Ren Amamiya,[a] also better known asJoker,[b] is themain protagonist ofPersona 5, a 2016role-playing video game byAtlus. He is asecond-year high school student who is expelled due to being falsely accused of assault by a corrupt politician. As a result, he leaves his hometown and moves in with a family friend inTokyo to serve a one-year probation. Upon transferring to a new school, he and a group of other students awaken to a supernatural power known as thePersona.
Soon after discovering these powers, they form avigilante group known as thePhantom Thieves of Hearts with Joker as its leader, as they explore around the Metaverse, a realm consisting of the physical manifestations of humanity's subconscious desires, and remove malevolent intent from people to cause a change of heart within them so they can answer for their crimes.
Joker also appears in several of the series' spin-off media, as well as in cameo appearances outside of it, such as being a playable character in the crossover fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate. He was designed byPersona series artistShigenori Soejima, and is voiced in Japanese byJun Fukuyama and in English byXander Mobus. He has also been portrayed by actorHiroki Ino in the game's stage adaptation. Despite his canon name, Joker's given name can be customized in the game.
Joker is a male teenage character created by artistShigenori Soejima for the 2016 video gamePersona 5. In the game, he is a second-year high school student who is charged with assault byMasayoshi Shido, an influential politician in theCabinet of Japan, after witnessing him harassing a female subordinate. After Shido falls and injures his head due to being intoxicated, he places the blame on Joker and forces his subordinate to testify to police that Joker pushed him. At the court hearing, Joker is told he must serve a one-yearprobation and transfers to Shujin Academy, a school in Tokyo which will accept him with his current criminal record. Needing a place to stay while there,Sojiro Sakura, an acquaintance of Joker's parents, offers to house him at his cafe Leblanc.[1]
During his time at Shujin, he and other students awaken to their supernatural powers known as thePersona and become a group ofvigilantes known as thePhantom Thieves of Hearts. They explore the Metaverse, a supernatural realm consisting of the physical manifestations of humanity's subconscious desires, to change malevolent intent in the hearts of adults. Despite primarily being asilent protagonist, Joker occasionally speaks short phrases duringcutscenes and battles; being voiced in Japanese byJun Fukuyama and in English byXander Mobus.[2][3] Fukuyama used two different tones for the character and felt proud of his performance.[4] While the player can freely choose a given name for Joker, his Phantom Thief codename, he is canonically named Ren Amamiya in most appearances.[5][6][7] Akira Kurusu[c] is used in the game'smanga adaptation.[8] Amamiya was chosen by the anime's producer who thought that the combination of his full name, which means lotus rain palace in Japanese,[d] sounded "quite poetic" together.[9] The producer further stated that remaking Joker's characterization in the anime was challenging, but was ultimately a success.[10]
Joker is the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and the only member with access to the Velvet Room, as he holds the "Wild Card", an ability that allows him to hold more than one Persona and fuse them together to create more powerful ones.[1] Joker's primary persona is Arsene,[11] and fights with knives and handguns in addition to his Persona powers.[1] His ultimate persona is Satanael, theGnostic equivalent of thedevil and adeity who can harness the power of theseven deadly sins.[12][e] Joker's initial Persona was originally the German demonMephistopheles, but it was changed to Arsène since it better fit the game's themes.[14] The three main inspirations behind Joker were the originalArsène Lupin,The Fiend with Twenty Faces, andIshikawa Goemon.[15] The first character sketch of him was done in 2012.[16] Soejima worked closely with game directorKatsura Hashino to ensure Joker and the rest of the characters could properly reflect the game's themes.[17] Joker has unkempt wavy black hair and dark grey eyes and wears black glasses for most of his casual and school outfits.[18][19] In the Metaverse, his apparel changes to a stylized black trenchcoat with amasquerade mask andwinklepicker shoes, which were described as being designed afterBelle Époque fashion.[11]
As the main theme and narrative ofPersona 5 revolves around crime and vigilantes triggered by Joker voluntarily choosing that path, Soejima needed to convey this while allowing the character to suit whatever dialogue choices the player decided upon. Due to these difficulties, Joker was given multiple designs in a trial and error process to find the best one. As the "phantom thief" premise was a common stereotype in fiction, Soejima initially drew Joker and the rest of the game's main cast in a style similar toshōnen manga, but these designs were scrapped as they clashed with the series' realistic aesthetics. Soejima likened his design to ablack panther, which contrasts with the protagonist ofPersona 4,Yu Narukami, being designed around the image of a loyal and sincere dog. He emphasizes the two-sided nature of his design, which ties into the theme of the Phantom Thieves' members living double lives. Despite Joker's uniformed appearance being meant to give off the impression of someone who is kindhearted and loyal to the system, his true nature is free-spirited and rebellious, with him being the type of person who plans things without telling anyone.[19]
Critical reception to Joker has been positive, withfan art andcosplay of the character being popular.[37][38] Upon the reveal ofPersona 5, Japanese fans nicknamed him "Potter" due to his visual resemblance toHarry Potter, the main character of theHarry Potter franchise.[39] Upon his announcement as adownloadable content (DLC) character in the crossoverNintendo fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, the game's directorMasahiro Sakurai stated that Joker was emblematic of the approach that he wanted to take with its DLC, adding that he wanted characters that were "unique", "different", and "fun" to use within theSuper Smash Bros. environment.[40][41] His appearance inUltimate was met with praise, with game journalists noting the level of detail and how faithful his transition fromPersona 5 was, as well as how enjoyable he was to play as.[42][43][44]Anime News Network reviewer Caitlin Moore criticized his relatively silent personality in the anime adaptation.[45] Nevertheless, his relationship with Goro Akechi was praised.[46][47]Xander Mobus's voice acting was praised bySiliconera.[48]
Various merchandise of Joker, such asfigurines andaction figures, has also been made.[49][50][51][52] Anairsoft gun based on one that he uses in the game was released in Japan in April 2019.[53] His Phantom Thief outfit and a number of related accessories were also released by the Japanese fashion brand SuperGroupies in June 2019.[54] AnAmiibo figurine of him was released in October 2020.[55]
^2 Enoch 18:3. On this tradition, see A. Orlov, "The Watchers of Satanael: The Fallen Angels Traditions in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch," in: A. Orlov,Dark Mirrors: Azazel and Satanael in Early Jewish Demonology (Albany: SUNY, 2011) 85–106.
