#but I saw people comparing junpei & yosuke and how they're treated and im just like....ryuji sakamoto tho

[v4mpyinred]

Very few things in fiction can get me to go on a insanely mad rant like the post-Shido's palace scene in P5. That scene pisses me off every time i think about it, and I swear I lose braincells every time i see people defending it because im so completely baffled by it.

Now, at an ungodly hour of the night, I will rant about the scene and Ryuji Sakamoto to whoever will listen (this is not a structured essay or anything. I'm just typing shit. this isnt serious rant at all either plz dont take me seriously LOL...Just ignore how gotten up and paced around my room ranting to myself 50 times in the writing of this.)

(p5 & p3 spoilers below.)

The main defense I see is people just going: "it's slapstick" as if I'm supposed to care about that. Shoot, it being slapstick isn't even the issue I, or most people. have with the scene. Slapstick can work in any other time...I guess. But I just don't understand why they'd bother doing that after such a serious moment??

The one thing that irks me about P5 is how unserious it can be sometimes. I mean, you literally have one of the coolest and more emotional scenes in the game, after such a climactic moment (getting rid of Shido's palace. Aka: what the Phantom Thives view as their final mission. Their biggest target yet), only to ruin it with a shitty slapstick scene. From a story perspective, that could've been such a heartwarming moment for the cast to share their love for Ryuji, or go over the themes of the game, or I dunno...TALK ABOUT THE HUGE MISSION THEY JUST ACCOMPLISHED!?!?...yet Atlus chose this of all things? I just don't understand 😭 it's not about it being a silly Japanese slapstick trope, it's about the time to use said trope (besides, tropes can be overused and unfunny.)

And then there's people acting like it was just a little slap or something. I think people forgot how the scene goes down, cuz they beat Ryuji's ass man 😭like GAH DAYUM... and then left him unconscious on the ground and simply walked away!?? The unconscious part made me soooo uncomfortable when I watched it. I don't think most people would've cared if it was just a slap at all.

(apparently this scene was supposed to be worse and actually show everyone beating his ass. smh)

Yeah, the pure tonal whiplash I got from that scene still upsets me 3 years later. I remember crying thinking they killed my favorite character off, only for them to pull.....that.

Personally, I always compare it to Junpei's "death" in P3, because it's the only way I can even begin to formulate my thoughts here. Both Ryuji & Junpei are similar in personality and have a kinda similar dynamic with the rest of the cast. But unlike Ryuji, Junpei is respected by the plot, and the plot of P3 as a whole is pretty grounded & serious. So when Junpei ends up "dying" in a similar sacrificial way, it ends up being this big character development moment for him, as well as one of the best scenes in the game. They even show SEES feeling sad about everything going on, and encouraging him after the fact (the chidori sketchbook scene 😭💜)

So when people defend the Shido's palace scene, I'm just like...could you imagine if after Junpei was shot, Chidori revives him and then her and Yukari beat his ass for bothering to protect Chidori 😭 And then all of SEES joins and just leaves his lifeless body there. Whatever happened after Shido's palace would never happen in P3. I freaking WISH Ryuji got that big moment to shine or like...half the character development Junpei did ugh.

In fact, I think Ryuji would've really benefited from a similar arc like Junpei. Not necessarily word for word, girlfriend dying in his arms vibes...But honestly, Ryuji has gone through a lot. He's also tolerated and forgiven a lot of crap from people who've only strived to hurt him. I could see him having a lot of self esteem issues and maybe people pleasing tendencies, due to how he's been treated for sticking up for himself in a world that just wants him to shut up and take it. Ryuji growing past that would fit perfectly with P5's themes about choosing your own path, not doing what's expected of you, or not sitting quiet & being ok with how you're being treated by people in power.

Showing him being celebrated for saving his friends' life could also show how he's found people who accept who he is, and how he doesn't need to change himself for anyone else. And overall, it'd be such a heartwarming bonding moment that the Thieves deserved after dealing with so much that month.

But why do anything that makes sense, when you can have Ryuji get beat up by his friends and soil what should've been a climactic part of the game.

(it's been 3 years since i've played p5 in full i kinda forgot everything, but I think his social link kinda addresses the insecurities and stuff i listed there. but like...idk i think P5 fanfic & p3 spoiled me with the character development vibes cuz GUH I NEED MORE GAME. I know Ryuji does have development, despite what ppl who weren't paying attention say & I think he's the best character in the game...but ough...moreee)

Sigh, I don't wanna sound like one of those Ryuji fans that infantilize the hell out of him and can't bear anything that isn't sunshine and rainbows involving him. The other random slapstick never bothered me and I find those people annoying since I adore Ryuji AND his flaws (big fan of my faves suffering as well despite this essay LMAO). But c'mon man 😭😭😭I agree that my boy deserved better than that

Regardless if you found the scene funny or not that deep, surely we can all agree that it's still weird tonal whiplash and a missed opportunity for legit...any other thing that could be interesting for the plot!? I dunno. I just think that scene is really bad from a writing perspective. And the amount of missed opportunities there with Ryuji & and the plot itself pains me...