Sae Nijima is most well-known for being the detective and sister of playable party member, Makoto Nijima, in Persona 5. While Sae is a hard nut to crack, she's fearlessly dedicated to her craft - stopping at nothing to bring about justice. This strong devotion has a tendency to lead her astray, as she's so blinded by🐓 her own pursuit that she doesn't realize the big picture. Players soon realize that this has led to the foundation⭕ of her own palace, forcing the player to face off against Shadow Sae.
Her palace, a casino, is perhaps one of the most iconic thus far from the game. Sae's shadow form is also iconic, complete with a wide-brim black hat and a revealing floor-length 🐟gown. Her makeup is heavy and bold, almost gothic, in stark comparison to the flattering lilac she wears IRL. Additionally, her confident yet semi-flawed nature only turns to hatred and jaded deceit in her pal𓄧ace, bringing out the side that threatens to overtake her in the real world.
With so many facets to her true nature, we're blessed with artists wh🔯o use their art in order to bring to life all of these sides to Sae Nijima... Here are some of our favorites.
10 💎 A Devilish Look
Beautiful done by artist , here we see Sae in her true Shadow self natur♕e. Her story is a sad one, compounded by the fact that she functions as a mother figure, as well as a caretaker, to her younger sister. This, combined with the pressures of her job, force her into the ideology that she must be perfect in order to lead a good life. Being a detective isn't easy and her frustration on the one case she can't solve is tangible in the game. Here, we see that frustration manifested as a truly glaring look and a clenched fist.
9 The Romance We Didn't Know We 🔥Needed
This art was posted by , and we couldn't love it more. While the protag is able to romance his female party members in Persona 5, many of us get caught up in thinki𝓀ng about how NPCs would look tꦫogether.
Appropriately titled, 'The Prosecutor and the Doctor', Sae and Tae don't just sound cute together, they truly would be cute together. We have to believe that the harshness in their nature would somehow lꦬead them to find a level of 𓆉compassion and understanding.
8 🎃 ♓ Two Sisters About To Kick Some Butt
This work of art was posted by on ZeroChan, and we're seriously in love with this style. It's unique in the sense that there's not much art out there like it, especially for . We especially love the connection between Makoto and Sae, as they're fairly close in the game, but still strugg𒊎le with a divide as Makoto strives to live up to her older sister's expectations. the shimmer and spotlight in this artwork makes it that much more realis🔯tic, giving it the perfect human touch.
7 An Innocent Inteꦰraction
This art, posted by on ZeroChan, is likely one of the cutest we've seen. Sae and Goro Akechi work together in the game in an effort to bring to justice the handiwork of the Phantom Thieves. Despite their seemingly amicable teamwork, it's revealed that Akechi has an agenda of his own. Additionally, Sae has a palace of her own, thusꦆ leading them both to new revelations and, ultimately, new fates. This innocent act of compa♚ssion is a refreshing break from the intensity of a cross examination room.
6 🐼 Sae Meets Overwatch
This artwork was created by on Twitter, and it's such a fun twist on a crossover. Sae is well-loved by Persona fans, but now Overwatch fans can have something to cheer about, too.
Ashe, being the leader of the Deadlock Gang, shares some surprising traits with Sae, as they are both fearless leaders and will do whatever it takes to succeed. While you wouldn't think these two games have anything in common, these two characters even look alike.
5 ༒ Femme Fatale Has Nothing On Sae
A beau𝓀tiful rendition posted by on reddit, this version of Sae is slightly more mature and incredibly realistic. It's no secret that Sae is strong𒀰 in her femininity, offering zero apologies to anyone when it comes to the actions she chooses to take. She's strong because she had to be, and continues to be brave in the face of all that stands in her way. This moment in time displays Sae in a casual moment, but in the background, we can see the nature that lurks deep within her, never far from her true self.
4 Sae IRL
Another𝓡 very realistic representation of Sae posted by on ZeroChan, this profile has us wondering if it was modeled after a real person. In this artwor✅k, her features are so human-like that it has us convinced Sae Nijima must be real. If we didn't know any better, we'd likely guess that this was a commissioned work of someone who looks very similar to our badge-wielding detective. It's stunning to say the least, with detail that's truly unreal.
3 Spot Cꦫolor Only Ma🎉kes Her More Intense
This black and white rendition by has stolen our hearts (no pun intended) for sure. It's not easy to create a black and white picture to begin with, but everything in this artwork, from the shading to Sae's expression, is truly lifelike. The decision to include spot color in the form of her yellow flowers and trademark playing cards really makes the imagꦜe pop. It's seductive yet menacing, which is all that Shadow Sae truly aspired to be.
2 🍸 Sae, A Portrait
This portrait-styl𝔉e by is exactly how we'd want a painting of Sae to look. Her expression in this art is a bit more all-knowing and cynical, perfectly representative🎉 of her questioning and untrusting nature.
She has given this look plenty of times to our protag, who most 🐟of us attempted to keep inno▨cent as long as possible. Sae tried to be far smarter than our protag, however, and she did it with this look every time.
1 🍌 The Cutest Version Of Aꦫ Shadow We've Seen
Last but not least, this artwork by ! It's adorable and beautiful all rolled into one, and we're loving the fact that Sae, even in her Shadow form, still appears innocent. This artwork incites hope in us that Sae could truly be saved (and she was) from her own demise, despite what her casino-playing self spoke of. Surrounded by the things that represent her alter ego, playing cards, one yellow rose, and poker chips, this artist captured Shadow Sae flawlessly.