The Phantom Thieves of Hearts (心の怪盗団), or simply The Phantom Thieves, refers to the team of protagonists the player controls in Atlus' Persona 5, as well as the follow-up games Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, and Persona 5: The Phantom X.
The original members of the team make cameo appearances throughout Super Smash Bros. Ultimate; they can appear in the background of the Mementos stage, they assist their leader Joker in his Final Smash, and a piece of Headgear for the Mii Fighters modeled after Morgana is available as DLC.
Character Descriptions[]
The logo of the Phantom Thieves
In Persona 5, The Phantom Thieves of Hearts is a team of mainly high school teenagers that work to confront and rebel against the corrupt by stealing their hearts in an effort to change their ways, and society as a whole, for the better. They do this by way of the Metaverse, a parallel reality created by the collective unconscious where humanity's deepest desires have physically manifested into an area known as Mementos; those with far stronger wants and stronger cognitions have their own personal places called Palaces, which are powered by an object (referred to as a "Treasure") of deep significance to the Palace's owner - a.k.a. their "Heart".
The group originally started as victims of lecherous high school gym instructor Suguru Kamoshida, initially wanting to deliver justice themselves since no other authority figure was willing to. After their exploits become known by the wider public, the group expands to include victims of corrupt politician Masayoshi Shido's co-conspirators during the takedown of each one. Outside of their high-profile targets, the Thieves also change the hearts of everyday people in Mementos, usually taking requests on the Phantom Aficionado Website - a page designed by their classmate Yuuki Mishima to help spread the word of the group's existence. They've also become known for their striking logo - a flaming mask and top hat - as well as the stylized calling cards they plaster in public spaces to catch the attention of their targets, which in turn puts their Shadow selves in the Palaces on high alert.
Joker[]
The appointed leader and founding member of the Phantom Thieves is Joker, a young man who arrives in the Yongen-Jaya district to live with Sojiro Sakura, a friend of his parents, as part of his criminal charges after being falsely accused of assault. Much like previous protagonists in the Megami Tensei franchise, Joker is a silent character with a blank slate personality, leaving his actions and decisions up to the will of the player, though it is always noted in the game that he has a strong sense of justice and a rebellious spirit. In other media such as the manga tie-in and the anime adaptation, he is further depicted as a rather smart and cheeky yet stoic young man, though at times cocky and a show-off. Other characters in the game have also alluded to other parts of his personality; Sojiro notes his assertive nature, while Goro Akechi notices his courage and his freedom to choose his own path in life. His main Persona is Arsene (based on Arsène Lupin, a gentleman thief from literature created by Maurice Leblanc), but he harnesses the special and rare Wild Card ability - in short, he is able to own and command more than one Persona.
Joker and his Persona, Arsene
He is one of the victims of Suguru Kamoshida, as he and Ryuji Sakamoto accidentally wander into his Palace in the Metaverse. Witnessing the teacher's true nature via his Shadow self, the protagonist is the first to rebel against this reality, which in turn awakens Arsene. Right before they confront Shadow Kamoshida for the final time, the Phantom Thieves are formally established. After Kamoshida's reformation and public admission of guilt, the Thieves begin to gain notoriety throughout Tokyo and slowly gain new members over time. As the main character the player controls, Joker is tasked with developing and strengthening bonds with the team members (as well as other side characters) through the Confidant system; as such, he gains insight into each of his new friends' backstories and often assists them with issues in their lives outside of stealing hearts.
Morgana / Mona[]
Morgana is a mysterious being with a catlike appearance. He has a bit of an arrogance and bluntness, as he is known for his deadpan and sarcastic delivery and is often very critical and brutally honest; despite this, however, he is still trustworthy and eventually starts to reveal his softer side and is more willing to be emotionally vulnerable. Though he may look like a cat, he does not like being called one despite acting like one at times, such as a love for seafood and making feline noises.
He acts as the Phantom Thieves' second-in-command, wields a slingshot and cutlass, and his Arcana is Magician. His main Persona is Zorro (based on the famous fictitious Mexican outlaw created by Johnston McCulley), but it can be transformed into his Ultimate Persona Mercurius (based on the Roman god of commerce and merchants) and later his third-tier Persona Diego (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and named after Zorro's real name Diego de la Vega). As second-in-command, he serves as the player's guide by instructing on game mechanics and exposition on certain parts of the story, as well as providing analysis on enemies prior to Futaba joining the team. When in Mementos, he takes on the form of a bus known as the Morganamobile that the team rides in (according to him, cats turning into busses seems to be a common cognition among the Japanese people).
the Morganamobile
Morgana is first met inside Kamoshida's Castle where Joker and Ryuji free him from a prison cell, while in return Morgana helps the two humans escape whilst staying behind to investigate further. The boys (and eventually Ann) would later keep meeting him in their return trips to the Palace, where he instructs them on how to use their Personas and the goings-on in the Metaverse. Morgana would later leave the Palace and find the boys in the real world, but having now taken on the form of an actual cat, to help them prepare for their first Takedown. After successfully stealing Kamoshida's Heart, he continues to be a mentor to Joker, Ryuji, and Ann as they continue to be Phantom Thieves; however, Morgana believes they may be useful for achieving his own desires - finding out the truth of his origin and finally becoming human. As the game progresses, Morgana continues to wonder if he will ever achieve humanity, but at the same time starts getting disturbing dreams of him becoming evil; to ease his worries, Morgana regularly confides privately with Joker, while he in return assures the cat that everything will be fine. His relationship with the Thieves would get tense however, as he would feel increasingly insecure about his place in the team, especially as more join and with Futaba Sakura later effectively taking over his role as navigator and strategist. He eventually decides to unexpectedly ditch them and take on their next target, Kunikazu Okumura, on his own, while stumbling upon Haru Okumura along the way and taking her under his wing. It would only be after getting hurt from trying to confront Haru's abusive boyfriend that the rest of the Thieves come to his rescue and both camps make amends, with Morgana admitting that although he feels he no longer has a place in the team and he starts to doubt whether he actually is human, he wants to stay with the group as they are the only people he deeply trusts. After stealing Okumura's Heart, Morgana later privately confesses to Joker that he only wanted to be human as he felt it was a reason to live, but now feels that his new purpose is to ensure that the Phantom Thieves succeed.
Morgana and his Persona, Zorro
After successfully stealing Masayoshi Shido's Heart, Morgana once again experiences another nightmare, which makes him come to terms with the fact that he may not be human after all. He later contemplates leaving the Phantom Thieves for good, believing that he should go on a journey of self-discovery and hoping to regain his memories; unfortunately, this plan would be put on hold as the Thieves plan to steal the treasure of Mementos. The night before they start the heist, Morgana confesses to Joker that he trusts him wholeheartedly and that he belongs with him; this completes Morgana's Confidant Arc, which results in Zorro's transformation into Mercurius. During the heist itself, his memories slowly return, and in the moment where each of the Thieves are erased from the public's cognition and Mementos and the real world begin to merge is when he finally remembers everything. After Joker reunites with everyone in the Velvet Room, Morgana finally explains his existence; he was created by the Room's proprietor, Igor, using the last traces of human hope with the sole purpose of helping Joker defeat Yaldabaoth - the game's ultimate villain.
Morgana in his cat form
Morgana stands with the rest of the group in their final battle against Yaldabaoth, during which he defies the god by declaring that the Phantom Thieves will never give up and fight to the bitter end; this speech ends up being heard by the Tokyo citizens, making them finally remember who the Thieves are and they start to cheer them on, weakening Yaldabaoth's power. Joker and his friends successfully defeat the entity, which results in the Metaverse being destroyed and Morgana being erased from existence; the teens bid him a tearful goodbye as he disappears. However, to his surprise, he would return to the real world in his cat form, believing that his reemergence is the result of the team still keeping him in their minds. He eventually returns to the humans months later when Joker is released from prison, and later goes home with him.
