#Shujin academy high uniforms

[virtualfutaba-cloud]

llustration of Yusuke and Akechi in "Mementos Mission"

[bitchyhideoutnerd]

FUCK. METIS CAN GET A SEXY BLACK LEOTARD. HOLY SHIT I AM SPEEDRUNNING PTOLOMEA BC THERES NO WAY I WONT BE GETTING THAT SHIT. SHUJIN ACADEMY UNIFORM AND YASOGAMI HIGH UNIFORM?FUCK YEAH IDC ABOUT MY LIMITS I AM GETTING THAT SHIT AND THARS IT. MY BELOVED METIS

[yusuke-of-valla]

Costume dialogue for Berry Blast Brigade because I do what I WANT

Shujin:

Kasumi: Hey the Shujin Academy uniform! I read about this school! They have a really good sports program, and one of their alumni even went to the Olympics! ... Say Hamu-nee/Mina-nii, think Sumire and I can go there some day?

Hamu-nee/Mina-nii, that's the Shujin Academy uniform, right? You look so sleek in it! Like you're real fancy Tokyo kids!

Sumire: The uniform from Shujin Academy? Kasumi's mentioned that before I think. Um, I t-think it's pretty nice, do you think I look ok?

Oh onee-chan/onii-chan, that's the uniform from Shujin Academy, right? It looks good on you! Though I think you can pull of anything.

Naoto: Shujin Academy's uniform, hm? It's quality material, it must be a good school. I've read some interesting things about the principal online...

Aneki/aniki, you're wearing the Shujin Academy uniform. It certainly gives off an aloof air I think, like it's meant to blend into the background.

Yusuke: oh so this is Shujin Academy's uniform! The patterned pants are a nice touch, though the blazer makes me a little hot. Is it ok if I take it off?

Onee-san/onii-san, is that the Shujin Academy uniform? You look great! Is it easy to run in? It's not to thick is it?

Yasogami

Kasumi: Yasogami huh... that's a school in Inaba, right? I think I'd get bored living in such a small town, but I think the outfit is cute!

Hamu-nee/Mina-nii, are you wearing the Yasogami uniform? You guys really make something as plain as this look so awesome!

Sumire: Oh this Yasogami high uniform is nice. I wonder what it'd be like to go to school in a small town like that.

Onee-chan/onii-cham, you're wearing the Yasogami uniform, right? It looks really good on you. The material's sturdy, is that because small towns are dangerous or something?

Naoto: Oh, this Yasogami uniform is surprisingly comfortable. I might need to roll up the pants a bit, but I think it suits me

Aneki/aniki, you're wearing the Yasogami uniform. Is there a reason why you chose it? Are you particularly interested in Inaba?

Yusuke: this school is Inaba right? I hear they're well known for their local pottery. I read a fascinating book on it in the library and... oops, sorry I didn't mean to ramble.

Onee-san/onii-san, that's the Yasogami uniform I believe. The design is very simple, yet still flattering! You look great.

Phantom Thief Outfits

Kasumi (Sophie): Oh this Phantom Thief outfit is so cute! I look like a marshmallow! And it's so easy to move around in! Too bad the mask is weird...

Hamu-nee/Mina-nii, Oh I see you're in your Phantom Thief outfit! So cool you're like a real gentleman thief! Is it fun to have the cape whoosh behind you?

Sumire (Violet - modified to have extra tights and smaller heels): Wow this Phantom Thief outfit... hehe I look like a professional gymnast huh? Like I'm about to put on a show! L-let's go! I feel really fired up in this!

Oh, onee-chan/onii-chan, I really like that Phantom Thief outfit of yours! It's kinda like the one I have isn't it. Hehe it's nice we match!

Naoto (Wolf): I'm wearing the Phantom Thief outfit like you asked but... why? Thieves are the natural enemies of detectives, I'm not interested in running around dressed as one. W-well sure I guess it is a little cool...

Aneki/Aniki, I see you're wearing the Phantom Thief outfit. I'll admit it's stylish, but you do know someday if you commit a crime like theft I'll be forced to arrest you.

Yusuke (Fox): thanks for the Phantom Thief outfit onee-san/onii-san! When we have time I want to sketch out this mask later. I feel like my persona likes it too.

Onee-san/onii-san, your Phantom Thief outfit... oh I mean you look good in of course but something about it... I don't know if it quite suits you. O-oh I'm sorry, ignore that! You look cool.

[vgdiamonds]

What we know about Persona 3 Reload (as of 1 Sept 2023)

Release date: 2 Feb 2024

Prices (USD)

$69.99 vanilla

$79.99 Digital Deluxe (artbook and soundtrack)

$99.99 Digital Premium (artbook, soundtrack, and DLC)

Contains Denuvo anti-cheat (LOL)

ALL English voice actors have been replaced

New battle theme for ambushes (It's Going Down Now) plus a reworked Mass Destruction

DLC

P4G Yasogami High uniforms

P5R Shujin Academy uniforms

P5R Phantom Thieves uniforms

2 P5R Persona Sets (Original and Ultimate Personas, including Akechi's and Yoshizawa's)

P4G Persona Set (Izanagi, Magatsu Izanagi, Kaguya)

P4G Soundtrack (also included as preorder bonus) (Reach Out to the Truth, Time to Make History, I'll Face Myself, A New World Fool, The Fog, Results)

P5R Soundtrack (Last Surprise, Take Over, Rivers in the Desert, Jaldabaoth, Throw Away Your Mask, Victory)

Confirmed Content from FES

Aigis Social Link

Koromaru's walks

Shijiro, Ken, and Koromaru will get additional side stories to flesh them out

Gameplay was redone in the style of Persona 5 for new fans

Party members other than MC will be controllable in battle

WILL NOT Have The Answer or the FemC

Sources:

(their souces are the trailers and Atlus' own website, plus all the store pages)

[screamfairy1996]

Ren Amamiya was arrested after an altercation with a drunk who attempted to force himself on a woman. The drunk stumbled and injured his head, through no fault of Ren’s, but the man was of considerable influence—enough that he was able to convince the police to arrest him and the woman he attempted to victimize to act as a witness against him.

Because it is his first offense, Ren is sentenced to one year's probation. Due to his criminal record, he is expelled from his hometown's high school. As continued school attendance is a condition of his probation, he is transferred to Shujin Academy, a prep school in Tokyo and the only academic institution willing to induct him. For the duration of his probation, he is assigned to live with Sojiro Sakura, the proprietor of a cafe in Yongen-Jaya called "Leblanc", who is less than thrilled with harboring a delinquent and only agrees to do it because he is a distant acquaintance of Ren’s parents.

On his way to Leblanc for the first time, Ren discovers a strange app on his phone with an ominous eyeball design. Time seems to stand still, and Ren glimpses a fiery figure before the people around him start to move again. Deciding to pay it no mind, Ren deletes the app and continues on, unaware of the significance of that vision...

The evening after he moves into the attic of Leblanc, Ren has a strange dream where he finds himself in a prison cell. Outside of the cell are two young wardens, Justine and Caroline; and across from the cell is Igor, a strange old man with a long nose who welcomes him to the "Velvet Room". Igor tells Ren that he is to undergo "rehabilitation" in the hopes of averting a coming "ruin". Igor and his wardens would become a constant presence in Ren's life from that evening onward...

