- I may occasionally post art and analysis stuff here. I don’t think I’ll be doing it too often, though (bi-yearly, at best)
- This blog will mainly center on Persona 4 and its spinoffs, and will especially focus on the Dojima family (Dojima, Nanako, and Yu, with Adachi as an honorary member)
- I may also post about Sophia and Ichinose from Persona 5 Strikers (they are both very special to me)
- I intend to tag spoilers by game for any posts where they may apply
- My pronouns are she/her
This is my first time running a blog, so I may mess things up here and there.
A List of Instances of Adachi and Dojima Caring About Each Other
Note: This post will contain spoilers (some of which are major) for Persona 4 and almost all of its adaptations. I will not discuss Visualive here as, to my knowledge, there is no complete English translation of it available. Developer interviews will also be discussed.
Ever since finishing Persona 4 and realizing Tohru Adachi and Ryotaro Dojima’s bond runs deeper than it seems, I have wanted to compile a list of details showing how much they care about each other. This post will be a list of these details organized by where they originate from. This list won’t cover everything, so feel free to add additional details/corrections in the comments and reblogs!
Developer Interviews
(these are based off of @adachimoe's translations of Episode 5 of the Persona Stalker Club Q&A, which can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/adachimoe/722500119322345472/persona-stalker-club-episode-5-i-sees-it-adachi?source=share)
• Adachi’s tie is a gift from Dojima, who gave it to him due to Adachi’s original tie being worn-out.
• Adachi does not smoke, and only carries around his lighter to light Dojima’s cigarettes.
• Adachi initially took a liking to Dojima since he got him sushi when they first met.
Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden
• Dojima regularly buys Adachi dinner and invites him over to his home to eat.
• In the Japanese versions of Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden, Adachi jokingly addresses Dojima in a way similar to how a spouse would when introducing himself to the protagonist and Nanako (source: https://www.tumblr.com/adachimoe/748650656178569216/i-cant-remember-the-context-of-adachi-saying?source=share).
• Adachi and Dojima nod in sync at one point while interrogating Rise.
• Adachi and Dojima are drinking buddies.
• Dojima trusts Adachi enough to allow him to be around Yu and Nanako when drunk while he is upstairs.
• Adachi drives Dojima home and sets him down gently on the couch when he is drunk.
• In Persona 4 Golden, Adachi teasingly references Dojima’s rebellious past during a cutscene on June 8, implying Adachi pays attention when Dojima discusses his past.
• In Rank 6 of his Golden social link, Adachi’s social link menu text states he seems “cheered up by Dojima” after Adachi is rejected by the Nimono Lady for her real son and Dojima appears.
• Adachi looks out for Nanako, which could be interpreted as partially extending from his care for Dojima. During his Social Link, Adachi helps Nanako with her homework, shows her a magic trick, and immediately backpedals whenever he makes her sad. In addition, after Nanako is hospitalized, Adachi tries to convince a doctor to keep her in the hospital since he knows the fog is dangerous. In addition, it is possible that Adachi sent the second threat letter to warn the Investigation Team that Nanako is in danger (though I don’t personally interpret things this way).
• After Dojima brings the protagonist in for interrogation, Adachi defends his actions once he leaves the room, stating he is only acting so tough out of a desire to protect the protagonist.
• Directly following Dojima’s car crash, Adachi can be seen speaking to Dojima with an anger emote over his head right before the Investigation Team arrives, implying Adachi was really worried by Dojima's reckless behavior.
• The first major slip-up Adachi makes regarding the murders occurs right after Dojima gets into a car crash.
• Adachi watches over Dojima for the night after he gets into a car crash and is hospitalized.
• Dojima trusts Adachi to move his wheelchair, which can be seen in one of the November 21st hospital cutscenes.
• When asked by the protagonist if he would tell Dojima that their bond was something he made up in his head, Adachi dodges the question instead of providing an answer.
• After Adachi is outed as the likely culprit of Inaba’s serial killings, Dojima tells the Investigation Team to find Adachi since he needs to “square things away with him.” Notably, Dojima does not seem overly hostile during this scene despite the implications that come with Adachi being the killer.