Ryuji Sakamoto / Skull[]
Ryuji is one of Joker's classmates, as well as the first person he fully meets in his first day of school. He is initially presented as an aggressive, short-tempered, and foul-mouthed young man with an apparent mischievous, reckless, and troublesome reputation in Shujin Academy. Although these traits aren't necessarily a front, it eventually becomes clear that he actively tries to be a better person and is rather cheerful most times, though also lazy and sometimes cowardly. Though, above all else, he has an extremely high morality, sense of justice, and common sense; he is always willing to defend his friends to the point where he can be overly protective of them. These behaviors come from a deep personal place; he lives with his single mother after his abusive father abandoned him at a young age, and has since been working to make his mother's life easier.
He is the charge commander of the Thieves, wields a pipe and shotgun, and his Arcana is Chariot. His main Persona is Captain Kidd (based on a legendary Scottish pirate from the 17th century), but it can be transformed into his Ultimate Persona Seiten Taisei (based on Sun Wukong, a character from the ancient Chinese novel Journey to the West) and later his third-tier Persona William (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and named after Captain Kidd's first name).
Ryuji and his Persona, Captain Kidd
Prior to the Phantom Thieves, Ryuji was Shujin's star track athlete, but left after a heated confrontation with Suguru Kamoshida which resulted in a broken leg and the disbandment of the track team. This serves as the basis of his Confidant arc with Joker, which is automatically unlocked on April 12th; in it, Joker must help Ryuji re-establish the track team and gain the trust of the other runners. Ryuji is initially rejected by the team, but later happens to run into an alumni who accidentally lets it slip that the track team is being reinstated after Kamoshida's arrest and the subsequent failings of his volleyball team. Ryuji later discovers that the coach hired for the new track team is one of Kamoshida's supporters with no credentials and an alcoholic. In another day, he overhears an argument between two team members, revealing that one of them told personal information about the other students to Kamoshida in exchange for recommendation letters, which is what lead to Ryuji's confrontation; later, he and Joker spy on the new coach at a restaurant and learn that he will have another coach do all the work while he reaps the benefits, and that it was him who told the team that a student had colluded with Kamoshida as an act of control. Armed with the truth, Ryuji informs the other runners and stresses to them the importance of relying on each other while also being independent. In the end, the team manage to get the PTA to stop the new coach as well as rehire their old one; they offer Ryuji to come back to the team, but he declines, instead choosing to give his full effort into being a Phantom Thief - a resolve that transforms Captain Kidd into Seiten Taisei. In the end of Persona 5 Royal while waiting for Joker to return from prison, Ryuji announces his intention to move to a new home in April to live close to a physical rehabilitation facility to heal his leg so he can eventually return to competitive running full time.
Ann Takamaki / Panther[]
Ann is another of Joker and Ryuji's classmates. She is a kindhearted and empathetic young girl, to the point where she is willing to be forgiving to people that have wronged her, which itself is a testament to her extreme compassion as she has been bullied and ostracized by other students due to her looks and her half-American heritage. Being a social outcast originally caused her to be isolated and have moments of self destructive behavior, which usually involves being treated wrongly if it means the betterment of others. However, she is very resilient and always perseveres through anything with the help of her friends. When on Phantom Thief business, she is very lively and energetic, driven by her strong sense of justice and personal desire to resist being a coward - though this can also lead to moments of scornfulness (and even cruelty) when pushed to the edge.
She is oftentimes the bait and distraction for the Thieves' targets. She wields a whip and submachine gun, and her Arcana is Lovers. Her main Persona is Carmen (based on a fictional character in the novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée who was a serial seducer and con-artist), but it can be transformed into her Ultimate Persona Hecate (based on the Greek goddess of crossroads, the moon, ghosts, and witchcraft) and later her third-tier Persona Célestine (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and named after the French mezzo-soprano singer who originated the role of Carmen in the opera based on Mérimée's novella).
Ann and her Persona, Carmen
Prior to forming the Thieves, Ann's only real friend was fellow social outcast Shiho Suzui, who is also another one of Kamoshida's victims; the toll on Shiho eventually becomes so great that on April 15th, she attempts suicide by jumping off of the school's roof, but thankfully fails and only results in injuries but still needing to be hospitalized. Ann's Confidant arc with Joker (also unlocked on April 15th) deals with the aftermath of both this event as well as the successful heist of Kamoshida's Heart. Early in the arc, Ann attempts to better herself by getting into acting while also improving her modelling work, but is bested at both by her rival Mika. While doing this, she regularly checks in on Shiho at the hospital, and each time she gradually shares both updates of her recovery journey and details of their relationship to Joker. Near the end of the arc, Shiho (now mostly recovered from her injuries) returns to Shujin's rooftop for closure; she reveals to Ann that she didn't intend to jump but an "unseen force" had goaded her into it, and that she plans on transferring to a new school. The two say goodbye and part ways, promising to keep in touch, with Ann later able to express her sadness to Joker, now feeling she is free to share her emotions more openly (at this point, Joker can enter into a relationship with Ann if the player so chooses). In the end, Ann, with her newfound confidence, finally confronts and humbles Mika; in response, a stunned and impressed Mika decides to be nicer to Ann and vows to be her rival in a more honest manner. Its at this moment that Ann realizes she has finally become the strong woman she always wanted to be because of her strong friendships - a discovery that finally transforms Carmen into Hecate. In the end of Persona 5 Royal while waiting for Joker to return from prison, Ann announces her intention to study fashion overseas for a period of time.
Yusuke Kitagawa / Fox[]
Yusuke is a young man that Joker, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana meet after their first heist. He has a deep lifelong passion for art with a natural skill for painting and an eye for seeing the aesthetic and artistic beauty in almost everything, a talent that has given him respect and praise from his peers - though he makes it known that he does not care what others think of his work regardless of their opinion, and insisting that he develop his skills on his own without outside influence. Though, perhaps consequently from his living conditions, this way of thinking is coming from a sheltered life; he lacks social etiquette and may come across as cold and condescending, especially to those he sees as unruly or disruptive. His thought processes and general behavior can be seen as rather strange, with Ann stating that Yusuke "is on a different wavelength than other people" (he himself likes to classify it as eccentricity). Though in stark contrast to these oddities, Yusuke is normally a calm and collected individual and tries to be understanding of others, with Joker even sometimes finding him people-watching in the subway station.
As he is an artist, Yusuke is the group's designer, perfecting the now famous flaming top hat and mask insignia that adorns their calling cards (and later bootleg merchandise) that Ryuji had originally drawn for the Kamoshida heist. He wields a katana and assault rifle, and his Arcana is Emperor. His main Persona is Goemon (based on the legendary Japanese outlaw hero who performed Robin Hood-esque feats and has since been immortalized in Japanese pop culture), but it can be transformed into his Ultimate Persona Kamu Susano-o (based on Susanoo-no-Mikoto, a Japanese mythological deity often associated with the sea and storms and is the brother of sun goddess Amaterasu) and later his third-tier Persona Gorokichi (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and named after Goemon's supposed birth name).
Yusuke is initially introduced as an art student of Kosei High School, but lives with and is under the tutelage of renowned painter Ichiryusai Madarame, having taken him in after the death of his mother. By the time the rest of the Thieves decide to investigate Madarame, most of his previous students had all left mostly due to the instructor's abusive practices towards them, something that also effects Yusuke himself, as he implies that Madarame would not give him proper money or adequate living conditions; yet despite this, Yusuke cannot bring himself to leave or denounce his legal guardian as he has developed severe Stockholm Syndrome. The Thieves initially catch wind of Madarame after changing the heart of one of his former pupils in Mementos; around this time, Yusuke starts stalking Ann, and when he is caught he reveals that he wants her to be a nude model for his next painting. Initially hesitant, Ann eventually agrees to his offer after visiting Madarame's exhibition and discovering that his presented works have been stolen from other students, as well locating his Palace, by using it as an opportunity to begin their heist.
