History YMMV / Persona

* Bittersweet Ending: Many endings within the series have the characters win, but there's often some tragedy and uncertainty as well.

** Whether the next ''Persona'' mainline game should keep the high school setting or take place in college/workplace (or just basically have all main characters be adults entirely) is up for debate with heaps of FanMyopia or ValuesDissonance. Same for whether to keep confining the main country location to strictly Japan or take place in another country entirely.

** Additionally, even among modern fans, there's a divide between those who like ''3'' and those who like ''4'' and/or ''5''. From a gameplay perspective, the former camp believes that the fourth and fifth games dumbed down the mechanics too much, while the latter camp supports the addition of AntiFrustrationFeatures and other improvements. From a story perspective, the former camp prefers the darker story and more focus on CharacterDevelopment in the story (e.g. having Persona evolutions be tied to in-story development), while the latter camp prefers the Investigation Team and Phantom Thieves being tighter-knit than S.E.E.S. was, and doesn't like the inability to do Social Links for male S.E.E.S. members in the third game.

** The need of a female protagonist. For some background, ''Persona 2: Eternal Punishment'', ''Persona 3 FES: The Answer'', and ''Persona 3 Portable'' are the only mainline ''Persona'' games with female protagonists, but starting from ''4'' onward, WordOfGod stated that the modern games are only written with a male protagonist in mind. This is supported by the majority of the demographic (per 2022 Atlus survey) being male. The fandom is split on this wish, especially with the female players, as ones that wanted a female protagonist in either the existing games or upcoming ones got tired of this reasoning and wanted something fresh in this subseries. They also brought up that the fact there are players that enjoyed the aforementioned three games (or rather the PlayableEpilogue for ''The Answer''; ''Portable'' is for specifically the female route) for various reasons proved that there is an audience for such protagonist in the ''Persona'' games. Those that are against this wish tended to bring up game development cycle issues as even if the gender choice were to be applied in a new ''Persona'' game and they were made distinct a la ''Persona 3 Portable'', the finished product would be very likely to have compensations due to time and budget (the same reasoning was also brought up against fans that whined about the female MC's exclusion from ''[[VideoGameRemake Persona 3 Reload]]''), which this camp feared would lower the quality. Related to the demographic, this side also brought up issues of alienating the main playerbase should Atlus tried to pander to the VocalMinority, which is a no-no in business.

** Except for the second and fourth games, where the names [[VideoGame/Persona2 Tatsuyu Suou]] & [[VideoGame/Persona4 Yu Narukami]] are virtually agreed upon, the fanbase tends to get into rather intense debates about the names of the protagonists of [[VideoGame/Persona3 Persona 3]] & [[VideoGame/Persona5 Persona 5]], although nowadays, it's pretty much universally agreed by fans to be ''Makoto Yuki'' and ''Ren Amamiya'' respectively.

** Except for the second and fourth games, where the names [[VideoGame/Persona2 Tatsuyu Suou]] & [[VideoGame/Persona4 Yu Narukami]] are virtually agreed upon, the fanbase tends to get into rather intense debates about the names of the protagonists of [[VideoGame/Persona3 Persona 3]] & [[VideoGame/Persona5 Persona 5]], although nowadays,s it's pretty much universally agreed by fans to be ''Makoto Yuki'' and ''Ren Amamiya'' respectively.

** Except for the second and fourth games, where the names [[VideoGame/Persona2 Tatsuyu Suou]] & [[VideoGame/Persona4 Yu Narukami]] are virtually agreed upon, the fanbase tends to get into rather intense debates about the names of the protagonists of [[VideoGame/Persona3 Persona 3]] & [[VideoGame/Persona5 Persona 5]].

** Additionally, even among modern fans, there's a divide between those who like ''3'' and those who like ''4'' and/or ''5''. From a gameplay perspective, the former camp believes that the fourth and fifth games dumbed down the mechanics too much, while the latter camp supports the addition of AntiFrustrationFeatures and other improvements. From a story perspective, the former camp prefers the darker story and more focus on CharacterDevelopment in the story (e.g. having Persona evolutions be tied to in-story development), while the latter camp prefers the Investigation Team and Phantom Thieves being tighter-knit than S.E.E.S. was, and doesn't like the inability to do social links for male S.E.E.S. members in the third game.

* FridgeHorror: The Social Link system introduced in ''Persona 3'' can easily be read as you deliberately cultivating "friendships" solely for the purpose of amassing more power for yourself. This is toned down in ''Persona 5''; most of your Confidants befriend you with the explicit understanding that you're getting some material benefit out of the relationship, and a throwaway line by Morgana indicates that he is aware of Social Links and has no issue with it.

