While Persona is largely an episodic game series, there are certain characters and archetypes that have a presence through multiple games. This page is reserved for those characters, who have a significant role in multiple games and the overarching continuity rather than primarily being focused in one particular game.

For a full index of characters from the Persona series, see this page.

Due to these characters' natures and wiki policy, ALL SPOILERS ARE UNMARKED INCLUDING Persona 5 Royal! You Have Been Warned.

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Recurring Individuals

Philemon

^{Click here for his human form}

^{Click here for appearance in the first game}

Voiced by: Kenyū Horiuchi (Japanese; Persona 1 PSP remake), Travis Willingham (English; Persona 1 PSP remake, Persona 2: Innocent Sin)

"I am you. You are me... I shall always watch over you from within."

A man with a butterfly mask who bestows Personas to people. He lives in the realm of the collective unconscious. Philemon operates as an ally to the party, despite the fact that he can only watch events unfold as a neutral observer. As such, he cannot directly interfere with anything that is going on, but does his best to aid the player despite this. Philemon is conducting an experiment with his rival, Nyarlathotep, over humanity's destiny. Philemon believes they can become enlightened, higher beings.

Ambiguous Situation: Philemon is a Time Abyss who has existed in the collective conscious before the very concept of having a proper name has among humans, so it is unclear if his name was something he picked up before his meeting with Carl Jung or if Jung called him that and he accepted the name as his own. Seeing as the meeting was impactful enough for Phil that he took notes about Jung in his personal Tome of Eldritch Lore, the latter might be more likely, but it is never confirmed.
Animal Motifs: He is associated with butterflies.
Anime Hair: Played with - his ponytail looks normal enough, but it's constantly moving and fluttering as if he's underwater or in zero-gravity.
Anthropomorphic Personification: Of humanity as a whole. To be specific, of virtues, creative potential, and all the qualities which reinforce the sense of self of a human.
Big Good: By default, due to his views on humanity being the polar opposite of Nyarlathotep's. Nevertheless, he's been Out of Focus for quite a while, since he chose to give his Mysterious Benefactor job over to Igor.
Boss Remix: As the Superboss of Eternal Punishment, his battle music is an arrangement of Knights of the Holy Lance, the duology's iconic recurring theme. It's a particularly bombastic version of the track, especially compared to the ominous version used for the Final Boss fights against Nyarlathotep, or the hectic version used for fights against the Last Battalion.
Calling Card: A blue butterfly showing up signifies his attention, and a gold butterfly means his presence.
Creating Life: Created Igor by imbuing an inanimate doll with the gift of life.
Combat Compliment: When fought as the Super Boss in Eternal Punishment, many of his battle lines, including when taking damage, has him encourage and compliment the party, and if defeated he'll thank them for showing him humanity's limitless potential.
Cosmic Chess Game: There is a checkered floor in both his and Nyarlathotep's rooms, suggesting a sort of chess-match using the individual party members as pieces.
Cool Mask: He often appears as a man wearing a white mask that incorporates some sort of butterfly motif.
Death Seeker: An interesting case which is Lost in Translation. In the original Japanese, when Philemon is explaining about himself and Nyarlathotep, his counterpart describes what Phil seeks — for humans to achieve a new state which can understand their exact purpose of existence — as the "ultimate end". This makes sense, as Phil and Nyar are formed from human base impulses and instincts, and if humans evolve into these greater beings, then they would no longer be humans, thus removing Phil and Nyar from existence.
Eldritch Abomination: Philemon is not a deity born of human thoughts and wishes like the gods and demons of the series. As Nyarlathotep explains at the end of Innocent Sin, he and Philemon are sapient forces of the collective conscious itself, shaped into being as a consequence of humanity being existences who create and destroy their sense of self. In other words, as long as humans stir the collective by creating and reinforcing the self, Philemon will never cease to exist, and he possesses a great sway over the vast power of the collective.
"End of the World" Special: After Nyarlathotep destroys the world at the end of Innocent Sin, Philemon offers the heroes a chance to create a new world by erasing the "innocent sin" in the past that had led to Nyarlathotep's victory.
Exposition Fairy: Will explain how to use Persona and most other systems in the games he appears in.
The Faceless: He almost always wears a mask. As he's the personification of all humans, he can also appear with whatever face he wants, including the protagonist's in Persona 2. "I am thou, thou art I" after all.
Fighting a Shadow:
- Technically all of Philemon's human and butterfly forms are just avatars he uses to communicate and watch over the protagonists. He only appears in his truest form when fought as the Superboss of Eternal Punishment.
- Tatsuya's Scenario reveals Philemon can also use other identities in the collective conscious as his avatars, with him appearing as the Elder God Nodens within Kadath Mandala.
Game-Over Man: Shows up if you get a game over in Persona 2 or Persona Q2. (In Eternal Punishment and Q2, he only appears as a butterfly.)
Philemon: Are you going to finish... without knowing the truth?
The Ghost: His last full appearance was in Persona 2, but the butterfly motif continues on into subsequent games (most notably at save points in Persona 4), hinting at his involvement from behind the scenes.
God and Satan Are Both Jerks: The events of Persona 2 all come down to a bet between him and God of Evil Nyarlathotep over whether Humans Are Bastards or not.
God Is Flawed: To his credit, he's only "God" in the sense that he is technically the ultimate force of good in the Persona games. Being a physical manifestation of humanity's potential and innate positivity, it's only natural that, like humans, Philemon is not a perfect being. Furthermore, he doesn't deny nor condemn the existence of evil and hardships; he simply believes that humanity can learn to coexist with the negative parts of life and become better as a result. He personally guides the series' protagonists through this journey, but it is not within his power or purview to outright prevent all the bad stuff that may happen to them along the way.
God's Hands Are Tied: He just shows the heroes how to use the power of their own hearts and then walks away, only occasionally showing up to offer some wisdom or guidance. While this aligns with his belief that humans are capable of overcoming hardships by themselves, he also avoids giving out crucial information which could prevent a lot of atrocities down the line, such as Nyarlathotep's existence in Innocent Sin, or the fact that his Reset Button will eventually be undone if any of the protagonists choose to retain their memories in Eternal Punishment. Notably, Nyarlathotep has no such self-imposed restrictions, and thus he takes a much more active role in the plot.
Gold-Colored Superiority: When he directly assumes the form of a butterfly, his color is usually a bright, glowing gold, whereas blue butterflies are more indicative of his general presence as a force watching over the later protagonists. Persona Q2, the first game since 2 to feature what appears to be Philemon himself, has him use the golden butterfly avatar.
Greater-Scope Paragon: Philemon is the embodiment of humanity's most positive virtues (opposite Nyarlathotep, who represents the worst impulses of humanity), and the master of Igor (who runs the Velvet Room). While even in the early games he had very little direct involvement in the series's events outside of giving the protagonists their Personas (due to the terms of the bet he made with Nyarlathotep), with the one exception being when he remakes the world following the events of Innocent Sin, after the Persona 2 duology he's shrunk back his role even more, preferring to simply observe the protagonists while in butterfly form as the save points.
Hotter and Sexier: He goes from looking like a middle aged man in Persona to looking in his early 20s in Persona 2.
Humans Are Flawed: Philemon says word for word that he and Nyarlathotep are inseparable existences, and the fact humanity embraces contradictions is also why he exists, not just Nyar.
Humans Are Good: As he's the Anthropomorphic Personification of the good of humanity, this is expected to be his viewpoint. Importantly, this doesn't mean he thinks all humans are inherently good; he just believes that as a collective, the "good" in humanity always has the potential to triumph over its evil. Since he is that collective, and is among the most powerful entities in the Persona series, it's easy to understand where his confidence comes from.
Justified Save Point: Remember how Philemon let you pull a Cosmic Retcon at the end of Innocent Sin? There's a reason most of the save points are blue butterflies in Persona 4.
The Long Game: At the outset, both he and Nyarlathotep are reactive entities. Over time, Nyarlathotep's planning is revealed to be much more extensive than previously thought: planting auditory hallucinations in Tatsuya Sudou and fake memories in Jun, impersonating Kashihara, and originating the biblical legend of the Spear of Longinus (a whopping 2,000 years ago) which comes into play at the worst possible moment. Philemon is no slouch, though, as Nyarlathotep realizes when it hits him like a rake in the face.
Meaningful Name: Named after Swiss psychologist Carl Jung's self-proclaimed spirit guide. This is made more meaningful in-universe as Igor states Jung was actually one of the original Persona users, and the Tsumi to Batsu spin-off manga states Philemon really did meet Jung during the psychologist's Journey in the world of unconscious, a meeting which led Phil to make some notes about Jung in his Red Book (which detailed the origins of Persona), and might have been how he gained his name.
One-Hit Kill: In the Super Boss battle against him in Persona 2, if the party tries to use Armageddon against him he will simply shrug it off and counter with his own version, Armageddon R.
The Powers That Be: He's the Big Good, seeing to it that all the screwed up parts of humanity's collective minds stays out of their reality.
Put on a Bus: Their bet settled, Nyar and Philemon depart our realm seemingly for good, and have not been heard from (at least not directly) since the nineties. Despite this, he still keeps an eye on the future protagonists in his butterfly form (and possibly as a cat in 5).
Recruit Teenagers with Attitude: Justified, at least, in the original Persona and Innocent Sin. The students chosen to wield Persona have relationships with the various Big Bads: Maki, Saeko Takami (under the control of the Snow Queen's mask), Kandori, and Jun. In a rare departure for Persona, the users he recruited in Eternal Punishment were each young professionals in their twenties and thirties.
Save Point: The save points in Persona 4 were made to look like a cloud of butterflies as a reference to Philemon's continued involvement in the overall series.
Spirit Advisor: More so in Persona 1 and 2; by the time Persona 3 comes about, he doesn't even bother to make a direct appearance, though Word of God states that the blue butterflies in 3 and 4 are supposed to represent him watching over the protagonists. The blue butterfly shown in Persona 5 is assumed to be Philemon as a case can be made that the butterfly isn't necessarily the one speaking and Lavenza's voice is heard telepathically.
Stupid Good: Played With. His refusal to do anything about Nyarlathotep during their "bet" led to the destruction of the world in Innocent Sin. It didn't help that Nyarlathotep was actively attempting to rig the game in his favor every step of the way. On the other hand, the whole point of the game is strong-willed people overcoming tough obstacles; in other words, it is imperative that the team takes down Nyarlathotep on their own.
Superboss: You can have a boss fight with him at the end of Eternal Punishment's Bonus Dungeon. At a whopping level 100, he's the most powerful boss in the duology, exceeding any form of Nyarlathotep.
Time Abyss: As the source of the "self" for humans (erroneously translated as source of souls in English releases), Philemon embodies the human mind's instinct to create and reinforce the sense of self, which means he is about as old as humanity itself when they became sapient beings.
Tome of Eldritch Lore: At one point in human history when a great war was waged (implied to be one of the World Wars), Philemon decided to record down all knowledge he accumulated about the collective consciousness in a pair of tomes which he named the Black Book and the Red Book (which references the titles of Carl Jung's own journals and books in real life), respectively. The Black Book details the nature and inner workings of human soul, and the Red Book records the origins of Persona and the nature of Philemon's powers over consciousness and unconsciousness. To decipher either books means to gain the ability to harness the collective conscious and the vast potential of humanity, essentially enabling one to warp reality in much the same manner Phil himself does. While Philemon intended for them to be obtained by humans, to prevent them from being abused he also created Keys which can lock and unlock portions of it.
The Unmasking: At the end of the first two games, Philemon reveals how he looks like beneath the mask, an old man in the first and Tatsuya in Innocent Sin. Granted that he, like Nyarlathotep, can take any form that suits him.
The Watcher: Albeit a slightly self-serving one, as he's trying to win a bet with a God of Evil.
Wham Shot: Should the player choose to punch him in Innocent Sin, Philemon reveals his face underneath the mask; Tatsuya.
What the Hell, Hero?: The player can punch Philemon at the end of Innocent Sin for his actions throughout the game.
The Worf Effect: In Persona Q, the butterfly which represents his presence is trapped in a web made by Chronos, implying he is unable to interfere within the fake Yasogami. Once the party destroys Chronos, the butterfly escapes from the web.

Nyarlathotep

^{Click here to see Great Father}

^{Click here to see Moon Howler}

^{Click here to see him in the guise of Akinari Kashihara}

Voiced by: Jin Yamanoi (Japanese), Tom Wyner (English; Persona 2: Eternal Punishment), Patrick Seitz (English; Persona 2: Innocent Sin remake)

"Understand, that there is no point in living! Cry, that there is no answer! Where there is darkness, there are shadows! I, myself, am all of you humans!!"

Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos, is a Shapeshifting entity who stands opposite to Philemon. While Philemon observes a rule of neutrality, Nyarlathotep regularly manifests in the real world in a wide array of guises. Despite appearing only at the tail end of both Persona 2 games, he is nevertheless a prime mover in the overarching storyline, and is retroactively named as the puppeteer behind the first Persona.

In Innocent Sin, both he and Philemon are performing an experiment to see if humanity will become enlightened or ultimately destroy itself. Nyarlathotep decides to push things in his favor by placing a curse on Sumaru City, causing rumors to come alive and guiding humans toward self-destruction. Nyarlathotep corrupts the memories of Jun Kurosu, leading him to believe that Tatsuya Suou and the rest of the Masked Circle killed their "Big Sis", Maya Amano. With this, Jun gave in to Nyarlathotep and became the Joker, creating a corrupted adult version of the Masked Circle with the intent to raise Xibalba, the alien ship upon which Sumaru City rests, and create a superior human race. Nyarlathotep took the form of Jun's father, who died long ago, but with all the ideal traits that Jun desired in a father. Besides this default form, he also manifests as Adolf Hitler, as well as Jun's own Persona.

In Eternal Punishment, Nyarlathotep takes advantage of Tatsuya Suou's mistake of becoming a paradox in the recreated world. He starts by restoring the memories of King Leo, one of the key figures that led to the Other Side's destruction, as well as bringing his former host, Takahisa Kandori, back to life. The New World Order, a parallel to the Other Side's Masked Circle, is established as a result. Xibalba is revived as the Ameno Torifune, an ancient Mayan machine buried underneath Sumaru City.

