Shadow (Persona)

Shadows / are the primary type of enemy in the Persona series, sharing many of their characteristics with the demons common elsewhere in the Megami Tensei franchise. They are born from humans and carry with them human emotions, most of which are negative. Strong-willed Shadows attract lesser ones, which can combine into stronger Shadows.
==Appearances==
*Persona 2: Innocent Sin
*Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
*Persona 3 / FES / Portable / Reload
**Megami Tensei Chaining Soul: Persona 3
*Persona 4 / Golden
**Persona 4 The Animation / The Golden Animation 
**Persona 4 Colors
*Persona 4 Arena / Ultimax
*Persona 4: Dancing All Night
*Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
*Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
*Persona 5 / Royal
*Persona 5 Strikers
*Persona 5 Tactica
*Persona 5: The Phantom X
==Profile==
===Megami Ibunroku Persona===
A precursor to the Shadow concept used in the rest of the series occurs in Megami Ibunroku Persona. Throughout the story, aspects of Maki Sonomura's consciousness are embodied by several different characters: her id Aki, her ego Mai, the playable Maki, who is actually Maki's idealized version of herself; and Pandora, who represents Maki's nihilism. In dialogue, the Ideal Maki is referred to by herself as a shadow of Maki's heart, and at the end of the game, the Ideal Maki accepts and rejoins with Pandora after the latter's defeat.
In the Alaya Cavern, the protagonist and the Ideal Maki find the protagonist's other self, who judges him based on the deeds he performs throughout the game and grants him the Totems for the ultimate Personas depending on the number of good deeds performed. Maki compares this other self with the other versions of herself faced before. In the manga adaptation, a second "other self" is represented as Naoya Toudou's guilt appearing in the form of his deceased twin brother Kazuya. He is able to use Personas and disappears when accepted, mirroring how Personas and Shadows alike would be represented in future installments.
===Persona 2===
In the latter stages of Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment, Shadow Selves of the main characters, in particular Lisa, Eikichi, Tatsuya, Ulala, Katsuya, Maya and Baofu emerge. The primary antagonist, Nyarlathotep, is also seen as humanity's collective Shadow.
These "Shadow Selves" appeared due to contradicting rumors in Innocent Sin, which allowed them to exist and be members of the Masked Circle. In Eternal Punishment, Nyarlathotep created them within the Monado Mandala. They attempt to deceive and confuse their other selves, who they attack in the hopes of replacing them. Their Reverse Personas also seek to defeat their counterparts. After being defeated, they warn that they will continue to exist as a part of their other selves, something each human and Persona accepts with the exception of Maya in Innocent Sin.
In Innocent Sin, Nyarlathotep hoped they would kill the teams led by Tatsuya Suou so his plans could continue unhindered, either by the party dying at the hands of the Shadows, or by them drowning in their despair upon witnessing their darkness made manifest. This plan failed, primarily because in true Persona fashion, the triumphant true selves vowed to grow from the lessons taught by the Shadows, bonding them closer instead of shattering them. The only exception to this Maya Amano, who denied what her Shadow said and never accepted her. 
In Eternal Punishment, the Shadows appear to taunt the party like in the previous game, though they also flash back to specific moments in each character's past. These flashbacks are used to highlight their other selves' insecurities, prompting Maya to nudge them into making the right decisions. Most Shadows are fought after their initial encounter and in pairs of two; Shadow Ulala and Katsuya fight the party at once, as do Shadow Maya and Baofu. Shadow Maya does not encounter the party before their fight, however, as Nyarlathotep appears in her place to taunt Maya over her rage and sadness directly. Since she is a silent protagonist, it is left ambiguous as to whether or not Maya's accepts her Shadow in this game.