• Dojima orders a stretcher for Adachi and for him to be “carefully taken into protective custody” after his dungeon section despite knowing that Adachi has almost certainly killed two women.
• On January 31st, Dojima mentions recently attempting to visit Adachi in prison, and this occurs shortly before Adachi's birthday (February 1st).
• Dojima resolves to continue visiting Adachi in prison in the Golden epilogue, and plans on bringing him food in the form of a cheap cabbage.
• Though Adachi is an intensely bitter person (as indicated by his dungeon section) he never expresses hatred or irritation towards Dojima.
• Adachi expresses how much he genuinely enjoyed his time with the Dojima family in his prison letter.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
• Though there is no practical reason to do so, Adachi verbally tears into the detective interrogating him after he insinuates that Dojima may have killed people in the past. Adachi also has a special anger sprite that is used for the first time here, and this is the only sprite of his where the light has completely left his eyes.
• Despite knowing Adachi has killed two people, Dojima grabs a detective by the collar and tells him that Adachi can “settle matters for himself” after the detective threatens to “dispose of” Adachi.
• When the detective interrogating Adachi first mentions Dojima’s name alongside other information, Adachi only seems to process Dojima’s name from the sentence (no thoughts are given here either) and repeats it as a question.
• Adachi unconsciously investigates the school in Hi-No-Kagutsuchi’s world using Dojima’s methods of investigation, and says “look what you’ve done to me, Dojima-san” to himself after realizing this.
• Though Adachi does not acknowledge it, his plan to “follow the rules” of the real world in Ultimax, which involves risking his life to save Inaba, carries the benefit of saving Dojima and Nanako if he succeeds.
• When making contact with Adachi for the first time after his arrest, Dojima does not bring up the murders, instead commenting on how Adachi looks like he has “fattened up” since they last saw each other and asking how prison life is going for him. Of note is that Adachi and Dojima’s banter is very positive in this scene, implying that neither side resents the other despite the events of Persona 4’s main story.
• Adachi admits out loud while smiling and trying to hide it that a bond with Dojima “isn’t so bad” at the end of Ultimax, and this appears to be the first time Adachi has ever outright accepted a bond with someone else.
• Adachi brings up Dojima unprompted twice in his thoughts during Episode Adachi.
• Likely unintentional, but Adachi’s design documents for Ultimax depict him with a watch that has a segmented band and a circular face. Dojima wears the same type of watch in Persona 4, and his watch is not visible on his wrist in any of the artwork for Persona 4: Dancing All Night or the Golden epilogue (it also cannot be seen on his model in the epilogue as his wrist is obscured by a drink). This is likely an art oversight, but could also imply Dojima may have given Adachi his watch at some point between the events of Persona 4 Arena (the last time Dojima is shown with his watch) and Ultimax.
Persona 4 the Animation
• Adachi drives after Dojima after Dojima starts chasing Namatame down.
• After Dojima gets in a car crash, Adachi takes off his jacket and covers Dojima with it.
• Following Dojima’s attempt to attack Namatame in the hospital, Adachi briefly drops his facade, clutching one of Dojima’s crutches, stating that “if [he] could, [he] would kill that bastard (referring to Namatame) himself.”
Persona 4 the Golden Animation
• On the day they meet, Dojima brings Adachi over to his house and tells him he is “free to consider [the Dojima residence] [his] own home.”
• Dojima gives Adachi a mug in the anime. It is from a set of family mugs (Souji even notes in one of the Persona 4 drama CDs that the matching mugs imply being a family; link: https://aatash.livejournal.com/360142.html). The implication from this scene is that Dojima is bringing Adachi into his family.
• Before retreating into Magatsu-Inaba out of guilt for what happened to Nanako and Dojima, Adachi brings Dojima mangoes and tucks Nanako in.
• Dojima and Adachi are depicted walking together in a flashback sequence, with each of them holding one of Nanako’s hands before Yu arrives and Nanako runs up to him instead. Of note is that Adachi looks genuinely happy walking with Dojima and Nanako before Yu arrives.
