Characters: Persona |
The Characters of Persona. Spoilers Abound!
The main character of Persona and designated leader of the group.. His affinity is with the Emperor Arcana, which grants him use of Semien Kongou, his starting Persona. He wields a sword and submachine gun as weapons. He is most commonly dubbed the "Boy With The Pierced Ear", but with the loss of the earring in the North American version, it was shortened to simply "Boy". The manga refers to him as "Naoya Todou".
Dragged along to participate in the "Persona" ritual and settle a bet between Masao and Brown, the protagonist and his other classmates catch a glimpse of a little girl crying. Lightning flashes, and everyone is knocked out, sent into the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. A Guardian Entity named Philemon meets Naoya in a dream, asking him to state his name. Upon doing so, Philemon is impressed, for not everyone who comes to his realm knows who they really are. The protagonist gains the ability to summon his Persona, and then sent back to reality. Upon regaining consciousness, he finds himself in the school infirmary, the last of his classmates to wake up. The school nurse and their homeroom teacher Saeko Takami urge the group to go to the hospital to have themselves checked, opening up an opportunity to visit Maki again.
The group waits for Maki outside the ICU where she is being treated after complaining of severe pain. Tremors shake the building, and when the door to the ICU is opened, there is nothing behind it but a wall. Demons soon run wild in the hospital, attacking the people inside. Upon encountering a gang of demons, Naoya and his friends all awaken to their Personae. He is then designated as the leader.
Maki Sonomura is a frail girl who has been sick all of her life, bedridden and suffers from episodic fits of dementia. When she's not in too much pain, she often paints disturbing still-life pictures, escapes into her "Ideal" world, and waits for her friends to come visit her. Kandori Takahisa takes advantage of this by kidnapping Maki from the hospital, and uses her unconscious mind as a test subject for his DVA generator, transforming the entire city into a reflection of Maki's "Ideal" version of Mikage-cho. In this world, Maki is healthy, demons wreak havoc everywhere, the hospital and police station do not exist, and the city has two sides, one light and one dark, divided in half by an ominous barrier.
Part of Maki accepts, and at the same time rejects this development. Thus, three manifestations of her psyche actually emerge: The "Ideal" Maki which joins the party, Mai (Mae in the NA version) and Aki, (Maggie in the NA version) two alternate selves that represent her innocence and malevolence respectively. The "Ideal" Maki remains the same age, while Mai and Aki manifest as Maki's child self. Depending on how the protagonist handles himself, the "Ideal" Maki will either succeed in turning the city back to normal and save her true self, or become ridden with guilt about her deep-seated nihilistic wishes and lose her identity forever.
Maki is the party's support character, able to cast healing magic from the far end of the group's formation. Because of this, she wields exclusively long-range weapons, a crossbow and a handgun. Her starting Persona is Matsu of the Priestess Arcanum.
Masao "Mark" Inaba is a mischievous, artistic boy who friends with the protagonist. He harbors an unrequited crush on Maki, and is steadfastly devoted to her, dragging his classmates to visit her in the hospital at every opportunity. Because of his laid back nature (even in the face of danger), Masao gets into heated arguments with the stiff Kei Nanjou, who constantly belittles him. Masao's first Persona is Ogun of the Chariot. Masao can be considered the game's tank, as he totes a Franchi SPAS12 shotgun and an axe in battle, and excels at fighting.
Masao doesn't believe in the demon summoning game "Persona" one bit. He holds a bet with classmate Hidehiko Uesugi to prove that he's right on it being a fake, with the loser having to treat everyone to a meal at Peace Diner. When nothing happens immediately, Masao assumes that he's won. Upon waking up at the clinic, Masao is thrilled that they were being sent to the hospital for a checkup, because this means that he gets to visit Maki again in the process. After the event where the ICU disappears and demons run rampant in the building, Masao awakens to his Persona along with the others, and urges the Protagonist to find Maki.
In the North American version, Masao's appearance is heavily altered, turning him into an African-American boy with stereotypical slang injected to his lines. Additionally, his hat is replaced by a gold baseball cap.
Kei "Nate" Nanjou is a rich boy from Persona who stands to inherit a wealthy group of companies. As heir of a wealthy family, Kei already met with Takahisa Kandori at some point in the past, taking an instant dislike to him from the beginning. While his parents are often away on business, Kei is looked after by Yamaoka ("Alfred" in the NA version), the Nanjou family butler. Since he seems to have grown up under Yamaoka's watch, he considers him as more of a father figure than a servant. A distinctive trademark incorporated into Kei's uniform is a scarf with the number 1 printed on it. This symbolizes his desire to become the "#1 man in Japan".
Kei was dragged along to join into the demon summoning game "Persona", which was started by a feud between Masao and Brown. For his part, Kei chooses to just watch, as he feels that everyone was just feeding Masao and Brown's stupid squabbles. He also witnessed the spirit of a sobbing little girl, and was incapacitated by bolts of lightning which sent him to the Philemon's realm.
When Yamaoka is killed by zombies in the hospital, Kei flies into a rage, awakening to his Persona along with his friends and destroys the demons that killed his faithful guardian. He resolves to fulfill the Yamaoka's wish, find out what caused the sudden influx of demons in Mikage-cho (Lunarvale), and bring the person responsible to justice.
Kei fights with a longsword and is a crack shot with a sniper rifle. His starting Persona is Aizen Myouou of the Hierophant Arcanum. Kei uses his status, wealth and knowledge a lot to negotiate with demons. In the NA version, Kei is the only playable character given an actual last name to substitute the Japanese one, making him the heir to the Trinity Family trust instead of the Nanjou Group. His full name became Nate Trinity, and was given blond hair and fairer skin to match the localization.
Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi is the resident class clown of St. Hermelin, relying on puns and outdated jokes to get attention (this is also used in his negotiation skills). Hidehiko pesters his classmates to perform the "Persona" ritual in order to impress them, but Masao Inaba doesn't believe that it will actually work. They both hold a bet, with the loser having to treat everyone who was dragged into it at the Peace Diner. Masao thinks that he won at first, because nothing happened after the ritual. Hidehiko complains, saying that Masao didn't try hard enough when it was his turn to perform. But then a crying young girl appears, and they are all hit by flashes of lightning that send them to the border of consciousness and unconsciousness.
