Kazunari Kohara

Kazunari Kohara
P5 Hex P5D PQ2 Daeva (PQ2)
ALSO KNOWN AS	Well Dressed Guest Suspicious Boy Kaz Actual Teen Witch Witch Thief Witch Bitch Hex (Code Name)
JAPANESE NAME	小原 和成 ヘックス
ROMAJI	Kohara Kazunari Hekkusu
FIRST APPEARANCE	Persona 5
AFFILIATION	Phantom Thieves of Hearts
AGE	16 - 17
DATE OF BIRTH	June 29th c. 1999
ZODIAC	Cancer
HEIGHT	5'8"
WEIGHT	135 lbs
BLOOD TYPE	A
MELEE WEAPON	Pole Hammers
RANGED WEAPON	Dual Elgin Pistols
ARCANA	The Devil
PERSONA	Morgan Le Fay Scarmiglione Malacoda (P5R Ultimate)
THEME	Last Surprise (NITRO REMIX) Last Surprise (Jazz Cover) Let's Dance, Boys! (2nd Climax Ver.) Riders of Light Rivers in the Desert
JAPANESE VA	Yuki Kaiji (Shion - No.6)
ENGLISH VA	Ray Chase (Noctis - Final Fantasy XV)
Gallery

"Sweetheart, stop saying you want to change society. Admit it, you're like me; you just want the self-gratification of having people under your heels~!"
―Kazunari Kohara, Persona 5

Kazunari Kohara is a playable character from Persona 5. He's a student at Shujin Academy, widely known for his wealth, charm, and attitude. A self proclaimed witch with more than enough knowledge and practice to back up the claim, Kazunari initially helped the Phantom Thieves by selling them jewelry that was consecrated and boosted performance in the Metaverse through Cognition. Later on, Kazunari joins the Phantom Thieves after his awakening in Toshio Kohara's Palace. He is also the biological son of the persona user, Hidekazu Kosaka, of the Persona 2 Duology.

Profile

Appearance

Kazunari is a young man standing at 5'8" without heels, making him considerably taller than the cast due to always being seen wearing heels. His figure is slender and is usually posed with confidence and poise. He has fair skin with peachy undertones and messy purple hair. His eyes are light green, with rings of hazel spreading out from the middle of the irises. Kazunari's most memorable trait aside from his eyes are the two moles under his left eye. Both moles have been proven to be natural. Not obvious to many, Kazunari's hands are fairly scarred due to carelessness in making his jewelry. Though these scars are faded, Kazunari finds it to be a little concerning to have people see his scarred hands. To make his hands look more "pleasing", he has manicures, usually with dark polish.

He is known to almost never be without makeup. His usual shades are reds and nudes in the real world, while in his Phantom Thief outfit he sports more of a glam look with shimmering dark makeup. He's seen without makeup only during the Hawaii School Trip on the beach.

Personality

"You're not going to get anywhere if you're not cutthroat, darling. It's alright to be cruel, as long as you direct it at people who deserve it."
― Kazunari Kohara, Persona 5

Kazunari can easily be described as a diva. He's coquettish, extroverted, highly confident, and incredibly condescending. He has an attitude that takes nothing from others, and any attempts to offend him, he can easily brush off unless actually threatened. Kazunari has an aura that makes him practically unapproachable, and he openly compliments people who have the guts to even come near him. He stands proud, and it's incredibly difficult to shake him. He loves things going his way, but he's not entitled enough to complain if they don't. However; he will make his opinions known if the majority agree with someone he particularly does not see eye to eye with.

He's also known to be rather two faced. He can make a good impression with his confidence and personable front, being mistaken to be a nice person. However, when he is crossed, he has also been known to make his targets live through hell. He has a reputation of being incredibly vicious and petty when offended, and with his reputation, people do anything to redeem themselves for him. Kazunari is highly self-aware of his own charm and popularity with people. He knows they're in it for the money and bragging rights, allowing him to be manipulative of others until he's found himself bored of them. However; in his opinion, being discarded is much better than being targeted. He can be nice, but kindness is something that is earned from him.

Unlike the rest of the Phantom Thieves, Kazunari is not opposed to unfounded cruelty - for as long as the victims of cruelty are deserving of it. He has been known to incessantly pick on other popular students in school who he simply does not like. Even when becoming a Phantom Thief himself, he was not particularly focused on social reform. He very much simply basked in the satisfaction of having the power to possibly destroy people he particularly saw as degenerates despite their social status. Such as the case of the people the Phantom Thieves gave change of heart to, Kazunari simply saw these once mighty people as laughingstocks. He himself loved to feel the power over people he once thought he had no chance against, and even expressed he would stomp them out if the other Thieves would have let him. He's also a lover of drama, and likes to cause trouble with others because it simply rattles them. Kazunari always came out on top of his situations, thanks to his manipulative behavior.

