I always see "Adachi did nothing" threads, and I usually participate in ironically, because my life is shitty. Most look at these threads and pass them off as trolling and edgelordry, while some simply think his views on society were right, despite what he ended up doing.
But thinking back on it earlier today, I realized something, he was right. He was right in a way most seem not to realize.
Most of the "Did nothing wrong" side of the argument bring up the Investigation Team's confrontation with him in the TV world, it's infamous among them for the IT being unable to refute any of Adachi's points, instead attacking his character, which is understandable considering he killed two people.
Adachi know the end was coming, if the IT failed, everyone turned to shadows, which is a world Adachi welcomed with open arms. Everyone would be unable to see anyone else, his world would be one where he wouldn't have to put up with all the people he hated, he would be truly free.
He explains how he came to hate the world, and why it's unfair. This has nothing to do with anything I'm about to say, so I'll leave my main views on the matter out, but this scene is infamous for playing out like a strawman comic, Adachi brings up points, and the IT blow them off, feeling it's irrelevant to the conversation. Most look at this and agree with the IT, it's not important, Adachi was a bad person, therefore he's wrong to try and justify himself by any means. But I think this scene goes far, far deeper than it first appears.
1/5
STOP RIGHT THERE ADACHI
autism
Posted the wrong part, how embarrassing
This whole scene plays out like some strange reversal of the shadow scenes. Usually a character disagrees with their shadow, ends up having a breakdown, and the shadow attacks them. Here, the characters relentlessly shot down any of Adachi's arguments, and he has the breakdown, right before the battle starts.
In the actual battle, there is a dark aura around him, and he has the eyes of a shadow. He summons his Persona, which is dark counterpart to the protagonist/Yu's initial Persona, Izanagi.
I haven't watched the anime yet, but I hear it draws parallels between Yu and Adachi, as if Adachi is like his shadow. In fact, he can be considered a shadow of the entire Investigation team, he is what they could have been had Yu not saved them. Chie even makes note of this Golden. Could it be, the reason they were dodging all his arguments, is because they truly did feel that way deep down? Maybe they felt the way he did, I'm sure most did at some point in their lives, but they didn't want to admit it, they didn't want to admit the man they've been chasing after all this time was actually a refrlection of they could have been.
But there is one more person besides your friends Adachi reflects, and that would be Yu.
It's easier to draw that comparison in the anime considering Yu is his own character, but I feel as if there's something more going on the game. Yu isn't his own character after all, he's You.
You are living the fantasy life you always wished as Yu. And Adachi? Well, he's what you actually are, he's your shadow, the true self.
2/5
As you know, shadows are an exaggeration of how you actually are, Adachi is an exaggeration of the player's escapism fantasy. He is the ultimate villain of escapism, reality.
Another parallel to the play is Mitsuo.
Mitsuo is pretty much the stereotypical NEET(He goes to school, but that's not important) virgin gamer.
He's like the Fatlus stereotype but skinny.
He's obsessed with Yukiko, and wants to be a hero like in his Japanese vidyas. The most telling part is his crime, he wanted to be killer for attention, he wanted to be Adachi. it should also be noted he's one of the few character who never accepted their shadow.
Mitsuo is pretty much young Adachi, he's likely what a lot of players are feeling like, they want power, they want a world where they are loved by all.
Yu is what the player, and Mitsuo wishes they could be, and here's the problem. In most Adachi was right/wrong debates, everyone sees everything in black and white, it's either Adachi was wrong, or the IT was wrong.
A lot of people fail to realize the problem with Yu, he's perfect, too perfect. He's an unattainable goal, someone who pleases anybody and everybody. Most players seem to think the game is telling them to strive to be Yu, to be their escapism fantasy, but I think Yu vs Adachi is pretty close to Law vs Chaos of SMT, there's good and bad traits to both. But who is Neutral?
There is one more person in all of this who received the touch of Izanami, and one more shadow of the player, Taro Namatame.
3/5
I've always liked these attempted analyses so here's a bump, OP.
In the meantime, anyone playing anything SMT-related right now? I recently finished the true route of the Devil Survivor: Overclocked and am now trying to decide between starting DeSu2:RB or finally playing the Digital Devil Saga games.
Namatame is a strange man, he just wants to help everyone, but he causes more harm then good. He's the middleground of Yu and Adachi, he's the path the player is most likely to walk down in life, the joe normal.
When he's set up by Adachi to be arrested as the murderer, he ends up getting found out by the IT and creates his own dungeon in the TV world, Heaven.
In Heaven, he can be the person he truly wished to be, a kind man who helped people. just like Yu did. As he captured Nanako, he keeps shouting "I want to save her! I want to save her!" again mirroring the players thoughts at that moment in time.
This is the big moment he was waiting for, he finally got to act like the heroes he dreamed of during his days of escapism, but he gets shot down, but the very people he wished to be.
The IT sees him as the killer, they see him as Adachi, he needs to be deposed off, he's not the person the player should be, they need to be Yu, no one else.
In Golden, we see Namatame does make something of his life, realizing he didn't need to be the hero he always dreamed of being.
But all these are just shadows, shadows created by Izanami.
Izanami can be seen as many things, the player's mother, father, even reality itself.
She's trying to free the player from his changes of escapism by forcing him down a path.
In the end, the player chooses Yu, Yu is who he wants to be. But something goes wrong, he doesn't strive for a live like Yu's, he strives for Yu's life.
He takes control of Yu, and destroys Izanami.
4/5
>but I think Yu vs Adachi is pretty close to Law vs Chaos of SMT, there's good and bad traits to both
>law
>good
hoy
>>319623150
DDS is my favorite game of all time, but that being said, I would finish up DeSu2.
The player finally has what he always dreamed of, the perfect life, and with reality itself destroyed, he can live in it forever. Golden is the player's perfect life, Marie is his ideal waifu, Adachi's ending has him pulling a 180 and betraying you because Adachi is evil in the player's eyes, and he can see the future of the world he saved with a long haired Nanako.
Arena, Arena 2, P4D, his adventures are never ending.
But something goes wrong, he wakes up, he gets up, he goes out there.
He realizes there's something more important than having the perfect life, unfortunately he's chained down by his past mistakes.
Can he win back his old friends?
Can he start all over?
That's for you to decide.
tl;dr Persona 4 has the deepest lore.
>>319623482
>Marie
>ideal waifu
>>319623150
DDS is god tier. Don't play those shitty PSN versions if you can help it.
>>319623727
I've got the PS2 version of the first game and intend to order the second one as soon as I've cleared the first.
>>319623467
Why so? Is it just a matter of saving the best for last?
>>319623482
>he wakes up, he gets up, he goes out there
Goddammit OP
>>319623990
He probably prefers playing similar games in order. I am the opposite, I would need a break inbetween DeSu 1 and 2.
>>319623990
Nah, it's just that it's nice playing them after each other, seeing the little references and improvements.
>>319623150
Playing SMT4 and Nocturne/DDS currently. Haven't decided what to play right now though.
>>319624662
You play 3 Megaten games at once?
>>319623482
> Marie is his ideal waifu
Well now I just cannot take you seriously anymore.
>>319623413
Hoy indeed.
Good thread.
>>319623482
>Marie is his ideal waifu
