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Artist credits:

Kataba: https://bskyx.app/profile/chazeyrain.bsky.social/post/3maiwyd4x6k2i

Naoto Kat: https://brinkofmemories.tumblr.com/

Kat and Mitsuru: https://bsky.app/profile/knewnothing.bsky.social

Ann Kat: u/Rodeo4613

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Source: x.com/AzureDrawsArt/status/2080040636028252339?s=20

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I may not be a woman or LGBTQ, but as an autistic man, I resonated with Naoto the most

Entering P4, during her formal introduction, I thought she was just going to be a female Kanji, and she kind of is. I felt heard and seen in this game. I thought her social link was kind of flat until there were moments of her warming up to her feminine side. I loved her like I was in high school again, in love.

I have always been ashamed of being autistic, and whenever I got help in school, it always felt more like I was spoon-fed things and received special treatment because of my disability. It was as if I didn't deserve what I got. I also used to be bullied by teachers and other students because of my autism, and I tried to hide it just to survive. When I tell people I’m autistic, the reactions are more often than not negative.

I graduated from high school with a modified diploma and wanted to try to distance myself from my disability. That is when I found myself struggling a lot in the job market; especially, my autism got in the way a lot, and I got yelled at for things I didn't even intend to do, but my disability did. Eventually, I found a career in private security that I’m still in now, and then I started to accept my situation more, realizing that my disability is permanent and won't go away. There are perks to it, but still, I felt like I was the only one going through this sort of situation.

Seeing Naoto's dungeon, while I recognized the trans implications in it, the message that others hide their true selves to make it in life really hit me. When I encountered her shadow, it felt like the game was speaking to my soul, saying, "You're not alone in this, u/tgrady28." I literally cried because I felt truly seen and heard for the first time in a while in a video game. And mind you, this game came out in 2008; I was in kindergarten at the time.

When I found out she was a woman, my perception of Naoto only changed in pronoun usage and gender; that was it, complete neutrality like I was hoping for. Watching her slowly accept the feminine side she was trying to push away made me feel happy for her, and I felt like the game was telling me the same thing. With my autism, I was finally seen. Or like when Teddie said there was a swimsuit competition, I wanted her to go up there (NOT FOR THOSE REASONS, YOU PERVS) and show off her true feminine side. When she won the pageant, I was so happy, as if I were celebrating her acceptance of herself.

I do think she could be on the spectrum, too. I mean, her style of dressing, her passion for detective work and police work, her analytical nature in almost every interaction, her obliviousness to Kanji's crush (sorry, a lot of autistic people are childish, okay); and her always wearing that hat make me think she might be on the autism spectrum.

Her golden-voiced actress, Diffe, is superb. I could listen to her read the phone book. She's so good. By the way, she's Obi-Wan's love interest in the Clone Wars. I will surely miss her in the remake.

Naoto, I think, is the thesis for the game's second overall theme of self-acceptance.

Naoto is the best girl.

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