Persona 5

Persona 5 is the long-awaited continuation of the Shin Megami Tensei series, a JRPG. Following the game's English and Japanese releases, an anime, several spinoff games and manga series have been released.
==Canon Overview==
The Player Character begins the game making an escape during a heist, but is caught by the police, who say a traitor to the player character is to blame. Beaten and drugged by the police, the player character is then interrogated by a prosecutor named Sae Nijima. Gameplay comes as supposed memories brought up by interrogation; fail states return the player character to the interrogation room where Sae leaves because the player character can't remember correctly, after which the player character is shot by an unknown assailant. In the memories, the player character is being given housing in Tokyo by a seemingly unwilling café owner after being kicked out of a countryside town for being imprisoned for a "fight" that was misreported to the police. The player character starts at a new school, but is confronted with a domineering star volleyball coach who is abusive to his players and seems to be taking liberties with the girls at school. In typical Persona style, the player character, his new delinquent friend, and a talking cat stumble into the coach's disturbing mental landscape, adopting powers through Personas based on famous rebels, and fight to change the heart of the coach. The player character keeps making friends, forming new confidants, and changing dastardly hearts of adults abusing teens as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, gaining notoriety and the eye of the corrupt police. 
=== Royal ===
The updated re-release Persona 5 Royal added new characters and an additional story arc nicknamed the "Third Semester". During the main story of Royal, the protagonist befriends his classmate Kasumi Yoshizawa and the school counselor Takuto Maruki. During the Third Semester, the Phantom Thieves' dead loved ones (including the protagonist's rival, Goro Akechi) reappear, with everyone acting as if they had never died. The protagonist, Akechi, and Kasumi investigate, and learn that Maruki had gained the power to manipulate reality and people's memories, and had used it to grant the world's deepest wishes. In addition, "Kasumi" Yoshizawa was Sumire Yoshizawa, who had impersonated her dead sister Kasumi to cope with her grief, believing herself to be Kasumi due to Maruki's influence. Sumire accepts her true identity, and Akechi wishes to return to reality, even if it means his death. The player is given the option to have the Phantom Thieves defeat Maruki and return to reality, or have the protagonist make a deal with Maruki to keep Akechi safe, leave Sumire as "Kasumi", and keep the Phantom Thieves blissfully unaware that they are in a false reality. If the Phantom Thieves defeat Maruki and the protagonist reached a high relationship level with Akechi, then a post-credits scene implies that Akechi is alive.
===Characters===
====The Phantom Thieves====
*Ren Amamiya (also known as Joker and Akira Kurusu) - The protagonist of the story
*Ryuji Sakamoto
*Ann Takamaki
*Yusuke Kitagawa
*Makoto Niijima
*Futaba Sakura
*Haru Okumura
*Morgana
*Kasumi Yoshizawa - A new character in the updated re-release Persona 5 Royal.
*Goro Akechi
*Sophia - A new character in the spinoff game Persona 5 Strikers.
*Zenkichi Hasegawa - A new character in the spinoff game Persona 5 Strikers.
*Toshiro Kasukabe - A new character in the spinoff game Persona 5 Tactica.
====Confidants====
*Igor
*Sae Niijima
*Sojiro Sakura
*Chihaya Mifune
*Caroline and Justine
*Munehisa Iwai
*Tae Takemi
*Sadayo Kawakami
*Ichiko Ohya
*Hifumi Togo
*Yuuki Mishima
*Takuto Maruki - A new character in the updated re-release Persona 5 Royal.
==Fandom==
=== Fandom Holidays ===
* 11/20 (November 20), or "Interrogation Room Day": The in-game date on which Akechi attempts to kill the protagonist. Angst and Character Study fanworks about this event are usually posted on this day.
* 2/2 (February 2), or "Small Potatoes Day": In Royal, the in-game date on which the protagonist learns that Akechi may die if the Phantom Thieves defeat Maruki and his false reality. Angst fanworks about this event are usually posted on this day, and the influx of 2/2 posts may have helped place the Protagonist/Akechi ship in 9th place on the week of 1/30/23-2/05 on Tumblr. https://www.tumblr.com/fandom/708542268110405632/ships In the English translation of the game, Akechi challenges the protagonist, asking him if he would "fold over some bullshit, trivial threat on [Akechi's] life", and the protagonist's dialogue options in response include "This isn't small potatoes." The fandom considered the line unintentionally humorous, and it was quietly changed to "This isn't 'trivial'!" in an update to the game. https://www.tumblr.com/uwukechi/618619713678983168/they-got-rid-of-the-small-potatoes-line
==Fanworks==
=== Fanart ===
* outfit swaps by asteraws
=== Zines ===
* SHOWTIME (Persona 5 zine)
* ANTITHESIS (Persona 5 zine)
* Gorb Zine
* Jazz Jin Secret Menu
* The Fool: Joker Zine
=== Fan Games ===
* Synthesis (Persona 5 fangame)
==References==
Category:Anime
Category:Games