hey! so i’ve been meaning to make this post about one of my favorite voltage men, ishigami, for a while, so here we finally are! i hope you enjoy!
WARNING: THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FROM ISHIGAMI’S MAIN STORY IN MSB AND HLITF
okay so in this post i’ll be comparing ishigami’s main stories in each game, his personality/him as a character and his connection with the mc. at the end, i’ll reveal my final thoughts and which version of ishigami i prefer.
alright, so first some context: hideki ishigami is a possible love interest in both hlitf and msb. in both stories, he works as detective, however in msb, he’s a deputy inspector who works for the public security devision, while in hlift, he ranks as captain and he specializes in information analysis. he first debuted in msb (2011). due to msb’s overwhelming success, the writers at voltage decided to give him, goto and kurosawa (other inspectors in msb) their own “spin off” game, thus hlitf (2014) was born.
despite sharing a name, ishigami in hlitf and ishigami in msb are drastically different! which is why i really wanted to compare the two for you today.
THE PLOTS
in msb, you are the daughter of the president and ishigami is a detective who happens to work closely with the bodyguards who’ve been hired to protect you.
in hlitf, you are a police cadet and ishigami is your instructor.
HIS CHARACTER
despite both being softcore tsundere’s/kuudere’s, ishigami is a lot kinder in msb than in hlitf. he’s still as cold and stand-offish but he’s wayyy less aggressive and he tends keeps most of his opinions to himself, contrary to ishigami in hlitf, who really doesn’t hold back. msb ishigami is like the strong quiet type, while hlitf ishigami is more of the scary quiet type. ishigami is also noticeably more awkward in msb, while ishigami in hlitf, comes off as very confident, borderline cocky. it could be argued that their differences in personality stem from the fact that ishigami technically works for you in msb, whilst in hlitf, he’s your instructor. but i think his personality was written differently simply so that it would fit in the storyline better. an “evil” instructor is way funnier and more entertaining than a polite instructor, and a curt detective makes more sense than an arrogant detective (in this context).
furthermore, although their backstories are similar, they’re not the same. ishigami’s backstory in msb is actually more tragic than his backstory in hlitf. in msb, ishigami grew up in the orphanage, while in hlitf, ishigami grew up in a loving adoptive family. this would explain ishigami’s awkwardness and uneasiness around people in msb.
if you want more information about each version of ishigami, click here.
HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH MC
(before you start dating)
in msb, ishigami works for the government, the government being your father, thus creating this weird superior/subordinate slash mutual friends slash coworkers who really respect each other dynamic. you both see each other as superior to the other, and since he works with people who are technically your employees (but also happen to be your friends), you remain fairly professional yet friendly towards one another.
in hlitf, it’s a completely different story. ishigami is your instructor, consequently creating a teacher/student dynamic. ishigami is cold, brutally honest and very critical of you (like any strict teacher), and you’re constantly seeking his approval (while simultaneously hating him).
(after you start dating)
ishigami in hlitf and ishigami in msb become extremely similar once you start dating. both are very caring, considerate, patient, thoughtful and both deeply value good communication.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
i actually liked msb ishigami better than hlitf ishigami, which is surprising since i usually prefer the brutally honest asshole type. i think the only reason why is because msb ishigami really reminds me of someone in my personal life, who i deeply care for.
if we’re discussing stories, i think i liked ishigami’s msb main route better too. although both were good (despite their respective flaws), ishigami’s route in msb feels more organic in my opinion, like him and the mc fell in love because they wanted to, not because he was conveniently her instructor so it was kind of just bound to happen, you know what i mean? that’s just my opinion.
nonetheless i think both versions of ishigami are great and i really recommend both of his main routes! (his substories/sequels/epilogues really aren’t that great in my opinion tho)
Ishigami and Goto My Sweet Bodyguard Discount Bundles! ❤
And without a time limit! Yay I have time to save up for them. Fell in love with Ishigami in this title, but followed him to HLITF after the main story lol
