Haven't finished watching the video yet, but it's worth noting that Arsene Lupin's first chapter involved him allowing himself to be arrested specifically because he wanted to protect a woman. This is a pretty clear parallel with Joker's backstory.
Funny because he lead everyone to believe that he got caught on some dumb mistake, rather he let himself get imprisoned and his defiant and cocky nature made him a clever and sharp planner. At one point he mentions to THE Sherlock Holmes that if he get caught it was on his own accord and that no miracle or circumstance will have him imprisoned. The very thought of that just doesn't exist. Lmao Arsene is such a suave commanding troll haha
@Dylan and StarForce Holy shit that is brilliant! Now this further strengthens the reasons on why Arsene is a perfect Persona that thematically fits with Akira/Joker's personality
Yeah very aptly themed. Maurice LeBlanc writes him in such a way that he makes him the troll for most of the story, but enough so that you respect his wit. I would suggest buying the novels, or a collection of them. My highest recommendation is The Fair Hair Lady. It where he squares off against Sherlock Holmes. (Name Helmlock Shers for copyright reason back then with the author, a trivia also brought up in persona 5 classroom.)
The lack of head and face with the constant posture of holding a mask to conceal her nonexistant "face" is a symbolism for lack of identity just like the video said.
It reminds me of mask worn by children book character called "Thief Lord", only its red and not black. Heres the conection, Thief Lord was fake. In reality he was rich kid palying the role of master thief in order for his orphan friends to accept him as one of them.
It's been a while since I played P5 but wasn't his true persona Loki (the trickster god from norse mythology), this could be because of how he lies about his true intentions to the Phantom Thieves and "tricks" them into helping him. Also this would explain how his normal persona Robin Hood is all just a big trick/lie.
Thinking about it a bit, you can also connect Ryugi with a staple item a piratehas been known to have: The peg leg. Sure, he never lsot a leg to get this wooden stick of a replacement, but after Kamoshida broke his leg, he was unable to run. Always having to deal with his bit of a limp. While he still has it, it still FEELS like his leg was taken away.
Za Warubro I always thought that the gloves (of all the thieves except Morgana) represent the element they learn like Arsene learns curse so his gloves are red, Captain kidd learns electricity so ryuji's gloves are yellow, carmen learns fire so her gloves are orange and so on
I think the prevalence of black in his costume symbolises his seemingly quiet nature which he uses for disguise. The gloves add a red tint to his outfit, which is a very defiant color and which heavily contrasts with black, as how his inner trickster contrasts with the quiet ruse that he has been putting up. What's also interesting is that in the calmer moments of palace heists (like talking outside the palace) he keeps his hands in his pockets, completely hiding the red from his otherwise black outfit, just as Joker hides the flamboyant trickster side of him in normal life.
Another aspect of Morgana's persona being Zorro could be how he struggles trying to appear masculine or macho, albeit his squishy appearance. Zorro is one of the more macho characters in fiction, and as personas represent inner desires as well, it's fitting for Mona.
I heared that Zoro is also suppose to represent how Morgana while being small has a big and strong spirit. I leave a Link to the Video where I geared it: th-cam.com/video/G8tD38fCBpo/w-d-xo.html
@Advent Of Sloth or to Germano Mosconi (for those who dunno Germano Mosconi Is an Italian journalist who went famous cause the thing he said in TV and the famous known in Italy Italian sentence:chi è quel MONA che sbatte la porta? (Who Is that MONA who pushed the door?!) ._. this was only a joke though, don't take this seriously,atlus surely doesn't even know about this ...
one funny thing is that on the book ''art of persona 5'' the designers specifically say that they went for a bloated look on zorro's upper body so as to make us doubt if he's really strong or if he's just a balloon that only seems strong. It's hard to define the line of what morgana is and what he wants to be, and that's by degisn which is super cool not to mention morgana is a feminine name, so everything about him is contradictory, reminiscent of his memory loss and desires x reality
I heard somewhere that maybe Akechi's outfit that resembles a prince could have been made to be as ridiculous as possible to mock the phantom thieves. Even his weapons, which are things that could be considered toys for children.
Thinking about Robin Hood, he looks a LOT like a traditional Super Hero design, obviously more of Akechi trying to really push that "I'm a good guy everyone" feeling he's got working childishly, instead of something more down to earth and real to himself, there isn't a way on earth that even the Public face of Akechi could be really aligned with Robin Hood, he'd be more like Batman for a design tbh, a wise detective with a troubled past, and all the skills and tools to track down his marks himself and bring them in, even though ol' Bats is a superhero it actually fits him better then SUPER ROBIN HOOD does
As an honest Persona I'd have expected it, but Goro was trying to really play into their Virtuous Thief schtick, and so he forged a fake persona of Robin Hood instead, and threw as much imagery of light and goodness as he could up, with a small hand in darkness, a show that he'll get his hands dirty even if its distasteful to him, you can see it in Hood's moveset, Light and Dark, but a weakness to Dark He tried to be a Gentleman who is a thief, not a Gentleman Thief
When Madarame mentioned "The one with the black mask", how come they didn't realise that Morgana has a black mask, and didn't stop to think he was referring to Morgana?
Also, Haru’s outfit is the exact opposite of her father’s shadow. Where shadow Okumura is sci-fi, Haru wears an older type of outfit since she BETRAYS her father.
Akechi's costume is meant to be something of an inverse version of Joker's; a white coat instead of black, tight to the body instead of a flowing cape, prominent mask to Joker's more subdued, and the shoulder epaulettes that set him apart in almost a self appointed leadership way, or military commander, and his similar but sci-fi versions of the weapons Joker wields. His costume is also a throwback to many sci-fi anime of the 70's, particularly of Char Aznable of Mobile Suit Gundam.
i honestly just noticed it but i just realized his phantom thief outfit kinda looks similar to shadow shido's first form, at least with the shoulder epaulette-military commander thing going on. could just be thinking too hard, but that's an interesting thing to note.
I love the concept that his outfit is pretty much the opposite of Joker's. It makes it feel like he really rebels against the main character that much more.
Word of God says that Joker was designed to be reminiscent of a cat (despite his mask being bird-themed), possibly due to him being deceptively docile, elegant, hiding mysteries, and the fact that he often wanders through town like a stray cat.
Goro's outfit reflects his childhood love of sentai. To be precise, Neo Featherman. He's parading himself as the hero, which he himself references when he says that he feels his costume reflects his hero status when the others comment on it. Combine in his use of toy guns and lightsabers, this reflects his childish side. Also, for when it switches more to Loki costume, it's twisting him into a black knight.
PrimeofPerfection I actually think that the role of Black Knight is very appropriate for Goro. While most people think that Black Knights were symbols of evil, they were actually just knights who did not serve a single master. Like the video states, his original costume was meant to appear as a white knight coming to save the day. So both of Goro's costumes relate to knights, both the ones seen as noble, and the ones seen as evil. However, Goro is not strictly on the side of good, (The Phantom Thieves) or evil (Shido), as he serves no master. He is simply using them to achieve his own goals.
I also had Gundam in mind where the evil more militaristic army had more german-esque uniforms reminiscing of a wwi uniforms. Which also look very princely.
What does akechis other half in Persona 5 royal when hes using loki syomoblize? (Hes wearing all black and his persona is loki) and you get to control him
You forgot the Greek meaning of Oracle its not just a DC thing but an Oracle was a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future. Just like Futaba does with the team with buffs and info during and outside of battle
Take note that nearly every main persona of the cast is also modeled after figures who rebelled against society for the greater good, a common theme amongst the characters of Persona 5. Meanwhile, Haru's outfit is based on the three musketeers, the story where Milady is from. To add on with Ann, Kamoshida constantly sees her as a sexual object and not a person and personally, much like Carmen, she now uses her sexuality as a weapon against people like him to show that she's not just an object for peoplw to gawk at.
The irony is that oracle came about because of Jokers influence though: Comics: joker brought her to her lowest level Game: Joker helped her rise to her highest point
Futaba: Necro turns into a whole ass UFO and Johanna is the only with recognition of vehiclization?! I shall not stand for this! *HaCkS into her own cognition*
Since a few people have touched on the symbolism of each character's gloves and their related element, I thought I would bring up an albeit small detail about Carmen - the two heart-headed men depicted with her are likely references to her two main love interests: Don Jose, whom she seduced away from the life of an honorable soldier to a reckless life of abandon on the road as a thief/con artist, but she later grew tired of him. Likely he is the one trapped under her heel. The other figure is probably intended to represent the matador Escamillo (or in the novel, Lucas, who was a picador instead - however his role is much shorter and less significant), who was also drawn in by Carmen and had become her new love interest by the final act of the opera. She treats him with more dignity than Don Jose (in fact, there are some who interpret Carmen and Escamillo as genuinely in love with one another but we wont turn this into a full-blown Carmen analysis), so he is probably the one portrayed as being "dragged along".
And do you think Kamoshida and Joker could represent Don Jose and Escamillo? Don Jose being Kamoshida, and Joker being Escamillo, if the player chooses to date her, of course.
Good point, but I think Joker represents the latter better, because of the cutscenes with them that make the audience think that Ann and Joker in the near future may fall in love. Ann has never really expressed interest in Morgana, so I think it's fair that it's probably Joker.
In general the characters are facing their Shadows before they acquire their Personas. Keep in mind that the voices they hear are all played by their respective voice actors. The difference between 4 is that the TV world is created to twist your desires and manipulate you into denying your other self. In 5, this isn't happening because the characters are always repressing themselves and are put in situations where they are pressured to the point where they accept their true selves.
True, in the TV World, Shadows intentionally are malicious, this can be most noted with SKanji, who is noted to have been with Kanji for days before the team showed up, but its only once the Team shows up that it goes on its rant and sets Kanji off, they play on peer pressure and self loathing
I would not say it is because of malice. Shadows are self destruction archetypes but by human nature they also do not want to stay hidden. That is why they wait for a crowd ( or rain). They want to put a show.
This is a great video, I just wanted to add something about the colour of the gloves: The colour of the gloves the person wears indicate which type or element they represent; The protagonist/Joker: Red, Curse (When he awoke to his first persona Arsene) Ryuji: Yellow, electric type Ann: Pink, fire Yusuke: Blue, Ice Makoto: Silver or metalic colour, nuclear Haru: Purple, psychokinetic skills akechi: White, bless attacks Only Morgana is the exception, has no gloves
his non metaverse clothing always use gray gloves. His robin hood costume use white which make his gloves color the same as Makoto SPOILER his loki costume use the gray one SPOILER
Anne's suit is also inspired by her childhood, in her confidant track, she talks about how much she admired villainesses she saw on TV growing up, so she has a "superhero"-esque costume. Also, Haru best thief suit.
You should have included Goro's other costume in there as well. Brief as it is in appearance, it's still vitally important. It's downright Jeckyll and Hyde level of psychological insight. Goro's 'Crow' costume is the 'good' side. While it does resemble the 'Prince Charming/hero' stereotype, the kind that masses will see in a positive light, it's not without its hints at danger. His mask and cape both hint at the tengu, a Japanese demon that are said to be both benevolent and mischievous or downright malevolent. They are masters of illusions and deception. He uses this costume to fool everyone into thinking he is an ally, while he's using the team for his own agenda. As 'Crow' he is actually doing something about the injustices of the world (or at least in Japan.) The 'Black Mask' attire still has some 'heroic' attributes. At first glance, it can resemble a knight, the 'heroes' of old Europe, and still around the same time period as Robin Hood. However, as his Black Mask costume resembles Loki, we see the deeper, chaotic representation behind it. His 'loyalty to his Lord' is all an act, and we see that he cares only about his own goals. 'Black Mask' is the selfish side that some can argue was his first awakening and his will to not only rebel but to survive all his life. It's also important to note that both his costumes hold a duality to them. Princes and knights can be good or evil, as many stories all over the world will show. The stark color palettes between the two of red and white versus black and blue, along with a more clearly cut versus a wild and erratic style show a sort of yin-yang theme in relation to his mentality (even hinted at in his zodiac as a Gemini). Goro embraces whatever he must to have the ends justified in his plans, even going so far as apparently killing the protagonist.
