Persona 4/Fanfic Recs
Proof that the remaining 10% is worth dying for here.
These are recommendations made by Tropers for Persona 4 fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.
You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.
Authors and Websites
- Recommended by Nightraid
- Souji (Main character)/Naoto shipping fics, all of them with great characterization that can be alternatively really sweet and touching, hilarious, dramatic or all of it. If you like this pairing, make sure to pay this author a visit.
- Recommended by Kalle
- With four parts and counting, this meme has pretty much exploded with some of the wildest prompts and responses imaginable, ranging from the disturbing to the touching to the gut-bustingly hilarious. The best part? It's all hosted by Shadow Kanji. (Due to the nature of the meme, much of the content is obviously NSFW.)
- Six parts and counting now, and due to Shadow Kanji disappearing into the big bad bathhouse in the sky, there's a new "Temporary" Kink Meme.
- Recommended by Alexlayer
- Not only this author has written lots of stories, and not only she has accurate and interesting portrayal of the characters, but has also explored many unusual elements such as Gender Bending, having wrote an entire sort-of novelization of the game with one change: The protagonist was born female (And of course, many other changes later). There's a certain tendency for femslash in the stories, but there's some het pairings as well. All in all, definitely worth at least a check.
- Recommended by Sandangel
- A lot of this author's more recent work is focused on Kanji and Naoto, with rather mild shipping hints, but mostly just seeing many story events from their perspective, which makes for a highly enjoyable read. This troper highly recommends "Shortest Distance", an ongoing Perspective Flip from Kanji's and occasionally Naoto's point of view that expands certain parts of the game that were not shown for various reasons. If you're into perspective works, this is something to check out.
- Recommended by Gorsecloud and Alacron
- This author has and is working on a series of stories that cross over the entire Persona series, as well as several other MegaTen games. The brilliant thing about these stories? Individually, these stories can, on the whole, stand on their own as oneshots. But when read in order, they form a much bigger, overarching one, like a patchwork quilt. These stories explore several of the theories prevalent in the fandom, and play with several other of the predictable/popular ideas. The dynamics between the different characters is refreshingly unusual for in-series crossovers—the characters act independently, forming their own alliances and relationships, rather than sticking to their games' group, and being fellow Persona users doesn't automatically make them allies. Overall, this author has been doing a wonderful job, and their stories are definitely worth a visit.
- Seconded, also worth noting that he's collecting all the stories into one "remixed" version, and hopefully finishing it this time. And even if he doesn't, it's still definitely worth a read because they are just that good.
General Fics
Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.
GARdian of Truth by The Qing
- Recommended by Saltin, Rogue 7
- Synopsis: Set during Souji's final week. Sometimes you have to go beyond the impossible and kick reason to the curb to find the truth. Rated T for divine slaps, sunglasses, loud dudes, and lots of GAR. A faux X-Over. Persona 4/? OOCness has never been this epic.
- Comments: A hilarious testament to the power of cosplay. Three words: Izanagi No Gurren.
- The author also made another story, Naoto's Journal: Volume 1, where Naoto apparently read Watchmen and writes about her part of the story in Rorschach's style.
- Darkaros: The author wrote up a remastered edition, too.
Simulacrum by zephyran
- Recommended by Leaper, Rogue 7
- Synopsis: It's 2018. Souji returns to Inaba after studying in America, only to find that everyone he knew there (even the uncle he talked to not a day before) act like he never lived in Inaba or met any of his friends. In his quest to solve the new mystery, he'll make unexpected allies and find himself on the wrong side of people he knows and loves, including his thirteen year old cousin Nanako, who is disturbingly good at wielding a knife... And don't think the story is over when that problem is solved...
- Comments: Through judicious use of quotes, references, and characterization, this piece makes itself feel a lot like part of the game world (no mean feat in any 'fic). Also a musing on the nature of human relationships, inspired and brought up by the game and its ending. Now complete.
The Big Long Persona 4 Comic by Peachi (part 1, part 2, part 3)
- Recommended by Ransom
- Synopsis: The first few hours of the game (for now), summarized in comic form.
- Comments: The witty writing and crude (but expressive!) art cheerfully satirises Persona 4 plot and cast. Well worth reading.
Persona 4: Five Years Later by Fiyerna
- Recommended by bluedragonx
- Synopsis: Five years after the True Ending, Souji returns to Inaba, where a new threat is looming from the Television World, a growing void born of Fear, Rage, and Decay—a void that may be inextricably tied to Naoto's past. Despite being hosted on Adult Fanfiction.net, is not sex-oriented, and indeed, so far contains no explicit scenes. Also hosted on Fanfiction.net and the link has been changed accordingly. Souji/Naoto, with a dash of Yosuke/Chie. In progress, drawing up on the conclusion.
