Goro Akechi

## The Second Coming of the Detective Prince

"I have learned firsthand that there is no grand plan, no ultimate uniting philosophy—that reality in its purest form is chaotic, and hurtful. And I choose to stand and face it. No longer will I conform, let it dictate my life—I choose rebellion."

## The Black Mask

**Goro Akechi,** code-name Crow, is the tertiary antagonist and deuteragonist from ***Persona 5*** and its updated edition, ***Persona 5 Royal.***

## Canon

The illegitimate son of politician Masayoshi Shido, Goro Akechi was born to an escort after she was assaulted by Shido. Unaware he had even helped conceive the child, the father abandoned the woman after committing such a terrible act, leaving her alone to raise their son while he went on to further his political career. Nothing could be done to bring Shido to justice for his crime: He was already a high-ranking official by then, and had the police wrapped around his finger. The escort was a good mother to Akechi, doing her best to provide for him and give him the best life possible. She adored her son, caring deeply for him, but unfortunately, after constant shaming from those around her (having a child out of wedlock is greatly frowned upon in Japan, considered highly dishonourable and shameful), she committed suicide, leaving the young boy she had raised alone. With no one to care for him, Goro was taken in by social services, being passed around from foster home to orphanage to all sorts of institutions for most of his childhood, starting from about six years of age, going unloved and uncared for during most of his childhood years.

Approximately two years before the events of Persona 5, an unknown influence caused Akechi to awake to the powers of the Wild Card, granting him the ability to summon his Persona. Seeking revenge against his father, he approached him about his powers, offering his powers to breach cognition to assist Shido. Roped into the Conspiracy, Akechi sought to enact his plan: He would  get close to Shido, have him lower his guard, and then, when he was finally elected, exact revenge by killing him once and for all. The exact details of what happened next are muddy, but what is known is that Goro is implied to have been experimented on by Wakaba Isshiki, Futaba Sakura’s mother, in order to draw out his powers for Shido’s benefit, eventually warping him into a hitman to kill whoever the crooked politician commanded, with his first hit being the woman who helped create him. (These details are taken from the Featherman show in Royal, which, beyond the game world, is used toretell the story of the game and include hitherto unknown details disguised as subtle references.) Eventually, Goro rose to prominence as a famous detective, especially popular due to his charisma and good luck—and his uncanny knack for solving unsolvable crimes. Most of these crimes, however, were perpetrated, by proxy, by Akechi himself: Using his unique power to unleash the chains binding ones heart and allow them to freely rampage, the Black Mask could drive Shadows berserk and cause their real world counterparts to commit scandalous acts and cause accidents. Since Goro orchestrated these crimes, it was easy for him to solve them, and he soon became a household name.

From his years of experience, defeating the Phantom Thieves and moving along with his plans should have been a cinch, but with his scheme figured out, and a counter-plot set up to save Joker from assassinaton, he never saw it coming, and was foiled by the crafty thieves of hearts. In a final confrontation against the team in Shido’s Palace, he revealed his true nature, and was supposedly killed when he had a last minute change of heart and decided to defend his enemies, sealing himself off with a horde of angry Shadows and a murderous cognition of himself, which revealed that Shido was aware of Akechi’s plan to kill him all along.

(Persona 5: The Royal spoilers below!)

Goro seemed to have survived the fateful encounter in the palace, returning in the false reality to assist the Phantom Thieves in breaking out of Takuto’s world. However, the counselor claims that the Akechi allied with the Thieves is merely a fake, created out of Joker’s desire to save the detective from his demise in Shido’s Palace. Evidence points to this claim being false, however, as Takuto would have been unaware of the battle happening when the new world was created, and Akechi can be seen briefly in the background of the good ending.

Ultimately, his fate is left ambiguous.

## Pre-Paradise

Four years have passed since the main story of Persona 5 Royal. Forgotten by the public and unable to be prosecuted for his crimes due to lack of evidence, Goro Akechi was released into the world once more, alone. He has been attending therapy, and works odd-jobs around the city to stay afloat and pay for the rent in his modest apartment.

## Character Relationships

* *Ann Takamaki -*  A character from ***Persona 5***. Ann and Akechi are casual friends, the former having shown the later notable compassion during the events of Persona 5 Royal. She is one of the only Phantom Thieves he can consistently get along with, alongside the currently MIA Joker.
* *Futaba Sakura -*  A character from ***Persona 5.*** Futaba and Akechi share a strained relationship due to the latter's actions leading to the death of Wakaba Isshiki, Futaba's mother. However, they have most recently found a common trait through which they may be able to bond: Masayoshi Shido had an affair with Wakaba, siring Futaba in the process—meaning the two are, in fact, half-siblings.
* *Takuto Maruki -*  The second main antagonist and true final boss from ***Persona 5 Royal.*** As in the source material, Maruki and Akechi are fiercely opposed to each other at a fundamental, philosophical level, and Goro is determined to halt his plans wherever possible. The two battled on top of the roof of the hotel, and Akechi was victorious in repelling Maruki temporarily—though this was not a permanent fix, and Goro remains constantly vigilant.
* *Arthur Morgan -*  The protagonist of ***Red Dead Redemption 2.*** Arthur was one of the first to meet Akechi, and the two worked together during high tensions to explore the mysterious Moshroom Island and escape the Ender Virus.

## Trivia

* Akechi’s favourite toy when he was a child was a Featherman ‘Proof of Justice’ toy ray gun. He created an imaginary persona of a superhero and would spend many an evening, usually by himself, or sometimes with his mother, pretending to save the day and beat the bad guys.
* He does actually enjoy pancakes—heated with maple syrup—though his incident with Morgana has since turned him off of them, and he’s returned to his old flame: Sushi.
* Akechi doesn’t enjoy murder, viewing it as an unpleasant necessity. He’ll never kill another human or their Shadow with a knife or stabbing tool if he has the choice: He prefers guns or Persona skills, as they’re far less personal. In the heat of battle within the Metaverse, though...
* Goro holds a particular disdain for the wealthy and powerful of society, especially after having been forced to attend many a private banquet or party due to his own celebrity status. He finds them insufferable and shady, with many of them availing of his services via Shido.
* He enjoys sci-fi movies and shows, especially the classics—he even makes reference to the popular film *Soylent Green* during a mission in *Persona Q2.*