In the book, Hyde wasn't Jeckyll's evil. All the serum did was alter Jeckyll's appearance, even making him younger, which he then used as a mask of anonymity so he can indulge in less than socially acceptable actions.
Can we also touch on the fact that his Black mask very strongly resembles the helmet of the berserk armour from Berserk. That whole reference itself has pretty clear meanings behind it too, his attitude in combat does become relentless and unhinged like Guts would become when he gives into his rage.
@@AnimeAngel88 I think even as an homage it still shows a quality of his character. An added layer of the visual metaphor on top of a popular reference. Also, I'm kinda shocked you responded to this after a year, I had forgotten I even watched this video.
This was a neat video, but I feel like you could have elaborated to include their Awakened Personas as well. Taking what I thought of makoto for example, her initial Persona is designed as a motorcycle to symbolize how she was always pushed around for other people's gains, and because of her position, she believed that she could not resist, just as vehicles cannot simply say that they dont want to follow their driver's will. After she has awkaned to Anat, it is clear that she, as a person, has learned that she has no obligation to follow what her peers or superiors say, such as her sister Sae. As such, the Motorcycle has gained the ability to stand on her own. Moreover, it can be said that many if not all of the Persona designs are directly connected to the palaces thay they awaken in. Again taking Makoto as an example, Kaneshiro's Boss Form uses a giant Silver Pig, which is a similar color and shine to Johanna/Anat.
I don't think personas have to do with where they are awakened. Thug and Fem Fatalle don't fit a castle Ufo doesn't fit pyramids Ladies don't fit with sci fi space travel?
3:16 This might be me looking into it a bit too much. But have you noticed that Joker almost always have his hands in his pockets? only taking them out when he gestures, during a chat? Even the most dramatic moments in the game he still puts his hands away, boss monologue, touching confidant talks, etc.
If the theory of his hands symbolizing that he's a criminal (blood of the innocents on your hands) are true, then one way to look at it would be that he's trying to hide, or downplay, his "criminal" past.
@@GrassPokeKing The protagonist in Persona 3 (just an extremely apathetic kid who's more admired by his peers rather than ostracized) is also pretty notorious for always having his hands in his pockets, even when he's running, so idk if it's really anything too special or specifically designated for the P5 protag. But I also don't know if the pocket thing also extends to the P4 protag, I've never played it.
Milady De Winter, Haru’s persona, is an antagonist in the three musketeers story. Haru is wearing the Cavalier hat, which the musketeers are known for wearing. You know that Haru probably takes her sense of rebellion from a place of chivalry and it shows in the way she acts. Not quite sure where else to develop that idea but it’s an interesting parallel nonetheless
Joker - The Phantom Theif Skull - The Brawn Panther - The Temptress Fox - The Counterfeitor Queen - The Strategist/Escape Driver Oracle - The Hacker Noir - The Insider Mona - The Mastermind -‐----------------------------------------- Crow - The Traitor
Note to Goro's Phantom Thief outfit: His mask bears resemblance to a plague mask and of a tengu (the tengu detail being added to represent his pride as tengus are known to be prideful). His clothes are both of a mix of a prince's and a general or war tactician's clothes, representing that, even he is of high status, he manages to take command in his own hands. Another: as you can see, Goro's outfit tends to stand out if compared to the protagonist's Metaverse outfit. Taking note of Goro's outfit, personality, and life style, it can be confirmed that he acts like the star of a play/heist/et cetera which completely contrasts the role of the protagonist as a man behind the stage/background character that lurks (his clothes are dark and blend nicely in the shadows, plus he is not easily noticeable unless he himself decides to show himself).
Wild Talk is just an extension of the Wild Card after all, and Goro's seems twisted, rather then finding new aspects of himself, he sculpts fakes to work with
Yeah this post is five years old but..... I disagree. The mask is more like Harlequin from italian comedies. Harlequin has a long nose and is very pompous. The uniform reminds me of a ringmaster in a circus. It shows Goro is putting up a very good show. Even his persona is show version of some kind of superhero then Robin Hood. Plus...there is the Harlequin sydrom, that turn one side of the face red.......a real twofaced person i might say.
Great video, I like your ideas! At the same time, I kinda disagree with your thoughts on Goro, because *SPOILERS* I like to think of Robin Hood as his first persona. He is rebelling against Shido, who is basically King John to Robin Hood, at the same time he is Shido's son, so if Shido is the king, he is the prince which explains his princely attire. Goro also grew up without a father, which can cause children to have trouble with development and maturity which can be a reason for the light sabers and laser guns *(OR it could be something like Naoto and he believes he was forced to grow up and act all mature in person, but behind the scenes he is still yearning for those child like activities.) At the same time I think his second persona Loki is representative of who he has become because of all those things he is asked to do. His costume changes to all black to reflect the way he feels his heart has changed and he looks more like a gun for hire than a prince. His new persona Loki is an appropriate change as well because (1) his father is still super important (ODIN) and (2) Loki brings about Rangnarok which kills Odin. Pretty solid choices if you ask me lol
I always though Goro developed 2 Personas because he had ähm well 2 Personas. His public image Persona of Charismatic Ace detective and his real Persona the crazy murderer. Although that Robin Hood is a Thieve might speaks against that Theory. I wondered if Conan (a Character from the Anime Case closed) would become a Persona user would he have 2 Personas? 1 fore his real self Shinichi and one fore his fake self Conan. That lign of thought is probably wrong but its still an interesting one.
I do agree that akechi has two sides of himself. It's said in-game that one can only have one persona because they only have one "heart" aka one personality but joker can swicht personalities at will something that he does with social links. He can adapt to the situation (it's what they call the Power of the wild card) and akechi can also adapt. Spoilers ahead: He can be the charming and smart Prince detective but he can also be the murderer blinded by the desire of revenge. In the end (spoiler alert) he does seem to regret what he did and saves the Phantom Thieves. (Btw was I the only one that cried when he died?)
His second costume does resemble Gut's Berserker armor, with the canine-like head and all, but he acts more like Griffith. He sells out the Phantom Theives, Band of the Hawk, so that he may gain his father's attention, in Griffith's case for power.
*Please, let me chime in on Haru's design. Especially her pants.* In the middle-ages and the 17th century, it was forbidden(or seen as as blasphemy) for women to wear that which men wears(pantaloons) and vice versa Your Persona vids. are awesome. Please keep up the good work.
I think Haru look was lifted from the Musketeers who were at times as much rebels and robbers as they were servants of the king. In the book they the tree musketeers were often dueling and fighting with others which was illegal. Robin Hood it seems to me has some very obviousness comic superhero inspirations. With his RH logo on his chest and his heavily muscular build and the use of primary colors in his outfit.
Cage532 Haru kinda has this French theme going on with her. In the English-speaking societies, people usually associate anything French with class, grace and aristocy. As a member of the bourgeoisie, it's only natural for Haru to adopt the attire of a French musketeer.
Another thing about Ann's costume: To me, it is quite reminiscent of a superhero/supervillain. If I recall correctly, in one of her early confidant ranks she says she looked up to a female superhero or super villain (can't remember which) in a show when she was a child. I assume it was probably a villain since it symbolizes her sense of rebellion.
Ann's firearm, a submachine gun, while using it in one hand shows her utter disdain to caring, with how she holds it means that she doesn't care about missing, she wants it done (if she used it with 2 hands she would not have to worry about recoil as much.) jokers pistol usage is like his knife, however it also could be used to defend innocents instead of assassinate.
Youskues usage of assault rifles symbolizes his precise and controlled personality, instead of full auto, with him wasting rounds, he instead used precision and bursts in 3.
Black Mask's silenced pistol refers both to his role as an assassin, and to his true face being something discreetly kept secret. His serrated sword references his sadism.
also of note: Akechi's main weapon is a blue lightsaber. The most well known of these weapons is Anakin's Lightsaber. Anakin later became Darth Vader, who was essentially Sidious' hitman, like Goro is Shido's hitman. In addition, Shido ends up betraying Akechi, like how Sidious tries to cast Vader aside in favour of Luke.
And like Anakin, he sacrifices his life and joins the light side again. He also had a troubled childhood, similar to Anakin. He was a messianic detective figure like Anakin was a messianic Jedi.
Nice analysis! I'd also say that Goro's initial persona has the look and build of a stereotypical american superhero, symbolizing how he or society views him as the noble hero of this story and that the whole superhero thing fits with his childish motif (rayguns, laser swords) either as a way of reminiscing of a childhood he didn't have or his refusal to grow up. Maybe the motif also shows how he thinks the whole Phantom thief thing is so childish, it's beneath him to go all out?
Of course they do, its the basis for Character Design. When designing characters symbolism is used to subtlety emphasize aspects of the character in some way. Shigenori Soejima is great at it!
I like to add one thing about Ryuji costume: He doesn't look like a biker just as a nod, Ryuji has a special relationship with speed, he is a runner and his first persona is atop a ship while hsi later persona is also atop a fast vehicle. he is also the one most impressed with Makoto's persona. In a similar vein Ann clothing also takes inspiration from classic evil ladies in young kids show something out of tokusatsu, which she admired as a kid, as the villainnes while not being a good person acted in a true and strong fashion. Well since you haven't included awaked persona's it might be a good idea doing another video on them! Even More Spoilers Ahead: Some things on goro: His original costume does foreshadow some of his other roles in the history, his prince like clothes could be seen as connecting him to the ruler of pride, his father Shido, which is an important aspect of rebellion for him and is one thing that does not change between costumes is the elegance and regality of it though there is much more of a martial aspect to the clothes, also Loki is a dark prince, even though his relation in mythology is of brotherhood with the king, but in much of modern perception he is Odin's son. But coming back to the orginal his costume includes a tengu mask, tengu are known for being harbringers of conflict and being arrogant and powerful. His persona robinhood also takes some inspiration from tengus having some avian features and triangular enlongated shapes which brings a connection to forests and wild areas as tengus are also known as guardian deities of such areas, he also has superhero colors and simbolism keeping with Goro's desire to be seen as a hero. Finally compeltely on Loki and Goro other costume: The black and white stripes can represent his duplicity, the mask now rises at the edges similarly to Loki's horns, the persona design is completely angular giving off a feel of danger and it's 3 colors are the ones used by shadows while changing forms, his legs become somehow like a horse hinting at loki's transformation ability, the way he carries his sword and sits on it can be interpreted as he being the creator of violence and enjoying it. Some things on awaked personas: Ryuji is Saiten Teisen, more commonly know as Su Wukong, the monkey king another ambivalent figure known for violence, but also by his bravery and in The Journey to the West even honor. Which seems to fall inline with the idea that Ryuji's found a place for himself even if people think of him as a delinquent and is better able to control his anger and agressivness. Also he is atop a flying cloud famed by it's speed, you don't get amore direct reference to running fast than that. Makoto's awaked persona is Anat, which is both goddess of fertility and war, she is both the chaste and wantonly, thus I think this in many ways represent her new agreement with the expectations around her, she still is the honor student but now she does it for herself while being a phantom thief, Anat also revelas more of her aggresiveness and is pretty representative of a strategist, I might be going on a limb but Johanna giving birth and turning into a goddess of fertility seems significative of her new outlook at life. Can't say anything about the other's awakened persona's as Yusuke is the only other one I got in my first playthrough and I have only second hand knowledge of the legends regarding Susanoo, though I do believe a swordsman god fits with Yusuke ideal of cutting through the impure to find beauty, while also simbolizing his own faults and how he rises above them.
