Persona (video game)/Characters

'The Characters of Persona''. Spoilers Abound!'''

The Entire Team

 * Badass Crew: They're all pretty badass, or at least end up as ones by the end of the story.
 * Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: The only people in the party the main character knows at the start of the game are Nanjo, Eriko, Maki, Yukino and Masao. Everyone else just seems to be an acquaintance. Maki has very few friends because of her bedridden condition, and Ayase and Hidehiko only seem to be friends with each other.

Main Character (a.k.a. Naoya Todou, Yuya Narumi or Jihei Suzakuin)


The main character of Persona and designated leader of the group. His affinity is with the Emperor Arcana, which grants him use of Seimen Kongou, his starting Persona. He wields a sword and a sub-machine gun as weapons. He is most commonly dubbed the "Boy With The Pierced Ear", but with the loss of the earring in the North American version, it was shortened to simply "Boy". The manga refers to him as "Naoya Todou".

Dragged along to participate in the "Persona" game to settle a bet between Masao and Hidehiko, the protagonist and his other classmates catch a glimpse of a little girl crying. Lightning flashes, and those who haven't played before are knocked out, sent into the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. A Guardian Entity named Philemon meets Naoya in a dream, asking him to state his name. Upon doing so, Philemon is impressed, for not everyone who comes to his realm knows who they really are. The protagonist gains the ability to summon his Persona, and then sent back to reality. Upon regaining consciousness, he finds himself in the school infirmary, the last of his classmates to wake up. The school nurse and their homeroom teacher Saeko Takami urge the group to go to the hospital to have themselves checked, opening up an opportunity to visit Maki again.

The group waits for Maki outside the ICU where she is being treated after complaining of severe pain. Tremors shake the building, and when the door to the ICU is opened, there is nothing behind it but a wall. Demons soon run wild in the hospital, attacking the people inside. Upon encountering a gang of demons, Naoya and his friends all awaken to their Personae. He is then designated as the leader.


 * : In the manga.
 * Badass:
 * Badass in Charge: Due to being the most emotionally stable. Also, in a game play sense, the Hero will have the best level gain curve since he can't be removed, giving him better stats and access to higher level persona.
 * Everyone Can See It: Eriko can see it. Kei can probably see it. Masao definitely sees it. Hell, even can tell you and Maki are the Official Couple.
 * Hello, Insert Name Here: Not only his first name, but his surname and 'nickname', as well (the "other self" found in the Alaya Cavern will cite all of these to prove he is you).
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * Heroic Mime: Strangely, his "other self" can speak just fine; this convention carries over to both of Persona 2's silent protagonists. He has a single line of spoken dialogue in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.
 * Iconic Item: He ain't called the "pierced ear boy" for nothing.
 * The Kirk: He's presented with a few moral dilemmas during the course of the game which will prove what kind of person he is. These options are usually represented by the conniving Kei and the more headstrong Masao. Your choices will significantly affect the outcome of the story.
 * One Head Taller: Especially noticeable when Maki has to stand on tiptoe to kiss him.
 * Only Sane Man: Compared to the rest of your group, he is, due to being the player himself, the least emotionally defined, and whenever the multiple personalities on the team clash, he is usually picked to make the choices they can't agree on, and its implied that's why everyone trusts him to be the leader.
 * Painting the Fourth Wall: It's obvious he does speak in-universe, due to the Dialogue Trees. So why did Masao have to participate in the Persona ritual, when he (Masao) didn't want to, as opposed to the protagonist? Because the devs couldn't have him talk outside of a Dialogue Tree.
 * Redheaded Hero: In the NA version, he not only loses his earring, but is also given red hair and a lighter skin tone to make him look more Caucasian.
 * Shonen Hair: Considering the time period the game takes place.
 * The Stoic: Part of why he's regarded as the Only Sane Man.
 * Supporting Protagonist: He is this in both routes, as the SEBEC route revolves around Maki, and the Snow Queen route revolves around Yukino's attempts to save Ms. Saeko.
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: With Maki in the manga.
 * Victorious Childhood Friend: With Maki in the manga.

Mary/Maki Sonomura


Maki Sonomura is a frail girl who has been sick all of her life, bedridden and suffers from episodic fits of dementia. When she's not in too much pain, she often paints disturbing still-life pictures, escapes into her "Ideal" world, and waits for her friends to come visit her. Kandori Takahisa takes advantage of this by kidnapping Maki from the hospital, and uses her unconscious mind as a test subject for his DVA generator, transforming the entire city into a reflection of Maki's "Ideal" version of Mikage-cho. In this world, Maki is healthy, demons wreak havoc everywhere, the hospital and police station do not exist, and the city has two sides, one light and one dark, divided in half by an ominous barrier.

Part of Maki accepts, and at the same time rejects this development. Thus, three manifestations of her psyche actually emerge: the "Ideal" Maki which joins the party, Mai (Mae in the NA version) and Aki (Maggie in the NA version), two alternate selves that represent her innocence and malevolence respectively. The "Ideal" Maki remains the same age, while Mai and Aki manifest as Maki's child self. Depending on how the protagonist handles himself, the "Ideal" Maki will.

Despite being the main heroine of the SEBEC route, Maki has only a minor role in the Snow Queen route. Another version of her, credited as the "Masked Girl", appears as one of the Night Queen's allies, and claims to be responsible for everything that has happened. She and the Masked Boy (actually a masked Kandori) merge with the Night Queen for her battle with the heroes, but are defeated. Afterwards, Masao reveals that he left the Ideal Maki behind at SEBEC, tying the Snow Queen route back into the main story.

