The Truth About Futaba Sakura (Character Analysis in Japanese Context)

so today we'll be taking a deep dive look into futaba her role in the story and how her background draws attention to the high rate of suicide in japan as well as the difficulties faced by hikikomori once they stray from the typical path of the average japanese citizen and by the way hey guys i'm lady and i love doing analyses on the persona games so if that's your thing you've come to the right place anyway if you're worried about p5r spoilers in this video don't be anything unique to royal will be delegated only to the final section which will be time stamped so with that said let's dive right in all right so first off let's take note of persona 5's unique premise in that it distinctly focuses on societal issues that are prevalent in japan sure there will always be some degree of understanding and relatability across cultures but it can't be overstated how different japanese cultural values are from those of the wider western or eurocentric world for example japan and whiter asia's collectivist values place emphasis on group cohesion over the self while the individualistic values of the west favor the freedom of the individual over the collective this means that sticking to the natural societal order of things is extra important in collectivist japan if you want to know more about why it's so important to grasp these cultural differences when it comes to p5 check out the video in the cards above now you may wonder why this stuff is such a big deal to me personally and really it just boils down to how all this research helps me feel like i'm connecting to my own heritage as a person of japanese descent i'll also be graduating with a degree in social work very soon so all this sociological psychological and cultural stuff is just super interesting to me with that said let's briefly introduce our party's hacker extraordinaire futaba she may not fight directly on the battlefield but she definitely pulls more than her own weight in other ways she always got the buffs covered and can even hijack metaverse battles into the pt's favor her incredible skill with everything tech makes the team's irl operations work super smoothly with the plans to trick akechi and later shito being possible only because of her skills in the first place but speaking of futaba's incredible intelligence signs in the main story and her confidant point to the likelihood that she possesses savant syndrome or lies somewhere on the autism spectrum at the very least we'll address how autism spectrum disorders shorten to just asd connects with the emerging research on hikikomori later in the video so for now just keep in mind that those with asd tend to be undiagnosed and incredibly misunderstood in japan especially since the proper social pleasantries and manners are so entrenched in the culture so futaba has an entirely unconventional and technically unethical introduction to the phantom thieves yep i'm talking about how she straight up hacks joker's phone to listen in on the group then proceeds to send creepy texts to him under her alibaba alias like for real she must have heard or even seen way more stuff than what we were shown in the game poor joker he'll never have privacy ever again so obviously though we learned that this was the only way she could have contacted them at the time but her intro in this manner is just the first example of how utilitarian for lack of a better word she can be when it comes to achieving her goals since she's just never seen questioning her methods and whether they're considerate or ethical and speaking of these methods she's quite the genius in pretty much any subject she puts her mind to which means she's always able to get her hands on the info the pt needs at the time her prodigy level skills do cause her difficulty in social interactions though since she's a far cry from the more socially conscious characters like makoto or haru futaba definitely seems unconcerned about people's feelings and can easily come across as rude one infamous example is the way she basically disses mishima even when he's still right in front of her and it being their first meeting but most importantly she fails to observe a practice that is very important in japanese social custom and that practice is known as isatsu the closest thing this can be translated to in english is social greetings but it's much more than just that when it comes to the role it plays in the social fabric of japan since futaba's mannerisms point to her being on the autism spectrum she's shown to have difficult time observing the social norms that are expected of her and because autism is not understood very well by the average japanese citizen futaba has experienced cruel judgment and bullying in the past we'll talk more about autism spectrum disorders and japan later in this video especially when we begin discussing her confidant so first let's take a look at futaba's main arc and the rock bottom she was at before the phantom thieves helped her if you're well versed in japanese media especially anime and manga you've likely come across the hikikomori at some point this term was coined in the late 1990s by psychologist saito tamaki who combined the japanese verbs hiku which means to pull and komoru which means to seclude oneself so naturally this term refers to someone who has pulled away from society to remain solely at home often for years at a time under the japanese health labor and welfare ministry a hikikomori is defined as someone who has remained isolated at home without going to school or work for at least six consecutive months and also rarely interacts with people from outside their immediate family the japanese government reported around 1.15 million hikikomori in 2019 though experts on this topic believe the real number is even greater like closer to 2 million so as we can clearly see from futaba's arc our young hacker fits this definition and even gives off the kind of negative otaku image that first comes to mind when it comes to hikikomori but throughout the events of her palace the player learns that she locked herself away due to the guilt of having driven her mom to suicide this is pretty significant since like i was saying before it's rather rare for japanese media to paint hikikomori in a sympathetic light because of this reintegration into society is often so difficult that many hikikomori have continued to shelter away in their homes a study done in 2019 revealed that there's a surprising number of middle-aged hikikomori in their 50s contrary to the popular belief that they're all just young people unfortunately the average japanese citizen has this view that they're all just lazy have personality