Summary

  • Persona series' male protagonists reflect theme of growing up in coming-of-age stories - high school years symbolize transition to adult life.
  • Producer Kazuhisa Wada explains male protagonists in Persona games reflect perception of female students' higher mental age and maturity.
  • Fans suggest next Persona game could feature older protagonist as series evolves with player base; potential for college-aged characters.

Over the many years the Persona series has been around, some fans have wondered why the majority of the games' protagonists are male students, and the producer has now offered an answer on it. This trend was continued in Persona's most recent entry, Persona 5, which took the world by storm upon release.

Persona has been a well-loved RPG series that spun off of the original Megami Tensei games. As both series have continued side-by-side, Persona has almost always had a male protagonist, with the only exceptions being Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Persona 3 Portable, and Persona 3's epilogue. However, even in Persona 3 Portable, the female protagonist is technically non-canon to the series, meaning that the only non-male and non-student protagonists are from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and Persona 3's epilogue.

Now, the producer of the Persona series, Kazuhisa Wada, has explained why this tends to be the case. Speaking at the CEDEC + KYUSHU 2024 conference, Wada said that the Persona games are intended to be coming-of-age stories, with a theme of growing up. As such, choosing high school students to be the majority of the Persona protagonists and party members simply makes sense, as junior high and high school years tend to be when people start getting a taste of adult life.

What About the Gender of the Persona Protagonists?

As for the protagonists' gender, Wada said that was mostly down to the perceived differences of mental maturity of girls and boys. Wada noted that high school female students tend to have a "higher mental age" or be more mature than their male counterparts. As such, the males have more space to grow and evolve, making them a better choice for the protagonist in this context. With that said, Wada notes that it's not out of the question for the protagonists of the games to be either female or non-students.

At the moment, it remains to be seen whether Persona 6 will shake up this common mold of the series. Many players have asked for an older Persona protagonist, perhaps as the fandom that has been with the series since the start has grown older themselves. Based on Wada's reasoning, there's still room for even adults to continue growing and maturing throughout their lives. A college or just post-college aged protagonist, for example, might be an interesting take.

Unfortunately, though Persona 5 is now eight years old, no real reveals have been made regarding a sixth main entry in the franchise. However, Atlus has kept fans of the fifth entry busy, introducing Persona 5 Royal, an expansion of the original game's story, Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, and even a Persona 5 mobile game.

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Persona 5 Royal Tag Page Cover Art
10 /10

Persona 5 Royal
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JRPG
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Systems
super greyscale 8-bit logo PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 94 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
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Released
March 31, 2020
ESRB
M for Mature: Blood, Drug Reference, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s)
Atlus, P-Studio
Publisher(s)
Atlus
Engine
Proprietary Engine
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Franchise
Persona
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Don the mask and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways! Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included!

Forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, the protagonist has a strange dream. “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, ruin awaits you.” With the goal of “rehabilitation” looming overhead, he must save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief.

Explore Tokyo, unlock Personas, customize your own personal Thieves Den, experience alternate endings, and more. Become the ultimate Phantom Thief and defy conventions, discover the power within, and fight for justice in the definitive version of Persona 5 Royal.

Genre(s)
JRPG
How Long To Beat
100 Hours
PS Plus Availability
N/A
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty