History YMMV / Persona4

** Not to mention the fact that Yosuke's almost constantly wearing his headphones, even in school (to the point where a scene in Arena points him out as "the one wearing headphones", implying he is the only one that does this) where most schools wouldn't allow that unless someone has an accommodation. That plus his impulsivity and sensitivity to rejection could easily be read as ADHD.

* AlternativeAesopInterpretation:

''VideoGame/Persona4''

** The murderer's identity has become one of these, mainly due to it being very difficult to discuss the character without revealing this, and the character appearing as a DLC playable fighter in ''VideoGame/Persona4ArenaUltimax'' with a moveset that makes no attempt to hide their psychotic nature. It doesn't help that the murderer ended up becoming a fairly popular meme both within and [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bitches-and-whores outside]] the fandom.

* ContestedSequel: While on its own, ''Persona 4'' is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest [=RPGs=] of all time, it's story element is admittedly controversial within the ''Persona'' fandom as a whole. Persona 4's lower-stakes plot and LighterAndSofter tone (with a stronger emphasis on funny and heartwarming moments) are either a breath of fresh air in a genre that's oversaturated with dark "save the world" plots, or a little too light for its own good compared to the darker stories present in Persona 1 - 3 and VideoGame/Persona5 (but in Persona 4's defense, it does tackle a good number of heavy topics in a serious light, which makes it mature in its own way). As such, while Persona fans and RPG fans rightfully praise Persona 4 as a must-play for any RPG player, there are others who make the argument that Persona 4's lighter tone can make it feel like a Persona game InNameOnly.

* EvenBetterSequel: The gameplay is ''miles'' better than its predecessor. Most notably [[ArtificialStupidity not having to wrestle with uncooperative ally A.I. in battle]]. Ironically, the Portable remake of ''Persona 3'' had a number of refinements that were directly inspired by ''Persona 4'', including the ability to instruct your teammates.

* FandomRivalry: Between fans of ''Persona 4'' and fans of the other games, especially the first two, who feel that this game is overrepresented in spinoffs due to being AdoredByTheNetwork. There's also the rivalry with ''Persona 3'' over which game has the superior tone and cast, with ''3'' fans claiming ''4''s of being childish and shallow and ''4'' fans accusing ''3''s of being insufferable due to their issues.

** The rest of the Investigation Team may not be as bad as Yosuke and Chie in the JerkAss department, but they still have their moments, like Kanji and (potentially) Yu coercing the girls into competing in the beauty pageant, the infamous Amagi Inn scene, and the times they took swipes at Kashiwagi and Hanako for their looks (though the latter case is more forgivable given that Kashiwagi and Hanako aren't exactly pleasant people themselves). Another point against them is their tendency to make short-sighted decisions that end up causing more problems.

*** I'M GOING [[{{Pun}} BEARZERK!!!!!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Teddie's English dialogue is full of {{Incredibly Lame Pun}}s.[[/labelnote]]

*** I'M GOING [[IncrediblyLamePun BEARZERK!!!!!]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Teddie's English dialogue is full of {{Incredibly Lame Pun}}s.[[/labelnote]]

* FanMyopia: Like the popularity polls result for ''VideoGame/Persona3 Portable'', and ''VideoGame/Persona5 Royal'' respectively, the character poll results from Asia (Such as Japan, China, South Korea and Southeast Asia) of this game caused both confusion, and disappointment among Global fans. For example, Yousuke and Kanji’s popularities essentially differs between Eastern and Western audiences, combined with Yu ranking as number one in every survey. This is likely because of a [[ValuesDissonance regional dissonance]], as other countries around the world have a different view on what is considered normal vs unusual.

* SpecialEffectFailure: Any time the protagonist watches the Midnight Channel and sees something, the camera zooms in on the TV with the screen in the centre. While it looks fine on a smaller resolution and a smaller screen like the PlayStation 2 and Vita have, the modern rereleases with their much higher resolutions make it obvious that the TV and everything surrounding it is actually a low-resolution, pre-rendered overlay while the content of the TV is rendered in real-time.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game never released to poor reception and became an almost ''instant'' CultClassic (Faster than ''VideoGame/Persona3'' did at least), it still was overlooked by some simply because it was a Platform/PlayStation2 game released in 2008-200''9'' depending on where you lived in the world. By then, a lot of players simply weren't expecting anything new on the PlayStation 2 other than cheap licensed cash-ins. The AnimatedAdaptation and ''Persona 4 Golden'' allowed it to ascend past its CultClassic status.

