The Midnight Channel Explained [P4G Analysis]

There's been a lot of confusion over the years as to how the Midnight channel works and that's partially intentional. Persona 4 Golden is a game about reaching out to the truth, and so the investigation team constantly are confronted with misunderstandings and wrong information along the way. I think that while most people who play p4 understand generally how the Midnight Channel works, there's a lot of common misconceptions too, so let's clear that up today!

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[HidinginPrivate]

Please bump this is if you enjoyed! Engagement helps a lot, and so does sharing it around. Have a Great Day! I'll see you next week at the latest!!

[Namingway]

I think something the game (probably) never says outright but on many levels is plain to see is that not only is the midnight channel a mix of one's own repressions and society's view of them, but also takes these things and directly, intentionally presents them in ways to undermine and challenge the idea of growth and acceptance. Each dungeon is a tailor made horror intended to goad those trapped within into denying those truths with that one consistent utterance, "You're not me!" Within a calm and understanding setting (such as the time spent in social links) the party members are able to thoughtfully and calmly analyze these undesired traits and move forward, but the midnight channel serves almost as a flawed way for izanami to say "see? they failed to accept themselves and the truth, humanity cannot possibly desire truth and understanding" but in reality, of course when you warp one's insecurities to the absolute limit they will never be able to face it on their own. its an unfair challenge issued by an unjust god that in theory should have never been surmountable, and was only able to be dealt with through human connection and helping one another.

[Nodegama]

Talking about the "Self" really is not as straightforward as some people would like it to be. Are you your emotions, your memories, your physical self? Ego and Instincts, and then we also add the entire aspect of the Perceived self, created by other people's perception of you.
I personally find this topic fascinating. Nice video!

[superjames]

What I pretty much gathered from this video and the series as a whole is that the true villain of these games is humanity itself. The reason I love this game so much and that it’s my favorite is because of the characters and the way that the midnight channel ties into that. Even though I knew what the Midnight Channel was, I kept forgetting that the Shadows weren’t always just the persons rejected feelings, but also peoples perception of them. I never really thought about them like that so you explaining that really opened my eyes a little bit. I think what your trying to accomplish with this series of videos is honestly really cool and I hope that by the end of it, I will be able to understand how truly Persona 4 and Persona as a whole works and how much time and effort it took to make these games.

TLDR; Thanks for explaining the Midnight Channel and I am excited for the next one (just try not to get to burnt out).

[UpItIsMe]

I had completely overlooked the contradictions mentioned in the video, really makes me apreciate the game more when I have a fuller picutre of what is going on

[yamigd]

You explained it so well! I found many of my friends confused by 2nd part of the game (After Namatame) when they suddenly have to change view from "shadow is your complexes" to "shadows are how people see you"

[chrismaeleon]

This was so good!!
Even though it seemed so obvious, at first, this was a very insightful analysis of a concept that was described quite confusingly in the actual game

[Hatchling]

8:48 "without the glasses" was kinda cheesey but I liked it

[LinkaDL]

That is an interesting analysis, is true that many people misunderstood the Midnight Channel and more than that, the shadows. I think that Yosuke in Kanji´s dungeon give us a good answer when Yukiko says something that if "those are Kanji´s true feelings" and Yosuke replies that they aren´t, that what we see are "his emotions out of control" or something like that so an overexageration. I didn´t expected that you pointed out that maybe the true intention of the game is to make us to think and discover how the game operates. It made me think and maybe you are right and that is the idea.
Thanks for the video.

[ThunderJimmy]

The midnight channel is another medium for the collective unconscious beyond Inaba and its citizens affecting the citizens in their everyday lives. One primary example is the critical choice heading to the true ending of P4/P4G that is Taro Namatame, the TV world was altered to seeing a false shadow of Taro Namatame wherein was created from the will of the persona users themselves identified by Izanami. Hence, the midnight channel is one medium to see the collective unconscious, albeit twisted.

[zeveria]

So what the Midnight Channel shows varies between viewers, which is why Namatame was able to get a better vision of the next victim and why Chie was better able to recognize Yukiko, right? Nanako was difficult to see because she was more "unknown" than the others, but also perhaps because she was the last person Yu wanted to see on the Midnight Channel, compared to his other friends who he didn't know very well before they appeared.

Interestingly, with Rise, her face was more visible during the second night she appears--probably because Yu wanted to get a better view of her face to confirm her identity. But if that's true, that means during the first night when the camera was focused on her breasts and waist--oh...well I guess that confirms that Yu's canonically a closet perv.

[KekkanSeihin]

So that's why Kanji's shadow was gay even through he himself wasn't. It always kinda bothered me, but now it all makes sense.

[falsesenpai]

Would love to see you collab with this Hiding in Public guy. You two are pretty knowledgeable with the psychology stuff

[zeo]

“I wouldn’t blame you if you had to rewind this or slow it down” felt like it was targeted at me after having rewinded like 5 times before you said that line LOL

[redtiger]

This actually supports my own theory about Persona 5 bosses the ruler forms is how they perceive themselves as like, Komosheda thinking himself as a king and his boss form is how The Academy see him as even his official boss name fits it asmodeus the sin of lust.

[thegoodeboy]

Persona 4 will always be my favorite game ever. The theme of excepting even the worst parts of yourself really means a lot to me. Great video

[UniGya]

I think it's important to understand how the shadows within the game are different from the shadows of Jungian psychology. Within Jungian psychology the self is defined mostly through 3 parts: the persona, the part of ourselves we show to the world and is mostly defined through outward observation, the ego, which is our conscious mind controlling what parts of the entire self becomes part of the persona, and the shadow, the parts of ourselves we reject from the persona and deny the existence of. The shadows of Persona aren't just the shadow of Jung's theories, they are both the shadow and the persona. They are simultaneously defined by our repressed traits but also defined by our outward perception. They are the self without ego, which is why when accepted by the owner they become a Persona. At that point the shadow is no longer repressed, even if it is just by the investigation team there no longer is any truly secret desires left to be a part of the shadow. By embracing and accepting the shadow as a part of yourself and adopting it into the Jungian persona they are able to create a Persona, a complete version of themselves they are willing to face the world with. This idea is even carried over to Persona 5 where Personas awaken in response to accepting the "Will of Rebellion, " which sounds different from how Persona 4 handles awakenings, the Acceptance of the True Self, but the Will of Rebellion is a part of everyone but is often repressed as well. In all 5 Persona games (6 if you count the Persona 2 duology as seperate entries) this idea of total acceptance of oneself shows up specifically in regards to the awakening of ultimate Personas, too.

[dirrdevil]

I think this happens a lot in media especially with mysteries or any story based on discovery: characters within the narrative speculate on something's true nature and then the audience often takes those guesses as gospel. Happened with the show Lost as an example.

[RikkuX]

Can’t watch the video right now but I know it’s gonna be great. Love the thumbnail already

[heroicgangster]

One thing that I got out of this video and how it relates to Persona 4 is how gaining personas is referred to as "obtaining a facade". It's deliberately showing off the persona term of persona, that a person being their ideal true selves is a mask in of itself. It's one part of a person people can use to "overcome life's hardships"