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* PhonyPhonyPsychi: Sumaru Genie is infamous for her bogus readings. A rumor will that.
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* AbominationAccusationAttack: With Katsuya and a female in your party, it's possible to slander demons by accusing them of groping one of the ladies.
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* BadassLonghair: Baofu. The Padparacha jeweler has an impressive mane, as well.
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* AlmightyJanitor: Toku, the hobo who lurks around Honmaru Park (or the ramen shop in EP) and dispenses rumors.
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* [[spoiler: BrotherSisterIncest: Metaphorically. The relationship between Maya and Tatsuya all through Innocent Sin is very plainly a big-sister/little-brother deal; if Tatsuya tries to express romantic feelings for Maya, she teases him and implies rather heavily that she doesn't and won't ever reciprocate. At the end of Eternal Punishment, they appear to have become StarCrossedLovers.]]
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: A vast majority of the bad stuff that happens in ''Innocent Sin'' simply wouldn't have occurred if the PCs decided to stay home. For instance, [[spoiler: the "Masked Circle" starts off as a teensy group with a mere handful of members until you wander around town trying to scrounge up information on its sinister doings, of which no one had yet heard. Consequently, you unintentionally spread the rumor that the Masked Circle is a huge evil cult-conspiracy. Very soon afterwards you'll find that a very large portion of the otherwise innocuous NPCs who hang around the city are now members.]]
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* PokemonSpeak: Aside from their contact response, the "Maskist" enemies communicate using only the word "kamen" (Japanese for "mask") in exactly this fashion.
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* ImprobableWeaponUser: Jun uses flowers to attack, and Baofu throws coins.
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* ImprobableWeaponUser: Jun uses flowers to attack, and Baofu throws coins.coins, and Eikichi uses machine guns disguised as guitar cases.
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* LevitatingLotusPosition: Nata (a Romanization of [[{{UsefulNotes/Taoism}} Nezha]]), a hidden Persona in Aoba Park.
** Don't you mean Shaka (aka Budha)? This troper doesn't remember Nata in a lotus position.
** Don't you mean Shaka (aka Budha)? This troper doesn't remember Nata in a lotus position.
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* LevitatingLotusPosition: Nata (a Romanization of [[{{UsefulNotes/Taoism}} Nezha]]), Shaka (aka Budha), a hidden Persona in Aoba Park.
** Don't you mean Shaka (aka Budha)? This troper doesn't remember Nata in a lotus position.Park.
** Don't you mean Shaka (aka Budha)? This troper doesn't remember Nata in a lotus position.
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* NazisWithGnarlyWeapons: Irregardless of the robot suits and [=UFO=]s, their hardware and planes are strictly 1939.
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* NazisWithGnarlyWeapons: Irregardless of Overlooking the robot suits and [=UFO=]s, their hardware and planes are strictly 1939.
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* AuthorAvatar: "Tad" is a self-insertion by Scenario designer Satomi Tadashi, who previously cameoed in the first ''Persona''. Graphic Designer Soejima Shigenori appears as "Garcon Soejima", a waiter at a Claire de Lune. The manager of the Seedy CD music store is Tasaki Toshiko, who composed ''Persona 2'''s music. Lastly, the Demon Artist is modeled on ''Megami Tensei'' series artist Kazuma Kaneko.
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* AuthorAvatar: "Tad" is a self-insertion by Scenario designer Satomi Tadashi, who previously cameoed in the first ''Persona''.
** Graphic Designer Soejima Shigenori appears as "Garcon Soejima", a waiter at a Claire deLune. Lune.
** The manager of the Seedy CD music store is Tasaki Toshiko, who composed ''Persona 2'''smusic. music!
** Lastly, the Demon Artist is modeled on ''Megami Tensei'' series artist KazumaKaneko.Kaneko (pre-haircut).
** Graphic Designer Soejima Shigenori appears as "Garcon Soejima", a waiter at a Claire de
** The manager of the Seedy CD music store is Tasaki Toshiko, who composed ''Persona 2'''s
** Lastly, the Demon Artist is modeled on ''Megami Tensei'' series artist Kazuma
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* BlackKnight: The Longinus 13 are a modern day equivalent of this. Also, [[ItGotWorse robots]].
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* BlackKnight: The Longinus 13 are a modern day equivalent of this. Also, [[ItGotWorse robots]]. They are probably based on Heinrich Himmler and his "roundtable" of 12 lieutenants.
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* CapeBusters: The Longinus 13 are the Marionette-Jaeger (Heavenly Fire "Marionette-Hunters"), with "Marionette" being Nazi shorthand for Personas. This means, in short, that their job is to hunt down Persona users.
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** King Leo's job is to raise the four pillars of fire, mentioned in the prophecy as "the Flames of Atonement."
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* IKnowKungFaux: Eikichi is terrified of his conservative dad, especially since Kankichi claims to knows 18 forms of martial arts - "including [[DanceBattler capoeira!]]"
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--> ''[[NotHimself Maya]]:'' "Life's not like a videogame. You can't just press the ResetButton. The sins you committed will never disappear."
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--> ''[[NotHimself Maya]]:'' '''[[NotHimself Maya]]:''' "Life's not like a videogame. You can't just press the ResetButton. The sins you committed will never disappear."
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* NotAGame:
--> ''[[NotHimself Maya]]:'' "Life's not like a videogame. You can't just press the ResetButton. The sins you committed will never disappear."
** [[spoiler: [[{{Irony}} Humerously enough]], that's excatly what happened at the end of ''Innocent Sin''.]]
--> ''[[NotHimself Maya]]:'' "Life's not like a videogame. You can't just press the ResetButton. The sins you committed will never disappear."
** [[spoiler: [[{{Irony}} Humerously enough]], that's excatly what happened at the end of ''Innocent Sin''.]]
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Found this out when watching the game on Youtube,
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** At one point, when uncovering the masks for the ulitmate personas, Yukino metions that it's "another sad story about masks" refering to her apperence in the Snow Queen quest in the orignal ''{{VideoGame/Persona}}''
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** Also, Tekkaman Evil and Blade can potentially team up to fight the Nazis
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** Also, Tekkaman Evil and Blade can potentially team up to fight the NazisNazis!
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** The Time Castle guy in ''EternalPunishment'' is somehow aware of it when you use a rumor to make his shop sell and duplicate spell cards.
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** The Time Castle guy in ''EternalPunishment'' is somehow aware of it when you use a rumor to make his shop sell and duplicate spell cards.cards. [[spoiler: Actually, he's Nyarlathotep, chilling with you, selling you the stuff you need, invites you to relax... [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy and talk a bit about your next moves]]...]]
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* WhamLevel: Mt. Iwato in both games, which offers a lot of plot twists.
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* WhamLevel: [[WhamEpisode Wham Level]]: Mt. Iwato in both games, which offers a lot of plot twists.
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* FakeDifficulty: In ''Innocent Sin'', the "theater" mode of bonus dungeons/scenarios does not allow you to save.
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* DemotedExtra: Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun suffer from this in Eternal Punishment. They still play a role, although it is much more minor then before.
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* DemotedExtra: DemotedToExtra: Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun suffer from this in Eternal Punishment. They still play a role, although it is much more minor then before.
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* DemotedExtra: Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun suffer from this in Eternal Punishment. They still play a role, although it is much more minor then before.
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* DummiedOut: The ability to create dungeons and download new dungeons has been taken out of the English release of the Innocent Sin remake.
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* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: You can kill Principal Hanya by spreading a rumor.
** VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: If you kill him, it becomes harder to get an ultimate weapon at the end of the game.
** VideoGameCrueltyPunishment: If you kill him, it becomes harder to get an ultimate weapon at the end of the game.
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* WhamLevel: Mt. Iwato in both games, which offers a lot of plot twists.
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* ImprobableWeaponUser: Jun uses flowers to attack, and Baofu throws coins.
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* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:Maya.]]
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* NoobCave: Seven Sisters High School in both games.
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* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[spoiler:Xibalba.]]
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* AlternateUniverse: Eternal Punishment takes place in one.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Tatsuya is dedicated to protecting Maya, which is mostly evident in Eternal Punishment.
* AlwaysSaveTheGirl: Tatsuya is dedicated to protecting Maya, which is mostly evident in Eternal Punishment.
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* AnotherSideAnotherStory: The new story in the PSP remake of Eternal Punishment will be focusing on Tatsuya's side of the story.
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* AscendedExtra: The party members of Eternal Punishment are this, save for Maya and Tatsuya, who were already important.
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* BookEnds: The beginning of Eternal Punishment has Tatsuya [[spoiler:reunited with Maya in the new universe. The ending of Eternal Punishment has Maya reunited with Tatsuya in the new universe, though her reaction is different.]]
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New info about the second remake.
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''Innocent Sin'' was [[UpdatedRerelease remade]] for the Playstation Portable with widescreen support, new art, enhanced demon negotiations, and the option to pick between the original and arranged soundtrack. It also slightly censored the more overt Nazi imagery at the end of the game that is widely believed to have prevented the PSX release from leaving Japan. This version of the game was released in North America in September of 2011, and in Europe in November 2011 published by Ghostlight, with Ghostlight planning a late 2011 deluxe release for Europe. Despite Shoji Meguro admitting he had wanted to release both games in one set, Atlus has not yet created a PSP version of ''Eternal Punishment'', though Meguro has also stated he wants to do it eventually.
to:
''Innocent Sin'' was [[UpdatedRerelease remade]] for the Playstation Portable with widescreen support, new art, enhanced demon negotiations, and the option to pick between the original and arranged soundtrack. It also slightly censored the more overt Nazi imagery at the end of the game that is widely believed to have prevented the PSX release from leaving Japan. This version of the game was released in North America in September of 2011, and in Europe in November 2011 published by Ghostlight, with Ghostlight planning a late 2011 deluxe release for Europe. Despite Shoji Meguro admitting he had wanted to release both games in one set, Atlus has not yet created a PSP version [[http://www.siliconera.com/2012/02/28/persona-2-eternal-punishment-coming-to-psp-with-new-scenario/ It is now confirmed that the second part of ''Eternal Punishment'', though Meguro has the game will also stated he wants to do be remade and released in May 2012 in Japan with an extra scenario]], [[AndTheFandomRejoiced so it eventually.
shouldn't be too long before the rest of the world gets it as well]].
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* FridgeBrilliance: Honestly, a majority of the plot and setting can be considered FridgeBrilliance, as the more you look at it the more everything seems to lock together on a variety of levels. Even the most bizarre aspects of the game end up being [[JustifiedTrope justified]] since [[spoiler: reality becomes whatever nonsense is spread widely enough by word of mouth, no matter how insane or stupid the rumor happens to be.]] Even the things that don't make any kind of sense, on reflection, make perfect sense.
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** In ''Eternal Punishment'', it's robot versions of [[spoiler:Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun]]. They wield the same Ultimate Personas, too, making this a retroactive MirrorMatch!
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** In ''Eternal Punishment'', it's robot versions of [[spoiler:Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun]]. They wield the same Ultimate Personas, too, making this a retroactive MirrorMatch!MirrorBoss.
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* TheBlank: In ''Innocent Sin'', [[spoiler:Shadow Maya]] still has a face in her character portrait, but her character sprite has no eyes (the only facial feature visible on the sprites) to make her effectively faceless when she shows up. It's the first of several (obvious) signs that something is very wrong with her, though it's surprisingly easy to miss at first but for a subtle feeling of wrongness about her appearance.
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* AllYourColorsCombined: All of the Ultimate Personas join up to perform the Grand Cross fusion (renamed Dragon Cross in EP).
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* BossCorridor: The Clock Tower entrance.
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* StarCrossedLovers: Tatsuya and Maya. [[spoiler: Since she's DestionationHostUnreachable and all...]]
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* StarCrossedLovers: Tatsuya and Maya. [[spoiler: Since she's DestionationHostUnreachable DestinationHostUnreachable and all...]]
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* StarCrossedLovers: Tatsuya and Maya. [[spoiler: Since she's DestionationHostUnreachable and all...]]
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Restricting to in-universe examples rather than fan speculation.
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* InMediasRes: To people familiar with other games of the franchise, it can sure seem like we're starting in the middle of things in ''Innocent Sin''; how come there's no super-extended scene of actually being granted Personas and everyone just seems to have 'em already? [[spoiler: Turns out this is a ''very important'' plot point, and [[WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis had people not pushed certain events out of their minds this whole mess would never have happened]].]]
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* InMediasRes: To people familiar with other games of the franchise, it can sure seem like we're starting in the middle of things in ''Innocent Sin''; how come there's no super-extended scene of actually being granted Personas and everyone just seems to have 'em already? [[spoiler: Turns out this is a ''very important'' plot point, and [[WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis had people not pushed certain events out of their minds this whole mess would never have happened]].happened.]]
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* WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis: Good freakin' ''grief''. [[spoiler: If everybody hadn't blocked out the perfectly innocent (if dangerous and childish) stunt they pulled on Maya Amano when they were little, then ''Innocent Sin'' wouldn't have played out as it did; and if Tatsuya could just have forgotten Maya ''again'', ''Eternal Punishment'' would never have happened.]]
** ... they thought that they had [[spoiler:''killed one of their most beloved childhood friends'']].
** And if [[spoiler: in ''Innocent Sin'', if Akinari Kashihara did not meet Tatsuya Sudou, and write In-Laqetti]], then maybe none of the problems in ''Innocent Sin'' would have happened.
** ... they thought that they had [[spoiler:''killed one of their most beloved childhood friends'']].
** And if [[spoiler: in ''Innocent Sin'', if Akinari Kashihara did not meet Tatsuya Sudou, and write In-Laqetti]], then maybe none of the problems in ''Innocent Sin'' would have happened.
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[[quoteright:241:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Persona2.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:239:[-Rumor control just got [[SeriousBusiness serious]].-] ]]
''Persona 2'' is a duology of games released in 1999-2000 as an UrbanFantasy spinoff of the popular JRPG franchise ''ShinMegamiTensei''. It is the second title in the ''Persona'' spinoff series developed by Atlus, which continued in 2006 with ''{{Persona 3}}.''
''Innocent Sin'' (Tsumi) stars [[TheStoic loner tough-guy]] Tatsuya Suou, a Japanese high school student from Sumaru City. A popular rumor going around the city states that if you dial your own cellphone number, a mysterious entity called "Joker" will appear in front of you and then grant you one wish. When Tatsuya and his friends try this, Joker appears and marks them for death, accusing them of committing a terrible crime against him that they can't remember. As the Joker Charm runs out of control and rumours begin to become reality, Tatsuya and his friends must fight to uncover the mystery of why they are being targeted and stop Joker before it's too late.
''Eternal Punishment'' (Batsu) stars perky IntrepidReporter Maya Amano, a Japanese journalist for teen magazine ''Coolest''. A popular rumour going around the city states that if you dial your own cellphone number, a mysterious entity called "JOKER" will appear in front of you and then kill whoever you wish. Maya's investigations into the rumour lead her to be marked for death by JOKER, who accuses her of committing a terrible crime against him on "The Other Side" that she can't remember. As the Joker Curse runs out of control and rumours begin to become reality, Maya and her friends must fight to uncover the mystery of JOKER and "The Other Side" before it's too late. And then there's a boy in a red jacket that Maya [[HaveWeMetYet swears she has met before...]]
The grid-based battles of the original ''Persona'' are thrown out, along with the [[InUniverseGameClock moon phase]] calendar (later to make a comeback in ''{{Persona 3}}''). On the other hand, most of the previous game's mechanics are back. In addition to having four conversation skills while negotiating with enemies (reduced to just one option in ''Eternal Punishment'', to make it less cumbersome), characters can team up to combine skills. Persona summons work much the same way, with Fusion attacks allowing multiple Personas to combine their magic. Also new are "contracts" - when you make an enemy happy, they make a guarantee that they won't hurt you, and can also give you special items.
