Why I Love Persona 4 Arena’s Sho Minazuki
Date Published: 5 November, 2018
Although he somewhat operated behind the scenes in the Persona universe for quite some time, the reveal of Sho Minazuki was one that finally put all of the pieces of the narrative puzzle together.
The violence seeking, pun master isn’t the most recognizable character in the series, but his impact as a villain both in arrival and exit was one great enough that actually triggered cooperation of both members of S.E.E.S. (Persona 3) and the Investigation Team (Persona 4).
With a complicated past filled with unethical experimentation, Sho Minazuki is known for having two unique personalities. The first, known as Sho, which is one that is brash, emotional, and quick on the trigger when it comes to confrontation.
However, the second personality known as Minazuki, is a calm, stand-offish, yet devious entity that takes over for Sho when he either needs protection, or whenever there is an emotional overload of some sort.
Though, considering Minazuki is pretty much all business, Sho is the one that provides the most memorable moments with regards to the character’s personality. There are plenty of ways Sho can be described, however, the one word that jumps out the most is unrestrained.
Regardless of the situation, person, or feeling at hand, Sho never holds back with either expressing how he feels, saying what is on his mind, or even starting a fight. His wick is short, and despite still acting quite childish at times, he’s keen enough to jump on opportunities when he sees them arise.
Unlike Minazuki’s more methodical approach, Sho’s trigger happy nature, doesn’t only translate to his constant pun making, but his fighting style as well. With a bit of symbolism to his double personality, Sho wields duel swords in which he chains attacks together at extreme speed.
To compensate for not having the ability of using a rangy Persona like Minazuki, the game Sho relies on is extreme quickness, constant pressure, and some unorthodox sequences within his offense and defense to maintain unpredictability.
He is not much of a threat from far away, but his ability to close distance from various angles and positions makes it a problem for those that try to keep him at bay. However, similar to his reckless personality, Sho often has to put himself in predicaments where he is forced to take large risks in order to truly capitalize on something substantial.
Despite his villainous actions, Sho is sinister by circumstance, not by nature, and without that circumstance, Sho’s true nature is one of a carefree, duel wielding punk who believes he is unmatched when it comes to a fight.
MacSplicer Stats – Sho Minazuki
Favorite Sho move – Soaring Fang (EX)
Favorite Sho player – Okusan
Favorite game w/Sho – Persona 4 Arena Ultimax
Favorite match-up w/Sho – vs Tohru Adachi
MacSplicer 