Jul 13, 2025
Protagonist x Villainess
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Protagonist x Villainess
NERO/HAKUNON SUPERIORITY FOREVER!!!!!
First real piece of the year
Girls about town
You know, I was going to say that I had "two nickels for everytime" NeroHaku and Aikoto reminded me of one another. But, the more I thought about it, the more I realized there actually are a good few parallels between the two. Which is interesting, since I had never really thought about them as being all that similar.
1) In CCC, Nero says that what she wants in a relationship is to remain by Hakuno's side and protect them.
Meanwhile, Aigis repeatedly expresses a deeply held desire to remain by Makoto's side and protect him.
“You are very special to me… I do not know why, but I always want to be by your side… I want to protect you..."
2) In Extella, Hakuno is left comatose in a bad end. Nero collapses over him, professing her affections and begging Hakuno to wake up.
When Makoto dies, he does so in Aigis' lap as she tells him about how she wants to be by his side, always.
Both of them have allusions to "sleeping" when they are truly dying, though Aigis tells Makoto it's ok to sleep - not knowing he is dying - while Nero is begging Hakuno to awaken, fully aware that Hakuno is not well.
3) Aigis carries Makoto bridal style in PQ if she is picked as his partner.
Nero carries Hakuno bridal style in Last Encore, Extella, and Extra Record.
Assuming male Hakuno, in both cases it's the girl holding the guy rather than the more common reverse.
4) The Persona Official Magazine refers to Aigis and Makoto's meeting as being "fated".
Similarly, Hakuno is alluded to as Nero's "fated spouse" in Fate/Grand Order.
In both cases, it's only in Japanese. The Persona Official Magazine wasn't translated into English, while the NA version of FGO doesn't have the "fated" part for whatever reason.
5) Both pairings have an alternative option who is hypothetically on even footing, up to player choice...but in practice relegated to a jealous third wheel. For Nero and Hakuno, it's Tamamo, for Aigis and Makoto it's Yukari.
6) In terms of the characters themselves, both Aigis and Nero are socially eccentric, although in opposite ways. Aigis is more formal, if sometimes inept, Nero is aggressively outgoing. Both are also the more affectionate and more battle-prone of their pairings. Both are indifferent to their partner's gender, Nero's relationship being the same with male and female Hakuno while Aigis falls for FeMC all the same as Makoto. And both Aigis and Nero are criticized by fans for being given "favoritism" by the writers.
7) Hakuno and Makoto, aside from both being JRPG protagonists, don't have a ton in common...at least, unless we're counting Last Encore. The technically-not-Hakuno-but-still-Hakuno of that anime has the same broody introvert vibe going that Makoto does.
8) Both pairings have a scene where the antagonist wipes one of their minds and tries to turn them against each other, only for the character to snap out of it through their love. In Persona 3, Aigis is brainwashed by Ikutsuki, but she snaps out of it when she looks into Makoto's eyes.
In CCC, BB tries to delete Nero, and though that fails, Nero is stuck comatose. Hakuno dives into her subconscious to revive her, but is confronted with an inner version of Nero who doesn't remember them. Inner Nero is disinterested, even hostile towards Hakuno, but she falls for them again and defends them against BB despite that.
9) One in both pairings is an AI. Aigis is a robot and Hakuno is…well, literally an AI.
10) Both have a scene where they hug after forgetting about one another.
So if I had a nickel for everytime NeroHaku and Aikoto paralleled one another, I would have...50c. And that's not even two nickels at that point. That's two quarters.
On the top list of things that hurt me: THIS FUCKING ENDING
I won’t post more images of this end, partly ‘cause I would upload the entire scene, and partly because it hurts so much.
Nero has done nearly imposible things to restore Hakuno, but it still isn’t enough to wake up her counciousness T.T