Though the PSX version of ''Innocent Sin'' [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]], ''Eternal Punishment'' was localized and released in North America in 2000. While it isn't necessary to play the first to understand the second, much of the fun of the second comes in spotting the changes between the two continuities. Atlus initially announced no plans in localizing ''Innocent Sin'' into English and later elaborated they ''had'' planned to release it, but were prevented from doing so over unspecified content issues. A [[http://tsumi.wordpress.com/ fan translation]] of this version was released in 2008. Atlus later admitted they were aware of it, but chose to not interfere with it.
''Innocent Sin'' was [[UpdatedRerelease remade]] for the Playstation Portable with widescreen support, new art, enhanced demon negotiations, and the option to pick between the original and arranged soundtrack. It also slightly censored the more overt Nazi imagery at the end of the game that is widely believed to have prevented the PSX release from leaving Japan. This version of the game was released in North America in September of 2011, and in Europe in November 2011 published by Ghostlight, with Ghostlight planning a late 2011 deluxe release for Europe. Despite Shoji Meguro admitting he had wanted to release both games in one set, Atlus has not yet created a PSP version of ''Eternal Punishment'', though Meguro has also stated he wants to do it eventually.
[[GeniusBonus Not to be confused with]] a game called ''SinAndPunishment'', [[DontExplainTheJoke which are the Japanese subtitles in order of release]].
----
!!Tropes:
* AbandonedHospital: Morimoto Hospital.
* AgentMulder: A pair of them: Akinari Kashihara and Maya Okamura, both World History teachers at Seven Sisters High School.
* AllMythsAreTrue: This is even a gameplay mechanic: by spreading new rumours you can suddenly have bars selling weapons under the table or lingerie stores carrying bulletproof vests.
** [[spoiler: This comes to bite you in the ass in Innocent Sin's ending. Have you ever heard of the Spear of Longinus?]]
* AllThereInTheManual: The game designers have published at least 75% of all that's known about the characters' backstories, personal habits, and just about [[UpToEleven any manner of things fans could possibly want to know]] ''outside'' of the game itself. It's pretty impressive.
* AlreadyMetEveryone
* AmnesiacDissonance: Thanks to your [[NiceJobBreakingItHero efforts]] during the EX Dungeon, Tatsuya Sudou, who's been pretty damn respectable without his memory, gets it back and promptly goes back to his old self. [[ButThouMust Not that you actually had a choice.]]
* AnatomyOfTheSoul: Joker's aim is to revive Xibalba using the "Dream Energy" taken from those who summon him. Eikichi witnesses this firsthand when his bandmates are zapped by Joker, reducing them to shells devoid of any willpower or aspirations. Over the course of the game, the threesome revert to shadow-like beings, then fade away entirely.
* AncientAstronauts
* AnticlimaxBoss: If you prepare for the bosses, they'll become this trope. It's also possible to [[spoiler:Kill 'em all with apocalypse]].
* ApocalypseDayPlanner: Remarked on by Maya's coworkers during ''Eternal Punishment'''s prologue; the planets all aligned in the Grand Cross formation "this summer", but nothing happened. Those who've played the previous game remember things a little differently.
-->'''Co-Worker''': All this fuss about Armageddon and Grand Cross, and nothing happened this summer... The more hype, the more people complain.
* ArabOilSheikh: Salam, a QuestGiver who hands over Tarot in exchange for maps.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: Despite the fact that he regularly fights demons with the help of an aspect of his psyche that manifests as a mythological figure, and despite all the crazy things that happen as the game goes on, Katsuya's reaction to any new strange thing still tends to be "that's impossible!"
** Considering how insane the plot gets, can you blame him?
* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: Class 6, at ''least'']].
* ApocalypseHitler: So, someone decides to start a rumor that Adolf Hitler is still alive. Not a problem, right? Well, normally not. But what with this whole "rumors become reality" business... Long story short, '''''Hitler boss fight!'''''
* [[AttackOfTheTownFestival Attack Of The School Festival]]: Kasugayama High is holding a festival by the time you arrive looking for Yasao.
* AuthorAvatar: "Tad" is a self-insertion by Scenario designer Satomi Tadashi, who previously cameoed in the first ''Persona''. Graphic Designer Soejima Shigenori appears as "Garcon Soejima", a waiter at a Claire de Lune. The manager of the Seedy CD music store is Tasaki Toshiko, who composed ''Persona 2'''s music. Lastly, the Demon Artist is modeled on ''Megami Tensei'' series artist Kazuma Kaneko.
* [[spoiler: TheBadGuyWins]]: In ''Innocent Sin'', [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] actually manages to[[spoiler: blow up the world, leaving only Sumaru City intact]]. While ''Eternal Punishment'' is a ResetButton, the ending implies that [[ParallelUniverse that universe still exists in some form.]]
* BadassLongcoat / ScarfOfAsskicking: The Masked Four.
** Hitler/The Fuhrer sports one in the PSP version, complete with CoolShades.
* BagOfSpilling: Used straight with most of the cast, but subverted with [[spoiler:Tatsuya Suou]] in ''Eternal Punishment'': he starts the game with his ultimate Persona from ''Innocent Sin.'' And, if you have save data from a finished version of ''Innocent Sin,'' he'll start ''Eternal Punishment'' at the level he was there.
* BaldOfAwesome: Dr. Tomi. [[{{Slogans}} GOLD FINGERRRRRRR!]]
* BavarianFireDrill: Maya's clever trick of lighting a cigarette in the women's bathroom at [-SMILE-] Mall, setting off the fire alarm. It works so well, she does it again in the second game.
* BeautyPageant: The "Miss Sevens" Pageant. Oft-referenced, not least of which by Lisa (noted to have won last year), but not actually seen in-game.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Exemplified by the various [=NPCs=] throughout town, many of whom dial the Joker to fulfill their fondest wish. The businessman eating in Gatten Sushi hopes for a promotion; He becomes the head of his company thanks to Joker, whereas in the alternate ''Eternal Punishment'' universe, JOKER murders his boss, thereby [[KlingonPromotion promoting him by default]]. In both games, the businessman is jubilant at his good fortune. The price, however, is the eventual loss of his will (transformed into a Shadow in ''Innocent Sin'', brainwashed by the NWO in ''Eternal Punishment''), preventing him from fulfilling any of his dreams ever again. A similar scenario plays out with the other [=NPCs=].
** This works from a gameplay standpoint, too. Some rumors have a 50-50 chance effect, which can either help or hinder your quest. For example, spreading a rumor about Parabellum hiring a bodyguard might result in the Bartender selling a powerful new gun... or he may just charge more for his old wares, using the bodyguard as a bullying tactic.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Spotlighted in the anime trailer. A perp is chased up to a rooftop by Katsuya, whereupon he shows himself to be [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by the Joker. The man [[ResistTheBeast pleads with Katsuya to help him]], but is quickly re-taken by the Joker personality, which hurls his body off the building.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Several of them, good freaking grief. Katsuya's the most obvious, as he actually has a little brother he will ''completely rework his life for,'' but the other male characters in ''Innocent Sin'' can count as well, Jun and Tatsuya (in both games) being the worst. Jun actually [[spoiler:takes it upon himself to murder his best and only friends from ten years ago because he thinks they killed his CoolBigSis]] and is later ''viciously'' protective of Tatsuya in some of the official media, if not ''Innocent Sin'' itself (and for possibly [[HoYay other]] reasons), while Tatsuya himself is driven entirely in ''Eternal Punishment'' to protect Maya. Obviously, hurting her -- or in Katsuya's case, him -- will be [[{{Yandere}} the]] [[BerserkButton last]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge thing]] [[DisproportionateRetribution you]] [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu do]].
* BigDamnFireExit: The Sky Museum's TimedMission. Whoever designed the placement of its staircases should be sued.
* BigNo: Tatsuya at the end of ''Innocent Sin''. He's got good reason, too -- [[spoiler:His friends have all forgotten him]]
* BittersweetEnding: Both ''Innocent Sin'' ([[spoiler:Tatsuya loses Maya]]) and ''Eternal Punishment'' ([[spoiler:Maya loses Tatsuya]]).
* BlackKnight: The Longinus 13 are a modern day equivalent of this. Also, [[ItGotWorse robots]].
* BleepDammit: Invoked in the American version of ''Eternal Punishment'', where Ulala swears like a drunken sailor, and Baofu occasionally swears, too. However; they intentionally only censor a couple letters...so you can tell what they're saying.
-->'''Baofu''': Who the f##k are you?
-->'''Ulala''': "Don't underestimate me you *bleep*ing bastards!"
* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Maya and Yukino's Contact combination in ''Innocent Sin'', with Maya playing the former and Yukino as the latter.
* BonusBoss: Two from the Climax Theater sidequest in the PSP version. [[spoiler: [[GreekMythology Persephone]] and [[LightIsNotGood the angel Kushiel]].]]
** [[spoiler:Philemon himself]] in Eternal Punishment.
* BraggingRightsReward: The OneHitKill Fusion, Armageddon, pwns literally everything -- even the final boss (but not [[spoiler: Philemon]], though; he repels it). Trouble is, you need to summon both Lucifer and Satan to cast it, and can obtain only ''one'' per playthrough. Which basically boils down to (you guessed it) HundredPercentCompletion.
* BreakTheCutie: Every single character hits this in both games at least twice (most of the end ''Innocent Sin'' is Jun demonstrating this, and if you make the wrong choice in Caracol, Yukino's the second-best example), but Lisa in ''Eternal Punishment'' is likely the most powerful, drastic example. In Innocent Sin, she's spunky, happy, able to kick ass, and is almost comically over-the-top in her pursuit of Tatsuya. If you wake her up in ''Eternal Punishment,'' however, she starts sobbing uncontrollably against Tatsuya's shoulders, asking him to take her along so she can help to make up for what she forgot. What possibly puts this above the other break-the-cutie moments in game (and the ones she herself suffers in ''Innocent Sin'') is that she's NOT letting her feelings get in the way. She says that she won't bother Tatsuya and the others again, which, if you know Lisa is just... absolutely heartbreaking. This depression continues, too, at the end of the game (if you continue that route). She sobs on the shrine steps, and Eikichi (if you don't wake him) and Jun both approach her, trying to cheer her up because it's just so painful.
-->'''Lisa:''' I know you're troubled with a lot of things... I won't bother you... But... You have to take me with you! Don't leave me...!
* BurgerFool: [-PEACE-] Burger.
* ButThouMust: There are a few notable occasions where your actions and responses affect the plot (e.g. whether or not [[spoiler:Anna Yoshizaka]] dies in ''Innocent Sin'' or you can mutate Maia into Maia Custom in ''Eternal Punishment'') but on the whole, Thou Must.
* [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive The Call Knows Where You Go To School]]
* CallingCard: Maya is handed a note reading "[-yOu'rE nEXt --JOKER-]" at the start of EP.
* ChangingOfTheGuard: Maya Amano, it's your turn to shine.
** What's interesting is that everyone from ''Eternal Punishment'' assists Tatsuya in some capacity in ''Innocent Sin'' (well, barring [[AdultsAreUseless Katsuya]]), and vice-versa. Not only that, some of them reappear [[spoiler:as bosses]].
* ChekhovsGunman: The first four playable good guys of ''Eternal Punishment'' all count [[spoiler: save Maya, as she was already important.]] However, special mention goes to Baofu, who we first see in ''Innocent Sin'' as a drunken lout who gives the young Tatsuya and Jun a lecture in a flashback, and whom you barely can recognize even if you played ''Eternal Punishment'', as he is missing his CoolShades at the time.
* ChromeChampion / EvilKnockoff: Metal Daddy and Metal Mom, aka metal replicas of [[spoiler:Eikichi and Jun's parents]].
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', it's robot versions of [[spoiler:Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun]]. They wield the same Ultimate Personas, too, making this a retroactive MirrorMatch!
* CityOfAdventure: Sumaru City.
* CityOfWeirdos: Again, Sumaru City.
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: The rumor curse.
** This has all sorts of funky effects on the city. Holistic healing now suddenly has ''tangible'' results, i.e., chiropractors and hippie crystal therapy can cure poison and broken bones instantly.
* ClassReunion: Pretty much ''every'' [[NominalImportance nominal character]] from the first ''Persona'' reunites for this one. Even [[BeyondTheImpossible the dead ones]].
* ClockTower: The steeple of Seven Sisters' High School.
* ClusterBleepBomb: Ulala drops one in the U.S. version of Eternal Punishment.
* CoincidentalBroadcast: Showing the spread of the Joker's influence in the city.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Masked Four. Even incognito, their 'normal' attire is the same color. (The [[MacGuffin crystal skulls]] they carry around are color coded, too).
** Not to mention their corresponding Zodiac Shrines.
** Students at Seven Sisters High all wear colored ties/bows that correspond to their grade. First-year students wear green ties, second-year students (i.e. Lisa) wear red, and seniors (Tatsuya) are blue.
** And in ''Innocent Sin'', [[http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=130096 one Let's Player]] noticed that [[http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=18082461&postcount=124 (go to the Bonus Information) the info boxes for new characters differed between genders]]. Red text= female, blue text= male, yellow text= unknown gender.
* CombinationAttack: Fusion Spells, where multiple party members combine spells to form a powerful attack.
* ContinuityNod: The PSP version of ''Innocent Sin'' adds a series of new side quests tied to a movie theater. The first two available take you to St. Hermelin (the school from the original ''{{Persona}}'') and Karukozaka High School. (From the series' Spiritual Predecessor and branching point of the continuity it takes place in, ''ShinMegamiTenseiIf'')
* CordonBleughChef: Shiraishi Ramen Lady. {{Exploited|Trope}} since the item on the menu is so awful that nobody would order it unless they were really shopping for guns.
* CosmicChessGame
* CrashIntoHello: The ending of ''Innocent Sin'' and the beginning of ''Eternal Punishment''. Tatsuya running into Maya, even picking up Maya's IconicItem. Which stirs up feelings of deja vu in Maya...
* CreatorCameo: The Demon Painter, Garcon Soejima, and Tadashi Satomi are based on artists Kazuma Kanako and Shigenori Soejima and producer Tadashi Satomi, respectively.
* CrucifiedHeroShot: What's even better than crosses? [[CreepyCoolCrosses LASER crosses]]! Before the final boss battle [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] summons the ghosts of [[spoiler:Jun's parents]], who hang suspended in the air like crucifixes.
* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Innocent Sin'' is dark, even by ''{{MegaTen}}'' standards. [[spoiler: In the ''only'' ending, the heroes lose without really having accomplished much of anything, the world is destroyed, one of their number dies, and the only way they can squeak out anything resembling a happy ending is cutting a deal with Philemon that undoes everything that happened, both good and ill.]]
* TheDayOfReckoning: The raising of the Mayan spaceship Xibalba, followed by the destruction of Earth. According to the Oracle of Maia, only the chosen few will survive, safe aboard the ship.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', the prophecy varies a little bit. The Wang Long, fabled dragons that inhabit the planet's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_line ley lines]], will be called forth following a massive discharge of Kegare (or JOKER) energy.
* DeathCryEcho: All enemies go out with this.
* DemonicPossession: The method by which [[spoiler:JOKER]] continues his spree after he's killed.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Twice. [[spoiler: Not just Nyarlathotep, but Philemon as well, in the EX Dungeon. Though it's likely just temporary...]]
* DieOrFly: How the main characters unlock their latent Persona powers.