When Mikage-cho (Lunarvale) changes, the main protagonist finds Brown imprisoned inside the Police Station along with Masao; both were captured after going out through the hole in the school wall to procure guns there with Kei Nanjou (Kei barely managed to escape with the equipment). After freeing them both and fighting off some demons (causing Hidehiko's "forced" awakening from being attacked). Brown fights using a spears, quarterstaves, and a TMP machine gun as his sidearm. His Persona is Nemhain (Talon in the NA version) of the Justice Arcanum, which has the ability to case Wind spells as well as absorb them.
Like Yukino, Hidehiko's features weren't changed much for the North American release. His kanji puns were altered, fitted with easy-to-digest local jokes. His name was also changed to Brad.
Eriko "Elly" Kirishima belongs from a wealthy family and has been studying overseas for most of her life. She later decides to finish her schooling in Japan to later pursue a career in modeling and fashion design. She is among the popular girls in St. Hermelin High School because of her beauty and amiable personality. she is smart, however, she tends to fail to realize serious life and death situations. She wields a rapier, and (like Kei) is armed with a rifle for long-range fighting. Her starting Persona is Nike of the Judgement Arcanum.
Apart from her outwardly feminine hobbies, Eriko is also interested in the occult. Because of this, she is the only participant of the "Persona" ritual who is actually excited to be there. She somehow sensed that her friends were in grave danger after demons begin to appear in Mikage-Cho. Eriko arrives just in time to help the group escape the hospital, awakening to Nike in the process. Off-hand, she expresses overly-ecstatic enthusiasm over the fact that her Persona is the "Goddess of Victory".
Having done some investigating of her own, Eriko tells the group to head for the shrine where the meet Maki Sonomura's mother, a former employee of SEBEC. The latter reveals that the advent of demons was brought about by Takahisa Kandori, who tricked her into perfecting the DVA system, a device that wrought havoc with the dimensional divide between the real world and the demon world. After getting Maki's mother to be treated in the school infirmary, Eriko will leave the group to find a way out of the town, which is now wrapped in an ominous barrier. She can be later recruited as one of the optional fifth characters in the game upon finding her in the subway tunnel.
In the NA version, like Kei, Eriko was given blond hair and fairer skin to match the localization. Her name is also changed into Ellen.
Yuka Ayase is a character in the Persona series. She is a kogal whose outward cheerfulness makes her popular with the boys. However, her penchant for lying and being glaringly frank at times gets her into a lot of trouble. Yuka's initial Persona is Horus of the Magician Arcanum, whichexclusively deals fire damage. She employs a whip and .45 handgun in battle.
Hidehiko Uesugi introduced the game "Persona" to the rest of their classmates. Yuka has played it before and was counting on Hidehiko to win the bet against Masao Inaba to get a free meal at Peace Diner. Since she wasn't hit by lightning, Yuka does not follow the group to the hospital and instead opts to hang around in school. However, she does not follow the group to the hospital, opting to go on a shopping trip instead since she doesn't feel sick in the least. As a result, her awakening isn't triggered immediately.
She isn't seen again until the group brings Maki Sonomura's injured mother from the Araya Shrine to the school infirmary, tasked to cover the hole in the wall in the room leading to the gym. However, she will be the mandatory fifth member if you have not recruited either Eriko Kirishima or Hidehiko Uesugi. You can let her join upon running into her later in the factory located at the south-eastern section of Mikage-Cho (Lunarvale), but she will force her way into the party if the steps to acquire Reiji Kidou isn't fulfilled. In the Snow Queen Quest, Yuka is a requisite member of the party.
During the good ending path, Yuka reveals that she has a reputation of a heartbreaker, a girl who dates many boys and dumps almost all of them. The reputation stuck so hard that even though she did have her own standards, people still believe her as a heartbreaker, which distresses her. However, she uses these skills a lot when she negotiates the demons.
Because her hair is already dyed blonde, Yuka's only feature alteration in the NA localization is her skin color, and her dialogue was given valley girl overtones as an equivalent to her oddball kogal speech. Her name was also changed to Alana.
Reiji Kido is an antisocial transfer student of St. Hermelin who rarely shows up for class. He blames his stepbrother Takahisa Kandori for how his life has turned out, and believes that the latter must die. To this end, Reiji skulks around the SEBEC facility, waiting for a chance to confront Kandori. Despite his brusque tendencies, many girls of St. Hermelin take quite a shine to him. Reiji's Persona awakening was also triggered during the SEBEC incident, but he is less than willing to join the party unless certain conditions have been met early in the game. Reiji is adept at boxing, and an assault rifle. His Persona, Bres (Guni in the NA version), belongs to the Devil Arcanum..
Though rumored to be a gang leader, Reiji has no actual subordinates to speak of. The fevered pursuit of his half-brother Takahisa Kandori is the only thing on his mind. Reiji was the product of an affair between Takahisa's father and a mistress, and wants revenge for his mother being abandoned as a result of his birth. It's for this reason alone that Reiji believes Takahisa should pay with his life. It's a little-known fact that Reiji dabbles in magic tricks on the side, specifically with playing cards. He uses this skill in demon contacts.
In the NA version, Reiji's name was changed to Chris.
Reiji is an optional character like Hidehiko Uesugi, Eriko Kirishima and Yuka Ayase. He is the hardest to get out of all of them, needing several events and NPC conversations to be able to get him to join.
Yukino Mayuzumi is a character in the Persona series. She was an ex-yanki who was reformed thanks to the efforts of her teacher Saeko Takami. Though she hasn't shed her yanki looks just yet, Yukino is well-recognized and trusted by the student body, acting as a mother figure of sorts to her friends. Despite her change of heart, Yukino still retains some of her punk ways, employing throwing blades and a double-barreled shotgun in battle. Her Persona, Vesta, is of the Empress Arcanum and has both Fire and Nuclear magic at its disposal.
