Thanks to NantenJex for helping with edits. Also, this article openly spoils AI: The Somnium Files.
Sometimes, finishing an article in this series leaves me with an unsatisfied feeling. It’s important to keep each piece at a fairly reasonable length, and accomplishing that often means omitting information that isn’t essential. When that happens, though, I can turn it into an opportunity! Kristoph and Klavier Gavin don’t share any animations, and after cutting that detail from the former’s article, I used it as the foundation for the latter’s. Other times, I follow up older articles with a “sequel” of sorts: I explored how Pharsis and Tony work as counterpoints to Telethia and Louis, respectively. With these sentiments in mind, let’s shift over to AI: The Somnium Files, its frontman Kaname Date, and his opposite number…
Saito Sejima’s profile in AI: The Somnium Files (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
AI brainchild Kotaro Uchikoshi once admitted that every aspect of game design is difficult, including writing their stories. And a good yarn is certainly crucial for games like AI, right? The Somnium Files is a murder mystery, so it should have twists, foreshadow them, and include red herrings to keep players guessing. One character who straddles the line between those concepts is Congressman So Sejima, a central figure in AI’s backstory. And his introduction is… eye-catching. “You,” So bitterly utters upon meeting Date for the first time. AI also frames So as someone untrustworthy, someone to watch out for. And, yes, he’s not our friend, but…
Saito Sejima’s History
So has a son, Saito, who was born with a brain dysfunction: his cannot reliably produce oxytocin, limiting his ability to experience the feelings of happiness or love. Unfortunately, the only means through which Saito could experience joy came about through murdering people. After killing the hapless Manaka, his father’s lover, that became his pastime. Saito even struck a partnership with mafia head Rohan Kumakura, collaborating on a gruesome series of murders police dubbed “the Cyclops Killings.” So, meanwhile, used his resources to cover up his son’s crimes.
Uchikoshi gave Date amnesia so his fund of information would match that of the player. Plus, it adds suspense: some clues suggest Date’s behind the original Cyclops Killings. (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
One fateful night, though, Saito’s cushy life came to a close. See, Psync Machines are used to enter and investigate witnesses’ dreams (this is how Date and his partner, Aiba, gather clues in the present), but if two subjects stay in them for too long, they’ll inadvertently exchange bodies. And a mishap involving a prototype Psync Machine caused Rohan, his assassin Hayato Yagyu, and Saito to swap bodies, upending their lives.
Stuck in Rohan’s body, the amnesiac Saito was admitted to a psychiatric hospital (meanwhile, Yagyu got Saito’s body and a new identity, Kaname Date, by his boss, who struck a deal with So to “keep” his son). However, Saito’s memories slowly returned, with him remembering everything five years later—and “Rohan” broke out of the hospital. Using that now-abandoned Psync Machine, Saito secretly exchanged bodies with one of Rohan’s associates, Shoko Nadami (who, unable to bear herself in his body, committed suicide). Now living as Shoko, Saito monitored Date, visited the incarcerated Rohan (who was still in Date’s original body), and neglected Shoko’s daughter, Mizuki. Saito’s ultimate goal? Reclaim his original body and get revenge on Date.
Tarusuke Shingaki and Greg Chun voice Saito’s original body in Japanese and English, respectively. Chun does a great job as Date and Saito, delivering sinister inflictions as the latter. (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
One night, “Shoko” met with Renju Okiura, “her” ex-husband. Saito promptly knocked him out and swapped bodies with him. Then Saito killed Shoko’s body (and the real Renju with it) and hid the corpse at the desolate Bloom Park. “Renju” summoned Mizuki there, who discovered Shoko’s lifeless body shortly before Date and company arrived. This is where AI begins, and what happens next depends on the choices you make. Altogether, there are five main endings, none of which are “wrong;” each offers insight into AI’s cast and different outcomes, with Saito achieving varying levels of success.
Saito outright loses in the true ending, though. After a convoluted process, Date and Saito finally reclaim their birth bodies. Saito is about to secure his revenge by killing Iris and her adoptive mother Hitomi Sagan (surprise: Iris’ birth mother was Manaka; she is So’s illegitimate offspring), both of whom Date deeply cared about in his previous life. However, the combined efforts of our heroes and their friends stop the murderous madman, ending his reign of terror.
So, what’re my thoughts on Saito?
This is internet celebrity Iris’ first Somnium dreamscape, which Date and Aiba enter after AI’s first divergence point. Part of the big reveal is that she knew the victims of the original Cyclops Killings, which… doesn’t make any sense? (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
Kotaro Uchikoshi loves branching timelines. AI contains five, dividing clues and character arcs between them. These paths are represented by a flowchart, and as you accrue the different endings, you’ll notice a pattern: the farther left you are, the worse the ending is, and the farther right, the better things turn out. In the leftmost path, the aptly-named Annihilation Route, Saito causes the most damage, effectively going unchallenged. It’s depressing; most of Date’s cohorts die and those who don’t shun him.
