Games in the Persona franchise have always experienced a degree of Values Dissonance in the West due to their setting — despite having many fantastical elements, the series is set in a realistic and unfiltered depiction of modern Japan. But Persona 5 gets this dissonance especially hard due to its very intense and deliberate focus on examining and criticizing fundamental aspects of Japanese society and Japan's culture. While many aspects of the game's story still resonate with Western audiences due to its fairly universal themes of rebellion against corrupt authority, many of the finer details are lost in translation due to cultural differences.
- After being falsely convicted of assaulting a politician, Joker is sentenced to a year's probation. To most people in the West, this is a very light sentence; while it's certainly unfair to Joker since he was framed, it likely wouldn't haunt him for the rest of his life if he were American or European. But to the Japanese people, having a blemish on your record at all irrevocably tarnishes your name forever. Hence everyone initially treats Joker like he's a hardened criminal after his record gets leaked, and why he had to move to Tokyo just to find a school that would accept him after he got expelled from his old school. Though it's implied the reason Joker's case is so egregious is because Yaldabaoth is messing with the public cognition, forcing everyone who doesn't know Joker personally to see him as a dangerous criminal no matter what he actually does.
- The nature of Joker's arrest and the Kangaroo Court he was put through is also noteworthy. Many viewers would see immediate red flags at the fact that neither of Joker's alleged "victims" ever appeared in the news or even at his court trial. Along with the abnormally high conviction rates in Japan, there also exists a social stigma that automatically presumes guilt on the part of whoever was arrested merely for being accused of a crime, meaning Joker never really had a shot at proving his innocence. This also extends to how some of the more sympathetic adults like Sojiro and Kawakami initially treat Joker, with both repeatedly trying to pressure Joker to keep his nose out of others' business, although they come to regret treating him that way. Even though they slightly give him the benefit of the doubt, there's still an undercurrent of belief at first that he is still at fault for getting involved in a matter he shouldn't have.
- Sadayo Kawakami's romance is meant to be seen as taboo (which she takes great pains to remind you; she's more reluctant about it than the protagonist is), but in Japan, it's more of an issue of age than a Teacher/Student Romance. What's supposed to make Kawakami different from Kamoshida is that the student approaches the teacher, the affection is explicitly confirmed up front as mutual and consensual, and the teacher flat-out refuses to consummate anything until the student is of age. That still doesn't cut it with a lot of Western fans, who see a relationship between Kawakami and the protagonist as a huge Double Standard relating to the power a teacher has over their students.
- A common complaint from Western critics is that, despite the game heavily dealing with the nature of youth being misunderstood by the previous generation, the game has no Gay Option anywhere, even in the Updated Re-release with Royal, and not much in the way of positive LGBTQ+ representation — and in fact, being shocked to learn that the original release featured much less sensitive depictions of them. This is in part a fundamental misunderstanding of the theme, as while America, Europe and most other western countries heavily associate such issues with discrimination (which LGBTQ+ topics fall under), Japan is far more routed in social corruption (which the game deals extensively with).
- Ann's bikini shot during the Beach Episode creeped out a few Western fans, given that she's still a high school student. This echoes the reaction to the extremely-sexually-forward Shadow Rise's commercial in Persona 4. In comparison, there was almost no outrage in Japan, as fanservice featuring high school-aged characters in Otaku media is common.
- Illegitimate and adopted children in Japan face far more discrimination compared to many Western countries. A family's image and prestige holds a lot of weight, and simply being a bastard is considered an irredeemable flaw. Under Japan's "koseki" family registration system, discrimination against illegitimate children in family law situations was completely legal until 2013. Koseki is gradually becoming less relevant, but it's still a major aspect of Japanese family law.