===Persona 3===
The Kirijo Group's discovery of the Shadows' existence and subsequent experiments on manipulating them, ostensibly as a power source and means of time manipulation, resulted in a catastrophic accident at their laboratories, killing hundreds. They have been appearing due to the Kirijo Group's experiments, during the Dark Hour, a hidden twenty-fifth hour that takes place every midnight, during which the world comes to a stop and humans reflexively contain themselves in coffins, obliviously "playing dead" to protect themselves from the attention of the Shadows. Occasionally, a human will not transmogrify in this manner, and will quickly become prey of the Shadows, having their minds devoured and becoming vegetative (Apathy Syndrome) and in some cases even become a shadow as their physical form dissolves, reducing themself to being a shadow. Only those with Personas, even if they can't be successfully summoned, are immune to this effect and function normally during the Dark Hour.
thumb|right|250px|Persona users defeating Shadows.
The bulk of the Shadows dwell in Tartarus, a massive tower that appears during the Dark Hour, right atop Gekkoukan High School, the site of the previous accident. Each Shadow is defined by two characteristics: the body and the mask. The mask represents the Arcana of the Shadow, while the body helps define its name. These two attributes also aid as a visual reminder of an enemy's weaknesses and strengths. However, each full moon after the Main Character's arrival, powerful Shadows belonging to the first twelve major arcana appear outside Tartarus and threaten to wreak havoc. The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad is formed to combat these enemies. Once they're defeated, a thirteenth Shadow of the Death arcana appears as an ordinary, carefree teenage boy calling himself Ryoji Mochizuki. However, it's his role to call down Nyx, a being who will exterminate all life in response to humanity's self-destructive desires, but his human side is wracked with guilt over this unavoidable fate.
The Old Documents say that the Shadows arise from human emotions. When enough of the Shadows were gathered in one place, they fused together and created Nyx Avatar, which set in motion the events which were to lead up to the The Fall. Aigis delayed the Fall by fracturing Death into the 12 Arcana.
====Shadow Arcana====
These special Shadows are the fragments of Death that escaped following the sealing of Thanatos into the protagonist. They appear at every full moon, seeking to return to Death which is sealed into the protagonist. Shuji Ikutsuki manipulates SEES into destroying each of them.
*Arcana Magician
*Arcana Priestess
*Arcana Empress
*Arcana Emperor
*Arcana Hierophant
*Arcana Lovers
*Arcana Chariot
*Arcana Justice
*Arcana Hermit
*Arcana Fortune
*Arcana Strength
*Arcana Hanged Man
====The Answer====
The new episode included in Persona 3 FES, The Answer suggests that a Persona is merely a Shadow that remains under control of the mind that created it; this is why Persona users aren't rendered brain-dead by exposure to other Shadows during the Dark Hour. In addition, The Answer shows that some who've had their Personas artificially induced can become Shadows themselves when unable to keep control.
In confessing his purpose to the members of SEES, Ryoji implies that Nyx is the mother of the Shadows.
====Persona 3 Club Book====
In the Persona 3 Club Book, it is explained that shadows are literally fragments of Nyx's psyche, which exist inside of everyone. When people begin to despair or lose hope, their unconscious hold on the "Nyx" that exists within them is weakened, and these fragments can emerge. In order for the psyches of living beings to contain these fragments of Nyx, they were forced to greatly limit their individual lifespans. Because these fragments have been an integral part of life on Earth for so long, the human mind is unable to function without Shadows, which is why those with Apathy Syndrome - people who have lost their Shadows - are merely shells whose minds have broken down. The "goal" of "freed" shadows - if it can be called that - is merely to return to their original state, to fuse together so that the psyche of Nyx can once again be whole. Shadows do not actually "eat" people since they are merely freeing themselves from the individual's unconscious confinement, but Persona-users are an exception, because they are recognized as a hindrance to Nyx's revival. When individuals wander into or adapt to the Dark Hour and attacked by shadows, the external shadows are merely trying to forcibly extract the fragment confined within the individual to merge with it.
