20 Things You DIDN'T Know About Persona
20 Things You DIDN'T Know About Persona
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re counting down our picks for the coolest trivia tidbits and easter eggs that’ll make you want to summon a persona!
“Persona 5” Was Originally About Backpacking Around the World
Instead of tackling corruption inside Japan, the original concept of “P5” had characters traveling all across the globe! It would’ve been a bold decision that shook up the rigid structure of the previous installments. However, following the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, game director Katsura Hashino decided to refocus “P5’s” story on Japan. The game went through a massive overhaul, and ended up as a biting critique of the country's justice system. Thankfully, Hashino didn’t completely abandon the road trip idea, and implemented the globe-trotting system into another Atlus RPG, “Metaphor: Re Fantazio.”
“Persona 3” Calls You Out for Cheating
Cheaters beware! If you try and hack your copy of “Persona 3,” the game will literally call you out for it. Depending on which navigator you have at the time, either Mitsuru or Fuuka have voiced dialogue criticizing you for taking the easy way out. This isn’t limited to certain editions, either. The line is fully translated and dubbed in the English release. However, if you can stomach disappointing your team members, the game doesn’t actually punish you for cheating. It’s all a battle of wills. But upsetting your party members is harder to get past then you may think!
Rise & Yukari Cameo in “Persona 5”
For the most part, every “Persona” title tells a completely original story independent from those that came before. But, that doesn’t mean developer Atlus doesn’t throw in some easter eggs for longtime fans! “Persona 5” specifically pays homage to two characters from older titles. The first is Rise, who apparently retook showbiz by storm after “Persona 4.” Her posters are all over the subway station! Later in the game, if you interact with Joker’s TV on a specific day, you get some fun text about Yukari from “P3,” who’s apparently still acting. It’s nice to know the characters we love are still out there, somewhere.
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“Catherine” Was “Persona 5” Before “Persona 5”
“P5” owes most of its existence to another game, and no, we aren’t talking about “Persona 4.” While the gap between installments was bigger than anything the series had seen so far, developers at Atlus weren’t sitting on their hands. In the interim, they made “Catherine,” a strange puzzle game that let the team get used to their new hardware. In fact, they literally called it “The Persona 5 engine” during development! As a result of what they learned from “Catherine,” the team was able to make “P5” the acclaimed juggernaut it turned out to be. As thanks, the Phantom Thieves appear in a DLC story of “Catherine.”
The Tanaka Speedrun Strat
The final act of “Persona 3” is tough. It’s a long, arduous sequence of mini-bosses and dungeon floors leading to a multi-stage fight with Nyx. However, there’s an easy way to skip the whole thing. Speedrunners discovered that if you somehow ignored Tanaka’s social link until the very last in-game day, talking to him will completely bypass the last dungeon. The calendar moves on, and you get the true ending, just without having to actually go through Tartarus or beat Nyx. It’s hard to imagine any players intentionally pulling this off, but for speedrunners, it’s a life saver.
Akechi Almost Had a Palace
Everyone’s favorite Detective Prince goes through quite the journey in “Persona 5.” But, if in-game datamining is to be believed, Akechi’s story was supposed to be a lot longer. Leftover code implies that he was slated to have his own Palace, which are the hand-crafted dungeons of “Persona 5.” Allegedly, it would’ve taken place between the sixth and seventh arcs of the finished game. Considering you fight Akechi in the seventh palace, anyway, it’s not hard to imagine that the confrontation was going to have its own dedicated backdrop. It would’ve been cool to see, but considering how long “P5” already is, maybe this was for the best.
Main Cast Personas & What They Mean
A persona isn’t just a character’s inner desires, they’re actual reflections of their stories, especially if you do some digging. For example, in “Persona 5,” the main cast’s personas are named after tricksters, witches, and pirates to match the game’s themes of rebellion. The Investigation Team from “P4” get their persona names from Japanese folklore, tying it into that game’s small-town setting. Then there’s the “P3” cast, who get personas based on Greek mythology, probably to match the tragedy they go through. We could go on, but let’s just say there’s a lot of nuance in every persona given to a party member.
Phantom Thief Hifumi
During evenings in “Persona 5,” you can hang out with wiz-kid shogi player Hifumi to gain some helpful in-battle strategies. She’s easily one of the most popular confidants in the game, so when people heard she was originally going to be a main party member, you can imagine the outcry! However, this rumor is only half true. Early in the development of “Persona 5,” Hifumi was designed to be Phantom Thieve’s lead strategist. Makoto took that role in the final product, with her receiving most of Hifumi’s personality traits, as well. They reused what they could for another confidant, creating the Hifumi we know.
Playable Velvet Attendants
All of the modern “Persona” titles follow a silent protagonist who is aided in their journey by a mysterious benefactor from another world. These attendants from the Velvet Room are usually reserved for superbosses in New Game+. However, if you pick up the fighting game or mobile gacha, you can actually play as Elizabeth, Margaret, and the Twin Wardens! Elizabeth was the first to break free with her playable debut in “Persona 4: Arena.” Margaret joined the sequel as DLC, and years later, the Twins became playable on the mobile title, “Persona 5: The Phantom X.”
Joker Was Almost in “Persona 4: Arena Ultimax”
More in-game code, and more theories abound! This one’s particularly interesting though. Despite releasing years before “Persona 5,” data suggests Joker was going to be playable in the fighting game “Persona 4: Arena Ultimax.” He never made it to the final roster. But, the fact he was even considered brings up a lot of questions. Was this Joker, or an earlier prototype? Would he have his persona already? How would they introduce him considering his game was still years off? Given all the narrative hoops they would’ve had to jump through, it’s understandable why he ended up as nothing more than a line of code.
