| Persona | |
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 The logo ofShin Megami Tensei: Persona, the remake of the first game in the series. Each game uses its own font and styling. | |
| Genres | Role-playing,social simulation |
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| First release | Revelations: Persona September 20, 1996 |
| Latest release | Persona 5: The Phantom X June 26, 2025 |
| Parent series | Megami Tensei |
Persona,[Jp. 1] previously marketed asShin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a video game franchise primarily developed byAtlus and owned bySega.[a] Centered around a series ofJapanese role-playing video games,Persona is a spin-off from Atlus'Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series,Revelations: Persona,[b] was released in 1996 for thePlayStation. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being 2024'sPersona 3 Reload, a remake of the 2006 gamePersona 3.
Persona began as a spin-off based on the positively-received high school setting ofShin Megami Tensei If... (1994).Persona's core features include a group of students as the main cast, asilent protagonist similar to the mainlineMegami Tensei franchise, and combat usingPersonas. Beginning withPersona 3 in 2006, the main series came to focus more on, and become renowned for, the immersivesocial simulation elements that came with the addition of Social Links, which are directly linked to how Personas evolve. Character designs are by series co-creatorKazuma Kaneko (Persona and thePersona 2 duology) andShigenori Soejima (Persona 3 onwards). Its overall theme is the exploration of the human psyche and how the characters find their true selves. The series' recurring concepts and design elements draw onJungian psychology,psychological personas andtarot cards, along with religious, mythological, and literary themes and influences.
Revelations: Persona was the first role-playingMegami Tensei game to be released outside of Japan. Beginning withPersona 2: Eternal Punishment, the English localizations began to remain faithful to the Japanese versions at the insistence of Atlus. The series is highly popular internationally, becoming the best-knownMegami Tensei spin-off and establishing Atlus and theMegami Tensei franchise in North America. Following the release ofPersona 3 and4, the series also established a strong following in Europe. The series has since gone on to sell over 27 million copies worldwide, outselling its parent franchise. There have been numerous adaptations, includinganime series, films,novelizations,manga,stage plays,radio dramas, art books, and musical concerts.
| 1996 | Revelations: Persona |
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| 1997 | |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | Persona 2: Innocent Sin |
| 2000 | Persona 2: Eternal Punishment |
| 2001 | |
| 2002 | |
| 2003 | |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2006 | Persona 3 |
| 2007 | Persona 3 FES |
| 2008 | Persona 4 |
| 2009 | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (PSP) |
| Persona 3 Portable | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | Persona 2: Innocent Sin (PSP) |
| 2012 | Persona 4 Arena |
| Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP) | |
| Persona 4 Golden | |
| 2013 | Persona 4 Arena Ultimax |
| 2014 | Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth |
| 2015 | Persona 4: Dancing All Night |
| 2016 | Persona 5 |
| 2017 | |
| 2018 | Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight |
| Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight | |
| Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth | |
| 2019 | Persona 5 Royal |
| 2020 | Persona 5 Strikers |
| 2021 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2023 | Persona 5 Tactica |
| 2024 | Persona 3 Reload |
| 2025 | Persona 5: The Phantom X |
| TBA | Persona 4 Revival |
Persona 3 received a Japan-exclusive spin-off titledPersona 3: The Night Before;[Jp. 2] it follows a similar cycle of daytime activities and night time combat as the original game, with one player being chosen as the party leader each night.[41] After its closure in 2008, a newfree-to-play browser game titledPersona Ain Soph[Jp. 3] was released that year; the gameplay focused on players fusing Personas and confronting a threat known as the Qliphoth. Staying exclusive to Japan, it closed down in June 2010.[42][43]
Afighting game sequel toPersona 4,Persona 4 Arena, was released inarcades in Japan in 2012.[44] Console versions were released in 2012 in Japan and North America, and 2013 in Europe.[45][46][47] A sequel,Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, was similarly released in Japanese arcades in 2013, then released in 2014 in all regions for consoles.[48][49][50]
A standalone spin-off for theNintendo 3DS,Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, was released worldwide in 2014;[1] it features the full casts ofPersona 3 and4, and is classed by Atlus as an official entry in thePersona canon.[51] A sequel,Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, saw the addition of thePersona 5 characters and was released in Japan in 2018 and worldwide in 2019.[52]
Arhythm game set after the events ofPersona 4 Arena Ultimax,Persona 4: Dancing All Night, was released worldwide in 2015.[53][54][55] Two follow-ups toDancing All Night,Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight andPersona 5: Dancing in Starlight, were released together in 2018.[56]
ADynasty Warriors-styleaction role-playing sequel toPersona 5,Persona 5 Strikers, was released in Japan in 2020 and worldwide the following year.[57][58]
Atactics spin-off ofPersona 5,Persona 5 Tactica, was released in November 2023.[59]
