Monday, January 24, 2011

Characters: Persona 2

Characters: Persona 2

A character sheet for Persona 2: Innocent Sin and its direct follow-up, Eternal Punishment.
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     The Heroes 

Tatsuya Suou


The silent protagonist of Innocent Sin and central character of the story. His affinity is with the Sun arcana, with Vulcanus as his starting Persona. Just as with Maya in her respective game, the player has the option of naming him at the start. Tatsuya is a senior at Seven Sisters Academy in Sumaru City, a a rather aloof boy who doesn't have many friends, often preferring to be by himself and tool around with his treasured motorcycle.
During a encounter with Eikichi "Captain Death" Mishina at Sumaru Prison (a live house where Eikichi's band "Gas Chamber" often practices) Tatsuya is attacked by Joker-sama, an urban legend who is said to grant the wish of anyone who dials their own cell phone number. He, along with the others, is knocked unconscious and awakens to his own Persona. Faced with imminent retribution by the Joker-sama, Tatsuya begins a quest to uncover the truth behind the masked man, as well as the citywide phenomena which is bringing rumors to life. He later joins forces with Maya and Yukino, an investigative duo from a local magazine who are also looking into the Joker case.
Eventually, Tatusya realizes that he and the rest of his team knew each other as children, forming a masked clique nicknamed "The Masquerade". This leads him to suspect Jun Kuruso, the last remaining member of the clique, as the true identity of Joker-sama. Soon afterward, Jun is revealed as a puppet of Nyarlathotep, the entity which is manifesting rumors as reality. At the conclusion of the game, the rumors compound on each other until everything outside of Sumaru City is completely destroyed. Tatsuya confronts Nyarlathotep in his domain, and in the ensuing struggle, Maya is killed. Faced with a dystopian future, the group accepts an offer from Philemon to erase their memories and rewind time. At the last moment, however, Tatsuya can't bring himself to lose his friends forever and relents. This creates aTemporal Paradox wherein the world is restored, but Tatsuya retains his memories of the Alternate Timeline (the "Other Side"), allowing Nyarlathotep to repeat the cycle.

Maya Amano


Maya Amano is a journalist for Kismet Publishing, writing for the teen magazine Coolest. Upon hearing rumors regarding a wish granting genie called Joker-sama, Maya decides to investigate. The trail leads both Maya and her photographer/friend Yukino to Seven Sisters Academy, during which she meets Tatsuya Suou and the others, setting the stage for Innocent Sin. Maya's Tarot arcana is Moon and her starting Persona is Maia.
Maya oftentimes finds herself taking a leadership role within the group, despite not being the protagonist. In Mt. Iwato, it is revealed that Maya once knew the four teens as children. The group played together while wearing Sentai, dubbing themselves as "The Masquerade", with Maya as the eldest of them all. Maya was later imprisoned inside the Araya Shrine by Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun, all upset over the news that she had to move and tried to keep her with them. Tatsuya was opposed to this idea, so they locked him in with her. It was only supposed to be for the night so she wouldn't move, but the deranged Tatsuya Sudou set the shrine ablaze, and Maya by was rescued by Tatsuya when his Persona suddenly manifested when he tried to fight Sudou off. At the conclusion of the game, Maya is fatally impaled by the Spear Of Longinus, fulfilling Nyarlathotep's dark prophecy and destroying the Earth. Philemon negates her death by rewinding time, giving Tatsuya an opportunity to avert these events.
Though she has forgotten the events of the previous game at the start of Eternal Punishment other side, a chance meeting with Tatsuya Suou on the way to work stirs up feelings of deja vu in Maya. The feelings of familiarity intensify after she witnesses the JOKER unleashing demons inside Seven Sisters Academy. Tatsuya hands her a Sevens School Emblem and asks her to spread the rumor that it keeps the Joker away, and that she should try to forget about this incident for her own good. However, Maya chooses to press on, burning the emblem and going against his warning. Along with Ulala Serizawa, Katsuya Suou, and Baofu, she delves deeper into a convoluted series of events that she eventually realizes are those that parallel what she has experienced before in an alternate reality, and all just to sate her nagging curiosity over the "Deja Vu Boy".