Maki is the party's support character, able to cast healing magic from the far end of the group's formation. Because of this, she wields exclusively long-range weapons, a crossbow and a handgun. Her starting Persona is Matsu of the Priestess Arcanum.


 * A-Cup Angst: Which Aki pokes fun at.
 * The Archer
 * Badass:
 * Badass Damsel
 * Beauty Mark
 * : The Ideal Maki first appears as this due to The Reveal.
 * Break the Cutie: Big time,.
 * The Chick: Downplayed, but she is still very emotional compared to the other party members.
 * Creepy Child:.
 * Heroes Want Redheads: In the original NA translation.
 * Heroic BSOD:.
 * Iconic Item: Her compact, which turns out to be a MacGuffin.
 * Ill Girl: Despite being ill, she still painted and lived a fairly decent life. Then the game starts...
 * Squishy Wizard: Has HP that isn't too low, but invests almost no points in Vitality, or Dexterity, which means that leaving her with a Persona that can heal is a good idea.
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: Maki is indirectly responsible for Mikage-cho's transformation. The town is gradually turning into the "Ideal World" which exists in her mind.
 * Ill Girl: Despite being ill, she still painted and lived a fairly decent life. Then the game starts...
 * Squishy Wizard: Has HP that isn't too low, but invests almost no points in Vitality, or Dexterity, which means that leaving her with a Persona that can heal is a good idea.
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: Maki is indirectly responsible for Mikage-cho's transformation. The town is gradually turning into the "Ideal World" which exists in her mind.
 * Squishy Wizard: Has HP that isn't too low, but invests almost no points in Vitality, or Dexterity, which means that leaving her with a Persona that can heal is a good idea.
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: Maki is indirectly responsible for Mikage-cho's transformation. The town is gradually turning into the "Ideal World" which exists in her mind.
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: Maki is indirectly responsible for Mikage-cho's transformation. The town is gradually turning into the "Ideal World" which exists in her mind.
 * Your Mind Makes It Real: Maki is indirectly responsible for Mikage-cho's transformation. The town is gradually turning into the "Ideal World" which exists in her mind.

Mark/Masao Inaba


Masao Inaba is a mischievous, artistic boy who friends with the protagonist. He harbors an unrequited crush on Maki, and is steadfastly devoted to her, dragging his classmates to visit her in the hospital at every opportunity. Because of his laid back nature (even in the face of danger), Masao gets into heated arguments with the stiff Kei Nanjou, who constantly belittles him. Masao's first Persona is Ogun of the Chariot. Masao can be considered the game's tank, as he totes a Franchi SPAS12 shotgun and an axe in battle, and excels at fighting.

Masao doesn't believe in the demon summoning game "Persona" one bit. He holds a bet with classmate Hidehiko Uesugi to prove that he's right on it being a fake, with the loser having to treat everyone to a meal at Peace Diner. When nothing happens immediately, Masao assumes that he's won. Upon waking up at the clinic, Masao is thrilled that they were being sent to the hospital for a checkup because this means that he gets to visit Maki again in the process. After the event where the ICU disappears and demons run rampant in the building, Masao awakens to his Persona along with the others, and urges the Protagonist to find Maki.

In the North American version, Masao's appearance is heavily altered, turning him into an African-American boy with stereotypical slang injected to his lines. Additionally, his hat is replaced by a gold baseball cap.


 * All Love Is Unrequited: While he has a huge crush on Maki, Masao knows that she has feelings for the protagonist instead. The manga emphasizes this during the party's visit to the Lost Forest.
 * An Axe to Grind: His primary weapons are axes.
 * Badass
 * The Big Guy: While he is one of the shortest member in the party, he is one of the best fighters in the party.
 * Dance Battler: Can use the Dance command as part of his negotiation skillset.
 * The Fool
 * Good Bad Translation: Not since "You Spoony Bard" has a phrase captured the hearts of so many gamers everywhere.
 * In fact, it was liked so much it was one of the few lines kept in the PSP translation.
 * Jive Turkey: In the NA version.
 * Likes Older Women: Admits to it.
 * The McCoy: Masao leans toward the idealistic side of things, in contrast with Kei, the pragmatist.
 * Nice Hat: He's always see wearing a beanie cap.
 * Shotguns Are Just Better
 * Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Kei.

Nate Trinity/Kei Nanjou


Kei Nanjou is a rich boy from Persona who stands to inherit a wealthy group of companies. As heir of a wealthy family, Kei already met with Takahisa Kandori at some point in the past, taking an instant dislike to him from the beginning. While his parents are often away on business, Kei is looked after by Yamaoka ("Alfred" in the NA version), the Nanjou family butler. Since he seems to have grown up under Yamaoka's watch, he considers him as more of a father figure than a servant. A distinctive trademark incorporated into Kei's uniform is a scarf with the number 1 printed on it. This symbolizes his desire to become the "#1 man in Japan".

Kei was dragged along to join into the demon summoning game "Persona", which was started by a feud between Masao and Hidehiko. For his part, Kei chooses to just watch, as he feels that everyone was just feeding Masao and Hidehiko's stupid squabbles. He also witnessed the spirit of a sobbing little girl, and was incapacitated by bolts of lightning which sent him to the Philemon's realm.

