Funny / Persona 5 Strikers

S-So... So cold! W-why's it so c-cold in the summer?

The Phantom Thieves have returned, with a new nationwide crisis on their hands... but that doesn't stop the funny moments from rolling in and taking everyone along for the ride.

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General

• This game's rendition of a fusion fail. The two personae are put into iron maidens, which then explode. Lavenza doesn't give a reaction, remaining straight-faced even when a screw hits her on the head.
• As per usual, Ryuji's Butt-Monkey status makes him the ultimate target of misfortune:
  • On the Japanese cover alone, while everyone is striking a cool pose while fighting an enemy, Ryuji gets his face pummeled by a Shadow mook. The Western cover is redrawn so that the Shadow's fist no longer connects with Ryuji's face, however.
  • After six out of the Thieves indulge in the "Hee-Ho" event in Sapporo, Ryuji is called out and only gives a sheepish "hee-ho..."/"ho-kay..." as they leave. In the Western version again, he isn't specifically called out however as Ann and Makoto are equally bewildered by the rest.
  • The final section of each Jail is a Bird Cage with a barrier that invokes the Monarch's traumatic past. Touching the barrier is apparently painful and guess who gets volunteered each time? The first time it's because Sophie doesn't tell the group it would be painful and every time afterward, Joker volunteers Ryuji for the task. By the time of the Osaka jail, the gag finally comes to an end as either Joker will volunteer Zenkichi to do it instead or Zenkichi will unwittingly volunteer himself.
  • As with Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, there are certain scenarios where Joker has the option to ask Ryuji to do it despite the impossible outcome. One such scenario is getting past a heavily guarded gate and telling Skull to go for it invokes this:
    Oracle: And thus, Skull was riddled with holes...
    Sophia: Rest in peace, Skull...
    Skull: I ain't dead! And I ain't goin' out there either!
• Sophia's all-out attack pose when she's not the initiator has her trying to imitate Joker's with her comically oversized sleeve.
  • When she is the initiator, she holds herself in a Dynamic Akimbo that looks entirely less threatening than intended with her small stature and > < face, with the latter changing to "\\\ ///" as the explosion happens as if she suddenly felt self-conscious and started blushing.
• Sophia will occasionally say different sound effects out loud to describe her points, such as the process of travelling between the real-world and Jail being described as "SHOOWOWOWOW," sometimes followed by Ryuji imitating what she just said. Her deliveries in the English dub are incredibly charming.
• One of Zenkichi's post-battle lines.
  Zenkichi: They had their heads up their asses, what else can I say?
• Like in Persona 5 proper, many of Joker's dialogue prompts lean heavily towards trolling his friends, such as the options after Makoto states they should leave Alice's Jail and do some research before taking action.
  >Let's look into Alice.
  >Let's look into her victims.
  >Let's look into catching some Z's.
  Morgana: (yawning) Yeah, we should get some sleep- Hang on! You still have some investigating to do! Can we PLEASE get into that once we're outta here?
• When picking things to buy in Sophia's shop, she mentions the website where she can buy the particular item. Fittingly, most of Ryuji's weapons come from hardware stores or "Cosplay Post-Apocalypse", while Ann's whips are from "Call Me Queen".