* SpecialEffectFailure: Any time the protagonist watches the Midnight Channel and sees something, the camera zooms in on the TV with the screen in the centre. While it looks fine on a smaller resolution and a smaller screen like the Playstation 2 and Vita have, the modern rereleases with their much higher resolutions make it obvious that the TV and everything surrounding it is actually a low-resolution, pre-rendered overlay while the content of the TV is rendered in real-time.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game never released to poor reception and became an almost ''instant'' CultClassic (Faster than ''VideoGame/Persona3'' did at least), it still was overlooked by some simply because it was a Platform/PlayStation2 game released in 2008-200''9'' depending on where you lived in the world. By then, a lot of players simply weren't expecting anything new on the Playstation 2 other than cheap licensed cash-ins. The AnimatedAdaptation and ''Persona 4 Golden'' allowed it to ascend past its CultClassic status.

* GameBreaker:
** Chie, in ''Golden'', as she gets Apt Pupil and Auto-Tarukaja. Her Black Spot and Rainy Death skills both have a 35% Critical Hit rate, the highest in the game, and with Apt Pupil and Rebellion, it reaches a 70% Critical Hit rate. By spamming critical hits, Chie can trivialize entire encounters. The only problem is that Rainy Death is only around for 3 levels before God's Hand comes along, which is arguably still game-breaking.
** By endgame, the amount of damage that Kanji can deal out is ''ridiculous''. Combining increased attack using Matarukaja with doubled physical damage using Power Charge, especially if another party member has access to Marakunda for defense decreasing on the opponent, Kanji using Primal Force can dish out damage well above ''2,000 HP''.
** The infamous "autoleveling" trick -- if you equip a Persona that nulls physical attacks and fight a group of Great Kings, they'll continuously summon {{Mooks}}. The trick? Attack a Mook once, turn on Rush mode and leave the game running overnight, and wake up to a godlike EXP reward. This was {{Nerf}}ed in ''Golden'', where after summoning a few {{Mooks}}, it'll start tossing Megidola until it runs out of SP and will keep casting it, forcing you to kill it.
** Golden Hands now hand out tremendous amounts of cash when you kill them as well as fantastic experience for beating them too. Early game requires Chie's Rebellion/Revolution to earn the critical hits (or buying items from the Shiroku store to help get around the higher defenses), but once you start getting the Megido line of spells, then your only challenge is to kill them off before they flee. The prizes are too good, and it becomes really easy to power level.
** Also from ''Golden'', advancing Rise's Social Link now grants her even more abilities that turn the game into a cakewalk: once per battle, she can summon a BeehiveBarrier to completely nullify a multi-target enemy spell that would have killed an ally, and if the hero is defeated, she can revive him once with full health and SP. She can also randomly pop in to heal your whole team, restore your SP, or cast a Ma-kaja or Ma-taru spell. Not to mention that your all-out attacks can sometimes get a power boost, which is just the icing on the cake.
** Fusion and the Persona Compendium, if you've got money to burn, especially on Golden. Many of the higher level Personas, such as those obtained from completing S. Links, like Beelzebub, are extremely powerful, and with the right skills they make the game trivially easy. A few notable Personas that ''aren't'' final S. Link are available as soon as you have the money and level to put them together:
*** Black Frost comes with no weaknesses, handily absorbing Fire and Ice and reflecting Dark. It also naturally learns Mind Charge, Agidyne, and Fire Amp, meaning it can set off some powerful Fire attacks. He's available by the fourth dungeon and having him at that point turns the boss [[spoiler:Shadow Mitsuo]] into a complete joke.
*** Yoshitsune learns the best attacking skill in the game: Hassou Tobi. It hits all enemies ''eight times'', more than enough to offset the weaker power of the individual strikes, compared to single target attacks like Primal Force. Buffs like Power Charge and Tarukaja can help augment this further, and if you somehow give it Victory Cry, it can wipe away all enemies and then heal your HP right back up.
*** Trumpeter has a multitude of resistances, so if you fuse it with Null, Reflect, or Absorb Element skills, you can essentially make it invincible, making it so that only the seldom used status ailments and Almighty attacks can damage you. On top of that, it learns two very useful skills for buffing and debuffing. Heat Riser raises all of the stats of one character, while Debilitate reduces all of the stats of one enemy. These two skills cannot be passed through fusion inheritance, so expect to keep Trumpeter in your stock for a long time.
*** Alice, due to her powerful Die for Me! skill which is a Dark instant kill type skill. Combine that with Mudo Boost to increase its effectiveness, and she can clear away enemies with ease. She can also have a very magical oriented moveset with skills like Mind Charge and Megidola for enemies who aren't immediately destroyed by Die For Me!. Nebiros, one of her ingredients, can optimize her further by covering her weakness with Null Light and discounting everything she does with Spell Master.
** The ability for skills to randomly change during fusion. It is random, yes, but it is also possible for a Level 45 or 50 persona to get ''Victory Cry,'' which can normally only be gotten by Lucifer at Level 99. This makes the rest of the game a cakewalk in terms of grinding. A trick with the Persona Kaiwan, normally around Level 25 or so, can be fused on a specific day some time during June, and with enough patience and luck, it can acquire Victory Cry, which can then be fused onto other Personas.
** Spell Master halves the SP cost of all skills that use it. This is quite useful in the Hollow Forest, in which if you have a Persona with that ability, you can essentially throw around high-level spells while your accessory recoups the cost.

