History YMMV / Persona5TheAnimation

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: While considered to be SoOkayItsAverage rather than bad, ''Persona 5: The Animation'' is considered to be among the weakest of the ''Persona'' animated adaptations. However, the voice acting is generally praised, particularly the English dub, and it's clear that the actors were giving it their all. Creator/RobbieDaymond, in particular received a lot of praise for [[spoiler:his performance of Akechi's VillainousBreakdown.]]

** The Valentine's Day OVA. While some find the idea hilarious and look forward to seeing one of the game's funniest scenes fully animated, other fans are ''furious'' that the anime is adapting [[YourCheatingHeart the harem route]] and thus making it [[CuttingOffTheBranches borderline canon]]. ''VideoGame/Persona4'' spinoffs and adaptations tended to give Yu mostly equal ShipTease with all the girls while still keeping it vague as to whether he dated any of them, which some see as a better compromise.

** If anyone is worried about Tsukasa, Eiko's so-called boyfriend [[KarmaHoudini getting away with his crimes]] like in the game, don't worry. In the anime, the Phantom Thieves get to take out his Shadow in Mementos and change his heart.
** In the game, the trip to Hawaii was criticized by some fans as senseless {{Padding}} as the Phantom Thieves don't really do anything there, something that the group lampshades.[[note]]Granted, during the trip, Haru and Big Bang Burger are introduced, and it's shown that the Phantom Thieves are internationally famous. Meanwhile, back home, Futaba works on Sae's data, Morgana's issues of inadequacy worsen as a result of sitting around with nothing to do, and the principal is killed while the Thieves are out of the country[[/note]]. The anime shows them engaging in different activities together while in Hawaii, such as playing beach volleyball and surfing, although Ryuji still comments on how they're spending a lot of time on their phones, just like in Japan.

** There are many who are extremely unhappy with how [[PlayerCharacter Ren Amamiya]] is portrayed in the anime, with common criticisms being that he's a bland, StaticCharacter who barely reacts to anything (with his lack of incentive to get Morgana back during the Okumura arc and leaving Makoto to deal with Akechi's blackmail and anything else involving it being two noted low points). A large part of this is due to Yu Narukami, TheHero of ''Videogame/Persona4'' getting the NotSoStoic treatment a lot in the [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation anime adaptation]] with him openly talking and getting into funny mishaps, while either commenting on or contributing to the craziness around him, which left many disappointed that Joker was not as flashy as he was hinted to be in the games the same way Yu was hinted to be a charismatic funny guy. His one notable showing of personality - aside from acting as "Joker" in the Metaverse - is him being overly protective of the Thieves' definition of "justice" and acting rather rude to Akechi, even when it's unwarranted. On the other hand, many have found that it makes sense for him to [[TheStoic keep his head down]], and the development that the rest of the cast gets mostly makes up for it. He also got first place in a Newtype popularity poll, for what it's worth.
** Goro Akechi's [[AscendedExtra expanded presence]]. On one hand, many have found that he seems to have a presence as an actual rival and a genuine bond with Ren, and some of the more awkward transitions that stem from his Confidant in the game being automatic are made to flow more organically in the story; the biggest one being [[spoiler:revealing to Ren about his past when he decides to help Sojiro keep custody of Futaba]]; in the game, he mentions it after Sojiro treats him coldly for his association with Sae. There's also been praise for his more sympathetic portrayal. On the other hand are fans who dislike him due to [[NeverLiveItDown his game portrayal]] and would rather have him gone, regardless of how the anime has handled him. Others feel as though he was unnecessarily or gratuitously shoehorned into the early episodes, long before he becomes relevant to the story.

** The Valentines Day OVA. While some find the idea hilarious and look forward to seeing one of the game's funniest scenes fully animated, other fans are ''furious'' that the anime is adapting [[YourCheatingHeart the harem route]] and thus making it [[CuttingOffTheBranches borderline canon]]. ''VideoGame/Persona4'' spinoffs and adaptations tended to give Yu equal ShipTease with all the girls while still keeping it vague as to whether he dated any of them, which some see as a better compromise.

** In Episode 22, when Ryuji and Morgana talk about the possibility that the conspiracy lured them into a trap, their expressions are unnaturally calm, especially considering that even the ''possibility'' of the Phantom Thieves being an UnwittingPawn is disturbing them.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: While what happened between Ann and someone else at the buffet happened offscreen in the game, it is shown that the two had bumped into eachother by accident, causing the latter to spill some food on herself and get on her case about it. The least Ann could have done would be to apologize and get someone to help clean it off instead of claiming innocence.