Kazunari has made peace with his own loneliness, settling for nothing close to real friends and only having admirers and haters. He basks in attention, and it has been for the most part, distracting to him. He likes to call people his friends even though he doesn't mean it, and any form of meaningful bonds is very difficult to come by with Kazunari if he's not the one putting his foot forward. He is very much used to the fact that he will always be put on a pedestal, and is content with only one person seeing him as an equal: his best friend. If he will be put on a pedestal, might as well see himself above others; he is already percieved to be out of everyone's league, after all. He has further proven this by easily ignoring how people gossip about him, how a good number of the student body see him as a freak for being queer, continuing to be himself.

Though known to be very confident in himself, Kazunari isn't incredibly self-absorbed that he lacks sympathy or kindness. He has been known on very rare occasion to extend genuine kindness to others, which is shocking. An example would be Kazunari approaching Ann Takamaki about Shiho Suzui's condition after Kamoshida's change of heart. He has also been known to talk to the likes of even Yuuki Mishima and Ryuji Sakamoto, having alarmingly meaningful conversations with them. He also has been known to easily approach Akira Kurusu after school to ask him if the rumors were true, albeit in his usual flirtatious manner. He will never voice how he knows what it means to be the black sheep, so the most he can do for others is to be the black sheep with them. Though he has a particularly negative view on a lot of people, he knows when someone is redeemable or not.

He has also been commented on to be emotionally masochistic to an extent; destroying his relationships when they become something meaningful. Kazunari is afraid of commitment, often keeping most of his relationships on surface level or being emotionally detached from admirers. This is shown as him not really connecting well with the other Phantom Thieves after Yusuke. Coming from such a rich background, Kazunari has a deep-set resentment for people who can easily make bonds with others. He's known for his entire life that people are not really your friends in high society, and those below his social status will always put him on a pedestal. Though extroverted and personable, Kazunari will burn bridges in the blink of an eye the moment he feels he cannot handle such relationships. This changes when he begins dating Akira, who never let him go even when Kazunari was trying to tear everything apart.

Story

Early Life

Kazunari was born in Sumaru City. In actuality, he is the illegitimate child of Hidekazu Kohara as a result of a high school fling. Kazunari's birth mother was never seen again after she ditched him as a baby, leaving him to his father. Hidekazu's panic gave him the inability to take responsibility, and the baby was given to Hidekazu's brother. The baby was easily accepted by his uncle, as the latter's wife was barren and was being asked questions when she would have children. The couple was panicked and distraught over the wife's barrenness, and the baby saved them from any further questioning and convinced prying eyes that they didn't have a problem having children. It was his aunt whom he grew up knowing as his mother, who named him Kazunari. As for Hidekazu, Kazunari grew up knowing him as his uncle instead. Kazunari grew up being one of the next possible heirs to the Kohara Jeweling Corporation.

Even at a young age, Kazunari was no stranger to the Kohara Family suffering numerous death threats from competitors and displeased connections. As a result of this, he was often forced to keep away from other people, but that did not stop him from being sociable with others. However; as it turned out, even in his younger years Kazunari always got the short end of the straw with connecting with others. This developed within him his manipulative tendencies to keep people as close or as far as he pleases. The only person who was able to truly connect with him was Aoi Chosokabe, who had become his best friend.

As a result of these death threats to the family, a particularly concerning case of such had forced Kazunari to be moved back to Sumaru to live with his "uncle" Hidekazu and partner Jun Kashihara. Kazunari spent his middle school years in Sumaru under Hidekazu and Jun's care. It was through Jun that Kazunari was exposed to flower language, philosophies and an introduction to the Occult through Astrology. Noticing Kazunari's interest and research in the subject, Jun was open to teaching him in-depth Astrology and fortune telling, eventually gifting Kazunari his own Tarot Deck. In Sumaru, Kazunari was supposed to finish both middle school and high school there, only returning to Tokyo for college. He was supposed to enroll in Seven Sisters High School after finishing middle school.

However; his stay in Sumaru was cut short due to his grandfather suffering a stroke. As a family emergency, he was accompanied by Hidekazu back to Tokyo. Due to his grandfather's declining health, the inheritance of the Kohara Jeweling Corporation was brought up, and had caused tensions within the family. Hidekazu was particular in having no part in the conflict, and returned to Sumaru. While Kazunari had asked to return to the city, his parents refused, and opted for Kazunari to stay in Tokyo and continue high school there.

