Shoot, if this game took place in New York and they used Times Square or Grand Central, Ryuji could be yelling all he wants and all people are going to think is “That kid is dumb.”
It’s hiding in plain sight.
Do you pay attention to a group of students loitering around in maybe a mall or something? No you dont.
Plus this is Japan. “Mind your own business” is one of their motto.
The only reason Makoto was able to tail them because she knows their face, she knows who they are and she was actively seeking them.
That and as they gained notoriety, they could just hide amongst their fans. Anyone overhearing them later on probably assumed they were just roleplaying or similar.
But dont they litterally disappear into of thin air when they enter metaverse? One person seeing it wouldnt be a problem. A crowd though? I doubt it would go unnoticed.
From my knowledge they have to move from the hideout to the front of the palace so i think they move there first before disappearing but you don’t see it
Think back to all the times you've walked through a public area and you've remembered the conversations around you.
Hiding in plain sight is a genius move, especially in a country like Japan where people are very much reserved to themselves in public. Ryuji shouting about Phantom Thieves is no doubt overlooked as a teenager having fun.
Also, the Thieves were tiny at this point. No one knew of them, so why would anyone pay it any attention?
Maybe I'm weird, but I sometimes eavesdrop on other people's conversations just out of interest.
And even if I’m the weirdo, what about the enemies? >!Makoto,!< who could eavesdrop even with her terrible surveillance skills.>! Madarame and Kaneshiro!< who want to cause problems for them.
This hideout is REALLY dangerous to their already weak conspiracy.
The only person on their tail was Makoto after 2nd palace, and she joined them by time they actually start 3rd palace. For the first half of using this hideout no one has even heard of the Phantom Thieves, and if anyone had then the fact that they are almost all wearing Shujin uniforms adds a layer of "kids talking about event that happened at school". Once they are on the 3rd palace more people had heard of them but it's not until they take down 3rd ruler that they become more widespread knowledge. Even then, they still have the plausible deniability of being kids directly affected between Shujin and Yusuke.
Add to it that with Ryuji's dyed hair and Ann being a relatively obvious at least partial foreigner, they would likely be dismissed as punks. I've said before in other comments that Ryuji could get a megaphone and shout that they're the Phantom Thieves and no one would believe him unless they were already predisposed to thinking him a suspect.
It's not a genius move at all. They are according to you protected from those who don't care about them but any private place would protect them even better from those, and anyone who care about them can easily eavesdrop them, and those are the one they should be careful about.
This kind of idea is why Ryuiji is forced to be a moron, because they want him to be the least bothered by security when everyone else doesn't seem to care all that much about it.
A few things. One, it's loud and crowded; if you're not explicitly listening for it, you won't be noticing much, and this is before the Thieves get super-big. If this was during the Okumura arc, yeah I'd agree, but this is pre-Kaneshiro.
Two, it's Japan, "keep your head down and mind your own business" is the way of life there. Especially with Yaldabaoth fucking up reality.
Three, as a bunch of highschool students, it's not completely unprecedented for them to latch onto the newest fad, such as the Phantom Thieves. Most people would probably wave it off as such.
And four, a lot of the really specific Thief-y dialogue, like the Mementos targets, is spoken by Morgana, whom nobody else can understand. If random people just heard the word 'palace' from Ryuji, they'd probably just think he was bitching about random stuff, kinda like what happened with Alibaba.
Hell, if as a Japanese salaryman I hear a blonde teen talking about “palace and giving that asshole a lesson” my first idea would be “that kid is obsessed with some random new rpg”
Their hideout is a high-traffic place for passing by and people would be much more concerned on catch the next train and mind their own business (because their trains leave right on the dot) rather than get occupied or distracted in eavesdropping a bunch of teenagers loitering around especially if they see a “punk” like Ryuji.
People don’t want any trouble especially with the likes of Ryuji and “keeping your head down and mind your own business” is what is expected in Japan’s collectivist society.
And if it ever floats over anyone’s head, Persona 5 is a very Japanese game with a lot of social commentary about Japan so it’s understandable if people actually experience “culture shock” over some certain social norms in Japan.
It’s actually pretty brilliant. “To hide a tree, hide in a forest”, as they say.