Yukino was among those invited to help settle the bet between Brown and Masao, but does actively participate in the "Persona" ritual, opting instead to watch and keep her classmates out of trouble. Even so, she is still affected by the result, sent to the border of consciousness and unconsciousness after being struck by lightning. Yukino awakens to her Persona in the hospital following a checkup and an unplanned visit to Maki Sonomura (who was also admitted there) that turns sour with demons suddenly wreaking havoc all over the place.
In the NA version, Yukino is the only character whose name (dropping only the 'no' from Yukino) and features were relatively untouched during the transition, but also has the shortest role in the main story arc due to her leaving the group after returning to the school. The only way to get her back is to trigger the Snow Queen Quest, which was removed and only officially playable in the JP version. In this part, if Naoya opts not to continue investigating SEBEC, they would find a mysterious mask in the school. Saeko Takami gets possessed by the mask after telling them the legend of the Snow Queen. Yukino joins the party, wanting to save the teacher she owes her new life to.
In the Snow Queen quest, Yukino is a mandatory character, believing it her duty to save Ms. Saeko after she is possessed by the Snow Queen's spirit. It should be noted that she is possibly the least edited character in the Revelations version.
Takahisa Kandori is founder and head of SEBEC, and used the corporation as a front for his developing the Deva System, a machine which would allow him to go into a subject's mind and use it in his quest to become a god. During initial testing, the thoughts of Maki Sonomura somehow came in contact with the system, allowing Kandori to contact her malevolent Id, Aki. Kandori has his men capture Maki, and uses the Deva System to summon demons into the real world, then later escapes into the "other world" when confronted by the heroes. Using his alliance with Aki, Kandori gains control of half of the "other" Mikage-cho, and later tricks the heroes into giving him Mai's compact.
Using her compact with Aki's, Kandori is able to achieve his goal to become a god, summoning the large palace Deva Yuga into the real world. Naoya and the others follow him into the real world and confront him at the top of the Deva Yuga, where Kandori, now grown nihilistic due to his apparent godhood, asks them their reason for living. After Naoya gives his answer, Nanjo insults Kandori by calling him weak and cowardly, angering Kandori enough to attack them. When Kandori appears to be defeated, his persona Nyarlathotep forcibly enters his body, transforming him into God Kandori. After God Kandori is defeated, Kandori reveals the truth about Maki and the Deva System, then dies.
He is later revived by the NWO in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, serving as the primary focus antagonist if the player takes the Nanjo route.
Philemon is a mysterious man wearing a butterfly mask who appears before the party after they play the Persona game and awakens their Personas. He serves as the party's main guide, but only rarely directly interferes with anything that is going on.
Tropes associated with Philemon
Igor is the mysterious proprietor of The Velvet Room. He is a marionette given life by Philemon. His noticeable appearance comes from his Tengu/Pinocchio-like long nose. InMegami Ibunroku Persona, Igor has calls himself "a servant of Philemon". He is always found in The Velvet Room between consciousness and unconsciousness. He uses a phone made of bone to call up Personae from the depths of the soul.
Tropes associated with Igor:
Ms. Saeko is the homeroom teacher for the Protagonist and others. She is very popular with the students. She plays a small role in the SEBEC route of the game, helping protect the students of St. Hermelin in the real world, and appearing as an apparition in Maki's world.
In the Snow Queen Quest, she is possessed by a malevolent spirit inhabiting the Snow Queen mask, who plans on sacrificing her as a way to bring about the Eternal Night. The spirit is eventually revealed to be Tomomi Fujimori, Saeko's best friend from her high school days.
Vice Principal Hanya, known in Revelations: Persona and Persona 2 as Dean Harding, is the Vice-Principal of St. Hermelin High School. Unlike Principal Ooishi, Hanya hardly cares for his students and is concerned only with enforcing rules and evading lawsuits. He is detested by everyone at school. His students nickname him "Hannya," a play on his name (a Hannya is a demon from Japanese folklore).
A New Transfer Student from six months ago. Not entirely willing to talk about her previous experiences, but who can blame her? Joined the fencing team, and gets into a lot of fights with Tadashi over his irresponsibility.
The heir to the Tadashi Satomi Pharmacy. He is a member of the fencing club, and argues with Tamaki a lot.
Toro is an overweight, unpopular student at St. Hermerlin who harbors an intense crush on Yuka. He plays a much larger role in the Snow Queen quest, when his Persona (Mara) possesses his body after Yuka stomps on his yet again. The Mara-controlled Toro attacks the party, but reverts to normal once beaten.
A nerdy student at St. Hermerlin and a permanently fixture of the school's library, Tsutomu (nicknamed "Devil Boy" for his occult readings) is a ravenous student of all things paranormal.
Yamaoka, known as Alfred in the English localization, is the butler for Kei Nanjou. When told by his teacher to go to the hospital, Kei meets his butler Yamaoka at the school gate, who offers to chauffeur everyone via the Nanjou family's limousine. Kei refuses, preferring to walk with his friends instead. Yamaoka yields, but secretly follows Kei to the hospital.
When the ICU where Maki Sonomura is being treated vanishes following a small earthquake, the group flees to the lobby downstairs. Kei is shocked to find Yamaoka sprawled on the hospital lobby floor, mortally wounded by a demon attack. Yamaoka knows that he is not long for this world, and his dying wish is that Kei would become a great man someday even after he has gone. Late in the game, he returns as the ultimate Persona for Kei.
Main Character (AKA Naoya Todou)
The main character of Persona and designated leader of the group.. His affinity is with the Emperor Arcana, which grants him use of Semien Kongou, his starting Persona. He wields a sword and submachine gun as weapons. He is most commonly dubbed the "Boy With The Pierced Ear", but with the loss of the earring in the North American version, it was shortened to simply "Boy". The manga refers to him as "Naoya Todou".