Yusuke and his Persona, Goemon
One the day of Ann's meeting with Yusuke, Joker and Ryuji enter Madarame's Palace to gather evidence of his fraudulent behavior, while Ann stalls for time by delaying Yusuke; this eventually leads to her forcefully entering Madarame's studio (with Morgana's help), where Yusuke discovers the truth - his master's most well known work, a painting titled "Sayuri" which inspired Yusuke to pursue art, was in actuality his late mother's self-portrait. Madarame eventually catches the teens in the act and threatens to call the police, leading to Ann and Morgana to escape into the Metaverse and dragging Yusuke along with them; this, however, lets him come face to face with Madarame's Shadow self and finally realizes that his master only sees him as a slave he can leech off of - this finally snaps Yusuke from his Stockholm Syndrome and awakens Goemon. After escaping back to the real world, Yusuke becomes an official member, and later accompanies them in their Takedown. In their final battle against Shadow Madarame, the teacher reveals one final tidbit; Yusuke's mother was gravely ill following his birth and that she had painted her self-portrait whilst under Madarame's tutelage, which included Yusuke as a baby so that she could immortalize her love for him. Madarame would later find her having a seizure, but decided to let her die so he could steal the painting, alter it by removing the baby, and present it as his own; after experiencing the fame from "Sayuri", he starts making counterfeit copies to sell to high bidders while keeping the original. After defeating the Shadow and taking his heart, Yusuke retrieves the original "Sayuri" and leaves it in the hands of Joker (who leaves it on display at Café Leblanc), while also moving out to live in Kosei High's dormitories.
Yusuke's painting "Desire and Hope"
Yusuke's Confidant arc, unlocked on June 18th, deals with the aftermath of the heist, which sees him having trouble finding motivation and inspiration to paint as a result of all that's happened with his former legal guardian. To combat this, he decides to investigate how the human heart can provide beauty; this later materializes in a new painting titled "Desire", influenced by a concept sketch he had made in Mementos. He displays it in the latest art exhibition, but to his shock it is panned by critics and guests, calling it "devoid of meaning" and unoriginal. While saddened, Yusuke ultimately agrees with the reviews, feeling that he was "captured by desire" instead of the inverse. He then decides to go to various public spaces to observe people, a trip that eventually takes him back to Madarame's house; there, he confronts his conflicting feelings on his ex-mentor, not denying that he was his father figure but fears that he may walk down the same path as Madarame. He later meets Akiko Kawanabe, the director of the Japanese Art Support Foundation, who initially offers him a spot in the gallery while in exchange letting his future works be sold and marketed as painted by a tragic artist, to which Yusuke angrily refuses; Kawanabe then goads him into entering an art competition with the promise of the JASF's support as reward, which he reluctantly accepts. While brainstorming for ideas with Joker, Ryuji, and Ann, Yusuke ponders if he'll ever be as good as the greats, to which the others tell him that there is nothing wrong with doing things for yourself but his art must benefit others for it to succeed. After one final trip to Mementos, Yusuke reworks "Desire" into a new piece titled "Desire and Hope", a painting meant to depict the duality and hope of humanity. The painting wins the competition and earns Kawanabe's praise; he then reveals to Yusuke that his original offer and taunting were both a test of character and an act of aid, as Kawanabe himself was Madarame's former classmate and got to see his purity and merit before fame corrupted him. Yusuke is once again offered the JASF's support, but he respectfully declines, stating that his strong bond with his friends is what will prevent him from repeating Madarame's mistakes - a resolve that finally transforms Goemon into Kamu Susano-o. In the end of Persona 5 Royal while waiting for Joker to return from prison, Yusuke reveals he plans to complete his artist education in Tokyo.
Makoto Niijima / Queen[]
Makoto is one of the upperclassmen of Shujin, being a grade above the other Thieves. In the eyes of others, she presents herself as a calm and composed young woman with intelligence to boot, as well as a serious and no-nonsense demeanor; this is more evident in her role as student council president, a position that has garnered her unpopularity, especially in the wake of Kamoshida's imprisonment. Underneath this prim and proper presentation, however, lies a deep insecurity - perhaps a result of feeling overshadowed by her older sister Sae, a well-known public prosecutor, and their rocky relationship. This in turn causes her to be a bit of a doormat, especially in regards to higher authorities who use her as a tool for their own personal gain. Despite all of these hardships, Makoto still maintains a calm and collected mindset as well as being very kind and empathetic (almost to a motherly extent).
She serves as the team's advisor, using her high intelligence to analyze the enemies' strengths and weaknesses as well as solving the Palaces' puzzles. She wields Tekkō (weaponized stirrups and horseshoes from Japan) and a revolver, and her Arcana is Priestess. Her main Persona is Johanna (based on Pope Joan [Ioannes Anglicus], a fictional woman from Medieval legend who disguised herself as a man and rose through the Catholic ranks to become the supreme pontiff), but it can be transformed into her Ultimate Persona Anat (based on the Ugaritic goddess of war and hunting) and later her third-tier Persona Agnes (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and named after one of Pope Joan's alternate names (depending on the author)).
During the Kamoshida incident, Makoto can be sometimes seen studying in the library after classes are finished. She later gains a prominent role in the aftermath of Madarame's arrest, in which the Shujin Principal tasks Makoto with finding out who the Phantom Thieves are as he suspects they may be students in the school. For the next few days, Joker can sometimes find her spying on him or the group (albeit very poorly by standing nearby and covering her face with a book). She finally confronts them on June 11th after overhearing Ryuji loudly boasting about the team, but decides to not inform the principal immediately, and instead asks them to prove their integrity by having them steal the heart of Junya Kaneshiro - a mafia boss that's been extorting students; part of the reason Makoto is also allowing them to do this is because she approves of their actions and believes her late father would too, something that upsets Sae, who herself is starting to investigate the team. Sae and Makoto's relationship with each other can be described as rocky - since both of their parents are deceased, Sae is forced to take on most of the responsibility; combined with the stresses of her prosecuting career, Sae never sees her younger sister as anything other than a burden, and Makoto herself became a high academic in order to take the weight off of her older sister's shoulders and gain her approval by securing a well-paying job.
Makoto and her Persona, Johanna
When the Thieves inexplicably have trouble finding the Palace, Makoto offers herself up as bait by setting up a meeting with Kaneshiro so the others can follow behind. Although they are able to get his name and the Palace entrance, Kaneshiro takes a photo of them in his adults-only nightclub to blackmail them into finding and paying him ¥3 million in three weeks or the pictures are leaked to the public; if they fail, Kaneshiro will force Makoto into prostitution to pay off the debt. Makoto later reveals that the rumors about her in school are true, in that she had heard about Kamoshida's crimes but didn't do anything about it - though rather than what was believed by the students of her hiding the truth to save her reputation, in actuality she wanted to do something about it but couldn't because she holds no real authority as student council president. Feeling responsible for getting them into the predicament and in an effort to gain forgiveness, Makoto joins them in the Metaverse, where she comes face to face with Shadow Kaneshiro, who informs her of his true plan of extorting Sae and mocks her for her blind obedience to authority; this, in turn, finally angers Makoto into rebelling and awakens Johanna. She later becomes the new official member of the Thieves and helps them take Kaneshiro's Heart. After the successful Takedown, she reports back to the principal and, true to her word, lies about having any proof of the Thieves' true identities.
Makoto and Joker with Eiko
Makoto's Confidant arc is unlocked on June 24th, which finds her seeking Joker's assistance in her efforts to break out of her comfort zone and become more socially knowledgeable. While touring Shinjuku, the pair run into fellow student Eiko Takao working in a salon. Her and Makoto strike up a friendship and go on a double date, where it is revealed that Eiko is in a relationship with a seedy Host that's notorious for taking advantage of emotionally vulnerable young girls and making them work in illegal businesses. In the midst of the arc, Makoto slowly opens up to Joker, confessing to him that society's expectations of her caused her to lose sight of reality and other people's feelings of her, to which she also admonishes herself for pursuing a social experience instead of furthering her studies. Eventually, Eiko seeks out Makoto's help, as the Host had to pay for accidentally breaking a bottle of expensive sake; Makoto then realizes that Eiko wants to be free of her privileged life, which she and Joker help her out by exposing the Host's true nature. In the aftermath, Makoto makes amends with Eiko, and she tells Joker that she has decided to pursue a career as a police commissioner to honor her father and help rescue victims, all the while promising to give it her all as a Phantom Thief (an irony that she is aware of); this resolve is what finally transforms Johanna into Anat. In the end of Persona 5 Royal while waiting for Joker to return from prison, Makoto reveals her intention to move to another city to attend university.
