At first glance, Akihiko doesn’t appear to have much substance to him. He is introduced as a cool and confident senior at Gekkoukan High School, with a unique ability to summon Personas. His constant desire to train and become stronger appears to be the only thing that he cares about. Shortly after the game begins, Akihiko is injured from the first full moon mission, and yet keeps trying to get back into the fight before he fully heals. Befittingly, he is the captain of the boxing team, having worked his way up the ranks ever since middle school. According to Ken, one of his SEES team members, Akihiko is an undefeated boxing champion with 16 matches under his belt. He respects and reveres people (or dogs, even) that are strong.
As one of the original founding members of SEES – Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – he is particularly close to Mitsuru, whom he first met in middle school, and Shinjiro, his childhood friend. Akihiko shows traits that he’s learned from both of his close friends. He can act pretty rough around the edges with his language and no-nonsense attitude, which likely rubbed off on him from Shinjiro. On the other hand, he is well-mannered and levelheaded most of the time, like Mitsuru. He becomes impulsive and can be somewhat foolish when someone is in danger, as he worries that they might die. With the memory of a deceased loved one haunting him, Akihiko adamantly refuses to let anyone else meet that cruel fate if there’s anything he can do to help them.
This fiery boxer is very aggressive in battle, never hesitating to jump in and beat Shadows to death with his fists. The notion is also supported by his skill set, as Akihiko is the one default character with all of the debuff spells, and can weaken the enemies before going in for the kill. He is, however, very well-rounded, as he also has a single-target healing spell to save someone that needs it. Akihiko’s Personas, Polydeuces and Caesar, both have affinities with the lightning element, and are weak against ice. This explains why he gets so freaked out about being executed by Mitsuru, since her innate element is ice. Akihiko seems to be sensitive to cold weather in general, given the fact that he’s practically always toting a jacket around.
With a wisdom that belies his years, Akihiko acts fairly serious most of the time. Since he was orphaned at a young age and grew up taking care of his sister, he is used to caring for others and playing the role of big brother to the rest of SEES. There are rare occasions when Akihiko jokes around with Junpei, his goofy junior teammate, and he loosens up around Shinjiro. Despite his serious nature, he is very caring and protective of his friends and allies, willing to do whatever he can to help them. He has a distinct complex about making sure people have enough food to eat, which is derived from his suffering as a child at the orphanage.
Although the female main character is the designated leader, with Mitsuru ranked second-in-command, Akihiko would be considered third in line. Regardless, he has demonstrated leadership skills on various missions, even with the aforementioned ladies around, such as the June full moon mission. He is the level of reason when the juniors freak out. Akihiko doesn’t speak too prominently in most scenes, because he is usually observing from the background. But he does step up to the plate and assume responsibility when needed, like while Mitsuru is out of commission after her father’s murder. He is intelligent and perceptive, being the first one to figure out the pattern of Arcana Shadows.
Polite and disciplined, Akihiko is respectful of people ranked higher than him, such as Officer Kurosawa and Ikutsuki, but he addresses the juniors and Ken without any suffixes. He treats Mitsuru and Shinjiro as equals. Furthermore, Akihiko uses nicknames to show how close his bonds are with others. He refers to Shinjiro as “Shinji” and is called “Aki” in return. Akihiko would probably give Mitsuru a nickname if she consented, but that might be too informal for her preference. If the lover’s route is pursued with Akihiko, he will ask the female main character to call him “Aki” after confessing his love for her.
As open and honest as Akihiko is, he definitely has his own secrets and mental anguish to bear. Ten years ago, when he was seven, there was at the orphanage where he, Miki, and Shinjiro lived. Akihiko managed to get out safely, along with Shinjiro, but the former was held back when he tried to run back in and save his sister. She died in that fire, and he has been harboring guilt ever since then, for not being strong enough to save her. This is the reason why he decided to pour all of his time and energy to getting stronger.
Miki’s tragic death, combined with Shinjiro’s eventual murder at the hands of Strega in the October full moon mission, shows Akihiko’s amazing ability to cope. At least, on the surface, as he himself admits that he keeps trying to forget the past and only look forward to the future. But it’s obvious that his past has a huge influence on who he is, as a person. Based on how often he mentions Miki and Shinjiro, as well as other past events, Akihiko clearly demonstrates having a difficult time letting things go. Even though there are things that bother him, he tends to bury his discontent and put on a strong front, so he can deal with those problems later, in private.
