Goro Akechi

Goro Akechi is a playable character/guest star party member in Persona 5, a JRPG created by Atlus in 2017.

Overview
Akechi conducts a detective business, and for a big amount of the game, works actively against the Phantom Thieves (The MCs). Because of his proficiency at solving cases, he’s prominently referred to as ‘Detective Prince’. Because of his natural good looks and charisma, he has gained a large following and is often seen on TV.

Akechi joins the Phantom Thieves during their seventh heist, and is a playable character during that time.

Personality
At first, Goro Akechi seems like a very clean-cut, proper High School student. Very sharp and perceptive, he has solved enough cases to rival an official investigator – this, combined with his good looks and charisma, have made him very popular. Behind his charming facade though, Akechi is far more complex. His father left his mother before he was even born, causing his mother to be publically shamed for giving birth out of wedlock. This ultimately led to her suicide, and Akechi was passed around the foster care system for most of his life.

This has left him with a very cynical worldview, as well as making him very touch-starved, both physically and emotionally. However, Akechi is under the impression that nobody‘d ever accept his true self, that they‘d just leave him in disgust, which is why he adopted the charming persona we know today. Still, he has difficulties forming and maintaining relationships, which is why he never had any real friends.

Besides wanting to be loved and accepted in a way (even if it‘s bland and superficial, like the way the public treats him), the driving force behind Akechi‘s actions is his determination to get revenge on his father – which is his main reason for acting as his assassin

Akechi also has a very showy and narcissist side to his personality, and it can easily seem like he sees himself as above others. Akechi sees his worth as a person entirely dependent on what he can accomplish, not as a person, but as a tool. He prides himself in his charisma and intelligence, and absolutely loves showing off. Because of this, he‘s often very teasing and playful, too.

Akechi has a habit of getting lost in thoughts and rambling during conversations. He also very regularly uses high-level vocabulary and generally has a very sophisticated and elegant way of holding himself - all to uphold his image and reputation amongst adults.

Akechi's hobbies include cycling and bouldering, as well as fashionable sports like darts and pool. He also enjoys trying out the latest dishes, though this doesn't stem from him caring about the taste of the food; rather, he does it to use food as a conversation piece.

Something to note though is that Akechi is in no way a cinnamon roll. He‘s very ruthless and cold (mainly because of his cynical worldview) and doesn‘t hesitate to hurt or kill people to reach his goals – though he never goes out of his way to kill.

Character Development
After first meeting Joker (who he both admires and envies) and quickly forming a rivalry with him, Akechi first gets a taste of what it‘s like to have friends to depend on – something that only intensifies once he joins the Phantom Thieves. At several points, he expresses his liking of Joker, greatly appreciating someone so fundamentally different to debate with and talk to (Joker and Akechi are designed to be foils of each other).

•During his bossfight in the engine room though, his desire to be the hero of his own story and to get revenge on his father overshadows his feelings towards the Phantom Thieves, as he uses Loki to turn himself psychotic, in an effort to both defeat the PTs and resume his plan, as well as prove that he's better than them, especially Joker.

•After his fight though, when the PTs offer him to rejoin the party and take Shido down together, Akechi‘s worldview shifts. He voices his regret that he couldn‘t have met Joker earlier, clearly showing regret for what he‘s done. His self-sacrifice as he cuts himself off from the party just hammers home that fact.

Design
Akechi has shaggy, chin-length brown hair. His eyes are a dark red (stemming from a point in development where he was supposed to be related to Sae and Makoto).

His usual detective attire/school uniform (though it has been confirmed that it‘s a personal version of the school uniform only Akechi wears) consists of a tan peacoat with black buttons, striped black and white tie, black pants and black gloves. It gives off a very sophisticated and classy vibe.

•As Crow, Akechi wears a princely pure white royal outfit with red accents and a red, long-nosed mask, which is meant to resemble a plague doctor’s. Contrary to the protagonist, who is dressed all in black, Akechi is very flashy, further showing that they’re meant to be foils. He also wields a light saber and a ray gun as Crow, highlighting a more childlike side of him.

•When he finally shows his true Persona, Loki, Akechi swaps his outfit to something much more dark and sinister. As Black Mask, he wears a body-covering, striped outfit, with several belts attached to it. Rather than a regular mask, Akechi wears a black helmet here.

The striped look of his outfit is meant to resemble Loki‘s.