Futaba Sakura / Oracle[]
Futaba is the youngest member of the Thieves. She is an introverted woman that's gone through devastating trauma which has had a deep impact for a majority of her life; she suffers from severe depression and anxiety, often experiencing panic attacks that cause hallucinations, and has become a hermit as a result of developing agoraphobia. She lives with Sojiro Sakura and initially only interacts with the outside world via the internet. However, after getting to mingle with the other Thieves, she slowly starts to heal her mental health and reveals her true personality as a playful individual but expresses her thoughts very bluntly. Beyond this she is also very intelligent for her age with a hyperfixation on technology, being a gifted computer programmer and hacker. She is what someone would call a typical nerd, as other than her technological prowess she is also into video games and science-fiction (particularly the in-universe Tokusatsu series Phoenix Ranger Featherman R).
She serves as the team's navigator in Palaces and Mementos as well as occasionally providing support buffs and healing, which is a role that actually does not require her to be involved in the game's combat, technically making her the only member of the Phantom Thieves who isn't playable. Her main Persona is Necronomicon (based on the fictional magical tome created by horror writer H.P. Lovecraft which appears in several of his stories), but it can be transformed into her Ultimate Persona Prometheus (based on the Greek god of fire and the supposed creator of humankind) and later her third-tier Persona Al Azif (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and named after the "original Arabic name" of the Necronomicon in Lovecraft's mythology). Her Arcana is fittingly Hermit.
Futaba talking to her Shadow self
Shortly after Kaneshiro turns himself in to the authorities, a hacker group under the name "Medjed" launches a threat against the Thieves, claiming that they will "cleanse" the country of them. A separate online user with the username "Alibaba" later contacts Joker and the group, asking them to steal the Heart of a person named Futaba Sakura in exchange for their assistance in dealing with Medjed; the group immediately assume that this person may be related to Sojiro Sakura, which is inadvertently confirmed after Joker asks the user about her to which they initially refuse to answer. "Alibaba" is in reality Futuba herself, who has placed bugs within Cafe Leblanc and has been spying on the Thieves for some time. Upon realizing that the only way the group can steal her Heart is by knowing more about her, Futaba in a panic cancels the agreement - she would try again in a couple more attempts afterwards but will always back out from anxiety. Makoto eventually deduces Alibaba's real identity and the group decide to visit Sojiro's house; there, they find Sojiro gone but someone still inside. A lightning strike then occurs outside startling everyone and, in the ensuing chaos, Makoto and Futaba find each other in the dark and get frightened, with Futaba later scurrying back to her room and Sojiro returning home surprised by what he's seen. He then takes the group back to the Cafe and explains that he was an acquaintance of Futaba's single mother Wakaba Isshiki, later revealed to be a Psientist working on research regarding Cognition, who suddenly and mysteriously committed suicide in front of her daughter just two years prior to the game's beginning; in the aftermath, Sojiro eventually gained custody of her and has been living with him ever since, but the mental scars that have developed since the incident have only grown deeper.
Futaba and her Persona, Necronomicon
The next day, the group sneaks back into the house and talks to Futaba again; during their conversation, in which she reveals her disturbing suicidal tendencies, she accidentally inputs the correct keyword into the Navigation app and inadvertently transports the group into her Palace - an air-conditioned Pyramid with integrated technology and complex traps inside surrounded by a neverending sweltering desert. Their first time entering the Palace is cut short, however, by the appearance of Shadow Futaba who drops a boulder upon them, forcing them to escape. In subsequent visits and further exploration of the Pyramid, they find several murals depicting the events a young Futaba witnessed with Wakaba, which in turn reveal her deep self-guilt over the belief she caused her mother's death. On the day of the Takedown, the team encounter a cognition of Wakaba herself, having taken the form of a large flying sphinx that fights with Futaba's Shadow for control of her mind. At the same time in the real world, Futaba discovers that the MetaNav app has appeared on her phone and ends up entering her own Palace, where she encounters her Shadow self who forces her to remember what truly happened to her mother. She finally realizes that the circumstances surrounding the death are suspicious and what she believed to have happened were mere delusions born out of survivor's guilt - a realization that finally awakens Necronomicon, allowing Futaba to assist the Thieves in defeating Cognition-Wakaba. After the fight, an image of the real Wakaba appears and declares her love for her daughter before disappearing. In the aftermath, Futaba joins the team in the hopes of finding who her mother's true killer is; she also hacks into Medjed's website to prevent further provocation from them, while also revealing that whoever is behind it is merely a copycat of the original Medjed hacktivist - which was Futaba herself.
Futaba during her Confidant arc
Futaba's Confidant arc, unlocked on August 31st, sees her attempting to heal herself from agoraphobia by following a list left behind by Wakaba that was designed to help boost her social skills - these involve visiting the neighboring cities with Joker and even attending Shujin Academy for a day. During this time, Futaba confides in Joker about her now remembering that she was suffering from depression before her mother's death due to constant bullying for her intelligence. She also remembers her only friend at the time, being a young girl named Kana - though the relationship eventually broke down after Futaba discovered that Kana was being abused by her parents, and once Kana knew that Futaba found out, she immediately stopped talking to her. Futaba decides to track down Kana; when she does, she is horrified to find that the abuse hasn't stopped. This then leads to her and the Thieves finding Kana's parents in Mementos and stealing their Hearts; afterwards, the two reconnect and begin to repair their friendship. In the end, Futaba thanks Joker for his kindness towards her (which at this point, the two can enter into a relationship if the player so chooses) as well as helping her to give herself her life back, and as a way to show off the results of rehabilitation, she goes to spend an hour in Akihabara alone for the first time (or buy a figurine on her own if the player chooses that they date) - an act of strength that transforms Necronomicon into Prometheus. In the end of Persona 5 Royal while waiting for Joker to return from prison, Futaba vows to return to school and eventually attend university to study cognitive psience.
Haru Okumura / Noir[]
Haru is another upperclassman in Shujin and the heiress to Okumura Foods, the company that runs the Big Bang Burger fast food chain of which the CEO is her father, Kunikazu Okumura. Her life of privilege has had its many downsides, mainly that its created trust issues for her from many people she's met (both fellow students and teachers) wanting to befriend her just to take advantage of her upper class status. She was also raised to be very obedient as a child, often being forced to do whatever it is others want of her. Despite this, she is incredibly kind and sweet and very polite, as well as quite mature for her age, and having great empathy towards others. Most of the time in public Haru is shy, quiet, and often keeps to herself - yet, inversely, she's admitted on occasion to enjoying the thrill and adrenaline being a Phantom Thief gives her to the point where she finds killing Shadows a form of "stress relief", hinting at her having slight sadism (which possibly came from years of her pent up frustration towards others that have wronged her).
She wields a battle axe and grenade launcher, and her Arcana is Empress. Her main Persona is Milady (based on Milady de Winter, an antagonist from Alexandre Dumas' novel The Three Musketeers), but it can be transformed into her Ultimate Persona Astarte (based on the Near East counterpart of the goddess Aphrodite) and later her third-tier Persona Lucy (exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and based on Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle, a 17th century English courtier infamous for her traitorous actions to both sides of the 2nd English Civil War).