7:48 I have another theory concerning the relation of Goemon to Yusuke. Madarame lied often just so he could profit off of his copies of Sayuri, correct? Then Yusuke awoke to the lies he was always being fed, leading to the awakening of his Persona and ultimately helping Joker and the others take Madarame down. This could be a reference to Goemon's legend of how he took from the rich to give back to the poor. Sure, no one got their money back from the fake Sayuri's. However, money is not the only thing one can steal. In a way, Yusuke _did_ steal from Madarame. He stole back the genuine Sayuri which then only existed as a Treasure due to Madarame ruining the original Sayuri, therefore making the original viewable only as his Treasure. He also helped steal away Madarame's mask of lies he kept feeding to society to hide the truth, which helped everyone have the truth given back to them. See where the Goemon thing ties in? Yusuke stole the truth from his villainous teacher and gave the truth back to society to help them open their eyes. I apologize for this being so long. I wanted to make sure I wrote it so (hopefully) everyone could understand what I was saying. I hope this made sense. 👌
@@rexmckey1604 Wrong and false, sounds bad. But hey, what do I know, I wouldn't be satisfied with any of their outfits unless they strapped some pieces of armor to 'em.
@@GrassPokeKing I hear people say that a lot in regards to armor in JRPGs but it doesn't really work in Persona. They are fighting completely mental abstractions, they don't need real armor. Would be silly to see something like Ann's outfit in the mainline SMT series though.
@@Xeper616 Technically, I don't need real armor, either, but I still wanna wear it over anything else. AESTHETICS, BOYE. Besides, haven't you heard? If you die in your mind, you die in real life.
Akechi’s outfit is my favorite, and I believe it has one of the deeper meanings. Akechi is trying his best to fit in with the Phantom Theives, so he tries his best to disguise himself as them while mocking them. His costume is all white and gold, colors traditionally associated with purity. If he’s trying to make himself seem good, of course he’s going to make his outfit the colors of good and morality. His second color is his bright red bird mask. Debatably, the most striking part of Joker and harem are their masks. In this case, of course Akechi would want to make his mask stand out! All of the theive’s masks are loud and striking, so Akechi makes his the most eye catching color: red. This also is related to the red of his true mask of the costume he wears during his final fight. Also, in Joker’s mask, he has a bit of a point going outward to make sure his nose isn’t being crushed. Akechi saw this and, possibly to mock Joker’s outfit, made his nose large, similar to a bird’s. Going along with the outfit, his all out attack is what he pictures the phantom theive’s as. We, the player, see them as cool and stylish finishing moves. But, when you look at it from a neutral perspective, they’re just doing some crazy stuff and striking a loud pose. Akechi takes this to the extreme, basically flailing around before he strikes his final, over the top pose. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
Something interesting. The handgun that joker originally used, the Tokerev tt33, and the handgun aketchi uses, the Mauser m712, both effectively used the same handgun cartridge. However,the Mauser m712's approach would doom it, the tt33 was able to adapt (thanks to its original history of its design, coming from a of origin of a design superior to the m712, the m1911, which in the game is called "the governance" and the handguns in the m1911 style would become mainstream, while the m712 would be forgotten to history. Another example is that in the last scene, joker uses a desert eagle, a handgun that is commonly known to be used as a way of progression if it is used as execution piece in the plots because of its intimidating appearance and high power.
Akechi's mask shows him having a long nose like Pinocchio - A liar. Contrasts nicely with his all out attack stating that his 'Sole desire is to seek the truth'
One correlation in between Haru's weapon and her persona that I noticed, is that in 3 Musketeers novel, Milady de Winter is beheaded by executioner wielding one.
(nearly) all the cast's glove colors represent the new form of magic they bring to the Phantom thieves, Jokers are red for Curse, Ryuji's are yellow for Electric, Ann's are pink for Fire, Yusuke's are blue for Ice, Makoto's are white for nuclear, Futaba's are neon green bc thats the hacker color lol, Haru's are purple for Psi, and Akechi's are white for Bless
While Kamoshida held Ann in the regard of "sex Kitten", Ann's rebellion was to become "Kitten with a Whip". A theatrical trope seen in many movies and TV shows. Mokoto's martial art is Aikido which is not usually associated with striking but using leverage with a peaceful spirit. The combination of the motorcycle motif with fists/knuckles suggests the freedom aspect in the metaverse. Akechi has a black ninja assassin outfit before he joins the Phantom Thieves, and his first name suggestion for himself is crow. The crow is another trickster.
Something I noticed about Akechi's Persona Robin Hood, is that it's design is similar to that of a comic book/cartoon superhero. Complete with an insignia on his chest, and a lot of feathery decorations. It could possibly be a nod to the Featherman series, and hint at Akechi's desire to view himself as the hero in is own story.
The red gloves of the protagonist could also be a reference to the phrase "caught red handed" both in regards to his criminal past and events that happen later in the plot. Robin Hood also reminds me of somewhat traditional designs of Western Super Heroes, particularly Superman with the visible abs and iconic emblem on his chest. Perhaps symbolizing either an intentional facade on his part to present an image of being a strong hero who swoops in to save the day, but also could belay that his very existence is a cultural betrayal of Japanese values. Also his ultimate Persona is Loki, perhaps the single most famous and popular Trickster God in all of mythological fiction. Ironic considering that in his attempt to fool the phantom thieves they completely see through his transparent lies and he ends up being the one who is tricked (Shido also implies he wasn't fooled by Goro and was going to betray him in the end also) this seems relevant to me considering his REAL Metaverse outfit reminds me of Fenrir, another figure of Norse mythology who bites off Loki's arm, just like how ultimately Goro was his own downfall both figuratively and literally.
The 5s on either side of Goemon could also be referencing the Emperor arcarna (the arcana that Yusuke represents) as it is the 5th arcana in a tarot card deck
Goro Akechi's name could be a reference to Kogoro Akechi. From the SMT wiki: Goro Akechi is a reference to the name Kogoro Akechi (明智 小五郎), a fictional private detective created by Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo (a pseudonym for Tarō Hirai) from the story "The Case of the Murder on D. Hill" in January 1925 and continued to appear in stories for a quarter of a century. Edogawa Rampo is considered the father of the Japanese detective story and was a great admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Akechi is the first recurring detective character in Japanese fiction and is clearly inspired by Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. It also makes sense for Akechi to be the rival of the team as in the introduction to the translated version of 'The Early Cases of Kogoro Akechi' The Fiend with Twenty Faces (Akechi's main rival) is referred to as 'more of an Arsene Lupin than a Moriarty' This could also reference his role in the story of wanting to catch the Phantom Thieves, and his connection to the protagonist.
Oh that's right, the Fool is 0 or 22. Well, when the arcarna are listed in the compendium, it's the 5th one listed, so it's possible but more of a reach.
This is a very insightful video, but I think that Akechi's princely garb can also be seen as his own symbol of rebellion. If you know about his backstory from the game, Akechi might have some similar experiences to Munehisa Iwai and embodied the fears that he had in regards to his own son: potentially ostracized and abused for things that were out of his control such as the circumstances of his birth and the decisions of his parents. Although it is implied that he is a victim of this, Akechi may be rebelling by refusing to stay in the class that would be assigned to someone with his origins. Rather than staying a pauper, he fashions himself as one of the elite through the uses of trickery and the supernatural... which more aligned with Aladdin from One Thousand and One Nights than Robin Hood.
HaloSage1 his other costume is interesting to. The stripes are diagonal which portrays trends of progress or decline, mirroring his rise in popularity and decent into madness. His, “ mask,” is also a knights helmet with a visor to raise and lower rather than a mask to take on and off, showing that he’s always guarded rather than releasing himself all out unlike the others.
Hm.. I thought the red gloves of Joker would represent his "main" element, Arsene's dark-magic, just like it is with the other characters gloves (Yusuke=blue=ice, Ryuji=yellow=elec). The overall analysis is very interesting though! Thanks for explaining the Persona backgrounds. Edit: I just saw someone already mentioned the gloves, forgive my slowness xD
And Goro’s outfit is white and red. The colour white is often used to show innocence and red can be used as a sign of evil. Which is like his personality he acts innocent around the phantom thieves but is actually evil
Also I think that joker being given Arsene having curse attacks is nearly perfect, that he was cursed for being a criminal while rising to fight the evil who seem like the good guys (like goro akechi’s Robin Hood given mostly bless attacks) so basically a bad guy trying to be a good guy by fighting bad guys trying to be good guys
I just noticed something joker often put his hands in his pocket hiding his red gloves which is like how he hates getting mention of his criminal record
Personas remind me a LOT of Stands. The tarot card representation, the fact that they are like ghosts you can summon, even how Zarro kinda reminds me of Silver Chariot.
This is the exact channel I've ever wanted. I suffer so much, thinking and analyzing the symbolism and meaning of persona games, and feeling like few people actually see as much as I do. To find a big channel spreading all this knowledge and insights about the game fills me with joy.
Y'know, while watching this I realized that Goro's prince costume can still kind of represent a rebellion - claiming the 'birthright' that's refused to him as an illegitimate child. He thinks to himself that society would turn on him for discovering he's a 'pretender', but if he approached it a different way, he could basically be throwing that back in their faces like "no, I can have this origin AND be popular/beloved/etc".
Old video but I found something interesting about Ann's costume. If I'm not mistaken, she is the only phantom thief who (almost) lost someone she loved because of a palace ruler and as such, she wields a whip, to punish those who are evil
That’s another way to look at it she’s pretty similar to Carmen which why it’s a great persona for her, Ann is actually caring and sweet she doesn’t act like Carmen at all she does things similar to her
I think there's a little detail in Yuske's outfit and Persona that I find interesting: much like Ryuji, he's wearing biker gear. But unlike the Americanized and modern "Skull" outfit, Yusuke's is more reminiscent of Japanese "bosozoku" and rockabilly fashion from the 50's. Goemon even has a massive pompadour. Yusuke had an old fashioned upbringing so it's fitting that his idea of a "rebellious spirit" harkens back to the original teenage rebels, greasers.
I like how Akechi's weapons are based off of kid's toys (and his outfit looks like something a kid would think of when thinking of someone of Justice) because he doesn't want to be seen as a child (or maybe that was somebody else, not 100% sure)
Good analysis and I appreciated the coverage about the literary inspirations for the characters. but a couple of things off the top of my head that could have been covered - 1) The overall theme and inspiration for the design of the game is literature, similar to what television was for P4. While P4 had a really frenzied use of color (as television does, especially anime culture), Persona 5 uses a mostly monochromatic color scheme similar to words on a page - that is part of all of the characters costumes. Also, this game uses a lot of literary storytelling with emphasis on classical literary devices like foreshadowing, metaphor, etc. 2) *SPOILERS BIG FUCKING SPOILERS HERE DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT MASSIVE FUCKING SPOILERS* The militaristic design of Akechi's uniform is really important and ties him closely to Shido's militaristic and neo-fascist ambitions (to the point that his Palace is an enormous battleship). It foreshadows the father/son relationship between the two, the common ideals of the two (specifically morality defined by power), and later, it and his persona become a disguise for his true self-perception as a killer (his assassin outfit) and specifically a fratricidal one (symbolized by Loki).
**Additional missed info** (my opinion): Goro Akechi's role could be referencing the backstabber in the movies, since he doesn't show his true nature until later.