- Comments: The excellent writing captures the feel of the game to a great extent, to the point where it feels like a natural sequel. Of particular note are the scenes in which each character unlocks their Persona again, having to give up an item they symbolically used to wall themselves off—Yosuke's headphones, for example.
Upon Reflection by cogitoergoabdo
- Recommended by GG Crono
- Synopsis: Some time after the end of the game, Souji Seta feels that something is missing. Can he find answers in his dreams, and ultimately within himself?
- Comments: Spot-on characterization, and it makes perfect sense within the context of the game. A must-read for any fan.
Elysion by Rayless Night
- Recommended by The Tambourine Man, Rushi
- Synopsis: A crossover with Persona 3. Several years have passed since the game. Persona users are being targeted, and everything leads back to one of the old members of SEES.
- Comments: A very interesting and imaginative read. While the cast of 3 play fairly important roles, this story is ultimately about the cast of 4- paying closest attention to Kanji and Naoto.
Doppleganger: Mirrors of Truth! by Anonymous
- Recommended by Kalle, Moberemk
- Synopsis: Rise's back in show biz. Her manager passes her a script for a movie called Doppelganger, where people face against their identical, but opposite, selves who reveal their insecurities, hidden desires, and thoughts. And unless they conquer these doppelgangers... bam! They die. Sounds great, righ—Hey, waitaminute.
- Comments: Yeah, I'm aware I already mentioned the Kink Meme as a whole above, but... this fic is utterly HYSTERICAL. The film-within-a-fic is So Bad It's Good on its own, but the Investigation Team's snarky comments and the epilogue elevate it to a whole new level of hilarity. (Contains spoilers for the Normal/True endings.)
Gone Fishing by Fiyerna
- Recommended by Lionheart 0
- Pairings: slight Souji/Naoto
- Synopsis: What was meant to be a quiet day for Souji, catching the legendary "Guardian Fish" for the Fox, quickly turns eventful when all his friends tag along.
Persona 4: Face Every Shadow by Casey W
- Recommended by: Dr Tempo
- Synopsis: Seta Souji once met a strange blue-haired student who offered him nothing but cryptic warnings. One year later, Seta is about to discover exactly what that student was talking about. Persona 4 iteration of Fairly English Story.
Persona 4: The Abridged Version by Mr. Thumbsup
- Recommended by: Tanabata 07
- Synopsis: For people with short attention spans. Persona 4, condensed into 1585 words. T rated, crackfic. Not recommended for people without a sense of humor.
- Comments: Personally, I think this is one of the better crack fics for this game. It is, of course, not very long, but it's filled to the brim with hilarity. Definitely a must-read for any Persona 4 fan.
A Different Flesh by Lavanya Six
- Recommended by: Dont Kill Bugs
- Pairings: Souji/Yumi
- Synopsis: Souji is a Kirijo Group robot. Originally written for the Bad Bad Bathhouse P4 Kink Meme. Souji/Yumi. P3 crossover.
Interviews with a Shadow by Waking World Dream World
- Recommended by: Dont Kill Bugs
- Synopsis: Various looks at the P4 gang and what happens with their daily interactions with their Shadows.
- Comments: A short but hilarious look at what if the character's Shadows stayed with them after facing themselves. Well worth the read.
Untitled Comic by Unknown Korean Artist
- Recommended by Balletduckninja
- Synopsis: It is December 24, and the Seekers of Truth have finally cornered Tohru Adachi in Magatsu Inaba. However, the Protagonist's experiences throughout the year has taught him that it is impossible for any one person to be defined only by one thing, and believes Adachi to be more than the psychotic killer he appears to be. He decides to confront Adachi alone, in hopes of learning more about Adachi's different sides, and to see if there is any hope of redemption for him.
Persona 4 Welcome to Tokyo by Blazehawkins
- Recommended by PHYSXMAN
- Synopsis: A retelling/expansion of the story of Persona 4 with a few differences in the setting: The story takes place in Tokyo, and the Investigation team is in college.
Someone Like You by Touch My Drill
- Recommended by Karel
- Sypnosis: After he and the rest of the battling Investigation team fall after being attacked by Izanami, Souji is woken up in a fog-filled world by Minato, who comforted a depressed Souji and encouraged him to finish his role....and also to do him a small favour up in the real world.