Shibuya's Jail of Lust

• When Zenkichi is first encountered in a police meeting, while a coworker relays incidents that have recently happened, it turns out that among all the more distasteful and even gruesome stories, the last one, unlike the more grievous offences, is of the Director General of Criminal Affairs stripping naked and running around. Zenkichi's reaction is what one would probably expect, though frowned upon by someone supervising the meeting.
• Ann brags that she did much better than Ryuji in their exams because while Ryuji fails three of his finals, Ann only fails one.
• After Joker, Ryuji, Morgana, and Sophia manage to escape Alice's Jail, EMMA cheerfully welcomes them back as if they completed a fun event.
• Sophia's Establishing Character Moment. After appearing, she repeats that "[She is] a good friend of people (in the Japanese version)/humanity's companion (in the English version)", mistakes Morgana for a tanuki/raccoon, and bounces adorably when praised. Then, once in the real world, she disappears, so Ryuji gets the bright idea to call for her, while in a crowded area. Once she shows up on Joker's phone, Ryuji just gives up trying to understand her.
  • Naturally, Futaba geeks out when meeting her, especially when Sophia wants to "show her [Sophia's] code".
    Futaba: Ooooh, yes, yes, yes!! Show me, show me!
• When meeting Sophia for the first time, she calls Morgana a Japanese raccoon dog (tanuki), to which he yells, "Try a cat!" A second later, he corrects himself and says, "Wait, don't try a cat!" Ryuji follows up with, "Make up your mind..."
  • One YouTube comment summarizes that scene.
    You have become what you have sworn to destroy.
• Sophia then calls Ryuji a "skeleton", to which Morgana laughs at him. Then he says that he's still not a cat even if he looks like one. Joker has the option to tell off either one of them — for Ryuji, he can say "Calm down, Skeleton", and for Morgana, he can say, "He's actually a raccoon". Sophia is puzzled at why either of them are angry, while Joker facepalms.
  Sophia: Okay. That sounds nice, Joker. Along with the... cat, and the... skeleton.
  Ryuji: I'm not a skeleton!
  Morgana: Nyahahaha, Skull's short for Skullington now- Wait! Just because I look like this doesn't make me a cat!
• After finding out that Joker, Ryuji, and Morgana are looking for a way out, Sophia runs off. Ryuji warns her to be careful, only for him to scream, "We've already been found!" just one second later.
  • When the Shadows ask her what she's doing after she attacks them?
  Sophia: I'm helping the Phantom Thieves. Don't take it personally.
• When Joker, Ryuji, and Morgana tell the rest of the Phantom Thieves what's happening, there's a dialogue option for Joker to say that they were kidding. Ryuji calls you out on this if you choose that dialogue option.
  • Near the end of the conversation, Yusuke suddenly realizes that this means their trip is postponed and freaks out. He vows to take down the new Metaverse for that alone. Ryuji then points out that it's physically impossible to do that and suggests he take it up with the Shadows.
• When the rest of the Phantom Thieves enter the Jail for the first time, Panther brings up Noir's old codename, Beauty Thief. Without missing a Beat, Noir spouts, "My name is Beauty Thief!" while posing.
• When Ann brings up she previously managed to get a spot in the audience for Alice's next show, she points out that she could only reasonably manage to bring one other person with her. Without missing a beat, the rest of the Phantom Thieves turn their heads to Joker.
  Joker: (Inner monologue) I think I was just volunteered...
  • Happens again when discussing how to get around a wall in Alice's jail. The Phantom Thieves decide the best plan would be to have someone act as a decoy to buy Futaba time to hack. When questioning who should be said decoy, they all wordlessly turn their heads to Joker.
    Joker: (Inner monologue) I think I was just volunteered again...
• While investigating Alice around Shibuya, if you talk to Makoto, she's engrossed in seeing the new Like a Dragon film. One of the dialogue options you can choose is, "Are you slacking off?"
  • The English localization calls the film "Dragon: Like a Yakuza".
  • Ann also decides to eat crepes instead of investigating. The original dialogue options are either telling her she'll get fat or that the crepes will go to her boobs. She'll get huffy at the first one, but takes the second as a compliment.
    • In the English localization, you can say that hearing it alone makes your stomach burst. This becomes a Running Gag whenever you talk to Ann around food stands in the game.
  • At the Shibuya Station, you can have an optional conversation with Yusuke, who is worried — but not about Alice. He's worried that he can't concentrate on drawing in the heat and even mentions stripping completely naked doesn't help. Because he can't afford an air conditioner, he's been relying on water and salt. Then, he remembers you don't have an air conditioner either and gives you rock salt.
• Listening to the two arguing men near Iwai's shop after you finish gathering intel on Alice gives you this conversation:
  Brunette Young Man: Don't be so stingy... Do I seriously have to beg right now?
  Young Man with Hat: Yeah, beg me not to slap you in the face for being such a goddamn simp!
• Alice's freakout in the real world is obviously Played for Drama and Foreshadowing that you are dealing with a completely different threat from Palaces, but it's very difficult to take seriously when it consists of her abruptly bricking and the male talk show host fervently confessing to her, followed by Alice (literally) stepping on her manager like her Shadow does and lashing out at him in a rather public hallway. The fact that Alice is a grown woman and not a teenager just makes it even more outlandish.
• When they learn that their usual stores are closed and are stumped on what to do, Sophia decides to take matters into her own hands. How does she prove this? She asks Ryuji what he wants, and he jokingly says a gold bar. Cue a delivery man showing up seconds later, and in the box, they have an actual gold bar. Everyone naturally freaks out.
  • When asked, Sophia happily explains that she bought it with crypto-currency from a local vendor in a dark web. This causes everyone to freak out even more because they have no idea what kind of absolute madman would be selling literal gold bars. Worse, they still need to reimburse the gold bar.
    Sophia: I found an online vendor with expedited delivery. Time is no longer a concern.
    Futaba: But, a whole gold bar? Where'd you find that, the dark web?
    Sophia: Correct, Futaba. It's fine. I broke no laws. The transaction was made with cryptocurrency. I will send you an invoice for reimbursement.
    Morgana: We have to reimburse you!?
    Ann: Sooo... How much did this cost again?
