The Phantom Thieves of Hearts
The protagonists of Persona 5, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts are a group of high schoolers (and a cat) in Tokyo out to rid the world of evil by "stealing the hearts" of corrupt members of society. Their Personas are styled after various picaresque heroes, both fictional and real.
Members of Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Ren Amamiya/ Joker
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| Ren Amamiya |
English VA: Xander Mobus
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| Joker |
The game's main character, a second-year high school student who is transferred to Shujin Academy in Tokyo after being put on probation after being falsely charged with assault after stopping a would-be molester that happened to have connections. While he seems meek and passive, this behavior hides the heart of a trickster that eventually leads to him becoming "Joker", a notorious Gentleman Thief. He is aligned with the Fool Arcana and is subsequently the resident holder of the Wild Card. As such, he can switch between hundreds of Personas at will, and said Personas can grow stronger through fusion and bonding with others.
His Persona is Arsène, the hero of Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin novels. One of fiction's most famous thieves, Lupin is the archetypal Phantom Thief, a gentleman who steals from criminals worse than himself, both for profit and for the fun of it. As a Persona, Arsène looks like an almost demonic version of the original hero, combining his standard classy attire with massive black wings, long-fingered hands, and a constant Cheshire Cat Grin, all topped off with red and black attire.
Ryuji Sakamoto/ Skull
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| Ryuji Sakamoto |
English VA: Max Mittleman
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| Skull |
A boy from Joker's school whose combination of attitude and appearance gives off the air of a delinquent. He's considered a "problem child" at school, due to his rude, gruff-mannered speech and behavior, although it's said he wasn't always this way. In fact, he used to be a talented member of his school's Track Club before he quit.
Ryuji is the Mighty Glacier of the group, toting great Strength and the highest Endurance in the party; however, his Agility and Luck are abysmal. While he can learn all of the Zio spells, brutal physical attacks are his strongest assets. Ryuji's Persona is the Chariot Arcana's Captain Kidd — as in William Kidd, a real-life Scottish sailor who lived in the 17th and early 18th centuries. After years of sailing, Kidd was arrested in Boston and executed by the British Parliament for five counts of piracy and one act of murder — despite no evidence that Kidd ever did anything illegal, and instead was simply a privateer. Captain Kidd appears as a skeletal pirate, complete with hat, eyepatch, and a miniature boat he triumphantly rides in on.
Morgana/ Mona
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| Morgana/ Mona |
Japanese VA: Ikue Ohtani
English VA: Cassandra Lee Morris
A mysterious shapeshifting creature with Persona abilities. Morgana has the form and the habits of a cat but claims not to truly be one, trying to find out the secrets to his true form and lost memories. Morgana takes interest in Joker after seeing his power and begins to masquerade as his pet house cat, living with and accompanying him everywhere. He also functions as the Thieves' vehicle of choice.
Morgana is the Combat Medic of the group, learning nearly every healing move in the game in tandem with powerful Garu spells and a few physical skills focused on high crit rates. He's very squishy, with the lowest HP and Endurance in the party, but makes up for it with good Agility and the highest Luck. Morgana's Persona is Zorro of the Magician Arcana, a pulp hero created in the early 20th century by American Johnston McCulley for his stories of the same name. A Lovable Rogue at heart, Zorro is a swashbuckling defender of the weak who fights against an oppressive regime in Spanish California. As a Persona, Zorro is a top-heavy man with a rapier, cape, and spurs, notably lacking any sort of fox motif the classic hero is well-known for.
Morgana is the Combat Medic of the group, learning nearly every healing move in the game in tandem with powerful Garu spells and a few physical skills focused on high crit rates. He's very squishy, with the lowest HP and Endurance in the party, but makes up for it with good Agility and the highest Luck. Morgana's Persona is Zorro of the Magician Arcana, a pulp hero created in the early 20th century by American Johnston McCulley for his stories of the same name. A Lovable Rogue at heart, Zorro is a swashbuckling defender of the weak who fights against an oppressive regime in Spanish California. As a Persona, Zorro is a top-heavy man with a rapier, cape, and spurs, notably lacking any sort of fox motif the classic hero is well-known for.