Despite his friendship with Mitsuru and his ability to get along with the other SEES girls, Akihiko is extremely dense when it comes to girls in general, and that stems from his self-depreciation. He takes failure very seriously, and tries hard to overcome them, such as his disastrous attempts at picking up women during the Yakushima trip. He is unable to value himself until he has become strong enough to protect everyone that he feels responsible for. He simply buries all of his flaws and fears deep down inside and overcompensates by going above and beyond. Akihiko can be extremely stubborn about what he believes in, and has a very hard time letting go, easily shown by his constant reflection on Miki, and how he kept trying to convince Shinjiro to return to SEES.
Even with all of this baggage sitting on his shoulders, he is a cock-eyed optimist. Instead of collapsing after Miki and Shinjiro’s death, he saw it as a reason to improve himself. Akihiko zealously encourages others to pick themselves up after they fall. Fighting against Shadows every full moon is difficult, but he reminds his allies of their end-goal, and why they need to keep going no matter how tough it gets. Although Shinjiro sacrificed himself for Ken’s sake, Akihiko harbors no resentment toward the latter. Because Shinjiro asks him to take care of Ken, Akihiko honors his friend’s dying wish. When Ken runs off, Akihiko finds him and tells him that he can stay out in the cold and die, or stand up on his own two feet and fight.
Akihiko has a very friendly personality, but he isn’t extremely social. Whenever he goes out on his day off, or in the evenings, he’s usually in the company of Shinjiro or Mitsuru. He is content to spend most of his time training, and despite his occasional complaints, will study hard so he can perform well on exams. That being said, Akihiko isn’t completely adverse to relaxing and having some fun once in a while, such as asking the female main character to accompany him to the autumn festival in Naganaki Shrine, or going to the film festival with her.
In his Social Link with the female main character, Akihiko shows much more depth than the original game. He expresses insecurity in himself, tolerance for things that most people would get impatient toward, and often talks about his little sister. He admits that he can’t deal with the burden of having a girlfriend because he isn’t strong enough. In contrast to his usual calm exterior, Akihiko easily becomes flustered and embarrassed whenever the female main character teases or compliments him. Akihiko also reveals a jealous and somewhat possessive side toward her, which is likely derived from his fear of losing people that are important to him. At the final rank, when he is expressing how precious the female main character is to him, he confesses that if it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have gotten over Miki’s death.
Being a Virgo, Akihiko constantly gives off the impression that he is chaste and pure, but he actually does have a somewhat perverted side. It just doesn’t come out very often. He apparently has a fetish for maid costumes, and becomes extremely flustered when he sees the female main character wearing the Battle Panties outfit. In the extra rank after maxing out the lover’s route of his Social Link, he invites his girl back to his room again, and it is very strongly implied that they get intimate. Not only that, but the same implication occurs during the last rank of his Social Link, as well as their Christmas date.
Depending on present company and situation, Akihiko can get very sentimental and emotional. When Junpei is plagued with trauma over his lover’s death, Akihiko is the first one that tries to reach out to him. Shinjiro complains on a couple of occasions about him being too sappy. He even reveals how sensitive Akihiko can be, as he once punched Shinjiro for lecturing him about his fighting style being too reckless. On Christmas Eve, Akihiko gives the female main character a music box as a present, and promises to buy something new for her every year, to fill it up with.
In the Persona series, most characters are represented by an Arcana AKA Tarot card. Akihiko’s primary affiliation is the Emperor Arcana. The Emperor is a responsible, stable, powerful leader, with Zeus – the leader of Mount Olympus – being its origin. The Emperor is also associated with Aries, a battle-loving and sometimes bloodthirsty warrior. Appropriately, Akihiko displays many of these traits.
For the female route, Akihiko’s secondary affiliation is the Star Arcana. The Star is said to represent renewed hope, inspiration, and discovery, after having escaped from the eye of the tumultuous storm. Akihiko achieves great clarity in the wake of the tragic deaths that he suffers through. Whether or not he consciously realizes it, he is undoubtedly a source of hope and inspiration to others, given how effectively he deals with the trials that life has thrown at him.
Akihiko Sanada | Persona 3 Portable | Reserved (2/???)