When Yamaoka is killed by zombies in the hospital, Kei flies into a rage, awakening to his Persona along with his friends and destroys the demons that killed his faithful guardian. He resolves to fulfill the Yamaoka's wish, find out what caused the sudden influx of demons in Mikage-cho (Lunarvale), and bring the person responsible to justice.

Kei fights with a longsword and is a crack shot with a sniper rifle. His starting Persona is Aizen Myouou of the Hierophant Arcanum. Kei uses his status, wealth and knowledge a lot to negotiate with demons. In the NA version, Kei is the only playable character given an actual last name to substitute the Japanese one, making him the heir to the Trinity Family trust instead of the Nanjou Group. His full name became Nate Trinity (though Eternal Punishment later pretends his last name never changed and restores it to Nanjou), and was given blond hair and fairer skin to match the localization.


 * Badass:
 * Badass in Charge: Averted. Despite being a rich kid and more than a little proud, he will defer to the Hero's lead.
 * Badass Bookworm: He's the brains of the group, yet carries a BFS.
 * Cultured Badass: Thanks to being a rich kid and acting like it.
 * Good Is Not Nice: The cold pragmatist of the group. He's nicely balanced out by Masao, who is ruled by his emotions.
 * Evil Laugh: Has a small one when using his gun.
 * Fiction 500: Is the heir to the Nanjo Group, one of the richest conglomerates in the world.
 * Friendly Sniper: Zigzagged: he's not exactly friendly, but not quite a Cold Sniper either.
 * Heroes Prefer Swords
 * Iconic Item: His #1 scarf. In the epilogue, people are said to see him sleeping on the subway with a #1 tie.
 * It's Personal: Kei's vendetta against the demons in general (and Kandori in particular) after the death of Yamaha.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Though he starts out acting like a total Jerkass.
 * Lonely Rich Kid: Yamaoka was pretty much his only emotional support growing up.
 * Mr. Exposition
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:.
 * Princely Young Man: Ice King with a little bit of the Spoiled Brat archtype.
 * Show the Forehead
 * Sickbed Slaying:.
 * The Smart Guy: Stupid people can be happy when ruled by smart people!
 * The Spock: Kei is the most logical member of the group, this being both a good and a bad thing. At two points in the game, Kei suggests to let innocent people die.
 * Stoic Spectacles: Wears glasses and happens to be the most logic-minded and serious party member.
 * Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: With Masao.
 * To Be a Master: His eventual resolve after Yamaoka's death.
 * Tsundere: He's a snotty jerk and belittles Mark without mercy. But he shows a rather tender side in the good ending.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: The proverbial crack in Kei's armor is the Satoshi Tadashi theme that is played. Kei ends up singing along to the song, even though he hates it!
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: If there's anyone who favors the crueler option of the Sadistic Choice, it's him.
 * The White Prince: A true elitist, he only starts to reform after witnessing Kandori's corruption.

Chris/Reiji Kidou


Reiji Kido is an antisocial transfer student of St. Hermelin who rarely shows up for class. He blames his stepbrother Takahisa Kandori for how his life has turned out, and believes that the latter must die. To this end, Reiji skulks around the SEBEC facility, waiting for a chance to confront Kandori. Despite his brusque tendencies, many girls of St. Hermelin take quite a shine to him. Reiji's Persona awakening was also triggered during the SEBEC incident, but he is less than willing to join the party unless certain conditions have been met early in the game. Reiji is adept at boxing, and an assault rifle. His Persona Bres (Guni in the NA version) belongs to the Devil Arcanum.

Though rumored to be a gang leader, Reiji has no actual subordinates to speak of. The fevered pursuit of his half-brother Takahisa Kandori is the only thing on his mind. Reiji was the product of an affair between Takahisa's father and a mistress, and wants revenge for his mother being abandoned as a result of his birth. It's for this reason alone that Reiji believes Takahisa should pay with his life. It's a little-known fact that Reiji dabbles in magic tricks on the side, specifically with playing cards. He uses this skill in demon contacts.

In the NA version, Reiji's name was changed to Chris.

Reiji is an optional character like Hidehiko Uesugi, Eriko Kirishima and Yuka Ayase. He is the hardest to get out of all of them, needing several events and NPC conversations to be able to get him to join.


 * Badass
 * Bare-Fisted Monk: He doesn't bother with a melee weapon; he just beats the demons down with his bare hands.
 * The Big Guy: After Masao and Hidehiko.
 * BFG
 * Clueless Chick Magnet: He seems unaware of all the attention he receives from the St. Hermelin girls.
 * Defrosting Ice King:.
 * Good Old Fisticuffs: He's got the least range depending on formation, but that is remedied with very high damage and one of the best physical attack elements to have.
 * Guide Dang It: By far the most difficult party member to obtain.
 * Hair-Trigger Temper
 * Heroic Bastard:.
 * The Lancer: Has no stake in your group or its mission. Reiji is focused only on taking down Kandori.
 * Obvious Beta: Let's just say he doesn't live up to his hype, which Persona 2 Lampshaded by having the very same traits that made him "badass" as a teenager make him into an awkward and ineffectual young adult.
 * Secret Character: Can be recruited as your fifth party member only if you follow a series of 12 steps no one in their right mind would figure out without a strategy guide.
 * Sixth Ranger
 * The Stoic
 * X Marks the Hero

Brad/Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi


Hidehiko Uesugi is the resident class clown of St. Hermelin, relying on puns and outdated jokes to get attention (this is also used in his negotiation skills). Hidehiko pesters his classmates to perform the "Persona" ritual in order to impress them, but Masao Inaba doesn't believe that it will actually work. They both hold a bet, with the loser having to treat everyone who was dragged into it at the Peace Diner. Masao thinks that he won at first, because nothing happened after the ritual. Hidehiko complains, saying that Masao didn't try hard enough when it was his turn to perform. But then a crying young girl appears, and they are all hit by flashes of lightning that send them to the border of consciousness and unconsciousness.

