#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️

[kingspuppet]

OKAY BUT WAIT HOLD ON A SEC BECAUSE SPEAKING OF HIS NAME Superman is a superhero and proudly has an 'S' on his costume, and it's kind of like a signature. So is the reason Goro puts 'A' on everything (his attache case, his Detective Prince epaulets/belt, etc.) because it's like what a hero would do?? ;3;

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//Maybe someone's already pointed this out #//But I'm just realizing it now AND GOD HE JUST WANTS TO BE A HERO SO BAD ;3; #//He had to mature so quickly but deep down there's still this kid that just wants to be the hero AND I'M HURTING

[kingspuppet-a]

Unnecessarily Detailed Dislikes

Please repost, don’t reblog.

Answer the questions for your muse and tag some people.

Muse name: Goro Akechi

Least favorite nickname: Charismatic Detective (he hates knowing the public prefers his mask to his true self)

Least favorite color: Anything pastel

Least favorite season: Winter (too many bad memories and events)

Least favorite weather: Thunderstorms (hates the noise)

Least favorite—hot or cold: Hot (unless it’s warm food)

Least favorite holiday: Christmas (how could he like a holiday that he never got to enjoy?)

Least favorite food: Anything spicy

Least favorite flavor: Artificial orange flavoring

Least favorite drink: Soda of any kind

Least favorite scent: Shido’s cologne

Least favorite sound: Shido’s voice

Least favorite book: Fairytale anthologies

Least favorite movie: Titanic (he’d scream at Jack to “get on the damn door, already”)

Least favorite tv show: Japanese soap operas

Least favorite school subject or area of study: Art/creative classes

Least favorite aspect of their job: Having to be someone that’s not true to himself just to be liked

Least favorite fictional character: Gray Pigeon (hates seeing himself in them)

Least favorite person: Himself

Least favorite trait in others: Sentimentality and false kindness

Least favorite place: Shido’s office

Least favorite thing to talk about: His feelings

Least favorite thing about themselves: Everything, there’s nothing he likes about himself

Least favorite sexual position: N/A

Least favorite daily chore: Dusting

Least favorite style of clothing: Casual streetwear or lolita

Least favorite activity: Sleeping and eating

Least favorite superpower: Flying (thinks it’s the most useless power/hates superheroes who rely on it most)

Least favorite thing about humanity in general: They’re foolish and hopelessly naive

Least favorite thing about being in love: The way someone can make him feel so vulnerable, and how it makes his heart race and gives him butterflies

Least favorite thing about death: The sound of silence that follows

tagged by: @captivemuses (Thank you!!)​

tagging: If you’re reading this consider yourself tagged!

#; Dash Games || To Toy With a Heart ♟️ #; Headcanon || Goro ♟️

[kingspuppet]

The idea of Goro hating Maruki almost as much as Shido constantly lives rent free in my head. I think in some way Goro understands why someone may want to live in a perfect world, but at the same time he's too much of a pessimistic realist to believe that such things would ever be possible. There's no growth there for anyone. And most of all, it's not possible for everyone to be happy. No one's ideals line up perfectly, and to make someone happy in that kind of reality then those that would have to fit themselves to those roles would lose their happiness and autonomy out of someone else's selfish desires. That's not even mentioning how it takes away everything that built Goro into who he is. He may harbor some guilt for his actions but he doesn't regret them. He wouldn't take them back. But Maruki taking that all away would make Goro nothing more than a breathing doll. Everything that makes Goro who he is would be gone, and while he feels that it'd be played up to "stop him from suffering" he knows the "happiness" he craves doesn't line up with the reasons he was brought back in the first place. His wants and desires don't hold any water, and it only serves to erase the one choice he was able to make for himself. He's learned that nothing in life comes for free, and he'll be damned if Maruki tries to take that away from him.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #; Analysis || Goro ♟️ #//Merry crisis have some angsty brainworms

[kingspuppet]

