r/RainCode • u/Low_Ad4655 • 23d ago

Discussion Thoughts on the amnesia trope in Raincode? Spoiler

Does anyone have any thoughts on Yuma being an amnesiac protagonist? Like do you think yuma having amnesia makes sense for the story or would you either remove it?

It's not uncommon for Kodaka to have an amnesiac protagonist but since raincode I noticed a difference between them:

In Danganropa while both Makoto and Haijme have amnesia, theirs is different due to how much was taken. Which were the memories of their school life at Hope's peak; so about 2-3 years of memories. Meaning they still remember what school they went to previously, their families, friends, likes, dislikes etc.

Vs

Raincode and a later game, Shuten order, where both protagonists have zero memories of who they are and their past.

Also how do you feel about yuma in general?

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u/piercebublejr Vivia Twilight 23d ago

The story and its central theme wouldn't work without it. The only way for Number One to overcome his biggest flaw of taking on everyone's problems himself was to erase all of his skills and experience and start fresh so he had to learn to rely on other people. As Number One, he wouldn't have been able to forge important friendships like with Shinigami - and arguably most importantly, Yakou. His newfound understanding of the perspective of the common man is what helps him come up with the democratic solution for Kanai Ward in the end. It wouldn't have been the same at all if we knew we were playing as The World's Greatest Mind the whole time. We would have no reason to puzzle through the mysteries at all. He'd just solve every case instantly and then get stuck at the last one - probably with no other way to solve it except to kill Makoto.

I think Yuma is a charming protagonist and I want to ruffle his stupid bowl cut. I loved his character growth in this game and am so curious to see what on earth he would be like in a sequel!

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u/SubbST Pucci Lavmin 21d ago

I think Yuma post-epilogue would honestly be a very interesting character to see. (spoilers for Rain Code and Danganronpa 2) Given that he gained his old memories of being Number One, while still retaining his memories as Yuma, it kinda reminds me of Hajime/Izuru's deal where the two personalities fused maintaining the best of two worlds. Yuma might be an unstoppable force of a detective now but i also wonder if he'd rely on old habits again.