** Naoto's Social Link (Fortune) can fall under this, especially on first playthrough. It opens up at late October, meaning there's only so much time to complete before the late November cutoff. Adding more frustration elements into the mix is the fact that her Social Link doesn't open up automatically and you have to complete a sidequest for unlocking the first rank which requires both max Knowledge ''and'' Courage. This is significantly easier to achieve in ''Golden'' due to the extra month at the end game but even so, you have to prioritize her social link over everyone else's due the tight schedule.

** Hello, Void Quest. It seems straightforward enough at first, but wait until it starts randomly changing your direction at every intersection, made a lot worse if there are shadows nearby ready to trigger PreexistingEncounters with Enemy Advantage while you're getting your bearings back. Plus, that's also the floor where you have to find a very easy-to-miss[[labelnote:*]](unless you unlocked Rise's Treasure Radar first)[[/labelnote]] key item required to proceed to the boss chamber.

** The results of Popularity Polls taken by Far Eastern audiences can seem confusing to Western audiences. In the West, the [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous]] yet [[RealMenWearPink sensitive]] Kanji is one of the most popular party members, while [[ButtMonkey Yosuke]] is more divisive. In Japan, it's the opposite, where Yosuke's loyalty to his family and business is seen as far more endearing, while his casual sexism and homophobia is not seen as a problem. The Far East typically looks down on those considered too loud, energetic, or disruptive, things that describe Kanji to a T. We would eventually see this dissonance crop up yet again with Ryuji Sakamoto in ''VideoGame/Persona5''.

** The results of Popularity Polls taken by Far Eastern audiences can seem confusing to Western audiences. In the West, tough ActionGirl Chie and [[BoisterousBruiser boisterous]] yet [[RealMenWearPink sensitive]] Kanji are some of the most popular party members, while [[ButtMonkey Yosuke]] is more divisive. In Japan, it's the opposite, where Yosuke's loyalty to his family and business is seen as far more endearing, while his casual sexism and homophobia is not seen as a problem. The Far East typically looks down on those considered too loud, energetic, or disruptive, things that describe Chie and Kanji to a T. We would eventually see this dissonance crop up yet again with Ryuji Sakamoto in ''VideoGame/Persona5''.