Alien Geometries: The Monado Mandala, the supposed "utopia" promised by the New World Order is actually the realm of the Collective Unconscious where he resides. It's a giant web of glowing pathways arranged in the shape of a cube, with Nyarlathotep's shrine, a dark mirror of Philemon's own, floating in the center.
Amazing Technicolor Battlefield: The battle versus the Great Father at the end of Innocent Sin.
Ambiguous Situation: Like Philemon, Nyarlathotep is a Time Abyss who exists before humans even came up with the concept of naming oneself. And unlike Philemon who makes it a point to observe and not interfere, Nyar freely manifests in the real world in any form he feels like using. As such, how he gained his name is unclear: he could have made up that name on his own, he could have been called Nyarlathotep by the people he encountered across human history and decided to embrace the moniker (which parallels how Cthulhu Mythos Nyarlathotep gained his name from Egyptian people), or he could have picked up that identity for himself when the identity "Nyarlathotep" formed in the collective consciousness due to the works of H. P. Lovecraft. Given in the original Persona, it is shown Nyarlathotep is summonable as a Persona unrelated to him, and that in the Updated Re Release of Eternal Punishment Randolph Carter (who is usually understood as the alter-ego of Lovecraft) not only exists but had an encounter with the Crawling Chaos in the collective conscious, it is likely Randolph identified him and Nyarlathotep picked up the name.
Animal Motifs:
- Some of his forms like Moon Howler and Crawling Chaos resemble squids which goes with his inspiration.
- Also, like his counterpart he uses a butterfly as his symbol, albeit black.
Anthropomorphic Personification: Of humanity as a whole. To be specific, of vices, destructive impulses, and all things which weaken the sense of self — especially the inherent contradictions of human beings.
Ascended Extra: From a meta-perspective, he went from merely being Kandori's Persona in the first game, to being the Big Bad of both Persona 2 games.
As Long as There Is Evil: He's the incarnation of the metaphorical darkness in human hearts. As long as it exists, so does he.
Badass in a Nice Suit: As Kashihara, he's decked out in a dark brown pinstriped suit, a black Nehru shirt, and a crimson scarf.
The Bad Guy Wins: As far as Innocent Sin is concerned, Nyarlathotep wins; he actually succeeds in proving his point about how humans will destroy themselves by setting up a bunch of people to destroy the world, replacing it with an arcology in space. In fact, even after his defeat in Eternal Punishment, he would have still won if Tatsuya of the "Other Side" did not return to his world — a devastated Earth where the last remnants of humanity are stuck on Xibalba. The possibility of rebuilding civilization on the surface was left open, but unconfirmed.
Balance Between Good and Evil: Philemon guides those who are "strong of will", while Nyarlathotep "drags the weak to Hell."
Batman Gambit: The final verse of the Oracle of Maia, "marking the end and a new beginning" (or in the Japanese version "thus, time repeats again"), heavily implies that not only was Nyarlathotep aware that Philemon was going to reset the world upon its destruction at the end of Innocent Sin, he may have outright orchestrated it, as he is the source of the prophecies written in the oracle to begin with.
The Battle Didn't Count: Pretty much how he makes his debut in Innocent Sin, initially appearing in his form of the Fuhrer. After the fight he reveals himself, acting like the fight didn't even happen.
Big Bad: Serves as the main antagonist of the Persona 2 games, and was even retroactively revealed as the Greater-Scope Villain of Persona. Since then, however, he has been Put on a Bus along with Philemon. The closest we have to a re-appearance is the Malevolent Entity from Persona 4: Arena and its sequel Persona 4: Arena Ultimax, two crossover fighting games following 3 and 4; despite many fans believing their similarities were too neat to be mere coincidence, the Entity turned out to be Hi-no-Kagutsuchi.
Bishōnen Line: Downplayed. His true form as the Crawling Chaos is a black mass of tentacles and masks, but at its center is a distinctly humanoid silhouette that lacks the bestial proportions or Body Horror seen in most of his forms.
Body of Bodies: As the Great Father, he is very much a dirty fighter; sprouting fists shaped like the visages of the fathers of the protagonists and daring the party to strike them. He even announces each assault in their voices.
Breaking Speech: Above all else, he loves pointing out to others when they are contradicting their inner emotions with their actions and statements. As far as he's concerned, everyone has the capacity and willingness to ruin others or oneself, and trying to tell yourself otherwise just makes you a hypocrite.
Can't Kill You, Still Need You: He is impossible to truly defeat permanently, barring the total destruction of humanity itself. Presumably, this is why he spares a couple million survivors aboard the Sumaru starship at the end of Innocent Sin.
Character Catchphrase: Nyarlathotep's favorite taunt is "That's a contradiction/You're contradicting yourself."
A Chat with Satan: Regularly points out the darker desires in the heroes' hearts, as those same desires are what contributed to his creation.
Contractual Boss Immunity: Averted - even when fought as the final boss of both games, he's just as vulnerable to getting instantly killed by Armaggedon as any other bosses. Only the optional Faceless God fought in Tatsuya's scenario in the Eternal Punishment PSP version will resist it.
Complexity Addiction: There is no reason Nyarlathotep can't just walk up to the protagonists early on and obliterate them when they are still weak, but he instead tries to break them via manipulation and breaking speeches. Justified, since he is out to make humanity destroy itself, thus he has to act to varying degrees of roundabout ways in order to make his point.
Cognizant Limbs: His Great Father form has a health bar for each part of his body, each of them being a twisted form of the protagonist's fathers.
Coup de Grâce Cutscene: At the end of Eternal Punishment, Philemon shows up to announce that the game is ended, and a frustrated Nyarlathotep concedes defeat... for now. Maya and Tatsuya then tag-team him with pistol rounds and sword swipes, causing him to cry out and vanish into the darkness of Monado Mandala.
The Corrupter: Most assuredly. He excels at luring people in a direction they were already flirting with and sinking them. Kandori was always a crooked, social-climbing businessman, but he only gained a God complex when handed the keys to a device which can reshape the world to his whims. Tatsuya Sudou was always a bit of an odd-ball, neglected by his father and without friends, but he never was a mass-murdering madman 'til after he started hearing "The Voices, the VOICES!" The voice that he's hearing, of course, is none other than the Crawling Chaos himself, manipulating yet another pathetic human.
Crazy-Prepared: That whole rumor of the wounds caused by the Spear of Destiny being unable to heal? Yep, it was this guy who started that rumor over 2000 years ago, ingraining it into human myth and makes it impossible to counter.
Dark Reprise: His theme music is a variation on Philemon's Leitmotif.
Dead Person Impersonation: Albeit not a very good one. Akinari Kashihara was a meek man in a pullover vest with a permanent case of bed-head. His doppelganger has the same face, but dresses like a GQ model and wears a perpetual smirk. This was done intentionally: Jun felt ashamed of Akinari, so he wished for a father who wouldn't embarrass him. Nyarlathotep granted his wish in usual Jackass Genie fashion, impressing his friends by showing up unannounced at their playhouse. He also keeps a Masataka Amano skin-suit around to belittle and spite Maya.
Deal with the Devil: Most of the Masked Circle's members were promised their greatest wishes, in exchange for ignoring reality and destroying the lives of others. Later, Maya Okamura succumbed to her desire to vindicate her dead love and prove his mad theories correct, which placed her under Nyarlathotep's thrall; he keeps Okamura in his front pocket until the very end. Other suckers included the key members of the NWO, most notably General Sugawara, who threw his lot in with Nyarlathotep's men in hope of curing his terminal illness; he was rewarded by becoming an immortal (but hideous) monster.
Demonic Possession: He can pose as a Persona well enough. Once his host falls in battle, however, Nyarlathotep simply takes over their body and springs back up for Round 2. This happened to Kandori in the original Persona, and Jun suffers the same fate as Joker.
The Dreaded: He tends to have this effect on humans and Persona alike. Whenever he steps out of the shadows, the party members can sense him exuding a great power, reacting with dialogue such as "What... what is this feeling? This cold... my... my Persona... is afraid!" Even the poker-faced Baofu's blood turns to ice.
Eldritch Abomination: Like Philemon, Nyarlathotep is not a deity born of human thoughts and wishes like the gods and demons of the series. As he explains at the end of Innocent Sin, they are sapient forces of the collective conscious itself, shaped into being as a consequence of humanity being existences who create and destroy their sense of self. In other words, as long as humans stir the collective by weakening and destroying the self, Nyarlathotep will never cease to exist, and he possesses a great sway over the vast power of the collective. To drive the point home, many of his forms feature tentacles and various types of Body Horror to emphasize how different he is compared to the typical gods and demons of the collective conscious.
Even the Loving Hero Has Hated Ones: As the embodiment of all of humanity's vices, he deliberately pushes his victims' buttons, both out of amusement and because their hatred would give him strength, and it works. Even Maya admits that she never felt as much hatred for someone as Nyarly.
Evil All Along: He helped the heroes as the Time Count but did that only to make his plans go smoothly.
Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Zigzagged. Nyarlathotep perfectly understands the good in humanity, and admits to Philemon that the protagonists of Innocent Sin are indeed evidence about the human potential to become greater beings. He can also recognize the strength of character in people he manipulates. However, he makes it clear it does nothing to temper his actions, and this understanding is exactly why he is very effective in tormenting humans.
Evil Counterpart: Philemon is all the good in humanity, Nyarlathotep is all the bad. His "Time Castle" store in the heart of Sumaru City is a wonderful counterpoint to the Velvet Room: as the Count he exchanges cards, pontificates on fate and the insignificance of humans in the greater scheme, and his store reflects the progression of the overall plot (i.e. it slowly fills up with brainwashed NWO members and Shadows).
Evil Gloating: "Let me see your terrified faces."
Evil Will Fail: After he's finally defeated at the end of Eternal Punishment, Nyarlathotep notes with bitter irony that he's become the unwitting instigator of man's evolution; "chaos" being the wellspring of Philemon's "potential."
Faux Affably Evil: "You desired all of this! Smile a little! You're contradicting yourself!"
Fighting a Shadow: Like Philemon, Nyarlathotep uses avatars to carry out various tasks; posing as Kandori's Persona, black butterflies, his many human guises, Moon Howler, Shadow Selves of the protagonists, etc. The only time Nyarlathotep actually focuses his vast power to appear in his true form is during the second phase of his Final Boss fight in Eternal Punishment, as the God of 1000 Faces.
Final Boss: He's the last opponent in every part of Persona 2 except the EX Dungeon in Eternal Punishment, taking different forms each time:
- In Innocent Sin, he starts out in the guise of the Fuhrer using the Moon Howler as his Persona, then becomes the Great Father, a horrific fusion of all the party members' fathers with Kashihara at the top.
- In Eternal Punishment, he directly engages the party as the Moon Howler before finally revealing his true form as the Crawling Chaos.
- In Tatsuya's Scenario in the PSP version of Eternal Punishment, he takes on the form of the Faceless God, which is his original design from Shin Megami Tensei II.
Final Boss Preview: The "Fuhrer" summons the Moon Howler as his Persona. You aren't going to see it again until the sequel. He also converses with you throughout the game as "Time Count", the helpful-but-smug card monger.
Foreshadowing: Though limited to a very minor on-screen appearance, Nyarlathotep's role in the series' cosmology is established as early as Persona 1; the stone slab in St. Hermelin's courtyard describes the legend of the Buddhist priest "Hiremon" and his fight against his demon nemesis "Narurato Hotepu", alluding to the conflict between Philemon and Nyarlathotep^note. Likewise, the fact that Nyarlathotep has very distinct designs as a Persona between being invoked by the protagonists and by Kandori hints there's more to him than meets the eye.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: Often appears as friends or family members of the humans he's trying to manipulate at the moment.
For the Evulz: Neither he nor Philemon have any real stake in their wager. Nyarlathotep wants to destroy the planet... for kicks. Given that he's a manifestation of humanity's innate negativity, he couldn't be anything else; he is defined by his sadism and pettiness, and unlike Philemon, even his involvement in the "wager" is artificial as he isn't interested in humanity's growth for better or for worse; he just revels in seeing humanity suffer.
Glamour Failure: Both his human and non-human forms have telltale signs: for human disguises, it's eerie yellow eyes similar to those on Shadow Selves, his non-human forms tend to be black in colour, with blue pustule-like things with screaming faces inside them all over his body.
God of Evil: Literally, given the part of humanity he represents.
Guardian Entity: To Joker and Kandori, manifesting as a Persona for each.
The Heartless: He's the anthropomorphic personification of all the things which can weaken and destroy the human ego. Thus, emotions and thoughts which can overwhelm oneself are his main fuel: fear, hatred, anger, but also obsessive love, prideful delusions — effectively any complex which can be perceived as weaknesses.
Hidden Villain: He prefers to operate behind the scenes for most of the Persona 2 duology.
High-Class Glass: The Time Count's clock-shaped monocle.
Hope Crusher: Befitting the Lovecraftian Outer God he is named after, he delights in destroying the hope and sanity of humans.
Humanity on Trial: What he and Philemon are setting up in Persona 2. He's perfectly happy to tip the scales to his favor, though.
Humanoid Abomination: He often takes the forms of humans to better manipulate and unnerve them. Katsuya and Baofu, no strangers to criminal profiling, suspect he has more in common with us than he realizes, and that this is a flaw to be exploited.
Baofu: That's definitely a human. The way he looks down on others… that's something only humans can do. Heh... All right, I'll tango with ya... As another human.
Humans Are Bastards: Along with Humans Are Morons. Nyarlathotep embodies all of humanity, including and especially their tendencies to look down on and ruin the lives of others for their own selfish reasons. Naturally it excels in bringing the bastards out of people, and looks down on every human as if they are morons.
I Have Many Names: He is ocasionally referred to by some of his Cthulhu Mythos namesake's many epithets, such as the Crawling Chaos, the Dweller in Darkness, the Faceless God, the Howler, the God of a Thousand Faces, and so on. Some of these names constitute their own "forms" of Nyarlathotep, not unlike YHVH and his numerous alternative names being used as avatars to carry multiple tasks at once.
I Have Your Wife: Abducts Lisa, Eikichi, and Jun at the climax of Eternal Punishment, then threatens to restore their memories — which would accelerate the return of the Other Side and replace the current Earth with a ruined one.
In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves: Makes an extremely convincing argument about this in Innocent Sin by manipulating a bunch of deluded humans into destroying human civilization. It was undone with a Reset Button but Eternal Punishment is about stopping it from happening again.
Knight of Cerebus: Both Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment's storylines become significantly more grim as they reach their climaxes and Nyarlathotep starts taking centre stage, revealing that all of the threats the protagonists faced up to that point were just sadistic machinations that are his part of a Cosmic Chess Game.
Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: It becomes clear something is off when Tatsuya's party reaches the finale in Xibalba. "Fuhrer" responds to each attack with a Palpatine-like "good", and the Great Father wraps up the fight by praising your strength. These are apparently just sparring matches for his amusement; Philemon wonders if playing the father figure for a while has made him go "soft," suggesting that he's far less merciful under normal conditions. Nyarlathotep just chuckles and admits that his counterpart was right about humans: they're fun to play with. This might be because with Okamura in place, he's already all but won and he's just dragging on the battle for the lulz to be had at the end. To support this, he's far less cordial in Eternal Punishment, when the Moon Howler takes off the kid gloves; "You are all DEAD!"
Let's You and Him Fight: Nyar's usual MO is to arrange the world's destruction without doing it himself. According to him, it's not really his fault if it can happen with just a little push.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: As the Time Count.
Made of Evil: Not literally, as he embodies all things in humans which makes them commit evil rather than being a mass of evil, but he is still effectively one. In Eternal Punishment, he uses the three poisons of Buddhism to illustrate why he exists and what he derives strength from.
Man Behind the Man: The mastermind behind SEBEC, the Masked Circle, the Last Battalion, and the New World Order (in the new world of Eternal Punishment).
Man of Wealth and Taste: His guise as the Time Count is a very well-dressed man.
Mana Burn: In Innocent Sin, he has a trick which allows him to damage your SP rather than your HP.
Manipulative Bastard: His favorite tactic is to manipulate his enemies into doing exactly what he wants them to do, with a 95% success rate.
Meaningful Name: Named after a crafty H. P. Lovecraft monster who delights in causing insanity in mortals, unlike his fellow Outer Gods who are more brutish and unintelligent. In Eternal Punishment, one of his boss forms is a clear homage to "the Howler", perhaps his most recognizable literary depiction. The Updated Re Release Tatsuya Scenario makes this even more meaningful, as Randolph Carter (who in Lovecraft works is generally recognized as Author Avatar) had an encounter with Nyarlathotep in the collective consciousness, which might have led Nyar to pick up his name.
More Teeth than the Osmond Family: His Moon Howler form is covered in jagged fangs that erupt from the wrists.
Mythology Gag: The form he takes as the final boss in Tatsuya's Scenario is his mainline Shin Megami Tensei design.
Not-So-Well-Intentioned Extremist: Nyarlathotep was born out of humanity's destructive tendencies and inherent contradictions; from his perspective, he may think he's merely giving humanity what they want, a fact which he is very eager to remind the protagonists of as he takes every opportunity to point out the contradiction of trying to fight one's species' own collective psyche. However, unlike a few similar entities from future installments in the series, Nyarlathotep could not care less about humanity's "inner desires", and he isn't putting humanity on trial so much as he is watching them suffer through a show trial which he believes they will never, ever win, and he takes immense glee in rubbing this fact in their faces.
Obviously Evil: His forms when fought as a boss take the cake. They tend to be a combination between being mostly black, taking inspirations from Lovecraft and being covered with screaming masks or fangs. Definitely a good guy.
Offhand Backhand: He does this to Maya and Eikichi during their first encounter, swatting them aside without any real effort.
One-Hit Kill: The Faceless God from Tatsuya's Scenario has Armageddon R, which he uses as a counter if the party tries to use Armageddon on him.
One-Winged Angel: As you'd expect from someone nicknamed "God of 1000 Faces", his Final Boss forms are particularly trippy.
Orcus on His Throne: He always waits until the last moment to reveal himself. Downplayed, since he is actively setting up plots and pieces to work in his favor behind the scenes, and he needs to manipulate his enemies to prove his point about humans being self-destructive.
The Power of Hate: He seems to have a special preference for hatred, acting in full capacity as a Hate Sink and delighting as well as gaining power from hatred directed toward him.
Pride: He knows he's powerful and a cunning planner, but because of this, he often underestimates the heroes. Notably, the primary reason of his defeat is how he thinks he can definitely win over the protagonists when it comes to a straight fight without manipulations setting conditions in his favor, unable to even conceive the idea of getting beaten up by humans he torments.
Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: As the Great Father, he has a move called Master 18 where he delivers a barrage of punches eighteen times.
Reality Warper: He can place a curse on an entire city which turns rumors into reality no matter how large-scale or outlandish they are. He can corrupt and twist the memories of humans without a Persona. He can bring people Back from the Dead with nothing more than a thought. Further, it is retroactively implied the reality-altering DEVA System of the original Persona is his handiwork. His authority over cognitions is similar to Philemon; which is why he can undo Philemon's Reset Button using the existence of Tatsuya of the old world in the new one as an anchor to eventually call it back and overwrite the current reality.
Recurring Boss: An unusual example in that he spends much of the games disguised as various Personas. His initial incarnation as Kandori's original Persona was a huge, gargoyle-like monster. Jun/Joker's starter Persona is a mockery of his Joker uniform, with lupine claws and appendages in place of his body. He is fought again as Kandori's Persona in the Undersea Palace (now with fragments of God Kandori glued onto his face and torso), and numerous times as the Fuhrer/Great Father/Moon Howler/Crawling Chaos at his base of operations, the Monado Mandala.
Red Herring: Nyarlathotep often sets up other people as red herrings, when acting behind the scenes as the true mastermind. He loves his deception and misdirection, and part of what makes him so dangerous; you never know what part of his plans are critical components and what is simple fluff. Even the smallest loose end could be the final nail in your coffin — this is exactly what happens to Maya Amano in Innocent Sin as all of his more visible pawns like Jun, Tatsuya Sudou, the Nazi's, the crystal skulls and even himself are all distractions while his real ace-in-the-hole was Maya Okamura and the Holy Lance.
Satanic Archetype: Similiarly to the works he originates from, Nyarlathotep suffers from no Blue-and-Orange Morality like its fellow god-like entities in this series: He completely understands what he is and he loves it. He finds enjoyment in manipulating and tempting humans into screwing themselves instead of destroying everything instantly. After all, where would the fun be in that?
Shapeshifter Default Form:
- He has no face, therefore his faces are infinite. For the sake of continuity though, he has a few favorites. When leading Jun around like a dog on a leash, Akinari Kashihara usually suits his purposes. For leading troops into battle, who better than Der Fuhrer? For Eternal Punishment, he drops all pretense and doubles as Tatsuya Suou to goad him.
- While unused in the game, the artbook features a depiction◊ of Nyarlathotep's "basic/default form" that incorporates elements of several of his namesake's "masks" across the Cthulhu Mythos while also mirroring Philemon's Badass in a Nice Suit aesthetic.
Shut Up, Kirk!: "Why did you come here? Heh... to spout gibberish??"
Signature Move: Has a lot of these throughout his various forms, some referencing his Lovecraftian origin.
- Shadow Kill, used by both Moon Howler and God of 1000 Faces, which deals large Throw damage.
- Unperishable Black, used by the Moon Howler. It will halve your entire teams' remaining HP without fail.
- Guard Punish, also by the Moon Howler, deals large Almighty damage and hits for twice the damage if the target is guarding. Philemon also has this in his secret fight.
- Wheel of Time, used by God of 1000 Faces, deals large Almighty damage and gets 10% stronger with each use.
- Crawling Chaos, also by God of 1000 Faces (along with Kandori and the Faceless God in Tatsuya Scenario), which has a chance to Mute your characters in addition to Almighty damage.
- Transient Ripple, used by God of 1000 Faces and Faceless God, which nullifies all healing, buff, and shield spells. He shares this spell with Philemon.
- Wheel of Fortune, also by God of 1000 Faces and Faceless God, which prevents the protagonist party from changing Personas for 8 turns.
Slasher Smile: Makes big, toothy grins when he's about to do something monstrous.
Smug Snake: He's an excellent manipulator of plots to get humanity to destroy itself, and he's smart enough in Eternal Punishment to not be surprised by the protagonists thwarting the initial plan. What he's too cocky to plan for is them actually beating him.
Spectacular Spinning: The enormous, elaborate clock behind the Time Count. It's covered in gold rings that spin and spin and spin... In hindsight, this foreshadows Sumaru City's eventual transformation into a halo-covered UFO.
Split-Personality Takeover: When playing the role of Kandori's Persona in Persona 1, he briefly decides to take matters his own hands and infiltrates his own user's mind and body, escalating the boss fight into a 2nd phase.
Straw Nihilist: Often claims that there are no reasons for humanity to live, but considering his origins, he most likely sees that as a good thing.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: His glowing gold eyes hint at his unnatural existence.
Stupid Jetpack Hitler: Subverted, as he only took his form for a short time.
Suicidal Overconfidence:
- The Time Count is another of Nyarlathotep's guises, as revealed in Persona World Guidance; he's just keeping an eye on the party, and wants to force them to come into his store... and chat about their plans. Duplicating cards is a bit much, though.
- The cockiness doesn't end there: In Eternal Punishment, The Very Definitely Final Dungeon contains a network of portals leading back to the Alaya Shrine, and the city's storekeepers. The purpose of this is twofold: to remind Tatsuya that "Everything begins and ends here", and to give the heroes a sporting chance. To Nyarlathotep, it's all a game. His This Cannot Be! and Villainous Breakdown bellow make it clear that for all the effort he puts into his planning, he never accounts for the possibility of him actually losing.
This Cannot Be!: Coupled with his Villainous Breakdown below, and does so again when he finally loses.
Time Abyss: As the source of the "self" for humans (erroneously translated as source of souls in English releases), Nyarlathotep embodies the human mind's instinct to destroy and weaken the sense of self, which means he is about as old as humanity itself when they became sapient beings.
The Tower: Appropriately enough, The Tower Arcana is the only one Nyarlathotep was ever directly associated with, being used in Persona 1 when summoned by the player, and every time he strikes, disaster soon follows as a result of his enemies' own flaws.
Turns Red: Some of his forms are used when his initial efforts to fight his enemies fail: they are God Kandori, Angel Joker, and God of 1000 Faces.
Villainous Breakdown: When fought one last time at the end of Eternal Punishment, he starts screaming "I won't accept it! Invincible! INVINCIBLE!" when the life bar of his final form dwindles.
Villains Act, Heroes React: Though he is a Hidden Villain, Nyarlathotep is the prime actor which moves the plot during Persona 2. The protagonists mostly adapt and react to his plans executed through various proxies. It is a big reason to why the Innocent Sin crew ultimately fail to stop him. The Eternal Punishment crew manages to be more proactive and succeeds in the end.
Walking Spoiler: Nyarlathotep only officially introduces himself and explains his complex machinations over the plot of Persona 2 at the very end of Innocent Sin. Knowing he exists at all casts a large shadow to the plot of that game.
The Watchmaker: Masquerades as an antique clock salesman in Rengedai. This is probably a reference to Tick-Tock Man, one of his avatars in the Cthulhu Mythos.
We Will Meet Again: Though the protagonists deal him a serious blow at the end of Eternal Punishment, he vows not only to return, but to roar back even stronger than before, before he vanishes. Considering his origins, it is likely he has reformed, but he hasn't make an appearance in subsequent games ever since.
White Hair, Black Heart: As the Time Count he has white hair, but he's just as evil as ever.
White Mask of Doom: His final form has white, scream-like masks all over his tentacled body.

Igor

"You were truly a most remarkable guest."

Voiced by: Takeshi Aono (Japanese; Persona 2: Innocent Sin ~ The Errors of Their Youth), Isamu Tanonaka (Japanese; most appearances), Hōchū Ōtsuka (Japanese; Persona 5: The Phantom X), Bin Shimada (Japanese; Persona 3 Reload), Dan Woren (English; Persona 3, 4, 4: The Animation, 4 Arena), Vic Mignogna (English; Persona 4 Arena: Ultimax), Kirk Thornton (English; Persona 5, uncredited, Persona 3 Reload)

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

Igor is the mysterious proprietor of The Velvet Room, an equally mysterious place "between dreams and reality, mind and matter", and introduces himself as the being who calls forth and forges Personas. His most distinctive physical attribute is definitely his Tengu/Pinocchio-like long nose. A servant of Philemon, after the apparent departure of his master, Igor has taken the role of mentoring the player from Persona 3 onwards. Igor is always found in The Velvet Room: although in previous games he used a phone made of bone to call up Personas from the depths of the collective conscious, now he does so by arranging tarot cards into mystical arrangements on his table.