    Futaba: At least a few million...
    Ann: !?
  • Eventually, Ryuji decides to tell Sophia to return it. In the Japanese voiceover, Ryuji tells her to "cancel that shit" but pointers go to the English voiceover for delivering this line:
    Ryuji: Send it back...
    Sophia: Sorry? I didn't get that.
    Ryuji: SEND THE EFFIN' THING BACK!
    • In the English dub, Ryuji gives the best Oh, Crap! line when he realizes he actually did order a gold bar.
      Ryuji: Hoooly shit... (high-pitched) What have I done?
  • The deliveryman's nonchalant but enthusiastic reaction when he returns to pick up the gold bar.
  • Or the fact that you can tell Sophia that she did a good job in getting the gold bar for Ryuji, which prompts him to turn to you with "don't praise her!"
• When crawling through a vent for the first time, Ryuji notes that he keeps bumping into Ann's legs. Ann threatens to kick him with her heels if he tries anything funny.
• While making your way to Bunkamachi, Yusuke points out that it has a giant ballet hall, and Sophia mishears it as "volleyball." The same joke happens again later on when Futaba asks Haru about doing ballet (a Continuity Nod to Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight): Sophia mishears it as "volleyball" again and Ryuji corrects her this time. In the English release, she instead mistakes ballet for "valet".
• Hasegawa is introduced to the Phantom Thieves when he stops a drunk salaryman from harassing the team and even knocks him out. The salaryman's subordinate then books it out there, and Hasegawa briefly loses his cool when he realizes that he's been saddled with the responsibility of cleaning up after the drunk man. He then gets the officer tailing the group to handle it.
  • The officer's reaction to Hasegawa casually blowing his cover and sticking him with the cleanup is pretty funny.
• The first time the team sits down to talk with Hasegawa, everybody at Leblanc is giving him the cold shoulder because he's a cop. Proper Lady Haru has her own way to do it, though:
  Haru: [in a perfectly cheerful and polite voice] Sorry about that - we just despise the police, is all.
  Hasegawa: [Sweat Drop] It's kinda weird when you say it with a smile like that...
  • This happens two more times: when the Phantom Thieves are at the Underground Passageway, Hasegawa approaches them, and this conversation takes place:
    Yusuke: The shady detective.
    Hasegawa: I'm PubSec, not just some cop detect- Wait, I'm not shady! Am I?
    Haru: (smiling) Yes, quite.
    Hasegawa: These kids are something else... Would you quit sayin' that kinda stuff with that smile on your face?
  • This is followed by this exchange after Hasegawa brokers them information about Alice's school:
    Hasegawa: This is a real-deal connection, here! Just be grateful and take the intel!
    Haru: (smiling) We're sorry, we just have zero trust in the police.
    Hasegawa: I told you to stop smilin' when you say that...
  • Even Sojiro is giving the guy the side-eye, basically slamming Hasegawa's glass of water on the table and delivering a stiff, backhanded "enjoy" before walking out.
    • The pettiness goes even FURTHER when, right as Hasegawa politely makes his leave and voices his intention to come back for more curry, Sojiro tells him it's been shelved for him specifically.
    Zenkichi: Now that hurts.
  • When Zenkichi reveals his position and rank at Public Security as an inspector is "nothing to sneeze at," Sophia logs this critical detail, briefly confusing him about where the voice came from.
    Sophia: Inspectors are not to be sneezed at. Okay, I've got it.
• After Hasegawa reveals Alice is their "senpai", Yusuke asks in an astonished voice if she attended Kosei High School. Hasegawa then realizes that Yusuke doesn't attend Shujin and corrects himself, saying, "Uh, no. Everyone's senpai but yours."
• The entire scene with Zenkichi discovering the Metaverse. After beating Alice, The Thieves decide to show the policeman how they steal hearts. Cue him freaking out over their costume change, Sophia coming to life, and finding that Morgana can talk, with the latter leading to extremely hilarious delayed reactions. This lasts up until he takes his leave, all while muttering about how he hopes he hasn't gone insane and hallucinated the whole deal.
  • Right before entering the Metaverse, Zenkichi is understandably skeptical of their explanation about their M.O. and casually suggests that they go and get tested for drugs.
  • We get this lovely gem from Yusuke as he feels nostalgic after seeing Zenkichi's reaction to the Metaverse:
    Yusuke: We all reacted similarly during our first time… (sighs) Such innocence.
  • Ryuji says what every player is thinking during the aforementioned reaction:
    Ryuji: Haha, it's pretty fun watchin' him lose it.
  • And another absolutely hilarious reaction from Sophie while Zenkichi's in the Jail:
    Ryuji: You holdin' up there, Gramps?
    Sophia: No need to worry. He is merely having a meltdown.
    Haru: That still sounds rather worrisome...
• While discussing how they're going to make the trips, Yusuke of all people offers to pay for the expenses. Turns out he won an award with a significant cash prize. However, Futaba immediately dismisses it as "snack money."
• When the Phantom Thieves tell Zenkichi their plans to get around Japan with a trailer, Zenkichi becomes concerned about how they'll deal with a mixed-gender party. Futaba says they'll be okay because the boys will be sleeping on the roof. Ann also mentions that if they try anything funny, Makoto will beat them up. Without missing a beat, Haru gleefully chimes in, stating that chopping wood is her specialty (or in the English version, boasting about her skill with an axe). This scares Ryuji.
• Before leaving Yongenjaya, Ryuji invites you out to eat ramen, with Ann tagging along. When Sophia wants to take a look at a large serving of ramen, Ann dares Ryuji to order more, as he had said earlier that he could eat 3 servings worth. They all decide to eat that much just for Sophia to see what the ramen looks like, and they later contemplate their life choices. At that point, Joker can declare that he's ready for another bowl, which causes Ann and Ryuji to both look at him in horror.
  • There's also an optional conversation between Futaba and Yusuke in front of the market before leaving, where Futaba orders Yusuke to limit himself to 500 yen for the groceries, while Yusuke wonders about whether salt is included.
• A couple from the boss fight with Alice:
  • Her reaction to the Phantom Thieves having found out her past is initially Oh, Crap!, but then becomes "Of course you found out..!"
  • As the fight begins, she claims to have "wonders" to show the party, confusing Sophie who needs Futaba of all people to point out Alice is spouting nonsense, and then Alice asks if any of the Thieves are dating, much to Ann's embarrassment.