** In TheNewTens, when both series achieved significant {{Newbie Boom}}s, fans of ''Persona'' have started to grow fond of ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' and vice versa, especially because both are some sort of RPG with a heavy focus on RelationshipValues. ''Persona'' series fans were particularly fond of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', given that it seems to take several hallmark elements from the ''Persona'' series such as the school setting, time management life sim elements, and TarotMotifs while seamlessly working them into ''Fire Emblem''[='=]s established aesthetic. It helps that both franchises are represented in the aforementioned ''Super Smash Bros.'' as of ''Ultimate'', and ''Fire Emblem'' fans and ''Persona'' fans alike welcomed the idea of the two series sharing a console once ''Persona 3 Portable'', ''Persona 4 Golden'', and ''Persona 5 Royal'' all became multi-platform. The series got additional respect from ''Fire Emblem'' fans once Katsura Hashino revealed that ''Persona 3'' [[https://www.dexerto.com/gaming/persona-director-reveals-persona-3-saved-atlus-from-collapse-2274054/ saved the series (and Atlus as a whole)]] thanks to their efforts to make it more accessible to mainstream audiences, which is exactly what ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' accomplished for its own series seven years later.

** In TheNewTens, when both series achieved significant {{Newbie Boom}}s, fans of ''Persona'' have started to grow fond of ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' and vice versa, especially because both are some sort of RPG with a heavy focus on RelationshipValues. ''Persona'' series fans were particularly fond of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'', given that it seems to take several hallmark elements from the ''Persona'' series such as the school setting, time management life sim elements, and TarotMotifs while seamlessly working them into ''Fire Emblem''[='=]s established aesthetic. It helps that both franchises are represented in the aforementioned ''Super Smash Bros.'' as of ''Ultimate'', and ''Fire Emblem'' fans and ''Persona'' fans alike welcomed the idea of the two series sharing a console once ''Persona 3 Portable'', ''Persona 4 Golden'', and ''Persona 5 Royal'' all became multi-platform.

** Though there have been spats of a FandomRivalry as noted above, the fandoms of the ''Persona'' series have started to grow tight with ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'' due to several similarities, especially with involving {{Fighting Spirit}}s.

* MorePopularSpinoff: The ''Persona'' games are the most popular commercially and critically acclaimed about of the whole ''Shin Megami Tensei'' franchise, specifically the games from ''Persona 3'' onward, with each new main installment surpassing the previous one in both sales and critical acclaim. ''Persona 5'' in particular has become Atlus's best-selling game ever, and its main character Joker is a [[GuestFighter DLC fighter]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''. It is to the point that during ''Shin Megami Tensei'''s 30th anniversary, it was pretty much all ''Persona'' content with the main SMT series barley even being acknowledged.

* MorePopularSpinoff: The ''Persona'' games are the most popular commercially and critically acclaimed about of the whole ''Shin Megami Tensei'' franchise, specifically the games from ''Persona 3'' onward, with each new main installment surpassing the previous one in both sales and critical acclaim. ''Persona 5'' in particular has become Atlus's best-selling game ever, and its main character Joker is a [[GuestFighter DLC fighter]] in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.

** There is also infighting with the modding community since the mods for the PC ports have become abundant. {{Game Mod}}s in general are subject to SturgeonsLaw, which is a different debate entirely, but what really caused this is a certain selection of mods that are perceived as virtue-signalling despite being, well, mods that players have to search and install themselves. For example, a ''Persona 4 Golden'' mod to remove all "cringy" events (school festival, hot spring, etc.) has managed to rile up fans that do not mind or even enjoy the scenes, accusing the modder of making the game unfun just to fulfil the needs of a VocalMinority. The ever-snarky modding community, meanwhile, mocks these fans in the community's own comfort, seeing said fans as degenerates that see these controversial Japanese tropes as normal.

** Poor Katsura Hashino has gotten the AmericansHateTingle treatment from the Western progressives thanks to some interview points becoming mainstream knowledge and the majority of that side of the fanbase hates the explanation. For example, take the reason why a female protagonist is not possible in ''VideoGame/Persona4''. The Western fanbase considers his reason to be moronic and can not even be justified compared to ''VideoGame/Persona5'' (a female Joker would not work with how the accusation background played out). In Asian countries, moving from urban to rural (or vise versa) is typically associated with males bettering their life in another place, either through school or work, as a sign of growing independence. Though some points sound questionable regardless, like how he views friendships between boys and girls (thus the male MC's Social Links in ''3''), this falls more on WriteWhatYouKnow than outright malice. The less said about sexualities, the better. Add classic FanMyopia and the fandom's desire to force Western views into other cultures, and it makes a frustrating cross-cultural discourse.

** Poor Katsura Hashino has gotten the AmericansHateTingle from the Western progressives thanks to some interview points becoming mainstream knowledge and the majority of that side of the fanbase hates the explanation. For example, take the reason why a female protagonist is not possible in ''VideoGame/Persona4''. The Western fanbase considers his reason to be moronic and can not even be justified compared to ''VideoGame/Persona5'' (a female Joker would not work with how the accusation background played out). In Asian countries, moving from urban to rural (or vise versa) is typically associated with males bettering their life in another place, either through school or work, as a sign of growing independence. Though some points sound questionable regardless, like how he views friendships between boys and girls (thus the male MC's Social Links in ''3''), this falls more on WriteWhatYouKnow than outright malice. The less said about sexualities, the better. Add classic FanMyopia and the fandom's desire to force Western views into other cultures, and it makes a frustrating cross-cultural discourse.