Dragged along to participate in the "Persona" ritual and settle a bet between Masao and Brown, the protagonist and his other classmates catch a glimpse of a little girl crying. Lightning flashes, and everyone is knocked out, sent into the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. A Guardian Entity named Philemon meets Naoya in a dream, asking him to state his name. Upon doing so, Philemon is impressed, for not everyone who comes to his realm knows who they really are. The protagonist gains the ability to summon his Persona, and then sent back to reality. Upon regaining consciousness, he finds himself in the school infirmary, the last of his classmates to wake up. The school nurse and their homeroom teacher Saeko Takami urge the group to go to the hospital to have themselves checked, opening up an opportunity to visit Maki again.
The group waits for Maki outside the ICU where she is being treated after complaining of severe pain. Tremors shake the building, and when the door to the ICU is opened, there is nothing behind it but a wall. Demons soon run wild in the hospital, attacking the people inside. Upon encountering a gang of demons, Naoya and his friends all awaken to their Personae. He is then designated as the leader.
- Everyone Can See It: Eriko can see it. Kei can probably see it. Masao definitely sees it. Hell, even former Green Eyed Monster Chisatocan tell you and Maki are the Official Couple.
- Fan Nickname: Naoya Toudou (his name in the manga), Yuya Narumi, and Jihei Suzakuin.
- Hello Insert Name Here: Not only his first name, but his surname and 'nickname', as well. (The "other self" found in the Alaya Cavern will cite all of these to prove he is you.)
- Heroic Mime: Strangely, his "other self" can speak just fine; this convention carries over to both of Persona 2's silent protagonists. He has a single line of spoken dialogue in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.
- Heroes Prefer Swords
- Iconic Item: He ain't called the "pierced ear boy" for nothing.
- The Kirk: He's presented with a few moral dilemmas during the course of the game which will prove what kind of person he is. These options are usually represented by the conniving Kei and the more headstrong Masao. Your choices will significantly affect the outcome of the story.
- One Head Taller: Especially noticeable when Maki has to stand on tiptoe to kiss him.
- Red Headed Hero: In the NA version, he not only loses his earring, but is also given red hair and a lighter skin tone to make him look more Caucasian.
- Shonen Hair
Mary/Maki Sonomura
Maki Sonomura is a frail girl who has been sick all of her life, bedridden and suffers from episodic fits of dementia. When she's not in too much pain, she often paints disturbing still-life pictures, escapes into her "Ideal" world, and waits for her friends to come visit her. Kandori Takahisa takes advantage of this by kidnapping Maki from the hospital, and uses her unconscious mind as a test subject for his DVA generator, transforming the entire city into a reflection of Maki's "Ideal" version of Mikage-cho. In this world, Maki is healthy, demons wreak havoc everywhere, the hospital and police station do not exist, and the city has two sides, one light and one dark, divided in half by an ominous barrier.
Part of Maki accepts, and at the same time rejects this development. Thus, three manifestations of her psyche actually emerge: The "Ideal" Maki which joins the party, Mai (Mae in the NA version) and Aki, (Maggie in the NA version) two alternate selves that represent her innocence and malevolence respectively. The "Ideal" Maki remains the same age, while Mai and Aki manifest as Maki's child self. Depending on how the protagonist handles himself, the "Ideal" Maki will either succeed in turning the city back to normal and save her true self, or become ridden with guilt about her deep-seated nihilistic wishes and lose her identity forever.
Maki is the party's support character, able to cast healing magic from the far end of the group's formation. Because of this, she wields exclusively long-range weapons, a crossbow and a handgun. Her starting Persona is Matsu of the Priestess Arcanum.
- A-Cup Angst: Which Aki pokes fun at.
- Anguished Declaration Of Love: At the conclusion of the game, before everyone returns to the real world. The "Ideal Maki" confesses her love to the MC, and kisses him as a parting gift, since she's only a fragment of the real Maki and can't go with him.
- The Archer
- The Atoner: Becomes this after recovering from her Heroic BSOD (see below). This carries over to her guest appearance in Persona 2.
- Beauty Mark
- The Blank: The Ideal Maki first appears as this due to The Reveal. She gets better.
- Break The Cutie: Big time, once she learns she's just a figment of the real Maki's imagination.
- The Chick
- Creepy Child: Aki.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Final Boss, Pandora.
- Girl In The Machine
- Heroic BSOD
- Iconic Item: Her compact, which turns out to be a Mac Guffin.
- Ill Girl
- Literal Split Personality: The Ideal Maki is healthy and, aside from her earlier existential crisis, lively and optimistic, while the Real Maki is sickly, pessimistic and nihilistic.
- Reality Warper
- Squishy Wizard
- Your Mind Makes It Real: Maki is indirectly responsible for Mikage-cho's transformation. The town is gradually turning into the "Ideal World" which exists in her mind.
Mark/Masao Inaba
Masao "Mark" Inaba is a mischievous, artistic boy who friends with the protagonist. He harbors an unrequited crush on Maki, and is steadfastly devoted to her, dragging his classmates to visit her in the hospital at every opportunity. Because of his laid back nature (even in the face of danger), Masao gets into heated arguments with the stiff Kei Nanjou, who constantly belittles him. Masao's first Persona is Ogun of the Chariot. Masao can be considered the game's tank, as he totes a Franchi SPAS12 shotgun and an axe in battle, and excels at fighting.
Masao doesn't believe in the demon summoning game "Persona" one bit. He holds a bet with classmate Hidehiko Uesugi to prove that he's right on it being a fake, with the loser having to treat everyone to a meal at Peace Diner. When nothing happens immediately, Masao assumes that he's won. Upon waking up at the clinic, Masao is thrilled that they were being sent to the hospital for a checkup, because this means that he gets to visit Maki again in the process. After the event where the ICU disappears and demons run rampant in the building, Masao awakens to his Persona along with the others, and urges the Protagonist to find Maki.
In the North American version, Masao's appearance is heavily altered, turning him into an African-American boy with stereotypical slang injected to his lines. Additionally, his hat is replaced by a gold baseball cap.