• In this version of Magatsu-Inaba, the Dojima residence and mugs are perfectly intact (in comparison to the rest of the city, which is in ruins), implying the depth of Adachi’s attachment to the Dojima family.
• A major contributing factor towards Adachi committing the murders in this adaptation appears to be his belief that Yu will take his place in the Dojima family away from him, with Dojima’s announcement that Yu will be coming to Inaba directly preceding Adachi’s “downfall” sequence.
• After Yu comes to Inaba, Adachi stands outside of the Dojima residence in the rain, looking sadly at Dojima, Nanako, and Yu happily enjoying each other’s presence with the mugs present. Afterwards, Adachi seems to start crying, though it is left ambiguous whether it is his tears or the rain.
• Dojima invites Adachi to join him and Nanako and see the Investigation Team performing at Junes and the three go to watch them together.
• Adachi blames Yu for getting Nanako and Dojima involved in this adaptation, and the way he phrases things implies (to me, at least) that he may be blaming Yu since acknowledging that Nanako’s kidnapping and Dojima’s accident are largely his fault could emotionally break him.
• There is an extended montage sequence in the anime in which “A Little” plays as Dojima and Adachi are shown spending time together and getting closer. This is the only instance of the track being used, indicating the track exists exclusively to highlight Adachi’s growing attachment to Dojima. In addition, during repeated shots in this sequence, Adachi’s footsteps are shown to start matching the pace of Dojima’s footsteps, further implying they are getting closer.
Persona 4 Manga
• Adachi and Dojima return to the Dojima residence drunk together (instead of just Dojima being drunk) in this adaptation.
• Adachi smiles after hearing that Dojima ordered a stretcher for him in this adaptation.
• Adachi has a sequence during his fight with Souji in his dungeon in which he reflects on the distance between him and the Dojima family and his inability to close that distance.
• During the scene when all of Souji’s social links band together to encourage him to persevere and defeat Izanami, Adachi reassures Nanako that Souji can defeat Izanami since he doesn’t break promises. After this, Dojima says “unlike you?” before continuing to tell Adachi that “things'll be different from now on”, implying that he believes Adachi has the capacity to change for the better and will choose to do so.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Manga
• Dojima giving Adachi a family mug is canon to this version of Ultimax, and Adachi thinks about the family mugs while being interrogated by a detective at the start of the story.
• Adachi carries his jacket on his back in a manner identical to Dojima after the Hi-No-Kagutsuchi fight.
• Dojima sends Adachi a letter before visiting him notifying him of the visit in this adaptation.
And with that, I’ve covered all the miscellaneous details/instances of Dojima and Adachi caring about each other that I could think of. Feel free to make corrections/additions in the reblogs and comments, as I would love to see more discussion surrounding these two and their dynamic.
After rewatching the cutscenes for Persona 4: Dancing All Night, I noticed that Dojima is still wearing his watch in one of the final cutscenes. Due to this, him not having the watch in his only CG in that game is definitely an art oversight. Besides that, the rest of these points should still be correct.
A List of Instances of Adachi and Dojima Caring About Each Other
Note: This post will contain spoilers (some of which are major) for Persona 4 and almost all of its adaptations. I will not discuss Visualive here as, to my knowledge, there is no complete English translation of it available. Developer interviews will also be discussed.
Ever since finishing Persona 4 and realizing Tohru Adachi and Ryotaro Dojima’s bond runs deeper than it seems, I have wanted to compile a list of details showing how much they care about each other. This post will be a list of these details organized by where they originate from. This list won’t cover everything, so feel free to add additional details/corrections in the comments and reblogs!
Developer Interviews
(these are based off of @adachimoe's translations of Episode 5 of the Persona Stalker Club Q&A, which can be found here: https://www.tumblr.com/adachimoe/722500119322345472/persona-stalker-club-episode-5-i-sees-it-adachi?source=share)
• Adachi’s tie is a gift from Dojima, who gave it to him due to Adachi’s original tie being worn-out.