* ValuesDissonance: The view on the protagonist differs greatly between East and West, and this is one of the main reasons of FanMyopia regarding popularity polls mentioned above. In ''Persona'', the (silent) protagonists are designed as a SelfInsert, but this term alone differs greatly between the two regions. The Eastern fans simply see it as a way to role play as a defined hero like any other typical JRPG, with how they pick the dialogue choices and progress through gameplay or schedule being a reflection of these players. Since the point of these games is to experience the hero's journey, it is unsurprising that the protagonists tend to land first place in popularity in Japan and SEA. Meanwhile, the Western fans are [[BrokenBase divided]] on this idea, and consider a SelfInsert being a fully-defined character by the player, often bringing up character creators and even more personal projection. The protagonists having particular personality traits despite being a vessel for the players is often stated by these fans to be an indecisive direction and would rather just have a fully standalone character instead of as a player stand-in. So it is no wonder they have stronger preference for the supporting cast, whose character writing, compared to the "plain" protagonist, appeals more to the Western fanbase.

* FanMyopia: By simply existing on the internet, it's not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to ''Persona'' survey results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from ''VideoGame/Persona4'' (Yosuke and Kanji)]] and ''VideoGame/Persona5'' (Akechi and Ryuji)]] respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well as the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls (Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are “hated”) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] leave many feeling bitter that the preferences in other countries differs from their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend to react negatively when the [[SilentMajority quieter majority]] has different preferences compared to that of the [[VocalMinority louder minority.]]

* FanMyopia: By simply existing on the internet, it's not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to ''Persona'' survey results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from ''VideoGame/Persona4'' (Yosuke and Kanji)]] and ''VideoGame/Persona5'' (Akechi and Ryuji)]] respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well as the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls (Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are hated) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] leave many feeling bitter over the preferences in other countries differs from their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend to react negatively when the [[SilentMajority quieter majority]] has different preferences compared to that of the [[VocalMinority louder minority.]]

* FanMyopia: By simply existing on the internet, it’s not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to Persona surveys results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from [[VideoGame/Persona4 Persona 4(Yosuke and Kanji)]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5 Persona 5(Akechi and Ryuji)]] respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well as the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls(Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are hated) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] left many feeling bitter over the preferences in other countries differs from their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend react negatively when the [[SilentMajority majority]] has different preferences compared to that of the [[VocalMinority minority.]]

* FanMyopia: By simply existing on the internet, it’s not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to Persona surveys results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from [[VideoGame/Persona4 Persona 4(Yosuke and Kanji)]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5 Persona 5(Akechi and Ryuji)]] respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls(Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are hated) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] left many feeling bitter over the preferences in other countries differs from their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend react negatively when the [[SilentMajority majority]] has different preferences compared to that of the [[VocalMinority minority.]]

* FanMyopia: By simply existing on the internet, it’s not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to Persona surveys results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from [[VideoGame/Persona4 Persona 4(Yosuke and Kanji)]] and [[VideoGame/Persona5 Persona 5(Akechi and Ryuji)]] respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls(Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are hated) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] left many feeling bitter over the preference of characters in different countries doesn’t make their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend react negatively when the [[SilentMajority majority]] has different preferences in characters compared to that of the [[VocalMinority minority.]]

* FanMyopia: By simply existing on the internet, it’s not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to Persona surveys results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from Persona 4(Yosuke and Kanji) and Persona 5(Akechi and Ryuji) respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls(Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are hated) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] left many feeling bitter over the preference of characters in different countries doesn’t make their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend react negatively when the [[SilentMajority majority]] has different preferences in characters compared to that of the [[VocalMinority minority.]]

* FanMyopia:
By simply existing on the internet, it’s not uncommon to come across some salty reactions to Persona surveys results coming out of either Japan or Southeast Asia. Like how certain characters from Persona 4(Yosuke and Kanji) and Persona 5(Akechi and Ryuji) respectively for example, have essentially swapped popularities between Eastern and Western audiences, as well the Protagonist ranking first place in every poll. The character rankings, coupled with global fans misunderstanding the point of these polls(Such as mistakably believing the lowest ranked characters are hated) and [[ValuesDissonance regional differences between the East and the West]] left many feeling bitter over the preference of characters in different countries doesn’t make their own. Not surprisingly Atlus or Sega can hold polls in the West as well and fans also tend react negatively when the [[SilentMajority majority]] has different preferences in characters compared to that of the [[VocalMinority minority.]]

* FanMyopia: Anytime there is an unrestricted (bar language barrier) Japanese Atlus poll, the Western fans, especially the ''Persona'' fans, that got in the know will try to make it about themselves, which only got worse over time. Like it or not, Atlus' main demographic is still Japan and polls like this are simply market research to gauge product interest or discover product pain points, not necessarily to request a new game or missing features of a recent/upcoming release, even though a few games did come out as a result of polls (see ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2''). Even more embarrassingly, Atlus USA can also hold polls as well, which are where these fans' voices are more likely to be heard.