Summary
Over the many years thePersonaseries has been around, some fans have wondered why the majority of the games' protagonists are male students, and the producer has now offered an answer on it. This trend was continued inPersona’s most recent entry,Persona 5, which took the world by storm upon release.
Personahas been a well-loved RPG series that spun off of the originalMegami Tenseigames. As both series have continued side-by-side,Personahas almost always had a male protagonist, with the only exceptions beingPersona 2: Eternal Punishment, Persona 3 Portable, andPersona 3’s epilogue. However, even inPersona 3Portable, the female protagonist is technically non-canon to the series, meaning that the only non-male and non-student protagonists are fromPersona 2: Eternal PunishmentandPersona 3’s epilogue.
Now, the producer of thePersonaseries, Kazuhisa Wada, hasexplained why this tends to be the case. Speaking at the CEDEC + KYUSHU 2024 conference, Wada said that thePersonagames are intended to be coming-of-age stories, with a theme of growing up. As such, choosinghigh school students to be the majority of thePersonaprotagonistsand party members simply makes sense, as junior high and high school years tend to be when people start getting a taste of adult life.
What About the Gender of the Persona Protagonists?
As for the protagonists' gender, Wada said that was mostly down to the perceived differences of mental maturity of girls and boys. Wada noted that high school female students tend to have a “higher mental age” or be more mature than their male counterparts. As such, the males have more space to grow and evolve, making them a better choice for the protagonist in this context. With that said, Wada notes that it’s not out of the question for the protagonists of the games to be either female or non-students.
At the moment, it remains to be seen whetherPersona 6will shake upthis common mold of the series. Many players have asked for an olderPersonaprotagonist, perhaps as the fandom that has been with the series since the start has grown older themselves. Based on Wada’s reasoning, there’s still room for even adults to continue growing and maturing throughout their lives. A college or just post-college aged protagonist, for example, might be an interesting take.
Unfortunately, thoughPersona 5is now eight years old, no real reveals have been made regarding a sixth main entry in the franchise. However, Atlus has kept fans of the fifth entry busy, introducingPersona 5 Royal, an expansion of the original game’s story,Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight,Persona 5 Strikers,Persona 5 Tactica, and even aPersona 5mobile game.
Persona 5 Royal
WHERE TO PLAY
Don the mask and join the Phantom Thieves of Hearts as they stage grand heists, infiltrate the minds of the corrupt, and make them change their ways! Prepare for the award-winning RPG experience in this definitive edition of Persona 5 Royal, featuring a treasure trove of downloadable content included!Forced to transfer to a high school in Tokyo, the protagonist has a strange dream. “You truly are a prisoner of fate. In the near future, ruin awaits you.” With the goal of “rehabilitation” looming overhead, he must save others from distorted desires by donning the mask of a Phantom Thief.Explore Tokyo, unlock Personas, customize your own personal Thieves Den, experience alternate endings, and more. Become the ultimate Phantom Thief and defy conventions, discover the power within, and fight for justice in the definitive version of Persona 5 Royal.
