Persona (universe): Difference between revisions

{{DISPLAYTITLE:''Persona'' (universe)}}

|firstinstallment = ''{{s|wikipedia|Revelations: Persona}}'' (1996)

|latestinstallment = ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5 Strikers}}'' (2020)

The '''''Persona'' universe''' ({{ja|ペルソナ|Perusona}}, ''Persona'') refers to the ''[[Super Smash Bros. (series)|Super Smash Bros.]]'' series' collection of characters, stages, and properties from the series of role-playing social-simulation games developed by [[Sega]] subsidiary [[Atlus]]. A sub-series of the ''{{s|wikipedia|Megami Tensei}}'' franchise, the games blend life simulation with dungeon crawling RPG elements of its parent series. This franchise, alongside its parent ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, is considered a flagship franchise for Atlus, helping to establish Atlus and the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise's popularity outside of Japan. ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5}}'', released in 2016, is the single best-selling and most popular game in the franchise.

In 1986, Japanese author Aya Nishitani created a serialized piece for the Oh!PC magazine inspired by his time at an electronic manufacturing company. This was later expanded into a full novel title ''{{s|wikipedia|Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei}}''. A blend of science fiction and horror, the novel became a commercial success and spawned a trilogy. An anime OVA based on the plot of these novels was created a year later by animation studio ANIMATE. [[Namco]] acquired the rights to create a game based on the OVA, and hired the then up and coming studio [[Atlus]] to develop. The game also released in 1987 for Famicom and was successful enough to create a sequel ''{{s|wikipedia|Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II}}'' in 1990. Atlus also fully acquired the rights to the game franchise from Namco around this time and self published titles going forward, starting with ''{{iw|wikipedia|Shin Megami Tensei|video game}}'' in 1992. The Shin Megami Tensei brand in particular would spawn a franchise of its own, with new installments being made to this day, and ''{{s|wikipedia|Shin Megami Tensei V}}'' being its latest mainline title released in 2021 on [[Nintendo Switch]].

Following the positive reception of ''{{s|wikipedia|Shin Megami Tensei If...}}'' in 1994, a spin-off of the ''Megami Tensei'' series which saw the series' traditional post-apocalyptic setting replaced with a high-school setting, Atlus commissioned an experimental spinoff with a dedicated focus on the inner struggles of young adults. The first game in what would become the long-running franchise, ''{{s|wikipedia|Revelations: Persona}}'', was released in 1996. Departing from the traditional first-person gameplay and post-apocalyptic setting of its parent series, ''Persona'' games take place in a modern metropolis and focus on a party of high school students, each wielding the power of "Personas". Personas are described as "masks to wear through everyday life", and bestow the user with a guardian entity which takes the form of a mythological figure and is capable of magic and other supernatural abilities. The games take heavy symbolism from {{s|wikipedia|Jungian psychology}}, as well as the {{s|wikipedia|tarot}} cards. Each game takes place in a separate locale and makes few direct references to its predecessor; key characters such as Tamaki from ''Shin Megami Tensei If...'' appear in ''Revelations'', ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 2: Innocent Sin}}'', and its sequel ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 2: Eternal Punishment}}'', and the Kuzunoha Detective Agency from another spin-off series of ''Shin Megami Tensei'', ''{{s|wikipedia|Devil Summoner}}'', though various Personas recur from game to game, as does the series' mainstay location "The Velvet Room" and its mysterious master Igor. Inevitably, the protagonists end up confronting the supernatural being responsible for the game's central conflict, and defeat them in combat in order to resolve it. Starting with ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 3}}'', the series placed additional emphasis on "Social Links", a visual novel-like system where the player character converses with various NPCs, including their party members, and forges bonds by helping them through their struggles and fulfill their individual character arcs. In turn, the strengthened bonds of the Social Links grant the main character additional perks, such as new Personas to wield or added inventory to shops.

Planning for ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5}}'' began after the release of ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 4}}'', though full development did not officially begin until after the release of the puzzle game ''{{iw|wikipedia|Catherine|video game}}'' in 2011. The game's development was handled by P-Studio, an internal team within Atlus who were responsible for the core ''Persona'' series and ''Catherine''. One early concept for the game was to incorporate an action battle system with real time elements. However, doing this would have meant throwing out everything the studio had cultivated over the course of the series, so the idea was scrapped on the spot. Rather, the team would refine what they already have built on, such as the Persona fusion system, as well as bringing back concepts from earlier ''Persona'' titles such as guns and the Negotiation system.

The original scenario for the game was to emulate a backpacking journey around the world with a storyline that diverged from the established paths of ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'', with "self-discovery" and "journey", being its keywords. However, just as the team began solidifying this direction, the catastrophic {{s|wikipedia|2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami}} struck Japan. The aftermath of the disaster deeply affected director Katsura Hashino, who then decided to refocus the game's scenario on Japan. More specifically, it has been noted that the Japanese government's actions in response to the earthquake and tsunami's fallout, along with Japanese citizens' reactions to how the government acted during that time, may have served as partial influences on the game's themes. From that point on, the scenario would instead focus on the "freedom and how the characters attain it", as Hashino put it, through the lens of the Japanese. To achieve this, the scenario adopted a more picaresque tone where the main characters were lovable misfits and rebelled against the conventions of society armed only with their wits. This became the basis for the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and "Social Links" were renamed to "Confidants". The party's starting Personas also reflect this change, as most of them are named after famous outlaws and criminals such as Arsène Lupin, Zorro, William Kidd, Carmen, and Pope Joan. The choice for the more stylistic user interface for ''Persona 5'' came from the picaresque direction to reflect the rebellious nature of the Phantom Thieves. This did not come easy, as the team had to continuously test and adjust the UI until it achieved a good balance between style and clarity. Many critics and fans took note of and praised this UI, saying it complemented the themes of rebellion well and calling the game "effortlessly stylish" because of it.