Sea of the Unconscious by Kyjar
- Recommended by: Spazzo
- Synopsis: Instead of summoning their Personae, the team gets possessed by the gods. Great! Wonderful! Fantastic-until Susano-O and Amaterasu have a screaming row in front of the Amagi Inn.
- Comments: It helps to have a basic understanding of Japanese mythology (especially the story about Amaterasu and the cave) when reading this. Otherwise, it's one of the funniest fics to come out of the kink meme thus far. Minor hinting of Souji/Yosuke and Chie/Yukiko, but mostly played for laughs.
Again and Again and Again Once More by GingerAndRust
- Recommended by: whitewolfos111, Selryam
- Synopsis: P3 x P4: Souji Seta knew things that he shouldn't. It started out simple, but when a shadow in the TV world creates a phantom city complete with a familiar, green tower, Souji begins to feel like he's done this all before. And not just once.
Lost Kingdoms by zero-damage
- Recommended by: Karel
- Synopsis: P3 x P4 Crossover, spoiler for both games. "Every girl in Inaba likes Teddie; Port Island's no different." During his visit to Port Island, Teddie meets a strange blonde girl who seems to know more about him than he does himself...
- Comments: A short and bittersweet "missing scene". Characterization and dialog are incredibly spot-on, Teddie's innocence and obliviousness meeting Aigis' reflection and regrets will have you shed tears of both a laughing fit and a broken heart. This troper adopted it in her own little head-canon.
It's all in the details By Anonymous
- Recommended by Eggy
- Synopsis: Several years after the events of the game, the investigation team members are all living together. All of the characters have been paired off with one another, except for Souji. Out of perhaps pity, each couple invites him to sleep with them, while Souji ponders over his relationships with them.
Cooking Lessons by Megaolix
- Recommended by Tropic Thunder
- Synopsis: See the battle between Souji Seta and his strongest foe: Mystery Food X.
- Comments: After reading this, I could easily see it fitting into the actual game's story line. It also shows that, it doesn't matter what Izanami can do to him, he's already been through worse.
Day of the Penguin by Anonymous
- Recommended by Faislittlewhiteraven
- Synopsis: One peaceful day at Junes, Yukiko decides to ask Kanji if she can try some of his animal crackers and inadvertently crunches down on one ultra rare Penguin. Multi-genre survial parody ensues.
Shipping Fics
Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.
- Recommended by Sour Jack
- Pairings: Chie/Yosuke
- Synopsis: Five years after the True Ending, Japanese version. Some people make romance look easy, but it's never been that way for Chie. And Yousuke isn't making it any easier. A love story in four parts.
Persona 4: Reach out to the truth by El-Poofy
- Recommended by Personahoho
- Pairing(s): Souji/Yukiko , Yosuke/Chie
- Synopsis: The novelization of Persona 4! A Moody Souji! A somewhat crazier Investigation team!
- Recommended by Zero Ichi Ni
- Pairing(s): Souji/Yukiko
- Synopsis: Souji and Yukiko start their relationship but decide to keep it secret. How hard can that be? Now rated T for cursing.
- Comments: How hard can that be? So hard that it's funny. I also love how other Social Links are used in this fanfic and how much it seems like this can actually happen in the game.
- Recommended by Red Viking
- Pairing(s): Souji/Naoto
- Synopsis: There is no doubt in Naoto's mind that the second year student, Souji Seta, is connected to the murder cases in Inaba. An unexpected confrontation in Port Island, however, complete disarms the detective's inquiries and changes everything. Can Naoto summon the courage to not run away? And is Souji really as unflappable as he appears?
- Recommended by Alexlayer
- Pairing(s): Chie/Yukiko
- Synopsis: Collections of one-shot chapters focused on either Chie or Yukiko suffering the different status effects of the game, and then the other having to search for... alternative cures.
- Comments: A really entertaining reading exploring the possibility of the pairing and the characters themselves. It manages to remain interesting thanks to each chapter changing the mood of the situation. Also contains a Bonus Chapter related to Persona 3.
A Barrel in the Sea by signalbeam [dead link]
- Recommended by Lavanya Six and Alexlayer
- Pairing(s): Yukiko/Chie
- Synopsis: Yukiko's parents find out she's romantically involved with Chie. When her parents demand that Yukiko end it, she refuses and is subsequently thrown out off the Amagi Inn. She can't stay with Chie because her parents are still on the fence about their relationship... but then Dojima-san, feeling sympathetic, offers her Souji's old bedroom.
- Recommended by Allhailthetv
- Pairing(s): Souji/Rise
- Synopsis: The final battle comes, and Rise is stuck on the sidelines and must watch as her friends are ripped away from her, one by one.