* DirtyCop: Some of the police officers in the Konan Police Department ([[spoiler: especially Captain Shimizu and most of the [=SAT=] operatives]]) are in league with the [=NWO=]. One of the members of the [=NWO=] is an officer in the JGSDF and their manpower comes from the army as well.
* DiscOneNuke: The Low-End Breaker Fusion Spell, which instantly kills whichever enemy has the lowest level. The only thing stopping it from being a full-blown GameBreaker is its inability to kill bosses (though rumour demons are fair game).
* DisappearedDad: A common affliction in ''Innocent Sin''. Both Tatsuya and his brother are estranged from their father, who was [[TurnInYourBadge kicked out of the police force]] on charges of corruption.
** Both Maya and Jun lost their fathers when they were children; The former was a war correspondent who was killed in action, inspiring Maya to pursue a journalism career. Jun's dad met a mysterious (though no less grisly) demise when he tumbled into the gears of Seven Sisters' clock tower ([[IGotBetter He gets better]] in ''Eternal Punishment'', however).
* [[spoiler: DownerEnding]]
* DrowningMySorrows: Ulala and Baofu's Contact option while in battle.
* DysfunctionJunction
* EarnYourHappyEnding: A major theme in both games, to the extent that it's Maya's mantra in ''Innocent Sin''.
* EasingIntoTheAdventure: In both games, the PlayerCharacter can't continue until you've talked to certain [=NPCs=]. ''Innocent Sin'' opens with Tatsuya staring down bullies, getting lectured by his teacher, and visiting Eikichi's garage band.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', Maya can't leave the office until you've talked to everybody. She spends the rest of the prologue interviewing teachers at Seven Sisters about the JOKER killings.
* EldritchLocation: Philemon and [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]]'s domains.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt
* EndOfTheWorldSpecial: The conclusion to ''Innocent Sin'', and impetus to the following game.
* EnemyCivilWar: Nazis vs. the Masked Circle.
* EnemyWithout: The Shadow Sides. Rather than emerging directly from the heroes, they seem to have been engineered by [[spoiler:Nyarlathrotep]] himself from the innate darkness of every human, to which he has a direct link.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Tatsuya. Also, King Leo a.k.a. Tatsuya Sudou refers to the Joker, [[spoiler:Jun Kurosu]], as having the beauty of a goddess.
* EverybodyHatesHades: Averted in that he's Eikichi's Ultimate Persona. He also [[MindScrew talks like a eunuch for some reason]].
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep
* EveryoneIsRelated: The main characters of ''Innocent Sin'' (with the exception of Yukino) were introduced each other as [[spoiler:children, long before their eventual meeting in the game]].
* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies
* EvilIsNotAToy: If you use the Joker Charm in ''Innocent Sin'' but don't have a wish (or refuse to tell it) then Joker turns you into a mindless zombie. In ''Eternal Punishment'', using the Joker Curse will [[spoiler:transform you into a Joker]].
* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Sumaru Castle, after it rises out of the earth atop that...metal, Jenga block...thing.
* EvolvingAttack: Personas have a random chance of "Mutation" following a battle, which can do anything from raising it's stats, to unlocking a new power, to evolving into a brand new Poké-- erm, Persona altogether.
* ExpositionFairy: Your first random encounter is interrupted by a low-level [[TheGoomba goomba]], Robin Goodfellow, who cheerfully explains the basics.
* EyesAlwaysShut: The unenthusiastic clerk at the W.Slash internet café.
* EyesOfGold: [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] and his Shadow flunkies.
* {{Facepalm}}: As TeamMom, Maya has plenty of reasons to employ this. Yukino's version is even goofier, complete with SweatDrop.
* FacialHorror: In ''Innocent Sin'', the Seven Sisters' school emblem is cursed, disfiguring anyone who wears it. It's not explicitly shown in-game, but the anime trailer contains the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Gk-onicEc full face-melting results]].
* FantasyKitchenSink: The Persona/enemy lineup consists of everything from the [[GreekMythology Greek pantheon]] to [[NorseMythology Norse myth]] to Shaka Zulu. Perennial series favorite RasputinTheMadMonk also say hi.
* FanTranslation: ''Innocent Sin'', and not only is Atlus aware of it, [[WordOfGod they said it was a pretty good translation.]]
* FightWoosh
* FireForgedFriends
* FiveBadBand: The Masked Circle.
** TheBigBad: Joker
** TheDragon: King Leo
** The EvilGenius: Prince Taurus
** TheBrute: Lady Scorpio (used to be an athlete, allowing her to snatch the title from Leo)
** DarkChick: Queen Aquarius
* FiveManBand: Lampshaded in ''Innocent Sin'' in that its characters do, in fact, comprise a rock band (Jun even plays synth). Note also that both of the "Big Guy" powerhouses are [[CuteBruiser female]]. It fits better in ''Innocent Sin'', because [[spoiler:of the Masked Circle.]]
** TheHero: Tatsuya
*** This gets a bit odd in ''Eternal Punishment'', where Maya takes the HeroicMime and The Protagonist roles, but Tatsuya is still arguably TheHero.
** TheLancer: Eikichi & Baofu
** TheSmartGuy: Jun (overlaps with SixthRanger) & Katsuya
** TheBigGuy: Lisa & Ulala
** TheChick: Maya
* FlashbackEffects: At Mt. Iwato, the flashbacks to previous ''Persona'' games are shown in DeliberatelyMonochrome.
* FloatingContinent: [[spoiler: Sumaru City]]
* FortuneTeller: The Sumaru Genie.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: [[spoiler: Thanks to RepressedMemories, no one of the "Masked Circle" remembers each other. Note that all the LoveInterests for Tatsuya are from the group.]]
* FourIsDeath: The Masked Four.
* FreudianExcuse: Jun Kurosu
** It's not quite fair to just hit Jun with that, as the ''entire'' Innocent Sin cast falls into this trope though Jun takes the cake with his parental issues, with his borderline Electra complex and mommy issues. They ''all'' at least have some problem or other with their fathers. In fact, [[spoiler: the final boss of the game, Great Father, is a composite of all the characters' fathers.]]
** [[spoiler: Great Father's left foot (right on the player's side) is only assumed to be Tatsuya's father. All of the other limbs say their kid's name when they attack, and the main body is Kashihara, while this foot calls out for...Jun. By necessity, though, since Tatsuya's name is the only one in the game that can be changed -- and thus can't be used in any of the voiced lines.]]
* GagNose: Tony, the laid-back foreign exchange student from Italy who sells trinkets to pay for tuition. You can spread a rumor that he's a [[BlackMarket fence]] for the [[TheMafia Sicilian Mafia]], resulting in -- what else? -- Tony becoming an illegal smuggler. He doesn't seem to mind, though.
** And also, y'know....[[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/P3-Igor_5470.jpg him]].
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: When Ulala gets possessed by the JOKER in ''Eternal Punishment'', she punches Maya and forces her to start the fight with some HP taken off.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', the scenes from ''Innocent Sin'' have Tatsuya talking; whereas Maya is silent...whereas in ''Eternal Punishment'', ''Maya'' is the SilentProtagonist.
** And in ''Innocent Sin'', during the fight with Shadow Maya, everyone except for one character will be at low HP because of an attack used on them multiple times before fighting.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Numerous aversions, such as starting a boss fight with low HP after said boss attacks you during an event, using healing spells on wounded people etc.
* GasLeakCoverup: The torched sanitarium in ''Eternal Punishment''.
* GasMaskMooks / GasMaskLongcoat: The Last Battalion.
* GayOption: [[spoiler:Jun Kurosu.]]
* GenreBusting: It's an RPG UrbanFantasy about saving the world and facing your fears and with psychological elements and it's a horror game like the other Megatens. And IS has elements of a DatingSim to boot.
* TheGhost: Tatsuya and Katsuya's father. To put it in context, everyone else's dad pops up in ''Innocent Sin'' (Maya's father is posthumously seen in a flashback), but not this guy. He technically appears during [[spoiler:the final boss battle (as one of the Great Father's appendages)]]; It's tricky to tell which one he's supposed to be, though, even in Kazuma Kaneko's concept art, though it is possible to take a guess by applying process of elimination.
* {{Ghostapo}}: According to legend, Hitler is chilling in Antarctica with his elite forces.
* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: At the conclusion of ''Innocent Sin'', you discover that [[spoiler:Philemon]] helped orchestrate the events of the series up to this point to test whether he or [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] represent the more powerful aspect of humanity. Events that involved the destruction of Mikage-cho in the original ''Persona'', [[spoiler: the deaths of countless people (including Maya), and an EarthShatteringKaboom]]. The resulting dialog box gives you the option of '''punching him''' for what he's put everyone through.
* TheGodsMustBeLazy: Philemon seems to embody this trope. [[spoiler: He was basically trying to prove that [[SecretTestOfCharacter humanity could achieve a perfect existence]], so giving humans the power of Persona was the most he could do.]] Yet this doesn't explain why [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep gets to make the MoralEventHorizon his bitch]].
* GoingThroughTheMotions: Characters have only a few stock poses, but you're going to see every one they've got in the course of a conversation.
* GoodGuyBar / PunnyName: Parabellum (get it?).
* GottaCatchThemAll: The crystal skulls in ''Innocent Sin''.
* GratuitousEnglish: ''"Let's Positive Thinking!"'', Ellen, some of Eikichi's battle quotes. Ellen usually gets it right, though. Eikichi, on the other hand...
* GraveMarkingScene: At the end of the ''Eternal Punishment'', [[spoiler: Baofu and Ulala visit the grave of Miki, Baofu's old partner/lover who was murdered. Baofu makes his peace, while Ulala promises Miki that she'll look over him]].
* GuestStarPartyMember: In ''Eternal Punishment'', other than Ellen above, you can also recruit Nate from the first ''Persona''. Both have grown up considerably.
** Additionally, Yukino in Innocent Sin is one of the initial party members of Persona 1 -- although she left early on unless you did the ''Snow Queen Quest'' that was {{Macekre}}d out of the PSX US version.
* GuideDangIt: The Ancestral Personas. In ''Eternal Punishment'', they form the basis for a game-spanning {{Sidequest}}. Even meeting the requirements isn't enough, since you still need a FOOL card to summon the last Persona, and could [[RandomlyDrops scour the entire game]] without uncovering even ''one''. All this to [[OneHitKill insta-kill]] a boss which isn't even difficult to begin with.
** Hastur is an über-powerful, one-of-a-kind Persona whose card you can collect early in the game ([[AwesomeButImpractical Not that it'll do much good]], as you need to be at a ''very'' high level to summon it), for ''free''. The catch? Doing so requires talking to a specific NPC and imputing "[[SpeakOfTheDevil HASTURCOMEFORTH]]" into a text prompt. Supposedly, a demon somewhere shares this information if you Contact it, but that would be like looking for a NeedleInAStackOfNeedles.
** The Undersea Ruins treasure room. To reach the [[InexplicableTreasureChests chests]], you must Contact the RandomEncounter Aestha for help. Naturally, Aestha is often difficult to pin down, and she won't unlock the room until you've Contacted her a dozen times or more. So get cracking, monkey.
*** One final way to twist the knife; you can also find and talk to her...only to give you the rumor of a fusion spell ingredient rather than what you want to know.
* {{Gundamjack}}: A literal one, as Tatsuya steals one of the Tenchu Army's MiniMecha.
* HairstyleInertia: [[spoiler:The original "Masked Circle." Averted with Maya in order to mislead players.]]
* HealingSpring: Lampshaded and [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]]. The proprietor of said healing spring, Trish, is an extortionist fairy who hangs around dungeons, profiting from your pain. Her inflated prices are [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts on-scale with the amount of healing required]] (Contrast this with the flat-rate healers in town).
* HeroicMime: Played With. In canon, Maya and Tatsuya both speak in both games, but the protagonist's speech (whichever one that is) isn't shown - in the Nyarlathotep flashback scene in Eternal Punishment's Mt. Iwato, Maya says "........." and Tatsuya speaks, whereas in Innocent Sin, Maya would have spoken, and Tatsuya wouldn't.
* HolyHandGrenade: The [[PublicDomainArtifact Spear of Longinus]].
** [[TouchOfDeath Try not to get pricked by it]], okay?
* HistoryRepeats: Much of ''Eternal Punishment'' is a re-imagining of events in ''Innocent Sin''. This is partly because [[spoiler:Tatsuya's memories of the Other Side are affecting the current reality.]]
* HoYay: Jun Kurosu, who ''definitely'' sees Tatsuya Suou as more than a friend.
** Parts of the game and [[WordOfGay interviews]] would imply Suou and Kurosu are the intended ''Innocent Sin'' pairing. Specifically scenario designer Satomi Tadashi and character designer Kaneko Kazuma.
** Also, Yukino and Anna in Innocent Sin. [[spoiler: If you pick the wrong choice to leave Yukino behind at the entrance to Caracol, Anna will jump off the bridge in Caracol holding hands with Shadow Yukino, who convinced her to do it so that they would be together forever. If you bring Yukino, she will, after you fight Joker, give her Persona ability to Jun and go off into the city to fight Nazis with Anna, who has promised to look after her now that she doesn't have her Persona anymore]]
* HotScoop: Maya, Yukino, and ''even Fuji'' are examples of this trope.
* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] whenever he assumes human form. The Shadow Sides qualify, as well.
** The Nazis are never seen without their gas masks, and are covered from head to toe in black uniforms. Given their origin (a rumor) and the fact that Hitler [[spoiler:turns out to be another of Nyarlathotep's alter-egos]], it's strongly implied that they're all just manifestations.
* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: In Maya mythology, Xibalba is roughly translated as "Place of fear".
* IconicItem: Boy howdy. Tatsuya Suou and Jun Kurosu have the two most prominent ones [[spoiler:(Tatsuya's lighter was originally Jun's father's, and Jun's watch was originally ''Tatsuya's'' father's; they switched items in a display of friendship)]], but Maya also has Mr. Bunny. Flowers, too, seem to represent Jun, as the opening video for Innocent Sin demonstrates.
** Frankly, lots of characters in this crazy duology have special items. Katsuya's glasses, Yukino's camera [[spoiler:or at least the one she got from her crush]], and Philemon's mask count, just to name a few extras.
* IdleAnimation
* TheIlluminati: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin New World Order]].
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: When the gang meets Maya in ''Innocent Sin'', they start crying, seemingly for no reason. (See WistfulAmnesia below for the whole thing and why.)
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Moreso than in most other Megaten games. Maya's party in particular is nicely coiffed.
* InMediasRes: To people familiar with other games of the franchise, it can sure seem like we're starting in the middle of things in ''Innocent Sin''; how come there's no super-extended scene of actually being granted Personas and everyone just seems to have 'em already? [[spoiler: Turns out this is a ''very important'' plot point, and [[WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis had people not pushed certain events out of their minds this whole mess would never have happened]].]]
** America, so far, has this even ''worse'' as we only got ''Eternal Punishment''; [[spoiler: we get to see the fruit of self-deception without actually seeing what led to the whole grand mess.]]
* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: The Satomi sisters, each of whom run a different pharmacy.
** Rosa Candida is run by twin sisters with matching BlindingBangs. One is a blonde PaletteSwap of the other.
* InfallibleBabble: Completely and utterly subverted.
* InnBetweenTheWorlds: Trish's Fountain and the Velvet Room.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: Adolf Hitler's personal guard, the "Longinus 13", named for the gigantic spears they carry around. The Tenchu Army in ''Eternal Punishment'' have their own mecha squadron, as well.
* InstantPlunderJustAddPirates: The barkeeper of The Jolly Roger restaurant.