Lisa Silverman


Lisa "Ginko" Silverman is a popular girl at Seven Sisters High School. Despite her Caucasian lineage, she was born and raised in Japan and does not know any English, but she has a habit of lacing her native Japanese with some Chinese words, imitating action stars such as Bruce Lee. Lisa's Tarot arcana is Loves, while her starting Persona is Eros. She is one of the more popular girls at Seven Sisters High School, and harbors a crush for Tatsuya. However, she and Kasugayama High School leader Eikichi Mishina have a confrontational relationship akin to that of Kei Nanjou and Masao Inaba from the first Persona.
Lisa was the top candidate for Miss Sevens, a beauty pageant/popularity contest held at Seven Sisters High School. Most people assumed she spoke English. Lisa and her two friends Asacchi and Meepo were selected to be in the idol group MUSES, created from a rumor. The song that MUSES sings, with Lisa as the lead vocalist, encourages people to call Joker-sama to solve their problems. She then recites a piece from the Oracle of Maiya, which foretold events leading up to the end of the world.
  • Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Her mother, who renamed herself Akiko, behaves like a Yamato Nadeshiko despite being American. Her father is a Steven Seagal clone who lives in a traditionalist Japanese house, practices akido, and wears a yukata constantly. He works as a director of a foreign trading company; ironically, his job requires him to wear a three-piece suit and speak English.
  • The Betty: To Maya's Veronica.
  • Break The Cutie: When confronted by her Shadow it's revealed that Lisa dates older men for money and experiments with drugs.
  • But Not Too Foreign
  • Clingy Jealous Girl: Her disconcertingly single-minded pursuit of Tatsuya. If Tatsuya shows affection toward Maya or Jun, instead, Lisa immediately runs over to Eikichi and decks him.
  • Gratuitous Foreign Language: A haphazard use of Cantonese, often saying "Aiya!" and other Chinese expressions.
  • Hidden Depths
  • Idol Singer: Lisa gets roped into a Fake Band thanks to a rumor.
  • My Name Is Not Durwood: In a fit of anger, Eikchi bestows upon her the nickname "Ginko". "Gin" means silver in Japanese, and taken from her last name. "-ko" is a common Japanese name suffix for females. Much to Lisa's chagrin, the name pretty much stuck. However, she is able to counter Eikichi by giving him the pejorative moniker "Captain Underwear".
  • Peer Pressure Makes You Evil: Averted in Innocent Sin, when she rejects joining the Masquerade despite peer pressure from her friends.
  • Power Fist
  • Rebellious Princess: Her Japanophile father raised her to be a traditional Japanese girl. Lisa wants none of it.
    • In a laughable subversion of the trope, her shadow busts her on this.
      Shadow Lisa: You try too hard to rebel against your parents! You know it, and you hate yourself for it!
  • Shaped Like Itself: Oh sure, give a girl named Silverman a nickname that's Ginko.
  • Show Some Leg: One of her Contact options.
  • Spoiled Sweet
  • Teeth Clenched Teamwork: With Eikichi.
  • Zettai Ryouiki

Eikichi Mishina


Eikichi Mishina is a flamboyant student of Kasugayama High, the rival school of Seven Sisters High School. His Tarot arcana is Death, and his starting Persona is Rhadamanthus. At a young age, Eikichi was overweight and frequently bullied. After a thug pulled down Eikichi's pants in front of his childhood crush Miyabi Hanakouji, he underwent a radical image makeover, losing weight and training to beat up anyone who mocked him. Due of Eikichi's early discovery of his Persona powers, he practically rules the school as its "leader", known by many as (fittingly) Captain Death.
Eikichi understood the nature of his Persona long before Tatsuya and Lisa did. Like Maya and Eriko, he misunderstood the phenomenon and dubbed his Persona a "Spirit of Death", which he used to punish anyone who challenged him. Eikichi is also the lead singer of aVisual Kei band called Gas Chamber, whose logo he wears on his armband. He wears a modified version of Kasugayama High's blue uniform, with a tunic over his pants.

Yukino Mayuzumi


Yukino is a returning playable character from the first Persona. In Innocent Sin, she is once again playable, working as a freelance photographer under Shunsuke Fujii (who she has had a crush on for a long while), and is close friends with teen magazine journalist Maya Amano. Yukino's Tarot arcana is Empress, while her starting Persona is Vesta. She is later replaced by Jun, though her ultimate fate is dependent on the player's actions.
In Eternal Punishment, Yukino is downgraded to a supporting character. She assists in Maya's current assignment by getting in touch with her former teacher Saeko Takami, who now works at Seven Sisters High School. Yukino will rejoin the rest of her former classmates later in the game, fighting off the New World Order soldiers that are trying to take over the city.

Jun Kurosu /Kashihara


Jun is a loner student at Kasugayama High School. He used to attend Seven Sisters, the school where his father teaches World History. When Jun awakened to his Persona, he used it to injure some kids who were bullying him, and was soon transferred to Kasugayama High School. Jun's Tarot arcana is Wheel of Fortune, and his starting Persona is Hermes/ Nyarlathotep. As a child, Jun exchanged mementos with a young Tatsuya Suou, who was his playmate at the Araya Shrine. Jun gave him an engraved zippo lighter, while Tatsuya presented Jun with his father's silver wristwatch.
His mother, Junko Kurosu is a selfish actress who cared more about revitalizing her career than taking care of her family. Jun's father, Akinari Kashihara, died before the game begins. Junko spread rumors of her husband being a deadbeat parent, leading to a widespread belief that Kashihara was a dangerous crackpot. Following his father's death, Jun adopted his mother's maiden name, Kurosu.
Jun ran away from his mother's house at the age of seventeen and began to manipulate rumours in order to become the Joker; once he did, he acted under direct guidance from Nyarlathotep, who played on his traumatic memories of watching Maya get locked inside in the burning Araya Shrine. Unaware that Maya survived the fire, he grew to resent his former playmates, whom he blamed for letting his surrogate mother Maya die. He is rescued from this state by Tatsuya Suou and the rest of the party, from then on working with them to undo the damage he did as Joker-sama.
In Eternal Punishment, Jun's father is alive, and his family life is more tranquil. Jun is lured to the Sky Museum by King Leo, hoping to jog Jun's memories of the Other Side. Jun unwittingly works against Leo by helping Maya's party to rescue the schoolchildren who were having their field trip there.

Katsuya Suou


Katsuya Suou is a Detective of the Konan Police Department. His current rank is Sergeant of the Homicide Division. Katsuya is very straight-laced, even in the face of paranormal activity (he often wonders aloud whether the penal code can apply to demons). Katsuya cares a great deal for his brother, and gets depressed very easily if Tatsuya spurns his help. After a confrontation with the JOKER at Seven Sisters High School, Katsuya invites Maya and her friend Ulala to join him in his investigation so he can ensure their safety. It is implied he has romantic feelings toward Maya Amano, but politeness forbids him from acting upon it.