On his way to the first day of class, Ren meets Ryuji Sakamoto, another alleged "problem student"; and Ann Takamaki, a classmate who is seen accepting a ride to school with P.E. teacher Suguru Kamoshida. As Ren and Ryuji make their way to school on foot, however, the mysterious app reappears on Ren phone and activates...

Ren and Ryuji arrive at school...but something is horrendously wrong: they find a castle where Shujin Academy should be! They enter the castle, only to be confronted by strange creatures led by a man bearing Kamoshida's resemblence, albeit with glowing yellow eyes and dressed in nothing but a crown, a cape, and pink underwear. The two are captured, taunted by the fake Kamoshida, and sentenced to death.

As the creatures prepare to execute Ryuji, a voice rings out in Ren’s head. It asks if he intends to sit by and watch as Ryuji dies, and if his previous decision to stand up to the drunk in his hometown was a mistake. Ren is determined that he made the right decision then. His resolve drives him to fight back, to rebel against these miscarriages of justice.

For several moments as this voice speaks to him, Ren writhes in pain, until finally, a white domino mask appears on his face. Ren reaches up to it and pulls it off, a process that is excruciatingly painful and leaves his face bloodied. Once the mask is off, Ren’s body becomes wreathed in blue and black flames that takes the form of his "Persona", Arsene. When the flames leave Ren’s body, his school uniform is replaced with a flowing black trenchcoat, matching shirt, pants, and shoes, and red gloves.

With Arsene's power, Ren is able to fight off the monsters at the fake Kamoshida's beck and call. He begins to make his escape with Ryuji, along the way encountering and freeing "Morgana", a strange cat-like being with a Persona of his own named Zorro. Accepting this cat burglar's help, they escape from the castle and return to the real world, where Morgana transforms into a real cat that only Ren and Ryuji can understand.

Over the course of the next few days, Ren and Ryuji, along with Morgana, make more excursions into the castle, which Morgana states exists in the "Metaverse", a parallel dimension formed from humanity's collective unconsciousness. Morgana states that the castle is a "Palace", a location in the Metaverse given form due to the twisted and corrupted desires of a human. They are able to travel there with the Metaverse Navigation App that appeared on Ren’s phone, using coordinates consisting of the subject's name, the real-world location, and the Palace's form: in this case, "Suguru Kamoshida", "Shujin Academy", and a "castle", formed from Kamoshida believing himself to practically be the king of Shujin, able to do whatever he wanted without consequence due to the influence he wielded as a former Olympic gold medalist. As for the fake Kamoshida and the creatures therein: they were "Shadows", manifestations of negative human desires. Being the Palace ruler, Kamoshida's Shadow holds dominion over the lesser Shadows that guard his castle.

Within the Palace, the guards catch Ren and Morgana as Kamoshida's Shadow taunts Ryuji. Fed up with the Shadow, Ryuji awakens to his own Persona, Captain Kidd. Ryuji uses his Persona to save Ren and Morgana and fend off Kamoshida's guards before they fall back.

Morgana explains that contained within a Palace was a "Treasure", the core of the distortions that created the Palace. He is on his own personal quest to collect Treasures in the hopes of regaining his human form, but collecting the Treasure would also have the effect of removing the distorted desires of the person who created the Palace, bringing about a change of heart and causing them to repent for their misdeeds. However, the possibility of them accidentally killing Kamoshida instead via mental shutdown makes Ren and Ryuji hesitant to steal the Treasure of Kamoshida's Palace...

...a hesitation that is soon dispersed one day, as one of the students at Shujin, Shiho Suzui, attempts suicide. Ann, Shiho's best friend, discovers before Shiho loses consciousness that she was driven to end her life by Kamoshida. Ren, Ryuji, and another student named Yuuki Mishima, a frequent victim of Kamoshida's abuse, confront Kamoshida. Kamoshida taunts the three with the fact that he broke Ryuji's leg and disbanded the track team out of spite when his bringing up Ryuji's lack of a father resulted in a violent outburst, and that he had Mishima spread rumors about Ren’s criminal record. Regardless of whether he did something to Shiho, Kamoshida is secure in the knowledge that it was his word against a group of problem students, and that the faculty and even parents willing turn a blind eye to his abuses. To demonstrate the power he wields, he tells the three that at the next faculty meeting, he will recommend their immediate expulsion!

With only a couple of weeks until their expulsion—which would violate Ren’s probation and result in his immediately going to juvenile detention—and nothing left to lose, Ren, Ryuji, and Morgana delve back into Kamoshida's Palace. In doing so, they accidentally draw in Ann. Ann is captured by Shadows, and Kamoshida's Shadow taunts Ann with the fact that, since she wouldn't accept his advances, he decided to force himself onto Shiho. Angered beyond words, Ann awakens to her Persona, Carmen, and joins Ren and company against Kamoshida.

With Ann now on their side, Ren, Ryuji, and Morgana delve deeper into the Palace, eventually discovering the location of its Treasure. However, the Treasure's form is amorphous, and it cannot be stolen as is. In order to take the Treasure, they would need to force it to materialize by confronting Kamoshida with the possibility that his desires would be taken from him. To that end, they would need a "Calling Card".

Ryuji makes several Calling Cards and places them on the school's bulletin board in secret. The card, signed by the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts", warns Kamoshida that his heart will be taken today. When Kamoshida sees the calling cards, he becomes incensed—and sure enough, it also causes Shadow Kamoshida to raise his Palace's security level.

The cards serve their purpose: when Ren and company enter the Treasure Room of the castle afterwards, the Treasure takes on the form of a crown. As the four attempt to take the crown, they are confronted by Kamoshida's Shadow, who morphs into a gargantuan monster. Nonetheless, Ren and his friends manage to subdue the Shadow. Ann restrains herself from killing the Shadow outright, which would instead cause a mental shutdown; she decides the best punishment for Kamoshida would be to repent for his crimes until the end of his life.

Ren and company escape from the castle as it begins to crumble. When they return to the real world, the Meta-Nav stops registering the castle: with the Treasure stolen, the Palace has collapsed. And in reality, Kamoshida's Treasure changes shape: a replica of his Olympic medal.

Over the next several days, Kamoshida is nowhere to be seen, having placed himself under suspension. On the day he promised to have Ren and Ryuji expelled, however, he returns to school during a morning assembly. In front of the entire student body and the faculty, he admits to his abuses and attempted rape of Shiho. He declares that he will atone by taking his own life; but Ann demands he live on and not run from the responsibility of repenting for his crimes.

With that, Kamoshida resigns himself to police custody, leaving everyone present stunned—especially the three "problem students" who caused this.

[frischkasekuchen]

What's your favorite outfit from persona?

In terms of the school uniforms, a tie between the Yasogami high seifuku and the female Shujin academy uniforms.

When it comes to the Metaverse: Futaba/Oracle's outfit.

[rootbeerfloats]

PERSONA 20TH ANNIVERSARY ART ? ive never seen this before holy shit

[m-y-fandoms]

COMMISSION: Joker/Akira/Ren x Reader Part 1

Thank you to the client for commissioning me! This is gonna be a long one! I love Joker and Persona 5 is my second favorite fandom after Danganronpa! Exctied to be working on this.

