#the similarity there probably isn't intentional (idk how popular marching band is in Japan)

[fleetwood-cheese]

Phantom Thief outfit breakdown: pt 7

This is a continuation of my previous post and series regarding my opinions on the phantom thieves' metaverse costumes, prompted by a poll by @waywardsalt. I will link all of these together as they're finished.

Akechi - Ann - Makoto - Sumire - Futaba - Yusuke

Next Up: Detective Prince Akechi! It's time for the marching band prince outfit. This one is much more break down than changes tbh.

For some reason he doesn't have a piece from the set of official art I've been including, so he gets this (does let us see the back though). I'm starting to see more and more people say they think this one is hideous, but I actually don't agree! From a design and character perspective, this outfit is striking, very coherent, and richly detailed without feeling overly cluttered. I think part of the reason it's so jarring is because its so on the nose for the prince personal and thus comes across as sort of childish and impulsive, like it was chosen on a whim, but I do think that's intentional. The purpose of this outfit is to contrast directly with Joker's, the white counterpoint to his black ensemble, lure the thieves into a false sense of security, and to make the black mask outfit more of a shock, and it accomplishes this in my opinion.

I also like that's its a subtle form of rebellion that's very specific to Akechi's situation; he's a bastard child being used by his powerful father with little recognition, so the idea of being a prince, someone powerful and important because of his birth and his familial connections, IS a form of rebellion for him. The rest of the thieves (besides Futaba and Joker, who're there for the 8/28 trauma dump) don't know this though, so it flies over their heads. It's the pristine, white prince to the black mask's dark knight.

The most obvious inspiration here is the fairy tale prince aesthetic, playing off his media moniker, but it also incorporates a significant amount of formal military regalia. I'm not super familiar with this particular branch of history and fashion, but it seems very European 1700s and 1800s to me, very Napoleonic. The white color seems very Napoleon's Grande Armee to me, but the cut, double row of buttons, and shoulder epulettes scream 1912 American Navy full dress uniform. Ironically, this mix of military gravitas and fairy tale stylization means that the outfit ends up looking startlingly similar to the duelist uniforms of Revolutionary Girl Utena in my eyes, which is probably not the exact vibe they were going for.

The red and gold accents help break up the monotony of the white very well, and the piping on the arms and legs provide a nice lengthening effect. The mask is very interesting, because while it follows the European vibe, its distinctly not military; instead, it pulls on two different types of masks: the zanni and the plague doctor mask. The zanni mask is Italian, named for the character it denoted in commedia dell'arte plays; this character was a servant from the countryside and often a trickster character, which nicely alludes to how Akechi is the rival trickster to Joker in Yaldaoboath's game, as well as the way he's intentionally tricking both Shido and the thieves. The plague doctor mask is, obviously, the mask worn to prevent the spread of the black plague during medical examinations and treatment during its outbreak in the Renaissance, and I presume it relates to Akechi in the way he's been treated as a pest his whole life and is trying to maintain distance with the thieves during Sae's Palace.

There's no real changes I'd make here; I think this outfit does its job wonderfully, with a wealth of attention to detail and well used motifs. Most distaste with the costume is probably personal preference and the shock it gives you the first time you see it. It's definitely not something I'd ever wear but it gets the job done well. I place it 4th out of 10, with a solid score of 7/10.