Ulala Serizawa


Ulala Serizawa is Maya Amano's longtime friend and roommate. She often pulls the latter to so-called "matchmaker parties" to meet men, despite a pattern of being swindled by past boyfriends. Ulala does boxing as a means for her to get revenge on the man who swindled her without getting the police involved; if she called the police, she couldn't beat him to a pulp, after all! Her Tarot arcana is Lovers, with Callisto as her starter Persona. Ulala makes her living by selling lingerie, but is outwardly obsessed with fortune telling, and looks up to the famous TV seer Wang Long Chizuru. One of her contacts involves her telling fortunes to encountered demons, and she also subscribes to a cellphone-based Wang Long fortune service. Ulala is also fond of ghost stories, and will be able to tell some when accompanied by the right party members.
Ulala is first introduced in Innocent Sin, when the party visits Gold Gym when searching for King Leo's message. Credited as "Maya's Roomate", she is advised by Maya to leave the building due to King Leo's looming bomb threat. In Eternal Punishment, Ulala tends to be cheeriest character in the Eternal Punishment group next to Maya, but panics easily when a situation takes a turn for the worse. She locks horns with Baofu repeatedly during the course of the game, despite having more in common with each other than anyone else.
Ulala became controlled by the Joker Persona by secretly performing the Joker Curse to Maya . She envies Maya for being a successful working woman and always catching men's eyes, a significant contrast to her seemingly dead-end life. Luckily, Ulala is later purged of JOKER by Igor in the Velvet Room, and she rejoins the party with a renewed purpose.
Ulala appears on the TV show Who's Who in Persona 3. Trish describes her as a woman in her 30's with a beauty spot under her eye, and also mentions that she can dance the flamenco (which is one of her special contacts in Eternal Punishment). Trish wonders what she'd look like with a rose in her mouth, this is a reference to her demon contact combo, Flamenco de la Pasion.

Baofu Tanaka


Baofu is a so-called "Tap Buster", an extortionist who uses wiretapping to further his vendetta against the people who have done him wrong, particularly Tatsuzou Sudou and the Tien Tao Len, a Taiwanese Mafia group. He claims he's from Taiwan, but is perfectly fluent in Japanese. Baofu's Tarot arcana is Hangman, with Odysseus as his initial Persona.
Aside from wiretapping, Baofu also runs a bulletin board website called "The Darkside Of Sumaru City", where he sorts through various urban legends to find information that might be relevant to him. He joins Maya's party following a rendezvous arranged online, and performs a test on the effectiveness of the Kotodama, the curse where rumors can come true when spread around town. Because of his shady personality and propositions, the party finds it hard to trust him, especially Katsuya Suou.
Following a shootout in the Abandoned Factory in Konan during which Baofu is able to defeat Yung Pao, it is revealed through Katsuya's background research that Baofu's true identity was that of Kaoru Saga (kanji: 嵯峨 薫), a Japanese public prosecutor. Along with his assistant Miki Asai, they were both victims of a Taiwanese Mafia hit, tagged for their running investigation on the Tien Tao Len. Kaoru survived, awakening to Odysseus in the process, but Miki did not. Kaoru set out to exact revenge at the people responsible for her death, exchanging his lawful means for illegal ones.
In Eternal Punishment, Kei can develop a hidden Contact option with Baofu called "Song Of A Baseball Fan" where the pair quarrel over which baseball team is the greatest. This parallels the typical debates in real-life Japanese baseball fandom.

Nate/Kei Najou


Kei is a former playable characters from Revelations: Persona. In Innocent Sin, he is a supporting character who appears at the Abandoned Factory in Konan, drawn to rumors that a person resembling Kandori is in Sumaru City (The person in question turns out to be Reiji Kido, who isn't too happy about being mistaken as his hated half-brother). When you talk to him, Kei will give Tatsuya Suou his ultimate weapon. During the invasion of Hitler's Last Battalion, he joins his former classmates to fight against the Nazis unless certain conditions are met earlier in the game.
In Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, he is a playable character. Sneak mentions that there are two people (a man and a woman) investigating the New World Order. If Maya spreads the rumor that the person with information on the NWO is a man, you will get Kei to join. He now uses katanas like Tatsuya, and when using his demon contacts, Kei still mentions his beloved butler Yamaoka, and how he intends to honor the promise he made years ago to become "the #1 man in Japan".
Kei will take the group to a Science Lab run by Tatsuzou Sudou and funded by the Nanjou Group, where youths who allegedly performed the Joker Curse are kidnapped and drained of Kegare. The party will run into Kei's old classmates Reiji Kido and Maki Sonomura around the sewer entrance, assisting in their covert infiltration by working the floodgates. Kei will rejoin the rest of his former classmates later in the game (with Tatsuya taking his place in Maya's party), fighting off the New World Order soldiers that are trying to take over the city.

