Design

Haruka has brown hair and brown eyes; she bares a crown shaped scar on her right arm that was given to her by a shadow. She wears a pink hoodie under her Yasogami High uniform with capris length black leggings in the winter. On off days, her uniform is replaced with a black, sleeveless Turtleneck; skinny, cochineal red jeans; and white boots. In the winter she wears a pink coat with white trimmings; dark moss green cargo pants, and burgundy high tops sneakers. Haruka's glasses are cat-eyed rimmed shaped, in a tyrian purple color.

Personality

Haruka is a quiet student. She comes from the same class as Kanji Tatsumi and is often overlooked by most people in the beginning, due to her being silent and not standing out much. Haruka is compassionate and also very determined when she wants to be, even staying on task for hours at a time, which results in good grades from studying. At her core, Haruka is motherly, kind, and mostly sure of herself.

Profile

• Persona 4
• The Animation
• Golden
• Arena
• Dancing All Night

Persona 4

Haruka is a non-player character in Persona 4. She is a first year student of Yasogami High School and can be seen throughout the series. She can be found at the Samegawa Flood Plain, Junes, and outside of classroom 1-3.

Haruka used to live on the outskirts of Inaba, were most of the local food is farmed. She would have to take the bus to and from Yasogami High, not giving her much time to explore Inaba herself, unless she had to go shopping at Junes for cat food. Her mother works at Municipal Hospital as a nurse, but got fed up with taking a long commute to work, resulting in the two moving closer inland; her father stays back at the farm, but moves back into town once the first frost falls. Due to her mother always being on call as a nurse, Haruka had to learn how to cook for the family. She has also learned excellent first-aid from her mother.

As with the other students at Yasogami, Haruka can be over-heard talking to herself about the Midnight Channel. If the Protagonist interacts, she will go silent before quickly replying that she needs to study.
During the three day and two night stay at Tatsumi Port Island school Trip, Haruka can be seen with the group at the Gekkoukan High School front entrance and later with a small group of students just before entering the Seaside Clamshell Inn.

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Persona 4 The Animation

During the school camping trip, Haruka is seen sitting on the ground behind Naoki Konishi in the Health Association club tent, silently filling up supplies.

After their stay at Tatsumi Port Island, a few students in the Yasogami courtyard rumor that Haruka had to stay in the same hotel room as Hanako and Kashiwagi. Haruka is then seen walking by with her face low and in her hand.

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Persona 4 Golden

Haruka is still a non-player character, but unlike in Persona 4, Haruka is now an extra supporter to the group. Haruka can still be found in her same three locations from Persona 4.

Haruka Watanabe represents the Hermit Arcana Social Link, and creates one with the Protagonist upon her joining the Investigation Team. Vice-versa, the Hermit Arcana Social Link can still be created if the Protagonist visits the Tatsuhime Shrine and agrees to fulfill the wishes written on the ema for the Fox.

Additionally, Haruka now has a job at Junes and gets her own Persona after being kidnapped by shadows and dragged into the TV World. She is held captive there until she faces her shadow and obtains her persona, Nekomata. Now knowing about what the Midnight Channel truly is, Haruka joins up with the Investigation Team and becomes an extra helping hand.

Like Rise, Haruka can use her Persona to heal the team, raise their attack, defense, agility or lower the same states for a foe, and even cure aliments.

Though, Haruka’s Social Link skills are much different to that of Rise’s. Instead of being support, they deal damage to foes.

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Persona 4: Dancing All Night

Haruka is one of the few left behind when the Investigation Team vanishes along with producer Kyoka Ochimizu into the Midnight Stage. With no way to get into contact with the Team, she has no choice but to find out what she can do in the real world while looking out for Rise Kujikawa’s fellow idol performer, Kanami Mashita; whom was just saved from being pulled into said realm.

Later, Ryotaro Dojima and Nanako Dojima arrive at the studio to meet up with Yu but end up fending off one of Kanami’s crazy stalkers, leading the Idol and Haruka to ask the detective for help. Once the shock settled, the four begin to scour the library for any clues. Haruka makes notes of Kanami’s frequent headaches and asks if it’s a medical condition, which Kanami herself is left confused by. The Idol’s forgetfulness becomes apparent as she realizes she is late for rehearsal. Despite Haruka’s worry over the other teen, she decides to stay with Dojima to help get things done faster.

Before the festival begins, Haruka meets up with the two and wishes them both to "break a leg" before taking her seat in the audience. During Kanamin and Nanako’s performance, the truth of Yuko Osada’s suicide is revealed, sending the young Idol into shock as her memories are restored. Mikuratana-no-Kami then drags Haruka and the entire stadium into the Midnight Stage, subjecting everyone in the audience to the goddess’ bonding process. This leaves Haruka unable to call upon her Persona.

After the Investigation Team and Kanamin’s Kitchen defeat Mikuratana-no-Kami, the LMB Festival is returned to the real world. Haruka, along with the rest of the audience, shows confusion as to what transpired a moment ago, but no one is any the wiser once the effects wear off and the show continues on. While Haruka is left to lament a bit about missing out, she at least got to witness her friends dance on stage with Kanamin and supports the dancers from her position in the crowd.

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A very big thank you to @ALeoOfFire for writing this part up for me

Persona

Bakeneko (化け猫) begin their supernatural life looking almost identical to an ordinary house cat. They can develop supernatural powers and transform into yokai as a result of a number of things, but the most common reasons are; by living long-life (generally over 13 years), growing to a certain size (over 3.75 kilograms), or by licking up large quantities of lamp oil. Soon they begin to walk about at on their hind legs and can summon ghostly fireballs. They are known to accidentally start house fires, their tails acting like torches on any flammable materials in the house. As they age, the more powerful cats turn into Nekomata.

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Nekomata (ネコマタ) are born in the same way as other Bakeneko, though only the oldest, largest cats with the longest tails (and thus more power and intelligence) become this powerful variety. When these cats transform from ordinary animals into yokai, their tale splits down the center into two identical tails. These are the monster cats most likely to be seen walking about on their hind legs and speaking human languages, and in some cases changing into women and seducing and eating men. While not all Bakeneko are malicious or violent towards their masters, all Nekomata certainly are.

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Trivia

• "Haruka" can refer to the season "spring", a reference to Growing Season (a time when crops are grown on farms). Though, the use of her kanji refers to "distant" or "far away", a likely pun to the Hermit Arcana's nature.
• Haruka shares the same arcana as the Fox
• Haruka shares at least one thing in common with each member of the IT Group
       ✧ Yu: cooking and cats
       ✧ Teddie: puns
       ✧ Kanji: fluffy animals
       ✧ Chie: food
       ✧ Yukiko: innocent and ignorance
       ✧ Naoto: intelligence
       ✧ Rise: pop culture awareness
       ✧ Yosuke: fashion and working at Junes
• Haruka will drop honorifics once she is fairly close with someone

✧[MORE COMING SOON]✧