My thoughts for each bosses symbolism: Kamoshida’s big form includes cognitive ann in the cup, giving him a strength boost when drunk, which actually shows his true intents for ann and shiho. Madarame’s battle quote I’LL PAINT ALL OVER YOOOU!!! Is based off his act of removing the meaning of the painting, yusuke, as if getting rid of him. Kaneshiro’s fly form and piggy bank are both symbols of greed and gluttony, or the fly form could be based off of his origins of being a victim to scandals, a fly that can’t stand up for himself Wakaba’s cognitive form is based on her distortion, she yells and screeches, but with a very clear speaking voice, like a siren from greek mythology, similarly, wakaba’s suicide forgers yelled at futaba until she gave into it The S.S. Utopia is similar to the vessel shido’s palace is set upon, but more futuristic, seeing the political world as his own, his palace is also destroyed in the same way shido’s is, it sinks into the abyss, and then explodes, showing how similar their goals are Unlike her very.....sexual human form, Sae’s gun form is very masculine, showing her desire to become a dominating figure in a male fueled world The 4 main men in shido’s ship are based off the animals of noah’s ark, what i believe shido’s palace is based on, they are only useful for him as connections, and only weakly tied to him Akechi’s design and name are based off his failure to comply with his father’s role, in noah’s ark, a dove is the thing to show that the ship will finally see land, the name crow, and his true form losing the purple and red, show the fate of shido’s ship, he will never find land
Futaba's code name isn't really oracle it's Navi. This is due to her role as a navigator. It was changed for localization however even in the Japanese Dub she says Navi
Another thing to note is that Haru's first weapon when she joins you is a labrys/double axe, which is a symbol of women's independence and strenght, this could be tied to her rebelling against her father
Makoto's costume is supposed to be inspired by the one of a post-apocalyptic survivor, expressly Mad Max. After all, what costume better suit the vehicle specialist of the squad then the one from the *greatest* dieselpunk movie in the history of films? It also symbolize her strong will to struggle no matter what abominable condition she was in, just like a post-apocalyptic survivor. As an aside, that posing after her all-out attack, kinda reminiscent of "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru" by Kenshiro, a famous quote from the protagonist of another post-apocalyptic work "Fist of the North Star". Akechi can be a fucking tengu for all I care.
An interesting thing about Morgana's role and his arcana: the Magician is the mentor in the tarot, to guide the Fool in his journey to attain the World.
To be fair you mentioned how Futaba passes out after awakening her persona, but so does every other phantom thief besides Kasumi and Haru, all others were extremely exhausted. For example after Yusuke awakened his Joker and Ryuji had to carry him out
I get that everyone's being all philosophical and deep going into the game's lore and stuff in the comments but can we just talk about edgeworth's picture in haru's costume description
aside from heist movies, I feel the palaces are more inspired by Inception. They infiltrate dreams to instill an idea which is similar to change of heart in persona 5, also the fact on how the shadows appear as the defense system of the palace, with how the palace could change depending on if the dreamer/palace owner had cognition change.
Also the game (including the smallest details like joker’s gloves representing the blood on his hands, arsene or just the color scheme of the game) could also have been meant to be interpreted in different ways possibly in reference to the talk of cognition in the game, what you see connections to in the game and how you see the world and how others do as well, wether it be an endless mystery to a hiker or a monopoly board to a business man or politician. I may be getting off track but all in all the game is made for you to expand your mind and make you look inside your own head
Something I've just noticed that the colour of scheme of Robin Hood is that of Primary colours, Red, blue and yellow. This could be an indication of Akechi as being someone who has a more childish idea of heroism. It could also be a hint at the more complex side to Akechi that is revealed when he unleashes Loki as Akechi's outfit changes from that of primary colours to that of purple and black in a kind of spiral pattern.
With Akechi's character, I believe he draws inspiration from a novel series created by Edogawa Ranpo, who's main character of the series is named Kogoro Akechi. This was actually the reason I was really suspicious of him at the beginning of the game because whilst everyone is a phantom thief quote on quote, he's based off a renowned detective who always solved his cases. But then I was also suspicious just because he didn't have some little kid named Kobayashi as his sidekick, so I just assumed something was amiss xD
with futaba's palace the overcoming herself bit in the boss fight is similar to persona 4, when you beat a boss of say, shadow yukiko the person admits to their "bad side" and awaken, a nice nod to previous installments
Good video, but there is one thing that might be of interest, Futaba's alias was changed during translation. In the Japanese dub, it was 'Navi', which is a Japanese ellipsis of the word 'navigator' and reflects well on her role as well. In the west, it's infamous for the name of the fairy in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Also, all of the persona users showed great fatigue after awakening their persona. Yusuke in particular gets frustrated with this. Edited to add: I found the link between Haru's costume and tricksters as well. It's Princess Sapphire from Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight (known as Ribbon Knight in Japan) Sapphire is a princess who is raised as a boy to protect her kingdom from an evil Duke. She is known as three different people throughout the series, Prince Sapphire, an unnamed princess who is claimed by Sapphire to be her sister as a means to court her love interest, and the Phantom Knight, who fights the Duke's henchmen. In the final arc of the series, Sapphire has three magical orbs melted down and crafted into an axe which she wields to reclaim her kingdom.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Ann and her similarities to Catwoman from DC comics. They are both thieves who have a cat theme to their costumes, both use whips, and they both use there feminine charms to get what they want. Also, Goemon's weakness to fire reflects on how he met his end: by being boiled alive.
Everyone's gloves are a color that is meant to match with their specific element affinity, (except morgana who doesn't wear any), Joker's represent his curse affinity from Arsene. Also Akechi's dress is definitely based on how others percieve him rather than his personal perception, it's basically entirely what they would expect, and the exact opposite of his true nature. His use of fantasy weapons, I think represents the nature of his alliegance with the thieves, he's playing, putting on an act, and when he stops the weapons he uses become very real and very deadly.
Haven't finished watching the video yet, but it's worth noting that Arsene Lupin's first chapter involved him allowing himself to be arrested specifically because he wanted to protect a woman. This is a pretty clear parallel with Joker's backstory.
DylanYoshi Duuuuuuuuude. Nice observation.
give yourself a pat on the back!!! :D
Funny because he lead everyone to believe that he got caught on some dumb mistake, rather he let himself get imprisoned and his defiant and cocky nature made him a clever and sharp planner. At one point he mentions to THE Sherlock Holmes that if he get caught it was on his own accord and that no miracle or circumstance will have him imprisoned. The very thought of that just doesn't exist. Lmao Arsene is such a suave commanding troll haha
@Dylan and StarForce
Holy shit that is brilliant!
Now this further strengthens the reasons on why Arsene is a perfect Persona that thematically fits with Akira/Joker's personality
Yeah very aptly themed. Maurice LeBlanc writes him in such a way that he makes him the troll for most of the story, but enough so that you respect his wit. I would suggest buying the novels, or a collection of them. My highest recommendation is The Fair Hair Lady. It where he squares off against Sherlock Holmes. (Name Helmlock Shers for copyright reason back then with the author, a trivia also brought up in persona 5 classroom.)
Milady also lacks a head because in the original novel, Milady de Winter was beheaded.
hm... Maybe a reference with the ax, given an ax has been used for beheading throughout history.
The lack of head and face with the constant posture of holding a mask to conceal her nonexistant "face" is a symbolism for lack of identity just like the video said.
@@iwannaseehowlongyoucanmakethis Could just be both.
@Ryan M Spoiler for a novel that was made in 1844
*tips fedora*
Goro's mask also has the biggest nose... is it foreshadowing that he is a liar?
I also though Akechi's mask loosely resembles a plague mask, another possible forshadow that he is the plague of the phantom thieves.
To the Japanese, it may also resemble a tengu, and crow tengu in particular can be devious and prideful.
It's a Crow's beak, like his code name.
It reminds me of mask worn by children book character called "Thief Lord", only its red and not black. Heres the conection, Thief Lord was fake. In reality he was rich kid palying the role of master thief in order for his orphan friends to accept him as one of them.
It's been a while since I played P5 but wasn't his true persona Loki (the trickster god from norse mythology), this could be because of how he lies about his true intentions to the Phantom Thieves and "tricks" them into helping him. Also this would explain how his normal persona Robin Hood is all just a big trick/lie.
Thinking about it a bit, you can also connect Ryugi with a staple item a piratehas been known to have: The peg leg. Sure, he never lsot a leg to get this wooden stick of a replacement, but after Kamoshida broke his leg, he was unable to run. Always having to deal with his bit of a limp. While he still has it, it still FEELS like his leg was taken away.
MagusAndrus I was wondering why he didn't have a peg leg. Seemed like a missed opportunity
He still has the sequels of his broken leg tho. Look at how strange he walks, it's almost as if he's limping.
This is a really cool idea that I somehow never really picked up on. Very nice friend, ty!
MagusAndrus a
Yes! I was thinking that!
Red gloves, he's a thief, if he gets caught he gets caught red-handed. Or am I the only one that interprets it like that?
That's the same thing he said...why do you think it's called "red-handed"? Because the blood is still on the hands.
this video is more acurate as it follows the japanes symbolism, which inspired in turn the character design
or something else thats red, like paint, wine, ketchup, Ann, etc.
Za Warubro I always thought that the gloves (of all the thieves except Morgana) represent the element they learn like Arsene learns curse so his gloves are red, Captain kidd learns electricity so ryuji's gloves are yellow, carmen learns fire so her gloves are orange and so on
I think the prevalence of black in his costume symbolises his seemingly quiet nature which he uses for disguise. The gloves add a red tint to his outfit, which is a very defiant color and which heavily contrasts with black, as how his inner trickster contrasts with the quiet ruse that he has been putting up. What's also interesting is that in the calmer moments of palace heists (like talking outside the palace) he keeps his hands in his pockets, completely hiding the red from his otherwise black outfit, just as Joker hides the flamboyant trickster side of him in normal life.
Another aspect of Morgana's persona being Zorro could be how he struggles trying to appear masculine or macho, albeit his squishy appearance. Zorro is one of the more macho characters in fiction, and as personas represent inner desires as well, it's fitting for Mona.
which is why Zoro's design puts emphasis on his upper body, giving him a barrel chest and massive arms
Everytime I see Zorro I can't help but get a Luchador feeling from the design, too much Guacamelee makes that body shape look Lucha to me
I heared that Zoro is also suppose to represent how Morgana while being small has a big and strong spirit.
I leave a Link to the Video where I geared it: th-cam.com/video/G8tD38fCBpo/w-d-xo.html
@Advent Of Sloth or to Germano Mosconi (for those who dunno Germano Mosconi Is an Italian journalist who went famous cause the thing he said in TV and the famous known in Italy Italian sentence:chi è quel MONA che sbatte la porta? (Who Is that MONA who pushed the door?!) ._. this was only a joke though, don't take this seriously,atlus surely doesn't even know about this ...
one funny thing is that on the book ''art of persona 5'' the designers specifically say that they went for a bloated look on zorro's upper body so as to make us doubt if he's really strong or if he's just a balloon that only seems strong. It's hard to define the line of what morgana is and what he wants to be, and that's by degisn which is super cool
not to mention morgana is a feminine name, so everything about him is contradictory, reminiscent of his memory loss and desires x reality
I heard somewhere that maybe Akechi's outfit that resembles a prince could have been made to be as ridiculous as possible to mock the phantom thieves. Even his weapons, which are things that could be considered toys for children.
Nice observation.
It can also be an indication of "falsehood," that the face Akechi is presenting to the party is a "fake" one.