- While the shame for having a love child exists in many countries, it's the crux of a plan to ruin someone's life due to the intense stigmas against it in Japan. Should Shido's relationship with Akechi come to light, it would put a swift end to Shido's political career and outright ruin his life (or at least it would've if Yaldabaoth hadn't been messing with people's minds so they ignore everything wrong with Shido). Akechi's mother and Akechi, meanwhile, have already suffered the consequences; Akechi's mother committed suicide because of the shame and stigma, and Akechi had to put up with living in a string of abusive households because of his parentage. And since Akechi's a popular TV personality on top of being a detective, that portion of his career would likely be destroyed if his status as a bastard child got out. All three of them have had/still have the right to be afraid of exposure. By the time Akechi reaches Shido's palace, however, he doesn't care about his own reputation being ruined anymore and just wants Shido to suffer.
- To rub salt into the wound, during a Confidant hangout with Akechi in Royal, he implies that his mother was a sex worker that accidentally got pregnant during a one-night stand. This means Akechi's background will most likely destroy his career if the public ever becomes aware of it. In that regard, Akechi has every reason to hide it, considering Akechi's birth was a humiliation at best and outright shameful at worst by the laws of "koseki" and Japanese society. Akechi telling this to Joker is meant to be a sign of intense trust, since he's trusting Joker with a secret that could outright ruin his life if it ever got out. In the West, while telling Joker something this personal would certainly be a sign of deep trust, being born to a sex worker wouldn't be seen as Akechi's fault. In fact, his refusal to be defined by his parentage (at least publicly), becoming a detective and celebrity in high school, would be seen as inspiring.
- There's a more positive contrast in the same game, but it's one that many non-Japanese players still miss. Futaba and her mother Wakaba would be in a tough position legally, but this is meant to make them and their relationship seem remarkable. A lot of Futaba's initial guilt comes from her belief that she drove her mother to suicide (due to a faked suicide note), with the other implication being that Futaba and the world around her thinks "of course a bastard child would do such a thing." As a result, Futaba ends up passed to abusive relatives who see no reason to treat her like a human being until Sojiro takes her in himself. Wakaba's genuine love for Futaba is meant to be astonishing - when Wakaba becomes pregnant with Futaba, she just takes it in stride and loves her daughter with all her heart, no strings attached. This is almost absurdly romantic for Japanese society. Sojiro's account of Wakaba and Futaba's relationship is meant to cement in the player's head that Wakaba absolutely did love Futaba and was a good person, all by itself. All of this still works to a degree in English, but the sheer impact just isn't the same, since single parents and children outside of marriage aren't uncommon in most Western countries.
- Japanese society's reluctance to intervene in cases of abuse comes up from time to time, particularly when one of Chihaya's clients talks about her abusive boyfriend, with neither woman considering reporting the boyfriend for his behavior. That said, people who abuse their partners, children or siblings are often targeted by the Phantom Thieves. Changing someone's heart requires unanimous approval from the Thieves, and the game seems to consider this the right thing to do. In the West, there is hesitance for intervention as well, but not by what the Japanese dictate. In the West, intervention is generally seen as trickier primarily because any involvement can (and almost always does) put the victim's health and life in jeopardy- not exactly a problem when you're messing with the target's head without their knowledge.
