Apathy Syndrome

Apathy Syndrome (無気力症, Mukiryoku-shou)^? is a term predominantly seen in Persona 3. It refers to a mysterious condition that reduces its victims to a vegetative state.

Appearances[]

• Persona 3 / FES / Portable / Reload
  • Persona 3 The Movie
• Persona -trinity soul-
• Persona 4: Dancing All Night
• Persona 5: The Phantom X

Profile[]

Persona 3[]

Apathy Syndrome is a mysterious condition that affects students of Gekkoukan High School and other residents of Tatsumi Port Island during the course of Persona 3. Those suffering from the syndrome suffer from debilitating levels of apathy. When it strikes, the inflicted will collapse in a heap where ever they happen to be and become unable to move, feed or care for themselves. The number of cases grows in correlation with the approach of the full moon, when a Shadow makes an appearance somewhere in the city. The cases quickly decrease each time a Shadow is defeated, only to slowly rise again as the next full moon approaches. People affected by the Apathy Syndrome are called "the Lost" by the inhabitants of Tatsumi Port Island.

It is later explained that Apathy Syndrome is a result of having one's psyche eaten by Shadows. Due to having their soul taken away, the victims are reduced to a vegetative state. It is implied that when a psyche is stolen, it somehow ends up with the boss Shadow that will appear during the following Full Moon (either due to that specific Shadow having eaten them itself or by the lesser Shadows eating the psyches and bringing them to the boss Shadow), because following the destruction of each Full Moon Shadow by SEES, the number of the Lost decreases dramatically. However, the Lost do not recover after the fight with Arcana Strength and Arcana Fortune, which SEES attribute to the Arcana Hanged Man becoming desperate until they discover that Shuji Ikutsuki lied to them about the operations' effect on the Dark Hour.

As it turns out, the Lost are the earliest manifestations of the Fall, an event where all of mankind will forfeit their will to live. Each Full Moon Shadow was a piece of Death (a being created by Nyx, that would later become one with its creator), and so their collection of psyches was their method of facilitating the Fall.

As the game reaches its climax, Iwatodai becomes more and more wrecked, litter and entire public structures broken down and left all over the ground. At this point, some Lost may start giving out actual dialogue, instead of their usual moans and useless pleas.

While it is implied that some Lost still exist as late as March 31st, new cases stop entirely after the Fall is prevented.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night[]

Apathy Syndrome is mentioned by Naoto that the victims lost their sense of self, unable to even speak. Also known publicly as Mass Lethargy Syndrome, it has affected a large number of people who ended up in a coma and hospitalized. Ryotaro Dojima investigated the cases and discovered that there may be a link to the syndrome patients and the cursed video. This is the product of their Shadows being removed from them, which have been taken by the ribbons into the Midnight Stage.

Persona -trinity soul-[]

Apathy Syndrome reappears in the parallel universe sequel to Persona 3. In the anime, it is shown to occur whenever a person's Persona is damaged beyond repair or forcibly removed. Apathy Syndrome afflicts Ayanagi City during the incident ten years prior where Ayane Komatsubara's repressed power exploded, causing everyone without a strong enough will to succumb to the symptoms of Apathy Syndrome.

People who are inflicted with this are reduced to a vegetative state. Later in the series, as more and more cases of this appear, strange incidents begin to occur with those afflicted by the syndrome, including being possessed by those that died or disappeared during the first incident.

Trivia[]

• Yukino Mayuzumi enters an Apathy Syndrome-like state if her shadow commits suicide in Persona 2: Innocent Sin.
• In Persona 5, while negotiating with a Jack-o'-Lantern in Kamoshida's Palace, there is a chance for him to reference Apathy Syndrome in his dialogue. This is exclusive to vanilla Persona 5 and was instead changed to "indifference" in Persona 5 Royal.