When Mikage-cho (Lunarvale) changes, the main protagonist finds Hidehiko imprisoned inside the Police Station along with Masao; both were captured after going out through the hole in the school wall to procure guns there with Kei Nanjou (Kei barely managed to escape with the equipment). After freeing them both and fighting off some demons (causing Hidehiko's "forced" awakening from being attacked), Hidehiko fights using a spears, quarterstaves and a TMP machine gun as his sidearm. His Persona is Nemhain (Talon in the NA version) of the Justice Arcanum, which has the ability to case Wind spells as well as absorb them.

Like Yukino, Hidehiko's features weren't changed much for the North American release. His kanji puns were altered, fitted with easy-to-digest local jokes. His name was also changed to Brad.

"Hidehiko: AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH! SHUT! THE HELL! UP!"
 * Badass: Or least wants to be seen as such. That said, he does get a Persona, so he effectively is one in a gameplay sense.
 * The Big Guy
 * Blade on a Stick: Specializes in spears.
 * Bring My Brown Pants: How he got his nickname in the first place.
 * Even Troublemakers Has Standards: Hidehiko is an unabashed troublemaker, but in the Snow Queen Quest, when he saw the Ironic Hell inflicted to Toro and Devil Boy, he's utterly disgusted and claims he drew the line on pranks, one of the few moments that he's really serious in his words, not bragging.
 * Well, he is of the Justice Arcana. Also note that the Tower's guardian Nemesis, is frequently assoicated with this arcana, as anyone playing two games later will remember.
 * Fiery Redhead
 * Goggles Do Nothing
 * Hurricane of Puns: Hidehiko loves these.
 * Inferiority Superiority Complex: A huge case of this.
 * Miles Gloriosus: Good lord, Hidehiko. He claims to be the leader even if he's the last person to join, but as soon as a boss fight starts coming up or things get bad, he's the first one to suggest getting the hell out of there, and he's got no shame about being a total chicken. ...Until it's all over. Then he's the hero who killed it and things repeat from there.
 * It's not like he's unaware of it, though. He explicitly says later on that he's tired of lying and running away all the time.
 * Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Snaps at Michiko like this in the Snow Queen Quest after beating her.
 * It's not like he's unaware of it, though. He explicitly says later on that he's tired of lying and running away all the time.
 * Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Snaps at Michiko like this in the Snow Queen Quest after beating her.


 * Small Name, Big Ego: Subverted-boasting is one of his defining traits, but so is believing absolutely none of his own spiel. He eventually reveals that he does it to get people to like him more.
 * Those Two Guys: With Yuka Ayase.

Eriko Kirishima (Ellen)


Eriko Kirishima belongs from a wealthy family and has been studying overseas for most of her life. She later decides to finish her schooling in Japan to later pursue a career in modeling and fashion design. She is among the popular girls in St. Hermelin High School because of her beauty and amiable personality. She is smart; however, she tends to fail to realize serious life and death situations. She wields a rapier, and (like Kei) is armed with a rifle for long-range fighting. Her starting Persona is Nike of the Judgement Arcanum.

Apart from her outwardly feminine hobbies, Eriko is also interested in the occult. Because of this, she is the only participant of the "Persona" ritual who is actually excited to be there. She somehow sensed that her friends were in grave danger after demons begin to appear in Mikage-Cho. Eriko arrives just in time to help the group escape the hospital, awakening to Nike in the process. Off-hand, she expresses overly-ecstatic enthusiasm over the fact that her Persona is the "Goddess of Victory".

Having done some investigating of her own, Eriko tells the group to head for the shrine where they meet Maki Sonomura's mother, a former employee of SEBEC. The latter reveals that the advent of demons was brought about by Takahisa Kandori, who tricked her into perfecting the DVA system, a device that wrought havoc with the dimensional divide between the real world and the demon world. After getting Maki's mother to be treated in the school infirmary, Eriko will leave the group to find a way out of the town, which is now wrapped in an ominous barrier. She can be later recruited as one of the optional fifth characters in the game upon finding her in the subway tunnel.

In the NA version, like Kei, Eriko was given blond hair and fairer skin to match the localization. Her name is also changed into Ellen.


 * Badass:
 * Lady of War
 * The Chick
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Has moments of ditziness that drag her into this trope at times.
 * Ditzy Genius: Intelligent, skilled with a rapier and speaks fluent English. However, she's also a huge fan of the occult and can be a little too confident in her skills.
 * I Just Want to Be Normal: The expectations set on Eriko really get on her nerves.
 * The Ojou: We're never told on how wealthy her family is, but if she could afford overseas study, that must've spoke a lot for her status.
 * For Persona 2, interviews with the character designer and story director have revealed that she's at least upper-middle class. They've given more details on her family life, too.
 * Small Name, Big Ego: She's really more of a Sue Ann Nivens. Her attempts to impress the main character can make her come across as haughty and patronizing, which Mark comments on early in the game.
 * Royal Rapier: Specializes in rapiers.
 * Royal Rapier: Specializes in rapiers.

