Of the many weird and wonderful bosses that players will encounter throughout Persona 5, Sae is definitely the most personable. Sae Niijima turns out to be one of the most unique personalities that pops up in the whole story. She has the distinct role of being around even after the fight, helping the thieves in their mission. Her help doesn’t come without a lot of effort though; the team has to take on her formidable shadow before she’ll be of any help.
Shadow Sae is definitely a big departure from the person players meet in the real world. She will stop at nothing in her pursuit of victory, with no line that she won’t cross. This inevitably bleeds into rigged gambling, the theme that her entire palace is built around. The mission will both exhaust the character physically and empty his pockets in the process. Despite her negative qualities, both versions of the power-hungry lady have some intriguing aspects and trivia surrounding them.
10 Yae Nijiima
The unique last name of Sae has led some to believe that it was based on a prominent figure in the late 1800s. Niijima Yae was a skilled warrior, a practiced war nurse, and a school founder. Earning many qualifications throughout her life, Yae was looked down upon in society due to her proud attitude and unwillingness to bow to cultural norms at the time.
This lead to her being ostracized after her husband’s passing by her late husband’s allies, none understanding their progressive relationship as friends as well as lovers. Her proud nature and the endless list of accomplishments are a direct correlation to Sae, with Shadow Sae being the root cause of her need to win at any cost.
9 Sae’s Palace Treasure
Most of the Shadow’s personal palace treasures are revealed as the Phantom Thieves have to steal it in order to make them feel remorse for their actions. However, in Sae’s case, her treasure is never revealed as she manages to snap herself out of it and realize that her actions were wrong. Instead of needing to be saved, she just needed a big push in the right direction to save herself.
Though the thieves never got to steal her treasure her father’s police journal was the most likely suspect, even to Makoto, Sae’s own sister. A journal even being visible where the treasure was before sending the calling card does everything but confirm it and makes the source of her shadow more understandable.
8 Bar Exam Star
Even the alternative titles have some heavy Sae lore drops, Dancing In Starlight revealed some great character backstory that fans didn’t get in the main series. Sae managed to pass the bar exam in high school, making her one of the youngest to ever do it. Receiving attention for her looks, she was blasted on local news stations for accomplishments.
While it’s heavily stated that she didn’t care for the attention, resenting the rumors that eventually came with it, the accomplishments never stopped for the overachieving lawyer. Pressuring her sister into the same life, Makoto got the trial by fire method of parenting from her older sister.
7 Cheating Leviathan
Shadow Sae’s leviathan form is such a big departure from her usual sultry look that even her own sister was shocked when she finally revealed it. She can’t be blamed though, Sae has thick black armor that comes equipped with a rocket launcher and a red sword. The most shocking thing is her reasoning behind the transformation, stating that the thieves won’t take the only power she has left away.
Even though it makes for a pretty terrifying battle mechanic to go up against, Shadow Sae reveals a lot about the character in that statement alone. One of the most seemingly powerful people in her personal life with a deep seated helpless feeling, This is one of the deeper roots of her entire shadow persona and the main reason for her extreme go-getter attitude.
6 Dog Tattoo & Yellow Flowers
To add to the creative design of the character, Sae has several markers that resemble the darker sides of human nature. Frequently shown with yellow roses, a symbol of jealousy in the Japanese flower language. She’s constantly envious of the other’s freedom to do whatever they want with their life, leaving Sae trapped in her high-stress lifestyle.
Even the dog tattoo that sits on her lower back is a symbol of envy, adding up the little details that make this character design as great as it is. Giving those with a flair for symbols some serious content, all the way down to the game art. The little details make the difference with so much competition out there, Persona goes the extra mile.
5 The Need To Win
Players that decide to confront Sae alone initially or find it in their kind heart to let her cheating slide will find out just how much she likes to win. Taking 10 turns of continual losses before Futaba opens up her mouth and chastises Sae for being immature, sending her into a rage.
This rage will then trigger the fight and save the player’s wallet all at the same time. A symptom of her shadow, Sae’s desire to win is most clearly illustrated at that moment. Her lack of morals in the pursuit of success has twisted her into the raging achiever that the gang is introduced to.
4 Legal Guardian
In a situation that didn’t make the final cut, Sae was supposed to take over the role of ”legal guardian” to the protagonist while he’s on probation. Living in her apartment with Makoto, this would have sent the story down a vastly different path, at least when it concerns the 3 involved.
At least we’d get a chance to see more of Sae, probably delving into her backstory a little more and building a much closer connection. Especially seeing as the gang didn’t even get to delve into her treasure when they challenged her in the palace, leaving fans hungry for more.
3 Turned Herself Around
One of the most interesting parts about her story is the fact that she was the only boss who managed to turn it around without a forceful hand, even becoming incredibly loyal and a big helping hand after the fact. Embodying what the game is all about, changing and healing from her past damage to become a better person.
This is a double-edged sword though, giving us more interaction with her in the future than we’ve gotten from a boss but also shutting down the root cause of her shadow. With how involved she was in the original scripts, players actually got the least amount of Sae content.
2 Missed Connection
Delving into the unused content, scrapped lines show fans that the protagonist was originally able to have a much closer to bond with the character. Not surprising with the knowledge that she could have been a guardian to the character, only it goes further.
With more available connection comes relationships and Sae is no exception, becoming one of the many ladies that can be wooed throughout the game. Depending on what version of the game that was intended for, it could have been a very questionable situation. Luckily, we steered clear of the whole scenario and left those doors closed, preventing any controversy.
1 Invulnerable Boss
When players finally get past the gambling section and into the main fight, it’s quickly apparent that Sae doesn’t have a specific weakness. It’s all strategy and games from here on in, forcing the player to strategize without any damage multipliers. Event the first stage is all down to luck, in case fighting on a giant roulette table didn’t give it away.
Forced to take an almost entirely defensive position as the game is obviously rigged until one of the player’s team outs an end to it. It’s not even possible to fire off attacks while the ball is spinning, otherwise, the player suffers a devastating hit that leaves them with only 1 health. Not to be underestimated, Shadow Sae packs a heavy, unfair, punch.
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