Difference between revisions of "Miwa Saitou"

"Even if we feel weak, together we can be strong."

Profile: A business student at Sumaru University known for her diligence and pleasant nature, Miwa is secretly a member of the Shinsengumi, a group that seeks to protect Sumaru from supernatural threats. Though wary and disinclined towards pain and violence, Miwa possesses an unshakeable will in spite of (or because of) the terrible things that have befallen her. She is determined to stick by her friends no matter what happens, and help them.

Skills: Es Muß Sein!, My God It's Full of Stars, I Get By (With a Little Help From My Friends), Magic! Wheel of Light~, Let There Be Peace Between Us and You

Daughter of Miyoko and Kouhei Saitou, Miwa was raised and grew up in Nagaoka. However, in the October of 2004, the city was rocked by the mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake, and her mother was killed when their house partially collapsed. In the months following the disaster, her father took a job in Sumaru, supporting his daughter from afar while she lived with her grandparents. In early 2007, once he was finally financially secure once again, Miwa went to live with her father in Sumaru, starting her first year of high school in a new city. After graduating from Seven Sisters High, she's gone on to study business at Sumaru University.

• Weapon
  Trench Knife: A sturdy knife made for combat. It comes with a heavy-duty sheath.
• Body
  Cotton Shirt: A simple pink cotton top with a very faint floral pattern.
• Feet
  Black Flats: Plain black women's shoes, made to be both fashionable and easy to walk around in.
• Accessory
  Chrysoberyl Choker: A simple black choker, accented with a chrysoberyl catseye pin.
  Cannot be unequipped. Usually.

• Fortune-telling: "Say, would you like me to tell your fortune? I can find out if we're compatible."
  Like it says on the tin. Miwa tells the demon's fortune.
• Plead: "Aaah, no, no, please don't hurt me!"
  Miwa pretends to be scared of the demon and begs for mercy.
• Occult: "I'm wondering, are you familiar with the concept of sympathetic magic at all...?"
  Miwa attempts to impress the demon with her occult knowledge.
• Praise: "Oh, Apep, you're such a wise demon! I can learn so much from you!"
  Miwa sings the praises of the demon, hoping to get it in a better mood.

• Kouhei Saitou (Death Reversed): Miwa's father. A salaryman and an often-absent parent who works very late, Miwa and he have a strained relationship, though it has been slowly improving. He knows she has a Persona, though not much more than that. Has a very subdued personality.
• Miyoko Saitou (The Star): Miwa's deceased mother. Highly idealized by Miwa and her father.
• Miki "Micchan" Hisakawa (Strength): A close friend of Miwa's. Kind of ditzy and over-talkative, but a steadfast friend in spite of all the upsets their relationship has had.

• Miwa's legal name is, in fact, Miwako. Like many young women, she's dropped the -ko suffix because she feels it's childish. Her first name can be translated roughly as 'corona child' and her surname, 'equal wisteria'. Her first name is in fact written unusually in kanji. It seems her mother is to blame for this.
• Her father's first name is written 黄平. It can be read as 'yellow peace'. Similarly, her mother's first name was written 美夜子. It can be read as 'beautiful night child'. With this in mind, one can see her mother as having been a bit fond of little puns.
• Her username means 'advent of angel', but the kanji of 'kourin' is the same as her first name. The numbers are also significant: they're the day and year of the earthquake, and also her mother's death. In a way, it can be read as 'the day my mother became an angel'.
• Miwa plays the cello; despite her hobby, she has no interest in studying music exclusively, although she is shaping up to be a music minor at Sumaru University.
• Miwa's other hobby is plant terrariums. The apartment she lives in has very little room for large plants, and certainly no garden like her grandparents had, so she's tried to bring a little greenery to her home by carefully tending tiny plants in bottles and jars.
• Her dream is to own her own small business.
• She is an adequate cook; no gourmet chef but can follow a recipe and can improvise without killing a man.
• Her favorite foods include: mizuyoukan (red bean paste block jelly), brown rice curry and kiritanpo-nabe (grilled rice-skewer soup). Her least favorite foods include anything deep-fried and greasy.
• Her blood type is A.
• Miwa has a strong fondness for having many pillows in her bed when she sleeps.

Miwa is not meant for melee combat, that much is clear. Unable to endure many blows or inflict much damage by her hands alone, her true strength lies in the magical arts, though she has been applying herself in the realm of physical combat of late, under tutelage from her friends. She is also rather lucky, perhaps the result of some good karma or maybe her 'lucky charm', the choker she always wears.

Special: Charismatic Kismet - Drawing upon the power of her Persona and her mystical knowledge both, Miwa works an incantation over herself and a few of her allies, bolstering ability to land a critical hit, as well as soothing some of their injuries.

Ratri was the Vedic goddess of the night, sister to Ushas, the goddess of the dawn. She was invoked to protect those who must brave the dangers that lurked in the darkness, and to light their path with her many starry eyes. Her domain did not end with night-time travelers, though; she also kept watch over those who slept, ensuring their reinvigorating rest. She was the bringer of the morning dew, as well. However, despite her general benign depiction, Ratri possessed a grimmer aspect: she was not only the protector against the hazards of night, she was also those very same hazards.

To other users, Miwa's resonance centers around the concept of a lamp in a dark room. Depending on the sensory details favored by the one detecting, how this translates may vary. She may sound like the low hum of a lamp with the occasional soft cry of a night bird, smell like a lamp that's been on too long, ozone mixed with the smell of night air after a long rain; or simply burn like a lantern in the darkness.

Miwa's talents, always on the edge of transforming into something more gifted with resonance, have finally shifted. A spotter-class Persona-user now, she excels at sensing the presence of danger (as demons or Shadows) and has talent with detecting the resonance of others, though there are those whose presence can escape her senses.

Something is also relaxing about her presence to other spotter-class Persona-users. They may feel as if they can find what they are looking for more easily. She's as a result incredibly easily felt by other Persona users with even the slightest talent for detecting resonance, as she seems to 'bleed' resonance.

• Cutscene: I'm Sorry - Sometimes promises are broken... (November 5th, 2009)
• Cutscene: The Door Is Open - Desperate to save Kyo, Miwa behaves recklessly. (May 3rd, 2011)
• Cutscene: A Father's Despair - Miwa's father, guilt-ridden, laments what has happened to his daughter. (May 4th, 2011)
• Cutscene: A Mirror Darkly - A very familiar face regards her reflection. (June 24th, 2011)
• Cutscene: Before It's Too Late - Miwa goes to visit her father and have a very important chat with him. (July 29th, 2011)