As grateful as Goro is that the Thieves took down Shido and kept that promise to him, there's no denying how much of a failure he feels he is for how everything transpired. He spent years working on his plan to tear Shido down. Everything was planned to the last detail with counter plans in place on the chance that things ended up going in a different direction. But he never accounted for the Thieves emerging just for them to throw wrench after wrench into everything he meticulously put into place. As if that wasn't bad enough, he never anticipated Shido reading him look a worn-torn novel. He always had doubts about Shido really being that oblivious throughout their entire partnership. But he always brushed it away as anxiety because he couldn't afford the panic that doubt would inevitably bring. But Shido knowing all along and knowing which buttons to push to get Goro to comply stings the most. He hates how naive he is for being so desperate for any sort of attention and affection, and that Shido knew it too. Was the last few years of his life really worth it when it all amounted to this? He never had the upper hand, and now he gets to die alone in the dark, cold bowels of his father's ship to a puppet with his face. His revenge was ripped right from his hands ––– if it was even his to grasp in the first place. And when he's brought back on that cold December night it's not what he wished for, but at least he can give a testimony of his own and help push Shido behind bars. But that's especially fleeting, and when he finds himself miraculously released and able to go free his anger is incomprehensible. Now he has all the time in the world to lament his failures and shortcomings. How even when he thought he was succeeding he was only destroying himself further by playing right into the hand of the man he hates the most. His anger has become destructive in the wake of knowing that he was never good enough as he trashes what little things he has in his apartment. His palms are bleeding from smashing his mirror onto the floor, bed turned over and sheets ripped to shreds, and clothes sopping wet with hair clinging to his face as he screams into the tiled floor of his shower when it becomes abundantly clear that he was forced into a game he could never win.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//I'm running on two hours of sleep in the span of twenty-four hours so I'm surprised I haven't collapsed yet. #//But I have brainworms soooooo I lovingly present them to you. 🫶🏻 #//Also aside from Maruki wanting to completely strip Goro of his autonomy him taking away Goro's only choice in the engine room #//just makes him resent him all that much more. :))) #//I know I've talked about that more BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT OKAY #//He never gets to exact any revenge on Shido in any capacity because it's always taken away from him. #//It makes his anger burn hotter and brighter than the fires in the deepest depths of hell. #//And while I do love Maruki dearly I think Goro should be able to punch him and Shido for some semblance of catharsis.

[kingspuppet]

Goro treats life like a game of chess in both the literal and figurative sense. It's a game where strategy and sacrifice is everything. Every move you make can either propel you forward or land devastating blows. And Goro uses this ideology to his advantage when trying to calculate the different outcomes and probabilities within his plans. He does whatever he can to make sure each option and piece on the board is accounted for with the utmost consideration, because any miscalculation could end in ruin –––– inevitably snatching away his victory. Due to this line of thinking, Goro isn't considering it all to be a single game or large board of chess. To him he's playing multiple games at once, and in each game Goro is viewed as different pieces on the board in the eyes of others. Shido is the king on this side of the board, and he presents Goro as a rook. He's the frontline defender to the conspiracy that hides behind the row of pawns as he's sent out to eliminate their targets. His actions are swift and direct, always solidified in his path with little to no deviation. He can't afford any missteps. But Goro also views himself as a knight. Only his movements as the knight are deceptive. He's able to angle himself to the place he pleases under the guise of protecting their king. Plays are made to sacrifice what is unnecessary and what will inevitably lead to an opening to their own king. But in reality Shido sees this and puts Goro on a pedestal of higher power when he's actually nothing more than a pawn. All of Shido's pieces are secretly pawns, and Goro is his most important and destructive one. He's a pawn that plays more than his role will ever allow and in the end it will leave Goro punished for it, completely wiping him from the game entirely. With his mask of the Detective Prince and his position when he joins the Thieves, he plays the role of a knight. He's willing to surpass who he needs to with unexpected twists and turns to get him to his end goal. It's an important piece. One that is highly regarded by those around them, but with enough leeway to show that he still has much to learn from both the Thieves and the cases he works on. When in reality he knows much more than he'll ever let on. He'll use his same position as the knight to leave the openings he needs so he can deal the final blow. This mindset stays relatively the same even when Maruki comes into the picture, but this time he immediately knows that Maruki pegs him as a pawn. To what extent, Goro isn't sure of that right away. But he persists as playing the role of the knight allowing him to weave his way through their enemies to protect the fragile pieces left on his board. The truth of the matter is, is that Goro plays almost every piece on the board to suit the tasks that need to be done. It's a complicated dance across the various games he plays as he tries to keep the balance in order to advance with each one and to make sure they flow harmoniously as he goes. But the one thing that's constant is that no matter what role Goro plays it's just another layer to protect what his true role is beneath it all. The queen ––– the most important piece on the board. The only piece that can play all of the roles at once and move freely. Everyone's so worried about the king playing figurehead in the back that they don't realize the queen's already begun their move towards victory, and that they'll do anything in their power to seize it.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #; Analysis || Goro ♟️ #//I really like the chess symbolism okay. #//But also the idea that Goro never views himself as the king I feel can also really fit his character. #//He'd view the king as nothing more than a distraction piece. Sure once it's seized that means victory. #//But at the same time the king can do nothing without the pieces around them. They can't protect or fight or make any of the big moves. #//It's a good image of how he views Shido in that he'd have nothing if it weren't for Goro. #//That they may be the supposed mastermind but in reality the power they hold is nothing but a farce.