The first split in AI‘s flowchart, where Date can tell Iris to stay home one night, is the most important one. If he doesn’t, things get worse; new corpses get discovered, stumping the police, and Iris becomes the subject of Date’s next Somnium scan. Her dream’s set within a dark, unfeeling warehouse unbecoming of the seemingly sweet, energetic Iris. Oh, and the original Cyclops Killer is implied to be… a crazed Date? In a parallel route, Date also enters Iris’ Somnium, except… it’s a lively “ShovelForge” playground? Grinding through the Annihilation Route eventually forces Date to enter his boss’s Somnium. It’s unquestionably the game’s most tedious one, but your reward for clearing it is a montage showing our killer swapping bodies, finally giving Date some answers.
Ace Attorney holds the gold standard of seeing a witness “transform,” revealing their true nature. Saito dropping his charade by contorting Boss’s perpetually calm face is no slouch, though! (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
However, AI’s middle paths end abruptly, leaving questions lingering. Yes, Mizuki and Date embracing each other is heartwarming. Sure, Date acknowledging Ota as a decent kid who might have a chance with Iris is… well, it’s supposed to be sweet. Thing is, where Saito at least gets “punished” after the Annihilation Route and dies during the Mizuki one, the rest close with him remaining at large. Honestly, those outcomes might actually be worse—Saito’s killing spree not only remains unsolved, but is potentially continuing.
That lingering unease is furthered by Saito’s Body Snatchers-esque setup. See, every person he masquerades as starts acting suspiciously, drawing their credibility across every route into question. This imbues AI with a lovely sense of paranoia, never letting you focus on one suspect. Plus, Saito is adept at taking advantage of his vessels’ resources (of which Renju, So, and Date’s boss have plenty), quirks (he can perfectly emulate each host’s personality and mannerisms), and relationships (along with manipulating Date and Mizuki, Saito takes advantage of Ota’s crush on Iris and scientist Pewter’s on Renju while posing as them). He’s always lurking nearby, always waiting to strike. After you’ve finished all of AI, working out whose body Saito hijacked during each in-game day becomes a morbidly fun exercise, too.
Date kills Saito, who’s somewhat unconvincingly posing as his father, in the Mizuki Route. The Ota Route, however, disturbingly ends with him impersonating Date’s boss… (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
Anyway, AI nicely foreshadows its twists. Aiba casually mentions supplying Date with medication once or twice, the relevance of which becomes clear when Pewter explains that the original Cyclops Killer suffered from a brain dysfunction. Even though Date himself probably did not commit those murders, his body is suspect. What about Iris’ strange first Somnium, then, which is nothing like her second? It’s impossible to reconcile them; they must belong to separate people (even AI’s promotional YouTube videos tease this).
Also, why is “Inmate #89” so coy about “his” past? Why does So seemingly know Date? Why do so many of Date’s cohorts start behaving strangely in some timelines and not others? Why is it so important that Somnium scans only last six minutes? Saito’s body-hopping ties these disparate threads together, and if you’re paying attention, AI spells everything out before he does. And this all helps So function as a red herring: he’s a bad guy, not the bad guy.
The final Somnium is a shared dreamscape between our hero and villain. The twist: Date’s alone and completely powerless. Time becomes nebulous, only returning to normal when Saito’s consciousness consumes him. (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
Of course, Saito and Date are opposites despite inhabiting each others’ bodies. Yes, they’re both murderers. While Date’s crimes were indefensible, he did adhere to a moral code (well, until the mafia “hired” him). Saito harbors no such reservations; if he needs his fix and you catch his eye, you’re in trouble. Date inappropriately and obnoxiously lusts after women; his foil isn’t interested in romance. Above all, though, AI is a game about family, accepting people into yours. Date embodies that, bonding with a bevy of outcasts, while the antisocial Saito is its antithesis. In fact, Saito doesn’t merely mirror Date; he’s the product of a loveless upbringing à la Mizuki and was born with a seemingly incurable illness like Iris.
My colleague NantenJex has informed me that Saito neither appears nor is mentioned in AI‘s sequel, Nirvana Initiative (which makes a conscious effort to avoid spoiling the original, though Date still resembles Saito therein). However, he can plausibly return in future installments—there are a few timelines where he escapes, after all! But I hope he doesn’t. Saito’s story has been told, he pushed the Body Snatcher concept as far as it could go, and Date and Mizuki should push forward and face new threats.
A regretful, disgraced So mulls over things during the epilogue. This doesn’t absolve him of his wrongdoing, but it’s a nice moment nevertheless. (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
Still, while Saito isn’t the medium’s greatest evildoer—his psychotic personality isn’t particularly memorable—I like him. His offbeat motifs nicely convey his insanity. His mental illness makes for a neat bit of foreshadowing and a decent motivation: killing people with a functional brain makes him miserable, not happy. He doesn’t—nay, can’t—understand that’s how you should feel after taking another’s life. Above all, this creep was a good antagonist for the first Somnium Files: Saito services its themes, undergirds it with a thrilling tension, and is cathartic to bring down.
Congratulations, Saito! Be seeing you!
Aiba is Date’s trump card in the best and worst endings. Had Saito removed her from his eye socket in either, he might have won! (Image: Spike Chunsoft)
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