Naoto Shirogane

* PM
* PRMA

## First Appearance

### Debut

Persona Magica - Chapter 1 (Main)Persona Record: Magi Arena - Chapter 1 (Supporting)

**Naoto Shirogane** is a supporting character in Persona Record Series and one of the main protagonist of Persona Magica. Arriving in Inaba to help investigate the murders, this fifth generation of the famed Shirogane detectives enrolls as a first-year student at Yasogami High School.

## Background

A well-known detective, Naoto was dubbed the "Detective Prince" by the media. She is first mentioned when the department which Ryotaro Dojima works has no lead upon their investigations for the bizarre murder case, resulting in Dojima's superiors employing Naoto to assist them, an action which greatly disturbs Dojima. Furthermore, Naoto claims that the only rewards she wants for solving the case is the truth, and wants no assistance from other departments, further annoying Dojima.

During the Investigation Team's investigation of Kanji Tatsumi as the potential next victim. Incidentally, Naoto was also able to deduce that Kanji would be the next victim, and tries to seek clues by speaking to him. During that time, Naoto expresses interest in the case, though Kanji mistakes it as Naoto being interested in him.

Naoto later enrolls at Yasogami High School, immediately attracting the admiration of others. However, her serious nature often leads to her ignoring her admirers and classmates.

During one of the Investigation Team's meetings regarding the suspect in the case, Mitsuo Kubo, Naoto appears and chastises the Team's efforts, deeming their investigation as nothing more but a "game." She tells them that their game is about to end, and that Yasoinaba will soon return to its peaceful, rustic self. Annoyed by her words, Rise Kujikawa tells Naoto that she is the one who was treating the case like a game. Surprised by the idol, Naoto reluctantly accepts that what Rise said might be true, lamenting that detectives are just employed for the time being, and once the case has been solved, they are simply pushed aside.

After the arrest of Mitsuo Kubo, the first suspect in the case, Naoto remains suspicious and decides to become bait to lure the culprit. She is interviewed by a TV show and subsequently kidnapped and thrown into the Midnight Channel. Through the Team's efforts to gather clues, they found out that Naoto, despite her professional personality, is actually a workaholic who chooses to ignore the police department's advice and work alone. As such, she is often deemed a kid trying too hard by the officers.

The Investigation Team eventually manages to detect Naoto's location in the Midnight Channel, an industrial secret laboratory, and sets out to rescue the detective. The Secret Laboratory symbolizes Naoto's insecurities, that she fears being ratted out as a woman and getting her reputation sullied in the police force as a result.

The Investigation Team eventually finds Naoto, along with her Shadow, who is busy preparing for a "body-altering operation." Shadow Naoto taunts Naoto, saying that in reality she is nothing more than just a child trying to play "superhero," and that if Naoto doesn't become a "grown big boy," then Naoto will never find a reason for living. Confused and surprised, Naoto denies the Shadow's claims. However, the Shadow then reveals a secret: Naoto was born female. It clarifies that the "body-altering operation" was to be a sex-change operation. Fueled by Naoto's rejection and internal suffering, her Shadow transforms and attacks the party.

Naoto's Shadow is a robotic doppelgänger equipped with large toy-like laser guns, rocket feet and a jet pack, representing Naoto's resentment towards being treated like a child and not taken seriously, as well as the pressure she feels from working in a sexist occupation dominated by men who don't take women seriously. It can also be something of a split personality, as it can talk seriously one minute, and act helpless and innocent the next.

After defeating the Shadow, Naoto reveals that her parents were detectives as well, but were both killed in one of their investigations. She acknowledges her parents' passion for their job, and wishes to become a "hard-boiled" detective, inheriting the title of "Shirogane," but fears as long as she herself is a girl, she can never achieve her dreams. She eventually realizes that what she wanted was not to become a man, but to be accepted and respected as her true self, and her Shadow acknowledges her resolution, transforming into Sukuna-Hikona, her Persona.

## Appearance

Naoto is the shortest member of the Investigation Team. She is androgynous in appearance with short blue hair and blue eyes. She wears Yasogami High's *gakuran*, with the exception of one optional occasion in which she wears a *seifuku*-style school uniform. Naoto is often seen wearing formal clothing such as blue shirts, ties and her trademark blue cap.

In Persona Record: Magi Arena, Naoto is seen with much longer, nearly waist-length hair. Her trademark cap is absent and she wears a gray suit with a white shirt and a blue tie.

## Personality

Having lost both her parents in a car accident when she was very young, Naoto is an orphan who acts very mature in spite of her age. As a descendant of a respected lineage of famous detectives, she wears formal clothing and deepens her voice when she speaks in a sophisticated, stilted manner. She is generally very serious, focused and mission-oriented. She rarely jokes around which can make her seem like a killjoy or party pooper when the team is involved in silly antics.