• Adachi does not smoke, and only carries around his lighter to light Dojima’s cigarettes.
• Adachi initially took a liking to Dojima since he got him sushi when they first met.
Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden
• Dojima regularly buys Adachi dinner and invites him over to his home to eat.
• In the Japanese versions of Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden, Adachi jokingly addresses Dojima in a way similar to how a spouse would when introducing himself to the protagonist and Nanako (source: https://www.tumblr.com/adachimoe/748650656178569216/i-cant-remember-the-context-of-adachi-saying?source=share).
• Adachi and Dojima nod in sync at one point while interrogating Rise.
• Adachi and Dojima are drinking buddies.
• Dojima trusts Adachi enough to allow him to be around Yu and Nanako when drunk while he is upstairs.
• Adachi drives Dojima home and sets him down gently on the couch when he is drunk.
• In Persona 4 Golden, Adachi teasingly references Dojima’s rebellious past during a cutscene on June 8, implying Adachi pays attention when Dojima discusses his past.
• In Rank 6 of his Golden social link, Adachi’s social link menu text states he seems “cheered up by Dojima” after Adachi is rejected by the Nimono Lady for her real son and Dojima appears.
• Adachi looks out for Nanako, which could be interpreted as partially extending from his care for Dojima. During his Social Link, Adachi helps Nanako with her homework, shows her a magic trick, and immediately backpedals whenever he makes her sad. In addition, after Nanako is hospitalized, Adachi tries to convince a doctor to keep her in the hospital since he knows the fog is dangerous. In addition, it is possible that Adachi sent the second threat letter to warn the Investigation Team that Nanako is in danger (though I don’t personally interpret things this way).
• After Dojima brings the protagonist in for interrogation, Adachi defends his actions once he leaves the room, stating he is only acting so tough out of a desire to protect the protagonist.
• Directly following Dojima’s car crash, Adachi can be seen speaking to Dojima with an anger emote over his head right before the Investigation Team arrives, implying Adachi was really worried by Dojima's reckless behavior.
• The first major slip-up Adachi makes regarding the murders occurs right after Dojima gets into a car crash.
• Adachi watches over Dojima for the night after he gets into a car crash and is hospitalized.
• Dojima trusts Adachi to move his wheelchair, which can be seen in one of the November 21st hospital cutscenes.
• When asked by the protagonist if he would tell Dojima that their bond was something he made up in his head, Adachi dodges the question instead of providing an answer.
• After Adachi is outed as the likely culprit of Inaba’s serial killings, Dojima tells the Investigation Team to find Adachi since he needs to “square things away with him.” Notably, Dojima does not seem overly hostile during this scene despite the implications that come with Adachi being the killer.
• Dojima orders a stretcher for Adachi and for him to be “carefully taken into protective custody” after his dungeon section despite knowing that Adachi has almost certainly killed two women.
• On January 31st, Dojima mentions recently attempting to visit Adachi in prison, and this occurs shortly before Adachi's birthday (February 1st).
• Dojima resolves to continue visiting Adachi in prison in the Golden epilogue, and plans on bringing him food in the form of a cheap cabbage.
• Though Adachi is an intensely bitter person (as indicated by his dungeon section) he never expresses hatred or irritation towards Dojima.
• Adachi expresses how much he genuinely enjoyed his time with the Dojima family in his prison letter.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
• Though there is no practical reason to do so, Adachi verbally tears into the detective interrogating him after he insinuates that Dojima may have killed people in the past. Adachi also has a special anger sprite that is used for the first time here, and this is the only sprite of his where the light has completely left his eyes.
• Despite knowing Adachi has killed two people, Dojima grabs a detective by the collar and tells him that Adachi can “settle matters for himself” after the detective threatens to “dispose of” Adachi.
• When the detective interrogating Adachi first mentions Dojima’s name alongside other information, Adachi only seems to process Dojima’s name from the sentence (no thoughts are given here either) and repeats it as a question.
