Haru Okumura/Noir

Note: Not to be confused with Haru from Beastars

Haru Okumura is a playable character from Persona 5. She is a wealthy girl who attends Shujin Academy as well as a Phantom Theif. She is the only daughter of Kunikazu Okumura who used to care for his daughter. By the time the game started its events, Kunikazu started to become corrupt and all he wanted is power. Haru didn't mind at first despite the employees being overworked, but she eventually became a bargaining chip for his ambition in which she has been forced into an arranged marriage with the son of a prospective associate of her father's, Sugimura for the sole reason that his status will allow Okumura to achieve the presidency. These marriages are not uncommon in Japan, Sugimura is very abusive and Haru is at stake.

Why She Rocks

 * 1) While Haru has shy characteristics and trusting issues, Haru is a really kind girl who can easily be fast friends. It has gone to the point where she is the only member of the group where Ryuji Sakamoto doesn't argue with her on a regular basis. She is the nicest character in the game she comes from.
 * 2) She has admiration towards many female superheroes she has watched on television. With that said, they are the reason why she loved the idea of fighting to protect others and being happy.
 * 3) At first, she doesn't agree with the other Phantom Thieves thinking that she can't work with people who don't know what they want to do (even going to the point of calling them out for turning their backs on their own teammate when their goal is supposed to be to help the weak). After her real desires come to light, she (namely, to get out of her arranged marriage with her abusive fiance) changes her mind and teams up with the thieves just to change her father's height.
 * 4) Compared to the rest of the thieves, her name "Noir" serves as a reference to her elaborate backstory. Noir means black in French and it reminds her how she is working for the darker side of the law.
 * 5) With the group, Haru behaves formally due to her responsibility as the newest member of the team. After being told that whether or not she's new doesn't matter to them, she ends up being more casual.
 * 6) She uses Japanese honorifics towards certain characters like Mako-chan for Makoto Niijima or "Mona-chan" for Morgana.
 * 7) Don't be underestimated. She may be cute and gentle, but she does participate in combat as a relief from stress. Ironically enough, she goes get nervous in combat yet she wants to face off again!
 * 8) Has moments of playfulness and teasing, but would not want to push limits and take it to a serious degree.
 * 9) She never seems to express resentment towards her father despite everything he has put her through. When Haru witnessed the loss of her father, she had legit grief as if her dad did use to genuinely care for his daughter's well-being until he became politically compelling with Masayoshi Shido. Haru had a good reason as to why she got angry in front of her father's killer. Haru also confesses to Takuto Maruki that if she had the chance, she would've wanted to spend more time with her family (presumably with a father who is more attentive).
 * 10) When being part of the thieves, she wants to be seen as dependable by the rest of the group which is a good reason why she wants to make herself useful. She learned that her hobby of vegetable growing can be useful to the group's activities and being excited about Makoto doing a Showtime with her.
 * 11) She grew up with the teaching of the "do as you're told" memo as she often uses other people to decide for her. Despite this, she doesn't want to live her life. With that said, she has gotten to appreciate just about any freedom she can get.
 * 12) *An interesting point to talk about is how she can also show empathy despite being forced to do whatever people wish of her. She can see how easy her life is in comparison to the average person.
 * 13) She's fairly close to Makoto because they want to change the hearts of loved ones who have been consumed by corruption.
 * 14) Her confidant involves her trying to become more involved in Okumura Foods by developing ways to use the produce she grows in order to eventually create a café chain much like her grandfather once did. It also deals with Haru having to deal with the fallout of her father's death including people trying to take advantage of her as a large stakeholder for Okumura Foods as well as Sugimura who threatens her with their marriage agreement made with her father previously, which he states is still legally binding despite his death.
 * 15) Later on, Haru is now a college student who is doing business management and agriculture. She has been taught how to run Okumura Foods in place of her father.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) She has serious trust issues. This could be justified as a result of her past.
 * 2) She can be awkward at times.
 * 3) She's a maniacal driver. It has gone to the point where Makoto expressed reluctance with the idea of Haru driving.
 * 4) Has moments of self-deprecating when expressing her doubts including thinking that gardening is the only thing she's good at.
 * 5) She's bad with technology including smartphones and breaking every computer she used.
 * 6) When she attended Shujin, she struggled to make friends originally.
 * 7) She suffers from the trope called Late Character Syndrome. Her Confidant only becomes available on 10/30.

Trivia

 * Her name may be a historical reference to Haru Hiratsuka (平塚 明), a Japanese feminist in the early 1910s. This is further supported by Haru's last name "Okumura" which is the same as Hiratsuka's artist lover, Hiroshi Okumura (奥村 博史). Her name also means "spring" in Japanese.
 * The deadline for reforming Okumura is before Haru's marriage. In the Japanese version, this is written as "X days before Haru's body is sold" (春の身売りまであとＸ日, Haru no miuri made ato X bi)? which almost looks like "prostitution" (売春, baishun)
 * She and Makoto share the same blood type
 * She was going to be fragile like her character design suggests much like Fuuka Yamagishi from Persona 3
 * In the Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag collaboration, Asuna is dressed as Haru because they both share the same Japanese voice actress, Haruka Tomatsu.
 * She spawned the "floof" meme due to her hair and the forehead meme due to her forehead.

Comments