* TheInternetIsForPorn: Using the Contact option in battle, demons will occasionally ask the player what the internet is for. OBVIOUSLY, one of the options -- no matter who is being asked -- is to say that it's for porn. It's always funny.
* IntrepidMerchant: [[spoiler:Narumi]] is built on the peninsula, and gets [[spoiler:obliterated when Sumaru City rises]]. One rumor later, though, and all of the merchants/rumormongers magically relocate.
* IronicEcho: Maya's catchphrase ("LET'S BE POSITIVE!") becomes the slogan of the New World Order.
* KnowledgeBroker: Various "Rumormongers" who are scattered in each city district. They fork over rumors for free, so unless you [[SelfImposedChallenge want a rough time of it]], you'd better take time to talk with them.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Used in [[spoiler:the ending of]] ''Innocent Sin'' [[spoiler:to create a timeline where the world isn't screwed.]]. Hell, ''Eternal Punishment'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of what happens when [[spoiler:you decide you'd rather subvert the trope and risk having the world end ''again'', on top of none of your friends not remembering you or your adventures]].
* LastNameBasis: Even after 40+ hours of gameplay, Officer Suou still insists on addressing Maya as "Ms. Amano". This just adds to his overall [[{{Adorkable}} adorkability]].
** Maya's editor, Mizuno, is a less-friendly example as she constantly barks "''''Amano!''''" in place of her name.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zodiac is either a front for the Taiwanese mob or the Masked Circle.
* LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: Though the antagonists of both games share similar goals, it's the New World Order that [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy learns from past mistakes]]. Immediately following JOKER's defeat, an NWO agent appears on television to spread a rumor that anyone who performs the Joker Curse will [[spoiler:become a JOKER themselves]]; Thought you could handle ''one'' Joker? Try [[spoiler:a [[ItGotWorse WHOLE CITY]] of them]].
* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: Happens in one cutscene to the music in ''Innocent Sin''.
* LevelDrain: The "Prophecy" spell, which resets a Persona's rank to 1. Given that a Persona's spells and stats come mostly from gaining ranks, and going from rank 1 to rank 8 often takes several hours of grinding, this can be pretty inconvenient.
* LevitatingLotusPosition: Nata (a Romanization of [[{{UsefulNotes/Taoism}} Nezha]]), a hidden Persona in Aoba Park.
** Don't you mean Shaka (aka Budha)? This troper doesn't remember Nata in a lotus position.
* LimitedWardrobe: Three years between games, and Saeko Smith and Principal Harding still haven't changed out of their outfits.
* LoadBearingBoss: Defeating Chiruzu/Guido, upon which the Undersea Ruins collapse.
* LoveTriangle: Both games have notable ones.
** BettyAndVeronica: In ''Innocent Sin'', Lisa and Maya are this to Tatsuya.
*** Not to mention Jun who also has feelings for Tatsuya. ([[EpilepticTrees Jughead?]])
** SiblingTriangle: In ''Eternal Punishment'', both Tatsuya and Katsuya are clearly infatuated with Maya. Katsuya's Shadow taunts him with this fact, trying to pursuade him to [[spoiler:shoot Tatsuya. Katsuya says that while the Shadow is right about his feelings, he loves his brother anyway, and shoots the Shadow instead]].
* MadeOfEvil: "Kegare" is basically the essence of sin, hatred and malice, and in ''Eternal Punishment'', Jokers are full of it. The New World Order starts draining people of their Kegare for their latest nefarious scheme.
* MadScientistLaboratory: Guido's science lab.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: The Masked Circle.
* {{Mayincatec}}: Did ''you'' know that Mayans built giant underground flying machines in Japan?
* MergedReality: [[spoiler: The conclusion to ''Eternal Punishment'']].
* MirrorMatch: The Shadow Sides of both games.
** They wield [[PaletteSwap "Reverse"]] versions of your characters' Ultimate Personas. This makes for some amusing pre-battle banter, with the Reverse Persona declaring their plans to [[KillAndReplace usurp their counterpart]], and the real one telling them where to stick it.
* MouthfulOfPi: At the start of ''Innocent Sin'', one of Tatsuya's schoolmates is shown being chastised by his teacher for "cheating". The student claims Joker granted his wish to become super-smart, and proves it by reciting the first 100 digits of Pi from memory. The teacher is unimpressed.
* NazisWithGnarlyWeapons: Irregardless of the robot suits and [=UFO=]s, their hardware and planes are strictly 1939.
* NeckLift: Tatsuya is first introduced to Joker via this greeting.
* NoExportForYou: ''Innocent Sin'' outside Japan, until the PSP rerelease in 2011.
* NoSwastikas: In the PSP remake of Innocent Sin, Hitler is given a trenchcoat and sunglasses and is simply called "Führer" when he shows up (Even if it's obvious it's still him).
** The swastikas in cutscenes are also changed to Iron Crosses.
** This is especially funny since, in the original's battle with Hitler, '''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS_4RvPvTS0 the whole damn battlefield]]''' is covered in swatikas.
* NonElemental: Almighty attacks are non elemental magic, which is elemental since some demons and personas are weak or strong to all type of magics when it's not all type of attacks. Even a few opponents are specifically immune to Almighty attacks, like Dark Alice and the Big Bad first form. That being said, there are a few attacks with no element at all like Another Dimension or Death Roulette. Most of them are instakill attacks.
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: The nameless, [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]]-wielding LoonyFan who stalks Eriko inside the TV Studio.
** Actually his name is Makoto Kuwahara.
** OffscreenTeleportation: He's a persistent bugger.
** TooKinkyToTorture: He screams for more when you hit him.
* NostalgiaLevel: Mt. Iwato in ''Eternal Punishment'' is littered with flashbacks to both the ''Innocent Sin'' and the original ''{{Persona}}''.
** If Eriko's in your party, the latter's SilentProtagonist (or an apparition of him, at least) will be haunting the TV Studio.
* NumberOneDime: Tatuysa's engraved cigarette lighter, and Jun's watch. They swapped them as children.
* OedipusComplex / WellDoneSonGuy: All over the place in ''Innocent Sin''. Not only does ''every'' character have Oedipal issues, but the FinalBoss is literally a [[CompositeCharacter giant composite]] of everyone's fathers.
* {{Ondo}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34VNKRm5GK4 Here it is]].
* OneDegreeOfSeparation
* OneHitKill: The Nazi/Tenchu snipers have a random shot at killing your characters in one hit, regardless of your overall stats.
* OneLinerEcho: In both games, right before facing off with the final boss.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. To the Western eye, Tatsuya Suou reads ''a lot'' like Tatsuya Sudou. That aside, The two characters couldn't be more different.
** Maya Amano shares the same name as Maya Okamura. Unlike the above example, this factors into the plot.
* OneTimeDungeon: Most of the dungeons are these. When you try to reenter, a member of your party will bark at you to stop goofing off.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Joka/The Wang Long.
* OutOfClothesExperience: Tatsuya, Maya, and Lisa in the PSP ''Innocent Sin''[='s=] opening video.
* PartyInMyPocket: Mostly. Party members do appear as [[{{NPC}} NPCs]] in dungeon "rooms", but everywhere else it's just the main character running around.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: To buy weapons at the ramen shop, Eikichi "orders" the password, "Banana Ramen". Unfortunately for Eikichi, he then [[EatThat has to eat it]].
* PillarOfLight: Sumaru Castle fires one through its roof, opening a SwirlyEnergyThingy which swallows the city whole.
* PoliceAreUseless: Katsuya's the only ReasonableAuthorityFigure in sight, and even HE'S an obstinate jerk in the first game.
* ThePowerOfRock: Eikichi and Ulala in their respective games. Both of them SummonBackupDancers as part of their Contact options: Eikichi bursting into an [[DreadfulMusician off-key rendition]] of "Luv Beam" with [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Tatsuya on electric guitar and Jun on synth]]; Ulala performs the [[TorosYFlamenco Flamenco]], with Katsuya & Tatsuya on guitar.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: "Whoop-ass time!", "Don't underestimate ''me'', you [[SoundEffectBleep *bleep!*]] bastard!", "I feel sorry for you.", "[[ReadingYourRights You're all under arrest!]]", "Fools, begone!", etc.
* ProphecyTwist: The Oracle of Maya has a killer twist.
* PropheticNames: Two characters named "Maya", an important being in Hinduism.
* PsychoLesbian: [[spoiler:Noriko Katayama]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Well done! You beat [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]], and he's laughing all the way to the bank: [[spoiler:Your surrogate sister's dead, your planet's wreathed in the flames, and the only way to reverse it is to sacrifice your newfound friends]]. And then, there's the added insult of him [[WonTheWarLostThePeace being left free to engineer Earth's destruction all over again]]... Of course this means all they did during the game was for [[ShootTheShaggyDog no reason at all]] and it's pretty much just a big Game Over, please load your latest save (which was 10 years ago).
* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: The salesman at [-LONDON-] clothing store.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Masked Four, plus Ixquic.
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: Both games, but particularly ''Eternal Punishment''. Ordinarily, these people wouldn't be seen within ten miles of each other.
* RealityBleed: What started this whole mess.
** With the "rumors become reality" effect going around, ''everyone'' capable of spreading rumors becomes this. Both the good guys ''and'' the bad guys utilize this; late in the game, one party member laments not being able to tell what's real anymore.
* RealityWritingBook: A non-book example. Rumors become true if enough people hear about them (this is due to a demon dicking with humanity.) No writing needed, just word of mouth. Mostly this results in UrbanLegends becoming true, but at one point the player characters themselves take advantage of it.
* RedArmbandOfLeadership: The Nazis -- and their other-world equivalent, the New World Order -- both sport these.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The metal knockoffs you encounter inside Xibalba/Ameno Torifune.
* RefugeInAudacity: Some of the Contact options: why is Tatsuya making motorcycle noises at that demon?
* RelationshipVoiceActor: TakehitoKoyasu as Tatsuya, AkikoYajima as Maya. [[GundamWing So, uh, Zechs? Why is Relena now your]] CoolBigSis [[GundamWing instead of your little sister?]]
** Also, Tekkaman Evil and Blade can potentially team up to fight the Nazis
* ReplacementGoldfish: The Masked Four were formed as [[spoiler:an {{Expy}} of the group that Jun played with as a child]].
* RetGone: Getting turned into a shadow-person by Joker causes most people to forget they ever existed, while they stand in one spot, eternally drowning in self-pity for not being able to pursue their dreams.
* {{Retconjuration}}: The ending to IS. The simplest way to make everything right is for the original Masked Circle to never meet each other.
* RevolvingDoorCasting: Igor is the only true consistent in the whole Persona series; while Philemon appears from time to time; he doesn't play a crucial role outside of ''Persona''.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: [[spoiler:Both Tatsuyas]] in ''Eternal Punishment''.
** The Time Castle guy in ''EternalPunishment'' is somehow aware of it when you use a rumor to make his shop sell and duplicate spell cards.
* SchoolNewspaperNewsHound: Chika "Chikalin" Ueda is a reporter for Sevens' school newspaper. She operates out of Peace Diner as a rumormonger. In the NA version of Eternal Punishment, Chikalin makes a habit of saying "[[{{Catchphrase}} Roger-dodger"]].
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: "Grab your asses and run!", "We'll wait for backup!", "You were lucky this time!", "I don't have time for you.", "[[FromACertainPointOfView This is an honorable retreat!]]"
* SealedEvilInACan
* SheIsAllGrownUp: Applies to the entire ''Innocent Sin'' cast, most notably Lisa -- who was often teased about her looks as a child, and grows up to be the most envied girl in Seven Sisters -- and Eikichi, who starts out as a pudgy, shy loser. This also applies to Maya, whose appearance has changed so drastically that no one from the party recognizes her.
* ShoutOut: The proto-[[spoiler:Masked Circle]] is a group of kids who love ''Phoenix Corps Featherman'' (a shout out to ''ChoujinSentaiJetman'').
* SmokingIsCool: Baofu celebrates his kills by lighting up. The Shiraishi Ramen Lady also has a ciggie dangling from her mouth.
* SoundEffectBleep: Ulala's rather... spirited speech. The bleeping is a bit inconsistent, though. It seems to pick up a good deal whenever it's a part of a voiced cutscene or a battle quote (main offender being the scene with the crazy stalker with a chainsaw in the television studio), but text-only scenes get away with only some minor SymbolSwearing.
* SpritePolygonMix
* StormingTheCastle: Done literally with Sumaru Castle.
* StoryReset: Technically with both games [[spoiler: With ''Innocent Sin'' where you play one protagonist and get the BadEnding and ''Eternal Punishment'' where you play the other protagonist and get the GoodEnding.]]
* StupidJetpackHitler: Somehow, the Nazis got ahold of [[SpiderTank Spider Tanks]], HumongousMecha, and a [[ShinyLookingSpaceships Shiny Looking Spaceship]] the size of Rhode Island.
* StylishProtectionGear
* SubliminalSeduction: The Satami Tadashi pharmacy jingle. As a returning character, Kei is the one who's been most exposed to the song and is greatly unnerved by it.
* SuicideAttack: Yet another dick move by some of the Nazi/Tenchu troops.
* SummonMagic: The Personas.
* SurferDude: The Aki Dude at Bikini Line.
* TakeMyHand: In ''Innocent Sin'''s Sky Museum, either Maya or Tatsuya will plummet from a ledge, only to be caught and hoisted back up by whoever didn't fall.
* TarotMotifs: Continued from the previous game, tarot symbolism is everywhere.
* TheUnintelligible: Zig-zagged with the negotiation system to some degree. Certain demons (in Eternal Punishment, it's the demons that talk about the cosmos or yog-sothoth) will talk about absolutely random things with the player having to give random responses that may or may not piss off the demon. However, in the terms of basic negotiation, what worked once is almost always going to work again when used repeatedly.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Absolutely IGNORED. There's actually a very effective therapy clinic in both games that goes for a very cheap price and is so wonderfully effective that it's enough to [[BeyondTheImpossible heal physical wounds of any degree just by ''talking'' to the therapist]]. Needless to say, it does nothing for the gigantic buttload of issues faced by every member of the cast in either game. Just heals their wounds, yup. Gameplay logic has never been so [[FridgeLogic fridgey.]]
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Some party members have to complete some personal quest without assistance from Tatsuya and company in order to unlock more powerful versions of their Persona.
* ThoseWackyNazis: Who get resurrected alongside Hitler in ''Innocent Sin''.
* ToServeMan: The [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen]] [[HumanoidAliens aliens]] inside Xibalba have been asleep a long time, and you look like breakfast.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: "In-Laquetti", a [[GreatBigBookOfEverything great big book]] of [[ConspiracyTheorist conspiracy theories]] ranging from Hitler's [[MysteriousAntarctica secret base in Antarctica]] to [[EvilAlienConquerors hibernating genocidal aliens]]. Naturally, releasing this book in a place like Sumaru City is...[[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough not a good idea]].
* TrainStationGoodbye: Inverted with Tatsuya and Maya in the ending. It's not a goodbye, but a greeting -- [[spoiler:only Maya does not remember who he is]].
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: The Taiwanese mafia is prominent in ''Eternal Punishment''.
* {{Transsexual}}: Sumaru Gypsy, and a woman in IS who has Joker grant her wish for a penis.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Steering a hovercraft down the Amano River. It's a bit of a breather and not really difficult; you still fight random encounters and occasionally pick a direction to turn, similar to {{Final Fantasy VI}}'s Serpent Trench.
* UnreliableNarrator / SympatheticPOV: In ''Innocent Sin'', Katsuya acts more strict, as it's told from Tatsuya's point of view. However; he doesn't ''quite'' act the same in ''Eternal Punishment'', where the story is told from Maya's point in view.