It’s a Spinoff of Another JRPG Series
These days, most gamers have heard of the “Persona” franchise. “Shin Megami Tensei” is a bit more niche, though, which is strange considering it was the flagship once upon a time! “SMT” focuses on fusing, summoning, and fighting with demons. “Persona” took that concept and used it with a younger cast. However, the twist on the formula proved immensely popular with audiences, to the point “Persona” has effectively eclipsed its parent series. Starting with “Persona 4 Golden,” they didn’t even include “Shin Megami Tensei” on the cover anymore. It’s safe to say the spinoff has become the flagship at this point.
“Persona 2” Is Two Games
What would you say if we told you “Persona 5” isn’t the fifth entry in the franchise? “P4” isn’t the fourth, and “P3” isn’t the third, either. That’s because “Persona 2” is actually a pair of games making up a duology! And before you ask, yes, they’re both called “Persona 2.” While they each technically tell their own story, “Innocent Sin” and “Eternal Punishment” are definitely meant to be played sequentially. So, if you ask any fan, they’ll probably just count these two as the collective second entry of the franchise. Just be sure you clarify before downloading one!
“Persona 3” Didn’t Let You Control Your Party
You heard that right. Despite being a legendary staple in an acclaimed JRPG series, AI controlled you party members in the original releases of “Persona 3.” This was 2006, too, so there was no hardware excuse. Now, to be fair, the game has an in-depth tactics menu that helps you customize your team’s rotation, and the bosses are clearly balanced around your limitations, too. However, it’s still a head-scratching choice that makes it hard to recommend the original to anyone outside of diehard fans. Thankfully, both the PSP version and the remake remedied this. Mitsuru is finally usable!
No One Knew Naoto’s Original English Voice Actor for Years
The “Persona” franchise has some incredible, dare we say iconic English dubs. “Persona 4” in particular has an embarrassment of riches in its western voice cast. But, for some strange reason, the English actors weren’t actually credited in the final game. It was up to the performers themselves to come forward and claim their work. All of them did - except for Naoto’s. The voice behind the detective stayed buried in anonymity for years, leading to all sorts of fan theories and discussion posts. Some time later, after she’d already stepped away from the role, Anna Graves finally let the cat out of the bag, resolving a mystery years in the making.
“Persona 2” Has a Hitler Boss
Yeah, this one’s weird. If you play the original version of “Persona 2: Innocent Sin”, one of the major antagonists is literally Adolf Hitler. Truly. Okay, technically, he’s a reincarnation brought about by rumors of the masses. But, Hitler is Hitler! As you can imagine, this didn’t sit well for every version of the game. In the PSP remaster, he received some unsubtle changes, including sunglasses and a name change to “Fuhrer.” If you ask us, this just draws more attention to his inclusion. But, considering they already committed to using Hitler in the story, there probably wasn’t much they could do.
“Persona 3” Introduced the Calendar System
“P3” was a landmark moment for the franchise. Up against the wall of bankruptcy, developers at Atlus knew they had to score big, and so, they introduced a new gameplay system that would end up defining the series. An in-game calendar. Instead of the straightforward, story-driven dungeons of the previous “Persona” titles, “P3” forced players to balance combat with day-to-day activities like making friends or working part-time jobs. The way both halves of the experience tied into one another made for an addictive game; one that would put Atlus back on the map. Speaking of…
“Persona 3” Saved Atlus
Remember how we said Atlus was on the verge of bankruptcy? Well, it’s “P3” that rescued them, and then some. The successful implementation of the calendar system led to strong word-of-mouth and fan support. After that, Atlus doubled-down on the idea for “Persona 4”, turning their success story into a full-on comeback. Nowadays, it’s hard to imagine what the JRPG space would look like without Atlus’ stylish touch. So, even if you couldn’t control your party, every single “Persona” fan has to thank “P3” for keeping the series - and its studio - afloat.
The Missing Snow Queen Quest
When the original “Persona” landed in North America in 1996, western players got a noticeably different game than their Japanese counterparts. One of the biggest casualties? The Snow Queen quest, an entire alternate storyline that simply never made the trip overseas. The culprit wasn't content concerns, but something far more mundane: time. With a looming deadline, localizers couldn't translate the whole thing, so it was quietly locked out of the western release. Players wouldn't experience it until the PSP port arrived in 2009, over a decade later. Better late than never, we guess?
“Persona 4: Arena” & “Arena Ultimax” Were the Only “Persona” Games on Xbox for Years
In 2012, Xbox fans finally got their hands on this classic JRPG franchise. Just not the turn-based games. No, they could only play “Persona 4: Arena,” which, for the record, is a canon sequel to the events of the original “Persona 4.” The kicker here is that “P4” was a Playstation exclusive! While fighting games certainly have a different audience from turn-based RPG’s, it’s extremely strange that they bothered to port a spinoff before the main series. Doubly so since they made the same gaffe with the sequel, “Arena Ultimax.” It wouldn’t be until the 2020s that Persona finally broke free of its Playstation cage.
(Almost) All “Persona” Games Are Canon
It’s something of a meme in the community by now, but there’s a lot of “Persona” spinoffs. You’ve got crossovers, fighting games, a gacha, a tactics RPG, a Musou game, and even a dancing series! What’s even more surprising is that all of them are technically canon. While some like the “Arena” games and “Strikers” are direct continuations of their respective games, the “Q” crossovers exist in a weird spot. They do happen in the main timeline, but due to some plot shenanigans, none of the characters actually remember what happens. The same is said for some of the dancing titles. This begs the question, if a game happens but none of the characters remember it, does it matter if it’s canon or not?
What’s your favorite “Persona” game? Let us know in the comments below!
