Makoto Niijima

PLAYER
Player name: Lils
Contact: ladylils
Characters currently in-game: Jeyne Westerling

CHARACTER
Character Name: Makoto Niijima
Character Age: 17
Canon: Persona 5
Canon Point: 11/22

History: Wiki
Personality: Makoto's reputation suffered during the beginning of the game. Because of what happened with Kamoshida and her inability to protect the students from the abusive teacher, Makoto is viewed antagonistically. Many consider her to have the personality of a robot, that she is arrogant and a control freak, because of this, she is lumped in on the same level as the corrupt adults. However, there is more to Makoto than meets the eye.

Above everything else, Makoto is an intelligent young woman, at the top of her class. When she joins the Phantom Thieve's, the others look to her for strategy, advice and sometimes command. Several teachers remark, after asking for her help with side activities, that they have no reason to worry about her entrance exams. Even after her meetings with the Phantom Thieves and brief visits to palaces or the metaverse, Makoto returns home and focuses on her studies, particularly when exams pop up.

She's extremely organized and analytical. She's always the one to push the others to study and prepare for their tests. She keeps them focused on this when all the others want to do is think about how to celebrate their latest caper. She is the one to outline a plan to introduce Futaba to more interactions after so long in isolation. She is also the one to work out several puzzles that cause trouble in reach particular palaces, such as Kaneshiro's floating bank. Understanding that because she is being blackmailed by him, she is considered a special customer, she approaches the palace which then lowers a bridge for her to walk over and enter. She's brought along on the student trip to Hawaii as well, despite not being in second year. She is asked to act as a chaperone and to help keep the students in line because of her role as Student Council President and her organizational skills.

Because of this, she often approaches activities her peers engage in with the sort of thoughtfulness of an anthropologist. Her confidant quest involves her attempting to understand students better and to engage them in the sort of activities they enjoy. For her first attempt, Akira takes her to an arcade where she plays in shooting games for the first time. She shows a lot of interest in learning these things, as well as her burgeoning friendship with Eiko. The superfluous use of emojis seems to confuse her, as well as Eiko's interest in her hand lotion (and the teasing that comes when she admits she uses the kind her father preferred). But she is open to learning new things and slowly is brought out of her shell by the Phantom Thieves.

Despite this, she is still very prim and proper on the surface. Beneath that is a feisty personality, unafraid when she is threatened. When she tries to protect Eiko from a manipulative club promoter, he steps into Makoto's space and tells her he'll shut her up. Rather than back down, she stands up to him and threatens to call the police. She can get a bit reckless at times, sometimes putting herself in clear danger. She challenges members of Kaneshiro's gang, demanding to meet with their boss so that the Phantom Thieves can locate him and get into his palace. This leads to her being blackmailed by Kaneshiro.

She believes very strongly in justice, having learned that ideal from her father who was in law enforcement. As she slowly learns more about the Phantom Thieves, she breaks away from the investigation she was tasked with by the principal and challenges the group to show her their method of justice. She had heard that students were being blackmailed into illegal activities, and finding no help from the principal, she turned to the Phantom Thieves from them. Seeing what came of changing hearts, she joined them. Later as well, she decides to work towards becoming a police commissioner, wanting to help the vulnerable and helpless, not only because of her father's legacy, but her own sense of justice as well.

Makoto has her negative sides, including a bossiness that has Ryuji and others calling her "Miss Student Council President". She also has suppressed a great deal of anger that comes out when using her persona. All of this is stemmed from the expectations placed on her as well as the derisive comments that others make towards her. Her sister calls her useless at one point and Akechi refers to her as "the good girl type." Added to that, the principal begins using her student entrance exams against her, all of it boiling over into an anger that she lets loose as Queen.

She is kindhearted, however, making special efforts to reach out to Ann and make amends, as well as looking after Futaba as she slowly integrates her back into society. But however well meaning she can be, she tends to be unable to implement her desires very well, especially when it comes to Futaba. She pushes the others, which is meant well, but comes across as inconsiderate. She arranges for Futaba to be taken out to meet others and looks after her, but she still despairs at how little Futaba has achieved after several days.

There are humorous elements to Makoto as well. She often teases her friends and joins in with poking fun at Ryuji. It's when they meet Futaba that her more amusing side comes out. Entering Sojiro's house, she becomes afraid of the dark and storm. When suddenly Futaba appears, Makoto panics and falls to her knees, clutching at Akira's leg as she cries for her sister to save her. She's afraid of Ghost Stories as well. A different side to the usually serious Student Council President.

Inventory: A book bag filled with her textbooks and notes. Her knuckle blades that she wields in battle as well as her pistol and 12 rounds of ammunition. A smartphone with a Nav app.

While she'll appear in her Shujin school uniform, when in the metaverse, her clothes can transform into a leather outfit with spiked shoulder pads and a scarf around her neck. This is her Queen attire.
Abilities: Makoto's persona is Johanna, the manifestation of the female Pope as a motorcycle, summoned in battle to help her fight. Johanna inflicts nuclear damage, as well as various healing abilities and is weak against psychic attack. She's well balanced in strength, agility and luck, being one of the strongest personas in the game.

Johanna's currents skills:

*Freidyne: Heavy Nuclear damage to 1 foe. Can inflict: Burn/Freeze/Shock.
*Mafreidyne: Heavy Nuclear damage to all foes. Can inflict: Burn/Freeze/Shock.
*Diarama: Restore Medium amount of HP of 1 ally.
*Vajra Blast: Medium Physical damage to all foes.
*Nuke Boost: Strengthen Nuclear attacks by 25%.
*Energy Shower: Cure Confuse/Fear/Despair/Rage/Brainwash of party.
*Rakukaja: Buff defense of 1 ally for 3 turns.
*Flash Bomb: Medium Physical damage to all foes

Flaws: Makoto can be extremely critical, bossy and insensitive to others. She pushes them to follow her standard in terms of work ethic and lifestyle, which doesn't always mesh well, especially with people like Ryuji. It can be argued that she turned a blind eye to Kamoshida's actions, though she possessed little power to stop him. This however is enough for many students to blame her.

She blackmailed the Phantom Thieves to investigate Kaneshiro, threatening to release their identities to the public unless they did what she she wanted. This shows a ruthless intent in her and willingness to do whatever it takes to get what she wants.

SAMPLES
Action Log Sample: TDM