- Okumura is meant to ultimately be more sympathetic than many of the other targets. This is in large part due to how thoroughly he recants and apologizes at the end of his Palace and how he truly cares for his daughter Haru deep down, as well as the fact that he's assassinated on live TV after his change of heart. Unlike Yusuke's reactions with Madarame's fallout which arranges from anger to self-blame to denial, Haru's response for Okumura's assassination was nothing short of sadness and grief, indicating that Okumura only began to exploit Haru quite recently, and his biggest crime sums up as him being a really Bad Boss and using underhanded means (such as hiring Akechi to assassinate rivals) to further his business and political careers. However, his political venture and original sin is arranging Haru's marriage for political gain. Arranged marriage is still decently common in Japan (especially among the well-to-do), and the game still makes it clear that the situation is cruel and unfair to Haru largely due to the abusive nature of her fiancé as described later. However, the Western world would consider Okumura's actions horrendous. In Anglophone countries, the practice of arranged marriage for power's sake has become universally reviled, and it makes Haru seem like nothing but a bargaining chip (which Okumura's Palace emphasizes at points). Okumura's initial willingness to force Haru into a marriage with a man who is two drinks and a bad day short of being a physically-violent rapist puts Okumura squarely into the Kamoshida tier of villainy for many. (The conversation between Okumura's Shadow and the manifestation of how Okumura sees his future son-in-law makes it clear that Okumura knows fully well what he's doing, and doesn't care) Thus, Okumura's apology doesn't do much to mitigate things. It doesn't help that while the contents of his pre-battle "apology" might be true, it was used for the sake of getting the Thieves to lower their guard. Opinion might've softened on him if he had more time to follow up on improving his relationship with Haru and making her life better, but he isn't given the chance to do that. While in the Third term you do see Okumura genuinely caring for his employees and daughter's well-being, it's just a fabrication made by Maruki, so even though it might very well be what happened — at least for Haru — before then, it can still mean basically anything. So, a Westerner would probably still have trouble with Okumura, no matter what.
- Relatedly, as discussed in this video
, Haru's Arranged Marriage arc is a lot more relatable and relevant to Japanese players, as it comments on a practice called "Mukoyoshi", that is is still common in family-run Japanese companies to this day. (Many famous Japanese companies such as Toyota and Suzuki have remained technically "family-run" for generations thanks to this practice, and even a few past Nintendo presidents were examples of Mukoyoshi). - On the same topic of Mukoyoshi, another one of Chihaya's clients mentions being already engaged to his childhood sweetheart but that a client has offered him his daughter's hand in marriage and he's conflicted over what to do since refusing him might spell disaster for his career (as confirmed by Chihaya). This would be a non-issue in most western countries for a number of reasons. While considered a great honor in Japan, in America it would come off as a tasteless joke and call both the client's sobriety and parenting skills (since he never consults his daughter before marrying her off to a guy he only knows professionally) into question.
- Relatedly, as discussed in this video
- Joker having the option to romance up to four older women in the game while still being a high school student carries some dissonance between the West and the East. Ignoring the fantasy aspect and assuming that real-life laws carry over into the game's legal system, the age of consent in the Tokyo prefecture is 18 years old, and the game says Joker is 16. Despite this, while there's certainly a taboo aspect to all of these relationships — Ohya even cites how dating him would be illegal in her general confidant — it doesn't seem to carry quite the same implication in Japan as it does in the West.
- Relatedly on the subject of Joker having the option to romance older women, this game's "harem route" enjoys a decent amount of popularity in Japan, with a 2019 poll showing that 30% of respondents were in a relationship with all romance-able Confidants by the game's end, while 39% romanced only one. By contrast, just 7% of western respondents romanced everyone, with 69% dating only one girl. This may be due to the existence of the adult romances, or western fans believing Joker cheating on the girls goes against his perceived sense of justice.
- The deal with the Phantom Thieves legally buying their weapons as realistic toys. In Japan, nothing surprising. In America, it would ironically be more legal for them (except Joker, since he has a criminal record) to buy the actual guns than the toys, since all toy guns must be sold with an orange tip, or some other obvious marker that it's just a toy. The grenade launchers, on the other hand, are a question mark on both sides of the Pacific.
- Kawakami and Taiki Takase's relationship, her tutoring the young man who had to work three part time jobs after the death of his parents, is treated like a huge controversy (with her being criticized for giving more attention to him than her other students) when in the West, their relationship would be seen as inspirational. Ms. Chouno does praise Kawakami when she thinks she's tutoring the protagonist after school, but that may be because she has at least lived in the United States (she mentions missing California during one of her classes) so she understands western values more readily.