Much like Makoto, Haru can be spotted roaming the halls of Shujin Academy, as well as in the school's rooftop garden. Unbeknownst to her peers, for most of the school year Haru is in the process of entering into a forced arranged marriage by her father to a young man named Sugimura. The sole purpose of the arrangement is purely political, as Sugimura is the son of a powerful man, and the resulting familial connection would theoretically give Kunikazu enough influence to become a member of the Japanese government. After Morgana's sudden dissent from the Thieves following the Medjed incident, he coincidentally runs into Haru and inadvertently drags her into her father's Palace where she partially awakens her Persona; the two agree to team up as Haru wants to change her father's heart so the marriage can be cancelled. The rest of the group eventually enter the Palace as well and in their first trip they encounter Morgana and Haru (going by the name "Beauty Thief") who gets flustered in their attempt at intimidation. The trip is cut short when both groups accidentally run into a room full of Shadows after Morgana challenges them to a race to get to the treasure first.
Haru and her Persona, Milady
The next day, Joker and the others confront Haru at school, confirming her as the Beauty Thief; they ask her to work together, but Haru declines, as she believes that the Thieves do not know what they really want. Later, the group rescues Haru and Morgana from an assault from Sugimura; thankful, Haru finally reveals her true intentions for wanting to steal her father's heart and decides to join the team, as well as helping Morgana make amends with them. The fully reunited Phantom Thieves enter the palace again, this time now encountering both Shadow Kunikazu and Shadow Sugimura where they callously tell Haru that her father does not care what happens to her in the marriage as long as he gets what he wants out of it, with Shadow Sugimura implying he might start sexually abusing her. Outraged and betrayed, Haru finally fully awakens Milady and defeats her fiancé's cognition. Eventually, the group succeed in taking Kunikazu's heart, with his cognition sincerely apologizing to Haru and promises to end the marriage for her; he also reveals that he was part of a conspiracy that's been behind the string of mental shutdowns, but is unable to reveal any names. In the real world, Kunikazu holds a press conference to confess his crimes and reveal his associates, but he suddenly dies during it, becoming the latest victim of a mental shutdown.
Haru speaking with the company's interim president
During their repeat trips in the palace, Haru slowly discovers her father's severe mistreatment of employees, as well as his blasé attitude towards the company in general as he simply found it to be a means to an end. This, plus her father's untimely demise, shapes her Confidant arc which is unlocked on October 30th, in which she tries to become more involved with the business. An avid gardener herself, she and Joker try to come up with ways to incorporate her grown produce into the products they sell. With encouragement from Joker, she eventually presents the vegetables and coffee beans she had been growing to the interim president Takakura, as well as informing him of her plans within the company - to start a café chain much like her grandfather once did. Takakura is impressed with her resolve and agrees with her vision, himself planning to undo many of the changes Kunikazu made in his tenure, and invites her to the next company meeting to resolve her trust issues with the higher-ups and help guide Okumura Foods' future; he also offers to annul the marriage agreement with Sugimura, to which she accepts (and at this point, her and Joker can enter into a relationship if the player so chooses). In the end, she attends the meeting and was able to clearly speak her mind to the administration, an act that strengthens her resolve and transforms Milady into Astarte. In the end of Persona 5 Royal while waiting for Joker to return from prison, Haru (much like Makoto) reveals her plans to move to another city to attend university, possibly for a business degree to maker her café dream a reality.
Temporary members[]
Goro Akechi / Crow[]
Akechi can be considered Joker's rival and as one of the main antagonists in the story. He is an intelligent young man and works as a detective while still in high school, a career that has garnered him celebrity status, even earning him the moniker of "The Second Coming of the Detective Prince" (the first being Persona 4's Naoto Shirogane). Outwardly, he presents himself as charismatic, humble, and open-minded with a strong sense of justice; this, however, is merely an image he carefully crafted to hide the self-loathing and near psychotic tendencies he harbors as well as the strong hatred he has of the world. These dark feelings were born out of a troubled childhood filled with a lack of genuine love and attention from anyone, resulting in a constant need of acknowledgement - yet despite the fame he's garnered, that hole in his heart is never filled as it's only for the false persona he presents himself as publicly. His sense of justice and righteousness is also hollow, as he has no qualms of committing relentless murder in the Metaverse that is purely driven by grudges - even though in his worldview he justifies it as being no different than what the Thieves do.
He wields a sword and a ray gun (or pistols with a silencer) and his Arcana is Justice. His first Persona is Robin Hood (based on the legendary outlaw from English folklore), but during his final fight against the Thieves in their seventh heist, he manifests his true main Persona Loki (based on the Norse god of mischief). In Persona 5 Royal he can transform both into his third-tier Persona, Hereward (based on Hereward the Wake, an 11th century English nobleman who lead the resistance of the Norman Conquest).
Akechi as the Black Mask assassin
Akechi makes his first appearance after the Madarame heist as a guest on a talk show, where he makes his disapproval of the Phantom Thieves known. The teens and Morgana, who happened to be in the studio for a school field trip, openly disagree with him - Akechi soon after takes an interest in them. With each successful heist, Akechi proceeds to use his public appearances to strategically build a negative reception on them, but it only ends up backfiring on him to the point where his popularity sharply declines - that is until Kunikazu's sudden death, when public perception on the Thieves is instantly flipped and Akechi regains support. This would all come to a head during Shujin's cultural festival when Akechi is invited to be a special guest speaker, where during his speech he reveals that he knows the true identity of the team, to their shock. He later speaks to them privately backstage, revealing himself to be a Persona user who awakened his abilities and entered the Metaverse the month prior and was attacked by Kunikazu's assassin; he requests that he join them in their heist of Sae Niijima's palace to catch the killer, and in return he deletes a photo he took of them leaving Kunikazu's palace, but he also asks that they disband afterwards. The heist goes well and the team defeats Shadow Sae, but police suddenly invade the Palace; Joker lets himself get captured by the cops so the rest of the Thieves can escape. In the real world, Sae arrives and begins to interrogate Joker (forming the game's narrative framework) and after she finishes their session, Akechi arrives and murders him, later staging it to look like a suicide.
Akechi and his first Persona, Robin Hood
Akechi and his true Persona, Loki
It is then revealed that the team had known of Akechi's deception from the beginning, as he had accidentally let it slip months earlier that he had overheard Morgana talking - a trait only acquired after traveling to the Metaverse, which inadvertently implied that he had been spying on the team for a long while. In anticipation, they used Sae's Palace to set up a trap for him in the cognitive world, letting him shoot a cognition of Joker while the real one remained safe and unharmed. Later, he participates in a press interview where he makes his intentions of capturing the rest of the Thieves clear. Afterwards, corrupt politician Masayoshi Shido calls him demanding he kill his co-conspirators and anyone else he deems suspicious; due to his sudden paranoia, Akechi deduces that Joker is still alive and that the team have infiltrated his Palace. He eventually confronts them in the Metaverse, where he reveals the truth - he is Shido's illegitimate child, born to a sex worker who died by suicide and became orphaned. Two years prior to the start of the game, Akechi gained access to the Metaverse and his Persona abilities - he offered his services to Shido with his newfound talents to aid him in his plot to become Prime Minister by fabricating scandals of his political opponents (with Akechi later "solving" the cases, earning him the fame he has now) while also assassinating anyone that proved troublesome to his plans via a mental shutdown (with one of Akechi's first victims being Futaba's mother); however, Akechi is also planning to double cross Shido by exposing him as his biological father and murder him in revenge when he wins the election. The Thieves eventually defeat him and later express their pity and empathy onto him, even offering him to fully join the team, much to his confusion. But before he can answer, Shido's cognition of Akechi appears and reveals that Shido was fully aware of Akechi's intentions and planned to kill him after securing the premiership, and later mocks him for being a manipulated puppet from the very beginning. Realizing how much his self-hatred and bitterness has blinded him, he traps himself with the cognition, allowing the Thieves to escape; gunshots can soon be heard, with Futaba confirming his and the cognition's deaths.
