[ ↔ | Detail o1: Change in Appearance | & ]
Believe it or not, there are reasons for my choosing to have Minato appear as strangely as he does. Each piece of clothing has a specific, representative purpose that shows just a bit of his past or himself.
The black and white striped clothing: If you've ever seen an image of Pharos, then the reason for this should become immediate: Pharos wears what appears to almost be a prison suit! If you never noticed or thought of that, then you weren't very observant while playing Persona 3!
The stripes represent the fact he's trapped, in my mind. So, as such, they are much the same for Minato: he is, for better or for worse, residing alongside Naoto. Therefore, this clothing subconsciously manifests itself as such, all the way down to his sneakers. The reason he's wearing warm, winter clothing is because his supposed death was truly around winter, and in becoming the seal, he hadn't the chance to feel warmth other than the remedial energy of Aigis' touch to his dying body.
The yellow and black scarf: Because of his situation, Minato cannot help but remember Pharos and Ryoji, and the short-lived time they had together. He has a small desire to help Naoto fix things, and, if he can--though he may never admit it--make her happy. Seeing Teddie reminded him, constantly, of the bubbly Appriser, and he missed him.
The Lyre around his shoulders: Minato's original Persona was Orpheus, Master of Strings. His remembrance, at seeing Naoto, reminded him of his own starting out; of how it had all began. It reminded him of his resolve for his team, and his own learning to be a leader. The entire time he had one Persona among all the others: Orpheus.
Orpheus is based on the Greek poet, and his story, in mythology, is a very sad one indeed.
The most famous story in which Orpheus figures is that of his wife Eurydice (also known as Agriope). While fleeing from Aristaeus (the son of Apollo), Eurydice ran into a nest of snakes which bit her fatally on her heel. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept.
On their advice, Orpheus traveled to the underworld and by his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone (he was the only person ever to do so), who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. He set off with Eurydice following and in his anxiety as soon as he reached the upper world he turned to look at her, forgetting that both needed to be in the upper world, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever.
The gloves and chains inlet around his arms and lower body: These chains represent the fact that he cannot stop being the seal; that he must return to that fate. Not only that, but they also represent Thanatos, his reminder of death, and in turn, his remembrance of Ryoji Mochizuki.
He knows that, in all possible irony, he is now in the very same position Ryoji was in all those years he was growing up, inside of him. The fact he wears the gloves means he's willing to accept and keep a grasp of this, and not simply look away from his fate. He is a seal. He will stay a seal.
Those chains also represent, in another facet, the fact that no matter what, Erebus is still attempting to hurt him... to break what residual bit of his true body and soul is left as the seal guarding Nyx down... and he still feels it. This is why it is necessary for him to disappear from time to time; merely to rest. If he is in possession of Naoto's consciousness, he doesn't feel the pain nearly as closely. However, he sets her own soul aside, as to not allow her to experience it--it is a fate he wishes on no mortal. In this state, she is in much the same suspended sleep as he is: inside a nothingness; a white room, and she is unaware of what is going on around her in the real world.
Hmmm, I think that's about it for Minato. Naoto herself shouldn't need much explanation, but more will always be added if I feel a need for it.
The black and white striped clothing: If you've ever seen an image of Pharos, then the reason for this should become immediate: Pharos wears what appears to almost be a prison suit! If you never noticed or thought of that, then you weren't very observant while playing Persona 3!
The stripes represent the fact he's trapped, in my mind. So, as such, they are much the same for Minato: he is, for better or for worse, residing alongside Naoto. Therefore, this clothing subconsciously manifests itself as such, all the way down to his sneakers. The reason he's wearing warm, winter clothing is because his supposed death was truly around winter, and in becoming the seal, he hadn't the chance to feel warmth other than the remedial energy of Aigis' touch to his dying body.
The yellow and black scarf: Because of his situation, Minato cannot help but remember Pharos and Ryoji, and the short-lived time they had together. He has a small desire to help Naoto fix things, and, if he can--though he may never admit it--make her happy. Seeing Teddie reminded him, constantly, of the bubbly Appriser, and he missed him.
The Lyre around his shoulders: Minato's original Persona was Orpheus, Master of Strings. His remembrance, at seeing Naoto, reminded him of his own starting out; of how it had all began. It reminded him of his resolve for his team, and his own learning to be a leader. The entire time he had one Persona among all the others: Orpheus.
Orpheus is based on the Greek poet, and his story, in mythology, is a very sad one indeed.
The most famous story in which Orpheus figures is that of his wife Eurydice (also known as Agriope). While fleeing from Aristaeus (the son of Apollo), Eurydice ran into a nest of snakes which bit her fatally on her heel. Distraught, Orpheus played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept.
On their advice, Orpheus traveled to the underworld and by his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone (he was the only person ever to do so), who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world. He set off with Eurydice following and in his anxiety as soon as he reached the upper world he turned to look at her, forgetting that both needed to be in the upper world, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever.
The gloves and chains inlet around his arms and lower body: These chains represent the fact that he cannot stop being the seal; that he must return to that fate. Not only that, but they also represent Thanatos, his reminder of death, and in turn, his remembrance of Ryoji Mochizuki.
He knows that, in all possible irony, he is now in the very same position Ryoji was in all those years he was growing up, inside of him. The fact he wears the gloves means he's willing to accept and keep a grasp of this, and not simply look away from his fate. He is a seal. He will stay a seal.
Those chains also represent, in another facet, the fact that no matter what, Erebus is still attempting to hurt him... to break what residual bit of his true body and soul is left as the seal guarding Nyx down... and he still feels it. This is why it is necessary for him to disappear from time to time; merely to rest. If he is in possession of Naoto's consciousness, he doesn't feel the pain nearly as closely. However, he sets her own soul aside, as to not allow her to experience it--it is a fate he wishes on no mortal. In this state, she is in much the same suspended sleep as he is: inside a nothingness; a white room, and she is unaware of what is going on around her in the real world.
Hmmm, I think that's about it for Minato. Naoto herself shouldn't need much explanation, but more will always be added if I feel a need for it.