Kanji Tatsumi is a character in Persona 4. Kanji is a first year at Yasogami High School and a member of the Investigation Team. He is the son of the owner of Tatsumi Textiles in Inaba's Central Shopping District.
Profile
Kanji is a 1st year student at Yasogami High who has been absent from school since the start of the school year. He has a reputation around Inaba as a delinquent who beat up a biker gang all by himself. With his dyed hair, skull T-shirt, black leather jacket, and bullet necklace, he shows the exterior of the tough delinquent people stereotype him to be. Kanji's Mother owns Tatsumi Textiles, and the two live together at the shop that doubles as their family home in the Central Shopping District. His father died a long time ago, and it is said that his mother is frequently apologizing on behalf of her son.
Kanji's personality is hot-blooded. He can be loud and easily gets riled up, especially by Yosuke Hanamura. At one point, Kanji reacts poorly after mistakenly thinking Yosuke calls him "strange" and chases the group off. Kanji is also a fan of wrestling, evident by how he sometimes uses Japanese wrestling terminology.[5][b] After his experience in the TV World, Kanji wears his heart on his sleeve and speaks what is on his mind instead of trying to conform to people's mental image of him as a delinquent. As the protagonist can discover, on the inside, Kanji adores cute things, has a sweet tooth for foods like pudding, and is especially good at knitting. He has other mannerisms that seem unbefitting of his appearance, like having a children's cracker snack and searching for the rare shape in the box.
Kanji's family is acquainted with the Amagis, and he and Yukiko Amagi know each other before the story begins. Being a year younger than the rest of the Investigation Team when he first joins, he respectfully calls the 2nd years all senpai. He speaks more casually when fellow 1st year Rise Kujikawa joins and is unphased by her being a famous idol, and he has a closer bond with the final member, Naoto Shirogane, whom he meets in May.
When designing Kanji, Soejima made him intentionally look over the top with elements like the skull t-shirt and the way he wears his school uniform jacket all to hint at Kanji's rebelliousness all being an act. In doing so, he made Kanji look like something of a silly caricature of a person trying to look manly without knowing what that really means. Due to the rumors about Kanji, he also made his eyes look intimidating, as if people would be able to believe all of the made up things about him based purely on his looks.[7]
Gameplay
Kanji is the Emperor Social Link. He becomes a playable party member in June with the Persona Take-Mikazuchi.
Manual
| Manual Descriptions
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| Persona 4
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A first-year student at Yasogami High. It's rumored that in middle school, he defeated an entire gang on his own; he's since garnered a reputation as a notorious punk.
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| Persona 4 Arena
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A young man once feared as a violent punk. Despite his looks, he is goodhearted and a skilled knitter. He prefers fighting up close with powerful throws, and his Persona is the thunderous powerhouse Take-Mikazuchi.
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Persona 4:
Dancing All Night
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A second-year high schooler, one year younger than Yu. Despite the way he looks and acts, he has a surprising softer side, and enjoys knitting and cooking. His powerful muscles and large frame lend themselves to a powerful dance style.
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Game Appearances
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In Persona 4 Arena, Kanji serves as the resident grappler character, with high damage output and defense, but low mobility. While his mobility tools and projectile options aren't as limited as similar characters like Potemkin from Guilty Gear or Iron Tager from BlazBlue, Kanji's playstyle and toolkit ultimately lends very well to him being up in his opponent's face constantly.
Anime Appearances
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Manga Appearances
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Audio Drama Appearances
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Novel Appearances
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Stage Play Appearances
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Other Appearances
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Kanji is one of the selectable avatars for the pachinko machine. When selected, his mini-portrait will appears on the player's stat screen and he does the voice over for the machine's functions. He is the subject of some probability events, such as when he tries to make a stuffed animal, or when Rise stands on his back to get a One More out of a tree.
Trivia
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- A printing of the Persona 4 Official Design Works mistakenly lists Kanji's birth year as 1995, which would make a 2nd year student rather than a 1st year student at the start of Persona 4. This has since been fixed for the eBook and other prints. Books released later, such as Persona Club P4, also correctly list his birth year as 1996.
Nomenclature
Names in Other Languages
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Meaning
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 Japanese
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巽 完二 |
Tatsumi Kanji. The family name means "southeast trigram," and the given name means "perfect two."
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Gallery
Notes
- ↑ Kanji turns 16 at the end of Persona 4 Golden, and off-screen in Persona 4. He is 15 in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, and most of Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden. He is 16 in Persona 4 Arena and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, as well as Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
- ↑ セメント, or cement, is a word used in pro wrestling to describe a serious match.[6] His usage of wrestling words continues in his Arena and Arena Ultimax lines.
References
- ↑ "Date of Birth: January 19, 1996" "1", Persona 4: Official Design Works, ATLUS. Published by ATLUS. 70. ISBN-13: 978-1926778457., also displays when entering a match with Kanji in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
- ↑ "Height: 183cm" "1", Persona 4: Official Design Works, ATLUS. Published by ATLUS. 70. ISBN-13: 978-1926778457.
- ↑ "Weight: 65kg" "1", Persona 4: Official Design Works, ATLUS. Published by ATLUS. 70. ISBN-13: 978-1926778457.
- ↑ "Blood Type: A" "1", Persona 4: Official Design Works, ATLUS. Published by ATLUS. 70. ISBN-13: 978-1926778457.
- ↑ "Kanji: おーおー、早速セメント前みたいな空気んなってるっスねー。" Persona 4 (PlayStation 2). Developed by Atlus. Published by Atlus. Japanese.
- ↑ ガチンコ. Retrieved June 4, 2024. Wikipedia.
- ↑ "Chapter: Main Characters", Persona 4 Official Design Works, Atlus, Famitsu Editorial Department. Published by Famitsu (2008). Japanese. p. 69. ISBN-13: 978-4757745087.