SeveralPersona mobile games have been made in partnership with other Japanese mobile companies such as BBMF. Their first partnership was in 2006 with the development and release ofMegami Ibunroku Persona: Ikū no Tō-hen, a 3Ddungeon crawler set during the events of the firstPersona game.[60] The companies later collaborated on two mobile games based on thePersona 2 games:Persona 2: Innocent Sin - Lost Memories[Jp. 4] in 2007, andPersona 2: Eternal Punishment - Infinity Mask[Jp. 5] in 2009. Both games carried over the basic gameplay functions of the original games tailored for mobile phones.[61][62]
Many mobile spin-offs are related toPersona 3: there is an RPG side-story titledPersona 3 Em,[Jp. 6] anaction game prequel set ten years prior toPersona 3 titledAegis: The First Mission, and an alternate version ofPersona 3 featuring different characters titledPersona 3 Social.[Jp. 7] MultiplePersona 3-themed puzzle games have also been developed.[63][64][65][66][67][68] An online mobile RPG set around the high school featured inPersona 3, titledPersona Mobile Online,[Jp. 8] was released in 2009.[69]
Persona 4 likewise received a mobile card game spin-off, titledPersona 4 The Card Battle.[Jp. 9][70]
A mobile spin-off forPersona 5 entitledPersona 5: The Phantom X was released in June 2025, developed by Black Wings Game Studio and published byPerfect World Games.[71]
The gameplay of thePersona series revolves around combat against various enemy types: Demons, Shadows and Personas.[72][73][74][75] Main combat takes place duringdungeon crawling segments within various locations. The way battles initiate varies betweenrandom encounters (Persona,Persona 2) or running into models representing enemy groups (Persona 3 onwards). Battles are governed by aturn-based system, where the player party and enemies each attack the opposing side. Actions in battle include standard physical attacks using short-range melee or long-range projectile weapons, magical attacks, using items, guarding, and under certain conditions escaping from battles. During battle, either side can strike an enemy's weakness, which deals more damage than other attacks.[14][34][76][77][78] Starting withPersona 3, landing a critical hit grants the character an extra turn. If all enemies are knocked down by critical hits, the party can perform an "All Out Attack", with all party members attacking at once and dealing high damage. Each party member is manually controlled by the player in all but onePersona title: inPersona 3, all the party apart from the main character are controlled by an AI-based command system. The general gameplay has remained consistent across allPersona games.[14][34][75][78][79][80]
EachPersona game also includes unique elements. InPersona, battles take place on a grid-based battlefield, with characters' and enemies' movements dictated by their placement on the battlefield.[73] This system was abandoned for thePersona 2 games: the party has free movement across the battlefield, and is assigned a set of moves which can be changed in the menu during and in between battles.[14][81] InPersona andPersona 3, there is alunar phase tied to gameplay, time progression, and the plot. InPersona 4, this was changed to a weather-based system, where changes in the weather keyed to the story affected enemy behavior.[75][82][83]Persona 5 introduces elements such asplatforming andstealth gameplay to dungeon exploration.[72][78][84] The All-Out Attack can be initiated in a "Hold-Up" session, triggered when all enemies are knocked down.[85]
A defining aspect of the series is the use of the "Persona", which are physical manifestations of a person's psyche and subconscious used for combat.[86] The main Personas for the cast used up toPersona 3 were inspired byGreco-Roman mythology.Persona 4's were based onJapanese deities; whilePersona 5 used characters inspired by fictional and historical outlaws and thieves.[87][88][89] The summoning ritual for Personas in battle varies throughout the series: in early games, the party gains the ability to summon through a short ritual after playing a parlor game; inPersona 3, they fire a gun-like device called an Evoker at their head to overcome their cowardice; inPersona 4, they summon their Personas by destroyingTarot cards; inPersona 5, they are summoned through the removal of the characters' masks.[86][90]
Personas are used for types of physical attack and magical attacks, along with actions such as healing and curing or inflictingstatus effects.[14][34][73][77][86][91] For allPersona games, all playable characters start out with an initial Persona, which can evolve into other Personas through story-based events and use during battle.[14][80][91] In multiplePersona games, two or more Personas can be summoned at once to perform a powerful Fusion Spell.[14][80][81] InPersona 3,4 and5, only the main character can wield and change between multiple Personas; the other characters use a single Persona.[34][91] During the course of the game, the player acquires more Personas through a system of Skill Cards, represented byMajor Arcana Tarot cards. Each skill card represents a different Persona family, which in turn hold their own abilities inherent to that family. Multiple Personas can be fused together to create a new Persona with improved and inherited abilities: these range from fusing two Personas in thePersona 2 duology to up to twelve inPersona 4.[14][34][73][77][91][92] Starting withPersona 3, the main protagonist of each game has an ability known as "Wild Card", an ability to summon multiple Personas represented by the Fool Arcana.[93]
"Social Links" is a system introduced inPersona 3 that is a form of character interaction tied to the growth of Personas. During their time outside battle, the main character can interact with and grow a particular Social Link, which acts as an independent character growth system tied to a Persona family or Arcanum. As the main character's relationship with the character representing a Social Link grows, its rank is raised and more powerful Personas related to the Social Link's assigned Arcanum can be summoned and fused.[34][76] Attributes related to the main character's social life can also be used to improve their Persona abilities, such as their academic abilities and social aptitude.[34][91] An enhanced version of the Social Link system, known as "Confidants", appeared inPersona 5.[72][94]