Just as the Arcana represent the psychological maturity of humans, they also represent the tendencies and psychological complexes of Shadows. No single Arcana's worth of shadows can result in the reformation of Nyx's psyche, but when powerful shadows of Arcanas 0-12 fuse, the resultant shadow can mutate into the 13th Arcana, Death, which is capable of carrying the true weight of Nyx's consciousness and power and signifies that the preparations for Nyx's revival have been completed. Once completed, it merely calls for its body in order to return to a whole being, which is otherwise known as "The Fall". Tartarus acts as an antenna for this, calling more shadows to it and growing taller with the more shadows calling from within it. When the Protagonist invokes the Universe Arcana, he uses its power to return Nyx's consciousness to the confines of the universal unconsciousness.
Shadows are existences of pure thought and energy and do not possess physical bodies, and thus cannot interact with normal space. They do, however, possess the ability to manipulate space-time and use this ability to create the Dark Hour, a space existing outside of normal space-time where they can move freely. "Transmogrification" is merely an identifier of someone who does not exist within the Dark Hour, and thus cannot be affected by those within it. As for those with the "Potential", who can move freely within the Dark Hour, they are people who are able to use the shadows' space-time manipulation ability for themselves.
=== Persona 3 Em ===
In the mobile spin-off Persona 3 Em -- in addition to normal shadow enemies from the original Persona 3 game -- Arche-Personas appear, which are negative counterparts of the personas of S.E.E.S., with opposite affinities and weaknesses. They are said to represent a part of a person that they do not fully understand and that is difficult for them to accept, similar to the function of shadows and shadow selves in Persona 4.
The Arche Personas that appears are:
* Arche-Io
* Arche-Penthesilea
* Arche-Palladion
* Arche-Hermes
* Arche-Polydeuces
* Arche-Lucia
* Arche-Orpheus
Which Arche-Personas are faced is dependent on who is in the party at the time, so facing all of them requires multiple playthroughs. Arche-Lucia and Arche-Orpheus are always faced, however.
===Persona 4===
Shadows and Personas retain the same roles. Those who face their own personal Shadows in the Midnight Channel and accept them can use their power as Personas while those who deny their shadows as part of themselves will be attacked and killed by them or disappear completely if the person was malicious and cruel, and Igor eventually states outright that they are one and the same. However, the world of the Midnight Channel is more likely to be the true home of the Shadows, as they and Personas appear much more easily there than they did during the Dark Hour. The Midnight Channel itself is a world reflecting the collective human heart, so it's probable that Shadows are spawned there as a result of humans trying to shut away the darkest facets of their personalities.
Teddie appears to be a peculiar exception to this rule—despite being a Shadow, he became curious about humans and created a new, nonthreatening form for himself so people wouldn't be afraid of him, sealing away most of his memories in the process. He also acquires a Persona, prompting Igor to note that if a Shadow develops a sense of self, it too can acquire a Persona.
===Persona 4 Colors===
In the game, there is a minigame where one takes control of Chie Satonaka and must perform her signature Galactic Punt in time to strike a Shadow, and a minigame called "Cool Walker" where one takes control of Yu Narukami in what appears to be Yukiko's Castle, where they must avoid the Shadows and collect treasure chests to increase their score.
===Persona 4 Arena Ultimax===
A huge shadow appears during one of Sho Minazuki's intros, where he cuts it in half. The Shadow Selves seen in the game are made from regular shadows being forcibly merged together. Eventually an endless swarm of normal shadows is unleashed on the persona users once the Malevolent Entity no longer needs them. Tohru Adachi hints that gathering enough shadows together and uniting them will result in summoning a God, which is indeed Sho and the Malevolent Entity's plan.
===Persona 4: Dancing All Night===
Shadows appear in the Midnight Stage, where the antagonist has forcibly enslaved them to its will by tying ribbons to all of them. These shadows are forced to dance as the humans dance, and eventually be purified. Unlike the Dark Hour or the TV World, Shadows cannot be harmed through combat. Instead the characters must dance, removing shadows as they finish dancing upon the stage. When victims submit to the Shadow's will, they transform into a Shadow, and the one way to change back to their original form is to finish the dance.
===Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth===
Shadows appear again as the main antagonists. All of them are minions of Chronos and are split into the generic "Arcana" shadows and non-generic F.O.Es, and they serve the guardians deployed by him at the end of each Labyrinth, impeding the party's progress. Once the Persona users learn the truth about Rei and Zen, it is learned fully that the guardians and their Shadow servants are deployed by Chronos to guard the treasures at the bottom of the Labyrinths no matter what so he can take his time to understand Rei, even if the one who charged them with the task decides otherwise. Shadows in Persona Q do not have Arcana.
Ultimately, the Clockwork God wants Zen to continue his duties in the price of wiping out all intruders to his plans, including Zen himself if he sides alongside the Persona users. His spider F.O.Es such as the Watcher and the Capturer patrol the Clock Tower where he resides as security guards, while the Reaper is deployed to destroy all who interrupt divine providence, namely Zen and the Persona users. The Clockwork God's strongest Shadow under his service is the Captor Spider, which acts as his messenger and has captured Rei inside it near the end of the game.
===Persona 5===
Especially distorted humans are shown to share their personality almost completely with their Shadow counterparts, and engage the Phantom Thieves of Hearts in battle. These Shadow Selves can control lesser Shadows, who resemble masked humanoids who patrol and maintain their Palaces. Unlike in Persona 3 and Persona 4, generic Shadows are never fought in the game directly with the exception of the Reaper, as they explode into one or more mythological forms when engaged, and the Shadow Selves usually fight in altered forms. 
The Shadows taking mythical form initially believe themselves to be the Palace's Shadows unless successfully negotiated with, where they regain their memories and recall they come from the human's Sea of Souls, whereupon they offer to transform themselves into a mask (and thus a new Persona), release a captured party member (if they take any Hostages), or give the party one or more items. The Shadows will initially have a Shadow title for them, but once the protagonist has obtained it as a Persona either through negotiation or through fusing for it in the Velvet Room, its title will turn into its Persona name (ex. Mocking Snowman to Jack Frost). Shadows in Persona 5 can be of any Arcana instead of only the first thirteen, and some Shadows can have different Arcana from their Persona counterparts.
While in the overworld, Shadows appear based on the Palace's theme. Depending on the attention level, they have glowing blue, yellow, or red eyes, and strong ones have a dark red aura. When they see the protagonist, they will summon a spotlight to follow him for as long as they are pursuing him. Stealing their Mask provokes an Ambush in the battle with their Persona forms. In Royal, after obtaining the Chaînés Hook perk from the Faith Confidant, the protagonist can trigger an Ambush to a Shadow within a Palace from a greater distance, though it requires him to be out in the open. When successful, the Ambush will leave the Shadows with various mental ailments. 
* Kamoshida's Palace: Knights in black armor with stoic masks.
* Madarame's Palace: Female curators and security guards with heart masks.
* Kaneshiro's Palace: Policemen in riot gear, with gas masks. Orthrus Shadows appear as Doberman Pinschers wearing muzzles.
* Futaba's Palace: Mummies with headwear-like masks made of bandage, scimitar-wielding dervishes with tribal masks, and grey jackals with similar masks to mummies.
* Okumura's Palace: Cylinder or sphere-formed robots with angular masks.
* Niijima's Palace: Casino dealers, bunny waitresses and tuxedo-wearing bouncers wearing melted masks. Non-hostile Shadows who run the games do not wear masks.
** Waitress Shadows always transform into Queen Mab, Kushinada-Hime, Kikuri-Hime or Valkyrie.
* Shido's Palace: Guards in suits, special assault team and assault hounds wearing blue party masks.
* Mementos: Large humanoids with bird masks on their head and other masks bearing worn on their bodies. Unlike other guards, they do not speak and are not forced into a Chance battle by stealing their mask, but by crashing Morgana in van form into them, knocking them over.