Thinking about Robin Hood, he looks a LOT like a traditional Super Hero design, obviously more of Akechi trying to really push that "I'm a good guy everyone" feeling he's got working childishly, instead of something more down to earth and real to himself, there isn't a way on earth that even the Public face of Akechi could be really aligned with Robin Hood, he'd be more like Batman for a design tbh, a wise detective with a troubled past, and all the skills and tools to track down his marks himself and bring them in, even though ol' Bats is a superhero it actually fits him better then SUPER ROBIN HOOD does
+Cloudmonkey I think it was a major missed opportunity that Goro didn't have Sherlock Holmes for his persona.
As an honest Persona I'd have expected it, but Goro was trying to really play into their Virtuous Thief schtick, and so he forged a fake persona of Robin Hood instead, and threw as much imagery of light and goodness as he could up, with a small hand in darkness, a show that he'll get his hands dirty even if its distasteful to him, you can see it in Hood's moveset, Light and Dark, but a weakness to Dark
He tried to be a Gentleman who is a thief, not a Gentleman Thief
Actually, if you look closely, Morgana IS wearing a mask that covers most of his head/face. You can see it clearly due to the back thing of said mask.
FuttyAndMuffins yes
FuttyAndMuffins you can easily tell when he closes his eyes you can tell his face is all white and he is wearing a black mask
When Madarame mentioned "The one with the black mask", how come they didn't realise that Morgana has a black mask, and didn't stop to think he was referring to Morgana?
uwu I have never thought of that until after I posted the comment.
i was so shook when i found out it was a frickin black cap
Also, Haru’s outfit is the exact opposite of her father’s shadow. Where shadow Okumura is sci-fi, Haru wears an older type of outfit since she BETRAYS her father.
I saw it as a sort of Highwayman garb.
@@prometheanrebel3838 did you predict the main person of five x by accident
Akechi's costume is meant to be something of an inverse version of Joker's; a white coat instead of black, tight to the body instead of a flowing cape, prominent mask to Joker's more subdued, and the shoulder epaulettes that set him apart in almost a self appointed leadership way, or military commander, and his similar but sci-fi versions of the weapons Joker wields. His costume is also a throwback to many sci-fi anime of the 70's, particularly of Char Aznable of Mobile Suit Gundam.
i honestly just noticed it but i just realized his phantom thief outfit kinda looks similar to shadow shido's first form, at least with the shoulder epaulette-military commander thing going on. could just be thinking too hard, but that's an interesting thing to note.
@@singoflovesongs Well like Father like Son i guess.
So akechi is just a jealous nerd
I love the concept that his outfit is pretty much the opposite of Joker's. It makes it feel like he really rebels against the main character that much more.
It’s called the Prince Suit though...
Word of God says that Joker was designed to be reminiscent of a cat (despite his mask being bird-themed), possibly due to him being deceptively docile, elegant, hiding mysteries, and the fact that he often wanders through town like a stray cat.
Joker's mask is supposed to be based off the velvet room butterfly actually
@@PresidentPixel word of god means the creators said what op said
I always thought the mask was based off of a masquerade mask and that he carried a masquerade of rebellion
Cats were also the animal that represented freedom in Roman mythology I think
@@PresidentPixel really!? I always thought it was supposed to be some kind of masquerade mask, or something?
Goro's outfit reflects his childhood love of sentai. To be precise, Neo Featherman. He's parading himself as the hero, which he himself references when he says that he feels his costume reflects his hero status when the others comment on it. Combine in his use of toy guns and lightsabers, this reflects his childish side. Also, for when it switches more to Loki costume, it's twisting him into a black knight.
PrimeofPerfection I actually think that the role of Black Knight is very appropriate for Goro. While most people think that Black Knights were symbols of evil, they were actually just knights who did not serve a single master. Like the video states, his original costume was meant to appear as a white knight coming to save the day. So both of Goro's costumes relate to knights, both the ones seen as noble, and the ones seen as evil. However, Goro is not strictly on the side of good, (The Phantom Thieves) or evil (Shido), as he serves no master. He is simply using them to achieve his own goals.
Damn you Neo Featherman!
Thought you said hentai
I also had Gundam in mind where the evil more militaristic army had more german-esque uniforms reminiscing of a wwi uniforms. Which also look very princely.
What does akechis other half in Persona 5 royal when hes using loki syomoblize? (Hes wearing all black and his persona is loki) and you get to control him
You forgot the Greek meaning of Oracle its not just a DC thing but an Oracle was a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions or precognition of the future. Just like Futaba does with the team with buffs and info during and outside of battle
True, of course thats where the DC oracle gets her name from too.
It's a late response but Futaba's original code name is Navi. Oracle is the adaptation of localiztion team. Good interpretation nonetheless.
John Johnson WAIT SHE IS CALLED NAVI IN THE JAPANESE VERSION?!? *ocarina of time PTSD intensify*
@@noxtrin3315 HEY! LISTEN!
Solqueen86 maybe it’s weird reference to the oracle ability from p3
Take note that nearly every main persona of the cast is also modeled after figures who rebelled against society for the greater good, a common theme amongst the characters of Persona 5. Meanwhile, Haru's outfit is based on the three musketeers, the story where Milady is from. To add on with Ann, Kamoshida constantly sees her as a sexual object and not a person and personally, much like Carmen, she now uses her sexuality as a weapon against people like him to show that she's not just an object for peoplw to gawk at.
I just realized Makoto goes "nuclear" once she's sick of being a doormat
The irony is that oracle came about because of Jokers influence though:
Comics: joker brought her to her lowest level
Game: Joker helped her rise to her highest point
And she looks exactly like Barbara Gordon too lol. Missed opportunity for a batgirl dlc for Futaba.
Sanno Ryujin Arkham Knight dlc- Futaba outfit for Batgirl
Her Japanese code name is Navi, in reference to her role as the team’s navigator.
whoa
Agreed. Such is irony.
"Makoto's persona is the only one that turns into a vehicle"
Necronomicon: "Am I a joke to you?"
Futaba: Necro turns into a whole ass UFO and Johanna is the only with recognition of vehiclization?! I shall not stand for this! *HaCkS into her own cognition*
Does a UFO counts as a vehicle?
@@jackthebeeenthusiast Yes :3
@@jackthebeeenthusiast a vehicle is some you ride to get around
A ufo is used by aliens to fly around
Thus Necromnomicon counts as a vehicle
AveronisGaming oh, I see
Haru's outfit is like that of The Three Musketeers, characters from the same story her Persona is from.
Lin2Waterfall Still very masculine.
I took it as a reference to Bonnie and Clyde the American Gangster couple
the fuck? bonnie and clyde is western, Haru's Attire is based off of European style from 1620's
dude I thought that it felt very Bonnie to me, I could do without the hostility
Lector Dreadwood dude her persona is literally a character from the three musketeers.
Since a few people have touched on the symbolism of each character's gloves and their related element, I thought I would bring up an albeit small detail about Carmen - the two heart-headed men depicted with her are likely references to her two main love interests: Don Jose, whom she seduced away from the life of an honorable soldier to a reckless life of abandon on the road as a thief/con artist, but she later grew tired of him. Likely he is the one trapped under her heel. The other figure is probably intended to represent the matador Escamillo (or in the novel, Lucas, who was a picador instead - however his role is much shorter and less significant), who was also drawn in by Carmen and had become her new love interest by the final act of the opera. She treats him with more dignity than Don Jose (in fact, there are some who interpret Carmen and Escamillo as genuinely in love with one another but we wont turn this into a full-blown Carmen analysis), so he is probably the one portrayed as being "dragged along".
And do you think Kamoshida and Joker could represent Don Jose and Escamillo? Don Jose being Kamoshida, and Joker being Escamillo, if the player chooses to date her, of course.
Or Morgana, with his diehard crush on Ann, could represent Escamillo
Good point, but I think Joker represents the latter better, because of the cutscenes with them that make the audience think that Ann and Joker in the near future may fall in love. Ann has never really expressed interest in Morgana, so I think it's fair that it's probably Joker.
In general the characters are facing their Shadows before they acquire their Personas. Keep in mind that the voices they hear are all played by their respective voice actors. The difference between 4 is that the TV world is created to twist your desires and manipulate you into denying your other self. In 5, this isn't happening because the characters are always repressing themselves and are put in situations where they are pressured to the point where they accept their true selves.
True, in the TV World, Shadows intentionally are malicious, this can be most noted with SKanji, who is noted to have been with Kanji for days before the team showed up, but its only once the Team shows up that it goes on its rant and sets Kanji off, they play on peer pressure and self loathing
I would not say it is because of malice. Shadows are self destruction archetypes but by human nature they also do not want to stay hidden. That is why they wait for a crowd ( or rain). They want to put a show.
This is a great video, I just wanted to add something about the colour of the gloves: The colour of the gloves the person wears indicate which type or element they represent;
The protagonist/Joker: Red, Curse (When he awoke to his first persona Arsene)
Ryuji: Yellow, electric type
Ann: Pink, fire
Yusuke: Blue, Ice
Makoto: Silver or metalic colour, nuclear
Haru: Purple, psychokinetic skills
akechi: White, bless attacks
Only Morgana is the exception, has no gloves
There has to be a joke around here somewhere. Joker is a criminal so I guess it's meant to imply in a "comedic" way that they caught him "Red handed".
BossyMafia You forgot Akechi. He wears white gloves, meaning he uses Bless/Almighty attacks.
I read somewhere that describes Akechi's gloves gray/light gray?
his non metaverse clothing always use gray gloves. His robin hood costume use white which make his gloves color the same as Makoto
SPOILER his loki costume use the gray one SPOILER
shit I never noticed that, well spotted õ-o
Anne's suit is also inspired by her childhood, in her confidant track, she talks about how much she admired villainesses she saw on TV growing up, so she has a "superhero"-esque costume.
Also, Haru best thief suit.
You should have included Goro's other costume in there as well. Brief as it is in appearance, it's still vitally important. It's downright Jeckyll and Hyde level of psychological insight.
Goro's 'Crow' costume is the 'good' side. While it does resemble the 'Prince Charming/hero' stereotype, the kind that masses will see in a positive light, it's not without its hints at danger. His mask and cape both hint at the tengu, a Japanese demon that are said to be both benevolent and mischievous or downright malevolent. They are masters of illusions and deception. He uses this costume to fool everyone into thinking he is an ally, while he's using the team for his own agenda. As 'Crow' he is actually doing something about the injustices of the world (or at least in Japan.)
The 'Black Mask' attire still has some 'heroic' attributes. At first glance, it can resemble a knight, the 'heroes' of old Europe, and still around the same time period as Robin Hood. However, as his Black Mask costume resembles Loki, we see the deeper, chaotic representation behind it. His 'loyalty to his Lord' is all an act, and we see that he cares only about his own goals. 'Black Mask' is the selfish side that some can argue was his first awakening and his will to not only rebel but to survive all his life.
It's also important to note that both his costumes hold a duality to them. Princes and knights can be good or evil, as many stories all over the world will show. The stark color palettes between the two of red and white versus black and blue, along with a more clearly cut versus a wild and erratic style show a sort of yin-yang theme in relation to his mentality (even hinted at in his zodiac as a Gemini). Goro embraces whatever he must to have the ends justified in his plans, even going so far as apparently killing the protagonist.
In the book, Hyde wasn't Jeckyll's evil. All the serum did was alter Jeckyll's appearance, even making him younger, which he then used as a mask of anonymity so he can indulge in less than socially acceptable actions.
Can we also touch on the fact that his Black mask very strongly resembles the helmet of the berserk armour from Berserk. That whole reference itself has pretty clear meanings behind it too, his attitude in combat does become relentless and unhinged like Guts would become when he gives into his rage.
