LogFAQs > #929195873

6. Futaba Sakura (Persona 5)
Nominated by pyresword
I just hope I can change little by little...like everyone else does.


For years Futaba Sakura hasnt gone outside. She doesnt attend school. She sleeps for days at a time. She spends all her life crammed into her room. Futaba was traumatized by the death of her mother, and this is how she copes, by withdrawing herself into a protective cocoon. Incredibly intelligent, Futaba has nevertheless developed an (anonymous) reputation as a hacker. Its through this skill that she comes to the attention of the Phantom Thieves. Thus begins her journey out of her room and into her life.

The concept of hikikomori is a real one in Japan: people, usually young, who are so gripped with anxiety they find themselves incapable of leaving home. I see evidence of this phenomenon in the West too, with all societys pressures being thrown at young people today. What better way to cope than to completely retreat, to give up?

Futaba eventually comes to terms with her past and opens up more. She makes friends. She cracks jokes. Shes still a bit blunt, but her edge is dulled somewhat through her newfound friends. She provides inspiration to those young people who suffer from the pain of an anxious heart, of an encroaching world, and reminds us there is, indeed, a life outside our room.