Revealing the Star: You’re the King, Yashiro
I don’t I’ve ever seen a character go from such a negative impression to an overwhelmingly positive reception quite like Yashiro Tsurugi.
Much like the game Tokyo Mirage Sessions itself, Yashiro was a character that no one was expecting to like. But by the end, not only were they genuinely surprised at the turn around, they were pleased to find something so likeable hidden underneath. And even if the fandom behind TMS isn’t as active as other fandoms, I don’t think I’m over exaggerating when I say that Yashiro is probably the most beloved character in the game. The way he was able to take every person who played this game, including me, by surprise really goes to show the amount of effort that was truly put into making him stand so strong.
And much like the players reaction, Yashiro himself went through a change. A change in himself that was waiting to be unveiled, but was held back due to the pain he was carrying from
1 traumatic event.
It’s definitely safe to say that the mass disappearance really did leave its impact on those that were involved within it. Tsubasa herself was left with quite the wound from this experience, but I really do feel like Yashiro carried the heaviest burden from this event.
Not only because he experienced this event at a young age, but unlike Tsubasa who was spared, though definitely scarred, Yashiro was dragged into the Idolasphere, watched as his father was possessed by an all powerful force, had said possessed father nearly try to kill him and witness him give up his own life just to protect his. Tiki may have been able to save him and brought him back to the real world, but that was the only good thing he took from that situation. Alone and very mentally damaged, Yashiro was left confused, afraid and unable to reach out to others because, let’s face it, who would believe such a story like this?
This was the definitive moment where Yashiro completely shut down.
You see that peaceful smile on his face as he watches his father perform? That’s a smile that wouldn’t be seen again for years. He put all his focus on trying to better his skills in the idol industry, not even giving so much as a second thought on wanting to build connections or expand his social group. He completely isolated himself from everyone and locked himself in his own world with no intention of ever leaving it.
But as the story progresses, we see him slowly re-enter the real world, the walls he had built around himself slowly began to crumble as, for the first time in many years, Yashiro reaches out to others.
And this is a change that never would have occurred had it not been for his
2 greatest friends.
To start off, we have his trusty mirage.
Navarre was Yashiro’s friend before he even knew he wanted friends. And while it’s not exactly made clear when these two met, it’s safe to say they’ve known one another for a long time, probably as long as Kiria and Tharja. But even with all that time between them, there was still some distance between them caused by Yashiro’s nature.
With every other bond between mirage and mirage master, we see that it is an equal cohesive relationship. They help one another, encourage one another, learn new things from the other and strive to help the other become better. But with Yashiro and Navarre, for the longest time, their relationship was completely one sided. Navarre put all his focus on helping Yashiro achieve his own, never giving his own input on a different tactic and remained generally quiet and obedient. But as Yashiro began to open up and learn new things, Navarre noticed this growth and changed along with him. He became much more vocal on his thoughts and noticed the changes in Yashiro over time. He came to see that there was far much more to the world than Yashiro had previously painted it as. And in turn, Yashiro began to appreciate Navarre more and was able to verbally express his appreciation for his partner, something the old Yashiro would be too proud to do so.
But let’s face, none of this would have happened had it not been for the one who left the greatest impact on him.
I know for a fact that Yashiro wouldn’t have gotten anywhere near as far as he did had it not been for Itsuki. Our flexible protagonist has helped to change the lives of others, but none of them were on as grand of a scale or held the same level of impact than what he did for Yashiro. Unlike the others where he gave them the support and guidance they needed in order to reach their dream or helped them to unlock parts of themselves that were previously hidden beneath their own fears and anxieties, Itsuki helped Yashiro to become an entirely different person.
While likely not his intention to do so, Itsuki was the one who helped Yashiro to remove himself from whom he used to be and become someone new. He helped him to embrace change, form bonds with others, mend wounds of his past, and acknowledge that he does have some faults to him.
Just look at the expression on Yashiro’s face when Itsuki tells him that he hasn’t broken free from his old views on perfection.
That look alone shows just how much his words affected him.
But one thing that was always made clear was that this brutal harshness was never done to hurt Yashiro. Yes, sometimes people do need some tough love in order to learn, but Itsuki’s intentions were to never make Yashiro feel bad about his faults. Not only because Itsuki is a generally caring person and does speak with a sense of unknown bluntness, but in the same scene I showed before where he told Yashiro off, those harsh critiques were instantly followed up by words of encouragement and the possibility of several future benefits.