- The story doesn't linger on it, but the significance of Iwai's gecko tattoo doesn't tend to connect with Western audiences. In the West, small, personally-significant tattoos like his are common and don't usually create a fuss. Japan, on the other hand, frowns upon tattoos due to their link to the Yakuza, to the point where just having visible ink can get you kicked out of shops in some places and bathhouses will outright refuse people with any tattoos (some traditional places will also kick out foreigners too out of principle even if there is no relation whatsoever to the Yakuza). Irezumi, traditional Japanese tattoos (the kind that you'll see in every yakuza story ever), are usually designed to be hidden completely by a proper business suit for exactly that reason. That gecko shows that Iwai gave up a criminal life and then branded himself a criminal anyway, just to do right by his son.
- Japanese society puts a lot of emphasis on self-sacrifice for others, and acting individually, even if it's with good intentions or for something small, is seen as selfish and harmful towards group morale (such as women wanting to continue working after having kids instead of Quitting to Get Married and be a good mother and wife). This attitude explains why some of the characters are easily ostracized and believe that it's their fault: Haru feels at first she has no choice but to proceed with her arranged marriage because she accepts that she would be hurting her family and company's image if she didn't; the track team chooses to blame Ryuji for breaking up the team since he was the only one who actively rebelled against Kamoshida. A more positive example (which is still misunderstood by Western audiences) is Akechi's Heroic Sacrifice Death Equals Redempion scene, which was supposed to make his character sympathetic. Westerners generally see it as a defiant last stand - badass, but ultimately morally neutral. At the end of the game, if you completed the Strength Confidant, it's explicitly said that there are times when you must sacrifice your desires to do the right thing, like Joker did when he let himself go to jail to ensure Shido's conviction.
- Westerners might not realize Ann dealing with Slut-Shaming is more than just her being a pretty girl — it also has to do with the fact that she's quarter-white. Caucasian people are often made out to be exotic in Japanese culture, and one of the most common negative stereotypes Japanese people have of Westerners (especially Americans) is that they're very sexually forward. So while Ann being labelled as a slut by the students of Shujin Academy would be a bad thing in both the West and the East, Western players are likely to miss out on the racial aspect that's also being criticized with Ann's character.
- During one of Makoto's social events where she and Joker watch a violent action movie together, she asks Joker if he thinks it's weird that she likes action movies; saying it isn't weird gets you relationship points with her. Many Americans wouldn't think twice about a girl enjoying action movies, with some even encouraging it. In Japan, however, there's a much greater pressure for women to be "feminine", so Makoto's question makes a lot more sense in that context as watching an action movie could be considered a "masculine" pastime.
- Some depictions of what appeared to be the Japanese imperial flagsnote were removed from the Korean release of the original game due to political tensions between the two countries. Royal also had an unused scene (spoiler warning) meant for the first infiltration of Palace 9 in January where the characters wave small Japanese flags. Among possible reasons why the scene was removed may also include the fact that the game was also being marketed in China and Korea, and a scene like that probably wouldn't be received well (despite not being imperial flags).
- On a meta level, Atlus' Spoil at Your Own Risk approach to playthroughs posted online created wildly varying reactions between Japanese players and western players. Atlus decreed that posting playthroughs past a certain point in-game would not be allowed, and any videos caught doing this would be removed as soon as they find it. The Japanese players complied and avoided putting up anything past that point. In the west, however, Atlus found itself a victim of the Streisand Effect, with people putting up gameplay videos and plot synopses all the way to the very end of the game in defiance of the order faster than Atlus could take them down. This is due to the very different ways the two groups interpreted those orders: by and large, Japanese players saw it as "we don't want spoilers up because that would make playing the game a less fun experience" and were happy to comply, while American players saw it as "we don't want you to enjoy our game without first paying us" and went out of their way to defy it.