* UpdatedRerelease and VideoGameRemake: With a few changes, including a cleaned up battle system, redrawn portraits, and a new Climax Theater mode.
* VerbalTic: The cashier at [-PEACE-] Burger speaks in an antiquated style of Japanese, a condition caused by a unkind rumor. The effect is [[LostInTranslation sadly lost]] in the English localization; there, they say she "talks like a ninja" but this doesn't really come across in text.
** Both the fan and official translations of ''Innocent Sin'' retains the effect far better by giving her speech a Shakespeare-ish dialogue range, which give the impression she is trying overly hard to be formal, which, given the limitations of the English language, is a fair analogue to the original.
* VictoryQuote
* VideoGameSettings:
** AbandonedLaboratory: Kandori's Science Lab.
** AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: In Nate's story path, you have to traverse one of these.
** AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The Great Father.
** BonusDungeon: IS has the Abandoned Factory, where enemies from previous dungeons can be fought again. The PSP port adds the Climax Theater.
*** The equivalent of the Abandoned Factory in EP is Kasugayama High School and the bomb shelter underneath, which was a storyline dungeon in IS.
*** Also in EP, the Giga Macho music store (another story dungeon from IS) and Mu Continent open up when you spread a rumor about rare demons lurking there.
*** The EX Dungeon in EP, available via NewGamePlus.
** BuildLikeAnEgyptian: The Taurus Shrine.
** DeathMountain: Mt. Katatsumuri in ''Innocent Sin'', and Mt. Mifune in the subsequent game.
** DiscOneFinalDungeon: Caracol and the Undersea Ruins, respectively.
** DugTooDeep / TheMaze: Kasugayama High's bomb shelter.
** FinalBossNewDimension: Monado Mandala.
** LethalLavaLand: The Leo Shrine.
** MinigameZone: At the start, Mu Continent is just a harmless arcade. It becomes a casino offering slot machines, a roulette wheel, and video poker after you spread a rumor. There's even an optional dungeon attached.
** NoobCave: Seven Sisters High School.
** PlayerHeadquarters: Kuzunoha Detective Agency.
** RandomlyGeneratedLevels: In EP, the Bomb Shelter is now a dungeon crawl and grows in size as the game progresses. It otherwise fills the same role as IS's Factory.
** RecurringLocation: Araya Shrine.
** ShipLevel: The cruise ship ''Nichirin-maru'', which happens to be the SupervillainLair of the NWO.
** TempleOfDoom: Caracol.
** UndergroundLevel: Oddly, Mt. Iwato is closer to this.
** UnderwaterRuins: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Undersea Ruins]].
** TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Xibalba in IP, and, Monado Mandala in EP.
** WhereItAllBegan: The [[spoiler:Naruato Stone in Seven Sisters High's courtyard]] is a portal to Xibalba. In EP, Tatsuya's friends are inexorably drawn to the [[spoiler:Araya Shrine]], the place where they first met.
* TheVillainMakesThePlot
* WarmupBoss: Principal Hanya in ''Innocent Sin''. At the start of ''Eternal Punishment'', the JOKER fetches a WolfpackBoss on you, which isn't quite as dramatic.
* WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis: Good freakin' ''grief''. [[spoiler: If everybody hadn't blocked out the perfectly innocent (if dangerous and childish) stunt they pulled on Maya Amano when they were little, then ''Innocent Sin'' wouldn't have played out as it did; and if Tatsuya could just have forgotten Maya ''again'', ''Eternal Punishment'' would never have happened.]]
** ... they thought that they had [[spoiler:''killed one of their most beloved childhood friends'']].
** And if [[spoiler: in ''Innocent Sin'', if Akinari Kashihara did not meet Tatsuya Sudou, and write In-Laqetti]], then maybe none of the problems in ''Innocent Sin'' would have happened.
* WeDidntStartTheFuhrer: Hitler in ''Innocent Sin''. He has the ''Spear of Longinius'', for crying out loud!
* WeaponOfChoice
** CoolSword: Both Tatsuya and Nate/Kei fight with two-handed swords. Ellen, an accomplished fencer, wields a rapier.
** GoodOldFisticuffs: Lisa and Ulala.
** GatlingGood: Eikichi's concealed [[SenselessViolins guitar case machine gun]].
** {{Handguns}}: Maya's [[GunsAkimbo dual pink Handguns]]. Katsuya brandishes a police-issue pistol.
** ImprobableWeaponUser: Yukino [[DangerouslyCloseShave lobs razors]], a clue to her [[ReformedCriminal reformed punk]] past in the original ''Persona''. Best example: Jun Kurosu fights with ''flowers''.
*** The other good example being Baofu, who throws coins at people.
*** More improbable: There's a scene with Baofu flipping coins at a guy with two machine guns, and HE gets the better of him.
* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: Chiropractor Tomi got his medical degree in the states and returned a hardcore Americophile. It's probably not humanly possible to be wearing more USA apparel than Dr. T. is.
* WhenThePlanetsAlign: The ultimate HarbingerOfImpendingDoom in ''Innocent Sin''
* WhenThingsSpinScienceHappens: The giant rings surrounding [[spoiler: Sumaru City]] when it takes flight.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Joker, the Masked Four, the rank and file in the Masked Circle, and (in ''Eternal Punishment''), anyone who becomes possessed by [[spoiler:JOKER]].
* WindIsGreen
* WistfulAmnesia: [[spoiler: In the [[NoobCave Beginning Dungeon]] of Innocent Sin, the gang cry in presence of Maya - their unconscious memories of her triggered the event. Also, what Jun, Eikichi and Lisa experience in the ending of Eternal Punishment.]]
* WordOfGay: A lot of this. The scenario designer, Satomi Tadashi, supports the pairing of Suou and Kurosu, and he even managed to ''change the character designer's own opinion of the pairing in one conversation.'' And let's not even go into detail about the drama CD, whoa baby. Baby chickens are a ''really big deal.''
* YouCantThwartStageOne: [[spoiler: The Joker/NWO manage to unearth their spaceship and release the SealedEvilInACan]].
** [[spoiler:[[TheBadGuyWins You Can't Thwart Stage Two]], either. (see entry for "The Bad Guy Wins")]].
* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: The (supposedly) model blimp on the roof of the Sky Museum. The cutscene where it takes flight is a pivotal moment in both stories.
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[[caption-width-right:239:[-Rumor control just got [[SeriousBusiness serious]].-] ]]
''Persona 2'' is a duology of games released in 1999-2000 as an UrbanFantasy spinoff of the popular JRPG franchise ''ShinMegamiTensei''. It is the second title in the ''Persona'' spinoff series developed by Atlus, which continued in 2006 with ''{{Persona 3}}.''
''Innocent Sin'' (Tsumi) stars [[TheStoic loner tough-guy]] Tatsuya Suou, a Japanese high school student from Sumaru City. A popular rumor going around the city states that if you dial your own cellphone number, a mysterious entity called "Joker" will appear in front of you and then grant you one wish. When Tatsuya and his friends try this, Joker appears and marks them for death, accusing them of committing a terrible crime against him that they can't remember. As the Joker Charm runs out of control and rumours begin to become reality, Tatsuya and his friends must fight to uncover the mystery of why they are being targeted and stop Joker before it's too late.
''Eternal Punishment'' (Batsu) stars perky IntrepidReporter Maya Amano, a Japanese journalist for teen magazine ''Coolest''. A popular rumour going around the city states that if you dial your own cellphone number, a mysterious entity called "JOKER" will appear in front of you and then kill whoever you wish. Maya's investigations into the rumour lead her to be marked for death by JOKER, who accuses her of committing a terrible crime against him on "The Other Side" that she can't remember. As the Joker Curse runs out of control and rumours begin to become reality, Maya and her friends must fight to uncover the mystery of JOKER and "The Other Side" before it's too late. And then there's a boy in a red jacket that Maya [[HaveWeMetYet swears she has met before...]]
The grid-based battles of the original ''Persona'' are thrown out, along with the [[InUniverseGameClock moon phase]] calendar (later to make a comeback in ''{{Persona 3}}''). On the other hand, most of the previous game's mechanics are back. In addition to having four conversation skills while negotiating with enemies (reduced to just one option in ''Eternal Punishment'', to make it less cumbersome), characters can team up to combine skills. Persona summons work much the same way, with Fusion attacks allowing multiple Personas to combine their magic. Also new are "contracts" - when you make an enemy happy, they make a guarantee that they won't hurt you, and can also give you special items.
Though the PSX version of ''Innocent Sin'' [[NoExportForYou never left Japan]], ''Eternal Punishment'' was localized and released in North America in 2000. While it isn't necessary to play the first to understand the second, much of the fun of the second comes in spotting the changes between the two continuities. Atlus initially announced no plans in localizing ''Innocent Sin'' into English and later elaborated they ''had'' planned to release it, but were prevented from doing so over unspecified content issues. A [[http://tsumi.wordpress.com/ fan translation]] of this version was released in 2008. Atlus later admitted they were aware of it, but chose to not interfere with it.
''Innocent Sin'' was [[UpdatedRerelease remade]] for the Playstation Portable with widescreen support, new art, enhanced demon negotiations, and the option to pick between the original and arranged soundtrack. It also slightly censored the more overt Nazi imagery at the end of the game that is widely believed to have prevented the PSX release from leaving Japan. This version of the game was released in North America in September of 2011, and in Europe in November 2011 published by Ghostlight, with Ghostlight planning a late 2011 deluxe release for Europe. Despite Shoji Meguro admitting he had wanted to release both games in one set, Atlus has not yet created a PSP version of ''Eternal Punishment'', though Meguro has also stated he wants to do it eventually.
[[GeniusBonus Not to be confused with]] a game called ''SinAndPunishment'', [[DontExplainTheJoke which are the Japanese subtitles in order of release]].
----
!!Tropes:
* AbandonedHospital: Morimoto Hospital.
* AgentMulder: A pair of them: Akinari Kashihara and Maya Okamura, both World History teachers at Seven Sisters High School.
* AllMythsAreTrue: This is even a gameplay mechanic: by spreading new rumours you can suddenly have bars selling weapons under the table or lingerie stores carrying bulletproof vests.
** [[spoiler: This comes to bite you in the ass in Innocent Sin's ending. Have you ever heard of the Spear of Longinus?]]
* AllThereInTheManual: The game designers have published at least 75% of all that's known about the characters' backstories, personal habits, and just about [[UpToEleven any manner of things fans could possibly want to know]] ''outside'' of the game itself. It's pretty impressive.
* AlreadyMetEveryone
* AmnesiacDissonance: Thanks to your [[NiceJobBreakingItHero efforts]] during the EX Dungeon, Tatsuya Sudou, who's been pretty damn respectable without his memory, gets it back and promptly goes back to his old self. [[ButThouMust Not that you actually had a choice.]]
* AnatomyOfTheSoul: Joker's aim is to revive Xibalba using the "Dream Energy" taken from those who summon him. Eikichi witnesses this firsthand when his bandmates are zapped by Joker, reducing them to shells devoid of any willpower or aspirations. Over the course of the game, the threesome revert to shadow-like beings, then fade away entirely.
* AncientAstronauts
* AnticlimaxBoss: If you prepare for the bosses, they'll become this trope. It's also possible to [[spoiler:Kill 'em all with apocalypse]].
* ApocalypseDayPlanner: Remarked on by Maya's coworkers during ''Eternal Punishment'''s prologue; the planets all aligned in the Grand Cross formation "this summer", but nothing happened. Those who've played the previous game remember things a little differently.
-->'''Co-Worker''': All this fuss about Armageddon and Grand Cross, and nothing happened this summer... The more hype, the more people complain.
* ArabOilSheikh: Salam, a QuestGiver who hands over Tarot in exchange for maps.
* ArbitrarySkepticism: Despite the fact that he regularly fights demons with the help of an aspect of his psyche that manifests as a mythological figure, and despite all the crazy things that happen as the game goes on, Katsuya's reaction to any new strange thing still tends to be "that's impossible!"
** Considering how insane the plot gets, can you blame him?
* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler: Class 6, at ''least'']].
* ApocalypseHitler: So, someone decides to start a rumor that Adolf Hitler is still alive. Not a problem, right? Well, normally not. But what with this whole "rumors become reality" business... Long story short, '''''Hitler boss fight!'''''
* [[AttackOfTheTownFestival Attack Of The School Festival]]: Kasugayama High is holding a festival by the time you arrive looking for Yasao.
* AuthorAvatar: "Tad" is a self-insertion by Scenario designer Satomi Tadashi, who previously cameoed in the first ''Persona''. Graphic Designer Soejima Shigenori appears as "Garcon Soejima", a waiter at a Claire de Lune. The manager of the Seedy CD music store is Tasaki Toshiko, who composed ''Persona 2'''s music. Lastly, the Demon Artist is modeled on ''Megami Tensei'' series artist Kazuma Kaneko.
* [[spoiler: TheBadGuyWins]]: In ''Innocent Sin'', [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] actually manages to[[spoiler: blow up the world, leaving only Sumaru City intact]]. While ''Eternal Punishment'' is a ResetButton, the ending implies that [[ParallelUniverse that universe still exists in some form.]]
* BadassLongcoat / ScarfOfAsskicking: The Masked Four.
** Hitler/The Fuhrer sports one in the PSP version, complete with CoolShades.
* BagOfSpilling: Used straight with most of the cast, but subverted with [[spoiler:Tatsuya Suou]] in ''Eternal Punishment'': he starts the game with his ultimate Persona from ''Innocent Sin.'' And, if you have save data from a finished version of ''Innocent Sin,'' he'll start ''Eternal Punishment'' at the level he was there.
* BaldOfAwesome: Dr. Tomi. [[{{Slogans}} GOLD FINGERRRRRRR!]]
* BavarianFireDrill: Maya's clever trick of lighting a cigarette in the women's bathroom at [-SMILE-] Mall, setting off the fire alarm. It works so well, she does it again in the second game.
* BeautyPageant: The "Miss Sevens" Pageant. Oft-referenced, not least of which by Lisa (noted to have won last year), but not actually seen in-game.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Exemplified by the various [=NPCs=] throughout town, many of whom dial the Joker to fulfill their fondest wish. The businessman eating in Gatten Sushi hopes for a promotion; He becomes the head of his company thanks to Joker, whereas in the alternate ''Eternal Punishment'' universe, JOKER murders his boss, thereby [[KlingonPromotion promoting him by default]]. In both games, the businessman is jubilant at his good fortune. The price, however, is the eventual loss of his will (transformed into a Shadow in ''Innocent Sin'', brainwashed by the NWO in ''Eternal Punishment''), preventing him from fulfilling any of his dreams ever again. A similar scenario plays out with the other [=NPCs=].
** This works from a gameplay standpoint, too. Some rumors have a 50-50 chance effect, which can either help or hinder your quest. For example, spreading a rumor about Parabellum hiring a bodyguard might result in the Bartender selling a powerful new gun... or he may just charge more for his old wares, using the bodyguard as a bullying tactic.
* BetterToDieThanBeKilled: Spotlighted in the anime trailer. A perp is chased up to a rooftop by Katsuya, whereupon he shows himself to be [[DemonicPossession possessed]] by the Joker. The man [[ResistTheBeast pleads with Katsuya to help him]], but is quickly re-taken by the Joker personality, which hurls his body off the building.