[kingspuppet]

Also, I don't think I've ever talked about what Goro thinks of Sophia before? Maybe I'll make a formal post about it later. But all you need to know is that he sees her in a similar light to Sumi. He finds Sophia's own naivety to be oddly endearing, but she's competent in battle and battle strategy so he respects that. She doesn't look like much but she pulls her weight and that's what matters.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #; Verse || Straight Up Devious (Strikers) ♟️ #//Sophie's just got little sister energy that he comes to appreciate.

[kingspuppet]

In his Strikers verse Goro would spend so much time glaring at Zenkichi specifically. Due to his ties with pubsec and his strange union with the Thieves, Goro doesn't trust him in the slightest. With the Thieves having yet another target on their back with the police he doesn't believe for a second that Zenkichi is doing all of this from the good of his heart. He's just another lapdog to the government, and Goro knows that means there's likely motives that's not being said. And even if there isn't (which he refuses to believe that there isn't anything) his time working as a detective and handlings through Shido have taught him that they can't be trusted to begin with. So naturally Zenkichi is no different. He's just another adult using the young for their own personal benefit, and it outright disgusts Goro that the Thieves would let someone like that into their fold. Goro would make those feelings very clear from the jump about how Zenkichi isn't to be trusted and that the Thieves are naive for letting him tag along like this. He knows that can be very hypocritical as they did the same, to an extent, with Goro himself. But the way he perceives Zenkichi to be going about things bothers him greatly. So he has no problems keeping a close eye on him for the short time that he's reunited with everyone. He also can't help but take immense joy in Zenkichi's blunders. He may not add to the teasing of calling him gramps, but he certainly has no problem in mocking and outright laughing when Zenkichi makes even the smallest of mistakes. Being able to laugh at Zenkichi's misery is the only thing that Goro likes about the man.

#; Verse || Straight Up Devious (Strikers) ♟️ #; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//Even after everything is said and done he still doesn't hold any trust for him. #//But gosh it would be interesting to see some bonding between them so they can at least have a mutual understanding. #//I feel like they could learn a lot from each other. #//And it would take Goro from hating Zenkichi to mildly despising him instead.

[kingspuppet]

"There's no reason to hide anymore. Not even from myself."