All-Powerful Bystander: While he's not implied to be as strong as Philemon (who created Igor in the first place), he is suggested to be incredibly powerful in his own right despite solely being a passive observer and helper. Elizabeth notes in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth that after she and Theodore temporarily take over the Velvet Room while he is gone, they are barely able to keep the place stable and that it's his power alone that keeps the place functioning for guests and the attendants that reside there. In Persona 5, it's revealed that he even has the power to create life. Dancing in Moonlight shows that Elizabeth is absolutely terrified of crossing him.
The Archmage: The closest we have in the Persona series. Comes with the territory for being the series's resident fusion master. Considering his students and his boss, he would be a force to be reckoned with if he ever stood up and challenged someone to a fight.
Artificial Human: Well, not exactly a human — initially he was a doll made by an unnamed master, and later Philemon brought him to human-like life and made the proprietor of the Velvet Room. He ponders his own role in the universe due to this, and thus is interested in humans.
Ascended Extra: In the first two games, he was a character on the level of the regular shopkeepers, simply offering his fusion services. Starting in 3 he takes a more active role: while still largely a bystander figure, he takes the role of a Big Good who nudges the hero in the right direction and gives subtle advice in place of Philemon. It happens again when Persona 5 made him the Confidant of the Fool Arcana, but this is a subversion. The "Igor" seen throughout that game is actually an evil imposter, with the real one only making his appearance at the very end.
Big Good:
- Takes over the role left by Philemon after the events of Persona 2, spurring the protagonists on their journeys and providing help while always remaining in the backseat to look over things.
- Double subverted in Persona 5; the fake Igor is actually The Man Behind the Man, while the real one created Morgana to help you. Then played straight upon the real Igor's return; Lampshaded by Lavenza, who says that he has always believed in the potential of humanity.
Berserk Button: His reaction to Margaret singing the "Long Nose" song is pretty much the closest we've seen him angry.
Big Ol' Eyebrows: Whether his very large eyebrows make him look cool or creepy is up for debate, but he has them.
Character Catchphrase: Whenever a guest enters his domain, he always welcomes them with a variation of "Welcome to the Velvet Room." It's occasionally a Borrowed Catchphrase by the other Velvet Room attendants, with Margaret in particular expressing excitement at being able to say it once.
Cheshire Cat Grin: Permanently etched on his face.
Cool Car: In Persona 4, the Velvet Room takes the form of a luxurious limo.
Cool Old Guy: Igor takes the appearance of a creepy old man, but he's a firm believer in Humans Are Good and he's unfailingly polite, assisting the protagonist with Persona fusions.
Creepy Good: Looks scary, but is most definitely on your side—except in Persona 5, but that's not the real Igor.
Dark Is Not Evil: He looks suspicious, and he withholds information from you, but he's generally very helpful, almost mentor-like.
Demoted to Extra: His original Japanese actor lost his life to illness prior to Persona 4: The Animation, so all of his lines for Persona 3/4-related anime and Arena duology are recycled from the original games. As a result, he comes across in those works as little more than a quiet mentor, who's only really there to serve as a figurehead while Margaret fills in as the Big Good. He completely disappears from the Velvet Room in Q, which kickstarts the game's plot. In 5, it initially seems that he's finally returned to a major role, now played by Masane Tsukayama, but that's not really the case. It turns out "Igor" in P5 is actually Yaldabaoth, the Demiurge in disguise. The trope ends up being played straight as real Igor returns at the very end, once again voiced by Isamu Tanonaka's recycled voice clips. In Royal, Lavenza serves as the primary representative of the Velvet Room in the Third Semester. The same applies in Strikers and Tactica, with Lavenza being the only one present in the Velvet Room while Igor is completely absent. This drought finally ends as of Persona 5: The Phantom X and Persona 3 Reload, with Igor getting recast in Japan (albeit with two different actors in both games) and returning as the Big Good again.
Deus Exit Machina: Repeatedly in the Persona 5 games where the Big Bad du Jour will recognize Igor as a threat to their plans and make efforts to force him out of the Velvet Room before he can invite a new Wild Card. It never works, but points for trying.
Expy: He's the Mido of the Persona series, being the guy in charge of fusing Personas like demons are fused in the other SMT sub-franchises.
Face of a Thug: Looks like a devil, but remains one of your most trustworthy allies throughout the series.
Finger-Tenting: He's often seen clasping his hands together in a sinister-looking manner in the Velvet Room, but while he does withhold information from the players, he's by no means deceiving them, and is completely on their side.
Gag Nose: Take a look above, at everyone else's nose. Then look at this guy. Elizabeth made a song with lyrics all about his nose, and she even made Margaret sing it too.
Game-Over Man: He'll appear before you if you get a game over in P3 and P4 to lament over your journey's end. In P5, his tone is more mocking; however, this is because he is an impostor, and once the real Igor returns, he is properly saddened by your demise.
Gonk: He's a pretty horrifying man to look at despite his helpful nature.
He's Back!: In P5, once the real Igor returns from his imprisonment. "Mmgh... Oh my... It's been quite a while since I last stepped foot in this place... Welcome to the Velvet Room," which is more benevolent and familiar sounding than the variant that Yaldabaoth gave when Joker first entered: "Welcome to my Velvet Room."
Horrifying Hero: Although he gives off a very sinister aura, he's nothing but helpful, friendly, and benevolent.
Magnetic Hero: He welcomes all kinds of lost spirits, from humans to mutilated gods.
Man of Wealth and Taste: A non-evil version. The Velvet Room changes form every game, depending on the guest he looks after. It has changed from a classical nightclub, to an elevator, to a limousine, and even a prison. Say what you will about Igor's taste in assistants; the man has awesome personal taste when it comes to making the room look classy, elegant, and mysterious.
Mundane Utility: According to Elizabeth, when he's bored, he plays cards using the Persona cards.
Nice Guy: Never anything less than kind and reassuring towards the protagonists, though he insists on maintaining a passive role in assisting them.
Omniscient Morality License: Igor makes it clear early on that he knows far more than he's saying, but feels compelled to hold back and let the hero learn what's going on for themselves. In the end, it all works out.
Once an Episode: His last words to the heroes of Persona 3, 4, and 5, during their last visit to the Velvet Room, are:
"You were truly a remarkable guest."
Once Done, Never Forgotten: While embarrassed about it, he makes it no secret that while his Persona fusion abilities are powerful and impressive, he has performed at least one Fusion Accident in the past and can't guarantee that all fusions will be flawless.
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In Persona 2: Tsumi to Batsu spin-off manga, Igor legitimately gets apprehensive when Philemon states he will allow his Black and Red Books to fall into the hands of humans, to the point he briefly protests.
Perpetual Smiler: Always seen with a toothy grin. He doesn't even open his mouth when talking.
Pointy Ears: Another of Igor's inhuman traits. His ears are pointed and extend horizontally.
Powers That Be: Whatever Igor is exactly, he's almost certainly one of these.
The Quiet One: Since the death of his original voice actor, Igor has been voiced entirely through archived audio, and thus speaks much less frequently. This has the dual effect of making his various attendants more prominent, as they now provide most of the exposition for him, and making him come across as even more mysterious than he already was.
Scratchy-Voiced Senior: He speaks with a scratchy, high-pitched voice in the Japanese dubs (the English dubs go a little differently, where he sounds less like a senior and an awful lot like Mr. Burns in 3, 4, and 5) which help play up his whimsy and mysterious nature as the master of the Velvet Room. In fact, he became so well-known for his voice that Persona 5 shocked players when his new voice actor gave him a deep, booming one instead. This is a clue that this Igor is a fake. Once the real Igor returns in the end to assist the heroes, his voice returns to something much more familiar.invoked
Shout-Out: The Velvet Room most obviously draws from the David Lynch's film Blue Velvet, as that's the color the "Velvet room" literally is despite being an uncommon color for the material to be shown in, it's initial appearance is of a nightclub like one in the film, and like most of David Lynch's works this is a very surreal and dream-like "location" dealing with matters of the collective unconscious. The ambiance of the Velvet Room, combined with the sheer weirdness of Igor and his cronies, could also be drawing inspiration from the director's popular series Twin Peaks.
So Proud of You: At the end of the protagonists' journey, Igor congratulates them on their efforts to change the world around them, telling them that they "were truly a remarkable guest."
Spirit Advisor: Starting with 3, the main character is usually the only one who has direct contact with him. Even on the rare occasions when the other party members do meet him, it's only when they're accompanying the main protagonist. Otherwise, they're largely unaware that the Velvet Room even exists or how the protagonists use Igor's services to develop new Persona.
Theme Naming: Igor and most of his Velvet Room assistants are named after characters from either the novel or the movies of Frankenstein.
Time Travel: While he won't offer this to undo Downer Endings due to the protagonist taking responsibility for their actions, he freely offers to rewind time back one week in 4 and 5 in case of deadline-induced Game Overs.
Undying Loyalty: To Philemon. In Persona 2: Tsumi to Batsu, Igor states if Philemon has bet everything on humankind, then so will he.
The Unfought: In the games, we have fought Igor's assistants and even his boss Philemon, but we have never faced Igor himself in combat. Judging by how he's the series' resident fusion master, it might be for a sound reason. He did teach the Velvet Siblings nearly all he knows. The Igor you battle in Persona 5 is a fake, and even then, you don't directly fight him until he reverts to his true form of the Holy Grail/Yaldabaoth. The closest players get to actually fighting him would be as a spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Visual Pun: Whether or not he's really a tengu, he sure does act and look like one.
Vocal Evolution: Zig-zagged:
- In Persona 5, he has a pretty jarring one, going from a scratchy and whimsical mentor character to a much more malicious tone of voice, but this is actually his imposter. When he returns to his post in Persona 5, he comes back to his more high-pitched and impish voice.
- Played straight between his various voice actors across the series. In his appearances for 3 and 4, Dan Woren gives him a smooth, if mysterious voice that indicates he knows more than he lets on. When voiced by Kirk Thornton in 5, he's played to resemble how Dan Woren portrayed the character in Persona 3 and 4, having a slightly nasally voice. In Reload, Igor's voice goes in a different direction than his portrayal in 5, with it sounding a little more eccentric and a bit closer to Thornton's natural voice.
Walking Spoiler: His true appearance in Persona 5 indirectly reveals the identity of the Greater-Scope Villain of the game as well as how he was impersonating Igor throughout 99% of the game.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Igor tends to be absent in spin-off games without much explanation, if any.
The Worf Effect: Despite there being no indication of exactly how powerful he is besides being stronger than his attendants, Igor and Lavenza were defeated before Persona 5 by the fake Igor, who imprisoned him in the deepest depths of Mementos as the sole prisoner of the most guarded cell, while the Velvet Room itself merged with the realm's inner workings.

The Reaper

Arcana: Death

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/88942780b46a7fd995ef94c1a0811877.png

A notorious Optional Boss found in Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, Persona 5, Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, and Persona 5 Strikers. His Arcana card is "Death", and he's based off the Grim Reaper, though he forgoes his trademark scythe for a pair of long-barreled revolvers. His face is shrouded in bandages, with only one ominous yellow eye to see its surroundings. Common to all his appearances is that he's very worthy of his title, able to resist and use every element in the game and punish you if you try to use that against him by spamming Megidola and Megidolaon, being immune to the One-Hit Kill Light and Dark elements, and in general being incredibly hard while being in an Atlus game.

In Persona 3, he lurks around Tartarus during the Dark Hour, personally appearing if one condition is met: if you stay on one floor for too long. However, certain conditions can drastically shorten the time left before his apperance: if the Shadow population of a floor is different from the norm in any way (less or more than normal, or none at all), if there are only gold Shadows on the floor, or if you pick a Shuffle Time card that's appended by an ominous black crossbone. Fuuka will warn you at certain time intervals before the time left to his appearance runs out. Once it does, you get one final warning just before he spawns and proceeds to hunt you. Defeating it is part of one of Elizabeth's request, where she asks you to receive a Bloody Button from it. Completing the request is needed to gain the one where you have to fight Elizabeth.

He reappears in Persona 4, but only on your second playthrough. In Magatsu Inaba/Mandala, the Reaper can be found in ordinary chests; upon examination, the Protagonist is forewarned that a powerful force dwells within the chest. Should the Protagonist choose to open it, the Reaper will attack the Protagonist, engaging the party to a battle. Like its previous incarnation, the Reaper can be challenged multiple times, as long as the Protagonist manages to locate the treasure chest he dwells within. Beating him grants a character's Infinity +1 Sword, but only if they're part of a team that beats him, so be prepared to beat him multiple times if you want 100% Completion.

In Persona 4 Golden, his appearance parameters have changed. Not only can he appear during the first playthrough, his appearance is tied to the number of treasure boxes opened in the TV World. After 20 boxes are opened, the 21st box will signal his arrival though his trademark chains clanking and hearing him breathe. The next box opened may give you the warning message, though you can circumvent this by opening a Gold Chest (which needs a chest key to open). His AI was also given an update, as he can now attack twice per round, and you best believe he will exploit this fact.

In Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth, The Reaper appears as one of the F.O.E.s of the final Stratum of the game, The Clock Tower in every even floor and floor 9. There is usually one Reaper guarding a floor, who will beeline forwards you if it spots you, moving two spaces every other step you take. Not only that, The Reaper can move over gaps due of it floating, meaning that not only can it cut corners, it can move out of a room to another one to chase you further. Defeating it will give you Death's Order, what can be crafted into items what halves all stats but doubles experience gained. Hunting it down is also a part of a request which you get in New Game Plus.

In Persona 5 (including Royal), the Reaper can be found in Mementos in a similar capacity to his role in Persona 3, appearing if you stay on one level too long.

In Persona Q2, the Reaper is lurking within a Power Spot located in the 4th floor of the Labyrinth outside the Cinema. Beating it gives the material required to fuse Lucifer.

In Persona 5 Strikers, the Reaper is the game's secret final boss, and can only be fought by a request from Lavenza after beating the main story and every boss rematch request. Defeating him gives a mastered save file, which can be used to launch New Game Plus and unlock the game's hardest difficulty, Merciless mode.

Adaptational Badass: In Persona 3 Reload, he can outright follow the party up the stairs instead of simply sticking to the floor of Tartarus where he originally spawned. There is a brief grace period before this happens, and the Reaper will keep chasing you unless you use a teleporter or Tartarus Escape spell to warp back to the entrance, or keep climbing until you reach a Gatekeeper floor.
Adaptational Wimp:
- Downplayed, but he is significantly weaker in the Q series than in a mainline Persona game. He lacks many attacks from his mainline self and is only slightly stronger than the FOEs around him.
- While he puts up a formidable challenge in the P4 anime adaptation, they are demoted to being The Dragon for Adachi and can be defeated by two members of the Investigation Team, each, and are less powerful than Ameno Sagiri.
- In the fourth P3 film, the Reaper is quickly vaporized by a Megidolaon from Orpheus after showing up to attack Makoto. To be fair for him though, Elizabeth gave Orpheus that skill without warning.
All Your Powers Combined: He can use every element in any game, meaning he can target any weakness you or the party may have. He also knows the Break Element skills, so even your immunity isn't guaranteed to keep you safe unless it's to a physical element or Light or Dark.
The Artifact: In Persona 3, the Reaper fit with the game's Central Theme of Death, and its presence in Tartarus was explained by Tartarus representing humans' subconscious desire for Death. Its reappearances in Persona 4 and Persona 5 move it into this territory, however, since those games have different themes.
Artificial Brilliance: Thought you'd buy yourself time by using a Magic Mirror or a Persona with Makrakarn? Congrats, The Reaper will now proceed to bombard you endlessly with Megidola and/or Megidolaon until you die.
Badass Longcoat: With four coat-tails, too.
Balance Buff: Between the original Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal, the Reaper becomes immune to the Despair status that is normally inflicted during Flu Season, which means defeating him can't be done by him killing himself within three turns and requires the player to actually fight it, no matter what.
Boss-Altering Consequence: If you visit Mementos during flu season in Persona 5, there is a chance that the Reaper will be inflicted with Despair and die in three turns. This is only possible in the vanilla edition as the Royal version removes this weakness.
Boss in Mook's Clothing: In some installments (e.g. Persona 4), the game plays the regular battle theme when you encounter him and he can be downed for an all-out attack if hit by a critical physical attack.
Bragging Rights Reward:
- He does give additional rewards in 3 and 4, but by the time you're strong enough to be able to beat him, you probably don't need the 5 million yen you get from the Velvet Room request in 3 or the Infinity Plus One Weapons he drops in 4.
- In 3, completing a request to defeat him is one of the requirements to unlock the Bonus Dungeon Monad, a late-game Peninsula of Power Leveling and home to an even stronger Super Boss, making the Reaper's first appearance the only one to avert his Bragging Rights Reward status.
Chained by Fashion: Has two chains running across both of its shoulders, forming a cross. They're not actually connected to The Reaper, as they just float on its body.
Chest Monster:
- In Persona 4. Moreso in Golden, where he has a chance to appear after 20 boxes are opened.
- He also does this in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, but he only lurks at a treasure spot at the second to last floor of the final dungeon. It's red and the party warns you before you excavate it, so it's quite obvious.
The Dragon: In Persona 4: The Animation, Adachi personally summons three Reapers to fend off the Investigation Team.
The Dreaded: Regardless if you're prepared to fight him or not, whenever he comes, he always freaks the hell out of your navigators, who may advise and motion you to run for the hills.
Fuuka: No! You can't defeat it! RUN!
Rise: What is this thing? It feels really bad...
Morgana: What!? This one's a real threat!
Futaba: Whoa...this Shadow looks strong...!
- It's played even more straight in Persona 5 Strikers, which takes place a year after the original. When Futaba senses that he's back, she is, understandably, "scared shitless."
  Futaba: O-O-O-Omigod, there's something in the Okinawa Jail and its power is... Oh! Could - Could it be!? Is this... Is it HIM!?
Flunky Boss: Is usually fought alone, but in Strikers on Merciless he'll start summoning Dire Shadows (brutal bonus bosses in their own right) to his side once he's down to about half health.
Four Is Death: In Persona 3, it is one of four beings symbolic of the Grim Reaper and it has 4444 HP. It also usually appears after staying on a floor that isn't affected by a random event for roughly 4 minutes.
Giant Space Flea from Nowhere: There is no context or concrete information on where he came from or his origins. The only character who has given any info on it is Zen, and even then it is vague if it applies to all of Reaper's appearances.
Grim Reaper: One of four beings that count in Persona 3.
Guns Akimbo: He completely forgoes a scythe for dual revolvers.
Hand Cannon: He dual wields revolvers with barrels that seem several feet long.
Loves the Sound of Screaming: If you manage a Hold Up on the Reaper in Persona 5, he'll only have this to say.
"Me no want to talk to you! Me just want to hear your screams!"
Marathon Boss: He's got quite a lot of HP, and resists every element in the game plus being immune to Light and Dark, which can translate to a long fight. In Persona 3, if the player has the Armageddon fusion spell, the fight can be beaten in one shot, averting this.
Metal Slime:
- In Persona 4, defeating the Reaper grants the respective characters their strongest weapons per defeat; if the in-battle characters already have their strongest weapons, the Reaper instead drops the strongest armor. If all of those have already been received as well, the Reaper drops the Omnipotent Orb, an accessory that voids all attacks excluding Almighty-elemental.
- In Persona 5, defeating the Reaper always makes him drop a Divine Pillar, which makes it so the equipped character takes half damage from everything but can no longer dodge. Royal changes it so that the Divine Pillar is no longer a guaranteed drop, but with the Experience Booster at max, he gives 172,790 experience points, more than anything else in the game.
Money for Nothing: Beating him as per Elizabeth's second-last request and handing her the Bloody Button he drops results in a five million yen reward. The problem is, by the time you're able to take him down, you probably won't need a few extra million yen in your already bloated pocket. Plus, that's over half the money cap.
Number of the Beast: In Persona 3, aside of its HP, all of its stats are composed of either sixes or nines and defeating it grants the party 6666 EXP. In Persona Q, his HP is now 13666.
Optional Boss: A famous one among Persona fans. It uses every element, is smart enough to target weaknesses, will go berserk if you try to reflect its attacks, and can break immunities. It's always overshadowed by at least one other Super Boss in all of the games until Strikers.
Order Is Not Good: Zen mentions in Persona Q that the Reaper is an agent of providence sent to execute those who threaten the cosmic order. He does this by killing them. One of the materials he drops, Death's Order, also reflects this.
Recurring Boss: In Persona 3 and Persona 5, he'll appear every time you spend enough time on a floor, and in Persona 4, he shows up in special chests. You can't really kill the Reaper, apparently.
Revolvers Are Just Better: Especially when they have 3 foot long barrels.
Run or Die: When you first start out, if you hear his clanking chains, it's time to haul ass in the other direction. You won't be able to challenge him until the endgame.
Shout-Out: Being a rare Optional Boss who is equated with death, he's pretty much the Persona equivalent of the Fiends in the other games. (Though the classic Fiends show up as Personas)
Stalked by the Bell: In Persona 3 and Persona 5, if you take too long to leave a floor of Tartarus or Mementos, this bastard will show up. You'll know he's gunning for you by the clanking of chains getting closer and faster from somewhere, covered by the darkness of Tartarus or Mementos. If you're not close to end-of-game levels of strength, the only option is to haul ass to the closest exit before he gets you.invoked
Status-Buff Dispel: Strangely played with in Golden. His getting two turns at a time means that he will shrug off debuffs placed on him even faster. However, due to having various "Break" spells added to his repertoire, he will waste a good deal of his extra moves on dispelling whatever elemental resistances you or your party members possess. While this neurotic tactic doesn't guarantee he will spend all of his time trying to do so, changing Personas or having teammates with Ultimate Personas (that have more than one resistance) in your group can turn this quirk against him.
Suddenly Speaking: In Persona 5, he actually has a line of dialogue if you manage a Hold Up on him.
Reaper: Me no want to talk to you! Me just want to hear your screams!
Superboss: The Reaper usually is not this because he is weaker than the Final Boss of each Persona game, but does become this in Persona 5 Strikers, overlapping with True Final Boss.
Super-Persistent Predator: In Persona 3 Reload, he gains the ability to chase the party across multiple floors, only breaking the chase if they reach a border or guardian floor, or if they warp back to the entrance.
True Final Boss: Unusually, in Strikers, he is both this trope and an Optional Boss, since he is the last opponent unlocked in the post-game in the standard difficulties. Defeating him is the last challenge and going to Lavenza afterwards will reward them with the Spiral Bookmark, allowing the player the option to start a New Game Plus on Merciless difficulty next time they load the file without having to fight the Final Boss.
13 Is Unlucky: In Persona 4, you get a mere 13 yen from defeating it. In Persona Q, his HP is now 13666.
Took a Level in Badass:
- In Strikers he Came Back Strong and becomes the Ultimate Boss for the first time in the series. In all previous appearances he is less tough than the Final Boss of the game and among Optional bosses is Always Second Best to the Velvet Room Attendant. Strikers also lacks any Velvet Room Attendant bosses, so he may just Rank Up by default.
Turns Red: In Strikers he powers up when he falls below half health and his attacks become faster and stronger. On Merciless difficulty he also summons Dire Shadows when entering this second phase.
Violation of Common Sense: In Persona 5, it's actually advantageous to let him ambush you rather than starting the fight normally, because this will cause him to be limited to one action per round instead of being able to take two. You can expand on this by equipping a Persona that has special skills that are only useable if you're ambushed.
Weaksauce Weakness: In Persona 5, the flu. Going in during Flu Season may inflict him with Despair, which will kill him in three turns without him ever attacking. Royal makes it so this can no longer be done.
Worf Had the Flu: In a literal example of this trope, in Persona 5, the Reaper is susceptible to catching the flu under certain weather conditions, making the battle laughably easy. He'll spend his first two turns doing nothing, then die on the third turn. Averted in Royal, where this exploit is no longer possible.
You No Take Candle: As you can see from his use of "Me" instead of "I" and improper word agreement in his sole line in Persona 5, he seems to lack a good command of the English language.

