Is Persona 4's Kanji Gay or Not? - The Espist

Contents:

• IS PERSONA 4‘S KANJI GAY OR NOT?
• PERSONA 4: GOLN MOD RTOR GAY ROMANCE OPTN
• SCE WHEN IS KANJI GAY?
• IS PERSONA 4'S KANJI GAY OR NOT?

IS PERSONA 4‘S KANJI GAY OR NOT?

One of the most pellg parts of Atl’ Persona 4 is the qutn of one of s characters’ possible homosexualy. Persona 4 ma great stris the portrayal of homosexualy gam wh the character of Kanji, a rough-and-tumble lquent who may or may not be gay.

In Kanji’s alternate world, his other self appears as a near-nu, “gay” soundg versn of himself who habs a men’s bathhoe, strongly suggtg that the character ho homosexual sir. The game, however, never really mak ncrete whether or not Kanji’s gay or jt sexually nfed, which has trated some gamers. “The Japane are more fortable wh the ncept of beg gay and not beg gay at the same time.

In this se, mak sense that, the end, the game is not tellg you what to thk about Kanji or even if he is gay.

PERSONA 4: GOLN MOD RTOR GAY ROMANCE OPTN

“That flamboyance was also what the viewers of the Midnight Channel [a TV channel that shows what’s happeng the alternate world] wanted to see: a typil gay person on TV that people would lgh at.

Inially, Kanji appears gay and Naoto seems to be transgenr. By clearly raisg the ia the player's md that Kanji is gay and then rejectg that ia, Persona 4 sends the msage that homosexualy is shameful and should not be 's start wh Kanji.

SCE WHEN IS KANJI GAY?

Here, I hoped, I would get a plex portrayal of a gay character, one who has sadly but unrstandably reprsed his sexualy rponse to societal prsure, who felt that he uld not be accepted as a tough guy if people knew he was also gay. By clearly raisg the ia the player's md that Kanji is gay and then rejectg that ia, Persona 4 sends the msage that homosexualy is shameful and should not be accepted.

Yose's attus about Kanji are problematic, and so is the game's way of handlg the story progrs, we're perdilly remd that, had he been gay, Kanji would not have been fully accepted by the other members of the vtigatn team, and, fact, some anxiety lgers later on about whether or not Kanji is tly straight. " suggtg that Yose's md, if Kanji had been gay, he would also be prone to behave appropriately.

Rather than addrsg Yose's negative perceptns of homosexualy, perhaps wh a character arc which his prejudic are challenged and he be more open-md over time, Persona 4 lets his view of homosexualy as somethg to be feared stand unchallenged and unremarked upon, treatg as normal and acceptable.

IS PERSONA 4'S KANJI GAY OR NOT?

" he says, suggtg that if he were gay, he would not really be a man.

By troducg the ia that Kanji is gay and that Naoto is transgenr and then backg away om embracg those characterizatns, Persona 4 reprents a betrayal of s central theme about people learng to accept themselv and each other for who they are, and sends the msage that such sexual orientatns and genr inti are too sry to accept. However, the game has long been ntroversial for the way handled two characters who are implied or perceived to be queer: Kanji Tastumi, who the game impli to be gay or bisexual, and Naoto Shirogane, who many fans view as eher a transgenr man or nonbary.

The game strongly dit that he may be gay (or bisexual), and Kanji's Shadow -- signed as an credibly mpy gay stereotype -- outright says he prefers men. His Shadow tentnally plays to stereotyp and homophobic trop by makg unwanted advanc toward male party members and ditg his sexualy stems om hatg girls.