
Persona 4TW is a webcomic originally published on The Duck by J.C. Scott, aka Strain42. It is a sequel to Persona 3 FTW based upon the game Persona 4. The comic follows the day-by-day progression of events of the game, running from April 11, 2011 to March 21, 2012. Following Persona 4TW was Persona Won, based on Persona, and Persona 2 Win, based on Persona 2.
On February 11, 2013, J.C. Scott began posting issues for Persona 4TW Add-On, the joint sequel to Persona 3 FTW and 4TW based on Persona 4: Arena. After the conclusion of Add-On, Scott also released Gold'n Persona 4TW, based on Persona 4 Golden, which ran from October 21, 2013 to June 6, 2014, and Persona 4 Da Win
, based on Persona 4: Dancing All Night, which began its run on January 2, 2017. On March 12, 2016, Scott began republishing the comic on his new site here
(with the new link for Gold'n here
).
Persona 4TW provides examples of:
- Aborted Arc: The author said his original plan for Yosuke's social link would be Yosuke trying to kill the Protagonist for not helping him when he crashed his bike, but decided it wasn't that funny.
- Acceptable Targets: Zigzagged. The Author isn't above taking potshots at the lazy writing around any scene with Hanako in it."It's funny because she's fat."
- Adaptation Distillation
- Affectionate Parody
- Art Evolution: Compare this page
to this page
. It was even lampshaded by the creator.
- Art Shift: The Hermit link
comics has a cruder art style (but not too extreme) compared to the rest of the other comics. Comes with thicker outline too.
- Mitsuo's Dungeon Arc strips feature a Sprite Comic style befitting Void Quest's theme.
- Author Tract: Scott really hates Yosuke. He's no worse to him than the game, though. And he
stated that he doesn't go out of his way to hate on Yosuke,
after reading comments, including those on TV Tropes.
- Big Eater: The MC. See Fool Rank 2
, where he eats the entire bowl.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Yukiko defeats the bully Hanako via...
Um....Yikes!
Also counts as Take That, Scrappy!
- Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Shadow Rise's plans for the future include going through a lesbian phase, then a stripper phase, then of course, a lesbian stripper phase.
- Butt-Monkey: Ai calls the MC this, but Yosuke really is one. Even more so than in the original game.
- Call-Back: Teddie smacks the MC's phone out of his hand after he announces that if he sees screenshots of Persona 4: The Golden and Persona 4: Arena the world will blow up.note
- Quite a few in the school trip.
- Cat Smile: Nanako in Justice Rank 5
.
- Character Tic: Strain 42 has gone on record saying that Finger Guns + winking is one for Yu.
- Circling Birdies: MC gets these with TVs after sticking his hand into the TV the first time.
- Cloudcuckoo Lander: Yukiko.
- Continuity Nod: "Like, I know, right?!" makes a triumphant return as the author continues to try and make it into a Catchphrase. The skipping comics also return.
- Exact Words: Yosuke tells the MC to change the CD playing. He changes it.
- Later, Yosuke tells the MC to organize the movies while he's working at Junes. He does exactly that.
- Later, Yosuke tells the MC to organize the movies while he's working at Junes. He does exactly that.
- Failed a Spot Check: Inverted; only the party members realize that Naoto is a girl: even characters who eventually become party members don't realize it until they actually join.
- Fourth-Wall Observer: Teddie, numerous times to the point that it's his new gimmick instead of Bear-puns and -kuma Verbal Tics. Hasn't started talking to the audience yet, though.
- Medium Awareness: Knows it's a comic.
- Painting the Medium: In Teddie Drop
, he jumps down a panel.
- And then Shadow Teddie shows up. And he knows about the game, too!Shadow Teddie: "You speak of comics, but do you know where they come from? Do you know of the video game Persona 4? Did you not notice the references a mere 2 comics ago? You think you're a funny, clever, original comic character...in reality, you are nothing but a-"Teddie: "Don't you dare say it! JUST SHUT UP!"Shadow Teddie: "'Parody.' Or perhaps I should say 'Bearody' it is something our real character would say..."
- Although it is not canon, Teddie breaks the Fourth Wall to tell the readers to vote in the Drunk Duck awards. Teddie also speaks to the audience to go read Raidou Kuzunoha the 19th (another of Strain 42's comics) while P4TW waits between December and March.
- Funny Background Event: The author has stated he is fond of these
.
