There was a time when people used to think that JRPGs were largely obsolete — a train of thought that has completely dissipated with the release of Persona 5. A game that had been delayed numerous times, fans were salivating for an opportunity to play the fifth entry of a beloved series that had captured the hearts of people all over the globe. Upon its release, Persona 5 ended up meeting all its expectations, if not surpassing them outright.
While there are several aspects of this game that have been critically acclaimed — and rightfully so — the main thing we’re going to focus on are the characters. The Phantom Thieves are easily one of the best groups featured in gaming, with Ann Takamaki being a memorable character in this gang. However, there are still certain aspects of this character that are somewhat quizzical — and that’s putting it lightly. Here are ten pressing questions about Ann Takamaki A.K.A Panther that need to be answered.
10 Why Does She Buy Into Rumors And Hearsay If Her Own Reputation Had Been Soiled Like That?
In the start of the game, it’s revealed that Ann’s reputation is down in the dumps, with people shaming her for her looks and assuming her to be an awful person who’s willfully giving in to Kamoshida’s demands. The truth couldn’t be further away from this, with Ann actually being somewhat lonely.
And yet, when she hears rumors about Makoto, she’s inclined to believe the same and judge Makoto for her actions! While it’s understandable that hating Makoto is important for plot reasons, it’s still fairly hypocritical of Ann to do the same.
9 Why Did She Judge Makoto From The Get-Go Instead Of Being Empathetic?
This erroneous judgment of Makoto is made worse by the fact that Ann is supposed to be the most empathetic person in the main cast.
Yet, she can’t bring herself to empathize with Makoto and try to understand why she’s doing the things that she’s doing.
8 What Exactly Was The Dynamic Of Her Relationship With Kamoshida?
The first time we get introduced to Ann is in a cutscene where she rides a car with Kamoshida, the school’s designated pervert. While she finally manages to free herself of his oppression and makes him confess, the background behind Ann and Kamoshida’s conflict is still pretty ambiguous.
By all accounts, it seems that Kamoshida was taking advantage of Ann in the worst way possible. However, Ann doesn’t seem nearly as traumatized as Shiho about, who takes matters into her own hands in the worst way possible. Speaking of which…
7 Why Did Ann Urge Shiho To Put Up With Kamoshida’s Antics?
For someone how understands firsthand just how sleazy Kamoshida was as a person, it’s quite unnerving that Ann still told Shiho to put up with him regardless. Abuse is no small thing, with some people having different tolerances for it.
Shiho trying to end her life might’ve been caused by Kamoshida’s antics, but Ann is partly to blame for not standing by her friend during such a tough time as well.
6 Is The Punishment She Deals To Kamoshida A Bit Too Extreme?
After finally conquering Kamoshida’s Mind Palace, Ann is on the verge of killing his Shadow and sending him into a brain-dead state. However, she ultimately decides on a punishment that’s way more befitting… and psychotic.
She decided to make Kamoshida beg for forgiveness and remain mentally disturbed for the rest of his life… which is certainly quite off-the-rails, to be honest.
5 How Did She Not Notice That She Was Wearing A Catsuit For An Entire Battle?
After unleashing her Persona for the first time, Ann fights a rousing battle in splendiferous fashion… only to realize that she’s been wearing a catsuit throughout the entire fight.
While this might be somewhat hilarious, it still begs the question as to how Ann never noticed the uncomfortable leather suit on her person, which would’ve been fairly obvious.
4 Why Does She Get Flustered So Easily About Anything Amorous If She Models?
Modeling is not exactly a career for prudes, which is an obvious statement. Ann should be well aware of this, given the fact that her modeling career has been quite consistent, for the most part.
However, for some reason, Ann still shies away from anything remotely suggestive or romantic. While being a nude model for Yusuke’s painting can still be somewhat weird, talking about a relationship with the main character should be anything but.
3 How Does She Maintain A Perfect Figure If She Loves Binging On Sweets?
Ann prides herself on having a good figure and great metabolism, meaning that she doesn’t have to follow a diet or exercise for her modeling career to pan out.
However, even keeping that in mind, there has to be a line drawn somewhere. Ann has a huge sweet tooth and eating tons of pastries, waffles, and whatnot shouldn’t be good for her figure in the slightest. And yet, she’s picture-perfect no matter how unhealthy her lifestyle is.
2 How Do People Get Fooled By Her Lies When Her Acting Is Horrible?
Ann is put in several situations where she needs to act and deceive people, with the most notable case of this being her fooling Yusuke while the Phantom Thieves try and find some dirt on Madarame.
However, her acting is so horrible that the people she’s trying to fool should know that something’s up… and yet, Ann gets away scot-free every single time. Guess people are blind when it comes to beauty after all.
1 Does She Hate Ryuji Or Not?
A running theme throughout the entire game is Ann constantly mocking and demanding Ryuji for doing anything. She has a quip every single time Ryuji walks, talks, acts and breathes.
However, during a moment in the story when people believe Ryuji to be dead, Ann is the one who weeps the most. What even are these mixed signals? To this day, fans have no clue whether Ann genuinely dislikes Ryuji or just jests around with her insults.
NEXT: 15 Games To Play If You Love Persona 5
