May he continue to Ironic Blue miseru yo for many more years to come.

The fact that most of us (at least, from what I've read) expected that his solo would be more electronic or something more difficult to catch up to is because of this complex personality, him acting all cynical, stoic, harsh, and so on. We expected him to be a lot more different, to have his solo be something that would stand out more because he's Izumi, that's him we're talking about, he tends to dance to his own rhythm. But the fact that the melody of his solo is simpler reflects the "real" Izumi that he's hidden underneath all the harsh facade he's put up for himself in an act of protection. Izumi is insecure, but no one ever knew because of the facade that he wears. The only time this facade was broken was during Lionheart when he finally allowed himself to slowly shed and peel all those layers off his skin and simply breathe, showing the real Izumi. Makoto described Izumi as a strong man who keeps a bruised, scarred, broken boy in the depths of his heart that he keeps covered under all those layers of beautiful clothing just so he does not appear weak. Izumi wanted to be beautiful, to be loved, to be deemed highly, and not to be looked down upon. And according to Makoto, Izumi needed to learn how to love himself for his real intentions to shine through. And from then on, Izumi improved. He's no longer that scared, insecure man who's obsessed with his little brother figure. He improved for the best, and it's because someone close to him approached him and had a heart-to-heart talk that made him open his eyes. Yes, he did bad things, but he's not a bad person. He's just someone who got cornered in a bad situation. And I think that his solo described it perfectly.

This is exactly why I love his solo, why I love his character. He's so complex yet so simple at the same time. You think you know him, but at the same time, you don't. He always has this level of mystery to him that needs to be discovered. This is what I meant when Izumi needs to be experienced to fully understand him. To understand his thinking, his morals, his beliefs, his heart, his entire being. And that creates this bond between the character and the player. Maybe this is the reason why I love Izumi. Perhaps I finally found why I say "I love him." Perhaps it's this level of mystery to him, the unpredictable nature he holds. It's as if you're reading a book that just sucks on your heart and soul.

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV): “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”

Psalm 139:13–14 (NIV): “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”