Ann Takamaki/ Panther
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| Ann Takamaki |
English VA: Erika Harlacher
A quarter-white girl who has lived abroad for much of her life. Due to her "exotic features", strange rumors about her have been circulating. Withdrawn in her daily life, Ann is much livelier and expressive in her Phantom Thief persona.
Ann is a magical Glass Cannon who specializes in Agi spells, status ailments, and to a much lesser extent, healing. The first two are respectively complimented by her Magic (the highest in the party) and her Luck (third highest after Futaba), but she has rather low Endurance and health. Ann's Persona is Carmen of the Lovers Arcana, the protagonist of French writer Prosper Mérimée's 19th century novella of the same name, and Georges Bizet's more well known opera adaptation
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| Panther |
Yusuke Kitagawa/ Fox
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| Yusuke Kitagawa |
English VA: Matthew Marcer
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| Fox |
Yusuke specializes primarily in physical attacks, much like Ryuji; although he's not as tanky, his stats are far more balanced. He can also use the Bufu line of skills. His Persona is the Emperor Arcana's Goemon - Ishikawa Goemon, a real world Ninja who would steal from the rich to give to the poor in 16th century Japan. After a failed assassination on a civil war-era warlord, Goemon and his son were executed. Persona Goemon is dressed in exaggerated classical Japanese attire, complete with massive sandals and garish robes.
Makoto Nijima/ Queen
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| Makoto Nijima |
Japanese VA: Rina Sato
English VA: Cherami Leigh
The Student Council President of Shujin Academy, a third-year known for her rigid morals and sense of responsibility. Makoto is a straight-laced honor student who can't be compromised with... though once she awakens to her Persona, you find out she has quite a bit of repressed anger at the injustices around her. In combat, she utilizes knuckledusters and revolvers, and her Persona doubles as an ethereal motorcycle. She's also Sae Niijima's younger sister.
Makoto is a Jack-of-All-Stats; she is balanced offensively with a slight edge in Magic, and boasts the second highest Agility, with only her Luck being slightly below average. Her movepool is one of the most diverse among the party, learning Frei skills, physical attacks, healing skills, and an assortment of buffs and support skills. Her Persona is Johanna, a Latin variation of the given name of the apocryphal religious figure, Pope Joan, and it is aligned with the High Priestess Arcana. According to legend, Joan was a talented and learned woman who disguised herself as a man to hold a position in the Catholic Church in The Middle Ages. Due to her abilities, she rose through the ranks and was even elected Pope, only to be branded a criminal when her true sex was discovered. In Protestant cultures Pope Joan was considered to be the person the La Papesse tarot card depicted. Interestingly, Makoto's Persona is the only one not associated with thievery in the traditional sense (beyond "stealing" a role meant for a man), matching her own straight-laced personality. As a Persona, Johanna manifests as a large motorcycle with her face inside a dome on the front of the bike.
Makoto is a Jack-of-All-Stats; she is balanced offensively with a slight edge in Magic, and boasts the second highest Agility, with only her Luck being slightly below average. Her movepool is one of the most diverse among the party, learning Frei skills, physical attacks, healing skills, and an assortment of buffs and support skills. Her Persona is Johanna, a Latin variation of the given name of the apocryphal religious figure, Pope Joan, and it is aligned with the High Priestess Arcana. According to legend, Joan was a talented and learned woman who disguised herself as a man to hold a position in the Catholic Church in The Middle Ages. Due to her abilities, she rose through the ranks and was even elected Pope, only to be branded a criminal when her true sex was discovered. In Protestant cultures Pope Joan was considered to be the person the La Papesse tarot card depicted. Interestingly, Makoto's Persona is the only one not associated with thievery in the traditional sense (beyond "stealing" a role meant for a man), matching her own straight-laced personality. As a Persona, Johanna manifests as a large motorcycle with her face inside a dome on the front of the bike.
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| Queen |
Futaba Sakura/ Oracle(EN)/ Navi(JP)
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| Futaba Sakura |
English VA: Erica Lindbeck
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| Oracle |
A 15-year-old Playful Hacker who eventually replaces Morgana as the Phantom Thieves' Mission Control. Although her technological prowess is second to none, a mysterious incident years prior to the events of the game left Futaba a socially-crippled Hikikomori unable to leave her own house.