Fog by sodomquake
- Recommended by Senna
- Pairing(s): "...Assumes one-sided Yosuke/Souji, one-sided Kanji/Naoto, and actual Souji/Rise, and beyond that, I think I'm just going to ask you to trust me."
- Sypnosis: When pressure is applied, we all break along the lines where we were already cracked.
- Recommended by Hanz
- Pairing: Chie/MC
- Synopsis: Takes the form of a Slice of Life story, this is a doujinshi (no sexual content) that explores the relationship between Chie and the Main Character (known as Taniyama in the story) through select periods of the year that the game takes place in.
- Comments: The interactions between the MC and Chie are often quite adorable and the progression quite natural. Chie is once again charming in her own adorably ditzy way while Taniyama serves as something of a Trickster Mentor for her.
...and then I fed some cats [dead link] by signalbeam [dead link]
- Recommended by Lavanya Six
- Pairing: Souji/OC
- Synopsis: Souji has a girlfriend back in the city and he tells her everything.
- Comments: This is how you do an OC pairing right. The relationship between Souji and his OC girlfriend, Suzume, is oddly entrapping, with a clash of personalities between Souji's space cadet nature and Suzume's gruffness. The author includes a lot of subtle humor in the story, riffing on the video game's translation and the oddness of the in-world mechanics, as well as the main cast's puzzlement that Souji is actually in a relationship... and with a girl to boot.
No Beginning, No End by strangestquiet
- Recommended by Routine, Hopeless Osaka D
- Pairing: Souji/Yosuke
- Synopsis: Actually a series of three fanfics by the author of the aforementioned doujinshi:
- No Beginning, No End: "Five years post-game, Dojima is killed in an accident, and Souji and Yosuke move back to Inaba to take care of Nanako. As they adjust to becoming a family, Yosuke struggles to reconnect with her while Souji pieces together the truth of his uncle's death."
- Fight For Us Both: "Yosuke succumbs to a mysterious illness after murdering his Shadow. As the consequences of destroying such a vital aspect of the self become clear, Souji searches for a way to save him." (there's also a doujinshi of this part, check it out)
- The Scars We Get Together: " Souji and Yosuke's relationship becomes severely strained after Yosuke loses Susano-O, and Souji works toward the end of a journey that was never completed."
A Drunken Fiasco by Fiyerna and Fortunes Revolver
- Recommended by Shenjay
- Pairing: Souji/Naoto, with a little bit of Chie/Yosuke as usual in both of the authors
- Synopsis: When Souji arrived at Club Escapade to celebrate his 19th birthday with his friends, what greeted him was the last thing he expected to see... and the insanity only grew from there
New Game Plus by Jessup-2
- Recommended by Dont Kill Bugs
- Pairing: Souji/All Potential Girlfriends
- Synopsis: Souji Seta invites a girl over for Christmas Eve. But which girl? Meta-Lemon
- Comments: To best summarize this story, Souji saves the game on Christmas Eve and replays it with a different girl each time. The story goes into into great detail as to how Souji makes love to each girl, playing out like a romance more than a lemon- Souji genuinely loves each and every one of these girls. A definite must-read. WARNING: NSFW. This story is rated M.
Fortune no Hikari(The Light Of Fortune) by Fortune's Revolver
- Recommended by Patcheresu
- Pairings: Souji/Naoto
- Synopsis: Life is full of second chances, but not all mistakes can be corrected. If you were given the opportunity to go back in time and save the one you loved most from dying, would you take it? SoujixNaoto Full summary inside [sic]
- Comments: Despite the obvious blatant fact that Naoto is an important aspect here, there is more to this story than simply the romance. Souji is given the chance to repeat the entire year, at the cost of a Scratch-esque memory loss until a certain point.
- Recommended by Zero Ichi Ni
- Pairings: Souji/Yukiko, Yosuke/Chie
- Synopsis: Rumors of stalkers spread in the town of Inaba. It seemed as if it's just an ordinary naughty stalkers case but then everything turned out more. It was not just a random stalking.
Ten Steps by Chisotahn
- Recommended by Jaikeis
- Pairing(s): Souji/Yosuke
- Synopsis: AU, in which Yosuke transfers to Inaba in the middle of the year. Later, he appears in an exclusive televised interview.
- Comments: Not only is this fic well-written in general, but it's all the little details that really flesh out the world—no Junes means that the Investigation Team uses the television in the Amagi Inn as a base of operations, and Teddie ends up rooming with Kanji and is an all-purpose mascot for the shopping district.
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