• Adachi unconsciously investigates the school in Hi-No-Kagutsuchi’s world using Dojima’s methods of investigation, and says “look what you’ve done to me, Dojima-san” to himself after realizing this.
• Though Adachi does not acknowledge it, his plan to “follow the rules” of the real world in Ultimax, which involves risking his life to save Inaba, carries the benefit of saving Dojima and Nanako if he succeeds.
• When making contact with Adachi for the first time after his arrest, Dojima does not bring up the murders, instead commenting on how Adachi looks like he has “fattened up” since they last saw each other and asking how prison life is going for him. Of note is that Adachi and Dojima’s banter is very positive in this scene, implying that neither side resents the other despite the events of Persona 4’s main story.
• Adachi admits out loud while smiling and trying to hide it that a bond with Dojima “isn’t so bad” at the end of Ultimax, and this appears to be the first time Adachi has ever outright accepted a bond with someone else.
• Adachi brings up Dojima unprompted twice in his thoughts during Episode Adachi.
• Likely unintentional, but Adachi’s design documents for Ultimax depict him with a watch that has a segmented band and a circular face. Dojima wears the same type of watch in Persona 4, and his watch is not visible on his wrist in any of the artwork for Persona 4: Dancing All Night or the Golden epilogue (it also cannot be seen on his model in the epilogue as his wrist is obscured by a drink). This is likely an art oversight, but could also imply Dojima may have given Adachi his watch at some point between the events of Persona 4 Arena (the last time Dojima is shown with his watch) and Ultimax.
Persona 4 the Animation
• Adachi drives after Dojima after Dojima starts chasing Namatame down.
• After Dojima gets in a car crash, Adachi takes off his jacket and covers Dojima with it.
• Following Dojima’s attempt to attack Namatame in the hospital, Adachi briefly drops his facade, clutching one of Dojima’s crutches, stating that “if [he] could, [he] would kill that bastard (referring to Namatame) himself.”
Persona 4 the Golden Animation
• On the day they meet, Dojima brings Adachi over to his house and tells him he is “free to consider [the Dojima residence] [his] own home.”
• Dojima gives Adachi a mug in the anime. It is from a set of family mugs (Souji even notes in one of the Persona 4 drama CDs that the matching mugs imply being a family; link: https://aatash.livejournal.com/360142.html). The implication from this scene is that Dojima is bringing Adachi into his family.
• Before retreating into Magatsu-Inaba out of guilt for what happened to Nanako and Dojima, Adachi brings Dojima mangoes and tucks Nanako in.
• Dojima and Adachi are depicted walking together in a flashback sequence, with each of them holding one of Nanako’s hands before Yu arrives and Nanako runs up to him instead. Of note is that Adachi looks genuinely happy walking with Dojima and Nanako before Yu arrives.
• In this version of Magatsu-Inaba, the Dojima residence and mugs are perfectly intact (in comparison to the rest of the city, which is in ruins), implying the depth of Adachi’s attachment to the Dojima family.
• A major contributing factor towards Adachi committing the murders in this adaptation appears to be his belief that Yu will take his place in the Dojima family away from him, with Dojima’s announcement that Yu will be coming to Inaba directly preceding Adachi’s “downfall” sequence.
• After Yu comes to Inaba, Adachi stands outside of the Dojima residence in the rain, looking sadly at Dojima, Nanako, and Yu happily enjoying each other’s presence with the mugs present. Afterwards, Adachi seems to start crying, though it is left ambiguous whether it is his tears or the rain.
• Dojima invites Adachi to join him and Nanako and see the Investigation Team performing at Junes and the three go to watch them together.
• Adachi blames Yu for getting Nanako and Dojima involved in this adaptation, and the way he phrases things implies (to me, at least) that he may be blaming Yu since acknowledging that Nanako’s kidnapping and Dojima’s accident are largely his fault could emotionally break him.