HE’S A GEMINI!? I’M A GEMINI!
@@PhoenicopterusR That was probably a visual nod and homage more than anything.
@@AnimeAngel88 I think even as an homage it still shows a quality of his character. An added layer of the visual metaphor on top of a popular reference. Also, I'm kinda shocked you responded to this after a year, I had forgotten I even watched this video.
This was a neat video, but I feel like you could have elaborated to include their Awakened Personas as well.
Taking what I thought of makoto for example, her initial Persona is designed as a motorcycle to symbolize how she was always pushed around for other people's gains, and because of her position, she believed that she could not resist, just as vehicles cannot simply say that they dont want to follow their driver's will.
After she has awkaned to Anat, it is clear that she, as a person, has learned that she has no obligation to follow what her peers or superiors say, such as her sister Sae. As such, the Motorcycle has gained the ability to stand on her own.
Moreover, it can be said that many if not all of the Persona designs are directly connected to the palaces thay they awaken in. Again taking Makoto as an example, Kaneshiro's Boss Form uses a giant Silver Pig, which is a similar color and shine to Johanna/Anat.
Speedwagon_Corporation and as a referential bonus, Makoto's awakened Persona looks like a transformer while the pig robot is called "Piggytron".
I think touching on Loki would've helped with the Goro stuff
i can understand why he didn't go over Loki, probably avoiding as many spoilers with Goro as he can
he said in the beggining that there would be spoilers in the video, so i don't see why he woudn't add that
I don't think personas have to do with where they are awakened.
Thug and Fem Fatalle don't fit a castle
Ufo doesn't fit pyramids
Ladies don't fit with sci fi space travel?
3:16 This might be me looking into it a bit too much. But have you noticed that Joker almost always have his hands in his pockets? only taking them out when he gestures, during a chat? Even the most dramatic moments in the game he still puts his hands away, boss monologue, touching confidant talks, etc.
If the theory of his hands symbolizing that he's a criminal (blood of the innocents on your hands) are true, then one way to look at it would be that he's trying to hide, or downplay, his "criminal" past.
@@GrassPokeKing The protagonist in Persona 3 (just an extremely apathetic kid who's more admired by his peers rather than ostracized) is also pretty notorious for always having his hands in his pockets, even when he's running, so idk if it's really anything too special or specifically designated for the P5 protag. But I also don't know if the pocket thing also extends to the P4 protag, I've never played it.
@@lindsfreey9080 Door-kun has killed before, and will kill again!
11:51 when the change to persona 4 happened it made me realize the quality has skyrocketed
Milady De Winter, Haru’s persona, is an antagonist in the three musketeers story. Haru is wearing the Cavalier hat, which the musketeers are known for wearing. You know that Haru probably takes her sense of rebellion from a place of chivalry and it shows in the way she acts. Not quite sure where else to develop that idea but it’s an interesting parallel nonetheless
Joker - The Phantom Theif
Skull - The Brawn
Panther - The Temptress
Fox - The Counterfeitor
Queen - The Strategist/Escape Driver
Oracle - The Hacker
Noir - The Insider
Mona - The Mastermind
-‐-----------------------------------------
Crow - The Traitor
How is makoto the escape driver? If anything, that's Morgana
And Sumire is?
bruh this is a cringe comment lol
@@sebjink.9037 Only fitting to get a cringe response.
@@squirtleislife1312 dude morgana says he needs a driver, and makoto has been driving for the group ever since she joined so...
Note to Goro's Phantom Thief outfit: His mask bears resemblance to a plague mask and of a tengu (the tengu detail being added to represent his pride as tengus are known to be prideful). His clothes are both of a mix of a prince's and a general or war tactician's clothes, representing that, even he is of high status, he manages to take command in his own hands.
Another: as you can see, Goro's outfit tends to stand out if compared to the protagonist's Metaverse outfit. Taking note of Goro's outfit, personality, and life style, it can be confirmed that he acts like the star of a play/heist/et cetera which completely contrasts the role of the protagonist as a man behind the stage/background character that lurks (his clothes are dark and blend nicely in the shadows, plus he is not easily noticeable unless he himself decides to show himself).
I just like that extra detail due to MC and Goro has the Wild Talk ability and both of them use it differently.
Wild Talk is just an extension of the Wild Card after all, and Goro's seems twisted, rather then finding new aspects of himself, he sculpts fakes to work with
Yeah this post is five years old but.....
I disagree. The mask is more like Harlequin from italian comedies. Harlequin has a long nose and is very pompous. The uniform reminds me of a ringmaster in a circus. It shows Goro is putting up a very good show. Even his persona is show version of some kind of superhero then Robin Hood. Plus...there is the Harlequin sydrom, that turn one side of the face red.......a real twofaced person i might say.
Great video, I like your ideas! At the same time, I kinda disagree with your thoughts on Goro, because *SPOILERS*
I like to think of Robin Hood as his first persona. He is rebelling against Shido, who is basically King John to Robin Hood, at the same time he is Shido's son, so if Shido is the king, he is the prince which explains his princely attire. Goro also grew up without a father, which can cause children to have trouble with development and maturity which can be a reason for the light sabers and laser guns *(OR it could be something like Naoto and he believes he was forced to grow up and act all mature in person, but behind the scenes he is still yearning for those child like activities.)
At the same time I think his second persona Loki is representative of who he has become because of all those things he is asked to do. His costume changes to all black to reflect the way he feels his heart has changed and he looks more like a gun for hire than a prince. His new persona Loki is an appropriate change as well because (1) his father is still super important (ODIN) and (2) Loki brings about Rangnarok which kills Odin. Pretty solid choices if you ask me lol
I always though Goro developed 2 Personas because he had ähm well 2 Personas. His public image Persona of Charismatic Ace detective and his real Persona the crazy murderer.
Although that Robin Hood is a Thieve might speaks against that Theory.
I wondered if Conan (a Character from the Anime Case closed) would become a Persona user would he have 2 Personas? 1 fore his real self Shinichi and one fore his fake self Conan.
That lign of thought is probably wrong but its still an interesting one.
I do agree that akechi has two sides of himself. It's said in-game that one can only have one persona because they only have one "heart" aka one personality but joker can swicht personalities at will something that he does with social links. He can adapt to the situation (it's what they call the Power of the wild card) and akechi can also adapt. Spoilers ahead: He can be the charming and smart Prince detective but he can also be the murderer blinded by the desire of revenge. In the end (spoiler alert) he does seem to regret what he did and saves the Phantom Thieves. (Btw was I the only one that cried when he died?)
His second costume does resemble Gut's Berserker armor, with the canine-like head and all, but he acts more like Griffith. He sells out the Phantom Theives, Band of the Hawk, so that he may gain his father's attention, in Griffith's case for power.
Loki was also the God of Mischief and could shapeshift and transform, much like Akechi caused the mental shutdowns
4:34 “When you look at Morgana’s Metaverse form there is one word that comes to mind.”
Me: A cat.
“A swashbuckler”.
Me: ... I was close.
That is true. He does look like a debonair swordsman straight out of something like The Princess Bride.
car
*Please, let me chime in on Haru's design. Especially her pants.*
In the middle-ages and the 17th century, it was forbidden(or seen as as blasphemy) for women to wear that which men wears(pantaloons) and vice versa
Your Persona vids. are awesome. Please keep up the good work.
Yoske is also a ronan, someone without a master. That is why he caries a single sword. he is a false samurai because he does no carry two swords.
I think Haru look was lifted from the Musketeers who were at times as much rebels and robbers as they were servants of the king. In the book they the tree musketeers were often dueling and fighting with others which was illegal.
Robin Hood it seems to me has some very obviousness comic superhero inspirations. With his RH logo on his chest and his heavily muscular build and the use of primary colors in his outfit.
Cage532
Haru kinda has this French theme going on with her. In the English-speaking societies, people usually associate anything French with class, grace and aristocy. As a member of the bourgeoisie, it's only natural for Haru to adopt the attire of a French musketeer.
Persona 3: dark
Persona 4: Cheerful
Persona 5: Classily classified
Persona 5 Royal: Absolutely Royal.
Another thing about Ann's costume: To me, it is quite reminiscent of a superhero/supervillain. If I recall correctly, in one of her early confidant ranks she says she looked up to a female superhero or super villain (can't remember which) in a show when she was a child. I assume it was probably a villain since it symbolizes her sense of rebellion.
Ann's firearm, a submachine gun, while using it in one hand shows her utter disdain to caring, with how she holds it means that she doesn't care about missing, she wants it done (if she used it with 2 hands she would not have to worry about recoil as much.) jokers pistol usage is like his knife, however it also could be used to defend innocents instead of assassinate.
Youskues usage of assault rifles symbolizes his precise and controlled personality, instead of full auto, with him wasting rounds, he instead used precision and bursts in 3.
Baker Tankersley Haru just wants to see the world burn
Makoto's usage of revolvers symbolizes her justice, while also bringing connotations of justice.
Black Mask's silenced pistol refers both to his role as an assassin, and to his true face being something discreetly kept secret. His serrated sword references his sadism.
I would argue Haru's grenade launcher just means she no longer gives a single duck.
also of note: Akechi's main weapon is a blue lightsaber. The most well known of these weapons is Anakin's Lightsaber. Anakin later became Darth Vader, who was essentially Sidious' hitman, like Goro is Shido's hitman. In addition, Shido ends up betraying Akechi, like how Sidious tries to cast Vader aside in favour of Luke.
And like Anakin, he sacrifices his life and joins the light side again. He also had a troubled childhood, similar to Anakin. He was a messianic detective figure like Anakin was a messianic Jedi.
@@Thiago_Alves_Souza He was also a "chosen one", having been granted unmatched power by Yaldabaoth.
Nice analysis! I'd also say that Goro's initial persona has the look and build of a stereotypical american superhero, symbolizing how he or society views him as the noble hero of this story and that the whole superhero thing fits with his childish motif (rayguns, laser swords) either as a way of reminiscing of a childhood he didn't have or his refusal to grow up.
Maybe the motif also shows how he thinks the whole Phantom thief thing is so childish, it's beneath him to go all out?
I didn't realise that they put that much thought into their costumes. that's pretty awesome
Jennifer Bibi it truly is quite impressive how much meaning there is. Love it
Of course they do, its the basis for Character Design. When designing characters symbolism is used to subtlety emphasize aspects of the character in some way. Shigenori Soejima is great at it!
This is a very informative video. I've been waiting for someone to talk about the game's themes. Thank you so much!
By the way, are you Filipino? You sound like one.
Feliciano Mondigo III are you filipino bro?
Yep.
Yeah. Hahaha
I like to add one thing about Ryuji costume: He doesn't look like a biker just as a nod, Ryuji has a special relationship with speed, he is a runner and his first persona is atop a ship while hsi later persona is also atop a fast vehicle. he is also the one most impressed with Makoto's persona.
In a similar vein Ann clothing also takes inspiration from classic evil ladies in young kids show something out of tokusatsu, which she admired as a kid, as the villainnes while not being a good person acted in a true and strong fashion.
Well since you haven't included awaked persona's it might be a good idea doing another video on them!
Even More Spoilers Ahead:
Some things on goro:
His original costume does foreshadow some of his other roles in the history, his prince like clothes could be seen as connecting him to the ruler of pride, his father Shido, which is an important aspect of rebellion for him and is one thing that does not change between costumes is the elegance and regality of it though there is much more of a martial aspect to the clothes, also Loki is a dark prince, even though his relation in mythology is of brotherhood with the king, but in much of modern perception he is Odin's son. But coming back to the orginal his costume includes a tengu mask, tengu are known for being harbringers of conflict and being arrogant and powerful. His persona robinhood also takes some inspiration from tengus having some avian features and triangular enlongated shapes which brings a connection to forests and wild areas as tengus are also known as guardian deities of such areas, he also has superhero colors and simbolism keeping with Goro's desire to be seen as a hero.
