How the Phantom Thieves see Ren
I have the many sides of Ren Amamiya on the brain, so I made a little write-up of how I think each individual Phanton Thief views Ren and his personality. Because it's based on their perception, none of these versions of Ren match up perfectly with reality, yet they all do capture SOME aspect of him as a character. I just think it's neat.
Ryuji sees Ren as his partner in crime. He's his best friend, super loyal, and the DEFINITION of a bro. They fist bump whenever they see each other in public and start going "My man! My guy!" at each other until someone makes them stop. Ryuji doesn't get his jokes all the time (why does he think maids are so funny?) but he tries to laugh and understand anyway, 'cause even if it's a bad joke, it's from his bro, you know? Ren's got a comfortable presence to him, too. He makes it easier for Ryuji to deal with his anger, just by being there, and on top of all that, Ren's a hero! He risked his life to save Ryuji when they'd only just met. How else can he say it? His bro's the best! Ryuji would follow him to hell and back and he knows that Ren would do the same.
Morgana thinks of Ren as his little brother. He's a natural when it comes to Phantom Thievery and a reliable leader, but at the end of the day, he's still a rookie. He's cocky, reckless, and he seems almost incapable of planning...ANYTHING that isn't an infiltration into a palace. Nearly every decision he makes is one in the moment, and while that makes him great at thinking/acting on his feet, he can easily get carried away with it. Really, he'd be lost without Mona's execellent guidance!
Ann sees Ren as a good friend. He's a great listener and remembers almost every dumb little thing Ann tells him, and every dumb little thing anyone tells him. He has, like, at least 50 fun facts bouncing around in his brain at once. And half of them are about coffee. His height, record, and naturally intense glare make it seem like he should be intimidating, but Ann can't imagine being scared of him. He's just...safe, you know? He's just too sweet and silly for her to see him as a threat. A complete weirdo, sure, but definitely a good guy. Ann knows Ren will always be there for her, and that makes her wanna be there for him, too.
Yusuke knows Ren as a passionate, mildly eccentric figure (Ren is very quiet and relies on non-verbal communication near constantly, which Yusuke finds odd as a naturally verbose and openly emotional person), yet it's clear to him that Ren is an excellent friend, guide, and mentor. He's not calm, exactly, but he's centered. He's comfortable with himself and comfortable living life, understanding the world around him in a way that Yusuke can only dream of. Whenever they spend time together, Yusuke sees the world a little differently, and he's a better artist for it.
Makoto thinks of Ren as a wild, chaotic, STORM of a person. He's almost like a force of nature. Ren Amamiya comes into your life and changes everything, whether you like it or not. He's free with a reckless abandon that Makoto can barely understand half the time, but she respects it deeply. She's lived almost her whole life according to someone else's schedule; following Ren's example makes her feel more free, too. He's also very intelligent (albiet in an unconventional way). He's clever and great at thinking on his feet. Even if he's...uh...a bit of an oddball, Makoto can think of no better person to act as their leader.
Futaba sees Ren as her goofy older brother. He's simultaneously her emotional rock (her key item!) and also a complete goober all the time. Don't get her wrong, she KNOWS he's smart, but he enjoys acting stupid so much that it almost doesn't matter. She has a folder on her computer tilted "Ren's Dumb Shit" that she uses to keep track of every wacky hijink he gets up to so she can tell the rest of the Thieves about it. The folder gets bigger every day. It often gets filled with the prank wars they pull on each other, since they both love to mess with people. They're always either messing with each other or messing with Sojiro, and either way they love every second of it.
Haru knows Ren as a kind gentleman, albiet in an unconventional manner. He may be vulgar, a bit rude, and a jester in casual settings, but he's still a very caring person who respects his friends deeply. Ren also has many odd, little passions he shares with Haru. He's so curious about the world around him, and it seems he picks up a new hobby every day. As someone who grew up very sheltered, Haru appreciates the variety he brings to her life. Above all, however, Ren is clearly most passionate about coffee and acting as leader of the Phantom Thieves. She respects him for that as well.
Because of Maruki's influence on her cognition, Kasumi's initial perception of Ren was very warped. She saw him as ruggish and handsome, yet kind and charming, almost like the prince in a fairy tale (more an Aladdin kind of prince, but the connection still stands). He could only ever seem amazing to her, no matter what, though she could never understand why she felt that way. It seemed like he could do no wrong.
When she became Sumire again, her perception was forced back down to reality. No longer a charming prince, Ren's every flaw became almost painfully obvious, simply because it was Sumire's first time noticing them.
He's too silly for his own good, very weird, and has little to no respect for authority. He makes jokes that ONLY he finds funny, near constantly, regardless of the situation. He seems almost incapable of shame. He can be outright MEAN on occasion, even if it's never intentional. If she had met him before her time as Kasumi, Sumire knows she would have been intimidated by him (and in a way, scared).
But despite all of that, Ren is still one of the kindest, most caring people Sumire has ever met in her life. He understands his friends so deeply, and he's such a great listener, and he's so dedicated to saving others, especially when they can't save themselves. The act of hurting people, even just by separating them from the beautiful lies they hold dear, seems to bring him physical pain. He can see the best in anyone, and he MAKES them see it, too. Even if they don't believe it at first. He's been through hell, but he only wants to make it so no one will have to go through what he did. That no one will have to be alone, with no one to help them. He's...he's just amazing. His flaws almost make him shine even brighter. He reminds Sumire of Kasumi.
Akechi is convinced that Ren is a malevolent fae Trickster who exists to cause problems for the detective. He operates on eccentric rules that only make sense to him, and he doesn't feel the need to share them. And no amount of observation, interrogation, nor deduction, will ever explain the mystery of what goes on in his head. Ever.
One minute, Ren's glaring at Akechi from across a pool table, the next, he's pulling Akechi into a café bathroom to ruffle his hair. He's telling Akechi what Leblanc means to him with a genuine smile in one moment, in another, he's reminding Akechi with a deadly seriousness that he is his rival.
In the bath house, Ren stares at Akechi with miserable, pitying eyes.
Outside of Mementos, Ren doesn't even have the dignity to feign surprise when Akechi says he hates him. Because OF COURSE he's known all along.
Yet despite that knowledge, Ren still meets him. He still gives Akechi smiles and glares and pity.
Perhaps it is because of that knowledge, and not in spite of it?
What a worthless question.
There is no rhyme nor reason to Ren Amamiya. There is no point in questioning his motives, plans, nor feelings, because there is never an explanation that makes sense. Thus, there is no point in thinking about him at all.
But Akechi can't help himself.
Ren is him and Ren is everything he could never be. He is prideful, furious, and guided by a strong sense of justice in everything he does. He has been through hell, and rather than raise every living thing in his way to the ground in search of vengeance, he chooses to make it so no one will endure a pain like his ever again. He chooses to save those who cannot save themselves; those who don't even want to be saved.
He is the definition of hero and Akechi is going to put a bullet through his head so he won't have to think about him anymore.
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