After what amounted to a five-year development cycle, ''Persona 5'' was released in September 2016 in Japan and April 2017 worldwide. The game went on to become Atlus's single best-selling title in Japan in just three weeks as well as the fastest selling ''Persona'' game ever internationally, selling 3.2 million copies worldwide by the end of 2019. Critics praised the evolution of the game's combat, Social Links, and story and called it one of the best Japanese role-playing games of its generation and of all time. The game went on to receive many Game of the Year nominations throughout 2017 and placed highly in many outlets' "RPG of the Year" category. An enhanced version with additional characters, locations, and quality-of-life improvements called ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5 Royal}}'' was released in Japan in October 2019 and was released worldwide in March 2020. Reviews of ''Persona 5 Royal'' have eclipsed those of the original, with outlets citing the improvements to exploration, menuing, and the gameplay and story additions as welcome ones and calling ''Royal'' a defining example of how to do an updated rerelease. A hack-and-slash style sequel developed by ω-Force, the primary developers of the ''[[List of minor third-party universes#Dependent universes|Warriors]]'' franchise, called ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5 Strikers}}'' was released in Japan in February 2020 and worldwide in February 2021. Eventually, ''Persona 5 Royal'', along with ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 4 Golden}}'' and ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 3 Portable}}'', were revealed to come to additional platforms throughout the Persona 25th Anniversary event in 2022, including a Nintendo Switch port of the three titles announced during the Nintendo Direct Mini: Partner Showcase of June 28, 2022. It happened three and a half years after the announcement of the franchise crossing over with ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' in The Game Awards 2018.

* The ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 4 Arena}}'' series of fighting game started in 2012, with the help of {{h2|List of companies with minor representation|Arc System Works}} as gameplay elements from the ''{{s|wikipedia|BlazBlue}}'' series reappear there. It features original fighters among others from ''Persona 3'', though they appear two years older than their sourced game, and ''Persona 4'', overall set two months after the latter's main story as they partake in the returns of the Midnight Channel. Characters from the duology would reappear later in ''{{s|wikipedia|BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle}}''.

* The ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona Q}}'' series of dungeon crawling game made by the team behind the ''{{s|wikipedia|Etrian Odyssey}}'' series started in 2014, which join the casts from ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'' in the first game, then more characters from ''Persona 3 Portable'' and ''Persona 5'' in the second. It is the first of only two crossovers with the latter series, the second being {{h2|List of companies with minor representation|Spike Chunsoft}}'s ''[[List of minor third-party universes#Dependent universes|Mystery Dungeon]]'' series released a year later.

* ''Persona 5 Strikers'' is a hack-and-slash game based on the ''Warriors'' franchise developed by ω-Force and {{h2|List of companies with minor representation|Koei Tecmo}} and released in 2020. It is set four months after the events of ''Persona 5''.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} [[Rebel's Guard / Tetrakarn / Makarakarn|Tetrakarn and Makarakarn]] first appeared in this game.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Igor Igor], a recurring character in the series since the first installment, appears as a spirit.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} "'''{{SSBUMusicLink|Persona|Aria of the Soul}}'''": An arrangement of the recurring Velvet Room theme, which debuted in this game.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} Although originating from ''Shin Megami Tensei'', Joker's down special, when Arsène is present, Tetrakarn and Makarakarn make their ''Persona'' series debut in this game.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} [[List of voice actors|Xander Mobus]] and [[List of voice actors|Jun Fukuyama]], Joker's English and Japanese voice actors, reprise their role in all regions.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} Joker's first six costumes are based on his Phantom Thief appearance from this game, while his other two are based on his [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Shujin_Academy Shujin Academy] and summer uniform, also from this game.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} Joker's White costume is based on [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Goro_Akechi Goro Akechi]'s Crow outfit.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} The Phantom Thieves appear in the background of Mementos.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} The [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Phantom_Thieves_of_Hearts Phantom Thieves of Hearts] (both in a group and individually), Goro Akechi, and [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Caroline_%26_Justine Caroline & Justine] appear as spirits.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} "'''{{SSBUMusicLink|Persona|Beneath the Mask}}'''": A remix of the theme from Tokyo at night, preformed by Lyn Inaizumi.

**{{gameIcon|SSBU}} [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Sophia_(Persona_5_Strikers) Sophia] appears as a spirit.

*The ''Megami Tensei'' franchise, from which the ''Persona'' series deviates, crossed over with the {{uv|Fire Emblem}} series in ''{{s|fireemblemwiki|Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE}}'' and the {{uv|Bayonetta}} series in ''Shin Megami Tensei Dx2'', before the debut of the ''Persona'' universe in ''Smash''.  

*Following {{uv|Metal Gear}}, ''Final Fantasy'', {{uv|Bayonetta}}, and {{uv|Castlevania}}, ''Persona'' is the fifth universe with a playable character to have games in its series be rated M by the ESRB.

*Article on the [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Persona_(Series) Megami Tensei Wiki].