Around 2.6k words, SFW, SLOW BURN romance friends to lovers, gender neutral reader, anyone can enjoy it and place themselves as the reader! - Admin Myah

Shujin Academy could be silent as the grave in the earliest hours of the morning, and yet seem so deafening. It was almost guaranteed that at least thirty new rumors were spreading throughout the student body at any given time, and the overwhelmingly hostile environment that created made the air heavy. With all the teenage angst, hormones, hatred, circles of venomous malice, it was no wonder so many loners could be spotted on academy grounds. That’s just how it was at Shujin: you either had a clique, or you had no one. It was no surprise, then, that you simply kept your head down, minded your business, and got to know no one. Miraculously, though, gossip abound about you still, at least two or three preposterous examples of hearsay and stories. But hey, what could you do? That was in all actuality, pretty low for a single Shujin student. God help the students who actually did make their opinions known, express themselves through clothing and cosmetics, and dared to swim against the current.

You shuffled through the first floor, the absolute blandness of that April morning perpetuating your usual routine: arrive at Shujin, check your locker, scribble down any notes and ideas that came to you in your dreams last night to put into your next short story, and of course check for new posts in the group chat, where your only friends resided. You wouldn’t be caught dead associating with anyone here at the school, it would simply be mental and social suicide, and quite frankly, you didn’t have the constitution for that.

Peeking up for a split second to avoid any collisions, you quickly slid to the left and ducked into a nearby alcove, successfully escaping the gaze of the oncoming wall of muscle and testosterone that was Coach Kamoshida, the plague of Shujin Academy. It was the best case scenario that Kamoshida remained ignorant to one’s very existence, for even those on his good side suffered the consequences. He strode by, shoulders wide and chest puffed out, scanning the halls for girls to harass or boys to intimidate, and once the coast was clear and he was a safe distance away, his back facing you, you dipped back out of the rather dusty corridor and back into the light, immediately slipping back into an almost mechanical daily ritual. It took mere seconds: phone screen unlocked, group chat opened, notebook slipped snuggly back under armpit.

“C’mon, man!” An obnoxiously loud voice rang out above the typical tinnitus-like buzz of the hallway, and suddenly your shoulder was thrust forward, body flying to the ground with a forceful shove on the shoulder.

“Aaagh!” Your voice cracked as your knees buckled and you collided roughly with the wooden panels below, your smartphone soaring out of your grip and clinking against the floor. Thank goodness your notebook was safe, at the very least. People gasped and turned to look at the spectacle, including Kamoshida himself, who’d just reached the end of the hall.

“Sakamoto! I see you running in the halls again, I’ll write you up!” He just always had to say something, let the general student body know he was in charge. He cared far more about sounding rough and tough than making sure the student who was just steam-rolled was uninjured. He pointed directly at you and the student that had just dashed by, effectively pummeling you to the ground with a shoulder check. You looked up and just ahead of you, Ryuji Sakamoto was pivoting on one foot, ignoring Kamoshida’s threat entirely to catch his breath and look down at his victim, splayed across the floor.

Ryuji Sakamoto, now that was one of those students mentioned earlier, the kind that dyed his hair, customized his uniform, and didn’t take shit from anyone. He was a pariah, pretty much the opposite of the teacher’s pet… teacher’s pest more like. Sakamoto was the subject of many falsehoods and conjectures, and he was sure to be trouble for anyone associated…

You looked him up and down, halting your unflattering and socially-altered thoughts in their tracks. Didn’t wanna become the very thing you hated. There was no reason to judge Ryuji without first-hand proof.

“Woah! My bad, sorry dude!” He held up one hand submissively, but unfortunately, just as with Kamoshida,  it seemed that you were not his main concern either. Huffing and puffing from the sprint, he looked past you to another male student who was hot on his trail, but this one looked… different.

You’d gone to Shujin Academy for all of your high-school career. It was your third and final year before graduation, and you knew of Sakamoto well enough, but this kid was a mystery… was he new here? He must’ve been. You knew at least the face of every student here in some way or another just through Shujin’s own little eternal game of telephone, and not by any choice of your own. You actively removed yourself from the local goings-on. Was it his first day here, you wondered. Why hadn’t you heard gossip about him yet, especially looking the way he did?

Beauty was a curse - much like any other feature that stood out - at Shujin Academy. If you were too pretty or handsome, you must be sexually promiscuous. On the other hand, if you were too ugly, too nerdy, too quiet, you probably picked your nose and read hentai on the train. There was no winning in this soul-crushing wasteland. Unfortunately for this new-comer, he was outrageously gorgeous.

“Gah, sorry about that…” he sighed, slowing his pace as he passed you by, plucking your phone up from the ground and offering you his hand. You took it and stood with his help. A quick tug and you were to your feet, dusting off your uniform and thanking him for his assistance. “Yeah, no problem… Ryuji’s just… a bit eager I suppose” he chuckled. “Luckily, no cracks!” He turned your phone around in his hand before placing it back into yours.

“Isn’t that the transfer student??? I heard he nearly killed a man!” One random NPC-esque shithead whispered from behind.

“Oh God, figures that freak would gravitate to the new freak…” another responded.

Ah…  and there it was. Why did fate hate you so much that it chose you as Sakamoto’s door mat on this day? You truly must have been fortune’s fool.

“Yeah, good thing…” You eyed the boy before you, taking in what you could of the new student before the short exchange was over, from his face to the delicate yet thick veins protruding from his lithe hands.

He was tall and thin, and would even be considered lanky if not for the lean muscle that lined his frame. He seemed to be better off than the average teen, sporting almost no blemishes or imperfections on his smooth skin. A black, messy mop of hair that looked soft to the touch sat upon his head, falling into his eyes and over the dark frames of his distinct spectacles. These spectacles did nothing to hide the true elegance that gleamed in the eyes behind them. They were a muted, soft grey that was beautifully simple and clean. His uniform was neat and tidy - as opposed to his blonde and brash acquaintance’s - with his pristine white turtleneck gently blanketing a quite prominent Adam’s apple and his school jacket buttoned and ironed perfectly. Lower down, his plaid slacks concealed thighs that strained against the fabric and long legs that ran down into some very - yet again - flawless dress shoes. Yep, that was a brand new uniform, sure enough.

And a brand new student… he just might make a good subject, a new inspiration for your writing, an aura unmarred by the stain this place put on one’s soul. Your opinion of him was fresh, it was new, unaltered, unbiased, and he really was quite beautiful… your mind played with the thought.

“Ah… sorry about this,” he spoke, taking in the whispers all around you, “I probably just ruined your reputation, what with being seen with me an’ all,” he sighed and laughed breathily, a hint of exhaustion in his voice. He must’ve been keen to the ways of Shujin already, which was super sad in its own right. “I’m Akira by the way,” he held out a hand, and you shook it hesitantly.

“Eh, doesn’t really bother me. It’s (Y/N), nice to meet you. Sorry you’re feeling the Shujin warm welcome.” That first part was only partly true, but the last half was genuine.