Recurring Character Types

Persona

"Thou art I...and I am thou..."

A Persona is the manifestation of a person's psyche hidden within them. Also known as a person's "mask" or "other self", Personas originated from the Sea of Souls and take the form of an archetypal figure depending on the wielder's personality. Each Persona are represented by an Arcana that befits its motif. It is with their Personas a person can defend themselves against demons or Shadows. If a person finds the resolve to become stronger, their Persona will evolve into a stronger form. The method of obtaining and summoning a Persona differs in each game but a user often hears the voice of their Persona during their Awakening. Gameplay-wise, Personas are used as a magic or special skill, consuming either SP or HP for every use.

In the first two games, those who play the Persona game or meet Philemon or Nyarlathotep in some way are given the ability to summon their Personas by calling out their name. In the third, the ability is acquired when an individual with sufficient potential gains a strong desire to make a difference, though some had theirs awakened artificially. With the exception of Takaya, users summon their Personas by "shooting" themselves using a gun-like device called Evoker. In the fourth game, when an individual confronts their Shadow Selves and accept their flaws, their Shadow turns into a Persona which is summoned by breaking a tarot card. In the fifth, the Awakening is triggered when someone wanted to rebel against a detestable individual or condition. A mask will then appear on their face which serves as a summoning conduit for their Personas.

Anthropomorphic Personification: A Persona is a manifestation of a person's personality that differs in form.
- Non-unique Personas are created from archetypal identities, typically legends and myths common enough to make marks in the collective unconscious.
- An Initial Persona is the representation of the user's innermost thoughts, and manifested by their will to make a difference.
- A Prime Persona is an upgraded version of the Initial Persona of a user, representing the possibility of having first summoned it after a fair bit of Character Development.
- A Reverse Persona is a Persona with a reversed Arcana, but still in sync enough with its user to not revert into a Shadow. Alternatively, a Reverse Persona can be wielded by certain unique Shadows, such as Shadow-selves.
- An Ultimate Persona is the evolved form of the user's Initial Persona, representing the resolve gained from their personal character arc. This comes with an upgrade to their stats, skills, and even their elemental defenses.
- If a Persona user realizes there's still a path in front of them to travel after gaining their Ultimate Persona, it will become a Third-Tier Persona, representing their clear-headedness over their next step. This comes with powerful unique skills and a stronger upgrade to their elemental defenses.
- Certain Personas are unique in the sense that they were created by a bond between two specific people. For instance, Thanatos was made from the bond between the P3 Hero and Pharos/Ryoji, and Kaguya was made from the bond between the P4 Hero and Marie. It's implied that Robin Hood is a similar case, being made from the bond between the P5 Hero and Goro Akechi.
- An Ancestor Persona is a Persona in the form of one of the user's ancestors, though Eternal Punishment, the only game they appear in, implies that they're just a result of Nyarlathotep taking advantage of rumors becoming reality.
Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Suggested to be a result or side effect of a thorough learning and mastery of Persona. The Persona users of yore, which Igor brings up in Persona 2, were individuals who lived during Carl Jung's time and the first humans who awakened Persona, and at least one of them (Randolph Carter) seems not bound to human limits — as he is still alive with flesh and blood more than 70 years after he first entered the greater depths of the collective unconscious in person (and this is on top of his ability to physically travel realms of the unconscious, whereas other Persona users are only known to do so via dreaming). The Protagonist of Persona 3 appears to achieve a greater state, as their soul goes to the deepest portions of the Sea of Souls, which no other known human can reach without supernatural assistance, and doesn't fade as other souls do upon death.
Astral Projection: Personas are psychic projections which aren't normally affected by physical barriers or gravity despite their ability to physically interfere with things. But most of the time, they are manifested inside realms of collective unconscious where everything including the ground and walls are also cognitive byproducts which can bar Personas, giving the impression they are physical projections rather than this trope.
Character Title: The titular Persona.
Combo Platter Powers: The Persona is effectively a form of Psychic Powers fashioned after archetypal identities in the collective unconscious. As such, the Initial Persona of any individual often takes the form of an entity whose circumstances mirror the user in some way, tinged with Morphic Resonance and Personality Powers.
Cool Mask: A Persona is referred by Philemon as a person's mask used to face hardship. In the fifth game, masks serve as the Phantom Thieves' method of summoning their Personas.
Crossover Cosmology: Personas are derived from archetypes within human consciousness, usually mythological figures. Each game sans the first has figures from a certain mythology as Personas of major characters. It's initially ambiguous whether Personas are representations of myths as created and understood by humans, or if the myths were something humans created due to the archetypes of Personas within the universal conscious; however with the revelation Persona as a mystical power first appeared in Carl Jung's lifetime, it strongly plays into the former.
- The second and third games follow Greek Mythology.
- The fourth game is based on Japanese Mythology.
- The fifth game is based around classic thieves or tricksters from both history and fiction. The Ultimate Personas on the other hand are based on characters who rebelled against the gods. The Third Tier Personas are based on the real names or real life people rumored to be the inspirations behind the initial Persona's characters.
Demonic Possession: It is noted if a human loses control over their Persona or is forcefully given one from the collective consciousness, then the Persona can potentially take over the body and transform it into a vessel for itself, which Igor even calls a demon. This is especially prominent in Persona and Persona 2.
Despair Event Horizon: Should a Persona user lose their way, their Personas might turn on them, or worse, turn into a Shadow.
Early-Installment Weirdness: In the first two games, each character is able to switch to another Persona that they have a high affinity with. In later games, every character is only able to use one Persona, with the exception of those who are granted the power of the Wild Card.
Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Most Personas have Elemental Powers, with accompanying defensive strengths (resistance, blocking, absorbing, or reflecting) and weaknesses (taking more damage and being knocked down) to different elemental damage.
Enlightenment Superpowers: Once a Shadow has been accepted as a part of the individual, they transform into the Persona.
Evil Counterpart: Certain Shadow Selves have Reversed Personas, evil versions of the Personas held by the original.
Evolutionary Levels: Each user starts with an Initial Persona which will further evolve into an Ultimate form if they seek to become stronger. The second game and fourth game's expansion have additional forms (the former called Prime and the latter an evolution beyond Ultimate).
Faux Flame: Summoning a Persona has always been accompanied with a blue glow. Starting with 4, this glow is depicted as flames in the animated cutscenes.
Fighting Spirit: The unconscious thoughts and emotions of their users, given form and used to fight enemies.
Gameplay and Story Segregation: Carried over from Shin Megami Tensei, a common point across all Persona games is that the gameplay elements of Personas used by player characters and party members don't necessarily reflect their abilities and traits in the story. A prominent example is how an in-game Persona can only carry a limited number of skills (usually 8), when in lore they can carry a lot more abilities than that. The original game and especially Persona 2 emphasize Persona users can use the abilities and traits displayed by the mythical beings they are using as a Persona ^note, though which one and how much they can draw out depends on both the user and the Persona in question.
Guardian Entity: Personas more or less serve as this for their users, being their main form of protection against Shadows.
Healing Magic Is the Hardest: Implied. The original Persona shows Healing Hands Dia line of spells used by the party members, while effective on fellow Persona users and other supernatural entities, don't really work on people who have yet to awaken the Persona. At one point, the party attempts to heal a schoolmate, and they find that healing spells only give an effect comparable to massaging. Persona 3 has Chidori being able to heal dead flowers back to life, but she does so with her unique Empathic Healer ability rather than the standard Healing Hands spells. The same game also implies Persona users who are rendered unable or unwilling to evoke their Personas are also difficult to heal with ordinary healing, as Shinjiro and Junpei can attest to. Persona 4 also has the Investigation Team cannot do anything to help Nanako recover when in the TV world, as she is not a Persona user. The reason it is this trope is because entities other than human Persona users (Igor, Philemon, Trish) can use healing magic on ordinary humans just fine, showcasing a disparity between ordinary Persona users and actual practitioners of magic.
Logical Weakness: While Personas provide Super-Empowering when exerting influence on the user, giving superhuman physical prowess and Functional Magic among other things, Persona users are fundamentally still humans. If caught off guard when the Persona isn't present, a Persona user is just as vulnerable to injuries and death as any normal human. Even with their Personas present, Tatsuya notes they can still die from something as mundane as suffocation.
Mask Power: They are referred to as masks which allow their users to face their lives as “oneself”. In fact, persona is Latin for mask. In Persona 5 and spinoffs they literally take the form of masks when not in use.
Morphic Resonance: The Personas in Persona 4 resembles their Shadow Self's berserk form in some way. Also, from Persona 4 onward, Personas generally (though not always) have Supernatural Gold Eyes, reflecting the fact they are the wielder's transformed Shadow.
One-Hit-Point Wonder: Not in the sense Personas are fragile, but Persona 4: Arena shows whenever a Persona is struck by anything which actually causes damage, its projected form is forcefully dispelled and Synchronization transmits the pain to the user's mind. The Persona's Super-Empowering remains when dispelled as long as the user doesn't dismiss it and they can reform instantly again, but if this happens too many times too quickly the Persona would be rendered unable to form for a certain amount of time, denying the user from using certain abilities (this is called Persona Break). Anime adaptations of Persona 3 and 5 display this to a degree, but Persona 4 The Animation instead has Personas taking damage alongside the user (not unlike JoJo's Bizarre Adventure), and displaying static-like effect when they are too damaged.
Possession Implies Mastery: Downplayed. In the Tatsuya Scenario of Persona 2, Tatsuya claims Persona users are physically and mentally influenced by Personas, as he attributes his talent with the blade to his Persona Apollo ^note. But it is also made clear while his talent may stem from Apollo, the skills he developed is his own — to the point Tatsuya claims he, as in himself, now exists as a model of a master of weaponry in the collective conscious.
Power Glows: A blue or red mist surrounds the wielder each time they summon their Persona.
Reality Warper: Fundamentally speaking, this is what all humans in the Persona universe are capable of. Harnessing the power of their inner Shadow, the human heart has the ability to draw manifestations of itself into reality. Persona is simply one way this power can manifest; apart from Super-Empowering and enabling Functional Magic, Persona users can even warp space and time around themselves, allowing them to remain unaffected even in Eldritch Locations where regular laws of space-time are distorted. Operating under the same physical laws as Shadows, it is for this reason Takes One to Kill One is in full effect. However, there have been a few individuals with the ability to manipulate reality on a large scale.
Spectacular Spinning: Many of the Personas spin when attacking or using spells.
Summoning Ritual: The method of Awakening in the first two games involved playing the "Persona" game, and then experiencing Traumatic Superpower Awakening. Even those who played it some time in their childhood and forgot about it as they grew up can awaken the Persona, which happens to be most of the party members in Eternal Punishment. The use of Evoker in the third game and spinoffs can also be considered a psychological ritual.
Summon Magic: A Persona usually manifests whenever their user wants to use a spell, giving this impression.
Super-Empowering: When the Persona manifests, its presence can empower the user even when they don't fully take form, granting enhanced physical prowess and enabling them to use magic.
Synchronization: In Persona 4 Arena and the anime adaptations of Persona 3, 4 and 5, it's shown Persona users can feel the pain from any damage inflicted on their Personas. Persona 4 The Animation in particular takes this a step further, as damaging Personas seem to actually hurt their users.
Takes One to Kill One: Although not well explored in the games themselves, it is stated multiple times Personas are tamed forms of Shadows, which defy conventional physics and operate on its own laws. In fact, though rarely brought up because Persona users normally cannot invoke their Personas in the real world, mundane causes and weapons cannot harm Personas or their users unless it is wielded by another Persona user or possessed by a Shadow.
Tarot Motifs: Each of them are represented by one of 22 Major Arcana from the Tarot deck.
Turned Against Their Masters: Individuals who have their Personas artificially awakened or are weak in will are at risk of having their own Personas attempting to kill them.
Uncatty Resemblance: All of the Personas resemble stylized super hero versions of their owner. This is expected, as they are manifestations of their psyche.
Unskilled, but Strong:
- Strangely enough, this is played straight for almost all Persona users in the franchise. Strictly speaking, the abilities displayed by most users are just instinctive expressions of their powers, barely scratching the potential of what Personas really enable them to do. The Updated Re Release of Eternal Punishment, Tatsuya's Scenario, has Igor reinforce this by claiming Tatsuya might have immense potential as a Persona user, but certain things can only be accomplished with a period of practice and tutelage under a skilled master. That being said, the natural strength of Persona users nurtured entirely by their own Journey and bonds often prove sufficient to defeat even demons and gods of the collective consciousness (all of whom tend to possess innate knowledge of how cognitive powers work), emphasizing just how much this trope applies to them.
- This is especially obvious when comparing human Persona users with Velvet Room Attendants from Persona 3 onward; the latter have more esoteric abilities such as using magic without Persona assistance, healing and teleportation all while in the real world, manipulate cognitions in ways human Persona users can never do — because they don't know how. All of these are implicitly because the Attendants have learned under Igor on how to utilize other applications of their powers, in this case arcane magic.
- It's telling that the only human Persona-users who have exhibited large-scale reality-warping powers, averting the trope, could only do so once they understand how the cognitive world operates. Takahisa Kandori has godlike powers because of his connection to Maki Sonomura and his DEVA System; Tohru Adachi can manipulate the TV World and the Shadows living inside thanks to Izanami; Takuto Maruki can outright override people's perception of reality thanks to years of research on human cognitions.
Weaker in the Real World: Personas (and Shadow Selves by extension), are normally unable to manifest or exert influence in the real world, because mental barriers separate the psyche (where the Shadow Self resides in) from reality; these barriers become diluted within realms formed in the sea of hearts, which is why awakening and evoking Persona is easier there. It is possible for Personas to manifest in reality, but only for Persona users who can overcome said barriers somehow, usually through mystical means such as the Persona ritual video game (Persona users of P1 and P2) or the use of an Evoker (as Persona 4 Arena shows). Reality Bleed effects caused by cognitive realms being projected or materialized into reality also has the same effect. Inhabitants of the Velvet Room are also able to evoke Personas unhindered in reality.

Shadows

"Shadows are the lower parts of the psyche everyone has... Suppressed human thoughts given physical form. When people are unable to face their darker selves, they break loose, free from all control. But sometimes, humans with special awareness can tame their Shadows... Those are Persona-users."

Shadows are recurring enemies of the franchise, replacing the demons from the third game onward, though their existence is hinted at in the first two games. Unlike Personas, Shadows are born and shaped by the repressed, hidden aspects of a person's heart.

All There in the Manual: Persona 3 Club Book guide book expands on the origin, nature, and influence of Shadows in the main game and the franchise as a whole.
Attack Its Weak Point: At least in Persona 3, destroying the masks of Shadows seems to destroy them instantly.
Back Stab: From Persona 3 onward, attacking a Shadow from behind during dungeon crawling gives the player's party an early advantage.
Beneath the Mask: They represent the hidden thoughts of human beings, given form.
Body Horror: When not shaped into demons, gods, or similar entities through cognition, Shadows tend to have horribly distorted bodies which utterly defy human biology; these Shadows are usually referred to as Maya Shadows. Justified, as they defy mundane laws of physics.
Demonic Possession: Not seen often because Shadows are usually encountered in cognitive realms where everything including the ground and random objects are as supernatural as they are, but in the rare occasions they manifest in the real world they are shown capable of phasing through solid objects like the ground or walls, and possess things like a train, a battle tank, or a power plant.
Eldritch Abomination: What they really are. They are sentient psychic energies of a Cosmic Entity who arrived at Earth when life was young; entities who twist reality with laws different from what is known to Earth. Shadows are both chained and growing within all Earth life, the force behind their supernatural cognitive abilities, and the collective unconscious generated from their minds. At the same time, Shadows are also influenced by human thoughts, mutating into all sorts of beings from twisted Body Horror monstrosities to demons and gods, wandering the ever expanding realms within the sea of hearts.
Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Like Personas, they can have any number of elemental immunities, resistances and weaknesses. Exploting their weaknesses and knocking them down for an All-Out Attack is one of the quickest ways to defeat them.
Empty Shell: Victims of Shadow attacks often become a hollow shell of themselves, as shown with victims of Apathy Syndrome. This is because their Shadow Selves are forcefully ripped out of them, which essentially collapses their psyche.
Evil Counterpart: Shadows, like Personas, are formed by a person's psyche, specifically from suppressed thoughts. In fact, a Persona can revert back into a Shadow should the wielder begin to have self-doubts or personal issues; see Shadow Self below.
Fisher Kingdom: Within the collective unconscious, Shadows born from countless people all take different forms and behavior depending on which cognitive realm they happen to drift into. For example, during the Dark Hour, Shadows roam the real world as twisted mockeries of Tarot Motifs from Magician to Hanged Arcana, reflecting how Dark Hour is caused by the Arcana Shadows. In the Metaverse, Shadows are influenced by Palaces, which result in them taking a suitable form to become part of that Palace's function.
Fusion Dance: Like Personas, when Shadows gather they can fuse into a Greater Shadow. Unlike Personas, they actively attempt this whenever not influenced by cognitive realms, trying to break out other Shadows within the minds of lifeforms for fusion. If a certain amount of Shadows merge, it will mutate into a special Shadow known as Death, which will awaken Nyx's dormant psyche as a one way road to the Fall. The Kirijo group artificially facilitated this by gathering Shadows en masse in Persona 3.
The Heartless: Monsters formed from negative, or more precisely, suppressed thoughts.
Hidden Depths: Persona 3 Club Book elaborates Shadows inside living beings grow in accordance to the experiences of their hosts. Thus when forced out their hosts, they act in a set of psychological complexes without a complete personality, signified by the reversed interpretations of their Arcana (i.e. Magician Arcana Shadow would act without concentration or forethought in regards to their actions). Shadow Selves are Shadows which manifest while remaining connected to their hosts, and as such retain many of the complexes which their hosts have.
It Can Think: Shadows might seem mindless, but as entities born and shaped by thoughts of living beings mean they don't lack self-preservation instincts. Further, given they are influenced by cognitive realms they happen to be in, they can develop a degree of sentience and be communicated with, as shown by Teddie in Persona 4 and to a lesser extent by Shadows in Persona 5 which can be negotiated with like demons in other Megami Tensei games.
Lunacy: Shadows become more active the closer it is to Full Moons, as the Mother of Shadows influences them from the Moon. This is mostly only relevant in Persona 3 however, possibly because they roam the real world (through the Dark Hour) rather than realms in the collective consciousness.
Reality Warper: Shadows twist the laws of physics, up to and including space and time around them when in the real world. In fact, they are the origin for supernatural cognitive powers innate to humans of Persona universe, and this is why Takes One to Kill One is in full effect.
Shadow Archetype: In full Jungian psychology, Shadows are manifestations of humanity's suppressed, mostly negative aspects. To deny them only gives them greater power. Accepting them as a part of ourselves allows us to begin improving.
Sealed Evil in a Can: Twofold. Shadows are sealed in the deepest part of the psyche within every living being, bound by the will to live and fear of death, thoughts which oppose the innate nature of Shadows. Naturally, these binds gradually weaken over time when such thoughts fade; people who forget or hide their fears, living in doubt or without a goal, and eventually die, will result in their Shadows breaking free. Unchained Shadows are still confined to the collective unconscious, but they can end up in reality through various circumstances; see Weaker in the Real World below.
Takes One to Kill One: As shown by a flashback in Persona 3 when a young Mitsuru and her father's entourage first entered Tartarus, Shadows are completely immune to conventional weapons, as they operate under their own distinct physical laws. Persona users are only able to harm them with mundane weaponry at hand because their Personas empower them with the very same laws which Shadows operate under.
The Virus: Not outright stated, but Persona 3 shows Shadows sometimes don't simply rip out Shadows from living beings, but also melt or transform the flesh outright into more Shadows, implying Shadows can convert life into more of themselves.
Weaker in the Real World: Much like Personas, Shadows are generally confined to the collective unconscious. However, certain conditions can allow them to manifest in the real world, such as the Dark Hour (which permits large numbers of Shadows to emerge individually), propagation of deathwish among humans (which results in gigantic Shadows similar to Arcana Shadows), and a Reality Bleed caused by a cognitive realm being projected into the real world (which means Shadows retain the cognitive identities forced on them by the realm). It is also noted Shadows can somehow end up in reality without any of the above factors, as Kirijo group could find and gather enough of them in the real world to artificially create Death.