Ellen/Eriko Kirishima


Eriko is a former playable character from Revelations: Persona. In Innocent Sin, she is a supporting characte, and has succeeded in getting into the modeling business. After Tatsuya Suou uncovers the "Oracle of Maiya", Yukino decides to look for Eriko's aid tounpuzzle the metaphor behind the poem. Unless certain conditions are met, she will fight alongside her former classmates from St. Hermelin once more to repel the invasion of Sumaru City by Hitler's Last Battalion, assisting Tatsuya's party so they can go to Xibalba.
In Eternal Punishment, Eriko is a playable character. Sneak mentions that there are two people (a man and a woman) investigating the New World Order. If Maya spreads the rumor that the person with information on the NWO is a woman, you will get Eriko to join. She still uses fencing swords, and will immediately establish rapport with Ulala Serizawa, who shares her love of fortune telling and ghost stories.
Eriko will take the group to the Sumaru TV station to investigate if Chizuru Ishigami (also known as "Wang Long Chizuru") is really involved in the New World Order. Their suspicions were confirmed as Chizuru's shikigami (who was disguised as a cat) traps them with a spell called "Kimon Tonkou" taking them to a reverse dimension. With her knowledge of the occult, Eriko concludes that they would have to find and enter the "Ba Gua" gates located on each the studio entrances in order to escape. Eriko enlists the help of TV host and former classmate Hidehiko Uesugi to find the right order of the Ba Gua gates by scouting them out back in the real world. Inside the reverse dimension however, a stalker of Eriko lies in wait, taking the rare chance to get close to his idol.
Eriko will rejoin the rest of her former classmates later in the game (with Tatsuya taking her place in Maya's party), fighting off the New World Order soldiers that are trying to take over the city.

    Major NP Cs 

Philemon


A man with a butterfly mask who bestows Personae to people. He lives in a realm of the Collective Unconscious. Philemon operates as an ally to the party, despite the fact that he can only watch events unfold as a neutral observer. As such, he cannot directly interfere with anything that is going on. Philemon is conducting an experiment with his rival, Nyarlathotep, over humanity's destiny. Philemon believes they can become enlightened, higher beings.

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. In Megami 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.
In Persona 2, Igor remains mostly unchanged. He is still a servant of Philemon and he handles Persona summoning in much the same way.

Todoroki Daisuke


A middle-aged, overweight Private Detective who runs the Kuzunoha Detective Agency in Hirasaka (relocated to Konan in Eternal Punishment). According to rumors, he used to be an incompetent, third-rate detective, but his intelligence spiked due to a mysterious circumstance. As a result, Todoroki is a frequent font of wisdom as well as a reliable authority on the occult. He plays a vital role in Persona 2, uncovering the nature of Sumaru City's curse before even the authorities manage to. Todoroki offers to spread helpful rumors for a fee, thus allowing them to become reality.

Maki Sonomura


Maki works part-time at Hiiragi Pyschotherapy in Sumaru City in hopes of becoming a therapist like her employer, Reiko. She feels that helping troubled people is the best way for her to cope with the fact that she almost destroyed her hometown because of her fantasy world coming to life and almost completely superimposing the normal one.
She will later receive a flower from the Time Count, and give it to Jun as his ultimate weapon. Maki mentions what she was told by the count about the flower, that it was "the representation of a destiny that must be passed on". Maki will eventually fight alongside her former classmates from St. Hermelin once more to repel the invasion of Sumaru City by Hitler's Last Battalion unless certain conditions are met earlier in the game.
In Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Maki's role as a supporting character is somewhat more significant. She feels the resonance of a Persona from Maya Amano, and is able to tell from this that the latter is acquainted with Yukino Mayuzumi, a former classmate of hers. She later appears at the Science Lab scenario in Kei Nanjou's route. Along with Reiji Kido, she will help Maya's party through the sewer entrance, coordinating their movements with the floodgate controls. Maki will rejoin the rest of her former classmates later in the game, fighting off the New World Order soldiers that are trying to take over the city.

Brad/Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi


Brown is a returning character from the first Persona, now a supporting character. Now a popular variety-talk show host, his ego has swelled to the point of no return, especially getting nationwide attention for the rumor that he is the boy toy of actress Junko Kurosu (which turns out to be false, since he actually despises the actress for having as big an ego as he does. Even so, he still addresses the latter as "Junko-chan"). If certain conditions are met, he will fight alongside his former classmates from St. Hermelin once more to repel the invasion of Sumaru City by Hitler's Last Battalion, assisting Tatsuya Suou's party so they can go to Xibalba.
In Eternal Punishment, Brown is still a supporting character. He will assist Maya Amano's party through the T studio, scouting out the correct order of Chiruzu's medallions to help them escape the "Kimon Tonkou" spell that has imprisoned them. Hidehiko will rejoin the rest of his former classmates later in the game, fighting off the New World Order soldiers that are trying to take over the city.

Chris/Reiji Kidou


Like Maki and Brown, Reiji is a returning alumni from the first Persona. He makes an appearance in both Persona 2 games as an NPC. He has long since shed his Badass image — even going as far as changing his hairstyle to conceal the scar on his forehead — and is working a door-to-door knife salesman to support his live-in girlfriend (referred to as his wife, whom he married directly out of high school, in the remake of the first Persona) who is carrying his baby. Unfortunately, his Persona still exudes the same kind of intimidating aura, scaring away potential customers. He reluctantly asks for advice from of fellow St. Hermelin alumnus Kenta "Toro" Yokouchi, whose own Persona has made him very successful.
His new hairstyle however, made him look strikingly similar to his hated stepbrother, so rumors started circulating about Kandori being sighted in Sumaru City, which peaks the interest of Kei Nanjou. Reiji can later be found in the Abandoned Factory, where he beats up on demons to blow some steam. Lisa Silverman will 'persuade' him into giving up his Legendary American Gloves.
Later in the game, he will join his former St. Hermelin classmates in the fight against Hitler's Last Battalion unless certain conditions are met earlier in the game. In Eternal Punishment, he will appear in Kei Nanjou's route to the Science Lab. With Maki Sonomura in tow, Reiji will assist in the party's covert infiltration of the lab through the sewers by operating the floodgate controls. He will once again team up with the St. Hermelin alumni later in the game, this time to fend off the New World Order soldiers trying to take over the city.