- All Love Is Unrequited
- An Axe To Grind
- Chaotic Good: Oh so much.
- Dance Battler
- The Fool
- Good Bad Translation: Not since "You Spoony Bard" has a phrase captured the hearts of so many gamers everywhere.
- Jive Turkey: In the NA version.
- The McCoy: Masao leans toward the idealistic side of things, in contrast with Kei, the pragmatist.
- Nice Hat
- Shotguns Are Just Better
- Teeth Clenched Teamwork: With Kei.
Nate Trinity/Kei Nanjou
Kei "Nate" Nanjou is a rich boy from Persona who stands to inherit a wealthy group of companies. As heir of a wealthy family, Kei already met with Takahisa Kandori at some point in the past, taking an instant dislike to him from the beginning. While his parents are often away on business, Kei is looked after by Yamaoka ("Alfred" in the NA version), the Nanjou family butler. Since he seems to have grown up under Yamaoka's watch, he considers him as more of a father figure than a servant. A distinctive trademark incorporated into Kei's uniform is a scarf with the number 1 printed on it. This symbolizes his desire to become the "#1 man in Japan".
Kei was dragged along to join into the demon summoning game "Persona", which was started by a feud between Masao and Brown. For his part, Kei chooses to just watch, as he feels that everyone was just feeding Masao and Brown's stupid squabbles. He also witnessed the spirit of a sobbing little girl, and was incapacitated by bolts of lightning which sent him to the Philemon's realm.
When Yamaoka is killed by zombies in the hospital, Kei flies into a rage, awakening to his Persona along with his friends and destroys the demons that killed his faithful guardian. He resolves to fulfill the Yamaoka's wish, find out what caused the sudden influx of demons in Mikage-cho (Lunarvale), and bring the person responsible to justice.
Kei fights with a longsword and is a crack shot with a sniper rifle. His starting Persona is Aizen Myouou of the Hierophant Arcanum. Kei uses his status, wealth and knowledge a lot to negotiate with demons. In the NA version, Kei is the only playable character given an actual last name to substitute the Japanese one, making him the heir to the Trinity Family trust instead of the Nanjou Group. His full name became Nate Trinity, and was given blond hair and fairer skin to match the localization.
- Badass Bookworm: He's the brains of the group, yet carries a BFS.
- Good Is Not Nice: The cold pragmatist of the group. He's nicely balanced out by Masao, who is ruled by his emotions.
- Friendly Sniper
- Jerk With A Heart Of Gold
- Heroes Prefer Swords
- Iconic Item: His #1 scarf. In the epilogue, people are said to see him sleeping on the subway with a #1 tie.
- If You Should Die Before You Wake: Masao decks Kei for suggesting that they do this to Maki, who's trapped in Kandori's machine.
- It's Personal: Kei's vendetta against the demons in general (and Kandori in particular) after the death of Yamoaka.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Yamaoka was pretty much his only emotional support growing up.
- Mr Exposition
- Nice Job Breaking It Hero: A remorseful Kandori is prepared to lay down his sword and surrender, until Nanjou goes ahead and insults him.
- Show The Forehead
- The Spock: Kei is the most logical member of the group, this being both a good and a bad thing. At two points in the game, Kei suggests to let innocent people die.
- Stoic Spectacles
- Teeth Clenched Teamwork: With Masao.
- To Be A Master: His eventual resolve after Yamaoka's death.
- Tsundere: He's a snotty jerk and belittles Mark without mercy. But he shows a rather tender side in the good ending.
- Well Intentioned Extremist: If there's anyone who favors the crueler option of the Sadistic Choice, it's him.
- The White Prince: A true elitist, he only starts to reform after witnessing Kandori's corruption.
Brad/Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi
Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi is the resident class clown of St. Hermelin, relying on puns and outdated jokes to get attention (this is also used in his negotiation skills). Hidehiko pesters his classmates to perform the "Persona" ritual in order to impress them, but Masao Inaba doesn't believe that it will actually work. They both hold a bet, with the loser having to treat everyone who was dragged into it at the Peace Diner. Masao thinks that he won at first, because nothing happened after the ritual. Hidehiko complains, saying that Masao didn't try hard enough when it was his turn to perform. But then a crying young girl appears, and they are all hit by flashes of lightning that send them to the border of consciousness and unconsciousness.
When Mikage-cho (Lunarvale) changes, the main protagonist finds Brown imprisoned inside the Police Station along with Masao; both were captured after going out through the hole in the school wall to procure guns there with Kei Nanjou (Kei barely managed to escape with the equipment). After freeing them both and fighting off some demons (causing Hidehiko's "forced" awakening from being attacked). Brown fights using a spears, quarterstaves, and a TMP machine gun as his sidearm. His Persona is Nemhain (Talon in the NA version) of the Justice Arcanum, which has the ability to case Wind spells as well as absorb them.
Like Yukino, Hidehiko's features weren't changed much for the North American release. His kanji puns were altered, fitted with easy-to-digest local jokes. His name was also changed to Brad.
- The Big Guy
- Blade On A Stick
- Bring My Brown Pants: How he got his nickname in the first place.
- Goggles Do Nothing
- Fiery Redhead
- Hurricane Of Puns: Brown loves these.
- Miles Gloriosus: Good lord, Brown. He claims to be the leader even if he's the last person to join, but as soon as a boss fight starts coming up or things get bad, he's the first one to suggest getting the hell out of there, and he's got no shame about being a total chicken. ...Until it's all over. Then he's the hero who killed it and things repeat from there.
- It's not like he's unaware of it, though. He explicitly says later on that he's tired of lying and running away all the time.
- Ted Baxter: Boasting is one of his defining traits.
- Those Two Guys: With Yuka Ayase.
Eriko Kirishima (Ellen)
Eriko "Elly" Kirishima belongs from a wealthy family and has been studying overseas for most of her life. She later decides to finish her schooling in Japan to later pursue a career in modeling and fashion design. She is among the popular girls in St. Hermelin High School because of her beauty and amiable personality. she is smart, however, she tends to fail to realize serious life and death situations. She wields a rapier, and (like Kei) is armed with a rifle for long-range fighting. Her starting Persona is Nike of the Judgement Arcanum.
