As a famous movie villain once said, “It is your destiny.” There have been times when we have felt attached or trapped to a particular role within society or within our own lives. Sometimes, we want to break away from what we feel is a predestined road and forge our own path. One character reminds us all to choose your own path and follow it. In this segment of Building Character, we take a look at the fiery black-haired teenager, Yukiko Amagi, from Atlus’ Persona 4.

Yukiko Amagi is one of the most popular ladies in Inaba. She always attracts the attention of the boys at Yasogami High School. She is introverted and is not always willing to talk, especially when someone mentions her beauty. Despite this, Yukiko cares for her friends, especially for her best friend, Chie Satonaka. At times, Yukiko will end up in long bursts of laughter if she believes something is funny. Yukiko’s family runs the Amagi Inn, a popular hotel destination for the tourists with its famous hot springs. The Inn is the only attraction inside Inaba. She is slated to inherit the Amagi Inn, but there is one problem: she does not want to inherit the Amagi Inn and wishes to choose her own path.

A bird trapped in a cage. The symbolism is obvious.

She ends up being one of the first people to be thrown into the TV after two people in town were discovered dead. When the Midnight Channel broadcasts live to the town of Inaba, Yukiko is dressed up as a princess  and mentions how she waits for her Prince Charming to come to her castle and rescue her. This symbolizes Yukiko’s desire to have someone take her off the predestined path and to a new life. Chie, Yosuke, and the Protagonist jump inside the TV world to find Yukiko and to investigate the strange events unfolding. Eventually, the team meets Yukiko and her shadow. As the shadow taunts Yukiko, she says how the shadow is not her true self. The shadow turns into a large red bird locked to a cage. The bird locked to a cage symbolizes Yukiko’s true feelings of feeling trapped to a predestined role and her fear she can never change it. Eventually she is rescued by the Protagonist, Yosuke, and Chie where she accepts her shadow and gains the persona, Konohana Sakuya. Throughout the game, Yukiko is a reliable healer and user of fire based attacks as the Investigation Team goes to more dungeons.

Yukiko and the Protagonist talk one on one.

As she interacts with the Protagonist, Yukiko reveals to him that she wants to be an interior decorator after graduating High School. She enlists his help when she decides to learn how to cook, a skill she admits is not her biggest strength. By the end of the Priestess Social Link, Yukiko decides to stay in Inaba and help her family run the Inn. She becomes comfortable in her role as the inheritor of the Amagi Inn and vows to continue to improve herself.

Yukiko Amagi reminds us all we can choose our own destiny and our own path. The path does not always have to be defined by someone else as long as you are happy. She learns to become more confident in herself and pursue her own goals by learning new things and taking on more responsibilities. She grows affection for the protagonist and forms a close bond with her friends. In the end, she is okay with her current situation and is fine inheriting the Amagi Inn in the future.