Steam version of Persona 4 Golden, changing the language of the game defaults the name of the protagonist to "Yu Narukami."

Persona 4: Dancing All Night

 * Yu is the only playable character to have a completely different story mode portrait instead of the original used in-battle and Arena.