InPersona, thePersona 2 duology, andPersona 5, there is also a "Negotiation" mechanic carried over from theMegami Tensei series, in which player characters can talk with enemies and provoke certain actions depending on their dialogue choices. Some responses yield Skill Cards for use in creating new Personas.[14][73] Negotiation was removed fromPersona 3 andPersona 4, although Atlus staff considered the Social Link system and aspects of Persona fusion to be a "disguised" version of it.[95] InPersona 5, they can be initiated during a "Hold Up" session; Shadows can be persuaded to join the party as a new Persona if the Negotiation is successful, the player does not already have them, and is at an appropriate experience level.[85][96]
ThePersona series takes place in modern-dayJapan and focuses on a group of high school students, with the exception to this beingEternal Punishment, which focused on a group of adults.[86][97] The setting has been described asurban fantasy, with extraordinary events happening in otherwise normal locations.[98] The typical setting used is a city, with a noted exception being the rural town setting ofPersona 4.[97] Although they are typically stand-alone games that only share thematic elements, thePersona games share a continuity, with elements from previous games turning up in later ones.[86][97]Persona and thePersona 2 games shared narrative elements which were concluded withEternal Punishment, soPersona 3 started out with a fresh setting and characters.[99] The first in the series isPersona, set in the year 1996. This is followed by the events ofInnocent Sin andEternal Punishment in 1999. At the end ofInnocent Sin, the main characters rewrite events to avert the destruction of Earth, creating theEternal Punishment reality, with the original reality becoming an isolated Other Side.Persona 3 and subsequent games stem fromEternal Punishment.[7][100]Persona 3 is set from 2009 to 2010, andPersona 4 is set from 2011 to 2012. ThePersona 4 Arena games andDancing All Night take place in the months followingPersona 4.[7][101][102] In contrast,Persona 5 is set in a non-specific year referred to as "20XX", whileStrikers is set several months after the events ofPersona 5.[103] ThePersona Q series takes place in a separate enclosed world in which the characters ofPersona 3,4, and5 are drawn into from their respective time periods.[104] Dialogue inQ2 also suggests thatPersona 5 takes place only a few years after4.
A central concept for the series is thecollective unconscious, a place generated by the hearts of humanity and from which Personas are born.[7][100] According to the officialPersona Club P3 book, the collective unconscious was generated by the primitive life on Earth as a means of containing the spiritual essence of Nyx, a space-born being whose presence would cause the death of all life on Earth. Her body was damaged by the impact and became the moon, while her psyche was left on the surface and locked away at the heart of the collective unconscious. The fragments of Nyx's psyche, known as "Shadows", are both a threat and a crucial part of humanity's existence. To further help defend against hostile Shadows, people generated the deities that exist within the collective unconscious, many of which manifest as Personas. Nyx appears inPersona 3 as the antagonist.[105] The major dungeon locations in each game are generated by the latent wishes and desires of humans and are generally used by another force for their own ends.[106] A recurring location appearing in most of the games is the "Velvet Room", a place between reality and unconsciousness created by Philemon that changes form depending on the psyche of its current guest. Its inhabitants, led by an enigmatic old man calledIgor, aid the main characters by helping them hone their Persona abilities. While normally inaccessible and invisible to all except those who forged a contract with the room, others can be summoned alongside the guest, intentionally or otherwise.[107][108][93][109]
The main character of eachPersona game is asilent protagonist representing the player, with a manner described by the series' director as "silent and cool".[110] When the writer for new story content inEternal Punishment's PSP version wished for the main character to have spoken dialogue, this was vetoed as it went against the series tradition.[111] Two recurring characters generated by the collective unconscious are Philemon and Nyarlathotep, the respective representatives of the positive and negative traits of humanity.[7] InInnocent Sin, the two reveal that they are engaged in a proxy contest as to whether humanity can embrace its contradictory feelings and find a higher purpose before destroying itself.[100] Philemon makes appearances in laterPersona games as a blue butterfly.[87][93] Many of the major antagonists in the series are personifications of death generated by the human subconscious.[93] The central theme of thePersona series is exploration of the human psyche and the main characters discovering their true selves.[112] The stories generally focus on the main cast's interpersonal relationships and psychologies.[113] There is also an underlying focus on "the human soul".[114]