- Because deferring to authority is more strongly instilled in Japanese society, Akechi tends to be treated more sympathetically in Japan. To explain in depth, sympathy for Akechi comes from Japanese views on parental heritage as well as social positions. Akechi being born out of wedlock (and to a sex worker, no less) and the fact that Shido refuses to acknowledge him as his son is seen as highly shameful and a weight that he will have to carry for the rest of his life. Shido is also a person in a high position of power who can basically have Akechi killed or permanently ruined at any time, not to mention that respect for authority is rather strongly instilled in Japanese culture. Western players, however, are likely to see Akechi as more of a willing accomplice; Akechi knew what his hitman work entailed and was still willing to cooperate anyway, prioritizing his plans of getting close to Shido over the well-beings of several others, some of them probably innocent (such as the victims of the train crash apart from the targeted politicians).
- Westerners are much more critical about Maruki's counseling methods, often stating that he is a "terrible" counselor due to him primarily being a researcher. One example, pointed out by a counseling student, was that Maruki was leading the conversation and thus making it seem like he was interrogating; however, this is a common practice in Japanese counseling due to their hierarchical culture, where it is normal for the client to defer to the therapist for suggestions and let them lead the conversation. For Japanese players, they find Maruki quite likable because even with the aforesaid leading of the conversation, he comes off as more casual and honest compared to what is typically expected from a therapist in Japan.
- Hifumi's story arc includes a portion where she and her family are horrified about an article that was written about her difficult family situation. They're worried that their family situation becoming well-known will spell disaster for both her and her mother's careers. Coming from a disadvantaged background would gain her nothing but sympathy in the west since rising above in spite of difficult odds is seen as inspiring and not something to be ashamed of. Again, this is based on the west valuing more an individual's self realization and personal success over their social and economic background. Of course, it later turns out that this was actually the intended in-universe reaction; Hifumi's controlling mother released the story to the magazine in order to gain sympathy for her daughter in an elaborate gambit to use Hifumi's shogi career as a stepping-stone to make her a gravure idol (a model for skimpy outfits) like the mom wanted.
- Mr. Ushimaru's habit of Chucking Chalk at students for not paying attention, while a common anime trope, would get him in plenty of hot water as it's considered physical abuse by someone in a position of power over someone else, and gives parents excellent legal grounds to sue the school. It's especially hypocritical of him to continue to do this while the school is being put under scrutiny precisely over the abuse Kamoshida put his students through, which includes physical abuse of his athletes.
- Makoto's confidant story being about her friendship with Eiko and trying to save her from being exploited is poorly received and is seen as a weak confidant story in the West, but to the Japanese, Makoto's story with Eiko centers around the criticism to the Joshikousei Business, a type of compensated dating that often had the girls involved in this activity to be victims of human and sex trafficking in Japan; Makoto was trying to save Eiko from potentially becoming a Sex Slave.
- The results of annual character surveys conducted in Japan or Southeast Asia can seem rather baffling and disappointing to Global audiences from abroad. For example, Ryuji is something of a fan favorite among Westerners than with Easterners where he gets very little love in official Atlus polls and regularly ranks at the bottom with less votes compared to the other Phantom Thieves. This is because his loud and extroverted nature combined with his rough appearance, makes him come off as rude and annoying in the Far East, while the West tends to see these same traits as unique and endearing.
- Ryuji's Butt-Monkey status throughout the game, particularly during the infamous scene where the girls beat him up after believing that he had perished in Shido's palace, and making fun at them mourning his apparent death, is highly controversial in the West, and is seen as needlessly cruel, with many arguing that this status undermines his character as the victim of physical abuse, but in the East, this type of physical comedy is viewed as harmless. In addition, said infamous scene ranked fifth place in a Japanese poll as the most popular scene with that fanbase viewing it as the girls caring about Ryuji.
- In Persona 5 Strikers, one of the crimes Konoe confesses to is killing his abusive father in self-defense. Japanese laws are a lot less lenient with homicide in self-defense than most Western countries are, meaning the weight of this crime, and the fact that he will be punished harshly for it, would otherwise be lost on Western players. The English version changes it to sound like a premeditated (albeit sympathetic, as Konoe's father had murdered his mother and Konoe had very good reason to believe his dad would come after him next) murder for this reason.