• There is an extended montage sequence in the anime in which “A Little” plays as Dojima and Adachi are shown spending time together and getting closer. This is the only instance of the track being used, indicating the track exists exclusively to highlight Adachi’s growing attachment to Dojima. In addition, during repeated shots in this sequence, Adachi’s footsteps are shown to start matching the pace of Dojima’s footsteps, further implying they are getting closer.
Persona 4 Manga
• Adachi and Dojima return to the Dojima residence drunk together (instead of just Dojima being drunk) in this adaptation.
• Adachi smiles after hearing that Dojima ordered a stretcher for him in this adaptation.
• Adachi has a sequence during his fight with Souji in his dungeon in which he reflects on the distance between him and the Dojima family and his inability to close that distance.
• During the scene when all of Souji’s social links band together to encourage him to persevere and defeat Izanami, Adachi reassures Nanako that Souji can defeat Izanami since he doesn’t break promises. After this, Dojima says “unlike you?” before continuing to tell Adachi that “things'll be different from now on”, implying that he believes Adachi has the capacity to change for the better and will choose to do so.
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Manga
• Dojima giving Adachi a family mug is canon to this version of Ultimax, and Adachi thinks about the family mugs while being interrogated by a detective at the start of the story.
• Adachi carries his jacket on his back in a manner identical to Dojima after the Hi-No-Kagutsuchi fight.
• Dojima sends Adachi a letter before visiting him notifying him of the visit in this adaptation.
And with that, I’ve covered all the miscellaneous details/instances of Dojima and Adachi caring about each other that I could think of. Feel free to make corrections/additions in the reblogs and comments, as I would love to see more discussion surrounding these two and their dynamic.
[ID: A graphite sketch of Adachi (left) and Dojima (right) from Persona 4. Adachi is dressed in a suit, and is shown from the shoulders up. Dojima is dressed in a dress shirt and tie, and is shown from the bust up. Adachi is leaning his head on Dojima’s shoulder and has his mouth slightly open, as if curious about something. He is looking up at Dojima. Dojima has both of his brows furrowed, and is looking away. Both men are blushing. /end ID]
Watched through P4GA again and felt compelled to draw them. I think they should hold hands.
Note: I’ll be discussing spoilers (including major ones) from Persona 4, Persona 4 Golden, Persona 4 Dancing (mild spoilers), and Persona 4 Arena Ultimax here. You have been warned!
One of the things I commonly see brought up (and with good reason!) when it comes to Adachi’s character is how he functions as a foil to Yu Narukami. However, I think Adachi can also be interpreted as a foil to Dojima in some ways, and I’ll be discussing why here.
To begin with, Adachi and Dojima have very different relationships with connection, and this has been informed by their pasts. Though we don’t get very much information on Dojima’s youth, Adachi mentions in the motorcycle license scene that Dojima did all sorts of reckless things on his motorcycle when he was younger, so Dojima may have felt like he was in a position where he could mess around a little bit.
Adachi, on the other hand, completely shunned any and all possibilities for connection over the course of (from what we can tell) his entire life. This was done out of the intent to succeed all on his own, and the implication from his social link is that this was instilled into him by his parents. Adachi’s parents also seem to have been very cold to him emotionally, if his bewilderment towards the Nimono Lady’s kindness is any indication. Adachi was in no position to mess around, and from his description, it seems like he spent practically his entire life up to young adulthood studying in the hopes that he would get a stable income and a respectable job.
However, Adachi and Dojima as we know them in game are very different from how they describe themselves in their youths. To begin with, Dojima is saddled to a suffocating degree with responsibility. He feels personally guilty for not being able to track down Chisato’s killer, and the serial killings occurring in Inaba result in him being especially fearful for Nanako’s safety (for good reason, if we take the events surrounding the Heaven dungeon into account). This fear of losing Nanako is so intense that he yells at Yu and Nanako when they go to Junes in an effort to cheer him up. Dojima feels stressed, guilty, worthless, and undeserving of the kindness his own family shows him. He throws himself into his work in an effort to escape his emotions, but this behavior only serves to alienate him from the little family he has left. At the beginning of the game, Dojima is simultaneously consumed by his own self-hatred, which causes him to feel undeserving of Nanako, but is also intensely terrified at the prospect of losing her.