Many of the concepts and characters within the series (Personas,Shadows, Philemon) useJungian psychology andarchetypes.[108] A recurring motif are the "masks" people wear during everyday life, which ties back to their Personas. This motif was more overtly expressed inPersona 5 through the main casts' use of masks in their thief guises.[110][115] The dual lives of the main casts are directly inspired by these themes.[106] Each game also includes specific themes and motifs.Persona 2 focuses on the effect of rumors on the fabric of reality (referred to by the developers as "the power ofKotodama");Persona 3 employs themes involving depression and the darkness within people;Persona 4 focuses on how gossip and the media influences people's views of others; andPersona 5 shows how the main characters pursue personal freedom in a restrictive modern society.[87][98][116] Zhang Cheng fromThe Paper thought thePersona 3,4 and5 regarded emotions and bonds as the ultimate weapon against alienation inpostmodern society, and calls on everyone to become positive people.[117] A recurring element in the earlier entries is ""The Butterfly Dream"", a famous story by the Chinese philosopherZhuang Zhou. It ties in with the series' themes, and also with Philemon's frequent appearances as a butterfly.[7] Philemon's original appearance was based on Zhuang Zhou.[108] The characterNyarlathotep is based on the character of the same name fromH. P. Lovecraft'sCthulhu Mythos, and the Mythos as a whole is frequently referenced inPersona 2.[87][118] The Velvet Room was based on theBlack Lodge fromTwin Peaks, while Igor and his assistants are all named after characters fromMary Shelley's novelFrankenstein and its adaptations.[108][93]
ThePersona series was first conceived after the release ofShin Megami Tensei If... for theSuper Famicom. As the high school setting ofIf... had been positively received, Atlus decided to create a dedicated subseries focusing on the inner struggles of young adults.[114][119] The focus on high school life was also decided upon due to the experiences of the series' creators,Kouji Okada andKazuma Kaneko: according to them, as nearly everyone experiences being a student at some point in their lives, it was something everyone could relate to, representing a time of both learning and personal freedom. In their view, this approach helped players accept the series' themes and the variety of ideas included in each title. Kaneko in particular tried to recreate his experiences and the impact it had on him during his time with the series.[120] The main concept behind the first game was aMegami Tensei title that was more approachable for new and casual players than the main series. The abundance of casual games on the PlayStation reinforced this decision.[108][121] The game's title,Megami Ibunroku,[Jp. 10] represented the game's status as a direct spin-off from the series.[122] It was later dropped to further definePersona as a standalone series.[118] After the success ofPersona,Innocent Sin began development, retaining many of the original staff. During the writing ofInnocent Sin, it was decided that the world ofPersona 2 needed a different perspective than that of the current protagonist. This decision laid the groundwork forEternal Punishment.[118][123] Following this, thePersona series entered a hiatus while focus turned to other projects, includingShin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne.[124]
The conceptualPersona 3 was submitted to Atlus in 2003 byKatsura Hashino, who had worked as a designer for multipleMegami Tensei games and had been the director forNocturne. Gaining Atlus' approval of the concept, development started in the same year, after the completion ofNocturne and theDigital Devil Saga duology.[125][126][127]Persona 3 was part of Atlus' push to expand their player base outside of Japan.[124] Ideas were being passed around aboutPersona 4, but the game did not begin official development until after the release ofPersona 3.[114] Preparations forPersona 5's development began in 2010. The team decided to shift towards more challenging story themes, saying that the shift would be more drastic than that experienced withPersona 3.[128][129]Persona 4 Arena and its sequel were the first non-RPG collaborative project in the series: its success inspired the creation of bothPersona Q andDancing All Night.[130][131]
The first threePersona games were developed by Atlus' internal R&D1 studio, the studio responsible for the mainlineMegami Tensei games.[132] Beginning withPersona 3, a dedicated team originally referred to as the 2nd Creative Production Department began handling development for the series. The team was later renamed P-Studio in 2012.[133][134][135] Hashino remained in charge of the studio until the Japanese release ofPersona 5 in 2016, when he moved to found a new department, Studio Zero, to work on non-Persona projects.[136][137] Aside from Atlus, other developers have helped develop entries in thePersona series. During the pre-production stage ofPersona 4 Arena, Hashino approachedArc System Works after being impressed by their work on theBlazBlue series.[24] ForDancing All Night, development was initially handled byDingo, but due to quality concerns Atlus took over primary development with Dingo being retained as a supporting developer.[138]
The two character artists for thePersona series areKazuma Kaneko, a central artist in the mainMegami Tensei series who designed characters for the first threePersona games, andShigenori Soejima, who worked in a secondary capacity alongside Kaneko and took Kaneko's place as the character designer fromPersona 3 onwards.[108][141][142][143] While designing the characters forPersona, Kaneko was inspired by multiple notable celebrities and fictional characters of the time, along with members of Atlus staff. InPersona andInnocent Sin, the main characters all wore the same school uniforms, so Kaneko differentiated them using accessories.[108][141] ForEternal Punishment, the main cast were adults, so Kaneko needed to rethink his design procedure. Eventually, he adopted the concept of ordinary adults, and gave them designs that would stand out in-game.[120]
