Haruto Amachi

Haruto Amachi is a non-playable character in Persona: Story. He is the homeroom teacher of Akira Ashihara's and Gentaro Watanabe's classroom.

## Personality

Haruto is a kind teacher who is enthusiastic about teaching, sometimes embarrassing himself in the process. Despite his demeanor, he actually is very self-conscious and is greatly concerned for his students well-being.

## Profile

When Haruto was young, he decided to become a teacher because he loved learning in school and wished to share those positive experiences with others. He also admitted the teachers of his day were too strict and harsh, and he wishes to be different. He manages to become a Social Studies teacher after many years of college. His first class includes Gentaro Watanabe and a new student named Akira Ashihara.

**Social Link**

After completing Shingo's Land, Haruto will ask the player to come meet him in the classroom. He will explain that he has seen your studies have been steadily falling (presumably because your focus has been on undoing Shingo's Shadow Swap). His solution is to allow you to meet him for private tutoring lessons. Attending these meetings will require Proficiency, but reward you with Knowledge in exchange. As your lessons continue, you will learn more about Haruto and his struggles with being a new teacher. He even admits to being easily manipulated by your classmates because he wishes to please them. Eventually, you learn that the other classmates have fabricated your seeming grade drop and hoped to humiliate you for fun. Now jealous at the extra attention Haruto is giving you, they attempt to beat you up as payback. Luckily, Haruto happened to be nearby and finally puts his foot down on his troublesome students. At the end of the Social Link, Haruto thanks you for helping him to sort out his feelings.

## Symbolism

**Hierophant Arcana**

*The Hierophant (sometimes called the Pope) is generally associated with adult figures or other people with great influence. The positive aspects of the Hierophant include education, learning, seeking advice, servitude, and mercy. The negative aspects of the Hierophant include abuse of position, breakdown, poor counsel, and being overly kind.*

Haruto is the Hierophant representative in Persona Story for being a person of great influence. He is well-educated and teaches the students of his class valuable information they need for the future. He also takes the protagonist's good advice to heart, takes pity on him for his failing grades, and diligently performs his job with a smile. His main weakness is his lack of self-assertion, foolishly listening to his students bad advice because of his need for approval. His excitement over his job can also lead to him losing his composure.

## Etymology

The name Haruto can be translated using many combinations of kanji. The ones used here translate to "sunny person", which symbolically represents his lightheartedness. Other meanings for Haruto include "spring person", "governing person", "clear weather", and "flight".

The name Amachi can be translated using many combinations of kanji. The ones used here translate to "heavenly wisdom". Other meanings for Amachi include "heavenly home" and "raining between".

## Trivia

* Unlike previous Persona games, Haruto is the Hierophant. This Arcana normally is given to the protagonist's parental figure, Kuroto Terui in Story's case. Not only was this done to allow Story to stand out compared to other Persona games, but also because Haruto's character fits the Hierophant better than Kuroto.