Alana/Yuka Ayase


Yuka is a kogal whose outward cheerfulness makes her popular with the boys. However, her penchant for lying and being glaringly frank at times gets her into a lot of trouble. Yuka's initial Persona is Horus of the Magician Arcanum, which exclusively deals fire damage. She employs a whip and .45 handgun in battle.

Hidehiko Uesugi introduced the game "Persona" to the rest of their classmates. Yuka has played it before and was counting on Hidehiko to win the bet against Masao Inaba to get a free meal at Peace Diner. Since she wasn't hit by lightning, Yuka does not follow the group to the hospital and instead opts to hang around in school. However, she does not follow the group to the hospital, opting to go on a shopping trip instead since she doesn't feel sick in the least. As a result, her awakening isn't triggered immediately.

She isn't seen again until the group brings Maki Sonomura's injured mother from the Araya Shrine to the school infirmary, tasked to cover the hole in the wall in the room leading to the gym. However, she will be the mandatory fifth member if you have not recruited either Eriko Kirishima or Hidehiko Uesugi. You can let her join upon running into her later in the factory located at the south-eastern section of Mikage-Cho (Lunarvale), but she will force her way into the party if the steps to acquire Reiji Kidou isn't fulfilled. In the Snow Queen Quest, Yuka is a requisite member of the party.

During the good ending path, Yuka reveals that she has a reputation of a heartbreaker, a girl who dates many boys and dumps almost all of them. The reputation stuck so hard that even though she did have her own standards, people still believe her as a heartbreaker, which distresses her. However, she uses these skills a lot when she negotiates the demons.

Because her hair is already dyed blonde, Yuka's only feature alteration in the NA localization is her skin color, and her dialogue was given valley girl overtones as an equivalent to her oddball kogal speech. Her name was also changed to Alana.


 * Badass:
 * Badass Damsel
 * Brutal Honesty: She can be extremely blunt with people, which causes problems with Toro.
 * Catholic School Girls Rule
 * Cloudcuckoolander: Yuka's thought processes can be best described as... strange.
 * The Cuckoolander Was Right: She gives what is probably the only hint on how to get the best ending.
 * Girlish Pigtails
 * Never Live It Down: Part of her reveal.
 * Sexophone: During her 'Tempt' command. Sadly removed in the PSP version
 * Shout-Out: Her outfit is an optical illusion referencing the girls' uniforms from Shin Megami Tensei: if....
 * Those Two Guys: With Hidehiko Uesugi.
 * Valley Girl: Even more exaggerated in the PSP remake, with lines such as "Like" in between her sentences.
 * Whip It Good: Fights monsters using a whip.
 * Whip It Good: Fights monsters using a whip.

Yuki/Yukino Mayuzumi


Yukino was an ex-yanki who was reformed thanks to the efforts of her teacher Saeko Takami. Though she hasn't shed her yanki looks just yet, Yukino is well-recognized and trusted by the student body, acting as a mother figure of sorts to her friends. Despite her change of heart, Yukino still retains some of her punk ways, employing throwing blades and a double-barreled shotgun in battle. Her Persona Vesta is of the Empress Arcanum and has both Fire and Nuclear magic at its disposal.

Yukino was among those invited to help settle the bet between Hidehiko and Masao, but doesn't actively participate in the "Persona" ritual, opting instead to watch and keep her classmates out of trouble. Even so, she is still affected by the result, sent to the border of consciousness and unconsciousness after being struck by lightning. Yukino awakens to her Persona in the hospital following a checkup and an unplanned visit to Maki Sonomura (who was also admitted there) that turns sour with demons suddenly wreaking havoc all over the place.

In the NA version, Yukino is the only character whose name (dropping only the 'no' from Yukino) and features were relatively untouched during the transition, but also has the shortest role in the main story arc due to her leaving the group after returning to the school. The only way to get her back is to trigger the Snow Queen Quest, which was removed and only officially playable in the JP version. In this part, if Naoya opts not to continue investigating SEBEC, they would find a mysterious mask in the school. Saeko Takami gets possessed by the mask after telling them the legend of the Snow Queen. Yukino joins the party, wanting to save the teacher she owes her new life to.

In the Snow Queen quest, Yukino is a mandatory character, believing it her duty to save Ms. Saeko after she is possessed by the Snow Queen's spirit. It should be noted that she is possibly the least edited character in the Revelations version.


 * Badass:
 * Action Girl
 * Badass in Charge: Again, averted, as like Nanjou she will follow the Hero's lead.
 * Cool Big Sis/Team Mom: She's the one who keeps most of the party members in check, especially Mark and Nanjo.
 * Crutch Character: At the start of the game. She splits from your party permanently in the SEBEC plotline (which, unfortunately, was the only one available in the original North American release).
 * Guest Star Party Member: Unless you do the Snow Queen Quest, of course.
 * Heroic Vow: To rescue Saeko-sama from the Snow Queen, now matter what.
 * Improbable Weapon User/Girl with Psycho Weapon: She throws razors—and other bladed weapons--Gangsta Style.
 * Japanese Delinquents: Former one. She has the skirts and can still throw a good razor.
 * The Lancer: In the Snow Queen plotline.
 * Meaningful Name: Yuki normally means snow. Now, which quest does she feature in the most?
 * Number Two: To Saeko Takami, her teacher. She enforces the school's rules and keeps her fellow students in line.
 * Shotguns Are Just Better
 * Team Mom

Guido Sardenia/Takahisa Kandori


Takahisa Kandori is the de facto head of SEBEC, and used the corporation as a front for his developing the Deva System, a machine which would allow him to go into a subject's mind and use it in his quest to become a god. . Kandori has his men capture Maki, and uses the Deva System to summon demons into the real world, then later escapes into the "other world" when confronted by the heroes. Using his alliance with Aki, Kandori gains control of half of the "other" Mikage-cho, and later tricks the heroes into giving him Mai's compact.