* StrawmanHasAPoint: While what happened between Ann and someone else at the buffet happened offscreen in the game, it is shown that the two had bumped into eachother by accident, causing the latter to spill some food on herself and get on her case about it. The least Ann could have done would be to apologize and call out for help instead of claiming innocence.

* VanillaProtagonist: Ren Amamiya. In contrast to [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation Yu Narukami]] and [[Anime/Persona3TheMovie Makoto Yuki]], Ren is treated mostly as a non-entity throughout the series and he only speaks short sentences in response to other characters, nor does he really undergo any significant character development like his predecessors did. Instead, the series places more focus on the development of his fellow Phantom Thieves as well as his confidants. It's only until the final stretch of the anime does he take a more active role in the story rather than take a backseat.

* UnexpectedCharacter: Episode 2 has an unexpected cameo from Haru, months before she makes her first appearance in the game.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The production values and visuals of the first few episodes have inspired this reaction, that it really just sort of looks like any other game-anime. This can come off as especially disappointing since the ''breathtaking'' aesthetic design is universally considered one of the game's highest points. Later episodes were noticeably better about this, though, although there are still more than a few cases of poorly drawn characters, particularly those in the background.
* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: While the dub for the original game was already well-loved, much more attention is paid to here due to the anime being seen as lower in quality. Many fans have noted that the actors brought life to the adaptation, and it's clear the cast is getting a lot of mileage out of their roles. Creator/XanderMobus, in particular, does a lot more to improve Ren's character via his line delivery in a way that he didn't have an opportunity to in the game because of the lack of voiced dialogue Joker had there, often echoing the same dry humor that Yu Narukami had in the ''Persona 4'' anime.

* TookTheBadFilmSeriously: While considered to be SoOkayItsAverage rather than bad, ''Persona 5: The Animation'' is considered to be among the weakest of the Persona animated adaptations. However, the voice acting is generally praised, particularly the English dub, and it's clear that the actors were giving it their all. Creator/RobbieDaymond, in particular received a lot of praise for [[spoiler:his performance of Akechi's VillainousBreakdown.]]

** One of the most common complaints is the fact that the anime has a mere 26 episodes to adapt a game that can take, on average, around 100 hours to play through the full story, and full of Confidants and other sidequests that, while optional, are essential to developing the characters and setting. A lot of heavy content is compressed to the barebone minimum, with the series skimming through most of the confidants and the more complex elements of the Palaces.

** One of the most common complaints is the fact that the anime has a mere 26 episodes to adapt a game that's dozens of hours long and full of Confidants and other sidequests that, while optional, are essential to developing the characters and setting. A lot of heavy content is compressed to the barebone minimum, with the series skimming through most of the confidants and the more complex elements of the Palaces.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: While the Dub for the original game was already well-loved, much more attention is paid to here due to the anime being seen as lower in quality. Many fans have noted that the actors brought life to the anime, and it's clear the actors are having a lot of fun with their roles. Creator/XanderMobus, in particular, does a lot more to improve Ren's character via his line delivery in a way that he didn't have an opportunity to in the game because of the lack of voiced dialogue Joker had there, often echoing the same dry humor that Yu Narukami had in the ''Persona 4'' anime.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: While the Dub for the original game was already well-loved, much more attention is paid to here due to the anime being seen as lower in quality. Many fans have noted that the actors brought life to the anime, and it's clear the actors are having a lot of fun with their roles. Creator/XanderMobus, in particular, does a lot more to improve Ren's character via his line delivery in a way that he didn't have an opportunity to in the game because of the lack of voiced dialogue Joker had there.

* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: While the Dub for the original game was already well loved, it's much more signature here due to the anime being seen as lower in quality. Many fans have noted that the actors brought life to the anime, and it's clear the actors are having a lot of fun with their roles.

** Also in a minor case, [[HateSink Sugimura]] [[AdaptedOut does not appear]] to harrass Haru further during the scene where Haru watches the live broadcast of Joker's 'suicide'.

** When it came to the protagonist's lack of personality, it was difficult to give Joker much personality or CharacterDevelopment in an OVA that's barely over 20 minutes, and most of the other Phantom Thieves only barely got to show their personalities (for example, the most Yusuke shows of his art obsession is once doing his "finger framing" gesture). Naturally, fans were disappointed when the longer anime adaptation failed to give Ren Amamiya the same depth [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} Yu Narukami]] had in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation.'' Unlike [[VideoGame/{{Persona 3}} Makoto Yuki]], who was ''actually'' TheStoic, fans were disappointed that Ren was giving this treatment instead of being as fabulous as he was hinted to be in the games.