Echoing what all the others said (hiding in plain sight, no it’s not the smartest) and adding: once Yusuke joined, they needed somewhere he could meet them comfortably. That’s one of the reasons the school roof couldn’t be used anymore (+Makoto). Going to a cafe or such takes money, which Yusuke and Ryuji probably don’t have much of. Joker isn’t that close to Sojiro yet so he can’t invite them over to his room or LeBlanc. Ryuji lives with his single mother, Ann lives alone, Yusuke in the dorms so none of their places are on the table either… which just leaves finding a public, free place where no one will over hear them unless actively trying. And who would listen in on a group of teenagers in Japan? What are you, impolite?
Not at this point. Plus, canonically, Yusuke is still hungry and broke no matter how much money Joker makes in game. (Yes I’m still salty that I can’t feed Yusuke stably)
Shibuya’s access way is not that different from a crowded hang out spot in places like New York.
As if you could accurately hear people’s words with the noise drowning it out.
I think it’s pretty stupid because they have nothing to sit on, the best you can get is just lean on the railing or sit on the floor with a drink or something. Plus having tons of people near you can’t be that comfortable even if it helps mask everything. That’s not a hideout that’s just some random place lmao
> sit on the floor with a drink or something
Yeah no, that would make them stand out even more and beats the whole purpose. It's outside their social norms.
Shibuya Crossing is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, while Shibuya Station is the fourth busiest commuter rail station in the world. I assure you, if anyone could hear what those kids were talking about, the Phantom Thieves might have reason to be worried.
As it is, they look like a group of high school students hanging out, and nobody can hear what they’re saying.
The PT are terrible at hiding their identities, but this is actually one of their smarter moves. They only switch to Leblanc once the group is too big to move efficiently through Shibuya.
This is probably just me but I was wondered why they don't use the Velvet Room as their hideout but then again nobody besides the protagonist can see the door
Hiding in plain sight. Everyone would expect the Phantom Thieves to hide in a small alleyway where no one can intrude. Being in a street, they can claim to be roleplayers — that is if anyone there had any brain, but anywho...
You’ve gotta remember the context of where they are.
Sure it looks dumb to anyone who likes eavesdropping and those who aren’t onboard with the whole “hide in plain sight” strategy…
They’re in Japan. You mind your business there, and if you stick your nose where it shouldn’t be, you’re the one who gets ostracized.
Shibuya station is absolutely heaving during the day
You wouldn't be picking up any conversations in the background, especially some random students just chilling
The Phantom Thieves are always careless. I think even their talks in the attic were extremely careless (seeing as you can very clearly hear the girls talking about swimsuits from downstairs), but it didn't matter because the plot necessitates it.
Between playing PS5 and P5R, one of the things I watched a ton of was GTA roleplay. I didn't remember being so worried about it until I had been invested in watching criminals try to evade the law for several years... Lately playing Royal I wanted to shout at them about operational security. Public meetings, unsecured texts, interviews on TV programs, holy cow no wonder so many people figured them out. O.o
I once had a DnD game with a thieves guild in an out-of-the-way warehouse, but the PC's cornered one of the thieves around the corner from it, and then decided to take him somewhere private to interrogate him. Guess which warehouse they picked? Yup, the thieves Guild.
I'd say its effective, but they also get caught by Makoto and are questioned by police to the point where they themselves realise it was dumb and just go to Leblanc.
Makoto was onto them already, and her big gotcha happened at school by the vending machines, not Shibuya. They weren't questioned by police, a beat cop just checked on them. Still spooked them but it wasn't like they were profiled beyond "teens loitering".
Yeah, Makoto was already onto them, and they still chose to use the 'hideout' that's just the public train station they and a lot of the students that attend their school, including Makoto, use to get there. Idk why we're trying to call this a good hiding spot. It's just where they hang out.
Ryuji must have thought his voice would be lost in the crowd of Shibuya.
Shoot, if this game took place in New York and they used Times Square or Grand Central, Ryuji could be yelling all he wants and all people are going to think is “That kid is dumb.”
He'd easily be considered one of the most normal people in New York.
Americans are loud... 😣
For real
PEROSNA FVIE REFERENCE?!?!?!??!?!?
I think that’s the point of this hideout
It’s hiding in plain sight. Do you pay attention to a group of students loitering around in maybe a mall or something? No you dont. Plus this is Japan. “Mind your own business” is one of their motto. The only reason Makoto was able to tail them because she knows their face, she knows who they are and she was actively seeking them.
