| abstract
| - The main character of Persona and designated leader of the group. His affinity is with the Emperor Arcana, which grants him use of Seimen Kongou, his starting Persona. He wields a sword and a sub-machine gun as weapons. He is most commonly dubbed the "Boy With The Pierced Ear", but with the loss of the earring in the North American version, it was shortened to simply "Boy". The manga refers to him as "Naoya Todou". Dragged along to participate in the "Persona" game to settle a bet between Mark and Brown, the protagonist and his other classmates catch a glimpse of a little girl crying. Lightning flashes, and those who haven't played before are knocked out, sent into the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. A Guardian Entity named Philemon meets Naoya in a dream, asking him to state his name. Upon doing so, Philemon is impressed, for not everyone who comes to his realm knows who they really are. The protagonist gains the ability to summon his Persona, and then sent back to reality. Upon regaining consciousness, he finds himself in the school infirmary, the last of his classmates to wake up. The school nurse and their homeroom teacher Saeko Takami urge the group to go to the hospital to have themselves checked, opening up an opportunity to visit Maki again. The group waits for Maki outside the ICU where she is being treated after complaining of severe pain. Tremors shake the building, and when the door to the ICU is opened, there is nothing behind it but a wall. Demons soon run wild in the hospital, attacking the people inside. Upon encountering a gang of demons, Naoya and his friends all awaken to their Personae. He is then designated as the leader.
* Angsty Surviving Twin: In the manga.
* Badass
* Badass in Charge: Due to being the most emotionally stable. Also, in a game play sense, the Hero will have the best level gain curve since he can't be removed, giving him better stats and access to higher level persona.
* Everyone Can See It: Eriko can see it. Kei can probably see it. Masao definitely sees it. Hell, even former Green-Eyed Monster Chisato can tell you and Maki are the Official Couple.
* Fan Nickname: Naoya Toudou, Yuya Narumi, and Jihei Suzakuin, all of which were names he was given in various adaptations.
* Revelations players will often snark at the Cultural Translation by calling him "John Smith", the most generic American name.
* Hello, Insert Name Here: Not only his first name, but his surname and 'nickname', as well. (The "other self" found in the Alaya Cavern will cite all of these to prove he is you.)
* Heroic Mime: Strangely, his "other self" can speak just fine; this convention carries over to both of Persona 2's silent protagonists. He has a single line of spoken dialogue in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.
* Heroes Prefer Swords
* Iconic Item: He ain't called the "pierced ear boy" for nothing.
* The Kirk: He's presented with a few moral dilemmas during the course of the game which will prove what kind of person he is. These options are usually represented by the conniving Kei and the more headstrong Masao. Your choices will significantly affect the outcome of the story.
* One Head Taller: Especially noticeable when Maki has to stand on tiptoe to kiss him.
* Only Sane Man: Compared to the rest of your group, he is, due to being the player himself, the least emotionally defined, and whenever the multiple personalities on the team clash, he is usually picked to make the choices they can't agree on, and its implied that's why everyone trusts him to be the leader.
* Painting the Fourth Wall: It's obvious he does speak in-universe, due to the Dialogue Trees. So why did Masao have to participate in the Persona ritual, when he (Masao) didn't want to, as opposed to the protagonist? Because the devs couldn't have him talk outside of a Dialogue Tree.
* Redheaded Hero: In the NA version, he not only loses his earring, but is also given red hair and a lighter skin tone to make him look more Caucasian.
* Shonen Hair
* Supporting Protagonist: He is this in both routes, as the SEBEC route revolves around Maki coming to grips that she created an alternate reality that's trying to overtake the real reality and the Snow Queen route revolves around Yukino's attempts to save Ms. Saeko.
* Theme Twin Naming: Manga-only: Naoya and Kazuya.
* The Stoic: Part of why he's regarded as the Only Sane Man.
* Victorious Childhood Friend: With Maki in the manga.
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