** When it came to the protagonist's lack of personality, it was difficult to give Joker much personality or CharacterDevelopment in an OVA that's barely over 20 minutes, and most of the other Phantom Thieves only barely got to show their personalities (for example, the most Yusuke shows of his art obsession is once doing his "finger framing" gesture). Naturally, fans were disappointed when the longer anime adaptation failed to give Ren the same depth [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} Yu Narukami]] had in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation.'' Unlike [[VideoGame/{{Persona 3}} Makoto Yuki]], who was ''actually'' TheStoic, fans were disappointed that Ren was giving this treatment instead of being as fabulous as he was hinted to be in the games.

** When it came to the protagonist's lack of personality, it was difficult to give Joker much personality or CharacterDevelopment in an OVA that's barely over 20 minutes, and most of the other Phantom Thieves only barely got to show their personalities (for example, the most Yusuke shows of his art obsession is once doing his "finger framing" gesture). Naturally, fans were disappointed when the longer anime adaptation failed to give Ren the same depth [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} Yu Narukami]] had in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation.'' Unlike Makoto Yuki from ''VideoGame/Persona'' 3 who was ''actually'' TheStoic, fans were disappointed that Ren was giving this treatment instead of being as fabulous as he was hinted to be in the games.

* HarsherInHindsight: Following fanart of Joker being a two-timer to the girls in VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate, Xander Mobus has said that he [[https://twitter.com/XanderMobusVO/status/1074781113594216448 doesn't like people treating that as canon]]. Then ''A Magical Valentine's Day'' happened.

** In the game, when Sojiro [[spoiler:learned that Ren and Futaba were involved with the Phantom Thieves]], he was initially [[AngerBornOfWorry very upset, largely out of concern for them]], but after a conversation about that, particularly [[spoiler:Futaba's belief that the conspiracy they're fighting was responsible for her mother's death]] accepted this, on the condition that they not get themselves killed. In the anime, he's completely calm about it, much to the disappointment of those who'd praised his realistic but ultimately reasonable reaction in the game, Ryuji

** There are many who are extremely unhappy with how [[PlayerCharacter Ren Amamiya]] is portrayed in the anime, with common criticisms being that he's a bland, StaticCharacter who barely reacts to anything (with his lack of incentive to get Morgana back during the Okumura arc and leaving Makoto to deal with Akechi's blackmail and anything else involving it being two noted low points). His one notable showing of personality - aside from acting as "Joker" in the Metaverse - is him being overly protective of the Thieves' definition of "justice" and acting rather rude to Akechi, even when it's unwarranted. On the other hand, many have found that it makes sense for him to [[TheStoic keep his head down]], and the development that the rest of the cast gets mostly makes up for it. He also got first place in a Newtype popularity poll, for what it's worth.

** When it came to the protagonist's lack of personality, it was difficult to give Joker much personality or CharacterDevelopment in an OVA that's barely over 20 minutes, and most of the other Phantom Thieves only barely got to show their personalities (for example, the most Yusuke shows of his art obsession is once doing his "finger framing" gesture). Naturally, fans were disappointed when the longer anime adaptation failed to give Ren the same depth [[VideoGame/{{Persona 4}} Yu Narukami]] had in ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation.''

** In the game, when Sojiro [[spoiler:learned that Ren and Futaba were involved with the Phantom Thieves]], he was initially [[AngerBornOfWorry very upset, largely out of concern for them]], but after a conversation about that, particularly [[spoiler:Futaba's belief that the conspiracy they're fighting was responsible for her mother's death]] accepted this, on the condition that they not get themselves killed. In the anime, he's completely calm about it, much to the disappointment of those who'd praised his realistic but ultimately reasonable reaction in the game.

** In the game, the trip to Hawaii was criticized by some fans to be senseless {{Padding}} as the Phantom Thieves don't really do anything there, something that the group lampshades.[[note]]Granted, during the trip, Haru and Big Bang Burger are introduced, and it's shown that the Phantom Thieves are internationally famous. Meanwhile, back home, Futaba works on Sae's data, Morgana's issues of inadequacy worsen as a result of sitting around with nothing to do, and the principal is killed while the Thieves are out of the country[[/note]]. The anime shows them engaging in different activities together while in Hawaii, such as playing beach volleyball and surfing, although Ryuji still comments on how they're spending a lot of time on their phones, just like in Japan.