* BigBrotherInstinct: Several of them, good freaking grief. Katsuya's the most obvious, as he actually has a little brother he will ''completely rework his life for,'' but the other male characters in ''Innocent Sin'' can count as well, Jun and Tatsuya (in both games) being the worst. Jun actually [[spoiler:takes it upon himself to murder his best and only friends from ten years ago because he thinks they killed his CoolBigSis]] and is later ''viciously'' protective of Tatsuya in some of the official media, if not ''Innocent Sin'' itself (and for possibly [[HoYay other]] reasons), while Tatsuya himself is driven entirely in ''Eternal Punishment'' to protect Maya. Obviously, hurting her -- or in Katsuya's case, him -- will be [[{{Yandere}} the]] [[BerserkButton last]] [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge thing]] [[DisproportionateRetribution you]] [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu do]].
* BigDamnFireExit: The Sky Museum's TimedMission. Whoever designed the placement of its staircases should be sued.
* BigNo: Tatsuya at the end of ''Innocent Sin''. He's got good reason, too -- [[spoiler:His friends have all forgotten him]]
* BittersweetEnding: Both ''Innocent Sin'' ([[spoiler:Tatsuya loses Maya]]) and ''Eternal Punishment'' ([[spoiler:Maya loses Tatsuya]]).
* BlackKnight: The Longinus 13 are a modern day equivalent of this. Also, [[ItGotWorse robots]].
* BleepDammit: Invoked in the American version of ''Eternal Punishment'', where Ulala swears like a drunken sailor, and Baofu occasionally swears, too. However; they intentionally only censor a couple letters...so you can tell what they're saying.
-->'''Baofu''': Who the f##k are you?
-->'''Ulala''': "Don't underestimate me you *bleep*ing bastards!"
* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Maya and Yukino's Contact combination in ''Innocent Sin'', with Maya playing the former and Yukino as the latter.
* BonusBoss: Two from the Climax Theater sidequest in the PSP version. [[spoiler: [[GreekMythology Persephone]] and [[LightIsNotGood the angel Kushiel]].]]
** [[spoiler:Philemon himself]] in Eternal Punishment.
* BraggingRightsReward: The OneHitKill Fusion, Armageddon, pwns literally everything -- even the final boss (but not [[spoiler: Philemon]], though; he repels it). Trouble is, you need to summon both Lucifer and Satan to cast it, and can obtain only ''one'' per playthrough. Which basically boils down to (you guessed it) HundredPercentCompletion.
* BreakTheCutie: Every single character hits this in both games at least twice (most of the end ''Innocent Sin'' is Jun demonstrating this, and if you make the wrong choice in Caracol, Yukino's the second-best example), but Lisa in ''Eternal Punishment'' is likely the most powerful, drastic example. In Innocent Sin, she's spunky, happy, able to kick ass, and is almost comically over-the-top in her pursuit of Tatsuya. If you wake her up in ''Eternal Punishment,'' however, she starts sobbing uncontrollably against Tatsuya's shoulders, asking him to take her along so she can help to make up for what she forgot. What possibly puts this above the other break-the-cutie moments in game (and the ones she herself suffers in ''Innocent Sin'') is that she's NOT letting her feelings get in the way. She says that she won't bother Tatsuya and the others again, which, if you know Lisa is just... absolutely heartbreaking. This depression continues, too, at the end of the game (if you continue that route). She sobs on the shrine steps, and Eikichi (if you don't wake him) and Jun both approach her, trying to cheer her up because it's just so painful.
-->'''Lisa:''' I know you're troubled with a lot of things... I won't bother you... But... You have to take me with you! Don't leave me...!
* BurgerFool: [-PEACE-] Burger.
* ButThouMust: There are a few notable occasions where your actions and responses affect the plot (e.g. whether or not [[spoiler:Anna Yoshizaka]] dies in ''Innocent Sin'' or you can mutate Maia into Maia Custom in ''Eternal Punishment'') but on the whole, Thou Must.
* [[TheCallKnowsWhereYouLive The Call Knows Where You Go To School]]
* CallingCard: Maya is handed a note reading "[-yOu'rE nEXt --JOKER-]" at the start of EP.
* ChangingOfTheGuard: Maya Amano, it's your turn to shine.
** What's interesting is that everyone from ''Eternal Punishment'' assists Tatsuya in some capacity in ''Innocent Sin'' (well, barring [[AdultsAreUseless Katsuya]]), and vice-versa. Not only that, some of them reappear [[spoiler:as bosses]].
* ChekhovsGunman: The first four playable good guys of ''Eternal Punishment'' all count [[spoiler: save Maya, as she was already important.]] However, special mention goes to Baofu, who we first see in ''Innocent Sin'' as a drunken lout who gives the young Tatsuya and Jun a lecture in a flashback, and whom you barely can recognize even if you played ''Eternal Punishment'', as he is missing his CoolShades at the time.
* ChromeChampion / EvilKnockoff: Metal Daddy and Metal Mom, aka metal replicas of [[spoiler:Eikichi and Jun's parents]].
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', it's robot versions of [[spoiler:Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun]]. They wield the same Ultimate Personas, too, making this a retroactive MirrorMatch!
* CityOfAdventure: Sumaru City.
* CityOfWeirdos: Again, Sumaru City.
* ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve: The rumor curse.
** This has all sorts of funky effects on the city. Holistic healing now suddenly has ''tangible'' results, i.e., chiropractors and hippie crystal therapy can cure poison and broken bones instantly.
* ClassReunion: Pretty much ''every'' [[NominalImportance nominal character]] from the first ''Persona'' reunites for this one. Even [[BeyondTheImpossible the dead ones]].
* ClockTower: The steeple of Seven Sisters' High School.
* ClusterBleepBomb: Ulala drops one in the U.S. version of Eternal Punishment.
* CoincidentalBroadcast: Showing the spread of the Joker's influence in the city.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: The Masked Four. Even incognito, their 'normal' attire is the same color. (The [[MacGuffin crystal skulls]] they carry around are color coded, too).
** Not to mention their corresponding Zodiac Shrines.
** Students at Seven Sisters High all wear colored ties/bows that correspond to their grade. First-year students wear green ties, second-year students (i.e. Lisa) wear red, and seniors (Tatsuya) are blue.
** And in ''Innocent Sin'', [[http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=130096 one Let's Player]] noticed that [[http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showpost.php?p=18082461&postcount=124 (go to the Bonus Information) the info boxes for new characters differed between genders]]. Red text= female, blue text= male, yellow text= unknown gender.
* CombinationAttack: Fusion Spells, where multiple party members combine spells to form a powerful attack.
* ContinuityNod: The PSP version of ''Innocent Sin'' adds a series of new side quests tied to a movie theater. The first two available take you to St. Hermelin (the school from the original ''{{Persona}}'') and Karukozaka High School. (From the series' Spiritual Predecessor and branching point of the continuity it takes place in, ''ShinMegamiTenseiIf'')
* CordonBleughChef: Shiraishi Ramen Lady. {{Exploited|Trope}} since the item on the menu is so awful that nobody would order it unless they were really shopping for guns.
* CosmicChessGame
* CrashIntoHello: The ending of ''Innocent Sin'' and the beginning of ''Eternal Punishment''. Tatsuya running into Maya, even picking up Maya's IconicItem. Which stirs up feelings of deja vu in Maya...
* CreatorCameo: The Demon Painter, Garcon Soejima, and Tadashi Satomi are based on artists Kazuma Kanako and Shigenori Soejima and producer Tadashi Satomi, respectively.
* CrucifiedHeroShot: What's even better than crosses? [[CreepyCoolCrosses LASER crosses]]! Before the final boss battle [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] summons the ghosts of [[spoiler:Jun's parents]], who hang suspended in the air like crucifixes.
* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Innocent Sin'' is dark, even by ''{{MegaTen}}'' standards. [[spoiler: In the ''only'' ending, the heroes lose without really having accomplished much of anything, the world is destroyed, one of their number dies, and the only way they can squeak out anything resembling a happy ending is cutting a deal with Philemon that undoes everything that happened, both good and ill.]]
* TheDayOfReckoning: The raising of the Mayan spaceship Xibalba, followed by the destruction of Earth. According to the Oracle of Maia, only the chosen few will survive, safe aboard the ship.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', the prophecy varies a little bit. The Wang Long, fabled dragons that inhabit the planet's [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ley_line ley lines]], will be called forth following a massive discharge of Kegare (or JOKER) energy.
* DeathCryEcho: All enemies go out with this.
* DemonicPossession: The method by which [[spoiler:JOKER]] continues his spree after he's killed.
* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Twice. [[spoiler: Not just Nyarlathotep, but Philemon as well, in the EX Dungeon. Though it's likely just temporary...]]
* DieOrFly: How the main characters unlock their latent Persona powers.
* DirtyCop: Some of the police officers in the Konan Police Department ([[spoiler: especially Captain Shimizu and most of the [=SAT=] operatives]]) are in league with the [=NWO=]. One of the members of the [=NWO=] is an officer in the JGSDF and their manpower comes from the army as well.
* DiscOneNuke: The Low-End Breaker Fusion Spell, which instantly kills whichever enemy has the lowest level. The only thing stopping it from being a full-blown GameBreaker is its inability to kill bosses (though rumour demons are fair game).
* DisappearedDad: A common affliction in ''Innocent Sin''. Both Tatsuya and his brother are estranged from their father, who was [[TurnInYourBadge kicked out of the police force]] on charges of corruption.
** Both Maya and Jun lost their fathers when they were children; The former was a war correspondent who was killed in action, inspiring Maya to pursue a journalism career. Jun's dad met a mysterious (though no less grisly) demise when he tumbled into the gears of Seven Sisters' clock tower ([[IGotBetter He gets better]] in ''Eternal Punishment'', however).
* [[spoiler: DownerEnding]]
* DrowningMySorrows: Ulala and Baofu's Contact option while in battle.
* DysfunctionJunction
* EarnYourHappyEnding: A major theme in both games, to the extent that it's Maya's mantra in ''Innocent Sin''.
* EasingIntoTheAdventure: In both games, the PlayerCharacter can't continue until you've talked to certain [=NPCs=]. ''Innocent Sin'' opens with Tatsuya staring down bullies, getting lectured by his teacher, and visiting Eikichi's garage band.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', Maya can't leave the office until you've talked to everybody. She spends the rest of the prologue interviewing teachers at Seven Sisters about the JOKER killings.
* EldritchLocation: Philemon and [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]]'s domains.
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt
* EndOfTheWorldSpecial: The conclusion to ''Innocent Sin'', and impetus to the following game.
* EnemyCivilWar: Nazis vs. the Masked Circle.
* EnemyWithout: The Shadow Sides. Rather than emerging directly from the heroes, they seem to have been engineered by [[spoiler:Nyarlathrotep]] himself from the innate darkness of every human, to which he has a direct link.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Tatsuya. Also, King Leo a.k.a. Tatsuya Sudou refers to the Joker, [[spoiler:Jun Kurosu]], as having the beauty of a goddess.
* EverybodyHatesHades: Averted in that he's Eikichi's Ultimate Persona. He also [[MindScrew talks like a eunuch for some reason]].
* EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep
* EveryoneIsRelated: The main characters of ''Innocent Sin'' (with the exception of Yukino) were introduced each other as [[spoiler:children, long before their eventual meeting in the game]].
* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies
* EvilIsNotAToy: If you use the Joker Charm in ''Innocent Sin'' but don't have a wish (or refuse to tell it) then Joker turns you into a mindless zombie. In ''Eternal Punishment'', using the Joker Curse will [[spoiler:transform you into a Joker]].
* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Sumaru Castle, after it rises out of the earth atop that...metal, Jenga block...thing.
* EvolvingAttack: Personas have a random chance of "Mutation" following a battle, which can do anything from raising it's stats, to unlocking a new power, to evolving into a brand new Poké-- erm, Persona altogether.
* ExpositionFairy: Your first random encounter is interrupted by a low-level [[TheGoomba goomba]], Robin Goodfellow, who cheerfully explains the basics.
* EyesAlwaysShut: The unenthusiastic clerk at the W.Slash internet café.
* EyesOfGold: [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] and his Shadow flunkies.
* {{Facepalm}}: As TeamMom, Maya has plenty of reasons to employ this. Yukino's version is even goofier, complete with SweatDrop.
* FacialHorror: In ''Innocent Sin'', the Seven Sisters' school emblem is cursed, disfiguring anyone who wears it. It's not explicitly shown in-game, but the anime trailer contains the [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7Gk-onicEc full face-melting results]].
* FantasyKitchenSink: The Persona/enemy lineup consists of everything from the [[GreekMythology Greek pantheon]] to [[NorseMythology Norse myth]] to Shaka Zulu. Perennial series favorite RasputinTheMadMonk also say hi.
* FanTranslation: ''Innocent Sin'', and not only is Atlus aware of it, [[WordOfGod they said it was a pretty good translation.]]
* FightWoosh
* FireForgedFriends
* FiveBadBand: The Masked Circle.
** TheBigBad: Joker
** TheDragon: King Leo
** The EvilGenius: Prince Taurus
** TheBrute: Lady Scorpio (used to be an athlete, allowing her to snatch the title from Leo)
** DarkChick: Queen Aquarius
* FiveManBand: Lampshaded in ''Innocent Sin'' in that its characters do, in fact, comprise a rock band (Jun even plays synth). Note also that both of the "Big Guy" powerhouses are [[CuteBruiser female]]. It fits better in ''Innocent Sin'', because [[spoiler:of the Masked Circle.]]
** TheHero: Tatsuya
*** This gets a bit odd in ''Eternal Punishment'', where Maya takes the HeroicMime and The Protagonist roles, but Tatsuya is still arguably TheHero.
** TheLancer: Eikichi & Baofu
** TheSmartGuy: Jun (overlaps with SixthRanger) & Katsuya
** TheBigGuy: Lisa & Ulala
** TheChick: Maya
* FlashbackEffects: At Mt. Iwato, the flashbacks to previous ''Persona'' games are shown in DeliberatelyMonochrome.
* FloatingContinent: [[spoiler: Sumaru City]]
* FortuneTeller: The Sumaru Genie.
* ForgottenFirstMeeting: [[spoiler: Thanks to RepressedMemories, no one of the "Masked Circle" remembers each other. Note that all the LoveInterests for Tatsuya are from the group.]]
* FourIsDeath: The Masked Four.
* FreudianExcuse: Jun Kurosu
** It's not quite fair to just hit Jun with that, as the ''entire'' Innocent Sin cast falls into this trope though Jun takes the cake with his parental issues, with his borderline Electra complex and mommy issues. They ''all'' at least have some problem or other with their fathers. In fact, [[spoiler: the final boss of the game, Great Father, is a composite of all the characters' fathers.]]
** [[spoiler: Great Father's left foot (right on the player's side) is only assumed to be Tatsuya's father. All of the other limbs say their kid's name when they attack, and the main body is Kashihara, while this foot calls out for...Jun. By necessity, though, since Tatsuya's name is the only one in the game that can be changed -- and thus can't be used in any of the voiced lines.]]
* GagNose: Tony, the laid-back foreign exchange student from Italy who sells trinkets to pay for tuition. You can spread a rumor that he's a [[BlackMarket fence]] for the [[TheMafia Sicilian Mafia]], resulting in -- what else? -- Tony becoming an illegal smuggler. He doesn't seem to mind, though.
** And also, y'know....[[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/P3-Igor_5470.jpg him]].
* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: When Ulala gets possessed by the JOKER in ''Eternal Punishment'', she punches Maya and forces her to start the fight with some HP taken off.
** In ''Eternal Punishment'', the scenes from ''Innocent Sin'' have Tatsuya talking; whereas Maya is silent...whereas in ''Eternal Punishment'', ''Maya'' is the SilentProtagonist.
** And in ''Innocent Sin'', during the fight with Shadow Maya, everyone except for one character will be at low HP because of an attack used on them multiple times before fighting.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Numerous aversions, such as starting a boss fight with low HP after said boss attacks you during an event, using healing spells on wounded people etc.