Using her compact with Aki's, Kandori is able to achieve his goal to become a god, summoning the large palace Deva Yuga into the real world. The main character and the others follow him into the real world and confront him at the top of the Deva Yuga, where Kandori, now grown nihilistic due to his apparent godhood, asks them their reason for living. After the main character gives his answer, Nanjo insults Kandori by calling him weak and cowardly, angering Kandori enough to attack them. When Kandori appears to be defeated, his Persona Nyarlathotep forcibly enters his body, transforming him into God Kandori. After God Kandori is defeated, Kandori reveals the truth about Maki and the Deva System, then dies.

Kandori, credited as "Masked Boy", has a minor role in the Snow Queen quest, where he appears as one of the Night Queen's allies. He and the Masked Girl (clearly a masked Maki) merge with the Night Queen during her battle with the heroes, but are defeated.

He is later revived by the New World Order in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, serving as the primary focus antagonist if the player takes the Nanjo route. Also, Eternal Punishment goes the extra mile to make up for the Macekre of the first game by making his NA name in the first game an alias (which, given all the crap he gets involved in, is a fairly logical thing to have).


 * Badass:
 * Badass Abnormal:.
 * Badass in a Nice Suit
 * Big Bad
 * Cool Sword
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive
 * Creepy Child:.
 * Demonic Possession: His transformation into God Kandori..
 * Disc One Final Boss: Defeating him does not end the game.
 * Evil Counterpart: To Nanjo.
 * Evil Laugh
 * Fiction 500: According the Nanjou and Eriko, Kandori is wealthy enough to get instant access to black tie dinner events, and SEBEC is a Fortune 500 company.
 * A God Am I: Wants to be one at any rate..
 * Heel Realization
 * Lonely at the Top
 * Magic From Technology
 * Nietzsche Wannabe
 * One-Winged Angel:.
 * Redemption Equals Death:.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Both of his forms are weak to guns.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Both of his forms are weak to guns.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Both of his forms are weak to guns.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Both of his forms are weak to guns.
 * Weaksauce Weakness: Both of his forms are weak to guns.

Philemon
Philemon is a mysterious man wearing a butterfly mask who appears before the party after they play the Persona game and awakens their Personas. He serves as the party's main guide, but only rarely directly interferes with anything that is going on.


 * Calling Card: A gold or blue butterfly showing up means he's near.
 * Cool Mask: He often appears as a man wearing a white mask that incorporates some sort of butterfly motif.
 * The Faceless:.
 * Meaningful Name: Named for Swiss psychologist Carl Jung's self-proclaimed spirit guide.
 * The Powers That Be: He's the Big Good, seeing to it that all the screwed up parts of humanity's collective soul stays out of their reality.
 * Spirit Advisor: More so in Persona 1 and Persona 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 Persona 3 and Persona 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.
 * The Watcher: Albeit a slightly self-serving one, as he's trying to win a bet with the God of Evil.

Igor
Igor is the mysterious proprietor of the Velvet Room. He is a marionette given life by Philemon. His noticeable appearance comes from his Tengu/Pinocchio-like long nose. In Megami Ibunroku Persona, Igor has calls himself "a servant of Philemon". He is always found in the Velvet Room between consciousness and unconsciousness. He uses a phone made of bone to call up Personae from the depths of the soul.


 * Cheshire Cat Grin: Permanently etched on his face.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: He's one of the good guys. Really.
 * Misunderstood Loner with a Heart of Gold: He certainly looks evil, but he's really a nice guy (though he can be a bit forthcoming with information).
 * Powers That Be: Whatever Igor is exactly, he's almost certainly one of these.

Ms. Smith/Saeko Takami


Ms. Saeko is the homeroom teacher for the Protagonist and others. She is very popular with the students. She plays a small role in the SEBEC route of the game, helping protect the students of St. Hermelin in the real world, and appearing as an apparition in Maki's world.

In the Snow Queen Quest, she is possessed by a malevolent spirit inhabiting the Snow Queen mask, who plans on sacrificing her as a way to bring about the Eternal Night. The spirit is eventually revealed to be Tomomi Fujimori, Saeko's best friend from her high school days.

Interesting enough, her NA last name, while unnecessary, is also something of a backhanded Woolseyism of her Japanese last name, which is somewhat generic, so "Smith" would be a fair analogue. Aside from her name, she is also unedited (aside from the Snow Queen quest which is missing from the NA version).


 * Cool Teacher: Very popular with the students.
 * Damsel in Distress
 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Demonic Possession
 * Hot Teacher: She's certainly not unattractive.
 * The Mentor: To Yukino.

Dean Harding/Vice Principal Hanya
Vice Principal Hanya, known in Revelations: Persona and Persona 2 as Dean/Principal Harding, is the Vice-Principal of St. Hermelin High School. Unlike Principal Ooishi, Hanya hardly cares for his students and is concerned only with enforcing rules and evading lawsuits. He is detested by everyone at school. His students nickname him "Hannya", a play on his name (a Hannya is a demon from Japanese folklore).