Kasumi Yoshizawa / Violet[]
Kasumi is a character exclusive to Persona 5 Royal and a new student at Shujin Academy, entering right around the same time as Joker. She is initially introduced as an extroverted, elegant, and cheerful young gymnastics prodigy, though as the year progresses, some of her behavior seems to defy her outward appearance; she is often extremely clumsy despite her excellent reflexes and will often be extremely hard on herself over the tiniest of mistakes. As Joker gets to become acquainted with her throughout the semesters, it becomes increasingly clear that she suffers from severe depression and a self-defeatist attitude, with the reasoning for it being equally as distressing. Despite her mental health struggles, she's very grounded and has a mature outlook on life, recognizing that a lot of people could be solving their own personal problems themselves instead of relying on someone else like the Phantom Thieves.
She wields a rapier and antique rifles, and her Arcana is Faith. Her main Persona is Cendrillon (based on the eponymous protagonist of the folk tale Cinderella, with Cendrillon being her name in the French adaptation), but it can be transformed into her Ultimate Persona Vanadis (based on the Norse goddess of love, beauty, and fertility) and later her third-tier Persona Ella (named after one of the many alternate names Cinderella has been given by other authors in their adaptations).
Sumire with Kasumi in her Showtime attack
For most of the main game, Joker meets Kasumi on only a handful of days. On one particular day, July 17th, he finds her near a construction site in the middle of a depressive episode after a particularly bad gymnastics practice; the two eat lunch together, where she reveals that part of the sadness that he found her in was because she was grieving for her late sister, who was killed in a car accident months prior to her enrollment. On October 3rd, Kasumi eavesdrops on a teacher, the vice principal, and new student therapist Takuto Maruki debating on whether or not her scholarship should be revoked over her "bad performance" in the gymnastic internationals (which was really her winning 3rd place) as they were betting on her to restore the school's reputation after the Kamoshida incident, and are hoping to use the threat of a revocation to motivate her. She runs away to the construction site where Joker follows her; when he and Morgana arrive, they find that she accidentally triggered the MetaNav and have transported all three into someone's Palace. Inside, she runs into a cognition of her sister, only for it to be killed by a Shadow that later taunts her for not receiving pity from her peers; this, in turn, causes her to awaken Cendrillon, and the three team up to defeat it. After leaving the Palace, Morgana offers her to join the Thieves, but Kasumi declines as she'd rather focus on her gymnastics. A month later, on November 17th, she asks Joker if he will continue being a Phantom Thief - when he says yes, she offers her help should they need it; she comes through with this promise on the day of Sae Niijima's Takedown when she helps Joker evade the authorities by distracting them with Shadows.
Sumire in a therapy session with Maruki
After the fight with Yaldabaoth, a still-living Akechi suddenly appears and turns himself in to the authorities in Joker's place. On New Year's Day, Kasumi joins the team to celebrate Hatsumode at Meiji Shrine, where she comments on how unusually empty the area is for a holiday; later, Kasumi meets her father at the train station, where he refers to her as "Sumire", much to her and Joker's confusion. Joker soon discovers that reality has somehow been distorted after finding out that some of the team's deepest desires have suddenly come true, such as Morgana becoming human and many deceased loved ones have reappeared; Joker discusses this with Akechi - released from jail for no apparent reason - as he is also aware of the distortion. The two team up with Kasumi, who's discovered the existence of a new Palace in Odaiba. Inside, details of her sister's death are shown, giving Kasumi headaches as she tries to remember the events and eventually goes into distress. The Palace's owner is then revealed to be Takuto Maruki, a Persona user who took over Mementos after Yaldabaoth's defeat and is using it to warp reality by making everyone's dreams come true and giving them hollow happiness. After being demanded to by Kasumi, he also reluctantly tells the truth to her; both twins got along with each other growing up and were equally excellent gymnasts with dreams to compete internationally - however Kasumi often outperformed her sister with her better reflexes and agility, which in turn caused heavy jealousy to fester inside Sumire and her self-esteem and self-worth to plummet. This would eventually come to a head when, a month before the start of their first high school semester, the stress got to Sumire so terribly that she ran away from training and was nearly hit by a car, only to be saved by Kasumi at the last second at the cost of her own life; this event only made Sumire's downward spiral even worse. She later consults Maruki at the recommendation of her parents; in their sessions, he advises her to live as her sister as a way to cope, but due to his reality warping abilities, Sumire believed that she was Kasumi instead - meaning that the sister Joker and the others had befriended throughout the year was in actuality Sumire the whole time.
Sumire with her Persona, Cendrillon
Upon learning the truth, Sumire begins to have a mental breakdown; unable to accept it, she reiterates her desire to stay as Kasumi and leaves with Maruki, while he offers Joker and Akechi a deal whether to stay in his new reality or reject it. A week later, the boys return to his Palace to decline his offer; upon arriving, they reunite with Sumire. Still unable to come to terms with the truth, she engages in a fight with Joker (Akechi voluntarily steps down fearing he might accidentally kill her) and after getting hit a few times, Maruki intervenes and restrains her while also separating her from Cendrillon. However, her Persona is driven mad by Sumire's denial, forcing the boys to battle her; they're quickly overpowered, but soon gain the upper hand when the rest of the Thieves arrive to help them defeat her - Maruki then releases the teens and tells them to return on February 3rd. Sumire later resurfaces in the real world, still in a state of distraught, and meets with Joker where she finally admits her denial and inability to cope and resolves to tackle her pain head-on and not run away from it. She officially joins the team on the day of the Takedown, with Kasumi's soul now also fused with Cendrillon as she has accepted who she truly is, and helps them take Maruki's heart. In the aftermath, with reality restored to normal and Joker once again released from jail, Sumire thanks him for all of his help via text message and promises to him that she will try to take on the world as herself and prove her worth by going through with her and Kasumi's goal of winning in internationals. In a particular practice, Sumire is able to impress her coach with her advancing gymnastics skills; she later reveals to Sumire that Kasumi never looked down at her or saw her as a rival, and in fact regarded her sister as an equal - a fact that shocks Sumire and greatly helps boosts her self-healing and confidence, as well as furthering her motivation. In the new epilogue, she meets Joker at the train station to bid him farewell on the day he departs Tokyo
Sophia / Sophie[]
Sophia is a character exclusive to the game's direct sequel Persona 5 Strikers. Uniquely, she is an Artificial Intelligence - as such, she is naturally helpful and friendly (even introducing herself as "humanity's companion"). Also because she's an AI, Sophia is rather naïve and can take things literally, such as ordering a gold bar much to their surprise after Ryuji facetiously asks for one. She is also quite inquisitive, as over the course of the game she is shown to be capable of learning human behavior through the Thieves and frequently asks questions, eventually forming a strong bond with the team. Outside of the Metaverse, Sophia functions as an assistant and concierge application - she can plan travel routes, calculate the estimated time it takes to arrive at a destination, and order items and have them delivered in minutes, but she can also detect any nearby Jails (the game's new version of Palaces). Inside the Metaverse, she takes on the form of a redheaded young girl and assists the team in combat; she wields dual Yo-yos and blasters and at the start, is in control of a demon called Pithos (based on large ceramic containers widely used during the Neolithic, Bronze, and Iron Ages of ancient Greece) which isn't considered to be her actual Persona, though she eventually awakens a true one near the end of the game named Pandora (named after the first human woman in Greek mythology created by Hephaestus and infamous for releasing all the evils of humanity onto the world out of a pithos). Her Arcana is Hope.
Sophia in Joker's phone alongside the other Thieves
Before meeting Sophia, a new app is made available to the public shortly before summer vacation started called EMMA - a program that can do what Sophia already can. While purchasing supplies in preparation for their trip, Joker, Ryuji, and Morgana run into pop idol Alice Hiiragi, who instructs them to enter the keyword "Wonderland" into the app for a special event she is holding. After entering it, they suddenly find themselves inside a Jail ruled by a Monarch, who turns out to be Alice's Shadow. She disposes the boys into a basement, which is where they meet Sophia for the first time, and they team up to fight their way out of Jail. After returning to the real world, Sophia manifests in it as an app only in Joker's phone, replacing EMMA. At Café Leblanc, she informs the team that she does not recall her memories prior to the meeting and only knows that she is programmed to be "humanity's friend"; her internal code is also far too complex for Futaba to decipher in short time. As she has made somewhat of a home for herself in Joker's phone, she accompanies the Thieves for the entirety of their summer trip.