Now, on to Adachi. Unlike Dojima, Adachi’s low sense of self worth and insecurity manifests as him avoiding work and responsibility. This likely results from how he spent his entire life to young adulthood checking off boxes, only to find that the future he devoted so much time to doesn’t exist, and that his ability to connect with others is in jeopardy since he neglected human connection for the sake of studying. He despises how his life turned out so poorly, and grows to resent everything associated with his transfer.
Unlike Dojima, Adachi never had anything to lose to begin with, so instead of being terrified by the prospect of losing his loved ones, Adachi is too afraid to make those connections in the first place. I would argue this is partially due to his low sense of self-worth and partially due to how he seems to feel that, even though his life is in a pathetic state, he can still retain small scraps of his pride by not needing to rely on anyone else. Adachi isolates himself from others to an extreme degree, trying to avoid getting too close to others, and he instinctively cuts people off when they get too close. Adachi is also completely unwilling to experience any kind of emotional vulnerability around anyone, and tries to cover things up whenever his own emotions shine through. Adachi’s approach to life is just as untenable as Dojima’s, and is possibly even worse. This culminates in Adachi completely crashing out after being given his powers, resulting in two innocent women being killed. However, despite how terrible Adachi’s mental health likely is at this point, he can’t avoid developing a sense of attachment to others, just like how Dojima can’t stop himself from lashing out when the people he cares for are threatened.
Beyond their pasts and current situations, Dojima and Adachi also have some other interesting contrasts with each other that I would like to mention. To begin with, Dojima is from the country, and loves Inaba and its people dearly. He sees meaning in his life in a small town, and devotes himself to protecting the citizens of that town, even if it is sometimes at his daughter’s expense (as indicated by his max social link event). Adachi, on the other hand is from the city, and completely despises Inaba and practically all of its residents since the entire town is a living reminder of his failure to achieve his dream of being successful. Adachi finds Inaba’s layout confusing (likely out of a desire to block it all out), and hates how menial his job has become due to Inaba being a small town. Adachi doesn’t care about protecting the citizens of Inaba, and in his dungeon section, he puts all of them in mortal peril with the threat of the fog.
Adachi and Dojima also both have an interesting relationship with suspicion towards others, likely stemming from their positions as detectives. Dojima is immediately suspicious of Yu, and continues watching him carefully over the events of the game. Of note is that this also seems to stem from his desire to protect his loved ones, since he has reason to believe that whatever Yu is getting involved in is dangerous. Dojima also completely despises Namatame after learning that he is likely the killer, or at least has been the one kidnapping people, and does not care to look into things further after Nanako’s hospitalization, even looking the other way if Namatame is killed by the IT. It should be noted that Dojima is completely broken following Nanako’s death, and is likely too depressed to think normally, but I feel like this darker aspect of Dojima is worth mentioning.
Adachi is also deeply suspicious of others, which is mainly observed in how he can’t seem to believe that anyone would knowingly form a bond with someone else without ulterior motives. In fact, as @thiscityneedslessfog points out in their The Apocalyptic Dream of Tohru Adachi analysis, this intense suspicion may have been why Adachi was so fast to kill Mayumi and Saki in the first place, among other factors. Adachi also doesn’t understand why the IT can still stay together after seeing each other’s “ugly sides”, which could also stem from his suspicion resulting in an unwillingness to trust others.
Another interesting place where Adachi and Dojima contrast with each other is in their behavior towards Nanako. Dojima struggles to understand Nanako’s needs, and incorrectly assumes that she would be better off without him due to how he has failed to be a proper father to her. Adachi, on the other hand, seems to be somewhat attuned to Nanako’s needs, which is indicated by how he is the first one to notice that she hasn’t been eating her sushi in the dinner cutscene after Mitsuo is arrested. Adachi also apologizes to Nanako when Dojima comes home drunk and cheers her up with a magic trick after accidentally reminding her that Yu will have to go home in Spring. Though Adachi is still clumsy with things, he does try to be very careful where Nanako’s feelings are concerned, while Dojima struggles to comprehend her feelings in the first place, which leads to him lacking tact in his efforts to emotionally support her (notably, Dojima is much better at being emotionally supportive of Nanako in Persona 4: Dancing All Night).