problems and stay at home all day just so they can play video games there's even a common belief that all hikikomori are scary sociopaths due to a number of violent incidents that were perpetrated by social recluses in the late 90s and early 2000s but of course this is far from the actual truth and unfortunately it all undermines the real reasons why people tend to become hikikomori many begin as adolescents who refuse to attend school mostly due to bullying or difficulty keeping up with the strict academic standards others have trouble getting along with co-workers once they join the workforce or have a hard time finding work in the first place and since work is everything in japan once a person finishes school the people who fall through the cracks feel immense shame at the end of the day there's many reasons that could lead to a person's isolation but a common link among them all is this feeling of shame for not having lived up to society's expectations while it might not seem like it at first glance this shame is unlike the guilt cultures of most western societies a person can atone for their wrongs by a confession or penance in the justice system but shame on the other hand well there's no way for a person to relieve themselves of it until they do what society expects them to do this is largely due to the duty-bound relationships of wider east asian culture and its confucianist values i go into more depth on this topic in the video linked in the cards above but the main point i'm trying to make in futaba's case is that confucianist values emphasize honoring one's parents so in futaba's mind she committed the ultimate failure to her mom by being a burden to her so much so that she actually took her own life that forged suicide note by the shito conspiracy made futaba believe that she was responsible for what's essentially matricide and so as anyone who's familiar with the samurai code would know japan's no stranger to viewing suicide as a way to regain one's honor this type of mentality is partly responsible for the high rate of suicide in japan which particularly hits home for my mom's side of the family since my aunt took her own life about a decade ago in 2019 there was a reported decline from the previous decade but even with this decline the rate remains higher than the 14.2 per 100 000 in the u.s which has more than twice the population of japan by the way and even though the overall suicide rate is on a downward trend it's sadly still a growing problem for people under 20 with bullying at school cited as the biggest obstacle to counteracting this rise so while futaba's reason for becoming a shut-in revolves around the traumatic death of her mom i'm sure the bullying she experienced in school did nothing but add to her resignation about going on living and this is where we transition to japan's misguided view on autism spectrum disorders [Music] [Music] there's lots of societal misunderstandings when it comes to autism spectrum disorders one example involves approximately 10 of those with autism who exhibit savant skills such as exceptional memory and or talents in very specific areas so not only does futaba show signs of this with her genius tech abilities in the main story but her confidant also mentions her incredible memory and skill at test taking but sadly because education on autism is so lacking in japan futaba's teacher accused her of cheating while the other students just thought she was a weird freak it's not like japan is the only place that holds these kinds of misconceptions about asd though those with autism are misunderstood and judged in western cultures as well but i'd argue that there's something particular to japanese culture that only adds to the misconceptions and that's the nature of japanese culture and its language being high context high context languages mean interactions among the groups usually takes an ambiguous tone implicit messages and avoiding direct expressions are the practice norm and kuki o yomu or reading the air is an absolutely vital skill in japan a rather notorious example that those new to japanese culture must learn is how a person will never directly say no to an invitation they will simply imply that they have no intention of going native japanese speakers also tend to remove the subject or object of a sentence if they have already mentioned it earlier in the conversation this means a person must pay close attention to the entire social interaction this is a pretty stark contrast to the united states which is considered a low context culture pronouns like i you and they are basically never omitted and we're overall much more direct with our thoughts and feelings this graphic by anthropologist edward hall shows just how different japan and the us are when it comes to communication styles for those on the autism spectrum it can be difficult to read facial expressions slight gestures or other nonverbal aspects of a conversation and to add on to that remember the i satsu i brought up earlier in the video well i sought to include this huge expectation of engaging in what would be considered small talk and since those with autism often have a narrow range of interests that they'll converse about these people can come across as rude when they don't answer or ignore others around them like a scene in some of futaba's early interactions with makoto these kinds of behaviors can lead people to believe that those with autism are selfish and can't have empathy for or show love towards others especially so in such a socially conscious society like collectivist japan but this belief is completely opposite from the actual truth yes autism spectrum disorders are a cluster of neurobiological disabilities that can cause challenges in socialization and communication but that does not mean those with autism can't empathize or love other people it only means that they show these things and interact in ways that are different from most others in society futaba clearly loved her mom and knows it wasn't always easy for her to raise a daughter all by herself especially during futaba's meltdowns which by the way were likely due to a disruption in their normal routine when wakaba had to focus on her research futaba's very reason for joining the phantom thieves is out of respect for her mom and to figure out what really happened to her research wakaba is futaba's biggest inspiration and serves as a major driving force behind her reason to rejoin society and with that said it's about time we take a closer look at her confidante [Music] so in light of what we've learned about hikikomori and the high rates of suicide it's really remarkable that futaba has chosen to return to general society and in regards to all the misconceptions