Sendai's Jail of Vanity & Greed

• While in Sendai, the Phantom Thieves decide to try beef tongue, a local delicacy. Morgana is plenty excited until Sophia points out that the restaurant doesn't allow cats. During dinner, Morgana gets into a squabble with Ryuji over this and is overheard by Kuon Ichinose. Ann initially lies to her stating that they were the ones who were meowing and urges Ryuji to follow up with an unconvincing meow.
• Ryuji reacts very strongly to where the boys are sleeping for the night. Furthermore, they have to sleep together on the roof of the camper with Morgana in the midsummer heat, to which Morgana retorted he couldn't help that he's a cat, even though he's still denying that he's actually one himself.
  Ryuji: Man, it's gonna be as hot as hell with three of us AND Morgana, ain't it?
  Yusuke: Very true... That fur certainly won't help things either.
  Morgana: What do you want from me!? I can't help that I'm a cat! Not that I'm actually a cat, though!
  • When the scene cuts to them actually sleeping, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana are all loudly snoring while Joker is forced to sleep in the middle. Yusuke even wakes up because he wasn't satisfied with the way he was snoring, then immediately falls back asleep while somehow snoring differently from before. The narration blacks out mention that Joker was still able to get to sleep peacefully.
• Futaba brings up Haru's "Beauty Thief" alias during a briefing with Zenkichi. When Zenkichi asks what the whole "Beauty Thief" thing is about, Haru spouts, "My name is Beauty Thief!" on cue. Zenkichi looks exasperated and expresses disapproval that she would call herself that. The next morning, you can have an optional conversation with Haru where she expresses her embarrassment over her "Beauty Thief" nickname, saying that she's been going along with the name only because she looked up to that image and totally not because she thinks she's one. A second optional conversation has her saying that she is a college student and an adult, and therefore the name no longer applies to her.^note The original Japanese text for "Beauty Thief" is "bishojo kaito", where "shojo" means "[young] girl."
  • After Haru gives her explanation of the title, Sophia logs that Haru is the most beautiful of the Phantom Thieves while Haru frantically tries to correct her.
• During the briefing over the investigation of whether Natsume is a monarch or not, Zenkichi presents the group with tickets to Natsume's party to give them another opportunity to learn his keyword. Everyone, except for Makoto and Joker, take turns thanking Zenkichi for assistance, punctuating it by calling him "Gramps."
  Zenkichi: So, what do you think? Glad you struck a deal?
  Futaba: You did pretty good Gramps!
  Ryuji: Yeah, nice one, Gramps!
  Yusuke: I must admit, I'm seeing you in a whole new light, Gramps.
  Ann: Yeah, you really came through, Gramps!
  Haru: I knew we could count on you, Gramps-san.
  Zenkichi: C'mon guys...at least call me by my name...
  Sophie: Don't feel bad, Gramps.
• At one point, Ryuji asks what their Fantasy Character Classes would be. Futaba answers that Joker would be the hero, Makoto would be the fighter, and Morgana would be the mage. What about Ryuji? She assigns him the bard. Meanwhile, Haru suggests "company employee" for herself, while Ann tells her that they're talking about something entirely different.
  • Even harsher in the English version, where Ryuji gets named the Jester instead (an actual class in Dragon Quest III).
• The theme of Natsume's jail is lifted from his novel series, which itself shamelessly apes well-known tropes from JRPGs and manga. Haru, having never experienced either is completely at a loss and has to be given a crash course by Futaba and Ryuji.
  • Everyone noting how cliché — and sloppily written — Natsume's Fearsome Four are. The first boasts that he's the weakest, and because there are only three trials, it turns out that he doesn't have an actual trial of his own. Futaba immediately points out how "all over the place" Natsume's writing is due to these inconsistencies. Then the Thieves have trouble remembering his name when they fight him again and when he's mentioned by the second member.
    • Even better is the last one, an old man who boasts how appearances can be deceiving. Ann decides not to take him very seriously, worried that he might fall over with just a little push...until he starts acting like a Dirty Old Man towards her. She immediately changes her tune and decides that she's going to beat the snot out of him. Even when he loses, he's happy he got to ogle Ann, much to her frustration.
  • The entire dungeon is just filled with loads of clichés and Shout-Outs straight from things like Castlevania, Pokémon, Dragon Quest and JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It can go so outrageous that one really wonders how comically bad Natsume's plagiarism is.
  • The Jail's music feels like a parody of overly dramatic "Final Dungeon" music, playing up how the setting feels like one, when it's only the second Jail the Thieves are dealing with in-game.
  • Joker has the option of going full Chuunibyou and embracing the hero persona in his dialogue with the bombastically evil Fearsome Four. Even Ryuji gets weirded out by how far Joker takes the joke.
    Joker: (to Betero while acting in-character) You dare provoke a legend!?
    Ryuji: (baffled) Steppin' it up a bit this time, huh...?
  • A particularly silly moment occurs when the group encounters a Picasa guarding the castle's entrance. In Japanese, the Picasa prefaces its dialogue by saying the signature "Gogogogogogo" (aka "MENACING") Unsound Effect from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In English, it instead gives a dramatic narration about the "chosen heroes" arriving before addressing the Thieves properly, which Futaba is flabbergasted by.
    • This can be both hilarious and/or a traumatic experience for those who played Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey previously, as in the game in question Pisaca has an enemy-only skill called Bite the Dust which, just like in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable, turns the victim in a living bomb. Meaning a Pisaca can be that menacing.
• For the first Request, you have to return to the Shibuya Jail to seize a lost desire from a Shadow. Afterwards, when asked why it was left behind, Joker has the option to ask "Did someone pocket it?". Sophie is curious about pockets and looks down at Morgana with suspicion.
  Morgana: ...Hey, why are you staring at my pouches?
• During the Zunda Supreme request, you learn the password for the secret item from a man who tried to order it for his "honey pie". Since the entire request was Morgana's idea, you can ask him if he's trying to get it for his own "honey pie" (Ann).
• Upon reaching the birdcage, all of the Phantom Thieves figure that touching it will hurt but know they need to do so in order to progress. The conclusion? Everybody volunteers Ryuji (except Sophia, who volunteers herself in his place).
• Zenkichi tries to help a lost child by calling for backup, only for him to scream into his phone when they turn his request down. This ends up scaring the kid, who just walks off.
  Futaba: Ugh... The kid totally thinks he's a creep.
• When the Phantom Thieves decide on where they should place the calling card, Zenkichi points out they're planning on breaking and entering. How do they avoid getting caught? They make him do it.
• Shadow Natsume. While Shadow Alice before him is one big terrifying character, you can't help but laugh about him because of how ridiculous he acts.
  • The first thing that comes to mind is his Demon King outfit. Or "Demon King outfit", to be more accurate. It stands completely still and not even his hand moves at all. After you defeat him, it's revealed to be just a cardboard cutout that falls down the stairs. Much like his stripped dragon form, he's left in his bare red boxer shorts after his defeat. Observant players may notice in an earlier cutscene that Natsume doesn't move at all while talking to one of his Fearsome Four members, while the shadow representing the Fearsome Four is animated properly.
  • Before Yusuke sufficiently pisses him off and makes him break character, he continues to speak in overblown clichés, such as trying to claim that the Thieves are just as evil as him because they killed dozens of his demon brethren while invading his castle.
    Futaba: (completely deadpan) Wow. He's reading right from the handbook, isn't he?
  • His Nightmare Dragon Ango form makes this pose from JoJo during his transformation scene.
  • There are piles of swords scattered across the room, which you can toss at him to strike his Bless weakness. Should you decide to do this, Ango will proceed to give the swords some backstory.
    Nightmare Dragon Ango: These swords were once wielded by past heroes! Even in death, they continue to defy me!
    Ryuji: Yo, what the hell is he talking about?
  • One of the lines he spews out during the battle.
    Nightmare Dragon Ango: If you thought that was Agidyne just now think again... It was Agi!^ExplanationA Shout-Out to Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai, where Demon King Vearn boasts that his attack in one scene wasn't a Kafrizz (a powerful fire-spell; Dragon Quest's equivalent to Agidyne) but a comparatively weak Frizz (Dragon Quest's equivalent to Agi). Futaba calls him out on this being yet another ripoff.
  • Furthermore, the more you damage him, his golden plates get chipped off...until he's nearly naked and his red shorts bear out. If you look closely at his wings, they're clearly cardboard box panels duct-taped together like a cheaply-made cosplay falling apart.
• After finishing the Jail, before you leave Sendai, there's an optional hangout event with Futaba where she wants to take a photo of Yusuke in the standee in front of the temple. Futaba asks Yusuke to look "fierce" after multiple shots and he ends up glaring so hard that his critical-hit cut-in portrait flashes across the screen. Futaba ends up getting scared.
• There's a section where spotlights secretly shine and raise the alarm as well as cause an ambush to occur if you're in their line of sight too long. You can shoot them down with your firearm, which can lead to Noir casually shooting down spotlights with her grenade launcher.
• This exchange between Ryuji and Morgana during the Tanabata festival in Sendai:
  Ryuji: Speakin' of which, ain't those guys here yet?
  Morgana: It takes time for a lady to get ready. They're not unrefined apes like the rest of you.
  Ryuji: Who you callin' an ape? You're the unrefined one, ya furball!
  Morgana: Well, this furball's got claws, ya bonehead!