My sprite edit for a post-canon, late twenties Goro is finally finished! It took me 16+ hours and honestly I'm so damn happy and proud with how this came out. I've never undertaken such a hard sprite challenge as I've only ever done minor adjustments. But this? It was truly a labor of love at the risk of me going insane in the process. I wanted to stay true to his color scheme with his Black Mask attire. The ribbon in his hair I tried to recreate that dissolving effect his cape had, and I tried to keep a small, and not as obnoxious, nod to his striped suit with it! I also really love the concept of him having belts on his attire so I attempted to recreate a similar effect that's not overboard but nice to look at. I also couldn't help myself by adding his signature A on the collar! As for his accessories he has a necklace of the queen chess piece. If you're not sure why you can read my post about it right here! And lastly, for his earrings I wanted to represent all three of his Personas because I am a sap but also they're all apart of him. Think of it kind of like a union of sorts that all parts of them are Goro's true genuine self and he's not afraid to represent that anymore. A new mask for him is also in the works but that will come awhile later. But for now, I'll put the comparison of the original sprite used next to my edit of it under the cut if you feel like seeing all the changes I made!

#; Visage || Goro ♟️ #//This was a really fun challenge!! #//Will I ever do something like this again though? Ehhhh....maybe? It took me far longer than I thought it would. #//But it did build up some of my confidence since it took a lot of fiddling around with both my photo editor and my drawing software. #//So maybe one day! For now though I'm just proud of myself and that's good enough for me!!! #; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #; Art || Bri ♟️

[kingspuppet]

Goro doesn't really believe in things like magic or fortunes. He also doesn't really believe in higher beings (even though something gave him his powers). So he knows to an extent that the impossible can be possible, but there's just certain things that he thinks are total shams. Psychics for example are one of those things. He doesn't believe some stranger can know your past and future. He also doesn't really believe in aliens or cryptids. This doesn't include the shadows and Personas that exist in the Metaverse, but he doesn't count those as the actual deal and just to be based around them from public cognition. If there's not research, logic, and proof behind it he doesn't believe it to be true. It doesn't mean he won't talk about myths and legends, but he doesn't particularly take them as truth. It's just not something he cares to believe in nor does it really matter to him.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//For things like that too he just doesn't believe because some of those are paraded to 'save' #//but nothing and no one came to save his mother and himself. #//So if those don't exist why would other things that are only talked about in legends and such real? #//It's just not something that he buys into and remains uninterested in.

[kingspuppet]

I feel like we don't talk enough about how agile and flexible Goro is. While he may not be as graceful as Joker it's still incredibly impressive what he's able to do. His damn high-kicking Joker out of danger, his backflip to back off during battle, and just all the potential he's got. Not to mention the strange things in how he stands/his posture when he's letting himself loose in battle. Who the hell even knows what else he's capable of especially since he seems to be able to mask himself and sneak around. It's just interesting and I think we should talk about it more. Also, I don't know if I've ever talked about it on here (I know I have with a friend), but Goro definitely deals with hypermobility. It doesn't actively harm him or is from any kind of trauma/illness. It's just something he has and it doesn't bother him.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//I might've made a post about this on the old blog but I don't remember and I'm too lazy to look right now. #//So I'm just gonna slam this down right here.

[kingspuppet]

I've always really loved the concept of Goro being locked away in a dark corner of his mind if Maruki's reality is accepted. And that part of him is always trying to break free of the mask that Maruki forcefully saddles him with. Sometimes it cracks slightly as he pushes enough to break through. To outsiders it could almost look like he's short-circuiting or he just goes blank for a few seconds, or there's a tiny bout of anger that quickly recedes as if it never happened in the first place. Not to mention when Goro is able to regain some moments of autonomy he tests the invisible shackles that are on him, pushing the boundaries to see what he's able to do and what will help free him. Sometimes it's harmful to himself and other times it's little cues that he leaves about (like notes, objects, etc.) to try and spark something. He's willing to try anything and everything in order to be free.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//I always want to write and expand on this version of Goro. #//Like what is his life like in the 'ideal reality'? Is it something that would actually cater to him? #//Or does it revolve around the others to make him pleasurable for them to be around? #//If that's the case then is it like an off-switch when he's at home alone? #//Or was consideration actually taken and does he have a family that he can go back home to? #//ASDFGHJKLKJHGHJKL I WANNA DELVE INTO THIS CONCEPT SO BAD #//I love the idea of his mind being so warped that it seems beyond repair just to malfunction. #//It's so painfully delicious. I need it now.