Apart from her outwardly feminine hobbies, Eriko is also interested in the occult. Because of this, she is the only participant of the "Persona" ritual who is actually excited to be there. She somehow sensed that her friends were in grave danger after demons begin to appear in Mikage-Cho. Eriko arrives just in time to help the group escape the hospital, awakening to Nike in the process. Off-hand, she expresses overly-ecstatic enthusiasm over the fact that her Persona is the "Goddess of Victory".
Having done some investigating of her own, Eriko tells the group to head for the shrine where the meet Maki Sonomura's mother, a former employee of SEBEC. The latter reveals that the advent of demons was brought about by Takahisa Kandori, who tricked her into perfecting the DVA system, a device that wrought havoc with the dimensional divide between the real world and the demon world. After getting Maki's mother to be treated in the school infirmary, Eriko will leave the group to find a way out of the town, which is now wrapped in an ominous barrier. She can be later recruited as one of the optional fifth characters in the game upon finding her in the subway tunnel.
In the NA version, like Kei, Eriko was given blond hair and fairer skin to match the localization. Her name is also changed into Ellen.
- All Love Is Unrequited: She's in love with the protagonist, but realizes he belongs with Maki, a realization which continues to haunt Eriko inPersona 2.
- The Chick
- Ditzy Genius: Intelligent, skilled with a rapier and speaks fluent English. However, she's also a huge fan of the occult and can be a little too confident in her skills.
- I Just Want To Be Normal: The expectations set on Eriko her really get on her nerves.
- Shadow Archetype: Yuka is her opposite in almost every way, but not in a "conventional" sense.
- Ted Baxter: She's really more of a Sue Ann Nivens. Her attempts to impress the main character can make her come across as haughty and patronizing, which Mark comments on early in the game.
- The Ojou: We're never told on how wealthy her family is, but if she could afford overseas study, that must've spoke a lot for her status.
- Royal Rapier
Alana/Yuka Ayase
Yuka Ayase is a character in the Persona series. She is a kogal whose outward cheerfulness makes her popular with the boys. However, her penchant for lying and being glaringly frank at times gets her into a lot of trouble. Yuka's initial Persona is Horus of the Magician Arcanum, whichexclusively deals fire damage. She employs a whip and .45 handgun in battle.
Hidehiko Uesugi introduced the game "Persona" to the rest of their classmates. Yuka has played it before and was counting on Hidehiko to win the bet against Masao Inaba to get a free meal at Peace Diner. Since she wasn't hit by lightning, Yuka does not follow the group to the hospital and instead opts to hang around in school. However, she does not follow the group to the hospital, opting to go on a shopping trip instead since she doesn't feel sick in the least. As a result, her awakening isn't triggered immediately.
She isn't seen again until the group brings Maki Sonomura's injured mother from the Araya Shrine to the school infirmary, tasked to cover the hole in the wall in the room leading to the gym. However, she will be the mandatory fifth member if you have not recruited either Eriko Kirishima or Hidehiko Uesugi. You can let her join upon running into her later in the factory located at the south-eastern section of Mikage-Cho (Lunarvale), but she will force her way into the party if the steps to acquire Reiji Kidou isn't fulfilled. In the Snow Queen Quest, Yuka is a requisite member of the party.
During the good ending path, Yuka reveals that she has a reputation of a heartbreaker, a girl who dates many boys and dumps almost all of them. The reputation stuck so hard that even though she did have her own standards, people still believe her as a heartbreaker, which distresses her. However, she uses these skills a lot when she negotiates the demons.
Because her hair is already dyed blonde, Yuka's only feature alteration in the NA localization is her skin color, and her dialogue was given valley girl overtones as an equivalent to her oddball kogal speech. Her name was also changed to Alana.
- Brutal Honesty: She's incredibly blunt with people, which causes problems with Toro.
- Girlish Pigtails
- Never Live It Down: Part of her reveal.
- Sexophone: During her 'Tempt' command. Sadly removed in the PSP version)
- Those Two Guys: With Hidehiko Uesugi.
- Valley Girl: Even more exaggerated in the PSP remake, with lines such as "Like" in between her sentences.
- The Vamp: Ruthlessly squashes Toro's heart, causing him to be possessed by a, um..."Freudian" demon.
- Whip It Good
Chris/Reiji Kidou
Reiji Kido is an antisocial transfer student of St. Hermelin who rarely shows up for class. He blames his stepbrother Takahisa Kandori for how his life has turned out, and believes that the latter must die. To this end, Reiji skulks around the SEBEC facility, waiting for a chance to confront Kandori. Despite his brusque tendencies, many girls of St. Hermelin take quite a shine to him. Reiji's Persona awakening was also triggered during the SEBEC incident, but he is less than willing to join the party unless certain conditions have been met early in the game. Reiji is adept at boxing, and an assault rifle. His Persona, Bres (Guni in the NA version), belongs to the Devil Arcanum..
Though rumored to be a gang leader, Reiji has no actual subordinates to speak of. The fevered pursuit of his half-brother Takahisa Kandori is the only thing on his mind. Reiji was the product of an affair between Takahisa's father and a mistress, and wants revenge for his mother being abandoned as a result of his birth. It's for this reason alone that Reiji believes Takahisa should pay with his life. It's a little-known fact that Reiji dabbles in magic tricks on the side, specifically with playing cards. He uses this skill in demon contacts.
In the NA version, Reiji's name was changed to Chris.
Reiji is an optional character like Hidehiko Uesugi, Eriko Kirishima and Yuka Ayase. He is the hardest to get out of all of them, needing several events and NPC conversations to be able to get him to join.
- Bare Fisted Monk
- The Big Guy
- BFG
- Chick Magnet: He seems unaware of all the attention he receives from the St. Hermelin girls.
- Good Old Fisticuffs
- Good Scars Evil Scars: A large, "X"-shaped scar on his forehead.