Kazunari was choosing between Kosei Academy and Shujin Academy. While Kosei had an ideal business track, Shujin was far more reputable and notably more convenient. Despite wanting to go to Kosei where his best friend was accepted into, Kazunari was registered in Shujin for convenience. Kazunari became a popular student thanks to his wealth and personable attitude, but he was also notorious for being vicious with students he disagreed with. Any complaint about him was blindsided by the faculty, not wanting to have a prestigious name leave the school.

He had to be pulled out of Shujin due to his grandfather's sudden murder, with his parents framed for the crime. The real murderer was never found. While Kazunari was expected to be taken care of by his grandmother, it was revealed that she fell into a despair and severe depression caused her organ failures. Without a guardian, Kazunari was supposed to return to Sumaru and transfer into Sevens; but his uncle Toshio, the new president of the Kohara Jeweling Corporation by will of his late grandfather, assumed responsibility for Kazunari. Behind his back, Toshio brought up a restraining order against Hidekazu, preventing him from going near Kazunari and attending the funeral of Kazunari's grandparents. Kazunari was given the excuse that his uncle was too busy to attend. He bought the lie, and continued his home studies.

Persona 5

"You. Are. DESPICABLE. It's one thing to manipulate others to get what you want; but to outright kill the competition just because you couldn't wait a few more years to have your turn? You're just a petulant child in an old man's body!"
― Kazunari Kohara to Toshio Kohara's Shadow

Kazunari (under the moniker of "Well Dressed Guest") is first met when Akira Kurusu arrives at LeBlanc for probation. The former is accompanied by his best friend, Aoi Chosokabe. He makes small talk with Akira, but is stopped by Sojiro Sakura by being told that Akira is tired and he still needs to unpack. Kazunari teases Sojiro that if he's going to house someone cute like Akira, it's guaranteed that he'll have a very loyal customer. He leaves, and is not seen again until the first day of school.

Kazunari was able to re-enroll back into Shujin for Second Year, as Principal Kobayakawa was more interested in having a prestigious name stay in the school to further its reputation. Upon returning, it is revealed to Kazunari that news of his family's incident had reached the student body, and he was deprived of his privacy about it. As it is a private matter, he refused to disclose information about his case, and this situation forces him to stick to the background to avoid pointed questions.

However; Kazunari decides to resurface when attention is no longer directed at him, but towards the new transfer student rumored to be a criminal. His curiosity is piqued, and sets out to find this "criminal" within the student body. His observations direct him to Akira Kurusu, whom he met at LeBlanc. Interested, he ambushes Akira after school at the school gate, striking up coversation with him and telling him that he didn't think they'd be studying in the same school. Kazunari's moniker then changes to "Suspicious Male". Ryuji Sakamoto, who had already befriended Akira, was not too happy that the Kazunari Kohara was going to stir up trouble with the new kid. Kazunari riles up Ryuji and bids them goodbye, winking at Akira as he leaves.

Kamoshida finding trouble with Akira and Ryuji was unsurprising to Kazunari. He simply resigned himself to watch as the events unfolded. However; when he finds out that Yuuki Mishima was also up for expulsion, it brought discomfort to Kazunari. He approaches Mishima during school hours, and is scolded by Kamoshida to be affiliating with a delinquent. Kazunari responds with a sarcastic "Alright." and pats Mishima before departing. He in then embittered after Shiho Suzui attempted suicide by jumping down the school roof. Had these two been anyone else, Kazunari would not have bat an eye. However; he saw Mishima and Shiho as people who could do no wrong, and was thus shaken by the events that had unfolded. He gives "lucky charms" to Mishima, telling him to give the extra two to Ryuji and Akira, who are also up for expulsion. When Mishima hands out the jewelry to Ryuji and Akira, Ryuji states that he can't believe that Mishima thinks that Kazunari's jewelry are even "lucky charms". They take the charms at Mishima's behest. These very charms gave way to bettering the duo's performance in the Metaverse. Morgana is interested in the accessories that had improved their performance, and asks Akira to get one for him. Ryuji is impressed with Kazunari's accessories as well, and seconds the notion.

Akira easily finds Kazunari after school the next day, asking him about his jewelry. He is teased by Kazunari saying that the former didn't believe in magic, so why should be help him? Akira simply says that "it worked". Pleased, Kazunari agrees to negotiate with him. He formally introduces himself as Kazunari Kohara. He teases to Akira that he'll give him discount for customs simply because he's cute. Akira takes advantage of the discount, and they become business partners. Akira asks a good luck charm for Ann, but Kazunari states that he had already given her two, the other for Shiho's recovery. He then whispers to Akira that whatever he's planning, give it hard to Kamoshida.