Sapporo's Jail of Gluttony

• During the investigation into Hyodo, Yusuke sends you a text urging you to meet him due to an emergency. It turns out he's just horrified at the sight of a canned drink he saw in a vending machine, a local delicacy consisting of pressed-out fish juice blended with milk.
  Yusuke: Who would invent such a monstrosity...? It seems Sapporo culture is not to be trifled with!
  Morgana: Sheesh, you got my hair standing up for nothing.
• Zenkichi gets a little insecure when he learns the Phantom Thieves confided in Ichinose. After Futaba calls him Gramps again he says he's as "fly as any of you kids," earning him some Visible Silence from Ann and Makoto. When asked by Zenkicichi to "at least say something," Joker can compliment his glasses or beard.
  Zenkichi: I don't need your pity!
• If you talk to Futaba before entering the Jail, she'll comment on a medicine she saw in a drugstore that "makes you feel stronger, last longer." She wonders how effective it could be in a Jail.
• While entering the Jail for the first time, a blizzard leaves everyone shivering. Morgana is unconscious with snot running down his face and snow piling on his head, and Sophia rolled up into a ball inside her sweater, both sporting Blank White Eyes. On the bright side, they beat the summer heat.
  Futaba: S-S-So cold!
  Ryuji: C-C-Can't see shit...
• One of the first things you might see in the Jail is the billboard of the jolly fat man being replaced by one of Hyodo, which leads to a hilarious Bait-and-Switch when it's revealed her Shadow looks nothing like the slender and pretty depiction of her at the entrance.
• The group seeing an army of Jack Frosts (or as Futaba puts it, a "hee-horde from hell"). When Morgana suggests heading back to reality to see what can be done, this exchange can happen:
  >Nothing we can do now.
  >We'll try again tomorrow.
  >Hee-ho!
  Sophia: Hee-ho!
  Futaba: Hee-ho?
  Haru: Hee-ho!
  Ryuji: Heeee-haww!
  Yusuke: Hee-ho!
  Ann: They're infected!
  Makoto: All right, good bit—now it's time to go.
  Ryuji: Ho-kay...
• Some of Mariko's demands for her wards are so outrageous it's hard not to laugh, such as ordering one individual to watch over flowers for 24 hours straight to keep them from wilting.
• When the time comes to decide how to send Mariko her calling card, Futaba suggests sending it to her office with a plate of curry. Ryuji shoots this down because they aren't a catering service before immediately saying it should be ramen.
• The wordless volunteering returns, as the group discusses who's going to place the calling card, they all turn to face Zenkichi.
  Zenkichi: No... Not again. Seriously?
  Ryuji: Thanks in advance, Gramps.
• The reveal of what Shadow Mariko looks like. Much to everyone's surprise, she is a few hundred pounds heavier than the real person to the point no one recognizes her.
  Ryuji: Sorry 'bout the wait! We're here to kick ass and- Whaaaaa!?
  Shadow Mariko: [while gorging herself on food] Silence, impudent whelp.
  Ryuji: Wh-Who the hell is she?
  Haru: That... That couldn't be... Mari-san?
  Shadow Mariko: [while still gorging herself on food] Mmm...
  Makoto: What on earth happened to her?
• After Ichinose tells Joker of there being a Maddice research facility in Okinawa, he informs the Thieves and Zenkichi about it. The Thieves react with the first thing they thought when they heard of Okinawa, until Morgana reminds them to be serious. Both of Joker's dialogue options has him join along with it by either exclaiming "Okinawa Soba" or "Sugarcane".
  Makoto: Okinawa!?
  Ann: Crystal-clear waters!?
  Haru: Shiisaa statues!?
  Futaba: Juicy pineapples!?
  Yusuke: Chinsuko cookies!?
• After you complete the Sapporo Jail and defeat Shadow Mariko, you have the option to take one of your friends on the Ferris Wheel. You can take one of the girls on the Ferris Wheel for a potentially romantic or at the very least friendly ride...or you can go with Ryuji, Yusuke, and Morgana. Who then awkwardly spends the entire ride wondering what the hell three guys (four if you count Morgana) are doing on a Ferris Wheel on a ride that is supposed to be romantic. The scene is made even funnier by Morgana bemoaning the fact that he could've been on a ride with Ann instead, as well as Ryuji awkwardly explaining to Sophia why a Ferris wheel isn't exactly the ideal place for "guy time". Not that the girl's dates are free from funny moments of their own, however:
  • If you invite Ann, Morgana will join you, and you can apologize for "third-wheeling" on their date.
  • You can tell Futaba you're actually on a date, or you can claim that the ride is family bonding time, which she jokingly chides you for. It helps that maxing out her confidant in the original game platonically causes the two of them to have a sort of brother-sister relationship.
  • You might gravitate towards Haru since she has character focus during this arc and had some pretty heavy Ship Tease in the original game with Joker. If you do, she tells you about a superstition about the Sapporo Ferris Wheel, that any couple who secures the one yellow gondola (the rest are all red) are fated to have a lasting relationship... and then she realizes that you're on the yellow gondola, and tries unconvincingly to make Joker forget what she said.

