Takaya is the confident and charismatic young leader of Strega. He functions as the Main Character's foil, leading the rival group of Persona-users and setting himself up as a false messiah. In battle, Takaya uses a six-shot revolver to strike down his opponents. Aside from Aigis, he is the only Persona-user in the game who does not use an Evoker to manifest his Persona, instead summoning it "manually" by clutching his head and falling to his knees. Persona-users in previous games also did not use Evokers, but summoning their Personas never appeared to cause them any pain.

Since Takaya doesn't have long to live, he lives fully for the moment, heedless of the harm he causes others. His dearest wish is to see the world end along with his own life. Though he does have some care for Jin and Chidori, he has no qualms about using either of them as tools. At first, he tries to prevent SEES from killing the twelve Arcana Shadows, as if he is trying to save the world in his own way, but he embraces death once he realizes their true purpose. Near the end of the game he creates a cult centered around the coming of Nyx, with himself as the high priest.

Takaya's final defeat occurs when he tries to forcibly stop SEES from climbing Tartarus and facing Nyx. Afterwards he crawls to the top of the tower to witness the final battle. It is unknown whether he survived after the Main Character sealed Nyx away; if he did, it is likely that he does not have long to live, since he still needs to take the lethal suppressant drugs.