Soejima's first major work for the series was working on side characters forPersona 2 alongside Kaneko.[144] Kaneko put Soejima in charge of the series' art direction afterPersona 2 as Kaneko did not want to imprint his drawing style on thePersona series, and also wanted Soejima to gain experience.[142] Soejima felt a degree of pressure when he was given his new role, as the series had accumulated a substantial following during Kaneko's tenure.[139] In a later interview, Soejima said that although he respected and admired Kaneko, he never consciously imitated the latter's work, and eventually settled into the role of pleasing the fans of thePersona series, approaching character designs with the idea of creating something new rather than referring back to Kaneko's work.[83] For his character designs, Soejima uses real people he has met or seen, looking at what their appearance says about their personality. If his designs come too close to the people he has seen, he does a rough sketch while keeping the personality of the person in mind.[143] For his work onPersona Q, his first time working with adeformed Chibi style due to its links with theEtrian Odyssey series, Soejima took into account what fans felt about the characters. A crucial part of his design technique was looking at what made a character stand out, then adjusting those features so they remained recognizable even with the redesign.[143][145]
Starting withPersona 3, eachPersona game has been defined by a different aesthetic and key color. It is one of the first artistic decisions made by the team:Persona 3 has a dark atmosphere and serious characters, so the primary color was chosen as blue to reflect these and the urban setting. In contrast,Persona 4 has a lighter tone and characters but also sports a murder-mystery plot, so the color yellow was chosen to represent both the lighter tones and to evoke a "warning" signal.[143] According to Soejima, blue was the "color of adolescence", and yellow was the "color of happiness".[83] ForPersona 5, the color chosen was red, to convey a harsh feeling in contrast to the previousPersona games and tie in with the game's story themes. Its art style was described as a natural evolution from wherePersona 4 left off.[115][146]
The music of thePersona series has been handled by multiple composers. The one most associated with the series isShoji Meguro, who began working onPersona shortly after he joined Atlus in 1995. His very first composition for the game was "Aria of the Soul", the theme for the Velvet Room that became a recurring track throughout the series.[147][148][149] During his initial work on the series, Meguro felt restricted by the limited storage space of the PlayStation's disc system, and so when he began composing forPersona 3, which allowed forsound streaming due to increased hardware capacity, he was able to fully express his musical style. His main worry for his music inPersona 3 and4 was the singers' pronunciation of the English lyrics.[83] He was unable to work on thePersona 2 games as he was tied up with other projects, includingMaken X.[150] Meguro also served as the lead composer inPersona 5, using elements ofacid jazz, being inspired in particular by British bandJamiroquai, and the game's themes for inspiration to achieve the right mood.[151][152] The music forInnocent Sin andEternal Punishment was handled by Toshiko Tasaki, Kenichi Tsuchiya, and Masaki Kurokawa. Tsuchiya had originally done minor work onPersona, and found composing for the games a strenuous experience.[153][154][155] Spin-offs, such as thePersona Q andDancing subseries, are usually handled by other Atlus composers such as Atsushi Kitajoh, Toshiki Konishi, and Ryota Kozuka.[156]
The series consists of twenty games, not counting re-releases and mobile games.[1]Persona was the first role-playing entry in theMegami Tensei franchise to be released outside of Japan, as previous entries had been considered ineligible due to possibly controversial content. As examples of this content were in a milder form forPersona, the restrictions did not apply.[157][158] According to Atlus,Persona and its sequel were to test player reactions to theMegami Tensei series outside of Japan.[132] The greater majority ofPersona games were either first released on or exclusive to PlayStation platforms. This trend was broken with the release ofPersona Q for the 3DS in 2014.[159] All thePersona games have been published by Atlus in Japan and North America.[132] An exception in Japan was the Windows port ofPersona, which was published byASCII Corporation.[3] After 2016, due to Atlus USA's merger with Sega of America,Sega took over North American publishing duties, although the Atlus brand remained intact.[160] Since then, Atlus has been releasing ports of the mainPersona games for non-PlayStation platforms, beginning with the release ofPersona 4 Golden onWindows in 2020, which marked the first time a numbered entry in the series released for PC worldwide. Sega would also assist Atlus in portingPersona 5 Royal andPersona 3 Portable to Windows, in addition toNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Xbox One andXbox Series X/S throughout 2022 and 2023.[161][162][163][164]Persona 3 Reload, a remake ofPersona 3 (2006), was launched in 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, making it the first main entry in the franchise to both receive a worldwide simultaneous release, as well as the first to be available on non-PlayStation formats from launch.[165] In a quarterly earnings report from November 2023, SEGA Sammy president Haruki Atami suggested that all futurePersona games going forward would follow a similar release and availability cadence in order to meet company expectations of selling at least 5 million units in a new game's first year.[166]