Daisuke: Mwahahahaha! Yes! Run and Scream! RUN AND SCREAM! - Get a Hold of Yourself, Man!: The MC does this to Yosuke in the comic's version of the "Calm the hell down" scene.
- Handsome Lech: The Protagonist.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: In a compromise between the confusing but punny Persona 3 FTW titles and the more straightforward but bland Persona 3 FeMC titles, Persona 4TW has clear titles on social links and punny titles on everything else.
- Ignoring by Singing: Daisuke in Rosebud was the Sled
.
- Incredibly Lame Pun: Chariot Rank 10, where Chie gives the MC a stake in a reference to how she loves steak.
- Death Rank 3, where the old woman tells the MC a pun about her deceased husband when she first met him. The MC is not amused.
- In Gold'n while rescuing Yukiko, Yosuke makes one about how to find any princesses.
- I Need to Go Iron My Dog: After Nanako admits her mother is gone, the rest of the party excuses themselves from the awkward moment with "I'm gonna go get a soda," "I have to pee," and "I also have to go do something."
- It Makes Sense in Context: KANJI TATSUMI! Did you shoot a stuffed duckie at a child with a bazooka?
- It Was His Sled: In-Universe in Rosebud was the Sled
, where Kou spoils some endings that Daisuke didn't know, such as that everyone dies at the end of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet, what the secret of Soylent Green is, or what Keyser Soze is.
- Loveable Sex Maniac: The protagonist.
- Noodle Incident: None of the stories about how the teller's shirt got covered with blood are ever explained.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: The MC playing his 3DS while Rise is off-scene wearing booty shorts and having a tube top mishap. Rise even calls him out on this.
- Not With the Safety On, You Won't: Kanji uses this against Adachi, and distracts him long enough for the MC to hit the gun out of his hand.
- Official Couple: The protagonist and Rise. Changed to Marie in Gold'n after Rise broke up with him in Add-on. Amusingly, this wasn't why he had Rise break up with Yu during Add-on.
- Pet the Dog: Sun Rank 2
, in which the MC is actually nice.
- The MC is nice in almost all the Sun comics.
- Phrase Catcher: Naoto's is "Shut up, square."
- Hanako gets "It's funny because she's fat."
- Platonic Life-Partners: Ai of the Moon Arcana is this to the protagonist. The author frequently comments that he wonders if he should have made Ai the love interest instead of Rise.
- Product Placement: Subverted. Peace Tea is mentioned multiple times, but this is only because Scott really enjoys the drink. And sometimes can figure out how to end a joke.
- Running Gag: A few.Character: "YOU'RE NOT ME!!!"Newest Party Member: "Damn it..."
- Pay attention to what the MC is looking at in many comics.
- "So when they saw the blood on my shirt they naturally assumed it was mine. So I had to explain to them that-"
- Judging from a couple of the Add on comics, lampshading the fact that Yu can speak in Arena despite being a Heroic Mime in the original Persona 4.
- Shout-Out: Naoto gets interviewed by a man who looks like Miles Edgeworth wearing Phoenix Wright's suit.
- In Temperance Rank 1, the children play House, with one boy going up to Yuuta and pointing a cane at him saying "...It's not Lupus..."
- The Lovers Arcana social link usually has a reference to Lady Gaga.
- NOW WHO'S A MORON?
- Speech Bubbles: Uses a different color for Shadows.
- Stealth Pun: Shadow Kanji, already a living Camp Gay joke, speaks entirely in Queen song titles.
- Take a Third Option: In the comic Procrasti Nayton, the MC writes "Kill Sam...with a bullet...a 45...to the head and/or face area." The question is the cabbage/chicken/wolf riddle.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Judgement Rank 8.
Word of God is amused that the line is almost quote for quote like the Dilbert one.
- Visual Pun: High-fives have a 5 appear above the characters' hands.
- The Voiceless: Once again, the MC.
- Almost averted in Strength 5, when
Scott claimed he originally had the MC talk. However, he changed the panel before releasing it.
- Almost averted in Strength 5, when
- What the Hell, Hero?: As in the main game, the "Calm the HELL down!" scene, but the comic's version takes it a step further by having the MC punch Yosuke.
- Wild Mass Guessing: Yukiko and Chie do this while helping Nanako with her homework. All she wants to know is if embarrassed has two R's in it.
- Wing Ding Eyes: X's and Spirals abound.