Sophie wearing her mask
During their travels, the group meets psientific professor and AI researcher Kuon Ichinose, whom they form an alliance with after she accidentally discovers their identities and informs them that she created EMMA before selling it. They also have an encounter with Akira Konoe, founder and CEO of EMMA's parent company Madicce who is pinning the blame on the Thieves on a recent string of "Change of Heart" incidents and accuses them of hacking the app; he is aided by politician Jyun Owada, whom they discover was a supporter of Masayoshi Shido. Much later in the story, they manage to change Konoe's heart in Osaka and he agrees to shut down EMMA and dissolve Madicce. However, the app suddenly restarts and causes a blackout in Tokyo, inadvertently creating a new Jail. Upon entering, they're shocked to discover that EMMA has somehow gained a physical form - but before they can attack it, Ichinose arrives to protect it from the team, revealing herself as the instigator of the story's events by explaining that she wanted the app to determine humanity's true desire so she can grant it by changing Hearts on a massive scale, explaining the sudden behavior changes. She also reveals herself as Sophia's creator; she initially developed Sophia to investigate the hearts of humanity and its capacity to feel, as Ichinose became emotionless some time in the past due to her parents' death and masks it behind an overly eccentric and peppy disposition. Upon creating Sophia, Ichinose commanded her to become "humanity's companion" but almost immediately discards her in an anger-fueled anxiety attack for asking the professor if she has a heart; this lead to her developing EMMA, whom she regarded as a more perfect version of Sophia because it can only understand desires and not the heart.
Sophia and her Persona, Pandora
Inside the Jail, Ichinose tries multiple times to mind-control Sophia into killing the team, but repeatedly fights it. The professor then attempts to kill them herself, but Sophia blocks her assault. Energized by the strong bond that has formed between her and the Thieves, Sophia finally awakens Pandora and confronts her creator head-on. After being beaten, Ichinose pleads to be killed out of grief, but Sophia instead convinces her to stop running away from her loneliness so she can properly process her grief and change for the better, leading her to shed tears for the first time as she earnestly atones for her wrongdoing and assists the team in defeating EMMA. In the aftermath, with EMMA fully shut down and the Jails erased, Sophia parts ways with the Thieves and joins Ichinose, who plans to travel the world in an effort to better understand humanity. In a post-credits scene, Sophia sends Joker an email of a photo she took of the entire team, labeling it as "Treasure".
Zenkichi Hasegawa / Wolf[]
Zenkichi is another character exclusive to Persona 5 Strikers. He is the team's eldest member and works as a police officer in Kyoto as a part of the country's Public Security Intelligence Agency. He takes his job very seriously, to the point of workaholism - though this is mainly due to his inability to properly cope with the loss of his wife and subsequent strained relationship with his daughter. From his many years of experience on the field and having to deal with all types of criminals, he's developed an almost deceptively calm and easygoing nature. Due to the ugliness of his work and the often uncomfortable things he has seen over the years, he views his role as an officer with a certain jadedness or pragmatism, even warning Makoto that police work might force her to compromise her own morals. Though despite this dourness, Hasegawa still has a strong sense of justice and comes to respect the teens for their idealism and optimism, reminding him of his own similar beliefs in his youth. In turn, the rest of the team come to see him as a sort of mentor figure, coming to him for sometimes much-needed wisdom; Makoto in particular finds kinship with him due to how similar he is to her late father. In combat, he dual wields revolvers and greatswords, and his Arcana is Apostle. His Persona is Valjean (based on Jean Valjean, the protagonist of the 1862 novel Les Misérables).
Zenkichi's daughter, Akane
Prior to the start of the game, he is assigned to investigate the recent string of "Change of Heart" cases throughout the country, with the Agency immediately suspecting the Phantom Thieves. Hasegawa manages to track the group down and blackmails them into working with him, believing their abilities can assist in his investigation, while in return he can provide any information necessary for their heists as well as protection from other law enforcement; the Thieves reluctantly accept the offer, and he accompanies them on their trip. As the journey progresses, the two camps grow to be close, with the teens even getting to know and befriend his estranged daughter Akane. However, while in Kyoto, Hasegawa's superior arrives to arrest the Thieves as Akira Konoe and Jyun Owada have branded them as terrorists. Hasegawa instead offers himself to be arrested in their place (though later is released by Sae Niijima because Owada did not file a formal arrest warrant). Amidst the chaos, EMMA activates on its own and brainwashes Akane to make her a Monarch of her own Jail; the Thieves are able to infiltrate it, but are quickly captured by Shadow Akane - however, Futaba manages to escape back to the real world. Hasegawa returns and finds Futaba alone, who informs him of the situation, and the two enter the Jail to rescue the others.
Zenkichi and his Persona, Valjean
Inside, Hasegawa confronts his daughter, where some truths are revealed; a year before Persona 5, Hasegawa's wife Aoi died in a hit-and-run, with the supposed culprit later found also dead and confessing to the crime in their suicide note. In actuality, the real killer was Owada who was drunk at the time and used his influence to cover up his involvement and pinning the blame on his own secretary - but unbeknownst to Owada, Akane knew it was really him as she had witnessed the incident. Hasegawa tried to investigate the case on his own, but was forced to stop due to Owada's constant tampering of the evidence as well as threats made to Akane's life; because he couldn't solve the case, Akane grew to resent the force and especially her own father. Hasegawa tries to explain this to Shadow Akane, but she angrily rebukes him, stating that by not pursuing the real killer it disrespects the memory of both Aoi and the secretary. This revelation, plus seeing how much his own daughter hates him, sends Hasegawa into an emotional breakdown, realizing how much he's failed his family - however, the encouragement of the Thieves reminds him of his sense of justice and he manages to awaken Valjean. He becomes a full member of the team from this point forward and, after freeing them, assists the group in changing Akane's heart; in the real world, the two are able to mend their relationship and Akane begins to be much nicer.
After EMMA is fully defeated and shut down, Hasegawa parts ways with the teens and thanks them for helping him solve the case. He returns to Kyoto, fully intending to oversee Owada's punishment for his crimes (after being arrested thanks to Konoe's testimony) and to take care of Akane.
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Aesthetic[]
Much like in the original game, the rest of the Phantom Thieves assist Joker in his Final Smash, All-Out Attack; one of two variations can be initiated when activated - one where Mona, Panther, and Skull arrive to help, and another with Fox, Queen, and Noir.
Also like in Persona 5, either Mona or Oracle will say a random line during the barrage:
| Mona | "Time for some brutality!" |
| "It's too late for apologies!" | |
| "Quiver in fear!" | |
| Oracle | "Time for an All-Out Attack!" |
| "Here comes the pain!" | |
| "Beat 'em up!" |
The team also make an appearance in the Mementos stage. In the background, the Morganamobile periodically leaps out of a portal and drop off two of the members before exiting through another portal (whoever Morgana drops off is random). They will spectate the match as well as get excited whenever there's a KO. After a short while, Morgana will return to pick up the two members and leave, restarting the cycle. Morgana also makes an appearance in a TV screen on one of the stage's right-side platforms in the Persona 5 design variation.
Morgana himself is a part of Joker's Taunts, as he appears in all three with voice lines in each (unless there are five or more fighters in a match, in which case he will be absent and only his audio will play). He also is in all three of his main victory poses, each recreating the post-fight results screen in Persona 5.