At first glance, Akihiko doesn’t appear to have much substance to him. He is introduced as a cool and confident senior at Gekkoukan High School, with a unique ability to summon Personas. His constant desire to train and become stronger appears to be the only thing that he cares about. Shortly after the game begins, Akihiko is injured from the first full moon mission, and yet keeps trying to get back into the fight before he fully heals. Befittingly, he is the captain of the boxing team, having worked his way up the ranks ever since middle school. According to Ken, one of his SEES team members, Akihiko is an undefeated boxing champion with 16 matches under his belt. He respects and reveres people (or dogs, even) that are strong.
As one of the original founding members of SEES – Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad – he is particularly close to Mitsuru, whom he first met in middle school, and Shinjiro, his childhood friend. Akihiko shows traits that he’s learned from both of his close friends. He can act pretty rough around the edges with his language and no-nonsense attitude, which likely rubbed off on him from Shinjiro. On the other hand, he is well-mannered and levelheaded most of the time, like Mitsuru. He becomes impulsive and can be somewhat foolish when someone is in danger, as he worries that they might die. With the memory of a deceased loved one haunting him, Akihiko adamantly refuses to let anyone else meet that cruel fate if there’s anything he can do to help them.
This fiery boxer is very aggressive in battle, never hesitating to jump in and beat Shadows to death with his fists. The notion is also supported by his skill set, as Akihiko is the one default character with all of the debuff spells, and can weaken the enemies before going in for the kill. He is, however, very well-rounded, as he also has a single-target healing spell to save someone that needs it. Akihiko’s Personas, Polydeuces and Caesar, both have affinities with the lightning element, and are weak against ice. This explains why he gets so freaked out about being executed by Mitsuru, since her innate element is ice. Akihiko seems to be sensitive to cold weather in general, given the fact that he’s practically always toting a jacket around.
With a wisdom that belies his years, Akihiko acts fairly serious most of the time. Since he was orphaned at a young age and grew up taking care of his sister, he is used to caring for others and playing the role of big brother to the rest of SEES. There are rare occasions when Akihiko jokes around with Junpei, his goofy junior teammate, and he loosens up around Shinjiro. Despite his serious nature, he is very caring and protective of his friends and allies, willing to do whatever he can to help them. He has a distinct complex about making sure people have enough food to eat, which is derived from his suffering as a child at the orphanage.
Although the female main character is the designated leader, with Mitsuru ranked second-in-command, Akihiko would be considered third in line. Regardless, he has demonstrated leadership skills on various missions, even with the aforementioned ladies around, such as the June full moon mission. He is the level of reason when the juniors freak out. Akihiko doesn’t speak too prominently in most scenes, because he is usually observing from the background. But he does step up to the plate and assume responsibility when needed, like while Mitsuru is out of commission after her father’s murder. He is intelligent and perceptive, being the first one to figure out the pattern of Arcana Shadows.
Polite and disciplined, Akihiko is respectful of people ranked higher than him, such as Officer Kurosawa and Ikutsuki, but he addresses the juniors and Ken without any suffixes. He treats Mitsuru and Shinjiro as equals. Furthermore, Akihiko uses nicknames to show how close his bonds are with others. He refers to Shinjiro as “Shinji” and is called “Aki” in return. Akihiko would probably give Mitsuru a nickname if she consented, but that might be too informal for her preference. If the lover’s route is pursued with Akihiko, he will ask the female main character to call him “Aki” after confessing his love for her.
As open and honest as Akihiko is, he definitely has his own secrets and mental anguish to bear. Ten years ago, when he was seven, there was at the orphanage where he, Miki, and Shinjiro lived. Akihiko managed to get out safely, along with Shinjiro, but the former was held back when he tried to run back in and save his sister. She died in that fire, and he has been harboring guilt ever since then, for not being strong enough to save her. This is the reason why he decided to pour all of his time and energy to getting stronger.
Miki’s tragic death, combined with Shinjiro’s eventual murder at the hands of Strega in the October full moon mission, shows Akihiko’s amazing ability to cope. At least, on the surface, as he himself admits that he keeps trying to forget the past and only look forward to the future. But it’s obvious that his past has a huge influence on who he is, as a person. Based on how often he mentions Miki and Shinjiro, as well as other past events, Akihiko clearly demonstrates having a difficult time letting things go. Even though there are things that bother him, he tends to bury his discontent and put on a strong front, so he can deal with those problems later, in private.