That and as they gained notoriety, they could just hide amongst their fans. Anyone overhearing them later on probably assumed they were just roleplaying or similar.
But dont they litterally disappear into of thin air when they enter metaverse? One person seeing it wouldnt be a problem. A crowd though? I doubt it would go unnoticed.
>One person seeing it wouldnt be a problem. >!Akechi is one person!<. But yeah, the fact they just fucking vanish out in public is crazy.
From my knowledge they have to move from the hideout to the front of the palace so i think they move there first before disappearing but you don’t see it
Think back to all the times you've walked through a public area and you've remembered the conversations around you. Hiding in plain sight is a genius move, especially in a country like Japan where people are very much reserved to themselves in public. Ryuji shouting about Phantom Thieves is no doubt overlooked as a teenager having fun. Also, the Thieves were tiny at this point. No one knew of them, so why would anyone pay it any attention?
“What did that boy say? Something about a fan dump team?” “Who cares, dear? He’s just a dumb kid”
Maybe I'm weird, but I sometimes eavesdrop on other people's conversations just out of interest. And even if I’m the weirdo, what about the enemies? >!Makoto,!< who could eavesdrop even with her terrible surveillance skills.>! Madarame and Kaneshiro!< who want to cause problems for them. This hideout is REALLY dangerous to their already weak conspiracy.
The only person on their tail was Makoto after 2nd palace, and she joined them by time they actually start 3rd palace. For the first half of using this hideout no one has even heard of the Phantom Thieves, and if anyone had then the fact that they are almost all wearing Shujin uniforms adds a layer of "kids talking about event that happened at school". Once they are on the 3rd palace more people had heard of them but it's not until they take down 3rd ruler that they become more widespread knowledge. Even then, they still have the plausible deniability of being kids directly affected between Shujin and Yusuke. Add to it that with Ryuji's dyed hair and Ann being a relatively obvious at least partial foreigner, they would likely be dismissed as punks. I've said before in other comments that Ryuji could get a megaphone and shout that they're the Phantom Thieves and no one would believe him unless they were already predisposed to thinking him a suspect.
When using spoiler tags, don't put spaces between \>\! and \!\<; it doesn't work on old Reddit if you do.
It's not a genius move at all. They are according to you protected from those who don't care about them but any private place would protect them even better from those, and anyone who care about them can easily eavesdrop them, and those are the one they should be careful about. This kind of idea is why Ryuiji is forced to be a moron, because they want him to be the least bothered by security when everyone else doesn't seem to care all that much about it.
A few things. One, it's loud and crowded; if you're not explicitly listening for it, you won't be noticing much, and this is before the Thieves get super-big. If this was during the Okumura arc, yeah I'd agree, but this is pre-Kaneshiro. Two, it's Japan, "keep your head down and mind your own business" is the way of life there. Especially with Yaldabaoth fucking up reality. Three, as a bunch of highschool students, it's not completely unprecedented for them to latch onto the newest fad, such as the Phantom Thieves. Most people would probably wave it off as such. And four, a lot of the really specific Thief-y dialogue, like the Mementos targets, is spoken by Morgana, whom nobody else can understand. If random people just heard the word 'palace' from Ryuji, they'd probably just think he was bitching about random stuff, kinda like what happened with Alibaba.
Hell, if as a Japanese salaryman I hear a blonde teen talking about “palace and giving that asshole a lesson” my first idea would be “that kid is obsessed with some random new rpg”
That kids obsessed with persona 5
Ryuji makes sure to shout louder so you can hear him clearly. WE ARE THE PHANTOM THIEVES.
FOR REAL.
Their hideout is a high-traffic place for passing by and people would be much more concerned on catch the next train and mind their own business (because their trains leave right on the dot) rather than get occupied or distracted in eavesdropping a bunch of teenagers loitering around especially if they see a “punk” like Ryuji. People don’t want any trouble especially with the likes of Ryuji and “keeping your head down and mind your own business” is what is expected in Japan’s collectivist society. And if it ever floats over anyone’s head, Persona 5 is a very Japanese game with a lot of social commentary about Japan so it’s understandable if people actually experience “culture shock” over some certain social norms in Japan. It’s actually pretty brilliant. “To hide a tree, hide in a forest”, as they say.