Taunts[]
Victory Screens[]
A random quote will also play from any member of the team during it as well in the place of the Announcer's usual "Joker wins!":
| Mona | "Smash is as wild as ever, eh Joker?" |
| "A brilliant victory!" | |
| "Alright! Victory!" | |
| "Mm-mm! Good work!" | |
| Skull | "...Hah! Losers!" |
| "Yeah-hah! Nice!" | |
| "Ha-ha! Who's next?" | |
| Panther | "Feels great, huh?" |
| "Aren't we the best?" | |
| "Done and done!" | |
| Fox | "And the curtain... falls." |
| "We've done it!" | |
| "Well... Onto the next triumph!" | |
| Queen | "No time to waste!" |
| "Don't forget this feeling!" | |
| "Done and done!" | |
| Oracle | "Heh heh heh! They're done for!" |
| "Impressive!" | |
| "Okay! Moving right along!" | |
| Noir | "That was graceful!" |
| "Onto the next battle!" | |
| "So much for them!" |
Mii Fighter Costume[]
Headgear for the Mii Fighters modeled after the top half of Morgana's head was made available as a part of the Round 1 batch of DLC costumes.
Spirits[]
DLC Spirits of Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Makoto, Futaba, Haru, and Akechi, as well as a Legendary class Spirit of the whole team together, were added into the game as a part of the DLC Spirit Board in Joker's Challenger Pack. A Spirit of Sophia was later added in a free update on March 4th, 2021 - it was originally only attainable via save data from Persona 5 Strikers, but as of v12.0.0 it is a permanent part of the Spirit Board with its own Spirit Battle.
| No. | Spirit | Name | Artwork Origin | Type | Rating | Effect | Slots / Cost (Support) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1306 | 
|
Phantom Thieves of Hearts | Persona 5 | 
|
★★★★ | Item Autograb | 1 |
| 1309 | 
|
Morgana | Persona 5 | 
|
★★★ | Sword Attack ↑ | 3 |
| 1310 | 
|
Ryuji Sakamoto | Persona 5 | 
|
★ | Battering Items Power ↑ | 1 |
| 1311 | 
|
Ann Takamaki | Persona 5 | 
|
★★ | Fire Attack ↑ | 2 |
| 1312 | 
|
Yusuke Kitagawa | Persona 5 |
|
★ | N/A | 2 |
| 1313 | 
|
Makoto Niijima | Persona 5 |
|
★ | Fist Attack ↑ | 1 |
| 1314 | 
|
Futaba Sakura | Persona 5 |
|
★ | Critical-Health Attack ↑ | 1 |
| 1315 | 
|
Haru Okumura | Persona 5 |
|
★★★ | N/A | 1 |
| 1316 | 
|
Goro Akechi | Persona 5 |
|
★★ | Item Gravitation | 1 |
| 1466 |
|
Sophia | Persona 5 Strikers | 
|
★★★ | N/A | 2 |
Trivia[]
- Morgana's segment in the "Mii Fighter Costumes - Round 1" trailer make several references to Persona 5:
- The first scene features the Mii Gunner wearing the hat battling Palutena in Temple, which could be a potential nod the game's final battle against Yaldabaoth (as it and Palutena are both gods).
- The scene of the Mii Gunner in Living Room is a possible mirror to his and Joker's place of residence, Café Leblanc.
- The same scene shows the Mii Gunner getting caught by Kapp'n's bus, referencing Morgana's alternate vehicle form.
- The final scene has the Mii Gunner in Mushroomy Kingdom, which in this context is meant to resemble Futaba's Palace.
- The segment's beginning as well as the costume's promotional image feature the Mii Gunner in Mementos, which is Morgana's place of creation.
- Both of Morgana's Japanese and English voice actresses also have other roles in Ultimate; his Japanese actress is Ikue Ōtani, who plays Pikachu, and his English actress is Cassandra Lee Morris, who plays Sothis.
- This is referenced in Ultimate itself, as Pikachu is used to represent Morgana in his Spirit Battle.
- Coincidentally, Cassandra Lee Morris narrates both Joker and Byleth's reveal trailers as her respective characters.
- Both of Yusuke's Japanese and English voice actors, Tomokazu Sugita and Matthew Mercer respectively, also have a role in Ultimate, as both also portray Chrom. This is referenced in the game also by his Spirit Battle, as Chrom is used to represent Yusuke.
- Tomokazu Sugita also portrays Takamaru, another blue-haired swordsman; he wields a katana, which Yusuke also just so happens to wield.
- One of Morgana's quotes during the All-Out Attack, "Time for some brutality!", is altered from its original version in Persona 5 ("Time for some bloodshed!") most likely to comply with the game's rating.
- Futaba is the only permanent member of the team to not have a physical appearance in Ultimate as her cameo is only in audio form.
- Futaba coincidentally makes a reference to the Super Smash Bros. series during Persona 5 - she compares the Battle Arena's rules in Sae Niijima's Palace to a game called Super Bash Bros. (specifically its character unlocking mechanic).
- Akechi and Sophia are the only temporary members to have some sort of appearance in Ultimate, via Spirits.
[]
| Background characters | |
|---|---|
Introduced in
|
Bronto Burt · Buzzy Beetle · Fly Guy · Goonie · Koopa Troopa · King Dedede · Moltres · Pidgey · Ridley · Whispy Woods |
Introduced in
|
Banzai Bill · Chozo Statue · Cranky Kong · Four Giants · Goomba · Kraid · Lakitu · Moon · Pak E. Derm · Tingle · Toad |
Introduced in
|
Azelf · Boo · Red Bulborb · Chain Chomp · Cresselia · Cubone · Drifloon · Dugtrio · Electivire · The Fish · GEKKO · Hoppip · K.K. Slider · Knuckles the Echidna · Magnezone · Mei Ling · Mesprit · Metal Gear RAY · Metal Gear REX · Otacon · Parasite Queen · Peppy Hare · Porky Statue · Roy Campbell · Polar Bear · Silver the Hedgehog · Skarmory · Slippy Toad · Snorunt · Snover · Star Wolf · Tails · Timmy & Tommy · Tom Nook · Uxie · Villager |
Introduced in
|
Affinity · Alfonso · Axew · Blastoise · Clawitzer · Dragonite · Emolga · Fortitudo · Honedge · Hydreigon · Inspired · Kapp'n · Lloid · Lumas · Mii · Milotic · Mr. Resetti · Nintendog · Pikmin · Piplup · Pyroar · Scizor · Shaymin · Steelix · Toad Brigade · Toon Link · Viridi · Wailord · Whimsicott · Wii Balance Board · Yveltal · Zapdos · Zekrom |
Introduced in
|
Andy Bogard · Aqua · Athena Asamiya · Billy Kane · Blue Mary · Bottles · Buzzbomb · Carmilla · Cetacea · Chang Koehan & Choi Bounge · Claude von Riegan · Death · Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd · Dracula · Edelgard von Hresvelg · Geese Howard · Goro Daimon · Gruntilda · Heihachi Mishima · Iori Yagami · Jinjo · Joe Higashi · Judd and Li'l Judd · Kim Kaphwan · King · Kyo Kusanagi · Master Mummy · Mechanica · Medusa · Mobs · Mòrag and Brighid · Mumbo Jumbo · Mummy · Nia and Dromarch · Ninjara · Pauline · Phantom Thieves of Hearts · Ralf Jones & Clark Still · Rhea · Ribbon Girl · Riku · Rock Howard · Roxas · Ryo Sakazaki · Ryuji Yamazaki · Slime · Sora · Spring Man · Terra · The Creature & Flea Man · Tockles · Tooty · Tora and Poppi α · Tung Fu Rue · Twintelle · Ventus · Werewolf · Xion · Yuri Sakazaki · Zeke and Pandoria |
 Persona universe
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Joker (Ultimate) | |
| Side Characters | Mii Fighter Costumes | Protagonist (Persona 3) · Protagonist (Persona 4) · Teddie · Morgana |
| Background characters | Phantom Thieves of Hearts | |
| Stages | Mementos | |
| Music | List of Music (Persona series) | |
| Spirits | List of spirits (Persona series) | |