[to Admin] this question is related to the AU, so..since you have Kinji as protag, I have him as the protag too *he's the second protag!*. So, how do you imagine him performing in the trial? Like in mini games, closing arguments, blabla.. I'm still new and don't really know how to write his character properly
OOOH! I love the idea of Kinji being a second protagonist! If you're okay with it, maybe we can share ideas over tea in the DMs? 👀💙
And don't worry about being new. Kinji can be a little tricky to write because much of his characterization isn't in what he says, but in how he responds to others.
For class trials, I think the most important thing is that Kinji listens first, then objects when he has something important to contribute, which is pretty consistent with how he functions in canon gameplay. He isn't necessarily going to be the guy shouting objections every five seconds just because he can. He'll let everyone talk, process what they're saying, and then step in when he notices something that doesn't add up.
BUT there's one really important thing I'd keep in mind when writing him:
Kinji is intelligent. Just not necessarily in an academic, analytical-genius sort of way. He's extremely emotionally intelligent.
He isn't just going to notice that someone's statement contradicts the evidence. He's also pretty good at noticing why someone is making that contradiction.
For example, if someone gives an incorrect statement, Kinji might recognize whether:
they're genuinely making a mistake,
they're lying because they're afraid and trying to protect themselves,
they're lying because they're trying to protect someone else,
or they're deliberately manipulating the trial.
Those situations would probably get very different reactions from him.
If someone simply misunderstood something, I don't think Kinji would immediately treat them like a liar. He'd probably correct them calmly. If someone was lying out of fear, he'd be much more interested in figuring out what they're afraid of. And if someone was deliberately endangering everyone else with a lie, that's when I think you'd see his more serious side come out.
Basically, Kinji doesn't just ask:
"Is this statement true?"
"Why are you saying this?"
And that can make him REALLY fun to write in trials.
As for the minigames, I personally think he'd be pretty competent at them, but I'd avoid making him automatically amazing at every single one just because he's a protagonist. His strengths should be more noticeable in the reasoning and interpersonal aspects of the trial.
But mechanically, there's one VERY important thing to remember:
If you've played his FTEs, you know the Spear of Longinus skill that lets you cut down and remove the opponent's remarks with one slash? Yeah. I would absolutely treat that as something Kinji has naturally. 😂
So if you want him to have a little protagonist privilege in the gameplay department, I think that's a really fun one to give him.
And there's another mechanic I'd give him that I think fits him REALLY well.
There's a concept from Danganronpa V4: Rocky Restarts called Emily's Shooting Gallery, where the purpose isn't simply to attack someone's statements. Instead, you're essentially clearing away everyone's interruptions so that one particular person finally has the opportunity to speak.
I think Kinji would be PERFECT for something like that.
There are probably going to be moments where someone in the trial is trying to say something important, but they're too nervous, too quiet, being talked over, or simply don't have the confidence to interrupt everyone else.
And rather than speaking for them, Kinji would make space for them to speak for themselves.
So mechanically, I'd imagine a Kinji-exclusive or Kinji-associated minigame where the player has to silence or clear away the other characters' statements until the person Kinji has identified as important gets an opening to speak.
And this isn't just a gameplay gimmick. I think it reflects something LINUJ has said about Kinji: under different circumstances, he probably could have helped Kanata speak up during class trials.
That's such an important aspect of his character to me.
Kinji isn't necessarily the person who always has to be the loudest voice in the room.
Sometimes his role is making sure someone else's voice can actually be heard.
And that's another way his emotional intelligence could affect the gameplay. The player isn't only asking, "Which statement is wrong?" They're also asking, "Who isn't being heard right now, and why?"
For Closing Arguments, I'd imagine Kinji would probably be very attentive to the human story behind the case. He isn't just reconstructing a sequence of events mechanically. He's probably thinking about the victim, the culprit, and the circumstances that led everyone to that point. That doesn't mean he'd excuse murder, but he wouldn't reduce the people involved to nothing more than "victim" and "killer."
And honestly, if you're ever unsure how Kinji would react to an unfamiliar character, I got some really good advice from a friend that helped me a LOT:
Instead of trying to memorize every single detail about your character, internalize a few key traits and let those traits guide their reactions.
For Kinji/Kinari, the four traits I personally keep in my head are:
Wisdom.
Eloquence.
Compassion.
And a firm belief that everyone should follow the path they believe is right.
So if you're writing Kinji as a protagonist, I'd recommend doing something similar! Figure out the few traits that you think are absolutely essential to your interpretation of him, then ask yourself:
"What would someone with these traits do here?"
That's probably the biggest thing I'd recommend when writing him:
Don't focus on making him "sound like Kinji." Focus on making his decisions feel like something Kinji would make.
If you understand why he's saying something, the dialogue tends to follow naturally.
That doesn't mean Kinji is always correct, either! That's important. He's compassionate, but he can still be stubborn. He's wise, but wisdom doesn't mean omniscience. He's eloquent, but he can still get emotional. And believing in doing what you think is right means he's perfectly capable of disagreeing with everyone else if he genuinely believes they're wrong.
Lastly, don't be afraid to make your own interpretation of him! There isn't only one correct way to write him. My Kinji/Kinari is heavily shaped by my own headcanons, so someone else's version might emphasize completely different aspects of him while still feeling perfectly believable.
You're writing your own AU, so your version of Kinji doesn't have to perfectly match mine. I'd actually LOVE to see how your second-protagonist Kinji develops his own voice and relationships with the cast. :D 💙