 * Even Jerkasses Have Loved Ones: The Snow Queen quest reveals that he has a daughter who stitches his suits for him.
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars: The evil kind.
 * Jerkass: And how.
 * Not Himself: The first clue that the protagonists are in a fake world is Hanya himself, who has suddenly become jolly and caring.
 * Sadist Teacher: He loves making life miserable for the students. In his dream, one of the punishments that he came up with is to force a student to wipe his show until graduation.
 * Shout-Out: In the North American release, his students refer to him as "Darth Harding".
 * Show the Forehead
 * We Want Our Jerk Back: Mark is visibly creeped out by how nice Dream!Hanya is.

Tammy/Tamaki Uchida
A New Transfer Student from six months ago. Not entirely willing to talk about her previous experiences, but who can blame her? Joined the fencing team, and gets into a lot of fights with Tadashi over his irresponsibility.


 * Cool Big Sis: Not to the extent of Yukino, but some of the students do look up to her, and are quite surprised by her extensive knowledge of demons.
 * New Transfer Student: She was transferred to St. Hermelin High School six months ago from Karukozaka High School.
 * Passing the Torch: Gives the protagonist her rapier, saying that she thinks it would be handy for him.
 * Previous Player Character Cameo: She was the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: if....
 * Retired Badass: She's a former a Devil Summoner.
 * Slap Slap Kiss: With Tadashi in the SEBEC route. Everyone Can See It, and even they know it, but they can't admit it to each other.

Tad/Tadashi Satomi
The heir to the Tadashi Satomi Pharmacy. He is a member of the fencing club, and argues with Tamaki a lot.


 * Author Avatar: He is modeled and named after Atlus' story writer.
 * Generation Xerox
 * Slap Slap Kiss: With Tamaki in the SEBEC route.
 * The Unfavorite: His own father blatantly admits he doesn't care about him.

Chunky/Kenta "Toro" Yokouchi
Toro is an overweight, unpopular student at St. Hermerlin who harbors an intense crush on Yuka. He plays a much larger role in the Snow Queen quest, when his Persona (Mara) possesses his body after Yuka stomps on his yet again. The Mara-controlled Toro attacks the party, but reverts to normal once beaten.


 * All Love Is Unrequited: Has a crush on Yuka, who isn't into him.
 * Balloon Belly: See below.
 * Butt Monkey
 * Demonic Possession
 * I Am Big Boned: Doesn't like being called fat.
 * Ironic Hell: In the Snow Queen quest, Toro is Chained to a Bed as milk is continually poured down his mouth.
 * Kids Are Cruel: Ayase is as frank as possible about slamming the door of love in Toro's face. She's unapologetic about it, even after he lets his Persona go berserk in revenge, save for a small comment made to the main character in the corner of the cafeteria.
 * Meaningful Name: "Toro" is a euphemism for the fatty part of tuna. In the English localization, his nickname was changed to "Chunky", which has roughly the same meaning. His Persona Mara is named after a Japanese colloquialism for "penis".
 * More Teeth Than the Osmond Family: Mara.

Kain/Tsutomu Kurouri
A nerdy student at St. Hermerlin and a permanently fixture of the school's library, Tsutomu (nicknamed "Devil Boy" for his occult readings) is a ravenous student of all things paranormal... and is not trusted as an authority, since he's also a bit of a crank. This is reflected in the Ideal World, where's he's still creepy, but also rather sagely and perceptive.


 * Asian and Nerdy
 * Chekhov's Gunman: It's possible to entirely miss Tsutomu at the beginning of the game. It's not until the climax that he becomes relevant to the plot.
 * Dark Is Not Evil: A deathly-pale, creepy nerd with a Memetic Molester grin and an obsession with the occult. All things considered, it's shocking that he doesn't turn evil.
 * Ironic Hell: Tsutomu despises all forms of exercises, in particular push-ups. Guess what his torture punishment is in the Snow Queen Quest?
 * Scary Shiny Glasses

Kumi Hirose
One of the previous Snow Queen victims. Under the pressure from the strains of both the Drama Club and from her father, she listened to the Snow Queen mask and killed herself. After the Snow Queen possessed Ms. Saeko, Kumi was resurrected as the guardian of the Hypnos Tower. There she was freed from all pain and had no intention of leaving until her Persona Hypnos was defeated by the party.


 * Dragon-in-Chief: Not her, but Hypnos is a lot more independent then most Personae, speaking out loud and fighting independently of Kumi.
 * Driven to Suicide: Stress over her education life and position at the Drama Club caused Kumi to be convinced by the Snow Queen to escape all her problems by committing suicide.
 * Education Papa: One of her stressers.
 * Woobie Hider From Worlds: To be fair, she was putting up with a lot of crap. Her method of hiding from it doesn't work though. Yukino admits post boss fight that she wasn't all that bad.

Michiko Matsudaira
One of the previous Snow Queen victims. Feeling that she was bullied and ignored she listened to the Snow Queen Mask and killed herself for power. After the Snow Queen possessed Ms. Saeko, Michiko was resurrected as the guardian of Nemesis Tower. Using her power, she trapped Toro and Tsutomu in the tower in order to set up a trick for the group. Her Persona is Nemesis.