When Kamoshida confesses his crimes and thus tarnishes the Shujin Academy reputation, Kazunari is pleased and beaming when the Phantom Thieves and Mishima tell him that his lucky charms worked. He thanks them with a wink, and says he's always open for business. For the most part leading up to his uncle's Palace, Kazunari has been snooping in trying to figure out their business, coming to a conclusion that Akira and co. are the Phantom Thieves. He is upfront about it, and enjoys the fact that they were riled up about it, but promises to keep his mouth shut about them. By the start of July, he and Akira have sort of established a rocky romantic relationship.

The Phantom Thieves being good patrons to Kazunari, invites them over to an auction being hosted by the Kohara Jeweling Company. They get free entrance, as they have been invited. The Phantom Thief Masayuki Azai gets a separate letter from Toshio Kohara himself to provide security for the event, and that his men present there will be rewarded handsomely. Masayuki's mother will be present at the auction as a sponsor to the Kohara, revealing the company's underground connection to the Yakuza. However; the days leading up to the auction were particularly tumultuous.

Ann and Makoto complain that the jewelry company they typically patronize is being shut down due to the debt the company owed to the Kohara. That case was one out of many, as on the news there have been segments about mental shutdowns with the CEOs and Presidents of different huge jeweling companies, many in quick succession. The jeweling economy is in shambles, and while that is happening, the Kohara flourishes with the mass being given no choice but to become patrons of the company, it being with so little competitors. As a result of these mental shutdowns, the Kohara auction was a subject of outcry. Despite the public opinion; the presence of numerous members of high society present made the Phantom Thieves stand out, being casual visitors invited by the current president's nephew. However; Kazunari's typically sociable personality had become rather recluse during the auction, which was very uncanny for the Phantom Thieves. While he tried to have fun with his patrons around, he wasn't able to escape the situation with the Phantom Thieves asking him questions about the weird mental shutdowns. Kazunari reveals to them that he's actually afraid, feeling that he or his uncle may be targeted next. According to him, the mental shutdowns could not just afflict people with specific positions in the workplace, so being the next heir to the company after his uncle puts him in danger. They understand why he's uncharacteristically terrified, after all, his life was possibly on the line too.

The Phantom Thieves along with Kazunari are approached by Toshio Kohara, the new President of the corporation. Seeing that Kazunari is finally no longer lonesome, he makes an indirect jab at Kazunari for finally finding friends. He invites them to the Kohara Manor for celebration, looking his nephew down in the process. The Phantom Thieves notice this, and are concerned that the usually dauntless Kazunari hangs his head low in the presence of his uncle. They become particularly cautious about Toshio, but accept his invitation anyway. That night, the Phantom Thieves have a lavish party at the Kohara Manor. Without the presence of Toshio, the Thieves take it upon themselves to ask Kazunari about what was going on in the industry. All the answers they got were particularly comparing tne entire industry to a slaughterhouse, and that Kazunari himself is terrified because he never knows when he will be targeted. As he knows they are the Phantom Thieves, he asks them to find out who are behind the mental shutdowns, and to protect him and his uncle. However; the Thieves are aware that Kazunari was likely suffering some sort of abuse as they saw how Toshio talked down on him. Kazunari shakes it off easily, saying he was just embarrassed that he talked that way in front of people he considered friends. He's harmless at home, but particularly negligent, no abuse. It gets late, and Kazunari sends them home. Little to their knowledge, Morgana had slipped out the Manor and ended up in the family's main workshop. With Toshio present there, his face softens, mistaking Morgana for one of Kazunari's cats. He carries Morgana in his arms, showing him around and saying the workshop is where the magic happens. Soon, he says, the Kohara will monopolize the jeweling industry, and he will be known as the founder of such an ambitious monopoly. Shaken, Morgana realizes that the one causing the mental shutdowns was Toshio all along and that there is a chance Kazunari will be in danger. Not willing to risk an ally to the Phantom Thieves, Morgana finds his way to LeBlanc after Toshio lets him go.

Morgana brings this up with the Phantom Thieves the next day. It is shown that the Thieves were looking for him, forgetting they had left him behind. With this information surfacing, Ryuji is pleased that his hunches about Toshio being antagonistic was correct. They end up in the Slaughterhouse of Deceit. As they end up in the Slaughterhouse, Kazunari gets the Metaverse App in the real world. Paranoid that his phone had been hijacked, he buys a new phone that day only to realize that even there, the App is present. He opens the App accidentally, and end up in the Metaverse. He's found himself stuck in a chiller locked from the inside. He is panicked by the psychedelic colors and the smell of blood in the room, and bangs the door in hopes of getting someone to hear him. The Thieves arrive on time to break down the chiller door, only to find Kazunari present in the Metaverse. Alarmed, they are given no choice but to allow him with them, being too far from the exit. Kazunari helps them open passcode locked doors with riddles' answers as the passcodes. Eventually, tired of being left in the dark, he faces the Phantom Thieves and demands an answer.