Fujii Shunsuke


A photographer for Kismet Publishing, and Yukino's boss/mentor. His petnames for Maya and Yukino are "Mackey" and "Yuki".

Youichi Makimura


In Innocent Sin, he was a Masquerade minion under Queen Aquarius who performed the Joker Charm, wishing to become the sexiest man alive. He was interrupted from fighting Tatsuya's group at the fitness club GOLD when an angry Ulala Serizawa chased him out, threatening to kick his ass for stealing her money and suddenly disappearing. In Eternal Punishment, Makimura is pulled out of another scam attempt and taken along while Maya's party searches for Ulala at GOLD, believing that he was the one targeted by the Joker Curse she performed.

     Antagonists (SPOILERS) 

Nyarlathotep


Nyarlathotep (AKA "The Crawling Chaos") is a shape shifting entity who stands opposite to Philemon. Unlike Philemon's rule ofneutrality, Nyarlathotep can manifest in the real world and assume the form of anything he chooses. In Innocent Sin both he and Philemon are performing an experiment to see if humanity will become enlightened or ultimately destroy itself. Nyarlathotep decides to push things in his favor by by placing a curse on Sumaru City, causing rumors to come alive and guiding humans toward self-destruction. Despite appearing only at the tail end of both stories, he is nevertheless a prime mover in the overarching storyline, and is retroactively named as the puppeteer behind the first Persona.
Nyarlathotep corrupts the memories of Jun Kurosu, leading him to believe that Tatsuya Suou and the rest of the Masquerade killed their "Big Sis", Maya Amano. With this, Jun gave in to Nyarlathotep and became the Joker, creating a corrupted adult version of the Masquerade with the intent to raise Xibalba, the alien ship upon which Sumaru City rests, and create a superior human race. Nyarlathotep took the form of Jun's father, who died long ago, but with all the ideal traits that Jun desired in a father. Besides this default form, he also manifests as Adolf Hitler, as well as Jun's own Persona.
In Eternal Punishment, Nyarlathotep takes advantage of Tatsuya Suou's mistake of becoming a paradox in the recreated world. He starts by restoring the memories of King Leo, one of the key figure thats led to the Other Side's destruction, as well as bringing his former host, Takahisa Kandori, back to life. The New World Order, a parallel to the Other Side's Masquerade, is established as a result. Xibalba is revived as the Ameno Torifune, an ancient Mayan machine buried underneath Sumaru City.

King Leo


Real name Tatsuya Sudou, (not to be confused with Tatsuya Suou) Leo is an "Executive" of the Masquerade and The Dragon to Joker-sama. Easily the most psychotic of the Joker's crew, Sudou has a marked predilection for explosives and is a pyromaniac. In Eternal Punishment, Leo's father is revealed to be Japan's Foreign Minister and Baofu's archenemy, Tatsuzou Sudou. Despite his mania, Leo is fiercely devoted to Joker-sama.
  • Abusive Parents
  • Alas Poor Villain: If you actually look into his backstory, you'd realize that he was originally just a nervous, twitchy kid in high school. He turned crazy because of all the rumors his classmates made about him, because he was a little "different." Try to hate him now, you bastards.
    • In Eternal Punishment, though, it seems he's just... genuinely crazy. Or at the very least, he ended up with a far more dangerous type of it.
  • Ax Crazy
  • Badass Longcoat: All of the Executives wear one. But it's telling how, when he breaks loose from the sanitarium, the first thing Sudou grabs is a trench coat (he leaves the hospital gown on underneath).
  • Blond Guys Are Evil
  • Brown Bag Mask: Worn in Eternal Punishment as a crude substitute for Joker-sama's mask.
  • Cardboard Prison: The sanitarium can't contain him, regardless of which universe he's in.
  • Cool Sword
  • Creepy Child: Even in flashbacks, he's still the same giggling, mad-eyed arsonist we know and love. Granted, this was after those rumors...
  • Dragon Ascendant: To Joker-sama.
  • Evil Counterpart: To the other Tatsuya; in Innocent Sin, his Persona is even a Reverse version of Suou's.
  • Good Scars Evil Scars: Disfigured from an encounter with Tatsuya Suou many years ago, during which young Tatsuya manifested his Persona (Vulcanus) and blinded him in one eye.
  • Hearing Voices: "VOICESVOICESVOICESVOICESVOICESVOICESVOICES! You can't run from the voices!"
  • The Hyena
  • Laser Guided Karma: Sudou always ends up losing an eye, regardless of which timeline he's in. He's pretty pissed about it.
  • Mad Bomber
  • Playing With Fire: Natch.
  • Psychopathic Manchild: Type B.
  • Pyro Maniac
  • Refuge In Audacity: Sudou blows up the police station and the fire station, so nobody can act in response to his bombings.
  • Room Full Of Crazy: His old cell in the sanitarium. Judging from the wall graffiti, it looks like Nyarlathotep has been visiting him.
  • Turn Out Like His Father: Both are one fry short of a happy meal, that's for certain.
  • Villainous Breakdown
  • With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Sudou began hearing voices at a young age, and it likely exacerbated his psychopathy.
  • Would Hurt A Child: Torching the Araya Shrine was actually just because the voices told him. Normally, that'd be okay, because it's an accident, but even after finding out there were two children in the area, he was perfectly fine with almost killing them both. Planting bombs in a museum with children inside (twice), however, definitely qualifies.
  • The Woobie: To a point. See Alas Poor Villain entry above.
  • You Have Failed Me: After losing to Eikichi, Yasuo is sternly reprimanded by King Leo... who sets him on fire.