“Anyway…” his voice shook you back out of your contemplative reverie, and you came back to reality to find him also looking you over. Oh right… you were new to him as well… “I gotta go, Ryuji is kind of impatient, I’ve found.”

“Hey! Am not!” Ryuji retorted, brows furrowing before he ran off. Akira’s eyes rolled playfully, before he smiled, waved, and sped off.

You nodded, and quickly pulled out your phone, rushing to the glass doors leading to the courtyard. Anything to get out of the spotlight and harsh crowd of stares, plus, you had a sparkling new idea filling up your cranium, and artistic inspiration could not be wasted. Finding one of the benches placed for student recreation, you set down your school bag and impatiently scrambled for your favorite pen, throwing open your notebook.

“Oh, shoot!” You’d gotten ahead of yourself in all the excitement. Placing the moleskin down, you picked up your phone, hands trembling just a bit, and messaged you friends before anything else. They just had to hear about this.

 ＊

 (Y/N) 9:55 am: Guys guys guys!!!

 Itsuki 9:56 am: What do you want?

 Rin 9:56 am: ???

 Megumi 9:57 am: Shouldn’t you be in class?

 (Y/N) 9:57 am: Shut up I have a free period just listen

You know how I’ve been having writer’s block?

 Rin 9:58 am: Ya

 (Y/N) 9:58 am: Well I just met this new kid, and ideas just started FLOWING.

 Itsuki 9:59 am: Yeah

 Megumi 9:59 am: Yeah we remember nerd

Oh that’s great!

Wait what do you mean?

New kid?

Only we can have you 😭 Don’ go switching up on us. Shujin is

toxic anyway.

 (Y/N) 10:01 am: No no no It’s not like we’re friends, I just met him is all

You know you’re my one and only bby 😘

 Itsuki 10:01 am: New kid???

 Megumi 10:01 am: 😎

 Itsuki 10:02 am: Gross

Also what about me!!!!

 Rin 10:02 am: Me too 😡😡😡

 (Y/N) 10:03 am: You two know you’re included in that???? 🤔🙄

Anyway just listen

I think he may be good inspo for my main character!!!

I was stuck looking for a unique look or face claim or something

But he seems nice enough and he’s good looking!

 Itsuki 10:05 am: You got a crush? Awww I’m telling 😏😏😏😏

 (Y/N) 10:05 am: I swear it’s like we haven’t been friends for years…

You know me, PLEASE don’t be gross

Writing purposes ONLY

 Megumi 10:06 am: I thought you were stuck on the CONTENT, not characters and shit

 (Y/N) 10:06 am: Both!!!! But he’s perfect for the look of my protag

 Itsuki 10:06 am: 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

 Megumi 10:07 am: Well I’m happy for you

STOP

 Itsuki 10:07 am: 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

 Rin 10:07 am: 😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

 (Y/N) 10:08 am: I can see this conversation isn’t going to be productive 

LMAO you’re assholes

＊

 You tucked your phone into your pocket and once again picked up your notebook. Scrawling down some of the details you knew about Akria: his looks, the sound of his voice, the way he carried himself, you quickly became aware that you knew far too little… or rather

 You wanted to know more.

 Standing, you packed your things and set out to find him again…

 Not in the creepy way! You thought to yourself, trying to justify this uncharacteristic choice of yours to actually reach out to someone in real life, to maybe… try to make… friends? You stood there, brows furrowed and a small frown on your face, pondering your options.

“Oh well, all artists must suffer for their work!” You resolved a little too promptly to try to force another encounter with the new kid. He seemed to be special, unique. He seemed to be well aware of the social hierarchy of Shujin, and have a distaste of it at least. Maybe he wouldn’t be… so bad?

Making up your mind, you spent your free period not writing of romance and rebellious characters, but searching for that fluffy-headed newfound hero to your story, however ghoulish and greasy that made you appear. You truly were becoming that “reads-hentai-on-the-train” and stalks cute boys freak your peers thought people like you were, weren’t you?

To your surprise (though maybe it shouldn’t have been surprising with the volume of Sakamoto’s voice) you soon found the gaggle of second-years, model-status beauty Ann Takamaki now added to their number, standing next to the stairs on the third floor, looking quite conspicuous to boot. Noting the suspicious air around the three, you pulled back, hiding behind the corner leading down the next hall. They seemed on edge... maybe now wasn’t the best time to make friends…?

You felt something thump in your chest. Your shoulders sank subconsciously. It felt a little disappointing, disheartening in a way you couldn’t explain. It was a bit intimidating: Ryuji the loudmouth with a temper, the hottest girl in the school, and the cute new kid. You sighed, this was why you never tried to make friends in the first place. Why had you even gotten your hopes up?

These irrational feelings of self-doubt clouded your heart, your head knowing better of course. It was hard to fight thoughts like these, especially for someone like you. On the precipice of making up your mind, deciding to give up and scrap the new novel idea altogether, you were jolted to attention by the sound of shoes scuffling and scrambling up the stairs.

Students aren’t really allowed on the rooftop during school hours unless accompanied by a teacher or given express permission, your thoughts swarmed. Maybe they didn’t know? No, there’s no way. There’s a possibility Akira didn’t know, but Ann and Ryuji had been here for two years... What were they up to?

Your nosiness was regrettably getting the better of you, and you slithered over, careful to pad your steps and tread softly. You didn’t even know what you’d do once you’d cornered the trio on the roof, didn’t know what you’d say. What was there to say? You were never too good with words, that is those not written on paper. Your heart beating out of your chest, you climbed the narrow stairwell and threw open the doors to the roof.

“Huh?” You looked around, dumbfounded. “Hello?” The rooftop area was not that large, all parts of it visible from the door.

There was no one to be found.

“What the hell?” You step forward, thinking you must have been the subject of some prank, but no, upon looking around, all three students were gone without a trace. No school bags, no lunch boxes, no uniform pieces, nothing. Akira, Ryuji, and Ann, all vanished into thin air. There were no hiding spots, none big enough for three people at least. It was dead silent, and only the door you currently guarded provided an exit off of the roof. Your mind wanted to wander to darker places, but if they’d have jumped, there surely would’ve been a commotion either during or shortly after. Frantically, you looked around, feeling like you were going crazy.

“What the fuck?” You pressed the palm of one hand to your forehead, sitting on the ground and crossing your legs.

[acekind]

continued.

  THE BRUNETTE BLINKS FROM HER STUPOR, the commute probably not the best place to be resting her eyes while on the way to school but the gentle rock of the coach was a little too enticing to high-school student on monday morning.  she lifts her head up to a young girl in the shujin uniform yet a face she can’t quite pinpoint, nor did she bother to try. she can just about remember what she had for supper yesterday let alone playing guess who with the students of shujin academy; but that dark hair was rather striking, it was almost like coal…     SAURA sits up straighter, not bothering to cover her rather toothy YAWN before she shakes her head, fingers reach up to brush unruly strands from her eyes.  ❝ –  go ahead, before i travel across tokyo on my back. ❞         and just who could be able to say that? and she was sure her homeroom teacher would have plenty more to say for missing school for such a feat.

  there was only an empty seat, luckily enough for her when she boarded. while the trip to shujin was only three stops away, romi already noticed there was someone who wore the same uniform as her, asking if someone else was to sit there or not. while the raven thinks nothing on the other’s appearance (she isn’t one to judge), she patiently awaits a reply before hearing the other’s approval to sit next to her.

  quickly, romi moves to sit next to her, legs tightly kept together while her bag placed on her lap, her left hand placed on top while hiding her right hand underneath. dark hues briefly staring at the student, perhaps a classmate? then staring down at her blazer, so she was a second year like herself? maybe she was in a different class, having never recalled seeing her before. “um...” a concerned look on her face, the other seems tired, sleepy. going back to school on a monday would make anyone tired, but it was school. “...you’re not going back to sleep, are you? or uh...i can wake you up when we’re close to arriving?”