* GasLeakCoverup: The torched sanitarium in ''Eternal Punishment''.
* GasMaskMooks / GasMaskLongcoat: The Last Battalion.
* GayOption: [[spoiler:Jun Kurosu.]]
* GenreBusting: It's an RPG UrbanFantasy about saving the world and facing your fears and with psychological elements and it's a horror game like the other Megatens. And IS has elements of a DatingSim to boot.
* TheGhost: Tatsuya and Katsuya's father. To put it in context, everyone else's dad pops up in ''Innocent Sin'' (Maya's father is posthumously seen in a flashback), but not this guy. He technically appears during [[spoiler:the final boss battle (as one of the Great Father's appendages)]]; It's tricky to tell which one he's supposed to be, though, even in Kazuma Kaneko's concept art, though it is possible to take a guess by applying process of elimination.
* {{Ghostapo}}: According to legend, Hitler is chilling in Antarctica with his elite forces.
* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: At the conclusion of ''Innocent Sin'', you discover that [[spoiler:Philemon]] helped orchestrate the events of the series up to this point to test whether he or [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] represent the more powerful aspect of humanity. Events that involved the destruction of Mikage-cho in the original ''Persona'', [[spoiler: the deaths of countless people (including Maya), and an EarthShatteringKaboom]]. The resulting dialog box gives you the option of '''punching him''' for what he's put everyone through.
* TheGodsMustBeLazy: Philemon seems to embody this trope. [[spoiler: He was basically trying to prove that [[SecretTestOfCharacter humanity could achieve a perfect existence]], so giving humans the power of Persona was the most he could do.]] Yet this doesn't explain why [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep gets to make the MoralEventHorizon his bitch]].
* GoingThroughTheMotions: Characters have only a few stock poses, but you're going to see every one they've got in the course of a conversation.
* GoodGuyBar / PunnyName: Parabellum (get it?).
* GottaCatchThemAll: The crystal skulls in ''Innocent Sin''.
* GratuitousEnglish: ''"Let's Positive Thinking!"'', Ellen, some of Eikichi's battle quotes. Ellen usually gets it right, though. Eikichi, on the other hand...
* GraveMarkingScene: At the end of the ''Eternal Punishment'', [[spoiler: Baofu and Ulala visit the grave of Miki, Baofu's old partner/lover who was murdered. Baofu makes his peace, while Ulala promises Miki that she'll look over him]].
* GuestStarPartyMember: In ''Eternal Punishment'', other than Ellen above, you can also recruit Nate from the first ''Persona''. Both have grown up considerably.
** Additionally, Yukino in Innocent Sin is one of the initial party members of Persona 1 -- although she left early on unless you did the ''Snow Queen Quest'' that was {{Macekre}}d out of the PSX US version.
* GuideDangIt: The Ancestral Personas. In ''Eternal Punishment'', they form the basis for a game-spanning {{Sidequest}}. Even meeting the requirements isn't enough, since you still need a FOOL card to summon the last Persona, and could [[RandomlyDrops scour the entire game]] without uncovering even ''one''. All this to [[OneHitKill insta-kill]] a boss which isn't even difficult to begin with.
** Hastur is an über-powerful, one-of-a-kind Persona whose card you can collect early in the game ([[AwesomeButImpractical Not that it'll do much good]], as you need to be at a ''very'' high level to summon it), for ''free''. The catch? Doing so requires talking to a specific NPC and imputing "[[SpeakOfTheDevil HASTURCOMEFORTH]]" into a text prompt. Supposedly, a demon somewhere shares this information if you Contact it, but that would be like looking for a NeedleInAStackOfNeedles.
** The Undersea Ruins treasure room. To reach the [[InexplicableTreasureChests chests]], you must Contact the RandomEncounter Aestha for help. Naturally, Aestha is often difficult to pin down, and she won't unlock the room until you've Contacted her a dozen times or more. So get cracking, monkey.
*** One final way to twist the knife; you can also find and talk to her...only to give you the rumor of a fusion spell ingredient rather than what you want to know.
* {{Gundamjack}}: A literal one, as Tatsuya steals one of the Tenchu Army's MiniMecha.
* HairstyleInertia: [[spoiler:The original "Masked Circle." Averted with Maya in order to mislead players.]]
* HealingSpring: Lampshaded and [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]]. The proprietor of said healing spring, Trish, is an extortionist fairy who hangs around dungeons, profiting from your pain. Her inflated prices are [[AdamSmithHatesYourGuts on-scale with the amount of healing required]] (Contrast this with the flat-rate healers in town).
* HeroicMime: Played With. In canon, Maya and Tatsuya both speak in both games, but the protagonist's speech (whichever one that is) isn't shown - in the Nyarlathotep flashback scene in Eternal Punishment's Mt. Iwato, Maya says "........." and Tatsuya speaks, whereas in Innocent Sin, Maya would have spoken, and Tatsuya wouldn't.
* HolyHandGrenade: The [[PublicDomainArtifact Spear of Longinus]].
** [[TouchOfDeath Try not to get pricked by it]], okay?
* HistoryRepeats: Much of ''Eternal Punishment'' is a re-imagining of events in ''Innocent Sin''. This is partly because [[spoiler:Tatsuya's memories of the Other Side are affecting the current reality.]]
* HoYay: Jun Kurosu, who ''definitely'' sees Tatsuya Suou as more than a friend.
** Parts of the game and [[WordOfGay interviews]] would imply Suou and Kurosu are the intended ''Innocent Sin'' pairing. Specifically scenario designer Satomi Tadashi and character designer Kaneko Kazuma.
** Also, Yukino and Anna in Innocent Sin. [[spoiler: If you pick the wrong choice to leave Yukino behind at the entrance to Caracol, Anna will jump off the bridge in Caracol holding hands with Shadow Yukino, who convinced her to do it so that they would be together forever. If you bring Yukino, she will, after you fight Joker, give her Persona ability to Jun and go off into the city to fight Nazis with Anna, who has promised to look after her now that she doesn't have her Persona anymore]]
* HotScoop: Maya, Yukino, and ''even Fuji'' are examples of this trope.
* HumanoidAbomination: [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]] whenever he assumes human form. The Shadow Sides qualify, as well.
** The Nazis are never seen without their gas masks, and are covered from head to toe in black uniforms. Given their origin (a rumor) and the fact that Hitler [[spoiler:turns out to be another of Nyarlathotep's alter-egos]], it's strongly implied that they're all just manifestations.
* IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace: In Maya mythology, Xibalba is roughly translated as "Place of fear".
* IconicItem: Boy howdy. Tatsuya Suou and Jun Kurosu have the two most prominent ones [[spoiler:(Tatsuya's lighter was originally Jun's father's, and Jun's watch was originally ''Tatsuya's'' father's; they switched items in a display of friendship)]], but Maya also has Mr. Bunny. Flowers, too, seem to represent Jun, as the opening video for Innocent Sin demonstrates.
** Frankly, lots of characters in this crazy duology have special items. Katsuya's glasses, Yukino's camera [[spoiler:or at least the one she got from her crush]], and Philemon's mask count, just to name a few extras.
* IdleAnimation
* TheIlluminati: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin New World Order]].
* ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy: When the gang meets Maya in ''Innocent Sin'', they start crying, seemingly for no reason. (See WistfulAmnesia below for the whole thing and why.)
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes: Moreso than in most other Megaten games. Maya's party in particular is nicely coiffed.
* InMediasRes: To people familiar with other games of the franchise, it can sure seem like we're starting in the middle of things in ''Innocent Sin''; how come there's no super-extended scene of actually being granted Personas and everyone just seems to have 'em already? [[spoiler: Turns out this is a ''very important'' plot point, and [[WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis had people not pushed certain events out of their minds this whole mess would never have happened]].]]
** America, so far, has this even ''worse'' as we only got ''Eternal Punishment''; [[spoiler: we get to see the fruit of self-deception without actually seeing what led to the whole grand mess.]]
* InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals: The Satomi sisters, each of whom run a different pharmacy.
** Rosa Candida is run by twin sisters with matching BlindingBangs. One is a blonde PaletteSwap of the other.
* InfallibleBabble: Completely and utterly subverted.
* InnBetweenTheWorlds: Trish's Fountain and the Velvet Room.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha: Adolf Hitler's personal guard, the "Longinus 13", named for the gigantic spears they carry around. The Tenchu Army in ''Eternal Punishment'' have their own mecha squadron, as well.
* InstantPlunderJustAddPirates: The barkeeper of The Jolly Roger restaurant.
* TheInternetIsForPorn: Using the Contact option in battle, demons will occasionally ask the player what the internet is for. OBVIOUSLY, one of the options -- no matter who is being asked -- is to say that it's for porn. It's always funny.
* IntrepidMerchant: [[spoiler:Narumi]] is built on the peninsula, and gets [[spoiler:obliterated when Sumaru City rises]]. One rumor later, though, and all of the merchants/rumormongers magically relocate.
* IronicEcho: Maya's catchphrase ("LET'S BE POSITIVE!") becomes the slogan of the New World Order.
* KnowledgeBroker: Various "Rumormongers" who are scattered in each city district. They fork over rumors for free, so unless you [[SelfImposedChallenge want a rough time of it]], you'd better take time to talk with them.
* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Used in [[spoiler:the ending of]] ''Innocent Sin'' [[spoiler:to create a timeline where the world isn't screwed.]]. Hell, ''Eternal Punishment'' is a {{Deconstruction}} of what happens when [[spoiler:you decide you'd rather subvert the trope and risk having the world end ''again'', on top of none of your friends not remembering you or your adventures]].
* LastNameBasis: Even after 40+ hours of gameplay, Officer Suou still insists on addressing Maya as "Ms. Amano". This just adds to his overall [[{{Adorkable}} adorkability]].
** Maya's editor, Mizuno, is a less-friendly example as she constantly barks "''''Amano!''''" in place of her name.
* LegitimateBusinessmensSocialClub: Club Zodiac is either a front for the Taiwanese mob or the Masked Circle.
* LetNoCrisisGoToWaste: Though the antagonists of both games share similar goals, it's the New World Order that [[DangerouslyGenreSavvy learns from past mistakes]]. Immediately following JOKER's defeat, an NWO agent appears on television to spread a rumor that anyone who performs the Joker Curse will [[spoiler:become a JOKER themselves]]; Thought you could handle ''one'' Joker? Try [[spoiler:a [[ItGotWorse WHOLE CITY]] of them]].
* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: Happens in one cutscene to the music in ''Innocent Sin''.
* LevelDrain: The "Prophecy" spell, which resets a Persona's rank to 1. Given that a Persona's spells and stats come mostly from gaining ranks, and going from rank 1 to rank 8 often takes several hours of grinding, this can be pretty inconvenient.
* LevitatingLotusPosition: Nata (a Romanization of [[{{UsefulNotes/Taoism}} Nezha]]), a hidden Persona in Aoba Park.
** Don't you mean Shaka (aka Budha)? This troper doesn't remember Nata in a lotus position.
* LimitedWardrobe: Three years between games, and Saeko Smith and Principal Harding still haven't changed out of their outfits.
* LoadBearingBoss: Defeating Chiruzu/Guido, upon which the Undersea Ruins collapse.
* LoveTriangle: Both games have notable ones.
** BettyAndVeronica: In ''Innocent Sin'', Lisa and Maya are this to Tatsuya.
*** Not to mention Jun who also has feelings for Tatsuya. ([[EpilepticTrees Jughead?]])
** SiblingTriangle: In ''Eternal Punishment'', both Tatsuya and Katsuya are clearly infatuated with Maya. Katsuya's Shadow taunts him with this fact, trying to pursuade him to [[spoiler:shoot Tatsuya. Katsuya says that while the Shadow is right about his feelings, he loves his brother anyway, and shoots the Shadow instead]].
* MadeOfEvil: "Kegare" is basically the essence of sin, hatred and malice, and in ''Eternal Punishment'', Jokers are full of it. The New World Order starts draining people of their Kegare for their latest nefarious scheme.
* MadScientistLaboratory: Guido's science lab.
* MalevolentMaskedMen: The Masked Circle.
* {{Mayincatec}}: Did ''you'' know that Mayans built giant underground flying machines in Japan?
* MergedReality: [[spoiler: The conclusion to ''Eternal Punishment'']].
* MirrorMatch: The Shadow Sides of both games.
** They wield [[PaletteSwap "Reverse"]] versions of your characters' Ultimate Personas. This makes for some amusing pre-battle banter, with the Reverse Persona declaring their plans to [[KillAndReplace usurp their counterpart]], and the real one telling them where to stick it.
* MouthfulOfPi: At the start of ''Innocent Sin'', one of Tatsuya's schoolmates is shown being chastised by his teacher for "cheating". The student claims Joker granted his wish to become super-smart, and proves it by reciting the first 100 digits of Pi from memory. The teacher is unimpressed.
* NazisWithGnarlyWeapons: Irregardless of the robot suits and [=UFO=]s, their hardware and planes are strictly 1939.
* NeckLift: Tatsuya is first introduced to Joker via this greeting.
* NoExportForYou: ''Innocent Sin'' outside Japan, until the PSP rerelease in 2011.
* NoSwastikas: In the PSP remake of Innocent Sin, Hitler is given a trenchcoat and sunglasses and is simply called "Führer" when he shows up (Even if it's obvious it's still him).
** The swastikas in cutscenes are also changed to Iron Crosses.
** This is especially funny since, in the original's battle with Hitler, '''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dS_4RvPvTS0 the whole damn battlefield]]''' is covered in swatikas.
* NonElemental: Almighty attacks are non elemental magic, which is elemental since some demons and personas are weak or strong to all type of magics when it's not all type of attacks. Even a few opponents are specifically immune to Almighty attacks, like Dark Alice and the Big Bad first form. That being said, there are a few attacks with no element at all like Another Dimension or Death Roulette. Most of them are instakill attacks.
* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: The nameless, [[ChainsawGood chainsaw]]-wielding LoonyFan who stalks Eriko inside the TV Studio.
** Actually his name is Makoto Kuwahara.
** OffscreenTeleportation: He's a persistent bugger.
** TooKinkyToTorture: He screams for more when you hit him.
* NostalgiaLevel: Mt. Iwato in ''Eternal Punishment'' is littered with flashbacks to both the ''Innocent Sin'' and the original ''{{Persona}}''.
** If Eriko's in your party, the latter's SilentProtagonist (or an apparition of him, at least) will be haunting the TV Studio.
* NumberOneDime: Tatuysa's engraved cigarette lighter, and Jun's watch. They swapped them as children.
* OedipusComplex / WellDoneSonGuy: All over the place in ''Innocent Sin''. Not only does ''every'' character have Oedipal issues, but the FinalBoss is literally a [[CompositeCharacter giant composite]] of everyone's fathers.
* {{Ondo}}: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34VNKRm5GK4 Here it is]].
* OneDegreeOfSeparation
* OneHitKill: The Nazi/Tenchu snipers have a random shot at killing your characters in one hit, regardless of your overall stats.
* OneLinerEcho: In both games, right before facing off with the final boss.
* OneSteveLimit: Subverted. To the Western eye, Tatsuya Suou reads ''a lot'' like Tatsuya Sudou. That aside, The two characters couldn't be more different.
** Maya Amano shares the same name as Maya Okamura. Unlike the above example, this factors into the plot.
* OneTimeDungeon: Most of the dungeons are these. When you try to reenter, a member of your party will bark at you to stop goofing off.
* OurDragonsAreDifferent: Joka/The Wang Long.
* OutOfClothesExperience: Tatsuya, Maya, and Lisa in the PSP ''Innocent Sin''[='s=] opening video.