Although I have mentioned several contrasting features between Dojima and Adachi so far, being foils also involves sharing some similarities, so I’ll go into those here. First, Dojima and Adachi are both extremely isolated from others, Adachi due to his difficulty with bonds and Dojima due to throwing himself into solving Chisato’s hit-and-run case. Dojima’s only friend appears to be Adachi, while the only bond Adachi outright accepts is his bond with Dojima (in Ultimax). In addition, Dojima and Adachi both have a deeply low sense of self-worth, and both of them also grow to hate themselves less in subsequent spinoffs (most clear in Persona 4: Dancing All Night for Dojima and most clear in Adachi’s episode in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax). Furthermore, Adachi and Dojima can both be pretty impulsive (most clearly shown for Adachi in the three times he throws people into TVs, and most clearly shown for Dojima when he gets into a high-speed car chase and subsequently crashes while trying to save Nanako).
Overall, I think that there are some very interesting things to consider regarding Dojima and Adachi as narrative foils to each other, and I think this approach further reinforces how perfectly the ending of episode Adachi works for both characters. Both of them clearly exhibit protective behavior towards each other, despite everything. And at the end of the episode, Dojima is confident enough to reach out to his former partner (again, likely stemming from how he doesn’t want to lose anyone, and also wants to cultivate the bonds he does have), and Adachi is finally willing to accept love from another person. Perhaps a bond like this isn’t so bad, indeed.
[ID: A graphite sketch of Adachi (left), Nanako (middle), and Dojima (right) from Persona 4. They are walking together, and Adachi is holding Nanako's right hand while Dojima is holding her left hand. Adachi is wearing a suit and tie, as well as dress pants and field boots. Nanako is wearing a white turtleneck under a sleeveless dress, and has her hair tied into pigtails with ribbons. She is wearing loafers with shoelaces. Dojima is wearing a dress suit and a tie, and his sleeves are rolled up to the elbows. Dojima is also wearing dress pants and field boots. Adachi and Dojima are looking down at Nanako and smiling warmly. Nanako is looking up at Dojima and smiling. Flower icons frame all three characters' heads, referencing how characters in Persona 4 have flower emotes when they are especially happy. /end ID]
The Golden anime definitely feels rushed, but I think it has some interesting stuff going on when it comes to these three. I hope Revival develops things a bit more if content from the anime is added in…
[ID: A graphite sketch of Nanako (left) and Dojima (right) from Persona 4. They are shown from the bust up, and are standing next to each other. Nanako is wearing a white turtleneck under a sleeveless dress, and has her hair tied into pigtails with ribbons. She is looking forward and smiling with a closed mouth. Dojima is wearing a dress shirt with a tie. His brows are furrowed and he is frowning with his mouth slightly open. There are no highlights in his eyes, and he has pronounced bags underneath his eyes as well. His hair is also slightly messier than normal. /end ID]
Although Persona 4 has a lot of amazing characters, these two will always be some of my favorites.
[ID: A graphite sketch of Dojima (left) and Adachi (right) from Persona 4 dressed in long-sleeved dress shirts and wearing ties. They are shown from the bust up, and Dojima has his left hand wrapped around Adachi's shoulder. There are two rings on the ring finger of Dojima's left hand. Dojima is leaning in slightly to the right so that his head slightly touches Adachi's head, and he is blushing and smiling with his eyes closed. There is a tear in his right eye. Adachi is looking at Dojima and he is also smiling and blushing. Adachi's right brow is slightly furrowed and there are tears in his eyes. In the background, hearts frame the characters, and a circle shape surrounds the hearts. The circle is adorned with simplistic flower shapes, and some have detailed centers while others only have petals. /end ID]
I think Adajima has the potential to be really cute.