** Goro Akechi's [[AscendedExtra expanded presence]]. On one hand, many have found that he seems to have a presence as an actual rival and a genuine bond with Ren, and some of the more awkward transitions that stem from his Confidant in the game being automatic are made to flow more organically in the story; the biggest one being [[spoiler:revealing to Ren about his past when he decides to help Sojiro keep custody of Futaba]]; in the game, he mentions it after Sojiro treats him coldly for his association with Sae. There's also been praise for his more sympathetic portrayal. On the other hand are fans who dislike him due to [[NeverLiveItDown his game portrayal]] and would rather have him gone, regardless of how the anime has handled him, or feel as though he was unnecessarily or gratuitously shoehorned into the early episodes, long before he becomes relevant to the story.
** The pacing. Many people who played the game are upset over how much didn't make it into the anime, particularly when some of their favorite parts are left out, as well as the overall rushed feel, and strongly recommend that anyone interested in Persona 5 play the game instead. Detractors also noted that scenes would shift and give little breathing room to develop tension before transitioning to the next scene. Others, however, argue that a lot has to be cut out for a 100-hour RPG to fit into 26 episodes and two [=OVAs=] and that the anime tried to compress the story the best they could, and consider the anime a good way for those who doesn't have the time to play the game to experience the story.

** One of the most common complaints is the fact that the anime has a mere 26 episodes to adapt a game that's dozens of hours long and full of Confidants and other sidequests that, while optional, are essential in developing the characters and setting. A lot of heavy content is compressed to the barebone minimum, with the series skimming through most of the confidants and the more complex elements of the Palaces.

** In Episode 24, when the two investigators are questioning Sojiro over whether he "did anything specific for Futaba," Ren says, in as many words, "He made curry." ItMakesSenseInContext, considering what the curry means for Futaba, but since Ren doesn't explain that to the investigators, it's an unintentionally hilarious non-sequitur that doesn't really help Sojiro's case.

** As noted in VanillaProtagonist below, there are many who are extremely unhappy with how [[PlayerCharacter Ren Amamiya]] is portrayed in the anime, with common criticisms being that he's a bland, StaticCharacter who barely reacts to anything (with his lack of incentive to get Morgana back during the Okumura arc and leaving Makoto to deal with Akechi's blackmail and anything else involving it being two noted low points). His one notable showing of personality - aside from acting as "Joker" in the Metaverse - is him being overly protective of the Thieves' definition of "justice" and acting rather rude to Akechi, even when it's unwarranted. On the other hand, many have found that it makes sense for him to [[TheStoic keep his head down]], and the development that the rest of the cast gets mostly makes up for it. He also got first place in a Newtype popularity poll, for what it's worth.

* VanillaProtagonist: Ren Amamiya. In contrast to [[Anime/Persona4TheAnimation Yu Narukami]] and [[Anime/Persona3TheMovie Makoto Yuki]], Ren is treated mostly as a non-entity throughout the series and he only speaks short sentences in response to other characters, nor does he really undergo any significant character development like his predecessors did. Instead, the series places more focus on the development of his fellow Phantom Thieves as well as his confidants. It's only until the final stretch of the anime does he take a more active role in the story rather than take a backseat, though some consider it too little too late.

* The ''A Magical Valentine's Day'' OVA, which, depending on who you ask, is either a fun piece of fluff, or a self-indulgent and cringeworthy fantasy that serves both as a bad [[SelfInsertFic]] (as all the dates bar Ryuji and [[spoiler:Sae]] are shot in first person) and plays up Ren as a [[YourCheatingHeart serial philanderer]].

* EpilepticTrees: One common theory is that the anime will deviate from the video game by having [[spoiler:Akechi somehow survive]]. Not only does the anime have greater focus on him, but in the anime, [[spoiler:Akechi manages to kill his cognitive self (which is implied to have killed him in the game), and some people are less convinced that he died fighting the other Shadows.]] Ultimately, it's only implied, [[spoiler:with Ren hearing his voice telling him to get back up to face Yaldabaoth and him only appearing physically in the ''Proof of Justice'' [=OVA=] during flashbacks.]] With the announcement that Ren will have a mystery date at the opera house in the ''A Magical Valentine's Day'' OVA, another popular theory was that said mystery date will turn out to be [[spoiler:Akechi, due to a combination of the above and him being added back into the credits of ''Proof of Justice''.]] Turns out they were wrong; [[spoiler:Sae]] turns out to be the past remaining person.

* EpilepticTrees: One common theory is that the anime will deviate from the video game by having [[spoiler:Akechi somehow survive]]. Not only does the anime have greater focus on him, but in the anime, [[spoiler:Akechi manages to kill his cognitive self (which is implied to have killed him in the game), and some people are less convinced that he died fighting the other Shadows.]] Ultimately, it's only implied, [[spoiler:with Ren hearing his voice telling him to get back up to face Yaldabaoth and him only appearing physically in the ''Proof of Justice'' [=OVA=] during flashbacks.]] With the announcement that Ren will have a mystery date at the opera house in the ''A Magical Valentine's Day'' OVA, another popular theory is that said mystery date will turn out to be [[spoiler:Akechi, due to a combination of the above and him being added back into the credits of ''Proof of Justice''.]]