Shadow Self

"I am a shadow... The true self"

Unlike a normal Shadow, Shadow Selves are based on Carl Jung's theory that everyone has a side within them that they refuse to acknowledge. The circumstances of how Shadow Selves are created differ but each of them has one thing in common: they serve as an antagonizing force to the heroes. During combat, they either use Reversed counterparts of the original's Persona or transform into a larger form.

Shadow Selves in Innocent Sin were created as a result of contrasting rumors regarding the protagonists while those in Eternal Punishment were created by the Big Bad to hinder the party. The ones in Persona 4 appear before the Midnight Channel victims, trying to break them but once accepted, they transform into a Persona. Shadow Selves in Persona 5, however, are created from especially evil humans. The only real difference between them and their hosts is that the Shadows don't put up a socially-acceptable facade.

Arc Words: Prominently in Persona 4:
- "I am a Shadow... The true self" ^note
- "You're not me!"^note
Always Chaotic Evil: As they're usually manifestations of the ego's dark hidden thoughts and feelings, Shadow Selves are almost always malevolent by nature. This rings especially true for the antagonists of Persona 5, who are mostly all completely terrible people. The only exception is Shadow Futaba, who was born from suppressed positive emotions since her real life counterpart is riddled with trauma and guilt. However, since a person's Shadow is only the suppressed part of their personality, they are only truly as malevolent as their real self, subverting the trope.
Battle Aura: Darkness radiates from shadows in their human forms, another visual clue that it isn't the original. During battle, a blue or red aura surrounds them before they attack.
Battle Theme Music: "I'll Face Myself" in Persona 4. "Blooming Villain" in Persona 5.
Berserk Button: Being ignored, suppressed, and outright rejected by their ego causes genuine Shadow Selves to fly into a rage and try to kill their original. Artificially awakened Personas are perpetually in this state, as the Shadow Self never agreed to help the ego, but is being forced to anyway.
- Shadow Selves that rule Palaces in Persona 5 will be sent into high alert if they sense a threat to their Treasure.
Break Them by Talking: Their MO is to utterly break their Other Self by showing their flaws.
Card-Carrying Villain: The antagonists of Persona 5 are so evil to the point it's sometimes hard to tell which of them is the Shadow simply by personality. The only way to tell is that Shadows blatantly flaunt their criminal acts while the real person is at least slightly more modest and refined around it.
A Chat with Satan: They can talk, and represent the repressed part of the psyché. In Persona 4, confronting them and ultimately accepting them as a part of oneself is key to the Character Development of each of the player's teammates. Though only after the Investigation Team beats the crap out of them.
Defeat Means Friendship: They become Persona following their defeat in 4.
Depending on the Artist: In Persona 2, Shadow Selves have red eyes. But in the Japanese boxart of the Playstation version, Shadow Tatsuya and Shadow Maya have golden eyes, similar to Shadow Selves in Persona 4.
Enemy Without: They are a part of a person hidden deep within their conscious.
Evil Laugh: They tend to laugh before transforming into their monstrous form.
Fatal Flaw: They each represent those of their counterparts, albeit to an insane degree.
Flanderization: Shadow Selves are basically an aspect of a person's hidden side that they refuse to acknowledge turned up to the max.
Fusion Dance: Some Shadow Selves seem to absorb the essences of lesser Shadows around them as they transform into a monstrous form, which gets dispersed back into their original form upon defeat.
Gone Horribly Right: When rejected, Shadows will attempt to kill their counterparts, with the implication that they're trying to become the ones in control. Should they succeed, like what happened with Mayumi and Saki, chances are the Shadows also end up nullifying their own existence as well.
Kick the Dog: Each of them loves to point out the flaws of their original counterparts.
Kill and Replace: In Persona 4 Shadows try to kill their originals upon being rejected in order to replace them.
Laughing Mad: Usually just as they transform.
Leitmotif: Borderline of Madness usually starts up during a Shadow's breaking speech in the fourth game.
Motive Rant: Usually a part of their breaking speech. Shadows will usually ramble about what they, and by extension their other selves, really want.
Mood-Swinger: Some tend to act docile before or emotionless before switching to angry.
No Indoor Voice: In keeping with the above, Shadows are very vocal about their true desires. This makes sense when you consider that they're everything rejected by the Ego, i.e., they have no self-control.
Obliviously Evil: Most of Shadow Selves in the second and fourth games are social anxieties of teenagers given form, with a rather unhealthy outlet of trying to replace their hosts.
One-Winged Angel: In battle, if they don't use a Reverse Persona they'll take on a monstrous form.
Phrase Catcher: Inevitably, they cause their host to say "You're not me!", resulting in them going berserk and fighting the party.
Promoted to Playable: Every Shadow in Persona 4 except for Shadow Mitsuo become playable characters in Persona 4: Arena Ultimax.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: They're prone to making breaking speeches to either their hosts or those associated with their host personally.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: Shadow Selves in Persona 2 and Metis in Persona 3: FES have sharp red eyes.
Rule of Symbolism: Their berserk forms invoke this:
- In the case of Persona 4's Investigation Team, their Shadow Selves' berserk forms share their basic appearance with their Personas, but are far more monstrous, emphasizing the reversed nature of their arcana.
- For the antagonists of Persona 5, their Shadows take the form of the demon that is associated with their Sin motif.
Split-Personality Takeover: More advanced Shadow Selves have the ability to overwhelm their ego, as demonstrated by Shadow Labrys and nighttime-Kiritani or if they are rejected by the original such as Rei.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: The key difference between them and the original in terms of appearance when they don't go into Berserk mode are golden eyes.
Tarot Motifs: In Persona 4, Shadow Selves represent the "Reversed" meaning of their original's Tarot Card.
Teleportation: Appear to be capable of instant transportation within their cognitive realms. Shadow Rise dims the lights before doing so, but Shadow Futaba, Sae, and Akane seem to be able to do so at will.
Villain Has a Point: What they're talking about is a part of their hosts that the people in question need to accept, even if it isn't all there is to them.
Violence is the Only Option: Yosuke and Naoto raise this possibility in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth when facing Rei's Shadow. Naoto points out that it's not easy to accept your true self, and Yosuke suggests that for the Shadows, it's necessary for them to go berserk and let out all their issues before their host can accept them. This is averted by Futaba, however, as she was the only person to accept her Shadow without fighting it, given that her Shadow is benevolent.
Voice of the Legion: Their voice is a distorted version of the original.

Major Arcana

"The moment man devoured the fruit of knowledge, he sealed his fate...
Entrusting his future to the cards, man clings to a dim hope. Yes, the Arcana is the means by which all is revealed..."

The Persona series heavily invokes the motifs and readings of the 21 Major Arcana, and while the exact roles of each arcana change from game to game, there are a handful of notable recurring themes, personalities, and Persona throughout the series.

The tarot card designs in Persona 3 and Persona 4, with three exceptions, are based on the Rider-Waite deck, while the Persona 5 cards use the Tarot of Marseilles deck and written in their French names, with the exception of the Death Arcana.

Always Female: The High Priestess, Empress, and Lovers Arcanas are always represented by female characters.
Always Male: Similarly, the Emperor Arcana is always represented by male characters.
Early-Installment Weirdness:
- When the Arcana were first introduced in Persona, they were merely the equivalent of the Demon Races, such as The Lovers being the substitute for the Fairy Race. This was abandoned by Persona 3 and the personas were reorganized into the Arcana they most closely resembled thematically. This is best demonstrated with Baofu and Futaba both having Prometheus as their Ultimate Persona but it was first in the Hanged Man Arcana before later changing to the Hermit.
- The protagonists in Persona and Persona 2 did not harness the Fool or World Arcanas, and they were in fact not represented by any particular character at all.
- The Judgement and the World arcanas were treated as any other Arcana in Persona and Persona 2, while in Persona 3, the former is both late-game and story-relevant and the latter is not even available to the protagonist, while introducing the new Universe Arcana is the Infinity +1 Element. Persona 4 and onward no longer use the Universe, instead having the World in its role.
- In Persona 3, every Persona user has an arcana but only female party members have an accompanying Social Link. In the female protagonist's route in Persona 3 Portable, the male party members receive an arcana and replace the equivalent Social Links in the original game with two exceptions, Akihiko (who represents the Emperor Arcana) and Shinjiro (who represents the Hierophant Arcana). The two replaced the Star and Moon Social Link, respectively, due to both the Emperor and the Hierophant Social Link remaining unchanged in the female protagonist's route. It's not until Persona 4 that every party member possess both an arcana and the accompanying Social Link / Confidant.
Relationship Upgrade: By progressing the Social Links of most female characters (Or male in the case of Persona 3: Portable), the Protagonist can start a relationship with them depending on their choice.

0. The Fool (Le Mat)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p4g_foolarcana.png

The Fool

Le Mat

Wielders: Makoto Yuki, Kotone Shiomi, Aigis^note, Yu Narukami, Elizabeth, Ren Amamiya, "Igor", Wonder

Notable Persona: Orpheus, Orpheus Telos, Izanagi, Arsene, Satanael, Raoul

"The Fool Arcana does not mean that it can be taken lightly. The Fool is number zero. It is the void from which all other things begin."

The Fool represents innocence, divine inspiration, madness, freedom, spontaneity, inexperience, chaos and creativity, commonly portrayed by a laughing jester nearly walking off a cliff with a dog at his heels. It is given the number 0, indicating the limitless potential of its wielder.

The protagonists of the Persona series circa Persona 3 are given the Fool Arcana as their actions are shaped by the player. Wielders of this arcana are also given the Wild Card ability, which gives them the ability to use any Persona and their abilities with the exception of their party member's.

Because the Fool levels up with the plot, represented as the arcana for the party as a whole, the persona of this arcana are weak or underutilized until the later parts of the game.

The Ace: In general, protagonists associated with the Fool have a wide array of useful skills that earns them both admiration and jealousy from others around them.
Ascended Extra: The Fool is like any other card in the first two games. From the third game onward, anyone who is bestowed the Fool gains the ability to use multiple Personas of different Arcana.
Jack of All Stats: Fool Arcana Personas tend to learn all sorts of skills, but specialize in none of them.
Magikarp Power: Fool Arcana Personas tend to be weak at first but get much stronger later.
Ninja: In Persona 2 all the personas of this Arcana are famous ninjas, likely referencing their status as hidden optional unlocks that cannot be obtained through ordinary means.
The Resenter: The Protagonists associated with this card are often the receiving end of a party member's jealousy because of their abilities; Junpei to both P3 protagonists, Yukari to Aigis, Yosuke to Yu and Akechi to Joker.
Shapeshifting: Many Personas like Ose, Loki, Decarabia, etc. are known for their shapeshifting abilities. In Persona 3, many of the Personas can inherit any skills.
Starter Mon: In the post-2 games they're the first Persona you acquire.
The Trickster: Personas of the Fool Arcana are known tricksters like Loki, Obariyon, and Black Frost.

I. The Magician (Le Bateleur) / The Councillor (Le Consultant)

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The Magician

Le Bateleur

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/p5_royal_consultant_arcana.png

Le Consultant

Wielders: Yuka Ayase, Kenji Tomochika, Junpei Iori, Yosuke Hanamura, Morgana (Magician); Takuto Maruki^note (Councillor)

Notable Persona: Houri, Frey, Hermes, Trismegistus, Jiraiya, Susano-o, Takehaya Susano-o, Zorro, Mercurius, Diego (Magician); Azathoth, Adam Kadmon (Councillor)

"Attaining one's dream requires a stern will and unfailing determination."

The Magician is associated with action, initiative, self-confidence, immaturity, manipulation, and power.

Wielders of the Magician Arcana are commonly the first friend or party member of the protagonist. Underneath their insecure, slow-witted, perverted, and just plain rude exterior is the best friend you'll ever have. A running theme with the Magician is their terrible romantic lives, which end unrequited or worse.

The Councillor Arcana, first introduced in Persona 5 Royal, replaces the Magician in the Spanish El Gran Tarot Esoterico deck, and is associated with diplomacy, choices, creativity, persuasive skills, vitality, and power over mental illness.

Persona of the Magician Arcana fittingly excel in magic, most commonly fire or wind, derived from mythologies of magicians and mages.

Blow You Away: A form of magic the holder might specialise in, particularly in later games such as 4 and 5.
Butt-Monkey: You can expect the holder of the Magician Arcana to be made the butt of the joke in some way or another.
Hidden Depths: There's much more to them than meets the eye.
The Lancer: Junpei, Yosuke, and Morgana all serve as this towards the protagonist of their games, being their right-hand man.
Love Hurts:
- Junpei and Yosuke's love interests end up dying, largely motivating their Character Development.
- Kenji and Morgana aren't able to woo their love interests, though it's less serious for Morgana than it is for Kenji.
- Part of Takuto's motivation of creating an ideal world is to help his ex-girlfriend overcoming the grief of her family's death. This however, has the side effect of her losing memories of him.
- Yuka inverts this, being well-known in her school as a heartbreaker. Ironically, her genuine crush on the protagonist doesn't pan out, though she does find a husband after high school.
Mascot Mook: The iconic Jack Frost is found as a Persona of this Arcana from Persona 3 onward, putting them at odds with the otherwise fire-based or wind-based Personas of the Magician Arcana.
Playing with Fire: If they're not physical fighters, they focus on fire magic.
Plucky Comic Relief: Their status as the Butt-Monkey makes them the source of many a funny moment.
The Smurfette Principle: Yuka otherwise fits most of the traits of a Magician, but thus far she's the only female character to represent the Arcana.

II. The High Priestess (La Papesse)

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The Priestess

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/priestess_1.png

La Papesse

Wielders: Maki Sonomura, Fuuka Yamagishi, Yukiko Amagi, Makoto Niijima
Notable Persona: Maso, Verdandi, Lucia, Juno, Konohana Sakuya, Amaterasu, Sumeo-Okami, Johanna, Anat, Agnes

"The silent voice within one's heart whispers the most profound wisdom."

The High Priestess, also known as simply the Priestess, is a symbol of hidden knowledge or other untapped power, wisdom, female mystery, and patience, portrayed as an old woman with an open book.

The wielders of the High Priestess are the withdrawn and intelligent emotional support for the party. While they seem shy and fragile, they have their quirks and will absolutely fight if they have to.

Their Persona focus on healing and support magic, and are based on other female mythological figures.

Beneath the Mask: They tend to suffer from inferiority complexes due to failing to fulfill their family standards.
Beware the Nice Ones: While characters of the Priestess Arcana are always pretty nice, they are not to be trifled with.
An Ice Person: While not specialized in offense, many Personas of this Arcana use Bufu skills.
Implied Love Interest: Like the Lovers, wielders of the Priestess Arcana are heavily Ship Teased with their respective protagonists, with Maki and Yukiko having canon crushes on theirs.
Nice Girl: They are considered the nicest member of their respective party, but getting them angry is a fatal mistake.
Shrinking Violet: Common traits include social anxiety of some kind, mostly stemming from their struggles with being the examples of femininity and gracefulness society wants them to be. They break out of this during the course of the game.
Squishy Wizard: Physical offense is not their forte. Maki has one of the lowest attack in the first game, Yukiko has the lowest defense in the Investigation Team, and Fuuka doesn't fight at all. Makoto is well-rounded enough.
White Mage: The Personas of this Arcana are specialized in healing and support skills, with Yukiko being a primary healer.

III. The Empress (L' Imperatrice)

Empress

L’Imperatrice

Wielders: Yukino Mayuzumi, Mitsuru Kirijo, Margaret, Haru Okumura
Notable Persona: Vesta, Durga, Penthesilea, Artemisia, Milady, Astarte, Lucy

"Celebrate life's grandeur...its brilliance...its magnificence..."

The Empress represents mothers, prosperity, creativity, sexuality, abundance, fertility, protection, and comfort.

The Empress maintains a composed, elegant, and powerful presence that keeps the party in line. They often come from nobility and struggle to keep up with the high expectations that come from it.

Empress Arcana Persona are based on motherly goddesses, queens, and other female figures, and come equipped with healing and Bufu spells.

Blood Knight: As rough on the battlefield as they are with their friends.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Further down their Social Links and in the story, they become more open to the protagonist and the party.
The Dreaded: Nobody wants to piss these girls off.
Gratuitous French: Mitsuru and Haru especially tend to pepper French into their word phrases.
An Ice Person: They tend to specialize in ice-based Bufu spells.
Ice Queen: Initially stand-offish and aloof.
Magic Knight: They have average Strength and Magic stats, making them excellent all around attackers.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: As their namesake suggests, Personas of this card tend to be empresses or queens who hold a considerable degree of power.
Team Mom: They tend to take on a motherly role once they've fully defrosted.

IV. The Emperor (L'Empereur)

Emperor

L’Empereur

Wielders: Boy with Earring, Hidetoshi Odagiri, Akihiko Sanada, Kanji Tatsumi, Yusuke Kitagawa

Notable Persona: Seimen Kongou, Amen-Ra, Polydeuces, Caesar, Take-Mikazuchi, Rokuten Maoh, Takeji Zaiten, Goemon, Kamu Susano-O, Gorokichi

"Only courage in the face of doubt can lead one to the answer..."

In tarot readings, the Emperor symbolizes the desire to control one's surroundings, and its appearance could suggest that one is trying too hard to achieve this, possibly causing trouble for others; some elements in life are just not controllable.

Gameplay-wise, the Personas of the Emperor Arcana are Personas typically excelling in lightning-based and physical attacks; these Personas are almost always kings or emperor figures, but may simply be important male figures and deities. Typically, the king of a mythological pantheon is of the Emperor Arcana.

Within the Persona universe, characters of the Emperor Arcana are often male leaders or father figures (or both). Often times, the Emperor character is troubled by something very personal, and doesn't know how to deal with it.

Ambiguously Bi: Taking his Shadow Self aside, Kanji pretty much has a crush on Naoto Shirogane (before and after he knows about her gender). Also, Yusuke may show some interest into Ann Takamaki as he does have to pep-talk himself into focusing while Ann undresses herself to model for him, and buying wholesale into her flirty antics despite how bad her acting is. In addition to that, there is some Ho Yay going on with the social links for Kanji and Yusuke with the latter being excited if Joker strips for him for when he paints him. Matthew Mercer even believes Yusuke is bisexual himself.
The Ditz: Wielders of this card tend to be absent minded, Book Dumb, or fail to understand simple explanation.
Magic Knight: Though they specialize more in strength, their magic attacks are not that bad. More-so in Q for both Akihiko and Kanji.
No Social Skills: On the whole, characters whose Personas are aligned with this Arcana tend to be socially lacking. This is pretty ironic since the major traits of the Emperor tarot card are excelling as a leader, wisdom, and fatherly/brotherly behavior. The sole exception thus far is the protagonist of the original Persona, who was a Heroic Mime in his game but was socially competent in the manga adaption.
Shock and Awe: Most Persona associated with this card including Akihiko and Kanji's specialize in Zio-related spells.
Top God: High-ordered male deities or male deities with great importance are associated with this Arcana, such as Odin, King Frost, Baal, and Okuninushi.

