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"Mature Content Warning!" |
| “ | You help me out with my "business"... Smugglin' goods, destroyin' evidence... And as a reward, I'll introduce you to the "special menu," with good prices for a punk like you. ...Whaddaya say? Not bad, huh? | „ |
| ~ Munehisa Iwai to the Protagonist |
Munehisa Iwai (Japanese: 岩井宗久, Lit. Iwai Munehisa) is a supporting character originates from Persona 5. He is a shopkeeper as well as the owner of the Untouchable Airsofts. He provides some arsenal supplies for The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (The Player character party). He's also a former Yakuza, in which he keep it a secret from his adoptive son, Kaoru.
He is voiced by Hisao Egawa in the Japanese dub and Kaiji Tang in the English dub.
What Makes Him an Ensemble Dark Horse?[]
- Iwai has a pitiable background, starting with growing up with his self-destructive single mother and his lack of familial love led him join the Yakuza and became a sworn brother of Akimitsu Tsuda, who is now his rival turned enemies. Several years ago, he's approached by a woman who attempted to sell her son for a drug money. When he refuses, she left her son anyway. He took an infant boy in, left the Yakuza for good, and starting his own business as an airsoft shopkeeper, because not wanting the boy suffer the way he did growing up. This earns many audience's sympathy for being a good adoptive father.
- As Iwai's confidant progresses on, The Protagonist (or Ren Amamiya, his canonical name) would be recognized as Kaoru's Bro by Iwai.
- His story conflicts focuses on how he wanted to reform himself from the past, such as dealing with Akimitsu Tsuda, his sworn brother turned rival, while keeping his secret from his adopted son.
- Iwai also won many female audiences for being an attractive daddy and being a former gangster turned a good adoptive father to Kaoru because he genuinely wanted not like his own mother, nor Kaoru's mother. Perhaps you could say that he earns life as a good father to his adopted son and the Protagonist.
- Iwai's design looks like a Japanese Jason Statham (Not the parody character, Jason Sgatham in How heavy are the dumbbells you lift Manga series, who is directly based on him).
- It helps that Iwai is considered the second most attractive male character after Ren Amamiya.
- Munehisa Iwai's name has a meaningful allusion to the Japanese Historical Figures:
- His first name, "Iwai" is a derived from Sokyu Imai, a merchant and magistrate for Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Imai earned a special commission to produce firearms and fireworks from gunpowder for Oda Nobunaga. The allusion is subtly hinted with Tsuda being named after historical Imai's friend, and Kaoru, historical Imai's Son.
- His surname, Munehisa is an allusion to a revered Japanese Blacksmith, Masamune. Though he shares with Masamune's suffix, the prefix "Masa" belongs to a Blackmailer who's a number two of Akimitsu Tsuda.
- Kaiji Tang's performance in the English Dub, giving him a gruff mid-life man with a heart of gold.
Trivia[]
- In Kaneshiro's Palace, the cognitive counterpart of Untouchable Airsoft shop doesn't exist, instead it's replaced by a black void.
- Like Tae Takemi's Clinic, Iwai's Untouchable Airsofts isn't accessible in Persona 5 Strikers in the Shibuya Jail Arc. Most of the functions went to Sophia's Shop.
- Munehisa Iwai, Tae Takemi, Sojiro Sakura, Hifumi Togo, Floral Pants Man, Suguru Kamoshida, Shinya Oda, and Shiho Suzui are the Ensemble Dark Horses from the original Persona 5.
- That said, he returns in Persona 5: The Phantom X as a supporting character.
External Links[]
- Munehisa Iwai on the Megami Tensei Wiki