Promise Mascot Agency Is A Lesson In Writing A Realistic Teacher

Overall, there is rarely a moment in this game where it’s not clear Miss Wambui does more than not only what’s on her job description, but also anything that should be asked of just one person. It’s a cruel similarity to real-life teachers who, by necessity, often do a lot more than teaching. Even outside of handling generative A.I. use among students that caught schools unprepared, educators are notoriously under-resourced, underpaid, and overworked. This is on top of having to navigate larger political issues that inevitably impact both schools and the people coming into them. For example, one way that this has materialized recently is teachers having to prepare for face-offs with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, more widely loathed as ICE. ICE has not been shy about targeting kids, or generally ripping families apart, which has forced teachers to deal with student anxieties or realities around that situation. It was hard not to make this connection as Miss Wambui explained how the corrupt mayor’s poor spending habits made her life harder. 

Real-life wasn’t the only inspiration for Miss Wambui’s character. Smith shared that his main inspiration for writing Miss Wambui was delinquent manga like Crows and games like The Friends of Ringo Ishikawa, which is fitting given the general odd-one-out nature that’s pervasive in Promise Mascot Agency. “When I wrote Miss Wambui, I imagined what a British teacher would struggle with in a school full of Japanese delinquents,” he wrote over email. “Over the years, we have seen a number of J-vloggers that work or have worked as English teachers in Japan, and while we didn’t take anything specific from them, there was a kind of nebulous inspiration from what they have talked about in videos.” He also notes how Kaizen Game Works art director Rachel Noy drove the character design and helped depict a foreigner struggling in Kaso-Machi.

When asked about how he believes games depict teaching as a profession generally, Smith also noted how infrequently he saw realistic teachers (“Maybe I just haven’t played them, or maybe they don’t exist?”) and mentioned only the Persona series by name. He then went into his thoughts on how developers can approach depicting teachers, emphasizing the importance of communicating their struggles and those of the larger system—ones he wouldn’t want to deal with himself. “I was always told at school that I’d make a good teacher, but I had no desire to deal with all the challenges that teachers face,” Smith writes. “Kids have it hard these days; everyone is poorer, social media has turned us against each other, kids are forced to grow up too fast, parents expect teachers to raise their kids, and governments enforce unrealistic goals while slashing budgets. If a game features a teacher, these struggles should be shown, so that more people can learn empathy for an essential, but undervalued profession.”

That last point rings especially true by the time Promise Mascot Agency rolls credits. Without divulging too many spoilers, Miss Wambui is without question an integral part of Kaso-Machi’s come-up. Her presence is reassuring both for her warm energy and practical assistance. Multiple characters describe the positive impact she’s had on their life, including Pinky☆. The game adds an extra level of truth to these praises by making Miss Wambui’s words a literal stat-boosting item in the game, appropriately called “Miss Wambui’s Encouragement.” Even Michi himself can’t help but comment on her special character, directly telling her later in the game that “A teacher like you might have made a difference in my life.” Big words from a man whose name can make the toughest yakuza members’ blood run cold.

All of this adds credence to Miss Wambui being one of the best representations of teachers in gaming. With that in mind, knowing that students of all ages and varieties are facing more trials than ever as September approaches, here’s what Miss Wambui’s words of encouragement would be for those going back to school, according to Smith: “The world is tough, but so are you. The world is unfair, but if you stick together, you’ll make it through! Now, do your best!”

Wallace Truesdale is a journalist who loves games and much of what they come into contact with. He’s written for Unwinnable, Stop Caring, PopMatters, and more. When he’s not ruining himself with sweets, you can find him blogging at Exalclaw, or hanging out on Bluesky and Twitch.