I feel like what makes the friendship between them all the more stronger is because these two really are polar opposites. On one hand we have Yashiro, someone who has all the talent one could ask for but has no idea how to interact with the world on a social level. On the other hand we have Itsuki, someone who has no real drive or interest in the art industry but is always willing to lend an ear and a hand to anyone who needs it. The dynamic between them is made all the more better because they both can acknowledge that the other has both advantages and disadvantages to who they are and can learn to grow from one another. I know we don’t see much of Yashiro’s influence on Itsuki quite the same way, but Itsuki is one to grow from his interactions from everything and we do see slight hints of the idol princes affect on our impressionable jack-of-all-trades.
And while the main story does play a big role in that growth between the two, where we see the growth the most comes with
3 stellar sidestories.
Okay, allow me to sulk for a bit.
I’ve always believed that if you really love something or someone, you’d be willing to acknowledge when that certain something or someone has some faults. As much as we love to praise something as being perfect, it’s always good to point out when it’s not as perfect as we believe it to be. After all, nothing in this world exist without flaws, and realizing those faults are what allow us to not only grow more attached to it, but helps us to find ways to resolve those faults and grow from that experience.
So I have the guts to admit one fault with the side stories in this game. While there isn’t a side story that I would legitimately call awful, some side stories do hold more value than others. Some side stories don’t hold as much importance, and some can even be skipped completely because they don’t have much to offer for the character and the overarching story of them.
Yashiro is the exception to this.
Not only do all his side stories hold equal value, they all offer perspective on who he is and help to build up his development.
The first side story might at first seem like just a funny romp, for reason that I don’t blame people from thinking. But it not only helped to show just how much Yashiro is a bit of a man out of times seeing how he doesn’t take very good care of himself, but it was also the start for him to break out of his old habits and experience new things. The second not only helped him to finally acknowledge that his old ways weren’t nearly as perfect as he though, helping him to fully want to embrace change, but it allowed him to realize that working alongside others was more of a benefit than a detriment. It’s also where we started to see him becoming thankful for Itsuki’s influence and everything he’s doing for him. Something we would see full force in his final side story. For what is essentially the last side story players will get around to, it really does go out with a bang. This side story allowed Yashiro to finally make amends with his father and prove to him how much he’s grown ever since then. The difference in how he was at the start of the game to the end of his final side story is astounding and it’s one of the best character growths in the game.
And one thing that connects all these side stories together is a single overlapping theme for him: letting others into his life.
Something we see in
4 performances alongside others.
Considering that a majority of Yashiro’s screen time with someone else is with Itsuki, these performances serve as a means for him to connect with others. Guest starring on “Microwavin’ with Mamorin”, co starring with Ellie on a sci-fi romance TV drama, playing the main villain on “Masquerader Raiga” and doing a collaboration with Kiria all served as means for him to reach out to the remaining group.
OK, I kinda might be cheating with that third one since we don’t see Yashiro and Touma on screen together, but I’m willing to let that slide for two reasons. 1: we don’t see the full episode so it is possible that Touma did show up. And 2: this did allow for Touma to see Yashiro as a changed man, much different compared to the man he was when he first joined. Also SIV Live doesn’t count because it was interrupted before it could finish and we only saw Kiria perform.
The only member of the main cast that we don’t see Yashiro interact with is Tsubasa, but we do see his views on her shift. Compare when he first appeared and thought she was nothing more than an ameture child to at the end of chapter 4 where he noticed the capabilities she showed because of Itsuki’s influence, something that convinced him that joining Fortuna would be the best.
And it’s these bonds he formed with everyone played a much greater role than we though, since this is what allowed him to secure
5 big wins.
These are victories that he achieved not by sticking to his old methods, but by relying on the help of others and working with them to overcome each obstacle. Let’s list out these newly added accomplishments.
Overcoming his dark doppelganger. Synchronizing with Ellie to take down the Whampa. Finally enacting revenge on Gharnef. Standing strong against his father to prove his worth. And playing his role in defeating Medeus.
None of these hurdles would have been overcome if Yashiro had stuck to his old ways and refused to accept change. Even the strongest soldier alive needs someone to back them up. And for challenges like these, from overcoming a manifestation of your own ego to the man responsible for killing your father and breaking down your spirit, these are battles not meant to be faced alone. And because he wasn’t alone, it’s what allowed him to come out victorious.
That’s what makes Yashiro such a fantastic character. It’s not the feats of strength or massive resume worth of skills that defies him. It’s the bonds he’s formed with others and the connections he created. It’s what makes him stand out so much amongst a cast of memorable characters and has made him so beloved by players. Our idol prince has come a long way from the stand off loner who wanted nothing to do with companionship, and he’s more than ready to face the future and embrace what may come. He’s fully ready to apply himself better to the situation and become a better person.
And chances are that’s something that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