about people with autism and how they can't have healthy relationships with others futaba's promise list highlights the loving relationship she had with her mom it probably helped provide structure to futaba's routine back then and was something that actively involved herself and wakaba's combined efforts it's particularly touching to me that in her confidante futaba makes a final promise list in her mother's memory since my own mom passed away seven years ago and still serves as my biggest inspiration today she was a nihonjin or person from japan and is one of the biggest reasons why i do this series on the p5 characters i just want to do her culture justice by educating others on it but back to futaba's promises the single one she never actually fulfilled was to get along with kanachan from elementary school futaba's rekindled relationship with kana goes on to dispel the cruel misconception that those with autism are aloof and only care about themselves and rank 5 reveals many more traits that point to futaba's autism both in her recollections of why she was bullied in elementary school and her reaction to kanachan yelling at her after she read her diary it's not uncommon for people with autism to experience meltdowns due to sensory overload and that's what i suspect happened to futaba she just shut down when kana started yelling at her and ran away to escape the overwhelming sensory overload but futaba's incredibly self-aware deep down and no she hurt kana in the end and so she makes a promise to make things right and apologize for running away back then in rank 6 she straight up does her own sleuthing to find kanachan and finds that her old friend is still being abused by her parents a person who doesn't care about others would never go to the extent futaba did to help her old friend literally risking her life in mementos with joker's help to save khanna from the corrupt people in her life futaba does the same for sojuro in coffee dad's confidante because she loves him as her adoptive father so to sum it up there may be times when she loses interest in a conversation or is distracted by something else that catches her interest as is common with autism spectrum disorders but in the end she loves all the important people in her life very much and would do anything for them and just one more comment while we're on this topic it's really telling of her character that she's able to put aside her own feelings for a moment to empathize with akachi the very person who killed her beloved mother she doesn't straight up forgive him but she can understand that feeling of loneliness having been at rock bottom quite recently herself she was at least willing to let him join the pt in taking down his own father now as for her journey to finally rejoin society futaba takes a slow and steady approach both in august during the main story and in the beginning ranks of her confidant it really picks up with joker's help though and ultimately futaba has herself to thank since she made the decision to reach out to the phantom thieves while she was still alibaba and later on catches up with kanichan but honestly i do think the rate of her progress is much faster than most hikikomori and kinda unrealistic well probably because her experience of basically gaining a whole new group of supportive friends who accept her for who she is is pretty much unheard of for others in her position she really is blessed to have such a strong support system in the phantom thieves it all culminates in her max rank when she's able to shop in the big department store all by herself and actually she enjoyed it so much that she didn't realize when the 30 minutes had already passed overall i really appreciate futaba as a realistic depiction of what autism looks like based on my friends and others who i volunteered with who have autism i can't speak from direct experience though as i don't have asd myself so i'd love to hear what you guys think for those of you who are diagnosed with asd did you identify with futaba's behavior and struggles but yeah with all that said i must warn you now that spoilers for persona 5 royal are ahead i repeat spoilers for royal are ahead you've been warned [Music] so incredibly we're given the chance to see wakaba interacting with futaba and sojiro in maruki's reality futaba is seen doing everything with her mom from visiting the shrine as per holiday tradition to mundane things like shopping at akihabara the three of them are just so vibrant together which is why it's heartbreaking when futaba must decide to say goodbye to her mother once more but her decision stays true to what she's learned about fighting through adversity to ultimately become a better and stronger person i do want to quickly bring up how disappointed she was in herself for not realizing this was a fake reality she apologizes to joker for betraying him which surely brought up memories of when she used to believe that she was responsible for her mom's death but she ends up making good on the goal she set for herself in her confidante she made the decision to return to school despite all the negative experiences she had in the past due to bullying even if futaba ends up hating it she'll look for the positive lesson she can take away i mean in a similar light she never would have met the phantom thieves if it wasn't for her mom's tragic death futaba started off as a hikikomori socially isolated and just waiting to die but she gained an infinite amount of new experiences thanks to the help of her newfound friends i can only wish her the best of luck as she follows in her mom's footsteps and pursues university to eventually get to the study of cognitive science and that's a wrap on our genius hacker i want to thank all my patrons especially jared breland andreas hansen captain hobo and nt luck for all their support and as always leaving a like and or comment will really help this video out so i'd really appreciate it i still have other p5r sociocultural videos coming for the other party members so remember to subscribe and vote in the final poll between haru and kasumi on a community tab that's coming soon thanks for watching guys and until next time take care see ya

Channel: LadyVirgilia

Views: 52,249

Keywords: Futaba Sakura, futaba sakura analysis, persona 5 royal, p5r, persona 5, futaba character analysis, futaba psychology, futaba sociocultural context, futaba sakura character study, persona 5 character analysis, futaba persona 5 royal, persona 5 futaba, persona 5 japanese context, persona 5 society, ladyvirgilia, persona 5 analysis, persona 5 royal analysis, futaba sakura persona 5

Id: vIKjzpLtddY

Length: 25min 44sec (1544 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 31 2021