Unleashing the Dynamic Power: How Persona 5 Royal's Party Members Revolutionize Enemy Design

Highlights

Persona 5 Royal introduced a unique aesthetic by using literary characters as the party's Personas, which could be replicated in Persona 6 to maintain the game's success.

In Persona 5 Royal, the enemies draw inspiration from mythological creatures, religious entities, and folklore monsters, while the Personas for party members are based on literary figures. For Persona 6, introducing new enemy types derived from popular literary characters like Poe, Cervantes, Tolkien, etc., would provide players with a unique and exciting gameplay experience.

The Persona series, along with the larger Shin Megami Tensei franchise, is renowned for its extensive collection of creatures inspired by world mythologies, religions, and folklore. These creatures, which can be both allies and adversaries, play a significant role in each game. In Persona 5 Royal, these creatures assume the form of shadows, engaging players in battles where they can potentially recruit them as usable Personas. While Joker possesses this ability in Persona 5 Royal, the other party members are limited to summoning their singular Personas, each of which is rooted in famous literary characters.

Persona 5 revolutionized the series in various ways, but one of its most unforgettable aspects was its distinct aesthetic. This included the utilization of literary figures as unique Personas for the party members. Consequently, Persona 6 might consider replicating the success of Persona 5's aesthetic and incorporating comparable literary themes into the game's design. Should this be the case, an emphasis on literary themes in Persona 6 presents the perfect opportunity to introduce a diverse range of new enemy types inspired by popular literary characters.

Persona 6 Could Feature New Enemy Types Based on Classic Literature

The majority of Personas in Persona 5 Royal are inspired by mythological creatures, religious entities, or folklore monsters. For example, enemies like the Nekomata, Thoth, and Mothman all adhere to this design philosophy. However, the Personas of the main characters, such as Morgana, Yusuke, and Ann, draw their inspiration from literary figures rather than mythological beings.

Morgana's Persona, Zorro, is based on the eponymous character from a 1919 pulp novel by Johnstone McCulley. Zorro is a masked outlaw in Los Angeles during Mexico's rule, known for protecting the innocent from villains.

Yusuke's Persona, Goemon, takes inspiration from Ishikawa Goemon, a real-life figure whose exploits have been exaggerated in stories and kabuki theater over time. Goemon is famously known as an infamous gentleman thief.

Ann's Persona, Carmen, is a femme fatale character from a novella and opera of the same name. She is depicted as a seductress who lives by her own rules.

These literary figures portrayed as Personas in Persona 5 Royal and its spin-offs are just the tip of the iceberg. Futaba possesses the Necronomicon Persona, inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's literary works. Joker's original Persona, Arsene, draws inspiration from the fictional character Arsene Lupin. Even Zenkichi in Persona 5 Strikers wields the Persona Valjean, based on the character from Les Miserables. With numerous authors like Poe, Cervantes, Tolkien, and many others to choose from, Persona 6 could introduce even more minor fictional characters as enemies. These authors can serve as excellent candidates for enemy designs.

Meeting the expectations set by Persona 5 Royal will undoubtedly be challenging for Persona 6. However, incorporating and exploring the themes established by its predecessor can greatly aid in this endeavor. Introducing new enemies that players can recruit as Personas presents an exciting opportunity to provide a fresh gaming experience. The wealth of classic literature offers countless possibilities for characters that can inspire enemy designs. Persona 5 Royal has convincingly demonstrated the popularity of using these literary characters as Personas, emphasizing the importance for Atlus to remember this in the development of Persona 6.

Persona 5 Royal is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.