Yusuke Kitagawa

**Yusuke Kitagawa** is a playable character from **Persona 5.**

## The Starving Artist

"In order to properly understand the human heart, one must be dispassionately realistic."

## Canon

Yusuke Kitagawa was born to a woman whose name he still does not know, and a father whom he never met and does not wish to. From birth, he was brought up under the watchful eye of both his mother and her master in artistry, Ichiryusai Madarame. Tragedy struck him at an early age, too early for him to recall, when his mother died of unknown causes, leaving him orphaned and under the exclusive care of Madarame. Madarame fostered his artistic talent and allowed it to grow under his tutelage, claiming that he inherited the gift from his mother - a claim that would be revealed to be true, in time.

Partway through his tenure at Kosei High School, Yusuke became acquainted through his fixation upon Ann Takamaki as a subject for his artistry with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, at the time comprised of just four members and fresh off of their first ever heist. The Phantom Thieves soon decided to target Madarame, and repeatedly attempted to warn Yusuke of his actions revolving around his most prized work, the *Sayuri.* Despite their efforts, Yusuke refused to see reason, eventually having to be forced to gaze upon numerous counterfeits of the *Sayuri* of Madarame's own creation. The Phantom Thieves escaped the police through the Metaverse, with Yusuke landing in Madarame's Palace and subsequently awakening the first form of his Persona, Goemon. Agreeing to aid in their efforts, the Phantom Thieves, complete with their newest member, stole Madarame's Treasure and changed his heart. During the battle, Madarame's Shadow gleefully confessed to willingly allowing Yusuke's mother to die of a seizure, then taking the work she was painting specifically for Yusuke to remember her by, the *Sayuri,* altering it slightly and selling it under his own name.

Once Madarame was defeated and his Treasure taken, it took the form of the genuine *Sayuri* in the real world, which the Phantom Thieves promptly put on display in Café Leblanc. After Madarame's Palace, Yusuke continued to fight alongside the Phantom Thieves of Hearts throughout the remainder of their heists, until the eventual destruction of the Metaverse after their ultimate battle with Takuto Maruki.

## Pre-Paradise

Pursuing his art dreams after the destruction of the Metaverse.

## Plot Involvement

Yusuke himself acts with the Phantom Thieves - he generally supports whatever course of action they take, although he met a curious character at the Hotel's Masquerade Ball who, unbeknownst to him, is the leader of the Shadow Operatives, Mitsuru Kirijo. However, he has made an effort to reach out to Goro Akechi, concerned over the revelation that he is related to Futaba Sakura by blood through Masayoshi Shido.

## Character Relationships

* **Futaba Sakura -** Another member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, Futaba and Yusuke share an almost sibling-like bond, Yusuke being deeply protective and caring greatly for her in the way only he knows how. After the revelation that her and Goro Akechi were half-siblings, both related to Masayoshi Shido, Yusuke was the first to come to Futaba's aid after the fact and the last to leave, buying her a plush lobster from the arcade in which they were conversing with all of the cash he had on him.
* **Goro Akechi -** A fellow brother-in-arms of the Phantom Thieves, Yusuke and Akechi have butted heads more than once, with Yusuke deriding Akechi upon Joker's arrival for what appeared to be no real reason. Yusuke promptly made an effort to make amends, remorseful of his actions, after the meeting between Galaax and Shadow in Galaax's arena - Yusuke made his apologies and was summarily rebuked by the Detective Prince, although he left the conversation supposing it could have ended worse.
* **Yu Narukami -** The leader of the Investigation Team, the two met at Nanako's insistence while shopping for suits for the Masquerade Ball at Immaterial Fashion. The two quickly bonded over the exchange, and once their outfits were complete, formed a Social Link. Yu then assisted Yusuke with getting over his anxieties of the dance floor by dressing in drag and allowing Yusuke to practice his ballroom dancing, a practice Yusuke happily took to without a qualm. After the Masquerade, Yusuke proudly notified Yu of his meeting and success with Mitsuru Kirijo, although the conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Aigis.
* **Mitsuru Kirijo -** The acting leader of the Shadow Operatives, Mitsuru and Yusuke bumped into each other - quite literally - at the Masquerade Ball, wherein Yusuke, on the verge of passing out from hunger, walked directly into her. The two soon struck up conversation as Mitsuru bade Yusuke eat to gather his strength, and quickly took a liking to one another, Yusuke eventually asking Mitsuru to dance. After his departure, Yusuke resolved to find her again, stating that the inspiration he felt on that night was unlike any other before it.

## Trivia

* Yusuke suffers from mild social anxiety, although he endeavours to hide it as best as he can. In the same way, it is very likely that he is on the autism spectrum due to his fixation on artistry, poor social skills and repetitive behaviours, although he was never medically diagnosed.
* Yusuke chooses not to assign a label to his sexuality - he views the matter through art, deeming anyone that suitably inspires him as "his type", although the current object of such affections is female.
* Yusuke dislikes the colour brown in art and in clothing, believing it to be drab and uninspired.
* Yusuke frequently becomes the object of memes within the server, as well as being responsible for the collapse of a Muse-QnA column on multiple occasions, typically due to insisting upon discussing the topic of furryism or referring to another character as "mommy."