If you haven't read Part 1 of my Yoshizawa character breakdown I highly recommend doing so before continuing further.
Much like Part 1, Part 2 will feature unfiltered spoilers for both Persona 5 and Royal. This is especially true for Part 2 as I'm now discussing post-game Royal-exclusive content so caution is advised. Before I start to segue into Royal, the moment in which Kasumi shows up to help Joker isn't often broken down into detail.
Something I always asked myself was why and how. Why did Kasumi help Joker? How was she able to as Kasumi only used her powers once? Other party members had at least a single dungeon run to get used to their abilities but Kasumi has not had the same luxury. She would not have known of Mementos, a training ground based on a Palace that will never crumble. Kasumi was also highly focused on her gymnastics. There was no way she was ready enough to fight and yet she did so anyway because she wanted to help Ren.
When she sees Joker in Niijima’s Palace, Joker accepts her help, treating her as his equal among the Thieves despite her not being an official member. He even gives her thanks once he returns, with the promise that he will return safely. In the main story’s final dungeon, Kasumi is an onlooker like the others despite having the power to do so. Almost as if there’s still something holding her back.
Persona 5 Royal includes post-game content in the form of a Third Semester taking place the entire January after. In the original Persona 5, Joker is finally arrested for his crimes, which let’s be honest he did commit quite a few just not murder. He was acquitted of all charges thanks to Sae and he returns home before the beginning of the new school year.
Royal forgoes this entire ending and jumps straight into New Year’s Day, where suddenly everything is different. Futaba’s mother is alive. Sae and Makoto’s sibling bonds have been restored and their parents are living. Ann and her best friend Shiho are enjoying a nice time out. Ryujii is a successful track runner. The list goes on. I don’t want to derail from Kasumi but those who were under the effects of the Third Semester genjutsu were living their best lives.
All except Akechi, who was pissed that he was cheated out of death, Joker, who is the protagonist so his spatial awareness is on another level, and of course, Kasumi. That’s because Kasumi has been living under this same “genjutsu” for so long that she wasn’t aware it was an illusion until the wool was removed from her eyes. Kasumi was dead this whole time. She was her older sister who saw her run into the street to chase after her foolish little sister. It was her little sister who got Kasumi killed in a traffic accident. That little sister standing before Ren and Akechi was Sumire Yoshizawa.
Removing the gamey aspect from Persona 5 Royal leaves a tragic yet familiar premise. Sumire was a girl who loved her older sister so much that she felt extreme grief for losing her. She blamed herself for Kasumi’s death even if it wasn’t her fault. Living life as Sumire caused great pain, so she decided to live through her sister. Kasumi was the one who deserved to live and was cheated out of a life, not Sumire. Sumire is the “murderer,” so even if she was once her, she can’t be her anymore. That guilt will live on forever.
Kasumi was implied to be an okay gymnast, but the sheer determination to live through her sister was the motivation to push Sumire harder. She started to take up her confidence, and her personality, and thanks to Dr Maruki’s influence, Sumire was effectively wiped away from existence. Despite this, trauma never goes away especially unresolved trauma such as this. The world may forget your existence eventually but you will never forget your own. Sumire was always there, pleading to escape.
When she first awoke her Persona, I don’t think that timid girl was meant to be Kasumi, but Sumire. Rather, the real Sumire who was begging to be let free. “You must…” “Please…” The constant voice trails, the uncertainty. Sumire wasn’t erased but was whimpering and asking to be let free and forgiven. When Sumire says she wishes to protect our dream, she means the spirit of Kasumi is alive through her. Kasumi could have her hair tied up in a knot, act with a regal aura, and have this super cool girl vibe to her. She could win various tournaments and have full-ride scholarships. She is not Kasumi though. She is Sumire and that is what ruins her. Sumire lives with stained blood on her hands. She says it best, she doesn't want to live as her sister's murderer.
Survivor’s guilt is a very bitter pill to swallow, especially if one always feels like they could have done more for someone when they were alive. If I had been more attentive if I had done this correctly, would things be different? Sumire becoming Kasumi and Dr. Maruki’s influence are all based on “What if I could have prevented an unpreventable situation?” Sometimes, the only way to escape life is to live it through others. Sumire represents a type of character that I felt isn’t often explored as it also discusses what happens when negative therapy is taken for trauma.
Maruki tries to help Sumire but his idea of help is to keep Sumire as Kasumi to continue living in peace as her sister, knowing that she is living the best life she could. Is that “best life” worth it if you lose your sense of self? For Futaba, would it be worth it to bring back a deceased mother if it would undo the progress made toward overcoming social anxiety?
Those are questions that are answered on a case-by-case basis. For Sumire, it led to her coming to blows with the Phantom Thieves. At this point, they had all broken free from Maruki's grasp. Sumire was still holding on because of her internalized conflict. When it begins to put her at risk of eating her away, she pulls through.
Much like Cinderella, the fear of the clock striking at midnight was always a possibility for Sumire. At any moment the clock could strike twelve and she would get her redemption for her sister's death. Her glass slippers, shattering in the same way her mind was. It may be the second to last boss fight in Persona 5 Royal before the gauntlet that is Maruki, but it's easily one of Royal's heaviest fights.
In the end, hardships happen in life but it’s the experience that serves as the best medicine. Maruki doesn’t see it that way but Sumire does. The pain of acknowledging her sister’s death was worth having the capacity to love herself enough to forgive herself. Her true Persona awakening begins when she realizes that the girl who was crying inside to be let free was her. It wasn't Kasumi or Sumire wanting to be Kasumi. It was just another side of the same coin. An image of her sister appears before her, this time giving her strength to become who she always was. Sumire.
By the end of Royal, Sumire intends to continue her gymnast career, this time as herself. Kasumi will always live through Sumire, but as a warming spirit that burns her soul. She would not have gotten there were it not for Ren and the others. Sometimes that’s all it takes. All it takes are others to see through the mask to see that crying face behind that asks for help. Sometimes others may see potential you may not see in yourself.
Sumire’s role in Persona 5 Royal was used as a key item for the exclusive Third Semester. She’s not a playable character until then. Even so, her time with the Phantom Thieves is brief yet pleasant. If Sumire overcame her trauma early or in a way similar to the Phantom Thieves, she would have fit along with them just fine.
At first, I wished she was included in the base game, but it would not have lined up with the events properly. She was never a Phantom Thief. She was added to the group as their way of saying “You’ve found family with us.” Her social link events are rather cute and charming, showing a shier personality than Kasumi’s boldness. There is, however, a boost of confidence in herself. In the beginning, she appeared too concerned about how Joker felt about her at times. Now, if Joker rejects her, she takes the news very well, thanking him for his kindness. A night and day difference.
I realized this is the longest piece I’ve written and while I can call this a review on Persona 5 Royal, it’s more a review of the character, Sumire Yoshizawa. I played Royal in 2021 after beating the vanilla game twice already, thinking it would just be more of the same but with some “fanservice” stuff tacked on. What I got was a new subplot that wove its way into the main story, eventually eclipsing it. It’s rare to see trauma represented in such a way that it’s as relatable as this.
Telling it in the way of a “perfect world” shows various trauma responses and it's up to the player ultimately in how to handle it. Even the game makes you believe there is no “right” or “wrong” answer. If escape is a way to heal, then by all means out of sight out of mind. The other option may be painful but each comes with its pros and cons.
For Sumire, after spending years “escaping” and realizing that all she was doing was hurting her real self, she would choose herself over and over again now. I think that’s very motivational, coming from someone still handling years of loss. Persona 3 Reload will release in two weeks and that will be on Game Pass so we will be talking about Persona for many times to come this year.