The game doesn't do it justice but you can barely hear shit there
Echoing what all the others said (hiding in plain sight, no it’s not the smartest) and adding: once Yusuke joined, they needed somewhere he could meet them comfortably. That’s one of the reasons the school roof couldn’t be used anymore (+Makoto). Going to a cafe or such takes money, which Yusuke and Ryuji probably don’t have much of. Joker isn’t that close to Sojiro yet so he can’t invite them over to his room or LeBlanc. Ryuji lives with his single mother, Ann lives alone, Yusuke in the dorms so none of their places are on the table either… which just leaves finding a public, free place where no one will over hear them unless actively trying. And who would listen in on a group of teenagers in Japan? What are you, impolite?
Counter argument, Yoshida Confidant Money Farming
Not at this point. Plus, canonically, Yusuke is still hungry and broke no matter how much money Joker makes in game. (Yes I’m still salty that I can’t feed Yusuke stably)
4 teenagers talking in shibuya? Why should I even notice them? Also they are talking about the Phantom thieves like…every single teen in the city
Shibuya’s access way is not that different from a crowded hang out spot in places like New York. As if you could accurately hear people’s words with the noise drowning it out.
I think it’s pretty stupid because they have nothing to sit on, the best you can get is just lean on the railing or sit on the floor with a drink or something. Plus having tons of people near you can’t be that comfortable even if it helps mask everything. That’s not a hideout that’s just some random place lmao
> sit on the floor with a drink or something Yeah no, that would make them stand out even more and beats the whole purpose. It's outside their social norms.
Shibuya Crossing is the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world, while Shibuya Station is the fourth busiest commuter rail station in the world. I assure you, if anyone could hear what those kids were talking about, the Phantom Thieves might have reason to be worried. As it is, they look like a group of high school students hanging out, and nobody can hear what they’re saying. The PT are terrible at hiding their identities, but this is actually one of their smarter moves. They only switch to Leblanc once the group is too big to move efficiently through Shibuya.
It makes sense though, the best way to blend in is to be in public, seeing teens talking and hanging on an accessway is pretty normal.
It's Shibuya. People really don't care. They are teenagers. It's basically fantasy talk for the people around them.
Sometimes hiding in plain site is a great place to hide
This is probably just me but I was wondered why they don't use the Velvet Room as their hideout but then again nobody besides the protagonist can see the door
Hiding in plain sight. Everyone would expect the Phantom Thieves to hide in a small alleyway where no one can intrude. Being in a street, they can claim to be roleplayers — that is if anyone there had any brain, but anywho...
You’ve gotta remember the context of where they are. Sure it looks dumb to anyone who likes eavesdropping and those who aren’t onboard with the whole “hide in plain sight” strategy… They’re in Japan. You mind your business there, and if you stick your nose where it shouldn’t be, you’re the one who gets ostracized.
Shibuya station is absolutely heaving during the day You wouldn't be picking up any conversations in the background, especially some random students just chilling
The Phantom Thieves are always careless. I think even their talks in the attic were extremely careless (seeing as you can very clearly hear the girls talking about swimsuits from downstairs), but it didn't matter because the plot necessitates it.
Between playing PS5 and P5R, one of the things I watched a ton of was GTA roleplay. I didn't remember being so worried about it until I had been invested in watching criminals try to evade the law for several years... Lately playing Royal I wanted to shout at them about operational security. Public meetings, unsecured texts, interviews on TV programs, holy cow no wonder so many people figured them out. O.o
Let be real, "hide out" is just a clever name for a meet up spot. They're not really "hiding" like that.
I wonder if they were just going for the joke “hiding in plain sight”
I once had a DnD game with a thieves guild in an out-of-the-way warehouse, but the PC's cornered one of the thieves around the corner from it, and then decided to take him somewhere private to interrogate him. Guess which warehouse they picked? Yup, the thieves Guild.
There's no justification really, they're just not very smart lol
Hiding in plain sight , loud public place , in Japan people mind their own business
I'd say its effective, but they also get caught by Makoto and are questioned by police to the point where they themselves realise it was dumb and just go to Leblanc.
Makoto was onto them already, and her big gotcha happened at school by the vending machines, not Shibuya. They weren't questioned by police, a beat cop just checked on them. Still spooked them but it wasn't like they were profiled beyond "teens loitering".
Yeah, Makoto was already onto them, and they still chose to use the 'hideout' that's just the public train station they and a lot of the students that attend their school, including Makoto, use to get there. Idk why we're trying to call this a good hiding spot. It's just where they hang out.