Lady Scorpio


Anna Yoshizaka was once a track athlete at Seven Sisters High School. However, she was involved in a hit-and-run accident, which dashed her dreams of becoming a star athlete. She began skipping school, seeing no point in attending when she had nothing more to work towards. Somewhere around this time, she fell under the thrall of the Joker-sama and became Lady Scorpio, one of his masked Executives. Like Prince Taurus, her role is targeting other young people at Kasugayama High School and the Zodiac Club. It isn't necessary to fight Lady Scorpio; she doesn't confront the party until Caracol, when the player's choices determine whether she lives or dies.
If the player chooses to force Yukino Mayuzumi to accompany the party to Caracol, Yukino will be there to counteract her Shadow, and Anna will ultimately assist Yukino in fighting the Last Battalion. If they leave Yukino behind, Anna will follow Shadow Yukino and the two will jump from a bridge, hand-in-hand, thus killing Anna.
In Eternal Punishment, Anna is was falsely accused of performing the "JOKER curse" on the driver who hit her. When Principal Hanya is murdered in his office, Anna is the obvious suspect, as Maya overheard her mutter that she would kill Hanya after he denounced her in front of the entire school.
Later in the game, her Sempai Kohai, Noriko, is discovered to have used the JOKER curse twice (Noriko is the one who ordered the deaths both Hanya and the man responsible for Anna's accident), and is kidnapped by the Taiwanese mafia for that very reason. Anna phones Maya and the party to help free the girl, giving them the tip-off about the mafia's location.

Prince Taurus


Ginji Sasaki is an ex-musician who used to perform for a one hit wonder band. Since then, he's irked out a living as a record producer, trying to recapture his former glory. Ginji has a reputation for making sexual advances toward his female artists, particularly adolescent girls. In desperation, Ginji performed the Joker Charm, hoping to be successful again. Joker-sama granted his wish, and Ginji was made an Executive, placed in charge of stealing Ideal Energy from young people. He begins promoting a secretive teen idolband known as "MUSES", and spreads a rumor that Lisa and her classmates are members. Late in the game, Prince Taurus follows the rest of The Masquerade into Xilbaba and is incinerated by a booby trap. His death is not shown on-screen, as Tatsuya's party discover his charred remains some time later.
In Eternal Punishment, Ginji is manipulated into essentially the same role. He is brainwashed by the New World Order to host a seminar at the mall, where he encourages people to get rid of their "Kegare". In the ensuring shootout with Maya and her party, the glass container holding all the stores Kegare is shattered, turning Ginji into a JOKER.

Queen Aquarius


The fourth and last Masquerade Executive, Queen Aquarius is secretly Junko Kurosu, a celebrity actress and Jun's mother. Once a popular girl at Seven Sisters High School, Junko set her eyes on her history teacher and husband-to-be, Akinari Kashihara. Junko grew weary of family life after Jun was born and spread vicious rumors about her husband. Following his violent death at Seven Sister High School, Junko embraced being single again and began to treat Jun miserably. Believing her career to be in danger because of her maturity, Junko summoned the Joker and wished to remain young forever; Joker-sama complied, making her an Executive.
In Eternal Punishment, Jun's father is still alive and Junko's marriage seems stable. During a celebrity interview at the TV Studio, Chiruzu Ishagami infects Junko with the JOKER curse. If Eriko is in the party, Junko is fought as a boss, and fully recovers once defeated.

Maya Okamura


Lisa Silverman's homeroom teacher, nicknamed "Ideal-sensei" by her students due to her eccentricities. She used to work alongside Jun's father, Akinari Kashihara. Okamura harbored an unrequited love for him, and resented his wife, Junko. She was a collaborator on Kashihara's unreleased book, which prophesied the signs leading up to the end of days; among these portents was the return of Adolf Hitler and his "Last Battalion". Kashihara later met a suspicious death when he fell inside the Seven Sisters clock tower and was crushed by the gears.
Okamura stations herself at the Kuzunoha Detective Agency, where she assists in shedding light on Mr. Kashihara's research on the Last Battalion. As the portents of the book start becoming true, Okamura loses her mind and decides to expedite the catastrophe. The final portent is the death of a woman named "Maya". Okamura is initially willing to sacrifice herself, but is instead approached by Nyarlathotep. At the conclusion of the game, Okamura materializes and impales Maya Amano with the Spear of Longinus. Philemon intervenes by rewinding time and negating Maya's death, thus creating the Eternal Punishment timeline.
Okamura appears during the main story in Eternal Punishment only once: she is standing in the school courtyard during the game's introduction. If Maya speaks with her, she will sense that they have met before.

Principal Harding/Hanya


The principal of the Seven Sisters High School, and previously the vice principal of St. Hermelin in the first game. Tatsuya Suou's party battles Principal Hanya on top of the clock tower after destroying the smaller clocks in the school classrooms in Innocent Sin. He dies afterwards, but when you meet a student who asks how he's doing, you can either tell the truth, or spread the rumor that he's alive. If you choose the latter, Principal Hanya will reemerge later in the game and repel the invasion of Hitler's Last Battalion on his own. Otherwise, the St. Hermelin alumni will do the job.
In Eternal Punishment, he is still a hated principal, and is immediately killed when Noriko Katayama performs the Joker Curse on him for insulting Anna Yoshizaka, who can no longer represent Sevens in the regional track meet because of a permanent injury caused by a hit-and-run accident.