 * All of the Other Reindeer: Maybe
 * Emotion Eater: She gains power from the negitive emomtions of people she tourtures. If you go after her quickly as then all she'll feel is friendship and gratitude.
 * Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: If you go for the friend choice in the decision below.
 * "Friend or Idol?" Decision: Inflicts one. A Mirror Shard could be found along with a hint to defeat her, but if so, it would delay saving Toro and Tsutomu from their Ironic Hell. Also note that the longer you delay in the Nemesis Tower, the stronger she gets..
 * Humans Are the Real Monsters: Believe's that humans care more for their self-preservation than about others.
 * It's All About Me: Getting the Snow Queen role to discredit the Drama Club president (who "stole" her boyfriend) and trying to bribe the teachers to get better grades.
 * In fact, she's so self-centered that she's the only guardian who didn't make a Heel Face Turn after being defeated.
 * Noblewoman's Laugh: For someone who claimed she is the victim of bullies.
 * The Ojou: Of the Royal Brat variety.
 * Villainesses Want Heroes: Was willing to let Brown become her "pet". He firmly rejects.

Yuriko Yamamoto
One of the previous Snow Queen victims. After coming to the realiztion that life might not be any better than it was now, she listened to the Snow Queen Mask and killed herself to retain her beauty. After the Snow Queen possessed Ms. Saeko, she was resurrected as the guardian of Thanatos Tower. Her despair from being cut off from her family and friends lead to an immense power she can use to take away the team's Personas and force them to go to Tartrus to get them back. Her Persona is Thanatos.


 * Cute Ghost Girl: She's more like this then the other guardians.
 * Equivalent Exchange: Her mantra. "If you want anything in this tower, you must give up something in return."
 * Heel Realization: She realizes the error of her ways post-boss fight.
 * Redemption Equals Not Running Away From Death
 * Kawaiiko: An extreme case. She died in order to keep her looks.
 * School Idol
 * The Trickster: Keeps on stealing your Personas and sealing them in Tartrus as part of a game. Since Tartrus is where she keeps most of her Mirror Shards, it isn't nearly as annoying as it could be.
 * We Can Rule Together: Offers everyone the chance to retain their beauty by killing themselves to be with her. Doesn't fly.
 * Who Wants to Live Forever?: Not wanting to age and lose her beauty, Yukiko killed herself.

Tomomi
The spirit within the Snow Queen Mask. She gained the role of the Snow Queen in Sakeo's time. However, she took the rumor that Sakeo only declined the part because of the curse go to her head and listening to the mask, it burned her face. She comes back for revenge on Sakeo.


 * Demonic Possession: Like every other victim of the Snow Queen Mask, she is possessed by the Night Queen after wearing it.
 * Facial Horror: She looks like Two-Face!
 * Green-Eyed Monster: She's jealous over Saeko and is under the impression that the latter tricked her into wearing the curse mask.
 * Heel Realization: By looking at the Demon Mirror, Tomomi was cleansed and move on to the afterlife after making peace with her old friend and doing a Heel Face Turn.
 * Large Ham: At least when possesed. WHHHHHYYYY DOES EVERYONE LISTEN TO SAKEOOOOOO!
 * Large Ham: At least when possesed. WHHHHHYYYY DOES EVERYONE LISTEN TO SAKEOOOOOO!

The Night Queen
The real enemy of the Snow Queen quest. After being driven out of Tomomi by the Magic Mirror, she took her own form and became the embodiment of dispear.


 * All Your Powers Combined: Her power comes from the team up of the movers and shakers of the main plot: Kandori.
 * Big Bad
 * Eldritch Abomination
 * Shadow Archetype
 * Shadow Archetype

Alfred/Yamaoka
Yamaoka, known as Alfred in the English localization, is the butler for Kei Nanjou. When told by his teacher to go to the hospital, Kei meets his butler Yamaoka at the school gate, who offers to chauffeur everyone via the Nanjou family's limousine. Kei refuses, preferring to walk with his friends instead. Yamaoka yields, but secretly follows Kei to the hospital.

When the ICU where Maki Sonomura is being treated vanishes following a small earthquake, the group flees to the lobby downstairs. Kei is shocked to find Yamaoka sprawled on the hospital lobby floor, mortally wounded by a demon attack. Yamaoka knows that he is not long for this world, and his dying wish is that Kei would become a great man someday even after he has gone. .


 * Badass Mustache
 * Blade on a Stick
 * Cool Old Guy
 * Obi-Wan Moment: Kei takes Yamaoka's last words to heart, as seen in later games.
 * In fact, the scene in which this happens pretty much, name changes and all, survives intact in the localization in both impact and meaning.
 * Parental Substitute: Kei's parents are always away on business. He is closer to Yamaoka than he is with his own father.
 * Show the Forehead
 * Stoic Spectacles: Following his death, they're switched out for a Cool Visor.
 * In fact, the scene in which this happens pretty much, name changes and all, survives intact in the localization in both impact and meaning.
 * Parental Substitute: Kei's parents are always away on business. He is closer to Yamaoka than he is with his own father.
 * Show the Forehead
 * Stoic Spectacles: Following his death, they're switched out for a Cool Visor.

Kelly/Trish
A money obsessed fairy who charges out the nose for healing springs. Gets much more character development in the second game.


 * Adam Smith Hates Your Guts
 * Cultural Translation: An indirect victim of this thanks to the original localization translating yen to dollars. As a result, her "gouge your pocketbook" tendencies for utilizing the healing spring aren't nearly as severe in gameplay terms.
 * Money Fetish