i really wish the moral ambiguity of the phantom thieves was more touched upon in p5, especially in third semester when marukis actions directly parallel those of theirs, and marukis attitude about self-sacrifice and saving others whether they asked for it or not is quite literally how akira thinks throughout the whole game..
i recall the topic being brought up briefly a few times after goro first talked about the thieves on tv but thats really it. and its disappointing since theres a LOT to work with when it comes to this topic of whether their justice is really "true" justice as they say it is when it involves brainwashing people... sure these people theyre brainwashing are objectively cruel individuals who need to be reprimanded and given proper punishment to encourage a change in their behavior, but is meddling with their inner psyche truly the right thing to do? i dont think thats right under any circumstance and goro has a point when he says that what theyre doing is wrong. do the ends really justify the means?
I know this post is literally 4 years old, but i saw it in my gallery and it inspired me to think a little more as well.
I do want to preface this by saying I totally agree with the main idea of this post, the gray area that the phantom thieves fall under reallt isnt explored very deeply in p5, I think part of this is due to how much the corruption of those they are fighting against is emphasized so much. I dont think this is wrong of course, but I think thats probably what leads to people tending to not question the morality of the phantom thieves.
I do think while I agree with the points, I think i do actually kind of disagree with somwthing else? Disagree is a bit of a strong word, i just have a different view on it lol.
To me the idea of changing hearts has always felt like a very fitting punishment to me, in that these people are forced to truly face the horror of their actions and the harm it causes. In a way its kind of like removing the rationalization and biases they had before, and realizing how truly awful their actions are. To me its such a satisfying punishment, one that cant really happen in real life but I kind of wish it would. Isnt it satisfying for someone to actually realize that they've done something wrong, and to live with the fact that they committed these acts? I think i align with Ann a bit, with how she was thinking in the beginning.
However, even though I think its a very apt punishment, I don't think I'd call it true justice either. I think it does get a little murky imo, because changing hearts only really happens to those who have truly sunk deep, who have committed such rephrensible acts that they would be punished in some way if those actions came to light (in a just world at least). But to the public's eyes, there is just a vigilante group who changes people's hearts with no rhyme or reason, who's to say they wouldn't do the same to someone good as well?
But I say this gets murky because like, the mementos missions also involve changing hearts even though its sometimes on a lower scale morally. And its like is that really just, to be brainwashing people willy nilly? (even if i think its on a lesser scale compared to palaces)
And I really feel like it was a bit of a missed opportunity to delve into this gray area, and to explore how the members view the phantom thieves and how they define their actions. Because at the end of the day they are a vigilante group, and to me I think vigilante groups will always be in a gray area morally.