Finally compeltely on Loki and Goro other costume: The black and white stripes can represent his duplicity, the mask now rises at the edges similarly to Loki's horns, the persona design is completely angular giving off a feel of danger and it's 3 colors are the ones used by shadows while changing forms, his legs become somehow like a horse hinting at loki's transformation ability, the way he carries his sword and sits on it can be interpreted as he being the creator of violence and enjoying it.
Some things on awaked personas:
Ryuji is Saiten Teisen, more commonly know as Su Wukong, the monkey king another ambivalent figure known for violence, but also by his bravery and in The Journey to the West even honor. Which seems to fall inline with the idea that Ryuji's found a place for himself even if people think of him as a delinquent and is better able to control his anger and agressivness. Also he is atop a flying cloud famed by it's speed, you don't get amore direct reference to running fast than that.
Makoto's awaked persona is Anat, which is both goddess of fertility and war, she is both the chaste and wantonly, thus I think this in many ways represent her new agreement with the expectations around her, she still is the honor student but now she does it for herself while being a phantom thief, Anat also revelas more of her aggresiveness and is pretty representative of a strategist, I might be going on a limb but Johanna giving birth and turning into a goddess of fertility seems significative of her new outlook at life.
Can't say anything about the other's awakened persona's as Yusuke is the only other one I got in my first playthrough and I have only second hand knowledge of the legends regarding Susanoo, though I do believe a swordsman god fits with Yusuke ideal of cutting through the impure to find beauty, while also simbolizing his own faults and how he rises above them.
7:48 I have another theory concerning the relation of Goemon to Yusuke. Madarame lied often just so he could profit off of his copies of Sayuri, correct? Then Yusuke awoke to the lies he was always being fed, leading to the awakening of his Persona and ultimately helping Joker and the others take Madarame down. This could be a reference to Goemon's legend of how he took from the rich to give back to the poor. Sure, no one got their money back from the fake Sayuri's. However, money is not the only thing one can steal. In a way, Yusuke _did_ steal from Madarame. He stole back the genuine Sayuri which then only existed as a Treasure due to Madarame ruining the original Sayuri, therefore making the original viewable only as his Treasure. He also helped steal away Madarame's mask of lies he kept feeding to society to hide the truth, which helped everyone have the truth given back to them. See where the Goemon thing ties in? Yusuke stole the truth from his villainous teacher and gave the truth back to society to help them open their eyes.
I apologize for this being so long. I wanted to make sure I wrote it so (hopefully) everyone could understand what I was saying. I hope this made sense. 👌
Ann's outfit isn't leather. It's explicitly stated in-game to be latex.
Ew, sounds uncomfortable.
@@GrassPokeKing sounds sexy
@@rexmckey1604 Wrong and false, sounds bad.
But hey, what do I know, I wouldn't be satisfied with any of their outfits unless they strapped some pieces of armor to 'em.
@@GrassPokeKing I hear people say that a lot in regards to armor in JRPGs but it doesn't really work in Persona. They are fighting completely mental abstractions, they don't need real armor. Would be silly to see something like Ann's outfit in the mainline SMT series though.
@@Xeper616 Technically, I don't need real armor, either, but I still wanna wear it over anything else. AESTHETICS, BOYE.
Besides, haven't you heard? If you die in your mind, you die in real life.
Akechi’s outfit is my favorite, and I believe it has one of the deeper meanings. Akechi is trying his best to fit in with the Phantom Theives, so he tries his best to disguise himself as them while mocking them. His costume is all white and gold, colors traditionally associated with purity. If he’s trying to make himself seem good, of course he’s going to make his outfit the colors of good and morality. His second color is his bright red bird mask. Debatably, the most striking part of Joker and harem are their masks. In this case, of course Akechi would want to make his mask stand out! All of the theive’s masks are loud and striking, so Akechi makes his the most eye catching color: red. This also is related to the red of his true mask of the costume he wears during his final fight. Also, in Joker’s mask, he has a bit of a point going outward to make sure his nose isn’t being crushed. Akechi saw this and, possibly to mock Joker’s outfit, made his nose large, similar to a bird’s. Going along with the outfit, his all out attack is what he pictures the phantom theive’s as. We, the player, see them as cool and stylish finishing moves. But, when you look at it from a neutral perspective, they’re just doing some crazy stuff and striking a loud pose. Akechi takes this to the extreme, basically flailing around before he strikes his final, over the top pose. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
Something interesting. The handgun that joker originally used, the Tokerev tt33, and the handgun aketchi uses, the Mauser m712, both effectively used the same handgun cartridge. However,the Mauser m712's approach would doom it, the tt33 was able to adapt (thanks to its original history of its design, coming from a of origin of a design superior to the m712, the m1911, which in the game is called "the governance" and the handguns in the m1911 style would become mainstream, while the m712 would be forgotten to history. Another example is that in the last scene, joker uses a desert eagle, a handgun that is commonly known to be used as a way of progression if it is used as execution piece in the plots because of its intimidating appearance and high power.
Akechi's mask shows him having a long nose like Pinocchio - A liar.
Contrasts nicely with his all out attack stating that his 'Sole desire is to seek the truth'
Actually the nose is referential to Tengu, who are a proud and boastful youkai, just as Akechi was a extremely proud and boastful man
@@syrelian and his relation to shido, he who represents pride
@@velvetsparrow what's the name of this story?
@@velvetsparrow what is the name of your persona 5 story
@@ahmedimrannaeem3305 deleted, that’s what
One correlation in between Haru's weapon and her persona that I noticed, is that in 3 Musketeers novel, Milady de Winter is beheaded by executioner wielding one.
(nearly) all the cast's glove colors represent the new form of magic they bring to the Phantom thieves, Jokers are red for Curse, Ryuji's are yellow for Electric, Ann's are pink for Fire, Yusuke's are blue for Ice, Makoto's are white for nuclear, Futaba's are neon green bc thats the hacker color lol, Haru's are purple for Psi, and Akechi's are white for Bless
13:55 That explains why her codename uses the masculine spelling of noir instead of the feminine noire
While Kamoshida held Ann in the regard of "sex Kitten", Ann's rebellion was to become "Kitten with a Whip". A theatrical trope seen in many movies and TV shows.
Mokoto's martial art is Aikido which is not usually associated with striking but using leverage with a peaceful spirit. The combination of the motorcycle motif with fists/knuckles suggests the freedom aspect in the metaverse.
Akechi has a black ninja assassin outfit before he joins the Phantom Thieves, and his first name suggestion for himself is crow. The crow is another trickster.
Something I noticed about Akechi's Persona Robin Hood, is that it's design is similar to that of a comic book/cartoon superhero. Complete with an insignia on his chest, and a lot of feathery decorations. It could possibly be a nod to the Featherman series, and hint at Akechi's desire to view himself as the hero in is own story.
The red gloves of the protagonist could also be a reference to the phrase "caught red handed" both in regards to his criminal past and events that happen later in the plot.
Robin Hood also reminds me of somewhat traditional designs of Western Super Heroes, particularly Superman with the visible abs and iconic emblem on his chest. Perhaps symbolizing either an intentional facade on his part to present an image of being a strong hero who swoops in to save the day, but also could belay that his very existence is a cultural betrayal of Japanese values.
Also his ultimate Persona is Loki, perhaps the single most famous and popular Trickster God in all of mythological fiction. Ironic considering that in his attempt to fool the phantom thieves they completely see through his transparent lies and he ends up being the one who is tricked (Shido also implies he wasn't fooled by Goro and was going to betray him in the end also) this seems relevant to me considering his REAL Metaverse outfit reminds me of Fenrir, another figure of Norse mythology who bites off Loki's arm, just like how ultimately Goro was his own downfall both figuratively and literally.
Pancakes
Actually Fenrir took Tyr's arm not Loki's.
Bites off Tyrs arm. Not Loki's
The 5s on either side of Goemon could also be referencing the Emperor arcarna (the arcana that Yusuke represents) as it is the 5th arcana in a tarot card deck
Goro Akechi's name could be a reference to Kogoro Akechi. From the SMT wiki:
Goro Akechi is a reference to the name Kogoro Akechi (明智 小五郎), a fictional private detective created by Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Ranpo (a pseudonym for Tarō Hirai) from the story "The Case of the Murder on D. Hill" in January 1925 and continued to appear in stories for a quarter of a century. Edogawa Rampo is considered the father of the Japanese detective story and was a great admirer of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Akechi is the first recurring detective character in Japanese fiction and is clearly inspired by Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. It also makes sense for Akechi to be the rival of the team as in the introduction to the translated version of 'The Early Cases of Kogoro Akechi' The Fiend with Twenty Faces (Akechi's main rival) is referred to as 'more of an Arsene Lupin than a Moriarty'
This could also reference his role in the story of wanting to catch the Phantom Thieves, and his connection to the protagonist.
you might be right on, ranpo´s akechi has a nemesis twenty faces, then remember the protagoninst has the ability to summon multiple personas
It's very likely. The Fiend of twenty faces is also described as a gentleman thief and master of disguise in the Wikipedia article about him.
Actually the number of the Emperor's Arcana is 4. The Hierophant is 5.
Oh that's right, the Fool is 0 or 22. Well, when the arcarna are listed in the compendium, it's the 5th one listed, so it's possible but more of a reach.
This is a very insightful video, but I think that Akechi's princely garb can also be seen as his own symbol of rebellion. If you know about his backstory from the game, Akechi might have some similar experiences to Munehisa Iwai and embodied the fears that he had in regards to his own son: potentially ostracized and abused for things that were out of his control such as the circumstances of his birth and the decisions of his parents. Although it is implied that he is a victim of this, Akechi may be rebelling by refusing to stay in the class that would be assigned to someone with his origins. Rather than staying a pauper, he fashions himself as one of the elite through the uses of trickery and the supernatural... which more aligned with Aladdin from One Thousand and One Nights than Robin Hood.
HaloSage1 his other costume is interesting to. The stripes are diagonal which portrays trends of progress or decline, mirroring his rise in popularity and decent into madness. His, “ mask,” is also a knights helmet with a visor to raise and lower rather than a mask to take on and off, showing that he’s always guarded rather than releasing himself all out unlike the others.
Hm.. I thought the red gloves of Joker would represent his "main" element, Arsene's dark-magic, just like it is with the other characters gloves (Yusuke=blue=ice, Ryuji=yellow=elec). The overall analysis is very interesting though! Thanks for explaining the Persona backgrounds. Edit: I just saw someone already mentioned the gloves, forgive my slowness xD
And Ann's red being fire related and her Phantom Thief outfit.
yeah, legit this has been confirmed.
Ren: Red: curse
(morgana dosent have any)
Ryuji: Yellow: electric
Ann: Red: fire
Yusuke: Blue: ice
Makoto: white: nuclear
Futaba: green: cyberlife
Haru: violet: psychokinesis
thats cuz Atlus is smart.
@@reeznevhater theres also akechi who's gloves are white to represent his main attribute being bless
And Goro’s outfit is white and red. The colour white is often used to show innocence and red can be used as a sign of evil. Which is like his personality he acts innocent around the phantom thieves but is actually evil
Also I think that joker being given Arsene having curse attacks is nearly perfect, that he was cursed for being a criminal while rising to fight the evil who seem like the good guys (like goro akechi’s Robin Hood given mostly bless attacks) so basically a bad guy trying to be a good guy by fighting bad guys trying to be good guys
I just noticed something joker often put his hands in his pocket hiding his red gloves which is like how he hates getting mention of his criminal record
Personas remind me a LOT of Stands. The tarot card representation, the fact that they are like ghosts you can summon, even how Zarro kinda reminds me of Silver Chariot.