Yasuo Inoe


A student who hangs out on the rooftop of Kasugayama High School, discontented with the current system and wishes to become Student Body President to implement his desired changes. In Innocent Sin, Yasuo uses the Joker Charm to make his ambition a reality. He was responsible for spreading the rumor that the Seven Sisters High School Emblem was cursed, and collaborated with Lady Scorpio to collect Ideal Energy at Kasugayama High's dance party. He is fought as a boss, and dies at the hands of King Leo upon failing. In Eternal Punishment, Yasuo is still alive, and is back to being a discontented Student Body Presidential wannabe.

Hiroki Sugimoto


A second-year student at Kasugayama High. Ever since Eikichi beat him up in middle school, he's hated Eikichi and wanted to defeat him, jealous of his power and clout as the school leader. He uses the Joker Charm so he can become stronger, spreads the rumor that the Head is stronger than Captain Death, and even kidnapped Miyabi. Eikichi relinquishes his position as Captain Death, creating a loophole that allows him to defeat Sugimoto. In Eternal Punishment, he is kidnapped and drained of Kegare at the Science Lab in Kei Nanjou's route. Maya's party runs into Eikichi who was trying to save Sugimoto as per his role as the school leader. They later find Sugimoto, who was turned into a monster. Kei and the party try their best to subdue Sugimoto without killing him, and assures Eikichi that the Nanjou Group will pull out all the stops to turn his classmate back to normal.

Ixquic


A 13 year-old cosplayer with a very lively imagination, believing that she's a "reincarnated warrior maiden", Ixquic. In Innocent Sin, she turns out to be a minion of King Leo. InEternal Punishment, she hangs out at Giga Macho (The Seedy CD) music store, and is hunting down the two rumored demons that reside there.

Tatsuzou Sudou


Father of Tatsuya Sudou aka King Leo, he is briefly referenced in Innocent Sin before being revealed as the head of the New World Order in Eternal Punishment. He is estranged from his son, whom he confined to a mental hospital as a child. Tatsuzou is Japan's Foreign Minister, and is secretly head of a governmental conspiracy to to create a world without original sin. Tatsuzou is unaware of the fact that he, like his son, is being manipulated by Nyarlathotep.

Kiyotada Sumaru


The mummified remains of a feudal warlord who established what is now Sumaru City. Thanks to Nyarlathotep's influence, Tatsuzou Sudou was able to reanimate him with rumors. Sumaru's remains are the centerpiece of the New World Order, communicating to its members via Telepathy. Once the Monado Mandala has risen, Sumaru's castle is mystically unearthed and towers over the entire city.
  • Back From The Dead
  • Badass Mustache: Still impressive, even if the rest of him is in poor shape.
  • Clipped Wing Angel: It is possible to kill Sumaru in one hit if the right conditions are met. Summoning the three Ancestral Personae during the battle for a Fusion Attack will defeat him instantly. This is explained in-game by the Personae being the spirits of a samurai who originally toppled Sumaru, his princess, and their retainer. It's also a case of Guide Dang It, so whether this is worth all the trouble is subjective.
  • Evil Overlord
  • Evil Tower Of Ominousness: Sumaru Castle.
  • Feudal Future: His ultimate goal.
  • Mummy

Guido/Takahisa Kandori


The former antagonist of the original Persona, who has been resurrected due to rumors. He unquestioningly serves the New World Order, but seems to be following his own agenda. During the events of Eternal Punishment, Takahisa Kandori, (now called Guido Kandori in the NA version) is brought back to life through the power of Kototama performed by the NWO. The extensive scars on his body are reminiscent of Tatsuya Suou's marks.

Chizuru Ishigami


Chizuru is a famous fortune teller who uses her show to spread rumors for the NWO. Unlike the other villains, Chiruzu does not use a Persona in combat but creates duplicates of herself to fool her opponents. Eriko Kirishima arrives in Sumaru City investigating her and her connection to the NWO. During a television interview Junko Kurosu transformed into a Joker and attempts to kill Lisa Silverman.
Afterwords, she joins with the revived Takahisa Kandori and leaves with him for the Undersea Ruins, although she questions why someone like him would be happy serving as simply a pawn for Tatsuzou Sudou. Eventually, she and Kandori are confronted by Maya Amano and her party along with Tatsuya Suou. They are both defeated, and, despite Nanjo/Eriko's pleading, stay behind in the collapsing Undersea Ruins to die.

General Sugawara


A top-ranking member of the NWO and commander of the Tenchu Army. Sugawara is wasting away from some unknown malady, which is what motivated him to assist Tatsuzou.

Captain Togashi


Head of the Konan police force, and Katsuya's top superior in the department. He, along with other top officials, is a member of the New World Order. Unlike the others, however, he is unable to hear Gozen's voice — perhaps a sign of his wavering loyalty to them. He once worked alongside Katsuya's father.

Administrator Shimazu


Katusya's direct superior in the Konan department, and lieutenant to Captain Togashi. He dislikes Katsuya by association, as his father was disgraced and expelled from the force.

