Because of this, Akechi was further explored in Royal, and upon its release critics found him to be more likable due to Atlus handling him in a different fashion from his original version.

[3] Eventually, the team decided to make him look well-behaved with a cheerful personality, with an unbuttoned collar button, loose tie, and messy hair.

[4] For Persona 5 Royal, due to Akechi's initial polarizing reception, Kazuhisa Wada noted the difficulties in making sure he seemed true to his character during the third semester.

[6] His new battle dialogue was initially "wilder", but because Wada and Daiki Ito found Hoshi's voice acting too strong, he was asked to re-record.

[5] Late in development, the art team suggested giving Akechi different character portraits, including his default stern expression, as a way for him to show his "true" self around the Phantom Thieves and especially Joker.

[7] His second Persona is Loki, who has a dazzle camouflage pattern likened to World War I battleships to disguise from enemies, as well as horns similar to leucochloridium parasites to make its origins less clear.

(a reference to Persona 4's Naoto Shirogane)[16] He opposes the Phantom Thieves and becomes Joker's rival, but he later joins them during Sae's Palace, using the code name "Crow.

"[17] Akechi later betrays the Phantom Thieves, partly out of jealousy for Joker,[18] and is revealed to have been the black masked assassin causing cognitive shutdowns under the orders of Masayoshi Shido, a corrupt politician.

[20] Like Joker, Akechi is also a "wild card" who can hold multiple Personas, a power Yaldabaoth gave him to see whether chaos or order will dominate society.

[35] To prepare for the role, Sasaki completed Persona 5, stating that he was "shocked" upon seeing Akechi's sudden change and that he was looking forward to portraying his dual personalities.

[46] However, Chris Moyes from Destructoid regards Akechi as the "worst boy" of the series, describing him as having a "passive-aggressive attitude" and an "obsessional personality built upon narcissism and misplaced arrogance.

[53] Comic Book Resources ranked Akechi and Joker's Showtime in 1st place, praising the special move for being filled with symbolism of their complicated but powerful relationship.