- Guide Dang It: By far the most difficult party member to obtain.
- Hair Trigger Temper
- Heroic Bastard: Reiji, who turns out to be Kandori's bastard brother.
- The Lancer: Has no stake in your group or its mission. Reiji is focused only on taking down Kandori.
- Obvious Beta: Let's just say he doesn't live up to his hype, which Persona 2 lampshaded by having the very same traits that made him "badass" as a teenager make him into an awkward and ineffectual young adult.
- Secret Character: Can be recruited as your fifth party member only if you follow a series of 12 steps no one in their right mind would figure out without a strategy guide.
- Sixth Ranger
- The Stoic
- Talks To Squirrels: The reason for this is that Reiji's "Magic" command can make almost every demon happy.
Yuki/Yukino Mayuzumi
Yukino Mayuzumi is a character in the Persona series. She was an ex-yanki who was reformed thanks to the efforts of her teacher Saeko Takami. Though she hasn't shed her yanki looks just yet, Yukino is well-recognized and trusted by the student body, acting as a mother figure of sorts to her friends. Despite her change of heart, Yukino still retains some of her punk ways, employing throwing blades and a double-barreled shotgun in battle. Her Persona, Vesta, is of the Empress Arcanum and has both Fire and Nuclear magic at its disposal.
Yukino was among those invited to help settle the bet between Brown and Masao, but does actively participate in the "Persona" ritual, opting instead to watch and keep her classmates out of trouble. Even so, she is still affected by the result, sent to the border of consciousness and unconsciousness after being struck by lightning. Yukino awakens to her Persona in the hospital following a checkup and an unplanned visit to Maki Sonomura (who was also admitted there) that turns sour with demons suddenly wreaking havoc all over the place.
In the NA version, Yukino is the only character whose name (dropping only the 'no' from Yukino) and features were relatively untouched during the transition, but also has the shortest role in the main story arc due to her leaving the group after returning to the school. The only way to get her back is to trigger the Snow Queen Quest, which was removed and only officially playable in the JP version. In this part, if Naoya opts not to continue investigating SEBEC, they would find a mysterious mask in the school. Saeko Takami gets possessed by the mask after telling them the legend of the Snow Queen. Yukino joins the party, wanting to save the teacher she owes her new life to.
In the Snow Queen quest, Yukino is a mandatory character, believing it her duty to save Ms. Saeko after she is possessed by the Snow Queen's spirit. It should be noted that she is possibly the least edited character in the Revelations version.
- Cool Big Sis/Team Mom: She's the one who keeps most of the party members in check, especially Mark and Nanjo.
- Crutch Character: At the start of game. She splits from your party permanently in the SEBEC plotline (which, unfortunately, was the only one available in the North American release).
- Heroic Vow: To rescue Saeko-sama from the Snow Queen, now matter what.
- Improbable Weapon User/Girl With Psycho Weapon: She throws razors—and other bladed weapons—Gangsta Style.
- The Lancer: In the Snow Queen plotline.
- Meaningful Name: Yuki normally means snow. Now, which quest does she feature in the most?
- Number Two: To Saeko Takami, her teacher. She enforces the school's rules and keeps her fellow students in line.
- Shotguns Are Just Better
- Team Mom
Guido Sardenia/Takahisa Kandori
Takahisa Kandori is founder and head of SEBEC, and used the corporation as a front for his developing the Deva System, a machine which would allow him to go into a subject's mind and use it in his quest to become a god. During initial testing, the thoughts of Maki Sonomura somehow came in contact with the system, allowing Kandori to contact her malevolent Id, Aki. Kandori has his men capture Maki, and uses the Deva System to summon demons into the real world, then later escapes into the "other world" when confronted by the heroes. Using his alliance with Aki, Kandori gains control of half of the "other" Mikage-cho, and later tricks the heroes into giving him Mai's compact.
Using her compact with Aki's, Kandori is able to achieve his goal to become a god, summoning the large palace Deva Yuga into the real world. Naoya and the others follow him into the real world and confront him at the top of the Deva Yuga, where Kandori, now grown nihilistic due to his apparent godhood, asks them their reason for living. After Naoya gives his answer, Nanjo insults Kandori by calling him weak and cowardly, angering Kandori enough to attack them. When Kandori appears to be defeated, his persona Nyarlathotep forcibly enters his body, transforming him into God Kandori. After God Kandori is defeated, Kandori reveals the truth about Maki and the Deva System, then dies.
He is later revived by the NWO in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, serving as the primary focus antagonist if the player takes the Nanjo route.
- A God Am I
- Alas Poor Villain
- Big Bad: Or so we are lead to believe.
- Cool Sword
- Corrupt Corporate Executive
- Creepy Child: The "Masked Boy", his alter-ego in the Snow Queen Quest.
- Demonic Possession: His transformation into God Kandori.
- Disc One Final Boss
- Dragon Ascendant (At the end of the Snow Queen Quest, he says he'll take matters into his own hands. Not really a sequel hook, since the Snow Queen Quest ends up leading back into the main quest in it's true ending.)
- Dressed To Kill
- Evil Counterpart: To Nanjo.
- Evil Laugh
- Lonely At The Top
- Magic From Technology
- Nietzsche Wannabe
- One Winged Angel
- Unwitting Pawn (Persona 2 reveals that he was goaded onwards by Nyarlathotep)
- Villanous BSOD: Despite achieving his every goal and attaining godhood, he becomes nihilistic and bored with his power. By the time your party confronts him, he's lost the will to fight.
- Weaksauce Weakness: Both of his forms are weak to guns.
Philemon
Philemon is a mysterious man wearing a butterfly mask who appears before the party after they play the Persona game and awakens their Personas. He serves as the party's main guide, but only rarely directly interferes with anything that is going on.
Tropes associated with Philemon
- Calling Card: A golden butterfly
- Cool Mask
- The Faceless: Until he removes his mask at the end of the game
- Meaningful Name: Named for Swiss psychologist Carl Jung's self-proclaimed spirit guide.