     Minor NP Cs 

Akinari Kashihara


The father of Jun Kurosu, and a World History teacher at Seven Sisters High School. His charming personality made him an idol among his students in Seven Sisters, including Junko Kurosu, fomer-"Miss Sevens" and local celebrity, and Maya Okamura, a fellow History teacher who admired him as a genius. Akinari was troubled over the idea that the current world history is actually incorrect. He met with Tatsuya Sudou who have been rambling about voices in his head. Akinari was convinced that Sudou was channeling the voices of Mayans, and with the cooperation of Okamura, they produced the Oracle of Maiya. Intrigued by the revelations from the Oracle, Akinari worked on writing a book of propheices, In-Laqetti.
He married Junko after the latter's graduation. Together they had a son, Jun. However, the marriage did not prove to be a blissful one as Junko began to miss her life as a celebrity. Sometime later, Akinari mets his death inside Seven Sister's clock tower when he fell and was crushed by the gears. His ghost is rumored to be haunting the clock tower to this day. As happens with all rumors, his ghost does indeed appear to Tatsuya at the start of Innocent Sin.
In Eternal Punishment, the timeline has been changed so that Akinari is still alive and married to Junko.

Demon Artist


An inhabitant of the Velvet Room, and the only one besides Igor who serves a function in the game. At the player's request, he will convert the Free Tarot cards into any other arcana card, except for Fool and minor arcana.

Belladonna


First seen as a background character in the first Persona, she is the soprano who is accompanied with Nameless. She covers her ears with her hair in order to concentrate on her performance.

Nameless/Nanashi


A pianist in suite who plays various pieces on a gigantic grand piano. In order to concentrate on performance, he covers his eyes. Nameless also has an obsession with numbering, which is parodied in the Persona 2 Drama CD.

Trish


Trish is a gold-digging refugee from the fairy world who was exiled due to her greed. Formerly an NPC in the first Persona, she has noticeably aged in ensuing years (as Kei will attest). Trish maintains a Healing Spring at which the party can heal, generally found in every dungeon, in each of the Persona 2 games. Despite her sweet-natured appearance, Trish is notorious for being selfish, greedy, and charging outlandish prices for her healing services. While restoring in town generally costs a few thousand yen, Trish tends to charge a few dozen thousand. Should the player refuse, she'll generally tell them to go and die for all she cares.

Tammy/Tamaki Uchida


A returning NPC from the original Persona, as well as protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: If.... Tamaki is now in college, and works part-time in the Kuzunoha Detective Agency as an assistant to Daisuke Todoroki and also a Devil Summoner. She handles the mail-in magazine prizes for the party, and in one occasion, Tamaki will dress up as a cat burglar along with Satomi Tadashi (who is now her fiance) helping the party to rescue the schoolchildren trapped deep inside the burning Sky Museum.
In '"Eternal Punishment'', Tamaki still works at the Kuzunoha Detective Agency. She is also hiding a money-hungry Catgirl demon in the bathroom, who uses the giant fortune cat in the office as a facade to ask for handouts. Tamaki reprises her role of handling the mail-in magazine contest entries for the party. Off-hand, she expresses concern for her fiancée, who has been missing because of assassination threats from sources unknown.

Satomi "Tad" Tadashi


Another returning NPC from the first Persona, Tad works at the Kuzunoha office with his girlfriend, Tammy. Due to general dislike of the character from fans, Tad does not appear in Eternal Punishment, having gone on the run from "assassins" according to Tammy.

Saeko Smith/Saeko Takami


A returning character from the first Persona. Ms. Saeko returns in Persona 2: Innocent Sin as the homeroom teacher of Tatsuya Suou, having transfered to Seven Sisters High School along with Vice-Principal Hanya. She is still admired by both students and former students alike.
Saeko makes it her mission to help Tatsuya Suou find direction in his life. She is well-intentioned but relentless, even staking out his motorcycle so she can give him a pep talk. The dialogue trees that ensue later play a minor role in the game's narrative. She assists the party in removing the curse on Seven Sisters High School. Saeko plays a much smaller role in Eternal Punishment. She is interviewed by Maya Amano early in the game regarding the JOKER.

Steven Silverman


Lisa Silverman's father, a naturalized American who works in the Foreign Currency Exchange. He absolutely loves Japan, and as a result is often seen wearing a yukata out of season. Mr. Silverman implements a home life that matches a typical Japanese family's to the dot, even raising his daughter to become a Yamato Nadeshiko or an ideal Japanese lady. He only appears in Innocent Sin, handing out prizes if the party enters and wins one of the magazine sweepstakes.

Miyabi Hanakouji


A second-year Seven Sisters High School student and classmate of Lisa. She works on the school newspaper, and is dating Eikichi Mishina, doubling as a groupie of sorts for the band "Gas Chamber". In Innocent Sin, she was nicknamed "Hanaji" (nosebleed) and was overweight because of an embarrassing event. In Eternal Punishment, she makes a small cameo inside Gas Chamber but nothing more.

Matsuoka


Kei Nanjou's current butler and bodyguard. He seems surly and distant, which is a far cry to how Kei's relationship with the late Yamaoka was before. But the truth is that Matsuoka is actually diligently looking out for Kei's welfare, making sure that his young master becomes the #1 man in Japan as promised.

Mizuno


Editor-In-Chief of Coolest, Maya Amano's immediate superior. Mizuno seems to despise Maya so much that she goes as far as to discard a meaningful article that the latter wrote about the "Rumored Student", breaks her up with partner Yukino Mayuzumi during the assignment at Sevens in Eternal Punishment, and also rescinds her day off. The in-game bio describes her as "30-something and still not married". She only mellows out after Sumaru City becomes the Ameno Torifune.
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