Due to the company not having a European branch, Atlus has generally given publishing duties to other third-party publishers with branches in Europe. This frequently results in a gap between North American and European release dates ranging from a few months to a year or more.[50][167][168] ForPersona 3, Atlus gave publishing duties toKoei.[21] ForPersona 4, European publishing was handled bySquare Enix.[169]Persona 4 Arena was originally published in Europe by Zen United after a long delay, but the digital rights were eventually returned to Atlus, resulting in the game being removed from PSN.[167] Atlus ended up re-publishing the digital PlayStation version in Europe.[170] They had previously digitally published the PSP port ofPersona in Europe and Australia.[6]Arena Ultimax was published in Europe by Sega, who had recently purchased Atlus' parent company. It was speculated that this could lead to a new trend that would shorten the release gap between North America and Europe.[50] A regular publishing partner was Ghostlight, whose relations with Atlus went back to the European release ofNocturne.[171][172] A more recent partner wasNIS America, which publishedPersona 4 Golden,Persona Q, andDancing All Night.[55][173] Atlus' partnership with NIS America ended in 2016, with NIS America citing difficulties with the company since its acquisition by Sega as reasons for the split. As part of their statement, NIS America said that Atlus had become "very picky" about European partners, selecting those which could offer the highest minimal sales guarantee on their products.[174] Sega of America and Atlus USA eventually entered into a partnership with European publishing companyDeep Silver to publish multiple games in the region, includingPersona 5.[175]
The localizations for thePersona series are generally handled by translator Yu Namba ofAtlus USA, who also handles localization for multiple otherMegami Tensei games.[95][176] Another prominent staff member was Nich Maragos, who worked with Namba on multiplePersona games until moving toNintendo of America prior to 2015.[176][177] The localization ofPersona was handled by a small team, which put a lot of pressure on them as they needed to adjust the game for Western audiences: the changes implemented included altering names, changing the appearance of characters, and removing numerous cultural references. An entire alternate main quest was also removed.[157][176][178] AfterPersona, it was decided that futurePersona games should be as faithful as possible to their original releases.[176] Namba's first localization project for the series wasEternal Punishment.[179] For the release ofInnocent Sin, there was a debate over whether to release it, as it contained potentially controversial content including allusions toNazism.[176] In the end, due to staff and resource shortages,Innocent Sin was passed over for localization in favor of its sequelEternal Punishment.[157] Later, when the company developed the PSP ports, the team released the ports ofPersona andInnocent Sin overseas so fans attracted byPersona 3 and4 would be able to easily catch up with the rest of the series. The localization forPersona was completely redone, reverting all the previous altered content and restoring all previously cut content.[157][178][180] The port ofEternal Punishment was not localized due to "unusual circumstances", so the company released the original version on PSN instead.[18]
For the localizations ofPersona 3 and4, the team incorporated as much of the original content as possible, such as using Japanese honorifics and keeping the game's currency asyen rather than changing it. As a general rule, they incorporate cultural elements from the original versions unless they would not be understood by the player, such as with certain jokes.[95] Nevertheless, some changes had to be made. In one instance, the character Mitsuru Kirijo was originally an English speaker, but her second language for the localized version was changed to French due to her cultured appearance. School tests also needed to be changed due to similar language-based issues.[176] The Social Links were originally called "Community",[Jp. 11] but this was changed as the word "Community" had a very specific meaning in English. The new name was inspired by the way the character Igor made reference to the concept using words such as "society" and "bonds".[181] Some in-gameEaster egg references were also changed: inPersona 3 references to the largerMegami Tensei series by a character in an in-gameMMORPG were changed to reference earlierPersona games, while mentions of a fictional detective inPersona 4 were altered to reference the Kuzunoha family fromEternal Punishment and theDevil Summoner series.[181] Character names have also needed adjustment, such as the stage name ofPersona 4 character Rise Kujikawa, and the way characters referred to each other was adjusted to appeal more to a western audience.[181][182]Persona 5 was also localized in this fashion.[179]
The localized English names of games have also been altered. The banner title forPersona was changed fromMegami Ibunroku toRevelations, principally because the team thought the latter name sounded "cool". TheRevelations title was removed forInnocent Sin andEternal Punishment. After the successful release ofNocturne, the "Shin Megami Tensei" moniker was added to the series title to help with Western marketing.[157] This has not been the case for some games:Persona 4 Arena's original title,Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena, was shortened as it sounded "awkward", and the "Shin Megami Tensei" moniker was dropped as it would have made the title too long, which has been applied to every game in the series since.[38][181] The same change was made forPersona 4 Golden andPersona 5 Royal, with the team dropping "The" that was in the Japanese title because it would have sounded "odd" in English-speaking regions.[181]
| Game | Metacritic |
|---|---|
| Revelations: Persona | 78/100 (PS)[183] 78/100 (PSP)[184] |