[kingspuppet]

When it comes to the Metaverse finally disappearing I think Goro feels some kind of relief. It would kind of be a symbol of that chapter of his life being over, and a part of him is okay with that. While he felt endless power and opened up so much for him he'd also recognize that it always put him in the palm of someone else's hand. All that control over his situation that he thought he finally had wasn't real, and when he thought he finally had an out he was dragged right back into the thick of it. So it's a bit of weight off of his shoulders when he finally realizes that he's free of it all. There's no gods, people playing gods, or Shido to yank him around like a puppet. And he's glad for that. The Metaverse gone means no more being championed as the losing side. Unfortunately it's just as freeing as it is damning. While Goro would see this as a good thing he also realizes that he doesn't know how to live or survive without it. The Metaverse was his outlet and place of safety. It was his place to go where he could just be his genuine self and no one could judge him or look down upon him. It was also where he was able to let out the emotions that were too big for him. He had so much purpose and power that no one else had, that no one else could ever take, and it made him feel special and like he was worth something. He'll grasp at masks and swords that aren't there anymore, there's no place to escape to, and all it does is make him feel hollow. He doesn't know what "normal" is for himself. He's not sure he's ever known it. And with the loss of the only thing that ever felt truly "right" fills him with a heavy grief and sense of powerlessness.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//I've seen people talk about Joker and how he feels post-canon without the Metaverse. #//And thus brainworms took root as a result. #; Queue || I’ll Sow Chaos as Far as the Eye Can See ♟️

[kingspuppet]

Something else I want to touch on in regards to chess symbolism is the pieces being black and white. In both the anime and in the image from the end of the false reality, Goro is playing the white pieces and Joker is playing the black. And awhile back I had seen someone ask if there was any meaning behind it. I didn't see what the response was, but I do have a theory of my own. Goro's thought process in itself is a very black and white mindset. That there can only be one or the other. It's how he views his plans against Shido and the Thieves themselves. There's a right and a wrong way in his mind, and you can see how he struggles with that concept when he's asked to join the Thieves after their fight in the engine room. Because there hasn't been a way for him to deviate from his plans and ideals before. He never thought that was a possibility for him so he never considers it. As for the pieces he uses, I think a similar concept follows. To Goro the white pieces are the heroes and in turn the black ones are the villains. It's a very cut and dry thought process that follows the one or the other thread. So in his games against Joker he plays the "heroes" because that's what he's always wanted to be. He needs to be that hero. He wants to be that hero. It's his justice, which he thinks is right, against Joker's, which he thinks is wrong. That's not to say that Goro actually thinks of Joker and the Thieves as villains. He knows that they're similar, to a painful degree. But it all falls back to the black and white thinking of there can only be one or the other, and that anything in between is useless.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #; Analysis || Goro ♟️ #//Honestly I feel like this is a product of his circumstances also reflecting this 'either or' mentality. #//Not to mention the fact that as opportunities like the Metaverse opening up to him he jumped at his chance. #//It was either take advantage of what was being handed to him or risk there never being another option. #//I think it could also be a way that keeps Goro from putting too much emotion behind it. #//That if he's only presented with one or two options he has to pick one or the other. #//But if you add more into the mix it becomes extremely complicated and can seem unnecessary in his eyes. #//Also he grew up idolizing and wanting to be like his childhood heroes. #//And in media like that it's a lot of the time very black and white thinking as well. That good prevails where evil is taken down. #//I just think it really says a lot about Goro's mindset.

[kingspuppet]

No matter how low Goro make think of himself and how undesirable he feels, the one thing he's confident in is how smart he is. (That is if we're talking book smarts, general knowledge, and common sense.) He finds it incredibly insulting for anyone to question that from him since it's the only strength he truly believes he has.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//It's one of the reasons why he butts heads with Makoto so much. #//He doesn't want to feel inferior in something that feels important and valued to him. #//Especially after everything with Shido and Maruki and having to really look at himself #//it's the only 'good' thing he sees about himself.