Despite his friendship with Mitsuru and his ability to get along with the other SEES girls, Akihiko is extremely dense when it comes to girls in general, and that stems from his self-depreciation. He takes failure very seriously, and tries hard to overcome them, such as his disastrous attempts at picking up women during the Yakushima trip. He is unable to value himself until he has become strong enough to protect everyone that he feels responsible for. He simply buries all of his flaws and fears deep down inside and overcompensates by going above and beyond. Akihiko can be extremely stubborn about what he believes in, and has a very hard time letting go, easily shown by his constant reflection on Miki, and how he kept trying to convince Shinjiro to return to SEES.
Even with all of this baggage sitting on his shoulders, he is a cock-eyed optimist. Instead of collapsing after Miki and Shinjiro’s death, he saw it as a reason to improve himself. Akihiko zealously encourages others to pick themselves up after they fall. Fighting against Shadows every full moon is difficult, but he reminds his allies of their end-goal, and why they need to keep going no matter how tough it gets. Although Shinjiro sacrificed himself for Ken’s sake, Akihiko harbors no resentment toward the latter. Because Shinjiro asks him to take care of Ken, Akihiko honors his friend’s dying wish. When Ken runs off, Akihiko finds him and tells him that he can stay out in the cold and die, or stand up on his own two feet and fight.
Akihiko has a very friendly personality, but he isn’t extremely social. Whenever he goes out on his day off, or in the evenings, he’s usually in the company of Shinjiro or Mitsuru. He is content to spend most of his time training, and despite his occasional complaints, will study hard so he can perform well on exams. That being said, Akihiko isn’t completely adverse to relaxing and having some fun once in a while, such as asking the female main character to accompany him to the autumn festival in Naganaki Shrine, or going to the film festival with her.
In his Social Link with the female main character, Akihiko shows much more depth than the original game. He expresses insecurity in himself, tolerance for things that most people would get impatient toward, and often talks about his little sister. He admits that he can’t deal with the burden of having a girlfriend because he isn’t strong enough. In contrast to his usual calm exterior, Akihiko easily becomes flustered and embarrassed whenever the female main character teases or compliments him. Akihiko also reveals a jealous and somewhat possessive side toward her, which is likely derived from his fear of losing people that are important to him. At the final rank, when he is expressing how precious the female main character is to him, he confesses that if it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have gotten over Miki’s death.
Being a Virgo, Akihiko constantly gives off the impression that he is chaste and pure, but he actually does have a somewhat perverted side. It just doesn’t come out very often. He apparently has a fetish for maid costumes, and becomes extremely flustered when he sees the female main character wearing the Battle Panties outfit. In the extra rank after maxing out the lover’s route of his Social Link, he invites his girl back to his room again, and it is very strongly implied that they get intimate. Not only that, but the same implication occurs during the last rank of his Social Link, as well as their Christmas date.
Depending on present company and situation, Akihiko can get very sentimental and emotional. When Junpei is plagued with trauma over his lover’s death, Akihiko is the first one that tries to reach out to him. Shinjiro complains on a couple of occasions about him being too sappy. He even reveals how sensitive Akihiko can be, as he once punched Shinjiro for lecturing him about his fighting style being too reckless. On Christmas Eve, Akihiko gives the female main character a music box as a present, and promises to buy something new for her every year, to fill it up with.
In the Persona series, most characters are represented by an Arcana AKA Tarot card. Akihiko’s primary affiliation is the Emperor Arcana. The Emperor is a responsible, stable, powerful leader, with Zeus – the leader of Mount Olympus – being its origin. The Emperor is also associated with Aries, a battle-loving and sometimes bloodthirsty warrior. Appropriately, Akihiko displays many of these traits.
For the female route, Akihiko’s secondary affiliation is the Star Arcana. The Star is said to represent renewed hope, inspiration, and discovery, after having escaped from the eye of the tumultuous storm. Akihiko achieves great clarity in the wake of the tragic deaths that he suffers through. Whether or not he consciously realizes it, he is undoubtedly a source of hope and inspiration to others, given how effectively he deals with the trials that life has thrown at him.