While promised by the Phantom Thieves to provide answers after they have safely left the Slaughterhouse, they are interrupted by Toshio Kohara's Shadow and his lackeys. Confused, Kazunari asks what his uncle is doing here. Toshio mocks Kazunari's naivety, telling him he was stupid enough to continue believing in him even though he was grooming Kazunari for disinheritance. Toshio continues to mock the rest of the Kohara family for not having the ambition he had, and that they had to make unnecessary sacrifices to keep their employees pleased at the cost of their sales and position in the industry. He was given no choice but to usurp the position of President, even if it meant getting rid of his own father, jailing his brother, and keeping his other brother away through restraining orders. Kazunari is left in shock and utter disbelief, connecting the points and thus concluding that Toshio was the murderer of his grandfather all along, and that he had jailed his parents. Toshio then lashes out at the competition that threatened the top spot of the Kohara Jeweling Industry, saying that they deserved the mental shutdowns. Absolutely dumbfounded by Toshio's actions, he is disgusted on how childish he was acting about the whole situation. Kazunari's very life was then threatened, being stated that having a smart boy like him around would be dangerous for Toshio, and that brainwashing him would stop working eventually. Apparently so, Kazunari was his next target to mentally shut down. Livid and filled with resentment, Kazunari awakens to Morgan Le Fay to save his own life, and to avenge the lives of the undeserving that had to suffer for Toshio's greed and pride.

Kazunari was also not exempted from being threatened in real life, as his uncle had assaulted him in a drunken state. He was told that he was too close to the case and could possibly ruin Toshio's plans. There would be no worries when Toshio planned to shut him down so he'd shut up. Shaken, Kazunari packed up and decided to stay in LeBlanc's attic with Akira for a few days, ignoring his uncle's apologies for his drunken actions. Upon returning to the Slaughterhouse of Deceit and stealing Toshio's Heart, it is revealed that Toshio is tired of being looked upon as the second rate; the incapable one. He simply wanted to prove his worth, even if he knew what he ended up doing. Kazunari accused him of being a madman, a petulant child. He would have killed the Shadow, but he regarded public humiliation to be more punishing for Toshio. He and the Phantom thieves watched the broadcast of Toshio's interview, and was pleased that he got what was coming to him. However, the Kohara name suffered significant backlash, and Kazunari with it.

The Phantom Thieves find themselves supporting Kazunari and his family in courtroom, represented by Attorney Izumi Hasekura: an old family friend. With the evidence revealed to the public, the supposed heir of the company should have been Hidekazu, Kazunari's relative from Sumaru who was barred from Tokyo due to a restraining order by Toshio. With the restraining order gone, Hidekazu is present in Tokyo and reunites with Kazunari, becoming the latter's official guardian now with no next of kin. After the court meeting, Hidekazu confesses his true relation to Kazunari, and why he was absent for most of his life. Overwhelmed, Kazunari could never hold anything against the man he now realizes is his biological father, and they reconcile. For the rest of the game, Hidekazu is present at the Kohara Manor and can be interacted with.

For the rest of the game, Kazunari's role as a Phantom Thief is shown by his apparent growing passion to save the other victims who were being trampled on by the Palace owners. He was most involved in the saving of his best friend Aoi, and openly welcoming him into the Phantom Thieves. However; upon the issue of Yoriko Kusanagi surfacing, Kazunari outright refused to help due to his very heated rivalry with her. While he was not as opposed to saving Sayo Nara and Kana Echizen, he expresses regret that he was willing to save them if they only ended up as Yoriko's posse. Throughout the game; however, Kazunari and the group reconcile, and actually become meaningful friends.

With Akechi becoming closely involved with the Phantom Thieves, Kazunari is ostly told by the rest of the Phantom Thieves to keep at bay from causing more tension by harming Akechi. He was also being questioned by the high society by being too close to Haru Okumura, whos father had just died. Being accused of taking advantage of the situation, Kazunari is pressured to get Akechi off their back as soon as possible, even if it meant eliminating him.

While the Phantom Thieves were on edge with Akechi being around the school festival, Kazunari was with Akira during the Post-Festival Party. The Post Party MC called Kazunari to go on stage for the Student Sharing Special, and as per his usual mannerisms, he proudly stepped on. He was caught off guard with questions directed about the Phantom Thieves being Shujin students. Whie Kazunari was about to answer with a lie, Akira yelled at him from the audience "I've always loved you!" Taken aback, Kazunari pouts at Akira's interruption. With basically the entire student body knowing he is queer, the MC asks his relation to Akira. Smiling slyly, Kazunari teases the entire audience to "guess". He runs to Akira and they dart out of the gymnasium as they laugh, causing an uproar from the students. As they run, the MC exclaims that they scandalously eloped. Kazunari gives Akira Witchy Tea after their conversation on the rooftop. They simply sat there, forgetting the current situation with Akechi.