Naoto is very intelligent and analytical. A running gag, however, is that she texts in all caps with abbreviations.

Due to her desires to be seen as an ideal detective juxtaposed with her age and her gender, she has become quite insecure: she yearns to be seen as an adult, and expresses frustration at being treated like a child by the police force. She hates being looked down upon, and fears no one will take her seriously as a female in a sexist occupation field. The sexism Naoto has tolerated and endured had made her self-conscious in regards to her femininity and trying to balance it with image of an ideal detective. In response, Naoto disguised herself as a male from an age young enough to be able to fool most people around her, including wearing platform shoes. It is also implied Naoto began binding her chest to hide her breasts.

When she confronts her Shadow, she comes to the realization that her true desire is not in becoming an adult or a male, but to be respected for who she is as a person, including accepting herself as is. However, years of disguising herself as male along with her own personality quirks have her struggle with trying to embrace her femininity after denying it as a part of herself.

Despite her mature nature, Naoto has a shy side to her, as she refuses to wear a bikini at the Yasogami Beauty Pageant, but still manages to win despite dropping out of the swimsuit part because of her endearing popularity among voters. She also becomes embarrassed during the Investigation Team's visit to the Amagi Inn, when the schedules for the hot springs' use were confused. Naoto appears to be afraid of ghost stories, and when in a state of fear and/or panic, her voice becomes more feminine than usual, possibly meaning that she affects her voice to sound more masculine. Unlike the other girls, she is shown to be a decent cook as she helped create an edible and delicious cake for Nanako's recovery celebration, though this was mostly down to her insistence that she and the other girls follow the recipe and admits that it took them three attempts to get the desired result.

Naoto is uninterested in romance, and seems easily flustered, embarrassed or dismissive when the topic arises. When she possibly receives a love letter, Naoto claims romance is "entangling" and she has no time to be "dilly-dallying with callow love affairs" and almost throws it away. Despite this, she shows a growing interest in the protagonist if one choses so in her Social Link. It's implied her lack of interest in romance seems to be tied due to not wanting to be distracted from her work along with fear and insecurity in becoming close to someone in such a manner.

## Abilities

Naoto's Persona is Sukuna-Hikona and Amatsu Mikaboshi. In battle, She fights with a Handgun.

## Relationship

### Yu Narukami

Naoto's senior and leader team. At first, Naoto suspects Yu and the investigators that they may be involved in a mysterious murder. When Naoto gets sucked into the TV world and learns the secrets of the investigative team and the background of a mysterious murder, she decides to accept the investigative team and help them find a clue to a mysterious murder.

### Kanji Tatsumi

Naoto's highschool classmate and fellow team. Naoto thinks Kanji might be the next victim in a mysterious murder, so she leads her to search for clues by talking to him. During that time, Naoto expresses interest in the case, though Kanji mistakes it as Naoto being interested in him. After Naoto joins the investigation team, Kanji and Naoto's relationship is strengthened and their feelings for each other.

### Aiko Narukami

Naoto has been taking care of Aiko since she was a baby. she always looked at Aiko like her daughter, even though she was her senior's daughter.

## Trivia

* Naoto's first name means "truth" or "truthful person," quite possibly as a parallel to her yearning to discover the truth. Her last name, Shirogane, can be translated to "white bell/gong," a play on the other way to write Shirogane as "silver/white metal."
* Shadow Naoto says that "Naoto" is a "cool manly name" but it won't let her change sexes, which may give the implication that Naoto changed her name. However, extra information reveals that Naoto is indeed her real birth name her parents gave her. Her parents didn't name her that with the intention of raising her as a boy and hiding her real gender. They thought that 'Naoto' was a fairly androgynous name and since she might grow up to be a detective, and knowing the sexism in the profession, they should avoid girly names which end in '--ko.'
* One of Naoto's usable weapons, "Athena Kiss R" might be a reference to one of Aigis' weapons, Kiss of Athena, both which take the name of Aigis' ultimate Persona, Pallas Athena.
* Naoto is the last party member to join the investigation team, as Rise and Teddie both joined the party in the same dungeon.
* Their is also saying from the Writer of Persona Record, That coincidentally Naoto is Very Similar to Ciel Phantomhive From Black Butler, This was Mention in The SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Of Magi Arena The 5th Instalment of The Persona Record Series, and Has Mentioned it in Different works involving Both Persona 4 and Black Butler.

## Gallery

NaotoConcept art of NaotoNaoto wearing glassesNaoto and KanjiNaoto receives her PersonaNaoto embarrassed when wearing feminine clothing with Rise and NanakoNaoto and girls group