Teddie

"Doesn't matter how far apart we are. The bonds we've made will remain strong. Everyone's hearts is connected to the people they know and trust. It's those bonds that let us all search for our purpose in life. As long it's a purpose that you believe in, there will always be someone who could help you fulfill it. You, me, and everyone else, there are no barriers. Our hearts are one. Right, Sensei?" - Teddie, Persona 4

Teddie, known as Kuma (クマ, Kuma) in the Japanese version, is a playable character in Persona 4.

Personality[]

"If I'm an unknown being, then the way I can change is unknown, too... So all I have to do... is make them not-unknown. Nana-chan's doing her best... Sensei and the others are probably fighting now too... I... I'm just a Shadow, but Nana-chan cheered up when she heard my voice... So what of I'm just a Shadow...!? There must be something I can do! I can't just give up thinking about things... That's why I came back here. Right, Nana-chan...?" - Teddie before awakening his ultimate Persona

Being a comic relief character, Teddie is usually bubbly and cute and is known to lighten the mood when investigating the case, much like Chie. Possibly due to being a Shadow unfamiliar with the human world, or perhaps due to being a cartoon bear, Teddie has a lot of childish naivety, innocence, and is pure of heart. He doesn't know a lot of human customs, does not know what "scoring a hot stud" means, or what a "manwhore" is. This results in him having a lack of social boundaries, such as when he flirts at Chie and Yukiko, although he fails every time. In the beginning of Persona 4 The Animation, he acts much like a coward when Shadows are near, but changes his ways as the story progresses.

He idolizes and respects the protagonist, to the point of calling him 'Sensei.' In the Japanese version, he has a verbal tick, adding "-kuma" after every sentence, while in the English version his speech is filled with dozens of bear puns, like saying "Bear-sona" while summoning his Persona. Teddie says "bear" 65 times in Persona 4 The Animation.

Despite his cheery attitude, Teddie sometimes expresses bouts of sadness and confusion. His biggest insecurity is his own identity and potentially having no (birth-given) reason for existence. Throughout the story, similar to Rise Kujikawa, Teddie struggles to find out his own self and his place in both the TV world and the real world, as he has lost his own memories. As the story progress, Teddie begins to develop a fear that he perhaps has no "true self" and that he has no memories to recover, but continues to search for them regardless. This results in the creator of Shadow Teddie.

He seems to care a lot about Nanako Dojima and calls her "Nana-Chan," even when she's in a near-death state after being kidnapped by Taro Namatame. After Nanako's "death", realizing that he couldn't keep his promise to play with her, and with his memories returned, Teddie grieves over the fact that he was an ordinary shadow who grew human emotions and wanted to be accepted by others. By the end of the game, following Nanako's recovery, Teddie comes to accept his true self and realizes that if he is an unknown being, then the way he could change was unknown as well, and vows to protect the TV world while living with the Investigation Team in the real world.