When Akira was arrested after the infiltration of Sae Nijima's Palace, Kazunari was put in a bad spot as the Kohara family were being investigated as much as he attempted to lay low. An unknkown tip had caused the police to see if the Kohara family had connections to the Phantom Thieves, but the investigation was led by Investigator Ukiyo Osagawa, who helped hide any evidence of Kazunari and Hidekazu's connections to Akira. Cleared of suspicion, Kazunari rushes to LeBlanc to meet Akira who had returned alive.

At Shido's Palace, Kazunari was furious enough to proclaim that a lowly scumbag like Shido should not be allowed to run the country. He points to Shido that he enables the degenerates to be part of the high society, stirring its political and economic standing into Hell. With Akechi's defeat, Kazunari was notably not too fazed by the fact that he had probably died. However; he sees how much this has hurt his very close friend and fellow Phantom Thief Kiku Maekawa. While he does not mourn Akechi's loss, he remains by his friend's side as she does. Shido's confession and lack of any uproar about it had stunned Kazunari. Upset by the turn of events, he did not hesitate to help steal the Heart from Mementos.

As Mementos was fusing with the real world, Kazunari fought against the Fading. Akira finds him in a Jail Cell as they were to rescue the real Igor, and Kazunari realizes now that he is no longer fighting for self-satisfaction, but because he will no longer stand for corruption being put in power. Thus, after Yaldabaoth's defeat, Kazunari and Akira spend Christmas together. The following morning, Kazunari realizes that Akira is nowhere to be found, even in LeBlanc. He tries to rush to the Police Station, but is stopped by Sojiro by being told that Akira turned himself in to protect the Phantom Thieves. To prove Akira's innocence, he asks help from his father Hidekazu to ring up their connections, while Kazunari himself tried to lobby in family friends from the Police Force. He also got the help of having Izumi Hasekura, who once represented himm, to make a statement regarding Akira.

Akira is released in time for Valentine's Day, and as a couple, they spend the day together. It's no shock to the Phantom Thieves that they have officially become a couple, and were waiting for them to actually fix things. Kazunari was present with the rest of the Phanotm Thieves in driving Akira back to his hometown.

Palace

PALACE NAME: Slaughterhouse of Deceit

PALACE OWNER: Toshio Kohara

PALACE THEME: WITCHCRAFT - Marie Vaunt

LOCATION: Kohara Residence

KEYWORD: Slaughterhouse

CONSEQUENCE: During the day of the board meeting, the car carrying Kazunari and his uncle detour to an abandoned area. Toshio hands a paper for Kazunari to read, seeing it is a formal document. It states that Kazunari is disinherited from the Kohara Jewelling Corp. and in a frenzied attempt to escape, fails, gets knocked out and mysteriously disappears. News later reveals that Kazunari was found dead in an oil drum near a dumpsite, and his case is unsolved.

TREASURE: In the Metaverse, the Treasure is in the form of a Fine Butcher Knife. In the real world, the Butcher Knife turns into a Suitcase that held all legal evidence of the inheritance going to Kazunari's father. Among the documents is the real unforged will and testament of Kazunari's grandfather. The documents found in the suitcase will be the incriminating evidence of Toshio's fraud as well as the success of Kazunari taking the rightful inheritance due to his father being incarcerated.

The Slaughterhouse Of Deceit is where Toshio Kohara’s Shadow resides in. While the Slaughterhouse of Deceit largely remains similar to the original Kohara Manor, it is far larger, and almost castle-like in facade. The colors are rather off and looks rather psychedelic and unsettling. The Phantom Thieves notice a stench wafting in the air, almost like old and fresh blood all at once. Upon arriving inside, the Phantom thieves are met with a painfully horrific sight. What they had seen as a castle-like manor from the outside seemed to be a slaughterhouse on the inside. The palace is full of spikes, traps, conveyor belts, machinery, chopping paraphernalia, and most of all, different 'meats' strung up. In some corridors, mounted pig, cow and goat heads, albeit almost cartoon-like in appearance can be found. There is a known "River of Blood" throughout the palace, but due to the strange discoloration, the "blood" sports a striking neon pink color. The Slaughterhouse has a rather technical element to it. There are numerous doors with passwords that require the knowledge of certain mineral compounds of stones and the like. The Phantom Thieves are required to proceed through these doors with the help of Kazunari himself.