Okinawa's Jail of Sloth

• During the group's brief pit stop to Kyoto, they're introduced to Zenkichi's daughter Akane, who turns out to be a massive Phan-Girl.
  • While cooking with her, Futaba and Yusuke briefly fight about who gets to eat some of the curry next before Makoto breaks them up.
  • The group tries to awkwardly avoid hiding being flattered by meeting one of their biggest fans. Joker has the option to reveal their identities, but the rest of the group immediately shoots him a Death Glare while Akane assumes that he is just joking.
  • Akane runs a popular livestream where she acts out as the thieves. She does a Large Ham impression of Joker, which the others find to be uncanny. Joker can get offended by this.
  • And then things get really awkward when it's revealed that Akane has a Precocious Crush on Joker.
• When the gang heads to Okinawa, Futaba demands Ryuji kneel on the ground... so she can stand on him (while Morgana's on her head) and recreate a movie reference she's always wanted to do.
  Futaba: Feast your eyes on the splendor that is the classic movie poster pose! (starts singing) And I...♪
  • Afterwards, she gets in trouble with a crew member for her dangerous stunt, to which Zenkichi sounds completely done with the group's antics.
    Zenkichi: You guys are... so stupid...
  • Due to their weird pose, Haru compares them to an impersonation of The Bremen Town Musicians instead of the iconic pose from Titanic.
• While swimming underwater, Yusuke makes his signature finger frame while observing Makoto, only to be distracted by a lobster he passes by, almost drowning in the process.
• Joker takes his phone underwater to let Sophia see the fish, where she uses the camera app icon to act as a real camera. It's as funny as it is cute.
  • Fans have joked that the new ultimate power Joker now possesses is the ability to submerge a phone several feet underwater without damage^note Sophia confirmed that Joker's phone was waterproof before they started got in the water.
• When the group is finished swimming at the beach, they cover up a sleeping Zenkichi in a mound of sand (that seems to be molded like the Birth of Venus). It takes him a few minutes to realize it after he wakes up, where he angrily yells that he's going to arrest the gang for their antics as they run away. On a side note, he did say it was some detailed work.
  Zenkichi: Whoa. Well, it's some detailed work...
  (Everyone laughs until Zenkichi starts to come out of the sand as they make Oh, Crap! faces and run away)
  Zenkichi: ...for a bunch of DAMN KIDS! Get back here! You're all under arrest!
  • Sophia later reveals she took pictures of Zenkichi in the sand, to which the inspector begs for her to delete with a panicked expression.
• Ryuji's ingenious idea of hiding from the EMMA-crazed Okinawa followers is to stand in plain sight while holding up two palm leaf branches at their stems to cover his face. Granted, he was in the bushes behind the other Thieves, but the way he parts them with a goofy look on his face in the cutscene is hilarious.
• When the gang and Zenkichi enter the Okinawa jail, a destroyed/run-down laboratory, Makoto starts to get scared. When she tries to deny it, a loud bang is heard and she clings to Joker's leg as she cries out for her sister. A confused Zenkichi wonders aloud if they have that kind of relationship, to Makoto's embarrassment.
  • Made funnier by the source of the noise. An empty can falls to the floor.
    Ryuji: Screw you too, can! Huh?
    Makoto: I'msosorryI'msosorry... Where are you, Sis? I'msosorryI'msosorry...
• Zenkichi decides to stay behind at the jail's entrance since he doesn't have the means to fight the shadows while muttering to himself if entering the Metaverse again really has gotten to his sanity.
• Ryuji tries to reassure Sophie by telling her to not overthink things.
  Morgana: He's right, you know. Our expert on not thinking gives some pretty good advice there.
  Ryuji: Yeah! Listen to the- Hey, shut up!
• After clearing the Jail, talk to Ryuji and he'll tell you that he bought some pork/egg onigiri to share with everyone. Morgana thanks him, only for Ryuji to sheepishly realize he forgot to get some for him too.
  Morgana: YOU WHAT?!
  • Talking to Ryuji again has him apologetically offer to share half of his onigiri with Morgana, only to be met with the latter's disgruntled reaction.