* PartyInMyPocket: Mostly. Party members do appear as [[{{NPC}} NPCs]] in dungeon "rooms", but everywhere else it's just the main character running around.
* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: To buy weapons at the ramen shop, Eikichi "orders" the password, "Banana Ramen". Unfortunately for Eikichi, he then [[EatThat has to eat it]].
* PillarOfLight: Sumaru Castle fires one through its roof, opening a SwirlyEnergyThingy which swallows the city whole.
* PoliceAreUseless: Katsuya's the only ReasonableAuthorityFigure in sight, and even HE'S an obstinate jerk in the first game.
* ThePowerOfRock: Eikichi and Ulala in their respective games. Both of them SummonBackupDancers as part of their Contact options: Eikichi bursting into an [[DreadfulMusician off-key rendition]] of "Luv Beam" with [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome Tatsuya on electric guitar and Jun on synth]]; Ulala performs the [[TorosYFlamenco Flamenco]], with Katsuya & Tatsuya on guitar.
* PreAssKickingOneLiner: "Whoop-ass time!", "Don't underestimate ''me'', you [[SoundEffectBleep *bleep!*]] bastard!", "I feel sorry for you.", "[[ReadingYourRights You're all under arrest!]]", "Fools, begone!", etc.
* ProphecyTwist: The Oracle of Maya has a killer twist.
* PropheticNames: Two characters named "Maya", an important being in Hinduism.
* PsychoLesbian: [[spoiler:Noriko Katayama]]
* PyrrhicVictory: Well done! You beat [[spoiler:Nyarlathotep]], and he's laughing all the way to the bank: [[spoiler:Your surrogate sister's dead, your planet's wreathed in the flames, and the only way to reverse it is to sacrifice your newfound friends]]. And then, there's the added insult of him [[WonTheWarLostThePeace being left free to engineer Earth's destruction all over again]]... Of course this means all they did during the game was for [[ShootTheShaggyDog no reason at all]] and it's pretty much just a big Game Over, please load your latest save (which was 10 years ago).
* QuintessentialBritishGentleman: The salesman at [-LONDON-] clothing store.
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: The Masked Four, plus Ixquic.
* RagTagBunchOfMisfits: Both games, but particularly ''Eternal Punishment''. Ordinarily, these people wouldn't be seen within ten miles of each other.
* RealityBleed: What started this whole mess.
** With the "rumors become reality" effect going around, ''everyone'' capable of spreading rumors becomes this. Both the good guys ''and'' the bad guys utilize this; late in the game, one party member laments not being able to tell what's real anymore.
* RealityWritingBook: A non-book example. Rumors become true if enough people hear about them (this is due to a demon dicking with humanity.) No writing needed, just word of mouth. Mostly this results in UrbanLegends becoming true, but at one point the player characters themselves take advantage of it.
* RedArmbandOfLeadership: The Nazis -- and their other-world equivalent, the New World Order -- both sport these.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: The metal knockoffs you encounter inside Xibalba/Ameno Torifune.
* RefugeInAudacity: Some of the Contact options: why is Tatsuya making motorcycle noises at that demon?
* RelationshipVoiceActor: TakehitoKoyasu as Tatsuya, AkikoYajima as Maya. [[GundamWing So, uh, Zechs? Why is Relena now your]] CoolBigSis [[GundamWing instead of your little sister?]]
** Also, Tekkaman Evil and Blade can potentially team up to fight the Nazis
* ReplacementGoldfish: The Masked Four were formed as [[spoiler:an {{Expy}} of the group that Jun played with as a child]].
* RetGone: Getting turned into a shadow-person by Joker causes most people to forget they ever existed, while they stand in one spot, eternally drowning in self-pity for not being able to pursue their dreams.
* {{Retconjuration}}: The ending to IS. The simplest way to make everything right is for the original Masked Circle to never meet each other.
* RevolvingDoorCasting: Igor is the only true consistent in the whole Persona series; while Philemon appears from time to time; he doesn't play a crucial role outside of ''Persona''.
* RippleEffectProofMemory: [[spoiler:Both Tatsuyas]] in ''Eternal Punishment''.
** The Time Castle guy in ''EternalPunishment'' is somehow aware of it when you use a rumor to make his shop sell and duplicate spell cards.
* SchoolNewspaperNewsHound: Chika "Chikalin" Ueda is a reporter for Sevens' school newspaper. She operates out of Peace Diner as a rumormonger. In the NA version of Eternal Punishment, Chikalin makes a habit of saying "[[{{Catchphrase}} Roger-dodger"]].
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: "Grab your asses and run!", "We'll wait for backup!", "You were lucky this time!", "I don't have time for you.", "[[FromACertainPointOfView This is an honorable retreat!]]"
* SealedEvilInACan
* SheIsAllGrownUp: Applies to the entire ''Innocent Sin'' cast, most notably Lisa -- who was often teased about her looks as a child, and grows up to be the most envied girl in Seven Sisters -- and Eikichi, who starts out as a pudgy, shy loser. This also applies to Maya, whose appearance has changed so drastically that no one from the party recognizes her.
* ShoutOut: The proto-[[spoiler:Masked Circle]] is a group of kids who love ''Phoenix Corps Featherman'' (a shout out to ''ChoujinSentaiJetman'').
* SmokingIsCool: Baofu celebrates his kills by lighting up. The Shiraishi Ramen Lady also has a ciggie dangling from her mouth.
* SoundEffectBleep: Ulala's rather... spirited speech. The bleeping is a bit inconsistent, though. It seems to pick up a good deal whenever it's a part of a voiced cutscene or a battle quote (main offender being the scene with the crazy stalker with a chainsaw in the television studio), but text-only scenes get away with only some minor SymbolSwearing.
* SpritePolygonMix
* StormingTheCastle: Done literally with Sumaru Castle.
* StoryReset: Technically with both games [[spoiler: With ''Innocent Sin'' where you play one protagonist and get the BadEnding and ''Eternal Punishment'' where you play the other protagonist and get the GoodEnding.]]
* StupidJetpackHitler: Somehow, the Nazis got ahold of [[SpiderTank Spider Tanks]], HumongousMecha, and a [[ShinyLookingSpaceships Shiny Looking Spaceship]] the size of Rhode Island.
* StylishProtectionGear
* SubliminalSeduction: The Satami Tadashi pharmacy jingle. As a returning character, Kei is the one who's been most exposed to the song and is greatly unnerved by it.
* SuicideAttack: Yet another dick move by some of the Nazi/Tenchu troops.
* SummonMagic: The Personas.
* SurferDude: The Aki Dude at Bikini Line.
* TakeMyHand: In ''Innocent Sin'''s Sky Museum, either Maya or Tatsuya will plummet from a ledge, only to be caught and hoisted back up by whoever didn't fall.
* TarotMotifs: Continued from the previous game, tarot symbolism is everywhere.
* TheUnintelligible: Zig-zagged with the negotiation system to some degree. Certain demons (in Eternal Punishment, it's the demons that talk about the cosmos or yog-sothoth) will talk about absolutely random things with the player having to give random responses that may or may not piss off the demon. However, in the terms of basic negotiation, what worked once is almost always going to work again when used repeatedly.
* ThereAreNoTherapists: Absolutely IGNORED. There's actually a very effective therapy clinic in both games that goes for a very cheap price and is so wonderfully effective that it's enough to [[BeyondTheImpossible heal physical wounds of any degree just by ''talking'' to the therapist]]. Needless to say, it does nothing for the gigantic buttload of issues faced by every member of the cast in either game. Just heals their wounds, yup. Gameplay logic has never been so [[FridgeLogic fridgey.]]
* ThisIsSomethingHesGotToDoHimself: Some party members have to complete some personal quest without assistance from Tatsuya and company in order to unlock more powerful versions of their Persona.
* ThoseWackyNazis: Who get resurrected alongside Hitler in ''Innocent Sin''.
* ToServeMan: The [[HumanPopsicle cryogenically frozen]] [[HumanoidAliens aliens]] inside Xibalba have been asleep a long time, and you look like breakfast.
* TomeOfEldritchLore: "In-Laquetti", a [[GreatBigBookOfEverything great big book]] of [[ConspiracyTheorist conspiracy theories]] ranging from Hitler's [[MysteriousAntarctica secret base in Antarctica]] to [[EvilAlienConquerors hibernating genocidal aliens]]. Naturally, releasing this book in a place like Sumaru City is...[[WhoWouldBeStupidEnough not a good idea]].
* TrainStationGoodbye: Inverted with Tatsuya and Maya in the ending. It's not a goodbye, but a greeting -- [[spoiler:only Maya does not remember who he is]].
* TheTriadsAndTheTongs: The Taiwanese mafia is prominent in ''Eternal Punishment''.
* {{Transsexual}}: Sumaru Gypsy, and a woman in IS who has Joker grant her wish for a penis.
* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Steering a hovercraft down the Amano River. It's a bit of a breather and not really difficult; you still fight random encounters and occasionally pick a direction to turn, similar to {{Final Fantasy VI}}'s Serpent Trench.
* UnreliableNarrator / SympatheticPOV: In ''Innocent Sin'', Katsuya acts more strict, as it's told from Tatsuya's point of view. However; he doesn't ''quite'' act the same in ''Eternal Punishment'', where the story is told from Maya's point in view.
* UpdatedRerelease and VideoGameRemake: With a few changes, including a cleaned up battle system, redrawn portraits, and a new Climax Theater mode.
* VerbalTic: The cashier at [-PEACE-] Burger speaks in an antiquated style of Japanese, a condition caused by a unkind rumor. The effect is [[LostInTranslation sadly lost]] in the English localization; there, they say she "talks like a ninja" but this doesn't really come across in text.
** Both the fan and official translations of ''Innocent Sin'' retains the effect far better by giving her speech a Shakespeare-ish dialogue range, which give the impression she is trying overly hard to be formal, which, given the limitations of the English language, is a fair analogue to the original.
* VictoryQuote
* VideoGameSettings:
** AbandonedLaboratory: Kandori's Science Lab.
** AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: In Nate's story path, you have to traverse one of these.
** AmazingTechnicolorBattlefield: The Great Father.
** BonusDungeon: IS has the Abandoned Factory, where enemies from previous dungeons can be fought again. The PSP port adds the Climax Theater.
*** The equivalent of the Abandoned Factory in EP is Kasugayama High School and the bomb shelter underneath, which was a storyline dungeon in IS.
*** Also in EP, the Giga Macho music store (another story dungeon from IS) and Mu Continent open up when you spread a rumor about rare demons lurking there.
*** The EX Dungeon in EP, available via NewGamePlus.
** BuildLikeAnEgyptian: The Taurus Shrine.
** DeathMountain: Mt. Katatsumuri in ''Innocent Sin'', and Mt. Mifune in the subsequent game.
** DiscOneFinalDungeon: Caracol and the Undersea Ruins, respectively.
** DugTooDeep / TheMaze: Kasugayama High's bomb shelter.
** FinalBossNewDimension: Monado Mandala.
** LethalLavaLand: The Leo Shrine.
** MinigameZone: At the start, Mu Continent is just a harmless arcade. It becomes a casino offering slot machines, a roulette wheel, and video poker after you spread a rumor. There's even an optional dungeon attached.
** NoobCave: Seven Sisters High School.
** PlayerHeadquarters: Kuzunoha Detective Agency.
** RandomlyGeneratedLevels: In EP, the Bomb Shelter is now a dungeon crawl and grows in size as the game progresses. It otherwise fills the same role as IS's Factory.
** RecurringLocation: Araya Shrine.
** ShipLevel: The cruise ship ''Nichirin-maru'', which happens to be the SupervillainLair of the NWO.
** TempleOfDoom: Caracol.
** UndergroundLevel: Oddly, Mt. Iwato is closer to this.
** UnderwaterRuins: The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Undersea Ruins]].
** TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: Xibalba in IP, and, Monado Mandala in EP.
** WhereItAllBegan: The [[spoiler:Naruato Stone in Seven Sisters High's courtyard]] is a portal to Xibalba. In EP, Tatsuya's friends are inexorably drawn to the [[spoiler:Araya Shrine]], the place where they first met.
* TheVillainMakesThePlot
* WarmupBoss: Principal Hanya in ''Innocent Sin''. At the start of ''Eternal Punishment'', the JOKER fetches a WolfpackBoss on you, which isn't quite as dramatic.
* WeCouldHaveAvoidedAllThis: Good freakin' ''grief''. [[spoiler: If everybody hadn't blocked out the perfectly innocent (if dangerous and childish) stunt they pulled on Maya Amano when they were little, then ''Innocent Sin'' wouldn't have played out as it did; and if Tatsuya could just have forgotten Maya ''again'', ''Eternal Punishment'' would never have happened.]]
** ... they thought that they had [[spoiler:''killed one of their most beloved childhood friends'']].
** And if [[spoiler: in ''Innocent Sin'', if Akinari Kashihara did not meet Tatsuya Sudou, and write In-Laqetti]], then maybe none of the problems in ''Innocent Sin'' would have happened.
* WeDidntStartTheFuhrer: Hitler in ''Innocent Sin''. He has the ''Spear of Longinius'', for crying out loud!
* WeaponOfChoice
** CoolSword: Both Tatsuya and Nate/Kei fight with two-handed swords. Ellen, an accomplished fencer, wields a rapier.
** GoodOldFisticuffs: Lisa and Ulala.
** GatlingGood: Eikichi's concealed [[SenselessViolins guitar case machine gun]].
** {{Handguns}}: Maya's [[GunsAkimbo dual pink Handguns]]. Katsuya brandishes a police-issue pistol.
** ImprobableWeaponUser: Yukino [[DangerouslyCloseShave lobs razors]], a clue to her [[ReformedCriminal reformed punk]] past in the original ''Persona''. Best example: Jun Kurosu fights with ''flowers''.
*** The other good example being Baofu, who throws coins at people.
*** More improbable: There's a scene with Baofu flipping coins at a guy with two machine guns, and HE gets the better of him.
* WearingAFlagOnYourHead: Chiropractor Tomi got his medical degree in the states and returned a hardcore Americophile. It's probably not humanly possible to be wearing more USA apparel than Dr. T. is.
* WhenThePlanetsAlign: The ultimate HarbingerOfImpendingDoom in ''Innocent Sin''
* WhenThingsSpinScienceHappens: The giant rings surrounding [[spoiler: Sumaru City]] when it takes flight.
* WhiteMaskOfDoom: Joker, the Masked Four, the rank and file in the Masked Circle, and (in ''Eternal Punishment''), anyone who becomes possessed by [[spoiler:JOKER]].
* WindIsGreen
* WistfulAmnesia: [[spoiler: In the [[NoobCave Beginning Dungeon]] of Innocent Sin, the gang cry in presence of Maya - their unconscious memories of her triggered the event. Also, what Jun, Eikichi and Lisa experience in the ending of Eternal Punishment.]]
* WordOfGay: A lot of this. The scenario designer, Satomi Tadashi, supports the pairing of Suou and Kurosu, and he even managed to ''change the character designer's own opinion of the pairing in one conversation.'' And let's not even go into detail about the drama CD, whoa baby. Baby chickens are a ''really big deal.''
* YouCantThwartStageOne: [[spoiler: The Joker/NWO manage to unearth their spaceship and release the SealedEvilInACan]].
** [[spoiler:[[TheBadGuyWins You Can't Thwart Stage Two]], either. (see entry for "The Bad Guy Wins")]].
* ZeppelinsFromAnotherWorld: The (supposedly) model blimp on the roof of the Sky Museum. The cutscene where it takes flight is a pivotal moment in both stories.
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