V. The Hierophant (Le Pape) / The Apostle

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hierophant_0.png

The Hierophant

Le Pape

Wielders: Kei Nanjo, Shinjiro Aragaki, Bunkichi and Mitsuko Kitamura, Metis, Ryotaro Dojima, Sojiro Sakura (Hierophant); Zenkichi Hasegawa (Apostle)

Notable Persona: Aizen Myouou, Yamaoka, Castor, Psyche (Hierophant); Valjean (Apostle)

"It is indeed a precious gift to understand the forces that guides oneself..."

The Hierophant is also known as the Pope and can be considered the male counterpart of the High Priestess. It is a symbol of education, authority, conservatism, obedience and relationship with the divine. The card depicts the Pope sitting on a throne is holding up the two-fingered sign of peace with one hand while holding a gold staff with three crossbars in the other hand.

Characters associated with the card are usually older than the protagonists and often give them words of wisdom. Their greatest flaw however is that they are sometime too engrossed over their past.

The Apostle Arcana is its counterpart in the Thoth deck. It represents the balance between one's own ideals and the law.

Personas of the Hierophant Arcana have no weaknesses but tend to not have powerful strength as well. Hierophant mythological figures tend to mirror Priestess figures, being male priests, gods of wisdom, or divine beings.

Dark and Troubled Past: Most of them had a terrible past, usually because of the death of a love one or in Shinjiro's case, accidentally killing Ken's mother.
The Four Gods: Kohryu can only be fused from Persona 3 onward by completing the Hierophant Social Link/Confidant and fusing Byakko, Seiryu, Genbu, and Suzaku together.
Intergenerational Friendship: They are usually older than the Protagonists by a few decades.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: A lot of the wielders of this arcana can be viewed as this.
Like a Son to Me: As their Social Link/Confidant with them advance, the Kitamuras came to see the P3 Protagonists as their grandchild while Sojiro somewhat sees Joker as his son.
Married to the Job: Dojima and Sojiro are too busy being a working single parent to find love again, while Zenkichi has almost completely thrown himself into his police work, straining his relationship with his daughter.
Parental Substitute: Both Dojima and Sojiro become Yu and Ren's respective guardians during their one year stay with them. Similarly, Bunkichi and Mitsuko somewhat see the P3 Protagonists as their grandchild.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Again, Dojima, Sojiro, and Zenkichi can be viewed as this. The first figures out a lot of details about the murder despite him being Locked Out of the Loop, Sojiro supports the Thieves once he learns about them after a long serious talk with Futaba and Joker, and Zenkichi supports and informs the Phantom Thieves before joining himself.

VI. The Lovers (L'Amoureux)

Lovers

L’Amoureux

Wielders: Lisa Silverman, Ginji Sazaki, Yukari Takeba, Rise Kujikawa, Ann Takamaki

Notable Persona: Eros, Eros Prime, Venus, Io, Isis, Himiko, Kanzeon, Kouzeon, Carmen, Hecate, Celestine

"There is both joy and wonder in coming to understand another..."

The Lovers Arcana represents relationships and choices in life, and is normally portrayed as a man and woman on a crossroad with either a tree or an angel at the center.

Wielders of the Lovers Arcana are usually the first female member of the party. They are usually considered the most attractive girl in their school. While often cheerful or spirited, underneath they tend to feel insecure.

Personas of this Arcana focus on healing or powerful elemental spells and are based on either fairies or the wife of a historical figure.

Clingy Jealous Girl: They don't really like it when their love interests show attraction to someone else, notably Maya/Jun, Aigis and Marie.
Dude Magnet: All of them have a considerable size of boys attracted to them.
First Girl Wins: With the exception of Rise, all of them are the first girl to join the party in their respective game and are romanceable. That said, Rise, while being a late member of the Investigation Team, is the first seen in a commercial during the prologue, making her the first girl to appear in the game before Chie.
Implied Love Interest: Regardless of whether or not the protagonists choose to romance them, the girls will still have feelings for them. Ann is the only one who isn't in love with her respective protagonist by default, requiring at least Rank 3 before she is.
Love Goddess: Some of its Persona are love gods and goddesses, including Eros and Venus.
Mascot Mook: Jack Frost is of the Lovers Arcana before Persona 3.
The Medic: They tend to be the healer of their group though their magic is no joke either.
Ms. Fanservice: Already considered the most attractive girls in their school, the wielders of this Arcana are prone to wearing revealing outfits. Whether they are a Reluctant Fanservice Girl or Shameless Fanservice Girl depends on the wielder.
The One Guy: Ginji is the only male user in the otherwise female dominated Arcana, though he still has a female persona.
Our Fairies Are Different: Several Personas like Pixie are fairies.
Pink Means Feminine: They prefer to wear clothes that are either pink or light red. Lisa, Yukari and Ann take it further by wearing Feather Pink masks.
Squishy Wizard: While they have among the highest magic skill in their teams, they also have low strength and defense.
Status Effects: Lovers Persona often used ailment-inflicting skills, especially the Charm ailment.
Teen Idol: Lisa and Rise are both idols, while Ann is a fashion model, which fits into the 'attractive girl looked on by others' theme. Yukari also becomes an actress after graduating though she isn't a teenager anymore.
- Whilst being a middle-aged man himself, Ginji is the manager of the teen idol group MUSES.

VII. The Chariot (Le Chariot)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chariot_0_8.png

The Chariot

Le Chariot

Wielders: Masao Inaba, Aigis, Kazushi Miyamoto, Rio Iwasaki, Chie Satonaka, Ryuji Sakamoto
Notable Persona: Ogun, Susano-o, Palladion, Pallas Athena, Tomoe Gozen, Suzuka Gongen, Haraedo-no-Okami, Captain Kidd, Seiten Taisei, William

"One of life's greatest blessings is the freedom to pursue one's goals..."

The Chariot is portrayed as a king riding on a chariot being pulled by either two horses or sphinxes, one colored black while the other white. It represents control, will power, victory, assertion, determination.

Characters associated with this card are athletic, hot blooded individuals who will stop at nothing to complete their goal. They are also short tempered or aggressive and often get into trouble with authority figures.

Personas associated with this card tends to favor strength over magic skills and are usually based on war heroes or deities.

Big Eater: Chie and Ryuji are known to eat large portions of food.
Determinator: Both Kaz and Ryuji suffer from an injured knee but that doesn't stop them from running long distance. Likewise, Mark is the most determined to save Maki while Chie, before obtaining her Persona, would stop at nothing trying to save Yukiko.
Dumb Jock: Chie and Ryuji especially don't do well in class.
Hot-Blooded: It is easy to get them riled up over the most minor thing.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Sure they can be a little rude, especially when they are riled up, they are actually nice people.

VIII. Justice (La Justice)

Justice

La Justice

Wielders: Hidehiko Uesugi, Katsuya Suou, Chihiro Fushimi, Ken Amada, Nanako Dojima, Goro Akechi
Notable Persona: Nemhain, Tyr, Helios, Hyperion, Nemesis, Kala-Nemi, Robin Hood, Loki, Hereward

"To find the one true path, one must seek guidance amidst uncertainty..."

Portrayed as a sword and balance, the Justice Arcana symbolizes a strict allegory of justice, objectivity, rationality and analysis.

Justice Arcana wielders are concerned with fairness, order, and vengeance and are typically involved with the law. Their withdrawn personalities allow them to understand situations better than their age would indicate.

Fittingly, Persona of the Justice Arcana are deities of justice and order, not unlike the Forces of Law from the mainstream Shin Megami Tensei games. They use Hama and Almighty spells.

In Persona 2, Justice is the eleventh (XI) arcana.

Fair Cop: Katsuya and Akechi are detectives and Nanako is the daughter of one, though Akechi is actually a subversion.
Guardian Angel: Most generic Personas of this Arcana are angels.
Improbable Age: Nanako, Ken, and Akechi are awfully insightful and intelligent for children, although Akechi is one of the oldest party members.
Light Is Not Good: Ken and Akechi use Hama and Kouha spells, but they're not exactly heroic, at least at first. Akechi loses the ability to use Hama when he returns to the party in Royal.
Missing Mom: Ken, Nanako, and Akechi losing their mothers at a rather early age all influenced their characters later in life.
Revenge: A common theme with the Justice Arcana:
- Ken is obsessed with getting revenge on the Persona User who killed his mother. In the game, he apparently knew about Shinjiro being responsible from when he first joined S.E.E.S., but in the manga and anime movies, he only finds out after joining.
- The Investigation Team wanted to find the TV killer for altruistic reasons, but when Nanako almost dies because of Namatame, they nearly kill him out of vengeance. Meanwhile, Dojima constantly chases the driver who killed her mother in a hit-and-run despite it being a long cold case at this point. In Golden, he finds a lead in the case.
- Akechi intends to undermine and humiliate his father Masayoshi Shido for abandoning him and his mother.
Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Ken was planning to kill his mother's murderer and then himself afterwards. Akechi solved all his cases because he committed the crimes in the first place. He also starting doing this as young as at least 14.

IX. The Hermit (L'Hermite)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hermit_0_4.png

The Hermit

L’Hermite

Wielders: Jin Shirato, Isako Toriumi (aka "Maya"), Saori Hasegawa, Mitsuo Kubo, The Fox, Futaba Sakura

Notable Persona: Moros, Necronomicon, Prometheus, Al Azif

"It requires great courage to look at oneself honestly, and forge one's own path..."

Portrayed as an old man in a dark place or cave, holding up a lantern, the Hermit is associated with wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat and philosophical searches.

Gameplay-wise, the Personas of the Hermit Arcana are commonly Personas excelling in Mental-Ailment skills. Mythological figures associated with the Hermit Arcana are usually hermits themselves, or are otherwise figures or deities that exist and operate behind the scenes.

Similarly, Hermit Arcana characters share the commonality of placing themselves in situations that hide them from the public eye. Hermit individuals hide away from others or act in more supportive roles rather than putting themselves in the spotlight.

The Aloner: As their Arcana suggests, they tend to keep by themselves and only open up to a selected few.
Gamer Chick: Futaba and Isako are both this with the latter's Social Link only being available by having the male P3 protagonist play an online game and chat with her in that game.
The Medic: In an unique way, both the Fox and Futaba are this. The Fox can heal the Investigation Team's HP and SP if you bring it some money, while Futaba serves as the Mission Control who will occasionally heal the HP and SP for the Phantom Thieves.
Promoted to Playable: Up until Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, no playable character possessed this Arcana. Futaba Sakura is the first.

X. (The Wheel of) Fortune (La Roue de Fortune)

Fortune

La Roue De Fortune

Wielders: Jun Kurosu, Joker, Keisuke Hiraga, Takaya Sakaki, Ryoji Mochizuki, Naoto Shirogane, Labrys, Chihaya Mifune

Notable Persona: Hermes, Chronos, Hypnos, Sukuna-Hikona, Yamato-Takeru, Yamato Sumeragi, Ariadne, Asterius

"Alongside time exists fate, the bearer of cruelty."

The Fortune Arcana is portrayed by the Wheel of Fortune and symbolizes fate, luck, fortune and opportunity. Personas of this Arcana often specialize in Wind-based abilities. They are depicted as mythological figures or deities that control fate / omens.

Human characters of the Fortune Arcana are usually individuals who attempt to seize their own destiny in spite of fate and are typically involved with making important choices and decisions in response to what life throws at them.

Attractive Bent-Gender: Jun's official profile states that crossdressing is one of his talents, to the point where he looks better in a dress than most girls. In addition to that, Naoto was quite a Chick Magnet before her gender went public (and she is still is even after her gender is revealed).
Blow You Away: Most of the Personas tend to specialize in wind skills with Jun's Personas being prime examples. Also, Tayaka and Naoto (in Golden) know Garudyne.
Born Unlucky: Both Naoto and Labrys dealt with this, as Naoto was born as a woman despite her wanting to be in a very male-dominated profession, and Labrys was born as a robot despite her wanting to be human.
Screw Destiny: A common theme with those of the Fortune Arcana. When Ryoji told S.E.E.S. that there is no way to defeat Nyx, S.E.E.S. has decided to fight her anyway. Also, part of Chihaya's Character Development is her realizing this as fate can be changed.
Sixth Ranger: Naoto and Jun were the last party members to join their respective teams.
The Weird Sisters: Lachesis, Clotho and Atropos are often part of this Arcana, and can often be fused to make Norn.

XI. Strength (La Force)

Strength

La Force

Wielders: Koromaru, Yuko Nishiwaki, Kou Ichijo, Daisuke Nagase, Caroline and Justine
Notable Persona: Cerberus

"Only with strength can one endure suffering and torment."

The Strength is portrayed as a young woman taming a terrifying beast (often a lion). Beyond the Beauty and the Beast imagery, the card is meant to represent the power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force. Unlike the Chariot, the meaning of the Strength card is about knowing that you can endure life’s obstacles by drawing upon your inner strength and confidence.

Characters associated with the Strength Arcana are individuals with a strong heart and don't get upset easily. Personas associated with this Arcana have high physical skills but weaker in magic and are often based on warrior figures and heroes, or are figures that embody strength of body or character.

An Aesop: What the card represents, mainly the victory of control and virtue over brute force.
Heroic Willpower: The "strength" represented by the Strength Arcana has less to do with physical strength and more the ability to withstand physical hardship and mental torment.
Magically Inept Fighter: Personas with this Arcana tend to have high physical skills but low magic.
Non-Indicative Name Surprisingly, in the Persona 4 Golden Shuffle Time, the Strength Card gives +1 to the protagonist's equipped Persona's magic stat, whereas Justice gives +1 to Strength.

XII. The Hanged Man (Le Pendu)

Hanged Man

Le Pendu

Wielders: Baofu, Yasuo Inoue, Chidori Yoshino, Maiko, Naoki Konishi, Munehisa Iwai
Notable Persona: Odysseus, Prometheus, Shax, Medea

"In the face of disaster lies the opportunity for renewal."

The Hanged Man depicts the image of a man hanging upside down from one-leg with the other crossing it, forming a "4". The card reflects a need to suspend action, and as a result, a period of indecision may be indicated. Alternatively, it also represents self-sacrifice for the greater good.

A recurring theme with this card is that its wielders are caught in between two worlds and must make some sort of decision. Personas associated with this Arcana tends to have high defense and are often typically mythological figures that exist between two different forces.

Dark and Troubled Past: Most of them suffer from a dark past such as Baofu losing his assistant, Chidori being experimented on by the Kirijo group, Naoki losing his sister, and Iwai's criminal past.
Secret Test of Character: What the card represents, being able to let go of one's desires for the sake of others.

XIII. Death (La Mort/L'Arcane sans nom)

Death

La Mort/L'Arcane sans nom

Wielders: Reiji Kido, Eikichi Mishina, Hiroki Sugimoto, Makoto Yuki, Kotone Shiomi, Pharos, Nyx, Hisano Kuroda, Elizabeth, Tae Takemi
Notable Persona: Mot, Rhadamanthus, Rhadamanthus Prime, Hades, Thanatos

"Beyond the beaten path lies the absolute end. It matters not who you are… Death awaits you."

Also known as The Card with No Name, Death is portrayed as a skeleton riding a white horse as the skeletal bones are the part of the body that survives death. This card is often misunderstood as representing physical death, but it actually represents a cycle; every ending marks a new beginning.

Characters associated with this card tends to be loners, wear dark outfits, or have lost someone dear in them in their past. In-game, they are the powerhouse of their teams, surpassing even the Chariot and Emperor. Personas related to this Arcana are figures related to death from different mythologies or are notable in their own death, and are specialized in Dark spells but weak to light.

Death is the central theme of Persona 3 as well as the main antagonist.

The Aloner: Due to personal reasons, they tend to keep to themselves.
Book Ends: The card represents the beginning and end of a cycle, similar to how the Fool represents the beginning and end of a journey.
A Day in the Limelight: Being that the main theme of Persona 3 is death, the Death arcana has a much greater significance in the story than it does in the rest of the series.
Dark Is Not Evil: They prefer to wear dark outfits even though they're not evil themselves.
Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: Though they appear creepy or have an intimidating aura, they are actually nice people on the inside.
We All Die Someday: Makoto (in the first P3 movie) and Hisano seem to have accepted that death is inevitable, though after Character Development they find the resolve and reason to keep on living.
Weakened by the Light: Light-skills are not their friend.

XIV. Temperance (Tempérance)

Temperance

Tempérance

Wielders: Andre Laurent Jean Geraux/Bebe, Eri Minami, Sadayo Kawakami

The Temperance shows an angel pouring one cup of water into another with one foot standing on dry land and the other on a pond. The card represents equality, patience and merging of two opposites.

Characters associated with this card live a double life, balancing their hobbies with their lifestyle or job. Fitting of the Temperance, Personas of this Arcana are well-balanced in their stats and are normally mythological figures (often beasts instead of humans) associated with balance and moderation.

The Four Gods: Byakko, Genbu, Seiryu and Suzaku are all associated with this Arcana from Persona 3 onward, though Persona 5 puts Suzaku in the Sun Arcana and Royal puts Seiryu in the Councillor Arcana instead.
Living a Double Life: A main focus of this card. Andre for example is a transfer student from overseas and needing help to adjust while Sadayo is a teacher working a second job as a maid.
Non-Action Guy: The Temperance Arcana has never been wielded by any Persona user up to Persona 5.
Non-Player Character: As of Persona 5, Temperance remains one of the only two arcana not represented by a playable character (the other being the Tower).

XV. The Devil (Le Diable)

Devil

Le Diable

Wielders: Reiji Kido, President Tanaka, Sayoko Uehara, Ichiko Ohya
Notable Persona: Bres

As its name suggests, the card is portrayed as a Devil (or Satyr) holding two people in chains. In divination, receiving the card usually means bad luck. The card represents the negative aspects of humanity (ie the Seven Sins) and how we are a slave to our own desires, whether it is addiction to drugs or lust for a person.

Characters associated with this card are obsessed with something in life (revenge, money, or love) and are committed to it. They also tend to be anti-social, whether it is by their own choice or due to being seen as an outcast by their peers. Like the Death Arcana, Personas of the Devil Arcana specialize in Dark-skills but are weak to light. Fittingly, Personas of this Arcana are represented by the evil spirits or deities of mythology such as Poltergeist and Pazuzu, and Judeo-Christian demons from the lowly Lilim, to archdemons such as Beelzebub, Lilith, and Lucifer.

The theme of Persona 5 is slavery, which is somewhat akin to the Devil Arcana as the enemies the protagonists fight are represented by the Seven Sins, and will do anything to accomplish their goal, even if they have to step on anyone who gets in their way.

Dark Is Not Evil: Depending on their role, they may actually be a good person at heart.
Devil in Plain Sight: One aspect of them is that they are not good people by their appearance.
Married to the Job: Like with the Hierophant, Devil Arcana users absorb themselves into their jobs. Unlike the Hierophant, it's because they tend to drown themselves in their vices, and said jobs allow them to do so.
Seven Deadly Sins: An aspect of the card:
- Reiji represents Wrath with his desire to kill his half-brother Kandori.
- Tanaka represents Greed with him swindling the P3 Protagonists for money and being an unscrupulous businessman. Despite having gone to less shady ventures, he still is the source of potentially questionable goods in Persona 4 and 5.
- Uehara represents Lust in how she attempts to seduce the much younger Yu.
- Ohya represents Sloth in how she sells stories without properly doing research first or by twisting the information.
Satanic Archetype: Like the name of the card, Personas of this Arcana are usually interpretations of the devil figure, one of them being Lucifer himself.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Death Arcana.
Weakened by the Light: Most Personas of the Devil Arcana are weak to light.

XVI. The Tower (La Maison Dieu)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tower_0.png

The Tower

La Maison Dieu

Wielders: Takahisa Kandori, Anna Yoshizaka, Mutatsu, Shu Nakajima, Shinya Oda
Notable Persona: Nyarlathotep, Aeshma, Magatsu-Izanagi^note

The Tower, also known as the House of God, is portrayed as a tower being struck by lightning with two people jumping out of it. As with Death and the Devil, the Tower is normally an omen, representing a sudden change, impending doom or disaster. Usually, the card is associated to arrogant and corrupt individuals or organizations falling to their demise. The tower depicted on the card could be the Tower of Babel and how its collapsed representing pride before their fall.