* Depths of Mementos: Prison guards with white hood masks and black sunglasses.
* Qliphoth World: White and golden robotic angels with featureless faceplates as masks. Unlike other Shadows, their real faces are white, shaped like their masks, and their eyes do not glow red with the mask off.
* Maruki's Palace (Persona 5 Royal only); Black featureless humanoids either in lab coats or clothes-less; guards have exaggerated muscles. They have a spiral as masks. Clothes-less Shadows can also appear with appendages or without; those with appendages have hair that are shaped like Maruki's while appendage-less Shadows are bald.
===Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth===
Shadows return in this game as Arcana Shadows instead of resembling their Persona counterparts unlike in Persona 5, in addition to F.O.Es. They act as the bulk of the enemies seen in the game, but unlike in Persona Q, they generally serve as basic obstacles and do not have a major role in the game's storyline, being replaced by cognitions instead. Sometimes Shadows inhabiting in the movie reality will attack its cognition inhabitants, and what seems to be human such as the policemen in Kamoshidaman can transform into Shadows and attack the party if provoked. Just like in the game's prequel, Shadows in Q2 do not have Arcana.
Due to the skill type revamp, some Arcana Shadows are now capable of using Psy Skills, Nuclear Skills, and Bless/Curse damaging skills which they are unable to in the previous games they are in. Subsequently, they also have weaknesses or resistances towards Psy or Nuclear.
===Persona 5 Strikers===
Shadows return in both physical and mythological form. These Shadows are found in Jails located inside the Metaverse. Just like Persona 5 (Royal), if simplified due to a removal of the negotiation mechanic, the protagonist may occasionally obtain a Persona after fighting normal Shadows, which have Shadows transform into masks that can be collected manually or they could immediately gravitate to Joker when the battle concludes, giving him Persona Points to use in the Velvet Room. The rate of appearance for these masks can be enhanced by leveling up the Joker's Wild BOND Skill.
Unlike in Persona 5 (Royal), where the sealed state of Shadows followed the motif of their respective Palace and their rulers, all Shadows share the same theme across all of the Jails, resembling real life prison officers, S.W.A.T. units, and various law enforcement robot forms like heli-drones, gatling gun-mounted helicopters, or robotic dogs. Additionally, the sealed states of Shadows can be fought during skirmishes within the Jails. The uniform appearance of sealed Shadows can be due to the fact that the real master of the Jails aren't the Monarchs, but EMMA, as it's she who maintains the Jails, and following her termination, the Jails vanished.
===Persona 5 Tactica===
Lavenza theorizes that Salmael absorbed the Shadows drifting Shadows within the subconscious sea and then turned them into Legionnaires. She figured the power crystals dropped when they die were remnants from when they used to be Shadows.
Erina is a combination of a Shadow, a Persona, and a Cognition.
== Gallery ==
==See Also==
*Persona (concept)
*Persona user
*Shadow Self
*F.O.E
*Disaster Shadow
*Dire Shadows
*Lock Keeper
*Ruffian
*Jungian psychology in the Persona series
==Shadow list ==
*List of Persona 3 Shadows
*List of Persona 4 Shadows
*List of Persona Q Shadows
*List of Persona 5 Shadows
*List of Persona Q2 Shadows
*List of Persona 5 Strikers Shadows
==Shadow category ==
*Persona 3 Shadows
*Persona 4 Shadows
*Persona 4 Golden Shadows
*Persona Q Shadows
*Persona 5 Shadows
*Persona Q2 Shadows
Category:Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Category:Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Category:Persona 3
Category:Persona 3 FES
Category:Persona 3 Portable
Category:Persona 4
Category:Persona 4 Golden
Category:Persona 4 Arena
Category:Persona 4: Dancing All Night
Category:Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth
Category:Persona 5
Category:Persona 5 Strikers
Category:Persona 5 Tactica
Category:Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Category:Persona 5: The Phantom X