One of the most appealing concepts about Makoto is that while she may act rough and sometimes very cold, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t care. Makoto is all about calculations and that keeps the rest of the team safe from rushing too fast into trouble. The downside of this caring personality is she tends to endanger herself for the group to avoid them having to get into danger. An example of this can be seen in several occasions such as when she acts as bait for the mafia so the team can follow her trail, as well as when she probes her own sister’s laptop for information thanks to Futaba’s hacking flash drive. Makoto isn’t a tough girl to just be tough, she does it to help others and for that we love that aspect of her.

All in all, to be tough and kind isn’t an easy juggling act. Makoto suffers at times with her own realization that it could be from her inferiority complex but that doesn’t stop her from beating enemies alongside the gang. We really appreciate that Makoto is one of those girls that knows how to balance the two elements very well and we’re sure that is why fans love her in equal measure. Seriously though, one of her quotes shows just how scary she can be when agitated and that is the line “Feel my Rage!”.

Makoto’s calculations don’t just come out of thin air. Thanks to her impressive knowledge and smart way of thinking, Makoto plans out most of the team’s next moves weighing possible consequences and issues that could present themselves. When she began to suspect Akechi as being a possible threat, Makoto began to gain information from him to see how much he truly knew. This may seem risky but Makoto knew full well the risk and was smart about how much she interacted with him. Makoto isn’t a third year honor student for nothing after all, and at the same time, that intelligence really makes her a true asset for the Phantom Thieves.

Okay while Futaba may have a flying saucer as her Persona, Makoto’s Persona is a literal motorcycle. Johana, Makoto’s Persona, is actually based off the legend that there was a woman who reigned as Pope for a short while in the medieval times. The tradition of Pope is usually reserved for men, but in Joan’s case, she went against the tide and showed that she could do the work men could in the same. What’s beautiful about this is that it’s akin to Makoto’s personality that shows a girl who can go with the punches just as much as say Joker or Ryuji. It just goes to show that Makoto may be super cute and very attractive but if you mess with her she’ll show you that she can fight back. Seriously though, a persona that’s a motorcycle…so dang cool.

No but in all seriousness, Makoto’s motorcycle persona shows that she isn’t just your typical Brainiac. Makoto shows it several times in the game’s story and side missions that she doesn’t take crap about a trait that most likely runs in the family because Sae captures that ideal very well also. The motorcycle idea Atlus had was such a clever concept and we give them a round of applause from here at Honey’s Anime. We do kind of dislike the fact that her Persona does alter once max into a non-motorcycle but even when it’s Anat, the final Persona form, it’s still pretty dang cool.

Let’s be honest: Sae, Makoto’s sister, isn’t the nicest woman around. At one point of the story, Sae lashes out at Makoto because of her own failures at work. Does Makoto lash back at her big sister? No, instead Makoto realizes that her sister is dealing with a lot of pressure to find the Phantom Thieves, which at this point, includes her. Makoto still consoles her and gives Sae a confidence boost. To make matters worse, Makoto knows full well she’s causing issues for Sae by being a Phantom Thief, but she must continue her work saving hearts, and that is a priority. However, luckily the two find some common place when, at the end, they begin to work together in order to stop Tokyo’s fall.

So to conclude, Makoto is the sister that cares and that is a nice element of her character. When the team has to invade Sae’s heart to stop her from being corrupt, Makoto doesn’t rely on stealing her sister’s treasure to change her. Instead Makoto has a discussion that only a sister can have with a fellow sister and it makes Sae’s inner self realize the folly of her nature. This move mystifies the group but at the same time, they realize that only Makoto was able to accomplish such a feat given her bond with Sae being so strong. If you gain anything from Makoto’s nature towards Sae it’s that maybe you should treat your siblings well; You never know when they may need to enter your heart to stop your own demise.

Thankfully, if players want, they can romance Makoto and make her a possible girlfriend—which is our dream come true here at Honey’s Anime. Makoto really shows genuine compassion for the main character; This is shown even before their possible relationship. Makoto tells the protagonist of her feelings of inferiority in comparison to Sae and it’s up to the player to convince her through actions that show she is just as good if not better than her sister. We recommend this route because it allows the players to see a whole new side of Makoto not seen in the main story. Plus the fact that you can go on dates with Makoto is awesome, since we consider her one of the best girls of Persona 5—heck maybe the whole Persona franchise.