[queenxfjustice]

@more-than-a-princess​ || Liked for a Starter!

Shujin Academy’s culture festival was an event that helped put the school on the map of high-end schools. Of course it was never going to be as prestigious as Hope’s Peak or Kosei, but it was still a well-known school in Tokyo. The culture festival was a chance for outsiders to explore the school and learn about the clubs, activities, and academics of the school. It was the best way for the school to convince the middle schoolers to apply. Despite that, students from other high schools also visited!

As the student council president, Makoto’s job was to greet visitors while also managing the behind the scenes of the festival. A natural leader, she exuded grace as she handed out the welcome flyers to those entering the school. Her friends called her Queen, not only because of her alter ego while hunting shadows but because of how authoritative and elegant she seemed to be. It was clear she fit the role of President quite well now that she’d come to understand herself a little better.

She smiled politely as a blonde haired foreigner walked in. “Welcome to Shujin Academy!” Makoto greeted cheerfully. “Is it your first time visiting? My name is Makoto Niijima, I’m the student council president here.” 

As she spoke she reached out to hand the other girl a flyer. In it there was information on all the events and activities taking place around the school. “If you have any questions feel free to ask me or anyone wearing the Shujin uniform. There’s a map on the back of the flyer if you feel you might get lost!”

[shadow-scenarios]

Hello~ may I ask for something slightly specific? I wanted to ask about a scenario in which the reader recently obtains the Meta-Nav but instead of the PT finding out first, Goro does. See, the reader and Goro have recently become acquaintances and reader thinks that the Meta-Nav is something related to illegal activity so she goes to consult their detective friend on this mysterious app! Haha, sorry if this is too specific ;-;

Hey there simulationone, this isn’t too specific!! I like creative ideas that change the plot & this has been my favourite request to write so far.

However, I did change the request slightly. I made it so that the Reader awakened to their Persona & gains the MetaNav!! I hope that’s alright with you. If not, feel free to message me again and I can rewrite it.

{ Post Writing Note: Well, I wrote way too much!! Sorry if there’s less Akechi content than you thought, I got hyperfixated on how it would affect the plot. I’d love to write a Part 2 full of angst with this, so feel free to request it!! }

- Nexus.

Dance with Justice | Goro Akechi

Life at Kosei High was predictable. Like a metronome. Constant pressure to be the best & high achievement boundaries, it was a wonder how she was ever accepted without some sort of moonlighting as a prodigy. These stories of mental shutdowns & psychotic breakdowns made the world look grim & everyone seemed desperate to escape it all.

Comfort was found in the Phantom Thieves and how they manipulated hearts. Dancing the line between immoral & illegal, it was a grey area where the who was less significant than the how. Society grasped onto them as miraculous saviours as they solved cases faster than regular forces ever could: Kamoshida, Madarame, Kaneshiro, Medjed. The world was taken by storm, these renegade rogues looking to change the world & it seemed they were no longer an urban legend.

Their downfall was unexpected, to say the least. Okumura was murdered in cold blood, his mental shutdown playing onscreen during an important meeting where he was about to reveal an important factor in solving this buck-wild case. A calling card was found at the residence, the sigil of their misdeeds. Just when the mystery was about to unravel, the threads gave way to a bigger problem: Did the Phantom Thieves cause the very shutdowns everyone was trying to escape?

Swiftly, the media capitalised. Labelling them as criminals, demanding their arrest. Everything shifted so quickly & she was caught up by the egregious claims of both sides. There was one thing for certain: The Phantoms Thieves had killed someone and regardless of their previous deeds, they needed to be brought to justice.

Naturally, the first viable suspect she found was Yusuke Kitagawa.

He was of the eccentric sort, gaining a scholarship through art. Everything the strange man did was usually for the sake of ‘ Finding true beauty! ’, which was slightly melodramatic. Before Madarame’s case, he was fixated on art singularly. Now? He seemed to have other priorities. Whenever someone would discuss the Phantom Thieves in an art lesson, there was a glimmer in his eye & the paintbrush that had been on the canvas stopped in order to listen in.

A victim of Madarame’s plagiarism, which gave a plausible motive. Despite this, nothing was concrete. She thought about her friend, Akechi. Was this how he solved crimes?

Obviously, the next step was to follow Yusuke around. Sneaking around was rather easy, all she had ever been known as by the student populace was ‘ the girl who was friends with Akechi! ’, so standing out was not much of a problem. There was not much abnormal. Despite being somewhat of a social outcast, he had a small circle of friends. Six in total.

Five of them were clearly wearing the Shujin Academy uniform on the day she spotted them. One was tall in stature with fluffy black hair & thick framed glasses. Reserved in nature but he always appeared to have some sort of witty comeback. Soon he became known as Akira.

Another one was a blonde, around the same height. He wore the uniform much like a delinquent alongside a yellow graphic tee. Obnoxiously loud, as it was never difficult to hear what he was saying even from far away. The person closest to him was Ann. She had platinum blonde hair tied back into pigtails & features of an American.

Makoto was next. Clearly more of a calculating type, she wore the uniform immaculately. Wearing her hair in a French-braid styled headband, she had maroon coloured eyes & was around average height. Most of the time, she was commenting on the boy’s behaviour.

Haru Okumura was someone recognisable due to the news about her father’s death, which was saddening. In her uniform, she wore a fluffy pink turtleneck alongside white tights with flower patterns.

Futaba was just as strange as Yusuke. She used a mixture of gamer jargon whenever she spoke and was never seen in a uniform. About middle school age, she carried around a set of headphones everywhere that regularly rested atop her maple coloured hair.

Stuffed inside of Akira’s bag was also a cat that they tried to hide. Key word: Tried. Six of them & a cat.

They frequented a local cafe in Shibuya, LeBlanc. It was a nice location & she had even gone in there once to listen in. Boss was kind, to say the least. He served coffee with a warm smile & the curry combined perfectly enough to encourage a smile out of her.

On a Friday, the cafe was busy. They had gathered at one table & chatted casually. Most of them looked forelorn. Akira eventually gestured for them to take the conversation outside, where they would disturb fewer people.

Following behind them, she paid Boss & followed, attempting to seem casual. They never noticed. Conspicuously trailing into an alleyway, Ryuji pulled out his phone. Listening in was difficult so she opted to pull out her own phone and record. One of them, presumably Akira, simply said “ Mementos. ”.