| Persona 2: Innocent Sin | 75/100 (PSP)[185] |
| Persona 2: Eternal Punishment | 83/100 (PS)[186] |
| Persona 3 | 86/100[187] 89/100 (FES)[188] 89/100 (Portable)[189] 87/100 (Reload)[190] |
| Persona 4 | 90/100[191] 93/100 (Golden)[192] |
| Persona 5 | 93/100[193] 95/100 (Royal)[194] |
The firstPersona was referred to at the time as asleeper hit, and the success of it andEternal Punishment helped establish both Atlus and theMegami Tensei franchise in North America. In Europe, the series did not become established prior to the release ofPersona 3 and4, both of which were highly successful in the region.[157][159][195] According to Atlus CEO Naoto Hiraoka, the main turning point for the franchise was the release ofPersona 3, which was a commercial success and brought the series to the attention of the mainstream gaming community.Persona 4 received an even better reception. ThePersona series' success has allowed Atlus to build a strong player base outside of Japan, contributing to the success of other games such asCatherine.[159][c]
ThePersona series has been referred to as the most popular spin-off from theMegami Tensei franchise, gaining notoriety and success in its own right.[86][98][196] James Whitbrook ofIo9 commented that while "here in the west, we've got plenty of awesome urban fantasy, especially from aYA perspective. But what makes Persona interesting is that it's the familiar concept ofurban fantasy, the balance of the mundane 'normal' life of the protagonists and the problems they have there with the fantastical nature of the supernatural world that lies beneath all that, from a Japanese perspective. Over here, that's much less common, and the way the series portrays urban fantasy through that lens is what makes it so different, especially from what you would normally expect from Japanese RPGs."[98]Nintendo Power, in an article concerning theMegami Tensei series, cited thePersona series' "modern-day horror stories" and "teams of Japanese high-school kids" as the perfect example of the franchise.[197]Persona was mentioned in 1999 byGameSpot's Andrew Vestal as a game that deserved attention despite not aging well, saying "ExaminingPersona reveals three of the traits that make the series so popular – and unique – amongst RPG fans: demonology, negotiation, and psychology".[198] The game has been named as a cult classic.[157]Persona 3 was named byRPGamer as the greatest RPG of the past decade in 2009, andRPGFanlistedPersona 3 and4 in second and fourth place respectively in their similar 2011 list.[199][200]Persona 3 was listed byGamasutra as one of the 20 essential RPGs for players of the genre.[201]Persona 4 was also listed byFamitsu as one of the greatest games of all time in a 2010 list.[202]
As well as gaining critical acclaim, the series has been the subject of controversy in the West over its content. The first instance of controversy surrounded the localized banner title of the originalPersona, which raised concerns due to its religious implications.[157] Kurt Katala, writing for1UP.com in 2006 about the controversial content of theMegami Tensei franchise as a whole, mentionedInnocent Sin's references to homosexuality, schoolyard violence, and Nazism, considering them possible reasons why the game had yet to be released outside of Japan.[203] In1UP.com's 2007 game awards, which ran in the March 2008 issue ofElectronic Gaming Monthly,Persona 3 was given the "Most controversial game that created no controversy" award: the writers said "Rockstar'sHot Coffee sex scandal andBully's boy-on-boy kissing's got nothing on this PS2 role-player's suicide-initiated battles or subplot involving student–teacher dating".[204]Persona 4 has in turn been examined by multiple sites over its portrayal of character sexuality and gender identity.[205][206][207]
Particular controversy surrounds the three mainline titles with Katsura Hashino at the head—Persona 3,Persona 4, andPersona 5—as players and journalists observed notable distasteful depictions of homosexuality within the trio of games.[208] Persona 3 features a non-optional interaction with a female-presenting NPC that attempts to flirt with the game's male main characters, before being observed to have a small amount of facial hair, leading the repulsed characters and the player to believe that this NPC is a transgender woman.Persona 5 also has a string of comedic non-optional interactions with two seemingly gay men which were the subject of extensive criticism, and were then altered in the Western localization ofPersona 5 Royal.[209] However, the scenes are still present and the issues audiences had were not fully alleviated.[210]Persona 4 has been subject to various criticisms for its depictions of potentially queer characters. Major character Kanji Tatsumi is seen as potentially being bisexual or gay, leading to him being made the brunt of many homophobic jokes and jabs from another main character, Yosuke Hanamura. The writing ofNaoto Shirogane in regards to her relationship with gender identity and her character arc which involves embracing her biological gender of female after previously identifying as male due to concerns surrounding treatment of women in the police force.[211]
By November 2024, the series had sold over 23 million copies worldwide.[212]
The firstanime adaptation of thePersona series, a television series based onPersona 3 titledPersona: Trinity Soul, aired in 2008.Trinity Soul takes place in an alternate setting ten years afterPersona 3, making it a non-canon entry in the franchise.[213][214] It was animated byA-1 Pictures, directed by Jun Matsumoto, written by a team that included Yasuyuki Muto, Shogo Yasukawa, and Shinsuke Onishi, and composed for byTaku Iwasaki. Its characters were designed by Soejima and Yuriko Ishii, while Persona designs were done by Nobuhiko Genma.[215][213] It was distributed internationally byNIS America.[216]
