Why Shin Tsukimi Was Doomed From The Start (Your Turn To Die)

Hellooo, this is my first time doing something like this so please excuse the trash I am spewing out. Not spoiler free so beware! Also this is not an excuse for Shin’s behaviour but rather an explanation for why.

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Shin Tsukimi: 0.0%.

Those were the numbers which he read. They echoed in his head over and over again. Taunting him, humiliating him, cursing him. He could barely keep hold of the paper, his hands trembling.

0%. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know how. But he knew what he had to do.

He had to abandon himself.

No longer would he be the weak, kind, trusting Shin Tsukimi, the mere fool who has a 0% of surviving this death game.

He would become Sou Hiyori; strong, cunning, manipulative. He would be able to fight against this predetermined destiny and change his future. Survival was his priority. No one could take that away from him.

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Shin Tsukimi decided to “abandon” himself to become the lying and distrustful Sou we’ve all come to love or hate. A self-proclaimed job-hopper who seems quiet and stand-offish at first, but is later revealed to be a schemeful liar who manipulates others to his advantage in order to pertain to his absolute goal of survival. To add more fuel into the fire, the chaos he creates is usually directed towards us, the protagonist, who he has a specific hatred for. Thus making everything more difficult for us through his schemes and lies.

(Chapter 1.2: "Sou" trying to turn everyone against Sara)

But as we progress through the game, we see there is more to him than just a rat who likes to cause problems, but as a reliable ally with amazing skills which are able to help the group gain valuable information about the death game and even almost escape from it. His hacking skills and intelligence prove him to be an invaluable character within the group.

Despite these skills, Shin Tsukimi has a 0% chance of surviving the death game.

This brings upon the question… of why?

Well it’s all because of his first trial.

The first trial is the deciding factor of how the rest of the game will play out, some easier than others, some more traumatising and some which entirely depend on trust. I believe these trials were made specifically for each person with key purposes in mind.

For example, the trials for Sarah and Joe, Mishima and Nao, and Kanna and Kugie all had the ‘The Two Person Vote’ which heavily tested their trust in each other. It’s important to note that each pair had one non-candidate (Joe, Nao and Kugie), which could lead us to the conclusion that this trial had the specific purpose of getting rid of non-candidates before the main game.

(Chapter 1.1: Sarah and Joe's first trial)

Another example is Keiji and Megumi’s trial where Keiji had the opportunity to save his previous corrupt boss, but chose not to. The trial was set up to confront his past issues and tested his ability to overcome them. In the end, he could not and watched as she was pulled apart by chains. This trial wouldn’t have worked if both people cared for each other, proving that the first trials were in fact made with a specific purpose in hand.

(Chapter 2.1: Keiji leaving Megumi to die in their first trial)

Now onto Shin’s first trial.

In his first trial, he was shown the roster of candidates and their percentages, having them explained in excruciating detail by Sue Miley. She made sure to highlight how accurate these numbers were as they were calculated through the testing of AIs. Being shown his percentage of 0.0% caused his mind to break, leading him to take on the persona of Sou.

(Chapter 2.2: Shin finally revealing the truth)

I believe this trial is the cause for his 0%. By showing Shin these numbers, it psychologically cornered him and caused him to become distrustful of the others. He came to the conclusion that this death was due to the other’s own cruelty, believing that they were all going to turn against him and try to kill him off. By causing Shin to become doubtful and untrusting, this trial led him to take drastic measures which he believed will raise his chance of winning.

(Chapter 2.2: A flashback of Shin's thoughts during his first trial)

But it in fact, does the opposite. By becoming the untrustworthy Sou, he caused the others to dislike him and antagonise him. The others became more likely to turn against him and voted for him. It wasn’t because of his weak or timid personality, but it was his deceitful nature which caused him to self-sabotage himself.

(Chapter 2.2: Shin regretting his actions before death)

Just like he says mere minutes before his death, if he were to believe in everyone from the start, things would have been much more different. They could’ve been close to escaping, he wouldn't have had to work so hard to isolate himself and he wouldn't have had to die a lonely death. It’s at this moment he realises his mistake and regrets it, accepting that his fate was of his own doing.

It’s like a paradox, Shin’s first trial causes him to learn of his winning rate, thus he takes on the persona of Sou Hiyori. But by doing this, he becomes untrustworthy and more likely chosen to die, thus attaining a 0% win rate.

We see glimpses of Shin’s true nature when he’s figuring out an escape for everyone. When he successfully hacks into the security system, all of his fear is gone, causing him to become much more happy and lively. The idea of everyone escaping together has caused him to momentarily go back to being Shin and truly see his potential as a helpful ally had it not been for his first trial.

(Chapter 2.2: Shin excited about successfully hacking the system)

We also get to see pre-game Shin in chapter 3 as an AI. Here we see him for his true self without the pressure of the death game. He’s sweet and trusting, nothing like the person in the game.

(Chapter 3.1: Meeting Shin's pre-game AI)

Another thing I’d like to briefly discuss is what was the reason for Shin specifically being given this trial out of all the characters. You could argue it’s because it’ll cause the largest impact on him due to his percentage but if we go with the idea of the trial itself being the cause for his percentage, then this trial could have been given to any of the characters to break them.

But why did they choose Shin?

Well I believe it’s because he’s the most likely to derail their plans. Bringing in a hacker could be potentially dangerous as he has the ability to hack their system, gain their knowledge, and use it against them with the help of the others. If he started working together with them from the beginning, there was a huge possibility of the death game being in danger. Of course, it is later confirmed that they can’t escape, but if Shin were to work together with vital characters such as Kai to find out more information or an alternative escape, their chances of everyone surviving would have risen.

Therefore, in order to save their precious death game, the masters of the death games psychologically cornered Shin and ultimately lead him to his 0% chance of survival.

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Thank you for reading my analysis! I’m not very used to this so please feel free to add more or speak about your own theories! :)