That's what I called them during my first hours of playing this game
Futaba's japanese codename is actually Navi. They changed it to Oracle for the localisation for some reason,
Maybe because Zelda Ocarina of Time ?
This is the exact channel I've ever wanted. I suffer so much, thinking and analyzing the symbolism and meaning of persona games, and feeling like few people actually see as much as I do. To find a big channel spreading all this knowledge and insights about the game fills me with joy.
Y'know, while watching this I realized that Goro's prince costume can still kind of represent a rebellion - claiming the 'birthright' that's refused to him as an illegitimate child. He thinks to himself that society would turn on him for discovering he's a 'pretender', but if he approached it a different way, he could basically be throwing that back in their faces like "no, I can have this origin AND be popular/beloved/etc".
Old video but I found something interesting about Ann's costume. If I'm not mistaken, she is the only phantom thief who (almost) lost someone she loved because of a palace ruler and as such, she wields a whip, to punish those who are evil
That’s another way to look at it she’s pretty similar to Carmen which why it’s a great persona for her, Ann is actually caring and sweet she doesn’t act like Carmen at all she does things similar to her
Futaba....brown hair? its orange dude
No, it's brown - my hair's the same shade, and there has been nobody in my family with orange hair
It's inkling hair
boi It orange.
WOOMY
Idk man, it's listed as dyed orange hair
I think there's a little detail in Yuske's outfit and Persona that I find interesting: much like Ryuji, he's wearing biker gear. But unlike the Americanized and modern "Skull" outfit, Yusuke's is more reminiscent of Japanese "bosozoku" and rockabilly fashion from the 50's. Goemon even has a massive pompadour.
Yusuke had an old fashioned upbringing so it's fitting that his idea of a "rebellious spirit" harkens back to the original teenage rebels, greasers.
Flying Mona eyes at the end lol
I like how Akechi's weapons are based off of kid's toys (and his outfit looks like something a kid would think of when thinking of someone of Justice) because he doesn't want to be seen as a child (or maybe that was somebody else, not 100% sure)
Pretty sure Makoto's entire look is also supposed to be a nod to Mad Max, especially when you see Ryuuji calling her "post-apocalyptic raider".
Good analysis and I appreciated the coverage about the literary inspirations for the characters. but a couple of things off the top of my head that could have been covered - 1) The overall theme and inspiration for the design of the game is literature, similar to what television was for P4. While P4 had a really frenzied use of color (as television does, especially anime culture), Persona 5 uses a mostly monochromatic color scheme similar to words on a page - that is part of all of the characters costumes. Also, this game uses a lot of literary storytelling with emphasis on classical literary devices like foreshadowing, metaphor, etc. 2) *SPOILERS BIG FUCKING SPOILERS HERE DON'T READ THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT MASSIVE FUCKING SPOILERS* The militaristic design of Akechi's uniform is really important and ties him closely to Shido's militaristic and neo-fascist ambitions (to the point that his Palace is an enormous battleship). It foreshadows the father/son relationship between the two, the common ideals of the two (specifically morality defined by power), and later, it and his persona become a disguise for his true self-perception as a killer (his assassin outfit) and specifically a fratricidal one (symbolized by Loki).
**Additional missed info** (my opinion): Goro Akechi's role could be referencing the backstabber in the movies, since he doesn't show his true nature until later.
My thoughts for each bosses symbolism:
Kamoshida’s big form includes cognitive ann in the cup, giving him a strength boost when drunk, which actually shows his true intents for ann and shiho.
Madarame’s battle quote I’LL PAINT ALL OVER YOOOU!!! Is based off his act of removing the meaning of the painting, yusuke, as if getting rid of him.
Kaneshiro’s fly form and piggy bank are both symbols of greed and gluttony, or the fly form could be based off of his origins of being a victim to scandals, a fly that can’t stand up for himself
Wakaba’s cognitive form is based on her distortion, she yells and screeches, but with a very clear speaking voice, like a siren from greek mythology, similarly, wakaba’s suicide forgers yelled at futaba until she gave into it
The S.S. Utopia is similar to the vessel shido’s palace is set upon, but more futuristic, seeing the political world as his own, his palace is also destroyed in the same way shido’s is, it sinks into the abyss, and then explodes, showing how similar their goals are
Unlike her very.....sexual human form, Sae’s gun form is very masculine, showing her desire to become a dominating figure in a male fueled world
The 4 main men in shido’s ship are based off the animals of noah’s ark, what i believe shido’s palace is based on, they are only useful for him as connections, and only weakly tied to him
Akechi’s design and name are based off his failure to comply with his father’s role, in noah’s ark, a dove is the thing to show that the ship will finally see land, the name crow, and his true form losing the purple and red, show the fate of shido’s ship, he will never find land
Akechi's mask also resembles a tengu! They were good with swords and were tricksters sometimes. See Gaijin goomba's channel for more info.
Futaba's code name isn't really oracle it's Navi. This is due to her role as a navigator. It was changed for localization however even in the Japanese Dub she says Navi
Then that seems to be a reference added by the localization team. I'd say it fits very well, just as good as navi.
docblack59 Well as long as she doesn't say "Hey, listen!"
She actually does.
Yami I actually found her way more annoying as a navigator than Morgana, she constantly points out very obviously things in battle every two seconds.
A navi is a fairie isnt it?
The final boss of persona 5 is based on the Demiruge from Gnostic teachings! lol And there's alot of quantum physics spread on the game.
Another thing to note is that Haru's first weapon when she joins you is a labrys/double axe, which is a symbol of women's independence and strenght, this could be tied to her rebelling against her father
Makoto's costume is supposed to be inspired by the one of a post-apocalyptic survivor, expressly Mad Max. After all, what costume better suit the vehicle specialist of the squad then the one from the *greatest* dieselpunk movie in the history of films?
It also symbolize her strong will to struggle no matter what abominable condition she was in, just like a post-apocalyptic survivor.
As an aside, that posing after her all-out attack, kinda reminiscent of "Omae Wa Mou Shindeiru" by Kenshiro, a famous quote from the protagonist of another post-apocalyptic work "Fist of the North Star".
Akechi can be a fucking tengu for all I care.
An interesting thing about Morgana's role and his arcana: the Magician is the mentor in the tarot, to guide the Fool in his journey to attain the World.
Goro Akechi's mask has a long nose, much like pinocchio because he is lying.
Also long red noses are symbolic of the tengu, weird bird demon tricksters from Japanese mythology. The Tengu mask is still a popular thing today
To be fair you mentioned how Futaba passes out after awakening her persona, but so does every other phantom thief besides Kasumi and Haru, all others were extremely exhausted. For example after Yusuke awakened his Joker and Ryuji had to carry him out
I get that everyone's being all philosophical and deep going into the game's lore and stuff in the comments but can we just talk about edgeworth's picture in haru's costume description
aside from heist movies, I feel the palaces are more inspired by Inception.
They infiltrate dreams to instill an idea which is similar to change of heart in persona 5, also the fact on how the shadows appear as the defense system of the palace, with how the palace could change depending on if the dreamer/palace owner had cognition change.
Also the game (including the smallest details like joker’s gloves representing the blood on his hands, arsene or just the color scheme of the game) could also have been meant to be interpreted in different ways possibly in reference to the talk of cognition in the game, what you see connections to in the game and how you see the world and how others do as well, wether it be an endless mystery to a hiker or a monopoly board to a business man or politician. I may be getting off track but all in all the game is made for you to expand your mind and make you look inside your own head
Something I've just noticed that the colour of scheme of Robin Hood is that of Primary colours, Red, blue and yellow. This could be an indication of Akechi as being someone who has a more childish idea of heroism. It could also be a hint at the more complex side to Akechi that is revealed when he unleashes Loki as Akechi's outfit changes from that of primary colours to that of purple and black in a kind of spiral pattern.
when you look at Morgana there is only one word that comes to mind
Me: oh its cat
Him: swashbuckler
When I opened P5 and started this video and played the music it went with the game’s opening exactly.
He was Caught *RED HANDED*
Haru and Futaba have my favorite Persona designs. Which is fitting because they are 2 of my favorite Phantom Thieves.
Goro has 2 personas. Robin Hood and when you fight him he uses the persona Loki, the Norse Trickster god.
Robin Hood is his persona he first awakens to. Then Loki which was born out of the hatred of his heart(I think)
@@idontbelieveinmagic still using 2.
@@wolfhurricane897 correction. loki is goro's first persona. he covered it in his "symbolism in persona 5: final personas".
Lmao. Goro is a wildcard, that's why.
With Akechi's character, I believe he draws inspiration from a novel series created by Edogawa Ranpo, who's main character of the series is named Kogoro Akechi. This was actually the reason I was really suspicious of him at the beginning of the game because whilst everyone is a phantom thief quote on quote, he's based off a renowned detective who always solved his cases. But then I was also suspicious just because he didn't have some little kid named Kobayashi as his sidekick, so I just assumed something was amiss xD
"Brown-haired hacker"?
In what universe is Futaba's hair BROWN???
Her concept art had her with Blackish Brown hair,However [and this is canon] she dyed it Orange.
I like that u you used my edgy-boi when explaining Haru. :)
isnt dyeing your hair blonde in a japanese household a sign or rebelion?
but Ann hair is naturally blonde since she's mixed blood?
@@MrJechrome I think Scarlet might have been referring to Ryuji.
with futaba's palace the overcoming herself bit in the boss fight is similar to persona 4, when you beat a boss of say, shadow yukiko the person admits to their "bad side" and awaken, a nice nod to previous installments
Okay, but that ending. Morgana is having his life flash before his eyes.
Good video, but there is one thing that might be of interest, Futaba's alias was changed during translation. In the Japanese dub, it was 'Navi', which is a Japanese ellipsis of the word 'navigator' and reflects well on her role as well. In the west, it's infamous for the name of the fairy in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Also, all of the persona users showed great fatigue after awakening their persona. Yusuke in particular gets frustrated with this.
Edited to add: I found the link between Haru's costume and tricksters as well. It's Princess Sapphire from Osamu Tezuka's Princess Knight (known as Ribbon Knight in Japan) Sapphire is a princess who is raised as a boy to protect her kingdom from an evil Duke. She is known as three different people throughout the series, Prince Sapphire, an unnamed princess who is claimed by Sapphire to be her sister as a means to court her love interest, and the Phantom Knight, who fights the Duke's henchmen. In the final arc of the series, Sapphire has three magical orbs melted down and crafted into an axe which she wields to reclaim her kingdom.
13:57 Edgeworth! What are you doing here?!
I'm surprised no one mentioned Ann and her similarities to Catwoman from DC comics. They are both thieves who have a cat theme to their costumes, both use whips, and they both use there feminine charms to get what they want. Also, Goemon's weakness to fire reflects on how he met his end: by being boiled alive.
DC:Joker cripples Oracle with a gun
Persona:Joker cripples Oracle...
*WITH HIS DI-*
Everyone's gloves are a color that is meant to match with their specific element affinity, (except morgana who doesn't wear any), Joker's represent his curse affinity from Arsene.
Also Akechi's dress is definitely based on how others percieve him rather than his personal perception, it's basically entirely what they would expect, and the exact opposite of his true nature.
His use of fantasy weapons, I think represents the nature of his alliegance with the thieves, he's playing, putting on an act, and when he stops the weapons he uses become very real and very deadly.