[kingspuppet]

As much as I love the idea that Goro can go into romantic relationships hard and fast and completely aggressive, I really love the idea that he becomes softer instead. Sure, those sharp edges are still there. It's not that hard to rile him up and get him heated. But that's really easy for him. And a lot of the time it's because anger is easier to navigate than something more complex. It's also a tool to hide the vulnerabilities he doesn't want to show because he's really adapted to the thought process of showing it is a sign of weakness, and people like to use those weaknesses to take advantage of people. So it becomes a bit of a shield when other emotions get to be too much for him to handle. But it can also be a way to continue hurting himself further because he doesn't believe he deserves anything good for himself. That he's an unlovable monster and that he deserves to have nothing but misery. Of course that doesn't mean he isn't naturally just like that sometimes. He's had to learn to be that way, and so he is just sharper by default. He's also just a brat and likes to goad his partner so they can keep up with him. Even if he becomes softer when it comes to a relationship that doesn't diminish any of these things. They'll still happen, but that's not all there is too it. The softer, more hesitant side of him comes out when entering a relationship because this is new for him. It's scary and he's not quite sure how he's supposed to navigate something so intimate. Typically if he falls into a relationship with someone he can't really find the words to outright say it. For him he kind of eases into it quietly and slowly. And if they know Goro, which they should otherwise he wouldn't even entertain a relationship with them, those subtle changes in his actions should be obvious. That even if he's not saying it he's still initiating or reciprocating the actions and steps to being in a relationship. It'll take him awhile before he's actually ready to voice how he feels out loud, so until he does he uses small gestures and acts to show that he's agreeing to give it a shot. He's not against kissing, dates, holding hands, etc. either. It may not seem as eager as new couples that are getting together, but that's only due to his hesitance that this is new and he doesn't want to mess it up. Because regardless of what he doesn't say or express his heart is certainly hammering excitedly and anxiously against his ribs.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//I think I've talked about this before but I wanna talk about it again. #//I think both responses from Goro are extremely valid. #//But I won't lie that I'm an absolute sucker for an uncertain Goro who is shy when navigating love. #//I think it really shows that despite his insistence that he doesn't actually have everything figured out. But he's willing to try. #//And that it also teaches him how to love and trust himself but also someone else.

[kingspuppet]

Goro would view Toshiro very similarly to how he views Zenkichi, especially initially. But unlike Zenkichi, Goro would know about Toshiro beforehand. Perhaps he's not the most familiar, but he knows of him due to his participation in the Diet and campaigning which would cause him to be on Shido's radar. So naturally an eye would be kept on him for that aspect alone. It makes Goro informed about him, but not enough to have a strong opinion on him one way or another. He's not that concerned about him. He wasn't a massive threat to keep tabs on and so he'd get lumped in with how Goro sees the government and society as a whole. But encountering him in the Metaverse is another story entirely. Due to dealing with Shido and his conspiracy, and Goro's lack of trust in anyone that breathes, he finds that he really can't stand Toshiro. He hates the system he represents. To him, Toshiro is completely spineless with wanting to be part of the system but he's so willing to turn tail instead of standing by his convictions. If anything Goro just sees him as a liability. But he also despises Toshiro's smugness. He sees him as someone who brags about their "talents" but doesn't have the means to actually back it up. Toshiro wants all the praise without any of the results. So to Goro, Toshiro is just deadweight that they have to carry around and put up with. He definitely suggests with a sharp grin that maybe they should just hand Toshiro over to Marie and be done with it.

#; Headcanon || Goro ♟️ #//Guys I'm finally getting around to playing the main game for P5T asdfghjklkjhghjkl #//I love Toshiro even though he's very dumb. But like I imagined before the game's release Goro would absolutely hate his guts. #//I should probably write up how he'd feel about Erina but I feel like he'd view her like the rest of the Thieves. #//I'm (supposedly) about to face Marie for the final time. So we'll see as I progress more into the story! #//Also I don't think this is spoiler-esque but if you think it is let me know and I'll tag it!