Characters associated with this card are egoistic individuals suffering their fall from grace and how are they trying to cope with this change. Personas of this Arcana tend to focus on their Physical skills and are often associated with mythological figure who were once worshiped before their fall from grace or deities associated with disaster. In the first two games, only one party member has strong affinity to this Arcana, showing how negative this card is.

Story-wise, the tower depicted in the the card can also represent Tartarus, the Clock Tower at the alternate Yasogami High, and the Conspiracy.

Death by Irony: Downplayed. While they don't die, the cause of a person's fall is normally how they got their power in the first place. Kandori for example has finally achieved his goal of becoming a god, only to find that Victory Is Boring. By the time the party confronts him, Kandori has become a nihilist and actually wants the party to kill him until Nyarlathotep decides to interfere.
Double Entendre: Guess what Mara's Arcana is?
Evil Tower of Ominousness: Probably the worst card of the deck, receiving this card is normally an bad omen.
Non-Player Character: Like Temperance, none of the playable Persona wielders up to Persona 5 are the Tower. Unlike Temperance, there are known Persona users who are primarily of this Arcana (Kandori & Anna).
Pride: The main Seven Sin associated with this card.
Pride Before a Fall: Each wielder of this card used to be someone respected or powerful before something happens that causes them to lose it:
- Persona 1 has Kandori, who spent a lot of time and effort in becoming a god... and finds that omniscience is boring, and that he's only godlike in Maki's cognitive world. By the time the party finds him, his pride is so beaten down that Nyarlathotep has to hijack his body to make him fight them.
- In Persona 2, Anna Yoshizaka was a star athlete whose dreams were dashed by a random hit & run accident; having lost the adoration of her peers, she fell into a spiral of depression and dropped out of school.
- In Persona 3, Mutatsu was a successful businessman whose obsession with his work caused his wife and son to leave him, making him forsake the corporate life and become a Buddhist monk to ruminate on his life decisions.
- In Persona 4, Shu Nakajima starts out as the smartest kid in his class, until another student starts showing him up. Shu resorts to cheating on a test to stay on top, and gets caught, resulting in him getting chewed out by his mother and the loss of his confidence.
- Persona 5 has Shinya Oda not only lose at a game where he is a prodigy, but his aggressive mannerisms have caused him to become isolated and even on the road to being a bully. In fact, some kids he was arguing with accused him of needing a change of heart, despite Oda being a large fan of the Phantom Thieves.

XVII. The Star (L'Étoile)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/star_0_6.png

The Star

L’Étoile

Wielders: Ulala Serizawa, Mamoru Hayase, Akihiko Sanada^note, Teddie, Hifumi Togo,
Notable Persona: Callisto, Astria, Kintoki-Douji, Kamui, Kamui-Moshiri

"It's a strong card, one that gives hope to those on the ground below. It shines in times of need. But, eventually, it is destined to fall to the earth and disappear... Even I can feel the sadness of this inescapable destiny..."

— Margaret

The Star is portrayed by a woman filling two jugs with water from a pond, pouring one of them onto the land behind her. Above her are eight stars, seven small ones surrounding a larger one at the center. It represents renewal of a person's faith or spirit as well as self-confidence following a terrible past.

Characters of this Arcana tend to keep keeps their spirits high, knowing that something good will happen to them eventually despite their hardships. In-game, they use their fists to beat up their enemies and have average magic skills, making them a Magic Knight of the party. Persona of this Arcana tend to favor Wind or Ice spells and are often associated with astrological or multi-talented figures.

Adaptational Heroism: Lucifer in his angel form, or Helel in games where they are treated as distinct Personas, is usually of this Arcana.
Determinator: A key aspect of the card is never giving up.
Good Old Fisticuffs: All three playable party members associated with this card use either their fists or claws as their weapon of choice.
Interpretative Character: Persona of Star Arcana are usually figures who have a considerable variety of interpretations, be it good, evil, both or even neither.
Love Hurts: Ulala, Akihiko and Teddie have difficulty in talking to the opposite sex, while Hifumi is forbidden by her mother to date anyone until she is popular.
Magic Knight: Akihiko and Ulala have great strength but their magic is well above average to help them against physical-resistant enemies. Teddie however has the second lowest strength in his team, making him more of a mage instead.

XVIII. The Moon (La Lune)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/moon_0.png

The Moon

La Lune

Wielders: Maya Amano, Ixquic, Nozomi Suemitsu, Shinjiro Arigaki^note, Ai Ebihara, Sho MINAZUKI, Yuuki Mishima
Notable Persona: Maia, Maia Prime, Artemis, Pairika, Kaguya^note, Tsukiyomi

The Moon is portrayed by a dog, a wolf (or a second dog) and a crayfish (or a lobster) staring at the moon with two towers in the background. The card represents femininity, fantasy and trickery. It can represents the life experience of a person (be it their past, present or future) and how they subconsciously react to the world around them and to accept which is fiction and reality.

Personas of this card are either usually mythological figures directly associated with the moon or evil figures and tricksters. They have a balanced Strength and Magical skills though they tend to favor the former more. Characters associated with the Moon tend to share their problems with the Protagonists, have trouble accepting who they are and behave like an ideal person to those around them.

Out of all the Arcanas, the Moon is closely associated with Carl Jung's theory on how “Everyone carries a shadow”, referencing how Personas and Shadows in the series represents one aspect of a character, whether they choose to ignore it or accept it.

Dark and Troubled Past: All of them have some sort of horrible past, be it surviving an arson incident, killing an innocent by accident, or being a victim of bullying and violence at the hands of a teacher.
I Just Want to Be Special: A recurring theme of this card is that the person tries to be something they are not (Maya as a Cool Big Sis, Ai and Yuuki want to be popular among their peers) in order to have some meaning in their life.
Shadow Archetype: The concept of Personas and Shadows are based on Carl Jung's theory and how the people react to them. Notably, Maya defeats her Shadow Self but refuses to accept it, while MINAZUKI is a split personality of SHO but the two couldn't be any different. With Yuuki, the Shadow that needs to be taken care of on his arc is his own and even then, Yuuki already is aware he's becoming worse and just needs a pep talk from Joker.
Weight Woe: While Nozomi isn't ashamed of being fat, Maya often has to look out for her weight, Shinjiro makes sure his friends (especially Akihiko) have a balanced meal and Ai is Formerly Fat. Subverted with Yuuki, who is pretty slender and almost frail.

XIX. The Sun (Le Soleil)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sun_0.png

Sun

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_sun_3.png

Le Soleil

Wielders: Tatsuya Suou, Tatsuya Sudou, Akinari Kamiki, Yumi Ozawa, Ayane Matsunaga, SHO Minazuki, Toranosuke Yoshida
Notable Persona: Vulcanus, Apollo

The Sun is portrayed by a child riding on a horse happily beneath the sun with sunflowers in the background. The card represents a person's joy, happiness and hope even in their darkest hour.

In contrast to the Moon, characters associated with the Sun have something in the present that is troubling them. Like the Moon, the wielders either remain hopeful or regain it through their interaction with the Protagonists, allowing them to overcome their problems and leave with a smile on their face.

Personas of the Sun Arcana tend to represent a mythological figure associated with the sun, light, or fire. Befitting the sun, Personas of this card specialize in fire and light spells, two major sources of energy released by the sun.

Atomic Superpower: Personas of this arcana often wield Frei skills, fitting given the sun's association with nuclear fusion.
Dark and Troubled Past: While the Moon Arcana wielders have a troubled past, they try to forget about it or have forgotten about it altogether. Bearers of the Sun Arcana however have their past still eating them from the inside.
Hope Springs Eternal: A primary theme of the Sun is to remain hopeful no matter what.
Light 'em Up: One of the two spells Personas of this card specialize in are that of the Hama-line.
Playing with Fire: One of the two spells Personas of this card specialize in are that of the Agi-line.
The Power of the Sun: Personas of this card are usually those who are associated with the sun. Notably, Apollo's (the second Greek God of sun) signature move, Nova Kaiser, has him creating a miniature sun, and he can also learn Nuclear skills.
Stepford Smiler: No matter what happens to them, wielders of the Sun always keep a smile on their smile, knowing they will find the answer to the meaning of life.

XX. Judgement (Le Jugement) / Aeon

Judgement

Le Jugement

Aeon

Wielders: Eriko Kirishima, P3 Protagonists, S.E.E.S / Nyx Annihilation Team, the Investigation Team / Seekers of Truth, Sae Niijima (Judgement); Aigis^note, Marie^note (Aeon)
Notable Persona: Nike, Yamaoka, Michael, Gabriel, Messiah (Judgement); Kaguya (Aeon)

Judgement, in tarot, is associated with realizing one's calling, gaining a deep understanding of life, and a feeling of acceptance and absolution.

From Persona 3 onwards, the Judgement Arcana is the culmination of decisions and actions taken by the protagonist throughout their Journey, and the player's pursuit of the true and final resolution. It is represented as the climax of a pivotal decision shortly before or after the Final Boss.

The Aeon Arcana, which is part of the Thoth deck and, as of Persona 5 Strikers, available only in the remakes. It is inherited by those without a sense of belonging and understanding. While physically non-human in some way, they nonetheless are as human as anyone else and helping them understand their place in the world will grant the protagonist essential power and knowledge.

Persona of the Judgement Arcana tend to be divine mythological figures associated with judgment of humanity, notably Anubis, as well as apocalyptic figures like Trumpeter, Michael, and Satan. Aeon Persona doesn't have a common rule, filled with completely different figures between the games which uses the Arcana.

Adaptational Heroism: Satan (who appears in all Persona games in Judgment Arcana), Lucifer (who usually appears in Judgment Arcana when Helel is the Star Arcana) and Metatron (who has been in Judgment and Aeon Arcanas among others), are all major antagonistic figures in the main SMT franchise who are not always summonable as allies. Here, they are consistently fusable in fusion.
Biblical Motifs: Most of the Personas are based on a biblical figure.
Gold-Colored Superiority: When selected in the Persona 4 Golden Shuffle Time, the Aeon card gives four additional card picks with no downsides.
Golden Ending: Obtaining or maxing out the Judgement Arcana means making the right choice for the true ending:
- In Persona 3, you must choose not to kill Ryoji, which will allow you to fight Nyx. If you do kill him, S.E.E.S lives their lives without their memories of Tartarus before Nyx ends the world shortly after.
- In Persona 4, you have to deduce and defeat the real Midnight Channel killer. Choosing the wrong culprit will net you the bad ending.
- In Persona 5, you have to pull off the casino interrogation and catch Akechi / the assassin in a trap where you fake your death. If you fail to complete any of the Palaces or sell out your friends, Akechi kills you for real.
- The above are all examples of a Non-Standard Game Over, but to get the true Golden Ending in Persona 4 Golden, you have to complete the Aeon Social Link before December 31st and complete the Hollow Forest.
Guardian Angel: Most of the Personas of these two Arcanas are high ranking angels.
Implied Love Interest: In contrast to all other romantic Social Links, both links to the Aeon Arcana are the closest to an official Love Interest in canon. Aigis and Marie have a plot-relevant connection to the P3 and P4 Heroes, further enforced by the anime adaptations having a heavy focus on their respective relationships, to the point of certain scenes being changed to accommodate this. Likewise, Eriko is also in love with the protagonist from the first game, which becomes a subplot for her in Eternal Punishment. Finally, at the end of Persona 5: The Animation OVA special "A Magical Valentine's Day", Sae takes Joker out to the opera on a Valentine's Day date, with the last frame of Joker's glasses has the reflection show him and Sae clasping hands as they obviously kiss, hinting that Sae is who Joker truly ends up with; which is impossible in the game.
Threshold Guardian: Characters associated with Judgement are either associated with or directly follow the final test before being put on the path to the Golden Ending, and Judgement is fittingly the penultimate Arcana before the World.

XXI. The World (Le Monde) / The Universe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/world_0.png

The World / The Universe

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_world_1.png

Le Monde

Wielders: Yu Narukami, Makoto Yuki, Ren Amamiya (The World); P3 Protagonists (The Universe)

Notable Persona: Messiah, Izanagi-no-Okami, Satanael^note

The ultimate triumph arcana, the World is a representation of the world's totality, the symbol of fulfillment, wholeness, and harmony, symbolized by a young woman surrounded by figures of an angel, a bull, an eagle, and a lion.

In the first two games the World Arcana has zero story relevance, and is entirely absent in Persona 3. However, the game's climax presents the Universe, a card from the Thoth deck, which is attained through the bonds the protagonist has made with others over the course of the game. It manifests as an 11th-Hour Superpower during the Golden Ending, used to deal a Finishing Move to the Final Boss — in this case, the Great Seal, used to seal Nyx away.

From Persona 4 onward, the Universe is not present and the World takes its connotations and symbolisms as the proper evolution of the Wild Card at the end of their Journeys. In a bit of a twist, the Protagonist would evolve their Initial Personas into their Ultimate Personas as they attain the World. Typically in a New Game Plus, using a hefty amount of money, fusions, and EXP, the player can summon the Persona of this Arcana to completely steamroll the game.

11th-Hour Superpower: Gameplay aside, Personas of World Arcana tend to be summoned during the final battle, during which they make short work out of the Final Boss.
Ascended Extra: This card has zero plot relevance like the Fool in the first two games and its role in the third game amounts to a trivia. From the fourth game onward, the World is the second Arcana bestowed to the protagonist which represents the end of their Journey. Through the power of the World, the Protagonist awakens their true power to finish off the final boss.
Book Ends: In a subtle way. The Fool which the Protagonist obtains at the start of the Journey is noted to be the void and the zero from which possibilities spring forth — the Universe obtained at the very end of the Journey is an even purer expression of that by being a completely blank tarot card, devoid of any symbol.
Heroic Second Wind: Once the World is obtained from the strength of their bonds, the Protagonists who barely endured the attacks from the Final Bosses tend to completely recover, proceed to shrug off the very same attacks which nearly killed them moments before, before preparing a Finishing Move which represents the ultimate conclusion of their respective Journeys.
Infinity +1 Element: The World is treated as the single most powerful Arcana which a Persona user can obtain, and the Universe is considered even more powerful than that.
The Power of Creation: The Universe is described by Igor as the power at the beginning of everything, and would also end everything (in English, it is described to "bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate end"). This is either a Call-Back or a Continuity Nod to Philemon's words at the end of Innocent Sin, who describes the power which created the cosmos itself is the same power currently within the sea of hearts.
The Power of Friendship: Put simply, the true potential of Persona users are brought out from their bonds with the metaphorical "world" around them, just as personas are masks forged by oneself to face the world around them and the experiences it presents. Through forging bonds, the heart grows and nurtures Personas — and at the end, the collective experiences of all those bonds bring forth power which can create miracles.
You Cannot Grasp the True Form:
- The Universe Arcana in the original Persona 3 has no visible art on it at all. It transcends all other Arcana so much, it is effectively incomprehensible by human cognition and no single image could ever capture all of its meanings.
- Averted in both the animated movie and Reload, where the Universe Arcana reuses the same art as The World.

0. The Jester / XI. Hunger

Jester

Hunger

Wielder: Tohru Adachi^note

Notable Persona: Magatsu-Izanagi

The Jester Arcana is exclusive to Persona 4 Golden as Tohru Adachi's arcana, and shares the same number and role as the Fool, personifying ignorance, spontaneity, and freedom. But while the Fool embraces the bonds they make, the Jester suppresses them.

When the player levels up the Jester Social Link up until Adachi's reveal as the Midnight Channel killer, they have two choices; reveal their suspicions that implicates Adachi, or hide the evidence to save him. If the player destroys the evidence, the Jester Arcana will max out and they will earn the Accomplice Ending. If they instead reveal Adachi's true nature, the Jester remanifests as the Hunger Arcana.

The Hunger Arcana, known as the Lust Arcana in the Thoth deck, replacing Strength as the eleventh (XI) arcana, represents strength, but strength which comes through dominance. It is not true power, but the pure bliss of abusing power. Pursing the Jester is to be an actual fool.

Leveling the Jester / Hunger Arcana nets the player Persona of rebellious and questionable nature, including Magatsu-Izanagi, the form of Izanagi at his lowest point.

Evil Counterpart:
- The Jester to the Fool, representing those who bring others to ruin.
- Hunger to Strength, as it's strength that is formed through dominance and abusing power.
Go-Karting with Bowser: Maxing out this Arcana in its Jester form means hanging out and working with a heartless murderer.
The Hedonist: Wants all the power but none of the responsibility.
Jerkass: The nastiest and most antagonistic of all arcana. Interestingly, maxing it out as the Jester requires the player to be one (to everyone but Adachi anyway).
Obfuscating Stupidity: Adachi was pretty good at keeping up a bumbling personality to hide his true nature.
What the Hell, Player?: The game makes no pretense that the Accomplice Ending is a good one. Even Adachi mocks you for conspiring to help a murderer.

Faith (La Foi)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/false_faith.png

The False Faith

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/faith_8.png

La Foi

Wielder: Kasumi/Sumire Yoshizawa

Notable Persona: Cendrillon, Vanadis, Ella

The Faith Arcana, first introduced in Persona 5 Royal, appears in the Visconti-Sforza deck, a custom-made deck dating to a time when tarot was only used as everyday playing cards and the arcana were simply trump cards.

This Arcana is exclusive to Kasumi (or as it turns out, Sumire) Yoshizawa. This card greatly differs from that of the other Arcanas of P5 as it lacks a number and has black borders with tears. Additionally, the Confidant associated with this Arcana only goes up to rank 5. This clue that Kasumi, like the Arcana, is actually a fake. Once the truth is out, however, the Confidant continues as normal.

The Card is portrayed by a priest sitting on a pedestal. It represents the belief in oneself and others, as well as in both religion and science. The Personas of this Arcana are usually mythical beasts, legendary heroes, and fairy tale characters.

Fairytale Motifs: Two of the main Personas related to this Arcana are different names of Cinderella, and another available Persona is Unicorn.
Light 'em Up: Personas associated with his Arcana specialize Bless skills.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: A key theme of this Arcana is self-confidence. Once it is revealed that Kasumi is actually Sumire, the younger twin with an inferiority complex, part of her Confidant involves her gaining self-confidence and working through her depression.

Hope

Wielder: Sophia

Notable Persona: Pithos, Pandora

The Hope Arcana, like the Faith Arcana, is part of the Visconti-Sforza deck and was introduced in Persona 5 Strikers. This Arcana is exclusive to Sophia.

The card is portrayed as a person kneeling down and praying to God. It represents hope, optimism and positivity. Only two Personas are associated with this Arcana, Pithos (the object Pandora opened in the earliest versions of her myth) and Pandora, though the former is not a true Persona. It has no arcana until Sophia truly awakens and transforms it.

Hope Bringer: Sophia's role in the game, to ensure humanity is not led astray and to open the heart of her creator. This references the Pandora Box story as Hope was the only thing left in the Box (or Pithos in the original myth) after Pandora opened it.
Light 'em Up: Both Personas specialize in Light Skills.
Mythical Motifs: The Arcana is heavily associated with the story of Pandora's Box.

The Wild Card

Arcana: The Fool, The World (Upon Journey's Completion), The Universe (P3 Only), The Sun and The Moon (Sho), Justice (Akechi),
Wielders: Makoto Yuki, Kotone Shiomi, Aigis, Yu Narukami, Elizabeth, Sho Minazuki, Ren Amamiya, Goro Akechi, Wonder

The Wild Card refers to the ability of a Persona user (usually the Protagonists of their respective games) to use multiple Personas of different Arcanas. Normally, this ability is connected to those who are of the Fool Arcana, although Sho Minazuki is of the Sun/Moon Arcana while Goro Akechi is of the Justice Arcana. Aigis and Elizabeth on the other hand were formerly of the Chariot and Death Arcanas before acquiring the Fool. This ability is first shown in Persona 3. Each of them first gains this ability after forming a contract or meeting Philemon in some way. This also allows them to enter the Velvet Room, where they are able to perform Persona fusions to form even stronger Personas.

