Persona 5
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Persona 5 is a game where players take on the role of a wrongfully accused student. Coming across strange abilities, the player character takes the role of a phantom thief, growing and leading a Ragtag Bunch of Misfits to fight injustice.
It is the year 20XX. The world is not as it should be. In Tokyo, psychotic and mental breakdowns are becoming more common amongst the general public, leading to a string of high-profile accidents and crimes. Public confidence in the government and justice system is falling, and the powerful elites of the city plot to turn these incidents to their advantage.
The main character is an ordinary high-School Student, who has been falsely convicted of assault and sentenced to a year-long probation in Tokyo. On his first day attending Shujin Academy, you and a fellow outcast accidentally stumble into a mysterious Mental World known as the Metaverse: a place where cognition becomes reality, and real-world locations are twisted by the thoughts of humans. Within this world, the most corrupt humans have subconsciously created mental fortresses called "Palaces" where their innermost vices and desires are allowed to run rampant. If someone is able to steal the "Treasure" that forms the heart of the Palace, then the Ruler's vile desires will be erased.
First released in 2016, the original game or its updated rerelease Royal has been released on loads of platforms, including PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Nintendo Switch.
Developed by P1-Studio. Published by Atlus in Japan, Sega in North America, Deep Silver in the PAL regions, with the Royal version being published worldwide by Sega. Directed by Katsura Hashino, with Daiki Ito co-directing the Royal version.
Part of the Shin Megami Tensei series, it follows Persona 4, though the plot can be enjoyed and understood without any of the prior games.
- Aloha Hawaii: The school trip to Hawaii.
- Anti-Hero: The Phantom Thieves are the main protagonists of the game and just want to make people's lives better, but this doesn't change the fact they're using brainwashing to accomplish that, something that becomes pretty controversial in-universe.
- Big Bad Friend: "Igor", or rather, Yaldabaoth, pretends to be your ally from the start of the game, but he turns on you near of the end of the game and reveals himself as the main cause behind Shido's plans.
- The Casino: The games opening includes one. It comes back later.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The leader of Big Bang Burger.
- Corrupt Politician: Shido kicks off the story by abusing his power on the player character.
- Continuity Nod: A few references exist to other Shin Megami Tensei games, such as Persona 4.
- Fan Boy: Mishima becomes this to the Phantom thieves.
- Fan Disservice: The Cognitive Shiho in Kamoshida's Palace in Royal is pretty curvy and wear a skimpy bunny costume, but again, this is the mental copy of the real Shiho, that was raped by Kamoshida. Her introduction is meant to cause more disgust than excitement.
- Happily Adopted: Futaba is Soichiro's adopted daughter, though the "happy" part is downplayed before the party solves her personal issues involving her mother's death but is played more straight afterwards.
- Interrogation as Framing Device: Used to tell much of the story.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: When the player character is being interrogated, physical abuse is not off the table.
- Metaphysical App: The Metaverse Navigator.
- Ms. Fanservice: Ann. Aside of being pretty good-looking, her costume in the Metaverse is a skin-tight red latex catsuit, and her default battle pose has she inclining her butt to the camera. This is painfully deconstructed in the first story arc, where is said attractiveness that makes her Kamoshida's target. Otherwise, it is played straight.
- Not So Different: After the Medjed incident, the protagonist gets asked about Sae what the Phantom Thieves were thinking of the rival Metaverse user. The player can either say this or be indifferent or call him the "true criminal". The last option's choosing leads to Sae to engage on this, saying the Phantom Thieves were acting using the same methods too.
- Protagonist-Centered Morality: Sae accuses the Phantom Thieves of this if you choose to call the Metaverse's rival user the "true criminal" after the Medjed incident, saying their method are equal.
- Phantom Thief: The player character takes on this role.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The Phantom Thieves of Heart are a group of unlikely allies.
- Student Council President: Makoto.
- Talking Animal: Morgana appears to be a talking cat, though they deny it.
- Token Evil Teammate:
- Played straight with Akechi, that was always planning against the Phantom Thieves and had infiltrated the group to kill the protagonist.
- Played For Laughs with Haru, that is a sweet kind girl that by contrast talks very sadistically about killing your enemies in the Metaverse, unlike everybody else.
- Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe: Modt of the major story events take place in the Tokyo Metropolitan Region. Even when the player visits Hawaii people talk of the Phantom Thieves.
- Urban Fantasy: Fantastical elements, and it doesn’t get more urban than Tokyo.
- Wake Up, Go to School, Save the World: The player must balance going to school and Phantom Thief activities.