Mementos. That singular word triggered something & changed everything. As the world began to violently shift in a strange phenomena, hues of vermillion & mauve dotted her vision. It was hypnotic. Eventually, she snapped out of the trance.

Concealed by masks & flashy outfits were the suspicious group she had been following. It was blatantly obvious by their hair colours. However, the animated cat creature was a surprise. It was reminiscent of the cat Akira carried around but even stranger was that it talked. Then it turned into a bus. Which did not seem all that strange.

Inherently familiar with their environment, they sped off down the escalator, leaving her alone with her thoughts. There were so many reds & greys. Thick red veins ran through the sides in mangled forms. The wall behind her was dilapidated & the only way to proceed was the escalator in front of her.

A fatal mistake, really.

Recalling the details of the awakening are fuzzy at best. These lumbering creatures formed entirely out of shadow began to take notice of her unwanted presence. Cornered, desperate and alone. Insurmountable pain; the voice of someone almost familiar; then freedom & rebellion.

With the pact of her Persona, everything was clearer. Life had previously moved in rhetorical patterns, it was now a whimsical dance. Eliminating the so called enemies with a weapon in hand, she eventually found a way back to the surface. The door at the beginning looked to be a way out, so she threw caution to the wind & took the chance.

Fatigue came first in this dingy alleyway. Adrenaline had been fuelling the push to leave alongside her newly granted power and once that was gone, nothing would spare her from raw exhaustion. Checking her phone in the hopes of finding evidence, the video taken was still there, though it cut off as soon as anyone disappeared.

Even without evidence, she knew that this group was doing something illicit. So she texted the one person she trusted with this secret: Goro Akechi. He was a detective, surely he would have answers.

;; I must speak with you in person as soon as possible. It’s regarding the Phantom Thieves, I have some evidence for you. You’re investigating them, correct?

Knowing full well that Akechi lived a busy life, she did not expect a response for a while. After gathering the strength to stand once again, she headed home. It was the most exhausting experience ever, physically & emotionally. A few minutes after returning home, there was a response from Akechi.

I am indeed investigating them. If you have any evidence regarding them, would it not be more convenient for me to receive it via text? ;;

;; Yes, it would be, but I can barely even believe the evidence presented to me. It’s better for you to see it for yourself. Are you attending school tomorrow?

Indeed I am. Pulling away from the public eye has benefits. If you are free during lunch, we can meet on the rooftop and discuss the supposed evidence that you have found. Does that sound like a compromise? ;;

;; Alright. I’ll see you on the rooftop tomorrow.

The next day was filled with trepidation. Everyone seemed to be mulling about & with how slowly the clock was moving, it was if the school was in a state of chronostasis. Although she did not share many classes with Akechi, there had been a moment where she saw a mop of hazelnut brown hair amongst a crowd, so he was likely to be there.

Sitting on the rooftop alone was slightly boring but she understood why he was late. Every time lunch began, Akechi would be surrounded by people who wanted his attention. It must have been rather annoying.

5. 10. 15. Minutes ticked by. During the winter, it was exceptionally cold so not a single soul came up. The chilly winter breeze nipped at her skin & for a moment she wondered if it was Akechi that she had seen. The brown hair easily could have been mistaken—

The creak of the door announced his presence. With a formal apology, he recalled how his teachers were intent on swarming him with catch up work that he would inevitably never complete. Dismissing it all & moving along with the subject, Akechi got straight to the point:

“ What was it you wished to speak to me about? ”, he asked.

“ I believe I have ascertained the identities of the Phantom Thieves, ” was the only reply she gave.

Looking astounded, he shifted his glove via force of habit & looked directly at her.

“ That’s quite the bold claim, ” he returned to a neutral expression as the mask of the Detective Prince slipped back on, “ Do you have any evidence? ”.

Recalling the story to the best of her ability was tedious. From the suspicious behaviour Yusuke had been demonstrating to the video evidence taken from her phone. Throughout the entire story, he maintained a neutral expression so she was never quite sure what to think.

“ Usually, I would disregard such stories as a strange dream or a vision you had & declare your footage as edited. However, I have... also had an encounter in this strange phenomena as well. ”

Everything began to make more sense as it was explained. Akechi rattled off about the cognitive world, Palaces, Personas & even how ‘ stealing someone’s heart ’ was possible. He explained that his plan was to lend the Phantom Thieves a hand in their next assignment & catch them in the very act. Specifically, their leader.

“ That explains a lot. Let me help you. I have a Persona as well & I can fight in that other world. I want to bring the Phantom Thieves to justice. They killed Okumura & many others if they are the ones behind the mental shutdowns. Tampering with the heart of another is wrong... ”

“... Alright. I suppose it will make things easier if it is the two of us. I hope you are a very good actor,” Akechi extended a reluctant hand for her to shake. His gaze was calculated, cold. Much different from his tone of voice. However, she took his hand & shook it.

With that, a contract was signed. Both herself & the detective would bring about the end of the Phantom Thieves.

Word Count: 1.9k

Publish Date: 27.09.20

[heroar]

“Is this seat taken?” (romi)

   THE BRUNETTE BLINKS FROM HER STUPOR, the commute probably not the best place to be resting her eyes while on the way to school but the gentle rock of the coach was a little too enticing to high-school student on monday morning. she lifts her head up to a young girl in the shujin uniform yet a face she can't quite pinpoint, nor did she bother to try. she can just about remember what she had for supper yesterday let alone playing guess who with the students of shujin academy; but that dark hair was rather striking, it was almost like coal...      SAURA sits up straighter, not bothering to cover her rather toothy YAWN before she shakes her head, fingers reach up to brush unruly strands from her eyes.  ❝ –  go ahead, before i travel across tokyo on my back. ❞      and just who could be able to say that? and she was sure her homeroom teacher would have plenty more to say for missing school for such a feat.

School-Related Sentence Starters.

[wyndhym]

Joker in Wonderland

Alright, so I briefly mentioned this before in early 2020, but back in 2019, Sega and Atlus partnered up to bring the world of Persona 5 to Sega's then 4 year old MOBA arcade game, Wonderland Wars. The game is unique in that most of it is controlled via the cabinet's touchscreen.

This collaboration came in two waves, the first being in late summer 2019, the second in early winter the same year.

The first wave introduced a variety of Persona 5 themed items, mostly cosmetic items for the player’s title card, with two cards for use in game based on Morgana and Ann Takamaki. These cards, when used in game, would spawn giants under certain conditions to help your team push, as well as provide various buffs to the cards owner once a certain team level had been reached.

The second wave saw the Phantom Thief leader himself added as a permanent member to the WonderWars roster (he is my most played character to this day) along with his Shujin Academy uniform as an alternate costume and an alternate introduction. A later update added his  P5: Dancing Star Night costume (which came with new idle animations of him dancing) and a new alternate introduction based on his first awakening in Persona 5. Joker also came with 3 unique equipment cards. While anyone could equip them, they had effects that would only activate when equipped to Joker.