Even though she's no front-line combatant, unlike Morgana, she can scan enemies for weaknesses and resistances, and learns an assortment of status-enhancing and healing skills which she employs at random—though increasingly often as her Confidant is leveled. Her initial Persona is Necronomicon of the Hermit Arcana, the Tome of Eldritch Lore from H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. Despite its name, Necronomicon takes the appearance of a retro-futuristic UFO, the alien spaceships of urban legend rumored to abduct people and livestock.
Haru Okumura/ Noir
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| Haru Okumura |
English VA: Xanthe Huynh
A third-year student at Shujin Academy and daughter of the president of a large food manufacturer. She is refined and good at communicating with others, but naive to the ways of the world.
Haru's stats are balanced similar to Makoto, albeit with an edge in Strength instead. She learns Psi skills, defensive skills like Tetrakarn and Makarakarn, and is the only one (aside from Joker) that can learn Gun skills. Her Persona is the Empress Arcana's Milady, as in Milady de Winter, a spy and thief in Alexandre Dumas' famous 1844 novel The Three Musketeers. As a Persona, Milady takes an appearance of a living ball gown with a fan and a handheld domino mask for a face. Her dress also hides a multitude of firearms beneath it.
Haru's stats are balanced similar to Makoto, albeit with an edge in Strength instead. She learns Psi skills, defensive skills like Tetrakarn and Makarakarn, and is the only one (aside from Joker) that can learn Gun skills. Her Persona is the Empress Arcana's Milady, as in Milady de Winter, a spy and thief in Alexandre Dumas' famous 1844 novel The Three Musketeers. As a Persona, Milady takes an appearance of a living ball gown with a fan and a handheld domino mask for a face. Her dress also hides a multitude of firearms beneath it.
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| Noir |
Goro Akechi/ Crow
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| Goro Akechi |
English VA: Robbie Daymond
The ninth member of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. Akechi is a teenage detective and the "Second Coming of the Detective Prince" who initially tracks the Phantom Thieves as a Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist in connection with the mental shutdown incidents he's been investigating. However, after stumbling upon one of the Thieves' Palace infiltrations, Akechi strikes a deal to help them find the true culprit, citing his hatred for injustice and belief that the Thieves are in fact being used as a scapegoat by a larger criminal conspiracy.
As a party member, Akechi is very well rounded stat-wise, and has the most diverse set of attack skills other than Joker, being able to learn Bless, Curse, and Almighty spells in addition to physical skills. His Persona is Robin Hood, the legendary 14th Century thief of Sherwood Forest who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In some retellings, Robin Hood is also associated with overthrowing Prince John, a villainous pretender to the English throne, The Crusades, and the search for the Holy Grail. As a Persona, Robin Hood has a superhero-like appearance with white armor, a blue cape, a huge winged bow, and a Chest Insignia.
As a party member, Akechi is very well rounded stat-wise, and has the most diverse set of attack skills other than Joker, being able to learn Bless, Curse, and Almighty spells in addition to physical skills. His Persona is Robin Hood, the legendary 14th Century thief of Sherwood Forest who steals from the rich to give to the poor. In some retellings, Robin Hood is also associated with overthrowing Prince John, a villainous pretender to the English throne, The Crusades, and the search for the Holy Grail. As a Persona, Robin Hood has a superhero-like appearance with white armor, a blue cape, a huge winged bow, and a Chest Insignia.
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| Crow |
Kasumi Yoshizawa/ Violet
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| Kasumi Yoshizawa |
A new character introduced in Royal. Kasumi is a first year and a New Transfer Student who joins Shujin Academy in the Spring the same year as Joker. Although she has a good relationship with Joker and his friends, her opinion towards the Phantom Thieves is quite negative, saying that their actions may lead people to heavily rely on the Phantom Thieves instead of making their own efforts to solve their problems. Despite this, she later joins them when a new Palace emerges.
During the third-term events of the game, Kasumi joins as the tenth and final member of the Phantom Thieves. Fitting her athletic background, she is a Fragile Speedster, boasting the highest Agility, who specializes in Bless and Physical skills, with a lean towards Critical Hit skills. Her persona is Cendrillon, the lead character in French writer Charles Perrault's 17th century retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale that became the basis of the most popular contemporary versions of the story. As a Persona, Cendrillon takes the form of a woman wearing a blue dress and boots made of glass, with a white cape, and a blue hair bow, with everything trimmed in gold.
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| Violet |
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