An anime adaptation of the originalPersona 4,Persona 4: The Animation, aired in 2011. The 25-episode series was produced byAIC ASTA and directed by Seiji Kishi.[217][218] In 2014, a series based onPersona 4 Golden, titledPersona 4: The Golden Animation, was produced by A-1 Pictures. This series, which retains the cast of the original adaptation, dramatizes the new material included inPersona 4 Golden, focusing on the protagonist's encounters with new character Marie.[219][220]
A standalone prequel anime created by A-1 Pictures,Persona 5 The Animation: The Day Breakers, was released in September 2016 prior to the Japanese release of the game.[221] A full anime series based onPersona 5,Persona 5: The Animation, aired in 2018.[222]
The originalPersona 4 anime series was made into a condensed film adaptation titledPersona 4: The Animation - The Factor of Hope; it was released in Japanese cinemas in 2012.[223]Persona 3 has also been adapted into a series of anime films produced by AIC ASTA and featuring staff fromPersona 4: The Animation, released in cinemas in Japan and licensed for release overseas byAniplex.[224][225] The four films are titled#1 Spring of Birth,#2 Midsummer Knight's Dream,#3 Falling Down, and#4 Winter of Rebirth. They were released from 2013 to 2016.[226][227][228][229] For bothPersona 4: The Animation and thePersona 3 film series, one of the main concerns was the portrayal of the lead characters, which were originally dictated by player actions.[230][231]
Persona was adapted into an eight-issue manga series titledMegami Ibunroku Persona, originally serialized in 1996 and later reissued in 2009.[232] A second spin-off manga,Persona: Tsumi to Batsu,[Jp. 12] was released to tie in with the release of thePersona 2 games. Set within the same setting of thePersona 2 games, it follows a separate story. In its 2011 reissue, new material was added that connected the manga to the events ofInnocent Sin.[233]Persona 3,Persona 4, andPersona 5 have all received their own manga adaptations.[234][235][236][237] Another manga based onPersona Q was also serialized: two separate manga storylines, based on the two storylines featured in the game, were written and dubbedSide:P3 andSide:P4.[236][238] Multiple novels based onPersona 3 and4 have also been released.[215][239][240]
Sixstage plays based onPersona 3 have been produced under the bannerPersona 3: The Weird Masquerade. They received limited runs and featured separate performances for the male and female versions of the game's protagonists.[241]Persona 4 was also adapted into two stage plays, both produced byMarvelous AQL and receiving limited runs in 2012:Visualive andVisualive the Evolution.[242][243] A stage play based onPersona 4 Arena was likewise given a limited run in December 2014,[244] and one based onPersona 4 Arena Ultimax ran in July 2016.[245] Beginning in 2019, a series of four plays based on Persona 5 were produced, titled Persona 5 The Stage.[246] They received DVD releases[247] and later were released onCrunchyroll.[248] Persona 3 reload is currently getting its own stage play, thePersona 3 Lunation The Act. The first act of the stage play runs from July 6th to July 13th, 2025, at theTheatre G-Rosso. This stage play will only include the male protagonist,[249] who will be played by Mizuki Umetsu. It will be directed by Makoto Kimura; a DVD has been released of the stage play;[250] it's currently unknown if it will be translated.
Atlus has created or hosted media dedicated to thePersona series. A dedicated magazine originally ran for ten issues between 2011 and 2012, and has been irregularly revived since then.[251][252] An official talk show released on the officialPersona website andNiconico,Persona Stalker Club, began in February 2014. Hosted by freelance writerMafia Kajita and actressTomomi Isomura, it was designed to deepen the connection between Atlus and thePersona fanbase.[253] Concerts featuring music from thePersona series have also been performed, and some have received commercial releases on home media in Japan.[254][255] Action figures and merchandise such as clothing have also been produced.[256][257][258]
The series was also represented in the 2018 crossover fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate with the April 2019downloadable content (DLC) inclusion ofJoker, the protagonist ofPersona 5. Along with him, aPersona-themed stage, eleven musical tracks from the series, andMii costumes of Morgana, Teddie, and the main protagonists fromPersona 3 and4 were also featured.[259]
In June 2022, as part of the series' 25th anniversary, Sega expressed in an interview withIGN, their desire to expand thePersona series and other Atlus properties intolive-action film and television, as had been done with their flagship property,Sonic the Hedgehog and its2020 film adaptation. Toru Nakahara, Sega's lead producer on theSonic the Hedgehog films and the Netflix animated seriesSonic Prime, stated of Atlus' games that, "Stories like those from thePersona franchise really resonate with our fans and we see an opportunity to expand the lore like no one has seen — or played — before".[260] Joker fromPersona 5 makes a cameo in Sega's theatrical production logo, which debuted in the aforementionedSonic the Hedgehog film adaptation as the star Paramount's Cinematic Universe.
In 2023, actorsJun Shison andHaruna Kawaguchi were appointed as official ambassadors for thePersona series, where they would appear in commercials and other promotional campaigns for the series.[261][262]
Junpei: Hey, wait a second! What's going on here!? This isn't the front of the dorm! /Aigis: Everyone!? What's going on...? /Igor: There is no need to worry. I only summoned you here that we might say our farewells. I am rather surprised, though...I did not expect your friends to follow you here.
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