* FanMyopia: Like the ''VideoGame/Persona3 Portable'', and ''VideoGame/Persona5 Royal'' popularity polls, the character results from Asia (Such as Japan, China, South Korea and Southeast Asia) of this game caused both confusion, and disappointment among Global fans. For example, Yousuke and Kanji’s popularities essentially differs between Eastern and Western audiences, combined with Yu ranking as number one in every survey. This is likely because of a [[ValuesDissonance regional dissonance]], as other countries around the world have a different view on what is considered normal vs unusual.

** As an IdolSinger, Rise often deals with harassment from obnoxious fans. Creator/{{Laura Bailey}}, Rise's English voice actress, also face considerable harassment from fans and haters due to the controversy surrounding ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUsPartII'' and Abby, her character in that game.

* FanMyopia: Like the ''VideoGame/Persona3 Portable'', and ''VideoGame/Persona5 Royal'' popularity polls, the character results from Asia (Such as Japan, China, South Korea and Southeast Asia) of this game caused confusion and disappointment among Global fans. For example, Yousuke and Kanji’s popularities essentially differs between Eastern and Western audiences, combined with Yu ranking as number one in every survey. This is likely because of a [[ValuesDissonance regional dissonance]], as other countries around the world have a different view what is considered normal vs unusual.

* ContestedSequel: While on its own, ''Persona 4'' is widely acclaimed as one of the greatest [=RPGs=] of all time, it's much more controversial within the ''Persona'' fandom as a whole. Its lower-stakes plot and LighterAndSofter tone with a stronger emphasis on comedy are either a breath of fresh air in a genre that's oversaturated with dark "save the world" plots, or a boring disappointment after the past games (and [[VideoGame/Persona5 the one following it]])'s dark, philosophical stories. As such, while many fans praise it as a must-play for any RPG enjoyer, others think that it ruined the series, with ''Persona 5'' only maybe redeeming it.

* OlderThanTheyThink: When ''Golden'' released on UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in June 2020, a lot of people thought it was the first ''Persona'' game on PC, and the first mainline ''Persona'' game to not be on a [=PlayStation=] console. However, the first ''VideoGame/Persona1'' had a PC port released, though due to that game being obscure compared to later ''Persona'' games, and the PC port being Japan-only, most people can be forgiven for not realizing it existed.

** The PC version of ''Golden'' further improves the graphics from the Vita version thanks to the ability to select from a variety of resolutions and texture filtering options. It also supports up to 60 frames per second, which is a pleasant surprise from a port of an older game made by Japanese studio without much experience porting to the PC. There are some other improvements as well, such as dual audio support and the ability to customize the difficulty from the start, which in the Vita version was restricted to NewGamePlus. A later patch made the port even ''more'' polished, fixing issues like stuttering cutscenes and random crashes. The 2023 MultiPlatform release added further refinements (which were also brought to the PC version via an update) such as the ability to rewatch social link events in your bedroom. It also performs very well, running at 60 FPS even on the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch.

** The fact that the game released not on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 but the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2. Japan's not as quick to "move on" from previous-gen systems as the rest of the world is; so something that didn't start development late in the system's life, a yearly sports game, or a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames licensed game]] isn't that weird.

* VindicatedByHistory: While the game never released to poor reception and became an almost ''instant'' CultClassic (Faster than ''VideoGame/Persona3'' did at least), it still was overlooked by some simply because it was a UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 game released in 2008-200''9'' depending on where you lived in the world. By then, a lot of players simply weren't expecting anything new on the Playstation 2 other than cheap licensed cash-ins. The AnimatedAdaptation and ''Persona 4 Golden'' allowed it to ascend past its CultClassic status.

* FanMyopia: After a third Atlus SEA poll in TheNewTwenties, one might think that the Western fanbase has learned anything from the ''VideoGame/Persona3 Portable'' and ''VideoGame/Persona5 Royal'' polls for that region. Now, to their credit, more fans seemed to have noticed the cultural difference in character preference, though Kanji and Yosuke fans still complained (they are 6th and 7th place respectively, in a poll of 8 characters) and confusion still ensued over the protagonist character being first place ''again'', just like the other games' polls.