- The Powers That Be
- Spirit Advisor
- The Watcher
Igor
Igor is the mysterious proprietor of The Velvet Room. He is a marionette given life by Philemon. His noticeable appearance comes from his Tengu/Pinocchio-like long nose. InMegami Ibunroku Persona, Igor has calls himself "a servant of Philemon". He is always found in The Velvet Room between consciousness and unconsciousness. He uses a phone made of bone to call up Personae from the depths of the soul.
Tropes associated with Igor:
- The Boo Radley: He certainly looks evil, but he's really a nice guy (though he can be a bit forthcoming with information).
- Cheshire Cat Grin: Permanently etched on his face.
- Dark Is Not Evil: He's one of the good guys. Really.
- Memetic Molester: Has a very creepy expression that looks like he's going to molest you. Doesn't help that he summons you from your dreams.
- Powers That Be: Whatever Igor is exactly, he's almost certainly one of these.
Ms. Smith/Saeko Takami
Ms. Saeko is the homeroom teacher for the Protagonist and others. She is very popular with the students. She plays a small role in the SEBEC route of the game, helping protect the students of St. Hermelin in the real world, and appearing as an apparition in Maki's world.
In the Snow Queen Quest, she is possessed by a malevolent spirit inhabiting the Snow Queen mask, who plans on sacrificing her as a way to bring about the Eternal Night. The spirit is eventually revealed to be Tomomi Fujimori, Saeko's best friend from her high school days.
- Cool Teacher
- Hot Teacher
- Dark And Troubled Past
- Demonic Possession
- Distressed Damsel
- The Mentor: To Yukino.
Dean Harding/Vice Principal Hanya
Vice Principal Hanya, known in Revelations: Persona and Persona 2 as Dean Harding, is the Vice-Principal of St. Hermelin High School. Unlike Principal Ooishi, Hanya hardly cares for his students and is concerned only with enforcing rules and evading lawsuits. He is detested by everyone at school. His students nickname him "Hannya," a play on his name (a Hannya is a demon from Japanese folklore).
- Good Scars Evil Scars
- Not Himself: The first clue that the protagonists are in a fake world is Hanya himself, who has suddenly become jolly and caring.
- Sadist Teacher
- Shout Out: In the North American release, his students refer to him as "Darth Harding."
- Show The Forehead
Tammy/Tamaki Uchida
A New Transfer Student from six months ago. Not entirely willing to talk about her previous experiences, but who can blame her? Joined the fencing team, and gets into a lot of fights with Tadashi over his irresponsibility.
- Cool Big Sis: Not to the extent of Yukino, but some of the students do look up to her, and are quite surprised by her extensive knowledge of demons.
- New Transfer Student
- Passing The Torch: Gives the protagonist her rapier, saying that she thinks it would be handy for him.
- Previous Player Character Cameo: She was the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei If.
- Slap Slap Kiss
Tad/Tadashi Satomi
The heir to the Tadashi Satomi Pharmacy. He is a member of the fencing club, and argues with Tamaki a lot.
Chunky/Kenta "Toro" Yokouchi
Toro is an overweight, unpopular student at St. Hermerlin who harbors an intense crush on Yuka. He plays a much larger role in the Snow Queen quest, when his Persona (Mara) possesses his body after Yuka stomps on his yet again. The Mara-controlled Toro attacks the party, but reverts to normal once beaten.
- All Love Is Unrequited
- Balloon Belly: See below.
- Butt Monkey
- Demonic Possession
- Freud Was Right: Mara is a recurring phallic-shaped demon in Shin Megami Tensei. Considering the context of Toro's possession....ew.
- I Am Big Boned
- Ironic Hell: In the Snow Queen quest, Toro is Chained To A Bed as milk is continually poured down his mouth.
- Kids Are Cruel
- Meaningful Name: "Toro" is a euphemism for the fatty part of tuna. In the English localization, his nickname was changed to "Chunky", which has roughly the same meaning. His Persona, Mara, is named after a Japanese colloquialism for "penis".
- More Teeth Than The Osmond Family: Mara.
Kain/Tsutomu Kurouri
A nerdy student at St. Hermerlin and a permanently fixture of the school's library, Tsutomu (nicknamed "Devil Boy" for his occult readings) is a ravenous student of all things paranormal.
- Asian And Nerdy
- Chekhov's Gunman: It's possible to entirely miss Tsutomu at the beginning of the game. It's not until the climax that he becomes relevant to the plot.
- Dark Is Not Evil: A deathly-pale, creepy nerd with a Memetic Molester grin and an obsession with the occult. All things considered, it's shocking that he doesn't turn evil.
- Ironic Hell: Tsutomu despises all forms of exercises, in particular push-ups. Guess what his torture punishment is in the Snow Queen Quest?
- Scary Shiny Glasses
Alfred/Yamaoka
Yamaoka, known as Alfred in the English localization, is the butler for Kei Nanjou. When told by his teacher to go to the hospital, Kei meets his butler Yamaoka at the school gate, who offers to chauffeur everyone via the Nanjou family's limousine. Kei refuses, preferring to walk with his friends instead. Yamaoka yields, but secretly follows Kei to the hospital.
When the ICU where Maki Sonomura is being treated vanishes following a small earthquake, the group flees to the lobby downstairs. Kei is shocked to find Yamaoka sprawled on the hospital lobby floor, mortally wounded by a demon attack. Yamaoka knows that he is not long for this world, and his dying wish is that Kei would become a great man someday even after he has gone. Late in the game, he returns as the ultimate Persona for Kei.
- Badass Mustache
- Battle Butler: Turned Up To Eleven with his Persona form
◊. - Blade On A Stick
- Guardian Entity: Even in death, he protects his young master.
- Holy Halo
- Hover Board
- Obi Wan Moment: Kei takes Yamaoka's last words to heart, as seen in later games.
- Parental Substitute: Kei's parents are always away on business. He is closer to Yamaoka than he is with his own father.
- Show The Forehead
- Stoic Spectacles: Following his death, they're switched out for a Cool Visor.
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