Akihiko Sanada

Origin

Akihiko was orphaned alongside his sister, Miki, and grew up alongside Shinjiro Aragaki at an orphanage. However, Miki was killed in a fire that destroyed the orphanage he resided in. Distraught, Akihiko vowed to become stronger, and took up boxing to help him achieve this goal. He and Shinjiro stayed with SEES, attempting to rid the world of Shadows, until the day when Shinjiro accidentally killed an innocent civilian, because he lacked control over his Persona.

Creation

Akihiko was originally created for the video game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 by the Atlus Corporation, with the original character design being conceptualized by Shigenori Soejima. In his portrayal in the Persona 3 manga, Akihiko is illustrated by Shuji Sogabe. In his incarnation in Persona -trinity soul-, Akihiko's character design and personality was created by Yasayuki Muto, the main scriptwriter, and Yuriko Ishii, the main artist. In the Japanese language track of the anime, Akihko is played by Hikaru Midorikawa. In English, Akihiko is portrayed by Liam O'Brien.

Character Evolution

In the games and manga, Akihiko is portrayed as very protective of his friends and those people he cares for. He's also quite caring, but doesn't seem to understand love. Also, although he has a powerful Persona, he prefers to fight with his fists.

In Persona -trinity soul-, Akihiko has lost his powers and his ability to summon his Persona. Also, instead of wearing the red vest and gloves he was known for during his school days, Akihiko instead wears a sleek black suit, and is in a position of power as the Ayanagi Chief of Police.

Major Story Arcs

Original Game and Persona 3 Manga

Akihiko was one of the founding member of SEES, a group dedicated to fighting Shadows. Alongside Minato Arisato, Junpei Iori, Yukari Takeba, Ken Amada, Mitsuru Kirijo, Shinjiro Aragaki, Koromaru the dog, and Aigis, he attempted to prevent the coming of Nyx, Harbinger of the Fall.

Over the course of the game and manga, Akihiko attempted to convince his friend, Shinjiro Aragaki, to rejoin SEES, saying that "it was a waste of his power" not to help SEES. It wasn't until late August, however, when Ken Amada joined SEES, that Akihiko was able to convince Shinjiro to rejoin SEES.

On October 4th, after the battle with the Fragments of Death Strength and Fortune, each from their respective Arcana, Akihiko, alongside the rest of SEES, discover that Shinjiro and Ken have gone missing. Akihiko then remembers that, on October 4th previously, Ken Amada's mother had been the person killed when Shinjiro's Persona went out of control.

They head for the Port Island Station, where Ken and Shinjiro are having a confrontation. However, Strega member Takaya steps in and shoots at Ken, with Shinjiro blocking the bullet. In the end, Shinjiro dies after telling Akihiko to be strong for him.

At Shinjiro's funeral, Akihiko talks about how he promised that he would become stronger, and about how Shinjiro exemplified the strength and bravery he wanted to achieve. This awakening of resolve and strength within Akihiko causes his Persona to evolve into that of Caesar the Emperor, and prompts him to be one of the first of the SEES members to talk openly about opposition towards Nyx.

In Persona -trinity soul-

In Persona -trinity soul-, set ten years into the future of the world of Persona 3, Akihiko is now the Police Chief of the town of Ayanagi. He becomes an informant for Ryou Kanzato, giving him information on Reverse cases, and after his disappearance takes his place as the Chief of Police. It is revealed that he, alongside Ryou and Touru Inui were part of a society that aimed to cover up all Shadow and Persona related cases, as well as rid the world of Shadows. With the aid of Shin Kanzato, Megumi Kayano and Takuro Sakakiba, his goal was to defeat the malevolent spirit known as Marebito.

Powers and Abilities

Persona

At the beginning of the game Akihiko starts off with the Persona Polydeuces. His abilities involve lightning, physical, and healing. The main weakness is ice. It is also a twin to the Persona of Shinjiro Aragaki, Castor, furthering the connections between the two.

After Shinjiro's funeral Akihiko has a revelation, allowing his persona to evolve into Caesar. Caesar is representative of the famed Emperor of old, tying Akihiko to his Arcana.

Boxing

Akihiko is a talented sportsman, especially at boxing. As such, he usually employs hand-to-hand combat when facing Shadows; an unorthodox choice, but, nevertheless, an effective one.

Name:	Akihiko Sanada
Name:	真田明彦
Romanji:	Sanada Akihiko
Gender:	Male
Birthday:	09/22/1991
1st manga book:
1st anime episode:	Persona -trinity soul- #14
1st anime movie:
Aliases	Chief Acky

	Metis
	Minato Arisato
	Yukari Takeba
	Junpei Iori
	Aigis
	Mitsuru Kirijo
	Shinjiro Aragaki
	Ken Amada
	Koromaru
	Fuuka Yamagishi
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