Kuroto Terui

Kuroto Terui is a non-playable character in Persona: Story. He is the father of Tomoko Terui and the uncle, later guardian of Akira Ashihara. He takes in Akira after his parents death.

## Profile

Kuroto is the brother of Akira's mother. Kuroto eventually married a currently unnamed woman and had a daughter with her, Tomoko. They raised her with great love and tender care, until one day they got into an argument over how to prepare their daughter for the future. They didn't officially divorce but Tomoko's mother did move away and left custody of Tomoko to Kuroto. They haven't spoken to each other in years, but Tomoko doesn't know why her mother isn't around.

Kuroto is first met by the player when he moves into the Terui household following his parent's untimely death. He grants him an room that Kuroto says is an extra bedroom for house guests. (It is later learned that this room was actually the bedroom Kuroto shared with his wife.) He works during the day as a brewer for a local beer company.

**Social Link**

Kuroto's Social Link is initiated one evening when he asks Akira to help him make dinner. Learning that talking about his struggles, he asks for Akira to help cook dinner sometimes. Spending time with Kuroto happens in the evening and rewards the player with points in Proficiency. As you talk with him, he reveals that he feels little satisfaction from his job at the brewery and is finding raising Tomoko to be hard. Eventually, you find a picture of Kuroto and Tomoko with the mother in your closet. During the next rank, you confront Kuroto about the picture. He finally relents and explains the situation, but Tomoko accidentally heard everything due to your talk making dinner take longer. Tensions are difficult between the two for a while until you convince Kuroto to give raising Tomoko a second chance. With this inspiration backing him up, Kuroto cheers up and decides to incorporate some of his wives ideas into raising Tomoko. He thanks Akira for helping him to sort through his feelings over the divorce. Completing the Social Link unlocks the ability to fuse the ultimate Hanged Man Persona, Xipe Totec.

At the end of the game, Kuroto tells you that he wants to start searching for where his wife was so she can help care for you and Tomoko.

## Symbolism

**Hanged Man Arcana**

*The Hanged Man is generally associated with people who are currently making a difficult decision. The positive aspects of the Hanged Man include breaking old patterns, letting go, metamorphosis, wisdom, discernment, sacrifice, and intuition. The negative aspects of the Hanged Man include egotism, inability to change, and selfishness.*

Kuroto is a wise father who helps you get comfortable during an awkward situation. He also repeatedly takes the blame for some of the less savory things Akira gets mixed up in, showing his willingness to sacrifice his own happiness for your sake. However, he also shows that he suffers from issues with being overly confident.

## Etymology

The name Kuroto has different meanings depending on the kanji used. The kanji used here means "expert" or "professional".

The surname Terui has different meanings depending on the kanji used. The kanji used here means "risk taker".

## Trivia

* Unlike previous Persona games, Kuroto is the Hanged Man. This Arcana normally is given to the parental figure of the game, but wasn't for the sake of originality. Persona: Story's Hierophant Social Link belongs to Akira's teacher, Haruto Amachi.
* Kuroto's name was inspired by two Kamen Rider characters, **Kuroto** Dan from *Kamen Rider Ex-Aid* and Ryu **Terui** from *Kamen Rider W*.