The "Rivers of Blood" are perpetually present reagrdless of what room or areas the Phantom Thieves are in. The mood of the area changes while the river does not. This is an allusion and reference to the Rivers of the Greek Underworld. In certain areas, the mood of the Palace changes while the "River" remains the same. The Palace is split into six areas, the sixth being the innermost area where the Boss Battle Occurs.

• HATRED: In reference to the River Styx, the River of Hatred. It is at the beginning of the Slaughterhouse, and it shows caged "animals" who are forcing themselves to escape. The Thieves must tread carefully in this area due to being easily discovered by the Shadows due to the frantic acts of the caged animals prepared to be slaughtered. The area is yellow in color.
• PAIN: In reference to the River Acheron, the River of Pain. It is the second area of the Palace, and is guarded by a Mini-Boss. Here, the animals are beaten into submission; but not sent to be ground yet. It is relatively easier to slip past unnecessary fights with Shadows in this area. This area is green in color.
• FORGETFULNESS: In reference to the River Lethe, the River of Forgetfulness. It is the third area, defended by a Mini-Boss as well. The animals, now beaten to submission, are sluggish and constantly groaning. Because of the mellowed atmosphere, the security is lax; however, very easy for the Phantom Thieves to be caught in the first place due to their sudden movements amidst the sluggishness. This area is blue in color.
• FIRE: In reference to the River Phlegethon; the River of Fire. The fourth area, and like the rest, is being defended by a Mini-Boss. Here, the animals are chained and forced to march into what can be assumed is the grinding area. They are whipped, and later branded with numerous hot irons that mark their skin. Those who are deemed unfit are tossed into fires. It is difficult to slip through this area, and the player must heavily rely on ambushes. The area is orange in color.
• WAILING: In reference to the River Cocytus, the River of Wailing. Here, there are no animals, just wailing mounted heads and the roar of machinery. As this is the area just before the last part of the Palace, it is actually heavily guarded. It is wise for the player to rely on skeaking past Shadows or ambushing them. There is a possibility of distracting the Shadows by making the machinery overheat. The area is red in color.

As the Thieves go deeper into the slaughterhouse, the place becomes far more distorted and rather infernal looking. The figures of the mounted heads become more sinister, as well as the overall feel of the place becoming dark, derelict and evil. The River continues on here. The Main Room, also known as the Grinding Room, is guarded by laser sensors. Upon inspection, the Grinding Room is surrounded by other security rooms that have singular pedestals that seem to rearrange the lasers. When tampered with, the Thieves discover that the lasers are supposed to touch a scanner on respective areas surrounding the main room. The lasers are to be reflected by special stones that have certain designs carved into them. It is then revealed that these stones are carved with witchcraft element symbols, and are as follows:

• NORTH: Spirit Stone
• WEST: Air Stone
• SOUTHWEST: Earth Stone
• SOUTHEAST: Fire Stone
• EAST: Water Stone

It is then shown that the lasers are meant to form a pentagram. Once the lasers form a pentagram, the Grinding Room opens, revealing a horrific sight of blades and grinders, and the meat being crushed and ground to mush. In the middle of the room is a pedestal with a fine butcher knife, pristine, sharp, and unbrandished. The Butcher Knife is the Treasure they must steal.

• Toshio's Shadow takes the form of a Butcher, who seems rather crazed and proud of his work. Shadow Toshio seems to take pleasure from killing what he sees lesser than him. This alludes to Toshio in real life, who enjoys shutting down more companies for the sake of losing competitors and keeping the Kohara Jewelling Corp. at the top of the food chain. That being said, he just looks at his competitors like petty animals.
• The Palace specializes in Rage, Fear and Despair. Personas that specialize in Support Skills are highly recommended in order to progress with ease. The Shadows can be easily overcome with melee attacks.
• There are "employee" shadows, dressed as slaughterhouse workers. These are called "Shadows of Savagery". They are easy to ambush, but difficult to outrun when Joker is caught.
• Toshio's Shadow does not intervene much, but after the Thieves get to certain areas, he heightens security and puts the slaughterhouse machinery on overdrive to scare them.
• Safe Rooms within the Slaughterhouse are surprisingly abundant. However; in these rooms, there are Altars set up. Initially, the Phantom Thieves thought of them as decoration; but upon Kazunari joining, he takes note that the altars in the rooms are his. In these Safe Rooms, Kazunari can go bless weapons and give random stats.
• The Slaughterhouse beginning to look more degraded and hellish is an allusion to getting deeper into Toshio's mind, which reveals his corruption as a person as one draws nearer to his heart.
• Deceit, because he can easily trick "animals" to believe he is kind, only to chain them up and kill them off for his own benefit.