Now, how does he play? Well here's a brief rundown. (Disclaimer: I cannot actually read Japanese, I simply know what these things do thanks to personal experience using them)

A brief side note before we continue, there is no such thing as a auto-attack in Wonderland Wars. EVERYTHING is a skill shot or skill. Basic attacks are divided into straight shots (traditional aimed skill shots) and draw shots (properties change based on character, but most characters utilize a free-hand pathing type)

Joker is an Attack-type character (Excels at ganking/giant killing) and has the following characteristics:

Mid-range, two hit straight shot, with above average damage

Mid-range, free-hand draw shot, with below average damage

Faster than average dodge recovery

Above average movement speed

Average HP

Average MP (40 at lvl 1, 55 at lvl 8)

He is an overall a jack-of-all-stats for attack type characters.

His skill cards are almost all offense-type cards, with one movement-type, and are all based on actions/skills Joker can perform in game, and while he has 5, he can only equip 3 prior to any given match.

First up, learned at level 2 is Eigaon

A skill shot that deals high damage, it will explode on impact, or at max range, leaving a damaging AoE behind for a few seconds.

At level 3, Joker can gain access two skills:

ACTiON!

Joker’s only movement skill. Based on the Phantom Dash mechanic in present in Persona 5/R/S. After a short pause, Joker will move to his destination at high speed. He is invincible while in motion, and the skill can be used to move through walls.

Maeiha

A free-hand skill with high damage and relatively long range. Deals more damage to enemy players and giants, less damage to enemy minions.

Level 5 grants access to one skill

TAKE hEaRT

Based on the AMBUSH! mechanic in Persona 5/R/S. Activated on play, Joker will rush to the nearest enemy player in range, and deal massive damage before retreating in the direction the player is inputting, however, he can be intercepted with an attack to prevent it. IF he succeeds, he refunds the skill’s mana cost, and IF he kills with this, it will refund a charge of a Master Skill (skill cards usable by anyone, but have limited uses)

I skipped Level 4, because that contains his main selling point...

HOLD UP! or as I like to refer to it...

ALL-OUT ATTACK!

A LONG range skill shot that will deal a small amount of damage to enemy minions and giants. If he hits an enemy player, however, they are stunned and the signature ALL-OUT ATTACK animation plays. Joker is invincible for the duration of the animation, and it deals massive damage when the blood spout appears. Will also trigger his either his “I defeated the enemy” or “CHECKMATE!” lines if the enemy is defeated by it. Normally these can only be heard if Joker is your ally.

In addition to the 5 base skills, Joker has an additional one time use skill that is unlocked at level 5.

I am thou, thou art I... Or to put it more directly, Persona Awakening

This is Joker’s Wonder Skill, and it temporarily changes his straight shot to a long-range penetrating attack, which will explode at max range, or contact with an enemy player or giant. Additionally, he recovers up to 50% of his hp on activation.

[sunnybeanbun]

Warm-up drawings--getting the ol’ drawing hands back into shape... by combining two of my favorite things: FFXIV and the Persona series.

Here’s two of my characters from FFXIV wearing P3′s Gekkoukan High school uniform and Persona 5′s Shujin Academy uniform. v uv

[cyb-by-lang]

Was the blond guy in a tank top and the button up guy in the fuzz therapy chapter of Shell Game Present Mic and Eraserhead? if it was, did it affect how both viewed Kei? seeing as they finally see her in a non-mission setting. Also, I love Shell Game! it's going in my "download to treasure forever" file once i get a new computer. cause mine died.

It was actually a Persona 5 reference, and specifically these two characters:

Ryuji Sakamoto and the protagonist (who I always call Akira Kurusu, because personal preference). The “No Mo’ Rules” thing is printed on Ryuji’s default summer outfit.

Some dozen or so chapters earlier, there’s also a reference to high school students wearing tartan-patterned pants, which are a part of the school uniform of Shujin Academy. You can only see the black blazers up there, though.

[the-trickster-of-hearts]

Kasumi’s Design and How it Compares to Joker

In honor of Persona 5: The Royal coming out in 1 day, I decided to dedicate my first post to this topic since I’ve seen people talk about it. I also wanted to share my speculation about her design along with how and why her design is possibly connected with the protagonist/Joker by using given information about the game and the designs themselves. I’ve been working on this for a while and it might kind of messy since this is the first time I made a post of this nature (plus, I want to post it before the game’s Japanese official release).

Before I discuss about Kasumi’s design and its connection to the protagonist/Joker, it’s best to look at the reason why she was created in the first place. Weekly Famitsu magazine #1588 had an interview with producer Kazuhisa Wada, director Daiki Ito, and character designer Shigenori Soejima about P5R. When Ito talked about Kasumi, he mentioned the following:

“Kasumi Yoshizawa is a new student at Shujin Academy, who has been a high achiever in rhythmic gymnastics since middle school. Since she goes to the same school as the protagonist and his friends, there’ll naturally be many points of contact between them. Introducing a new character adds a new perspective and meaning to the story, while also letting [the team] dig deeper into the characters we already know and love. Kasumi was created after much discussion about what kind of character would allow us to realize that”.

Kasumi was always meant to represent another perspective towards the story and themes of the game. Also going by this, she was most likely never meant to be a FeMC in the way people were expecting when the second P5R teaser was dropped. With that out of the way, let’s talk about her design and how it possibly relates to the protagonist’s design (for the sake of this post, he’ll be referred to as the protagonist when talking about his civilian self and Joker as his Phantom Thief self). 

In the November 2019 issue of Game Informer magazine that was released digitally on the 1st, there was an interview with Soejima and he states the following about Kasumi’s design and how he came up with it:

“With Kasumi, [he] really wanted to create just a straight-forward heroine type of character. This might be a little bit different in the West, but in Japan, the manga [he] grew up reading, the main [female] characters always had a ponytail, and their club activity was gymnastics. [He] really wanted to just shoot for that female protagonist archetype. Maybe in the States or in the West, it’d be [comparable to] a cheerleader type of girl. With most of the characters in Persona 5, we really design them to have kind of a twist, kind of make them unique and different from what the standard character archetypes might be like, but with Kasumi, we wanted to just go straight for that heroine type of girl”.

Based on this, the reason why Kasumi wears the standard Shujin uniform is because she embodies the classic heroine. Soejima even points that while most of the main cast have a twist to their designs and how it relates to their archetypes (remember that the rest of Phantom Thieves, including Akechi, are meant to be deconstructions of their given archetype), he decided to be straightforward for Kasumi’s design and how she’s supposed to reflect her given archetype. The only other character to not have a twist on their design is the protagonist. Actually, that’s not completely true. The protagonist and Kasumi actually have a twist in their design (this isn’t counting the protagonist’s glasses or Kasumi’s ribbon as they don’t take away from the uniform). Compare the concept art for the protagonist to the concept art for the Shujin uniforms. 

It’s hard to tell here, but the protagonist doesn’t wear the standardized shoes. Instead, he switches them out for some dress boots. Now let’s compare the protagonist and Kasumi.

Like the protagonist, Kasumi switches out the standardized shoes (in her case, she trades them out for some red loafers). This may not seem like much, but it’s rather strange that the one thing they change to their uniforms is the shoes. If anything, it seems like an intentional design choice to make them more similar. 

Now that I talked about her winter uniform, I can move onto her Phantom Thief attire and its relation to Joker’s outfit. 