Kyoto's Jail of Wrath

• Haru ends up being the next Maya Amano after Makoto is forced to let her take over on driving the camper van to Kyoto. Let's just say the Thieves (bar Sophia for obvious reasons) ended up being traumatized in the aftermath.
  Zenkichi: Whoa, speak of the devil—Uh...Well you guys got here quick.
  Ann: (visibly hyperventilating) I thought we were gonna die...
  Futaba: I think we already did...my soul’s barely tethered to my body.
  Ryuji: Urp—gonna puke...
  Zenkichi: O...kay?
  Yusuke: My apologies, Haru, but I request you steer clear of the driver's seat from now on. I only have so many lives left...
  Morgana: (meows weakly)
  Sophia: (phone beep) Meowgana's unconscious. Wake him up.
  Zenkichi: Hey, Okumura, what happened?
  Haru: Um, I was just driving normally...I think.
  (sweatdrops all around, as if to say "You call THAT driving normally?")
  • Unlike the other Thieves, Makoto has had prior experience seeing Haru drive, and has been refusing to let her drive and overworking herself the entire trip because she knows what will happen if Haru takes the wheel. The only reason she lets Haru drive is because she's too fatigued to drive safely and Haru's the only other qualified driver. As such, when Haru gets behind the wheel, Sophia notes that Makoto is looking paler than normal.
    Haru: (giggles) I think I'll be just fine. In fact, I have a special technique that'll make your head spin.
    Futaba: Uh, is she okay? I'm gettin' a bad feeling about this...
    Joker: Just drive safe./What's this "technique"?/We're in your hands.
    Makoto: Um, so I've never really told you guys this... But the moment Haru's hands touch the wheel...
    Haru: Get ready to shift into overdrive!
    (Scene cuts to black as Haru starts the engine. Cue the other Thieves screaming in terror)
  • To put in perspective how fast she was driving, she drove from Fukuoka all the way to Kyoto, which is normally an 8+hour drive covering approximately 400 miles (or 600 kilometres). All in the same day. And that's not including the wrong turn Haru took into Osaka on their way there.
    Ann: Whew... The room finally stopped spinning.
    Morgana: (sounding nauseous) You have a very, uh... "unique" way of driving, Haru.
    Haru: Why, thank you, Mona-chan.
    Futaba: She really shouldn't take it as a compliment...
  • After Zenkichi notes that the possibility of a jail in Osaka, Sophie then informs the group that she did detect one while they were on the road. How did she find out? Because Haru made a wrong turn into Osaka on the way to Kyoto, and when Sophia tried to tell them, the Thieves didn't hear her because of Haru's manic driving and the team were screaming their heads off during it.
    Ryuji: Sophia, you shoulda spoken up!
    Sophia: I did speak up. But you guys were too busy to listen.
    Ann: Er, if it was when Haru was driving...
    Yusuke: Then we were likely too busy screaming for our lives...
    Haru: Hm?
  • The camper icon on the "new area" transition screen goes BERSERK when Haru's behind the wheel, doing several backflips and a 720-degree cartwheel as it moves to Kyoto.
• The Hot Spring scenes now return, with Makoto making a cut-in that usually triggers when she's hitting a weakness, followed by the girls beating the boys using the All-Out attack voice clip.
  Makoto: No excuses! (Beats up the men and Morgana) FIST OF JUSTICE!
  • To make things funnier, this is the same place that S.E.E.S. visited a long time ago, and once again, the boys are on the receiving beat down from the Student Council President.
• When the group discusses what to do with Akira Konoe to bring Owada to justice, Joker suggests kidnapping Akira.
  Zenkichi: C'mon, I can do that on my own— Wait, like hell I can! That's illegal!
• There's a brief stealth mission with Zenkichi before he gains his Persona thus can't fight Shadows or do cool Phantom Thief moves like the Phantom Dash. He awkwardly power jogs between cover points.
• The scene where Zenkichi awakens Valjean is, for the most part, badass. Immediately afterwards, however...
  Zenkichi: What the- What happened to my clothes!?
• When exploring the Kyoto Jail, there's a puzzle involving Fox statues in order to continue. After defeating the boss shadow for the first one, Yusuke^note Whose codename is Fox notices that the eyes to the "Fox" statue lit up. Sophia proceeds to stare at Yusuke while humming suspiciously, only for Yusuke to correct that he's not referring to himself.
• During the boss fight against "My Dear Joker", Futaba realizes he and the other copies have all of the team's moves, and get this little gem from her:
  Futaba: Even their attacks are exact copies! Talk about copyright infringement!
• In a Black Comedy moment, Zenkichi, who has no idea how Shadow Selves work, naturally thinks that Akane dies when her Shadow Disappears into Light. He screams at the top of his lungs... and Morgana and Ann then explain that this is natural.
  Zenkichi: (incredulous) You guys could have mentioned that sooner?