Confidant

"Numerous articles of jewelry amidst occult paraphernalia have been found in your belongings. Now, why would you need to dabble in the occult in your line of work. Who were you consulting, and what do these objects have to do with this person?!"
―Sae Nijima interrogating Akira Kurusu about Kazunari Kohara, Persona 5

Kazunari's Confidant Details and Obtainable Items can be found here: Kazunari Kohara/Confidant Details

Gameplay

Party Member

In battle, Kazunari’s main abilities are Curse and Status Ailment abilities, while his minor skills fall under the Almighty category. That being said, he has a weakness to Bless skills and a minor weakness to Fire Skills. His resistance to Curse Skills is very high while he retains his initial persona. He sustains single digit damage to Curse skills and has a high rate of survival with 1 HP against Insta-kill Curse skills such as Mudo.

In battle, Kazunari's melee damage is higher due to having a heavier weapon. He has a high critical rate against enemies with the right weapons and stats as a result of his Confidant Skills. His gun attacks are fairly powerful, seeing as his guns are Elgin Pistols, that he also has the special ability to 'charge' into the enemy if he has no more ammo.

Despite having Status Ailment skills that can inflict Fear, Despair and Sleep, Kazunari easily becomes inflicted with Rage and Confusion.

Though, there are Status Ailments that Kazunari has a “resistance” to. Inflicting Sleep and Forgetfulness are more uncommon occurences with Kazunari than other Status Ailments, while when his Persona Morgan le Fay is evolved into Scarmiglione, he has the ability to Nullify Fear and Sleep, despite Sleep being a relatively useful Status Ailment. He is able to block Curse skills should his Persona be evolved into his Ultimate.

Trivia

• ALL OF KAZUNARI'S TRIVIA ARE [[ HERE ]]
• Kazunari's weakness to fire is an allusion to the whole idea of having witches burnt at the stake.
• Kazunari's namesakes are from two musicians. His given name is a namesake of Kazunari Ninomiya, an idol. Whereas his surname is taken from the real name of A9's vocalist and leader, Shou.
• Kazunari is known to have outstanding grades in school; his best subjects being Literature and Science. His weakest subjects are Social Studies and Mathematics. His grades in his waterloos keep him from having an honor student standing.
• After becoming a Phantom Thief, Hex Perfume will be able to be purchased from his item selection. Hex Perfume lowers the chance of being detected by Shadows.
• In a Mementos conversation, it is revealed that Kazunari's "parents" have not treated him too well for most of his life. They weren't abusive nor negligent, just not really there.
• Kazunari is quite open about the fact that he now has two fathers, namely Hidekazu Kohara and Jun Kashihara. He's also very open about loving them dearly.
• As a child, Kazunari was interested in ice skating after watching it one time. He took lessons for a few years before losing interest altogether. Now; however, Kazunari is more casual with his skating.
• Kazunari's flirtatious attitude is not limited to Akira alone. In fact, he's very fond of acting as such around all the other members.
• If the female Phantom Thieves were asked, they'd honestly ssay that they see Kazunari as "one of the girls". It is later revealed that he is also invited to their girls' nights out.
• When the other Phantom Thieves make pop culture references like video games and anime, Kazunari will honestly be able to understand the references, which surprises everyone.
• Sojiro has asked Kazunari if he has any suggestions for the cafe, to which Kazunari responds with a personal selection of tea.
• Kazunari can also be found in Shinjuku at night, mostly visiting his friend Aoi.
• Akira can listen to the gramophone in the Kohara Manor, which will raise either Intelligence or Charm. If he is dating Kazunari, the latter will join him and they dance to the music on the gramophone, greatly increasing either stat.
• In the Kohara Manor, Akira can feed Kazunari's cats and get special items at random. Feeding Kazunari's cats may also yield character specific accessories if Akira has a Persona with High Luck equipped.
• Kazunari has a lot of witch imagery to go with his witch theme. He has numerous elements taken from Wicca and general Eurocentric witchcraft, such as the pentagram, triple moon, symbols of elements, black cats, big hats in his casual wear, etc. Additionally, he wears all black as well. His fashion seems to be modern-witch like as well, which has been commented on by all of the Phantom Thieves throughout the game.
• Kazunari has numerous Easter Eggs in reference to IPs such as Bayonetta and Devil May Cry, mostly because he is represented by the Devil Arcana. His character design and characterization is heavily inspired by Bayonetta.
• He has numerous weapons named in reference to Bayonetta and Devil May Cry weapons. His quotes are also in reference to these game series as well.
• Amusingly, Kazunari does not trip in heels. However; when his heels are off, he trips quite often.