Back to Weekly Famitsu magazine #1588, Soejima says the following when discussing about her Phantom Thief design: 

“Kasumi doesn’t form a pair with the protagonist, but since [Soejima] was drawing her as an icon of P5R, [he] designed her phantom thief appearance to feel like it goes alongside the protagonist’s. The idea of ‘phantom thieves’ in itself has manga-like elements, right? Like with the protagonist, [he] wanted this new character to have that ‘coolness’ that everyone normally expects from a phantom thief. A female phantom thief that has a different stance from the protagonist… What kind of character is she? [He hopes] you’ll be excited to find out.”

When he mentions that she doesn’t form a pair with Joker, I’m assuming that he means that the two aren’t completely direct counterparts or mirror images like how P3MC and FeMC are. While their outfits do have differences (that are better seen in the new prologue), their outfits parallel each other and have the same color scheme (more on that later). Soejima confirms that Kasumi’s Phantom Thief design resembles Joker’s design is because he intentionally made her design to feel like it goes along with him. 

Despite the almost uncanny resemblance of their Phantom Thief outfits, I get the impression that the overall intention of the designs are different. I believe the reason why their designs are so similar but different is because they’re supposed to reflect two different versions of the hero and heroine archetype that reflects their ideologies. At this point, I might sound like I’m crazy, but let’s quickly go over their designs and compare them. 

Joker wears a black and white domino mask. Kasumi also wears a mask, but her mask is black and white/silver. Joker only has small gold buttons on his waistcoat, the rest of the buttons are silver as seen on his in-game model (they are sometimes depicted as black or gold depending on the artist). Kasumi, on the other hand, has large gold buttons on her coat and smaller gold buttons on her thigh-length hose. Kasumi also has a silver chain belt with roses on it (basically, Joker and Kasumi have their placement of the silver and gold reversed). He has a white handkerchief in the pocket of his jacket while she wears a black choker. Joker wears brown winklepickers, but Kasumi wears black stiletto-heels, which resemble ballet shoes. Lastly, he wields a knife as his melee weapon while she wields an estoc. Joker’s attire can be described as classy but able to blend in the shadows. His design the embodiment of the gentleman thief, a classical type of anti-hero. Meanwhile, Kasumi’s design is very graceful and more traditionally heroic compared to Joker’s gentleman thief-esque design. Soejima points out how the Phantom Thief concept has manga-like elements (which the characters also bring up in PQ2). Combine this with Kasumi’s transformation sequence in PV #02, Kasumi’s Phantom Thief design seems to have taken some inspiration from magical girls. Despite the numbers of differences, their designs still complement each other because of the shared color schemes, red gloves, and number of coattails. Basically, their designs are different yet still go along with each other (kind of like yin and yang in a sense).

In both their Shujin uniforms and their Phantom Thief attire, they share a black-red color scheme (which are also the main colors of Persona 5). An interesting thing to note is that the two have more of a certain color in their designs.The protagonist has a bigger emphasis on black as his hair, rim of the glasses, and dress boots are black. His eyes are technically gray, but they’re a much darker shade compared to P3MC or Yu Narukami. Meanwhile, Kasumi has a bigger emphasis on red as her hair, eyes, and shoes are red. It’s possible that the reason for the protagonist greater emphasis on black relates to how he’s the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, who steal the distorted desires of individuals by morally grey means and sneak around Palaces within the shadows. In this school life, the protagonist keeps his head down and doesn’t really stand out from the crowd. Meanwhile, Kasumi rejects the Phantom Thieves because she believes that their methods don’t actually help anyone and that people should solve their own problems (this seems to stem from her own issues based on translations of her character introduction, PV #02, and PV #03). Despite this, she later joins them for her own reasons. Her appearance also helps her stand out.

This last part before moving on is speculation, but I’m going with the idea that there’s an in-universe for why her Phantom Thief outfit is similar to Joker’s. I’m kind of going on a tangent here, but it will connect back to Kasumi’s design. It’s known that Kasumi dislikes the Phantom Thieves, yet she’s seen helping Joker fight off a group of shadows while at the Casino Palace (at this point, she doesn’t consider herself a Phantom Thief but has awakened to her Persona) in the updated prologue and telling him that she isn’t going to stop him when she brings up that he still has something to do as a Phantom Thief. In PV #01, there’s a new animated cutscene involving the protagonist, Morgana, and Kasumi (note that both the protagonist and Kasumi are wearing their regular winter uniforms, not the ones for the third semester). 

PV #02 elaborates on this by showing new shots of it, and reveals that the new Palace is feature in that cutscene. 

In Kasumi’s introduction trailer, we see Joker and Morgana watching Kasumi awakening to her Persona in what appears to be in the new Palace. There’s also a gameplay section where the trio are seen fighting together, just them. 

Based on all of this info, I can conclude that the protagonist, Morgana, and Kasumi first enter the palace some time in between Spaceport of Greed arc and Casino of Envy arc (possibly even during one of those arcs or even before). Not only that, but the animated cutscene leads to the trio exploring the new palace for the first time and Kasumi awakening her Persona. After this point, Joker and Kasumi would meet again at Sae’s Palace when she has already awakened to her Persona. Based on all of the evidence presented, her in-universe reason for her Phantom Thief design looking like Joker is because her view of rebellion is him. Again, this is only speculation. It can only be confirmed when the game released on the 31st of this month in Japan. 

Lastly, I want to talk about the designs of their Personas briefly and how they compare/contrast. 

Arsene of the Fool Arcana and Cendrillon of the Faith Arcana are the only P5 Personas to not have golden eyes in any shape or form (as of now anyway). Instead, Arsene has red eyes while Cendrillon has blue. Their legs have a similar shape and they’re both seen to use physical skills by using their heels. Arsene’s horns and Cendrillon’s bow both point forwards. Arsene has a mask-like face that has been described to be glass-like while Cendrillon’s legs and chest are composed from glass. Both of them feature feathers in their design (Arsene has wings while Cendrillon’s cape and bow have a feathery appearance). Both of them have hearts patterns somewhere on their designs (Arsene has heart patterns on his shoulders while golden decor holding up Cendrillon’s cape resembles hearts). Another thing they have in common is that Arsene and Cendrillon both have French origins (Arsene Lupin is the creation of French novelist Maurice Leblanc while Cendrillon is based off of French author Charles Perrault’s interpretation of the Cinderella story). As for how they’re different, the first thing to mention is the color schemes. While both have black, white, and gold, Arsene has red, but Cendrillon has blue instead. Arsene has black wings while Cendrillon has a white feathery cape. Arsene has black claws resembling talons of a bird while Cendrillon has blue nails. Arsene has an overall demonic appearance while Cendrillon has a somewhat angelic appearance. Lastly, Arsene uses Curse skills while Cendrillon uses Bless skills. 

In conclusion, Kasumi’s design is intentionally meant to resemble the protagonist’s design to go alongside him and highlight their difference stances. They represent the hero and heroine archetypes on different scales, with the protagonist representing the anti-hero and Kasumi representing the traditional heroine. The in-universe reason for their similar Phantom Thief designs possibly has to do with how Kasumi’s view of rebellion is Joker mixed with gymnastics. Or maybe I’m looking too much into Kasumi’s design and how that design compares to the protagonist/Joker.