Osaka's Jail of Pride

• When the party finds the first prison keep, Zenkichi notes that the entrance is blocked by one of the gun-mounted cameras. You are given a set of options to choose from on what to do. One of these choices is to tell Skull to run through the light for the team.
  Futaba: And thus, Skull was riddled with holes.
  Sophia: Rest in peace, Skull.
  Ryuji: I ain't dead! And I ain't going out there either!
• The moment Zenkichi touches Konoe's birdcage to find out about Konoe's trauma is expected to be serious, but when he comes into contact with Konoe's birdcage:
  Ryuji: Don't go cryin' on us, Gramps...
  Zenkichi: Huh? (touches the Birdcage) GYAAAAAAH!
  Futaba: Oof, listen to that wolf howl.
  Yusuke: I've heard stories of cries that could shake the heavens. Could this be one of them? It's almost operatic.
  Ryuji: You guys don't even know, man. That shit seriously hurts!
  • Once they hear Konoe's past, Futaba decides to comfort Zenkichi after the pain he experienced. In her own way.
    Futaba: There, there. Good boy. Who's a good wolf?
    Zenchiki: What am I, your pet!? Yeesh, you guys coulda warned me about that.
    Ann: Well, it's not like you asked... Ahaha.
    Sophia: I feel like I've heard that excuse before...
    Ryuji: Yeah, from yourself.
• During a group meeting, everyone realizes that Yusuke is the only one who doesn't share any info on the table. As it turns out, Yusuke has fallen asleep, while leaning against the RV.
  Ann: ...Hey, is it just me, or has Yusuke not said a word since we got back?
  Yusuke: (snoring) ......Zzz...
  Futaba: Wow... Out cold and still standing...
  Ryuji: Dude's got all sorts of weird talents...
• Konoe's calling card. Zenkichi wrote that thing and it almost looked like a legal arrest warrant, so Konoe wasn't particularly bothered by it. However, when he asks EMMA about the Phantom Thieves' status, it starts to just ignore him... and he chucks the phone out of rage. Doubly funny if you recognise that EMMA repeatedly gives a standard "I can't answer that, please ask another question" statement given by real-life virtual assistants if you ask them a strange question or they can't interpret what you're saying, especially with users of SIRI considering her voice actress.
• The scene that occurs after Konoe's Calling Card was revealed to be written by Zenkichi, and the Phantom Thieves criticize him for wording it like a legal arrest warrant. Futaba even tells him "We'll show you how to write a calling card with style next time!"
  • During the announcement, Skull messes up his line and ends up saying "baking" instead of "taking" the Desires. Not going to let him forget about it, Haru teases him for it.
    Haru: We're baking them! (giggles)
  • The announcement also gets off to a bit of a false start, as Zenkichi has to be coached through talking into the mic. On a hot mic. On a blimp soaring over Osaka.
• Konoe's boss fight starts with him in a mech suit... Which Ryuji immediately lampshades.
  Ryuji: "Aw come on! He's got a mech?!"
  • Really, Ryuji spends half the fight being either overly impressed with or freaking out about the mech.
    Konoe: Let fall the hammer of justice!
    Ryuji: Shit, he's even got a rocket pu—
    Makoto: Skull! Get out of the way!
• Both Tenboto Tower dates:
  • If Joker goes with the girls, Sophia asks him which of the four girls will he date. This piques the girls' interest and Joker is not getting away that easily, leaving Sophia to wonder why her innocent question causing everyone to become heated.
  • Apparently Futaba is being an influence on Sophia. If Joker went with the guys, Sophia would make Joker, Morgana, and Ryuji reenact the Titanic scene that Futaba asked them to do in Okinawa, apparently, for no other reason but for Sophia's own amusement.

Tokyo's Jail of Envy

• After learning that EMMA plans to become a god, right before heading up the Tree of Life, the Phantom Thieves briefly joke about how the gods are probably mad at them now, since this is the second or third (potentially even fourth) time they've fought one.
  Haru: Here we go again... I wonder if the gods hate us by now.
  Yusuke: Indeed. To directly oppose yet another god... I suspect our karma's run deep down the drain.
  Futaba: I don't know if we can even afford to pay for all these sins.
  Zenkichi: Eh, it just depends on who you cheesed off. I wouldn't sweat it over some megalomaniacal app.
• Remember back in Sapporo when Sophie curled up with blank white eyes due to the cold? If you return to the RV, she's in that same position again. Likely due to not having space to stand up, but the fact that it reuses that model makes it look like she's internally freaking out.
  • Just the Phantom Thieves all crammed in the RV in full Metaverse attire makes for a hilarious visual in general, as if they're going to stroll into a convention later. You can also still cook food inside, giving the impression of Joker cooking in his full Phantom Thief attire.

Epilogue

• After the final boss is finally defeated, Zenkichi parts ways with the gang.
  Zenkichi: See you, Phantom Thieves- Or, no...you damn kids.
• Much like the finale of the original game, no one remembers the events which took place at the radio tower. Ryuji laments that they don't get any recognition for saving the world and imagines having fangirls Squee over him. The player can indulge him in a dialogue prompt.
  >I hear ya there.
  >OMG, it's Ryujiii!
  >I get enough of that already.
  Ryuji: Not you! And your acting's awful!
  • If the player agrees with Ryuji, Ann subjects them both to her terrible acting out of pity.
    Ann: Eeeee! Joker! Skull! You're sooo cool!
    Ryuji: Yeeeah... Y'know what? Never mind.
    Ann: [Huff] And why's that?!
  • Alternatively, you can choose the third dialogue option to make Ryuji jealous.
    Ryuji: Screw you! Mister Superstar over here! The girls in your hometown prolly go crazy for ya, don't they?
• The Phantom Thieves hold a celebration in Joker's old room, where in soon becomes apparent that the latter is set to return home the following day. Not wanting the party to be a downer, Ryuji challenges Yusuke to a soda-chugging contest on the spot.
  Yusuke: Such idiocy... To think you could consume more than I!
  Ann: Hey! You'd better not spill any of that!
  [Fade to Black]
  Ryuji: *cough* Hrghk! Bleeyagh!
  Yusuke: Hrrglph! Blorgh! *cough*
  Morgana: You idiots! Augh, you got soda all over my furrrrr!
  Ann: *sigh* Not exactly the celebration I'd planned...

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