The Ace: Being able to use multiple Personas at the same time makes the Protagonists the strongest member of their teams.
All Your Powers Combined: A fully realized Wild Card has access to all the different types of skills, can learn almost any skill their companions can learn, can function as a temporary navigator, and can change elemental affinities on the fly.
Ambiguous Situation: The exact nature of certain characters capable of using more than one Persona is still unclear:
- Labrys from Persona 4 Arena technically has access to more than one Persona (Ariadne and Asterius). However, Labrys cannot voluntarily summon Asterius without allowing her Shadow to take control of her body. So if she does have the Wild Card, then she doesn't know how to use it (nor does she even know that she has it) and it seems to remain "dormant" in her.
- Sho Minazuki from Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is heavily implied to have been to the Velvet Room and offered a contract by its residents, but chose to reject it for his own reasons. However, if Sho does have the power, then he doesn't seem to know how to use it, because he only has one Persona and doesn't seem to know how to make or recruit more of them.
- Goro Akechi from Persona 5 has two Personas, Loki and Robin Hood. And like the protagonist, he's been given that power by the Demiurge, so it’s entirely possible that it gave them both the exact same power. Futaba hypothesizes that Akechi does have the same power as Joker after his boss fight in Shido's Palace, but due to his inability to form proper bonds, it failed to completely manifest. This is muddled even further with his appearance in Royal, as Robin Hood and Loki are treated as being the same Persona in different evolutionary states, to the point that they merge together to form Hereward, Akechi's ultimate Persona. Are they truly the same Persona, simply in different forms? Or are they both separate Personae that can fuse into Hereward? The fact that Akechi isn't indicated to know about the Velvet Room makes it unlikely he fused them with Lavenza's assistance.
Bequeathed Power: Wild Cards can be passed on, though it's not clear how (the one situation in which it's happened was special in many ways), or whether the process is usually fatal.
Big Eater: The protagonists are often seen eating large portion of food and are able to conquer eating challenges. This became a joke in Q2 where Elizabeth and Margaret challenge each other on whose guest could eat more, leading to a donut eating challenge between the P3 and P4 Hero (it ends in a tie).
The Chosen One: Those who are associated with the Fool Arcana are destined to do great- if not necessarily good- things.
Chronic Hero Syndrome: Through Social Links/Confidants, the Protagonists help anyone with personal issues, ranging from a young girl with estranged parents to an old woman trying to accept the death of her husband.
Early-Installment Weirdness: In the first two games, everyone is capable of switching their Personas and entering the Velvet Room. Furthermore, while Personas of the Fool Arcana are rare, there is nothing special about them. That said, no one has the same affinity with all Arcana like the Wild Cards do. That, however can be handwaved as in the first two games, Philemon, the creator of the Velvet Room and Igor, gives all Protagonists their power, whereas most other beings granting the Wild Card (Death, Izanami, Hinokagutsuchi, and Yaldabaoth) can only grant this power to one, at best two people, with Aigis inheriting it from the P3 protagonist and Elizabeth being the odd one out for acquiring that power by herself.
Entropy and Chaos Magic: Inside every Wild Card is an infinite well of potential, even more than other humans have (and potential is their Hat in this setting). This enables them to have multiple self-images when most people must go through severe stress to summon one. It also burns out the brain of any non-flesh creature that acquires the ability.
Fate Drives Us Together: Each Wild Card has one Arcana 'council', with one representative of each card ^note, who aren't replaced even if they die. Makoto can potentially outlive some of his links if he fails to rescue them in Tartarus, but he won't make a link with anyone else. Joker presumably meets many Judgment-aligned people on his Journey, but it is only with Sae, near the end of it, that he could forge his Judgment link.
Fusion Dance:
- Much like demons in Megami Tensei, Personas of the protagonists can be fused to create newer Personas in the Velvet Room. There are many different types of Persona fusion, varying in purpose, material, and method across the games.
- In Persona 3, the Protagonist's Wild Card ability is further enhanced by a fragment of Death and Nyx, allowing them to use Fusion spells on their own.
Jack of All Trades: Through the power of the Wild Card, the protagonists can use multiple Personas of any of the 22 Major Arcana. Because of this, they can use every skills in the game and can serve any role in the team (fighter, mage, healer, etc).
Magnetic Hero: Margaret and Elizabeth mention that those with the Wild Card have the ability to attract people to join their cause. Notably, S.E.E.S. only begins exploring Tartarus after the Protagonist joins despite being formed years ago, and the Investigation Team is formed out of those Yu helps save from their Shadow Selves. Similarly, the Phantom Thieves are founded only after Joker's arrival.
Master of All: Unlike other Persona users, those with the Wild Card are able to use multiple Personas from any of the 22 traditional Major Arcana, and some others from alternate decks.
Master of None:
- In Persona Q and its sequel, the unique setting of the games prevents the Wild Cards from switching to other Personas. However, this also allows them (as well as everyone else in the party) to carry a Sub-Persona.
- While those with the Wild Card can use multiple Personas, said Personas stop learning new moves and suffer from a stagnated stat growth after a certain point, meaning they will eventually become less powerful than Personas wielded by non-Wild Cards. This is to incentivize the player to keep fusing and upgrading new Personas throughout the game.
New Transfer Student: All of them are transferred to a new school at the beginning of the game.
Oddly Common Rarity: The ability to use multiple Personas is not only restricted to those of the Fool Arcana. In the first two games, everyone is capable of doing the same while the Velvet Room Attendants are also able to use multiple Personas via the Persona Compendium. However, unlike the first case, where characters were limited to those Arcana they had an affinity with, Wild Cards have the ability to use Persona from any Arcana without limit or penalty.
One Hero, Hold the Weaksauce: In situations where Persona-users have to overcome their Shadows, such as Persona 4's TV World, a Wild Card doesn't need to. The exception is Aigis, probably because she didn't always have a Wild Card.
Pent-Up Power Peril: If a Wild Card is unwilling or unable (as in Sho's isolated upbringing) to develop their potential, their psyche fractures into pieces in a fruitless attempt to fulfil their need for social interaction. Violence has always ensued. Fortunately, Social Links are easy to develop in the Persona setting ^note and Wild Cards are naturally charismatic, so you have to pretty much be trying to reach a point of no return.
Positive Friend Influence: The playable Wild Cards help many of their Social Links/Confidants become better people through their influence.
The Power of Friendship:
- A Wild Card can only achieve their full potential through the bonds they forge with others in the form of Social Links and Confidants. And even though Makoto didn't forge one with him, Shinjiro's spirit is still able to help him in his time of need, showing that the power of the Wild Card is so strong, not even death can break the bonds they have made.
- Averted with Akechi. It is indicated that because he rejects friendship and has no bonds with anyone other than Joker, he can only use two Personas.
  Futaba: If you've got more than one Persona, maybe you actually have the same kinda power as Joker's. But you trusted no one, so you only got two Personas: one for your lies, and one for your hate.
Recurring Element: From the third game onward, the Protagonists are transfer students first arriving at town via train and stay there for a year. By the end of their Journey, they will receive a new Arcana, usually the World.
The Reliable One: They are the one who gathers other people in need and helps to improve their lives for the better.
Secret Handshake: Persona Q and its sequel joke that wielders of the Wild Card have a secret code in which they speak using lines spoken when recruiting demons from the main SMT games.
Super-Empowering: In Q2, Margaret says that closeness to a Wild Card accelerates Persona-users' mystical growth. Events in the mainline games (such as Futaba's "key item" metaphor) imply that this is true for psychological growth as well.
Supernatural Sensitivity: People who've been close to a Wild Card can intuitively sense others; various True Companions throughout the series comment that one Wild Card reminds them of another.
Superpower Lottery: Whereas most Persona users are limited to their skill lines or Arcana affinity, Wild Cards are not. The amount of abilities they have allow them to fill any niche in their party, sometimes even several at once.
Tarot Motifs: They are most closely tied to the Fool Arcana, representing unlimited potential and beginnings, since the Fool shows up at both the beginning and the end of the traditional Major Arcana. Contrary to what one might expect, Social Link Arcanas represent the relationship between the Wild Card and the Social Link, and not necessarily the Arcana of the Social Link themselves:
- Aigis is of the Chariot Arcana (self-assertion and war), but her relationship with the P3 Hero is of the Aeon Arcana (understanding the unfamiliar world).
- Akihiko is of the Emperor (strong will and control) and Shinjiro is of the Hierophant (gruff logic and worldly wisdom), but their relationship with the female protagonist is represented by the Star (hope and positivity) and Moon (Hidden Depths), respectively.
- Adachi starts out as the Jester (avoidance of responsibility), but when his true nature is revealed, his relationship with the P4 Hero is different from before, represented by it becoming the Hunger Arcana (unrepentant hedonism).
We Cannot Go On Without You: The game automatically ends if the Protagonist falls in battle.
You Are Not Alone: The Protagonists start their respective games alone but make multiple friends throughout their one year there. Through the bonds they make during Social Links/Confidants, the Protagonists are capable of fighting their respective final bosses, even if they are alone, to the point that remembering the voices of their friends allows them to keep getting up and finally No-Sell the boss's attack. This signifies the power of the Universe/World Arcana, the final card of the tarot, giving them the power to finish off the final boss.

Velvet Room Attendants

Attendants: Belladonna, Nameless, Demon Painter, Elizabeth, Theodore, Margaret, Marie, Caroline, Justine, Lavenza, Merope

"Show us what lies beyond our limits! Show us who you are— who WE are!"

— Justine

The Velvet Room Attendants assist Philemon and Igor with helping the protagonists on their journey.

Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: The Velvet Siblings, albeit downplayed most of the time, are this trope. In the Q spinoffs in particular, they back each other up in the Optional Boss fights. There's also a moment early in Q2, where Elizabeth warns Theo they shouldn't meddle too much with things involving Caroline and Justine, which Theo tries to protest. Given it's implied they've both figured out the twins are a divided Lavenza, Theo's worried for his little sister and is genuinely uncomfortable about leaving her divided into two people.
Always with You: Installments where The Magic Goes Away often have a scene where the focal attendant assures the protagonist they will always be with them ^note. Sure enough, in spinoffs they pop back into the protagonist's life like they never left.
Ambiguously Human:
- They take on humanoid shapes, but the Velvet Siblings in particular have the yellow eyes normally associated with Shadow Selves, and have a limited knowledge of the world of man. They also refer to humans as separate from themselves and are astonished each time a human manages to defeat them.
Caroline: Humans apparently can't live without water. You lead a troublesome existence, Inmate!
- The Demon Painter is an aversion, being a human painter from Sumaru City who came to stay in the Velvet Room.
Anthropomorphic Personification: The Velvet Siblings seem to represent the Anima and Animus of Jungian psychology, or the repressed opposite gender qualities of men and women, respectively. Each one is the opposite gender to their respective Wild Card, and serves as a spiritual guide who is not meant to interfere with their journey.
Appearance Is in the Eye of the Beholder: The Velvet Room is an inanimate example, taking different shapes depending on who its current client is. That said, visitors connected to each other see the same place- the Phantom Thieves see the desolate prison that their leader Joker does, and the third game's Schrödinger's Player Character|s (who are siblings or each other's Alternate Self depending on the canon) see the same perpetually moving elevator, as does Aigis, who inherited their Wild Card and heroic legacy.
Ascended Extra: The attendants went from playing background music in the first game, to changing free Tarot Cards to any Arcana in the second (as well as providing an additional quest in the PSP remake) to having plot relevance from the third game onward.
Badass Bureaucrat: Their lives are spent compiling Persona types, drawing up contracts between Arcana, and maintaining the Velvet Room. Yet they are immortal sorcerers who casually hit each other with Megidolaon during arguments and provide humanity with Personas strong enough to defeat false gods.
Big Eater: Similar to their respective guests, the Velvet Siblings have quite a huge appetite. Elizabeth and the twins are seen eating huge portions of food during their respective dates and in Q and its sequel, they are often seen eating. There's even a sidequest in Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth in which the Velvet Siblings find themselves enamored with theater concessions, particularly hot dogs, to the point of hoarding enough to feed everyone several times over in their own rooms and stealing from each other when they run out.
Broke the Rating Scale: In every one of their boss fights, the operator on duty will remark that the Velvet Siblings' power is off the scale and warns the heroes to either run for their lives or be extremely careful.
The Cobbler's Children Have No Shoes: Although they have helped many heroes develop The Power of Friendship, familial harmony eludes them.
Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: All Velvet Room Attendants have a journey to travel, much like the guests they're attending, only they don't know what it is. For the most part, they're content to just serve their respective protagonist, until said protagonist forms a bond with them. At that point, they'll get curious about how the protagonist affects them, culminating in a Super Boss battle where the point is for them to understand just what it is they're doing here.
Dual Boss: Caroline and Justine fight the Phantom Thieves together in their boss battle.
Duel Boss: Elizabeth and Theodore are fought alone in 3.
Fish out of Water: The Siblings have had little contact with the human world prior to their respective guest's arrival and react with awe and curiosity during their visits there. This leads to awkward situations like Elizabeth pouring one million yen worth of coins into two fountains and the twins literally thinking that Big Bang Burger is from outer space.
Humans Are Special: All of them believe that humans have a spark that opens the door to an infinite number of possibilities. Caroline and Justine are less overt about this, mocking Joker repeatedly, but they truly believe in his ability to complete his "rehabilitation" and the potential of humanity itself.
Left the Background Music On: Belladonna and Nameless are actually the source of the song, "Aria of the Soul", which plays in every Persona game.
Master of All: Through the use of the Persona Compendium, the Velvet Siblings can use Personas from any of the Major Arcana.
Mystical White Hair: The Velvet Siblings all possess starkly white or platinum blond hair, emphasizing their mysteriousness and otherworldly power.
Massive Numbered Siblings: Technically, for the majority of the plot in Persona 5, the Velvet Siblings, where there are five siblings, Elizabeth, Theodore, Margaret, Marie, Caroline and Justine. At least, until Caroline and Justine merge into Lavenza, making only four siblings by the end.
No Hero Discount: They lower the price of Persona summons based on how much of the Compendium you've completed, not whether you are about to fight an apocalyptic threat. It's not even explained why they need the money.
- This is zigzagged in the finale of Persona 5; Personas cost the same, but Lavenza will give the party free healing as often as they want while they carve through the Big Bad's army.
Oh, Crap!: The response of your Navigator to fighting a Velvet Room attendant is to be shocked by how powerful they are. This is also the Velvet Siblings' reaction whenever Margaret is angry with them.
Our Angels Are Different: Although non-religious in nature, the siblings are immortal, capital-G good beings somewhere around the top rungs of power in Persona's setting.
Our Elves Are Different: Pale-haired, undying creatures of magic whose role in the plot is to advise the human heroes. The smugness and beauty common to fictional elves is also present.
Promoted to Playable: The attendants from the third game onward are playable in spin-off games.
Semantic Superpower: They are "those who rule over power", but power comes in infinite varieties and is clearest in the foreign world of humans. Therefore, each sibling interns with a Wild Card to understand it better.
Sibling Team: Whenever the Velvet Siblings appear in the same game, they usually become this. A prime example would be the three-way boss battle against Margaret, Elizabeth, and Theodore in Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth. In Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, you fight Caroline and Justine while they're backed up by Theodore, Margaret, and Elizabeth in succession.
Smug Super: The siblings fall on a continuum regarding pride (ranging from Theodore being outright browbeaten to Caroline being a bit of a bully even after she's freed from Yaldabaoth's deception), but in general are not very nice to each other and underestimate humans. It turns out that when you don't have the limitations of a mortal body, you feel no need to learn the social skills that help humans survive and motivate them to act likeable.
Superboss: Starting with Persona 3, the protagonist can fight the Velvet Room attendants as bosses, and they happen to be the most powerful bosses in the game gameplay-wise.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Elizabeth, Theodore, Margaret, Justine, Caroline, and Lavenza all have huge yellow irises reminiscent of Shadow Selves and are Ambiguously Human beings.
Theme Naming: Save for the Demon Painter, they're all named after Frankenstein characters or a person in real life associated with the novel, hinting toward their Ambiguously Human and possibly artificial nature:
- Igor himself is a reference to the iconic servant character original to some movie adaptations, both of them having a distinctly deformed appearance.
- Nameless may be based on the blind man the Creature briefly befriends. Belladona's appearance is based on the design of the titular character of the Bride of Frankenstein.
- Elizabeth is named after Elizabeth Lavenza, Victor Frankenstein's fiancée. Theodore is possibly named after Theodor von Holst, the first illustrator of the novel.
- Margaret is named after Margaret Walton Saville, the sister of the ship captain who rescues Victor and to whom the initial chapters of the Epistolary Novel are addressed. Marie could be an alternate spelling of Mary Shelley's name herself.
- Caroline and Justine are named after Victor's mother and a servant framed for one of the Creature's murders respectively. Lavenza is another reference to Elizabeth Lavenza.
We ARE Struggling Together: In their Q2 attempt to bring the food thieves to justice, the siblings barely get through their introductory monologue before they start ragging on each other. In true Persona fashion, this means they're weaker than the puny-but-united guests.
What Happened to the Mouse?: As the Velvet Room changes depending on the guest, the attendants also change with the whereabouts of the previous attendants unknown. The only ones who avert this is Elizabeth, who left the Velvet Room to find a way to free the P3 protagonist from his fate, and Belladonna and Nameless, who are still in the Velvet Room post-2 but don't actually make physical appearances.
Wolfpack Boss: In the Persona Q series, the attendants team up to fight the protagonists. In the first game, Elizabeth, Theodore and Margaret fight together. In the second game, the twins fight together in the first phase, then are accustomed by Margaret, Theodore and Elizabeth, in the second, third and fourth phases, respectively.

Navigators

Members: Fuuka Yamagishi, Rise Kujikawa, Makoto Niijima, Futaba Sakura^note
Temporary Members: Mitsuru Kirijo, Teddie, Morgana, Goro Akechi

Introduced in Persona 3, Navigators play the tactical support role of their respective party, usually analyzing enemies' name, Arcana and weakness. Initially, one party member usually plays this role until a new member with a superior set of support skills joins. Persona 5 averts this however, having two members (Makoto with either Futaba or Morgana) playing this role even late in the game. In addition to analyzing their enemies, they also can help the party in other ways such as healing and providing buffs.

Always Female: Thus far, every permanent Navigator has happened to be female.
Enemy Scan: The navigator typically has an ability with a chance to reveal an enemy's resistances, weaknesses, and skills.
Non-Player Character: Unlike the other party members, the permanent Navigators aren't controllable in battle and instead help identify enemy weaknesses and dispense status buffs automatically. Makoto is the sole exception, as she remains on the front lines whilst still giving advice to the player.
Passing the Torch: The second navigator is usually better than the first and fully embraces this role after joining while the first returns to the front lines.
Promoted to Playable: While they remain in the side-lines in the main games, they are playable in the spin-offs.
Sensor Character: The permanent Navigator's Persona is used to do things including but not limited to identifying enemy weaknesses as well as their locations, the layout of a dungeon floor, or treasure chests.
Socially Awkward Hero: A similarity between the second Navigator of each group is that they tend to be shy girls with difficulty in making friends.
Support Party Member: Their role on their respective teams is identifying enemy weaknesses and occasionally giving status buffs instead of direct combat.

Characters / Persona: Recurring

Recurring Individuals

Philemon

Nyarlathotep

Igor

The Reaper

Recurring Character Types

Persona

Shadows

Shadow Self

0. The Fool (Le Mat)

I. The Magician (Le Bateleur) / The Councillor (Le Consultant)

II. The High Priestess (La Papesse)

III. The Empress (L' Imperatrice)

IV. The Emperor (L'Empereur)

V. The Hierophant (Le Pape) / The Apostle

VI. The Lovers (L'Amoureux)

VII. The Chariot (Le Chariot)

VIII. Justice (La Justice)

IX. The Hermit (L'Hermite)

X. (The Wheel of) Fortune (La Roue de Fortune)

XI. Strength (La Force)

XII. The Hanged Man (Le Pendu)

XIII. Death (La Mort/L'Arcane sans nom)

XIV. Temperance (Tempérance)

XV. The Devil (Le Diable)

XVI. The Tower (La Maison Dieu)

XVII. The Star (L'Étoile)

XVIII. The Moon (La Lune)

XIX. The Sun (Le Soleil)

XX. Judgement (Le Jugement) / Aeon

XXI. The World (Le Monde) / The Universe

0. The Jester / XI. Hunger

Faith (La Foi)

Hope

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Characters / Persona: Recurring

Edit Locked

Recurring Individuals

Philemon

Nyarlathotep

Igor

The Reaper

Recurring Character Types

Persona

Shadows

Shadow Self

0. The Fool (Le Mat)

I. The Magician (Le Bateleur) / The Councillor (Le Consultant)

II. The High Priestess (La Papesse)

III. The Empress (L' Imperatrice)

IV. The Emperor (L'Empereur)

V. The Hierophant (Le Pape) / The Apostle

VI. The Lovers (L'Amoureux)

VII. The Chariot (Le Chariot)

VIII. Justice (La Justice)

IX. The Hermit (L'Hermite)

X. (The Wheel of) Fortune (La Roue de Fortune)

XI. Strength (La Force)

XII. The Hanged Man (Le Pendu)

XIII. Death (La Mort/L'Arcane sans nom)

XIV. Temperance (Tempérance)

XV. The Devil (Le Diable)

XVI. The Tower (La Maison Dieu)

XVII. The Star (L'Étoile)

XVIII. The Moon (La Lune)

XIX. The Sun (Le Soleil)

XX. Judgement (Le Jugement) / Aeon

XXI. The World (Le Monde) / The Universe

0. The Jester / XI. Hunger

Faith (La Foi)

Hope

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Index

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