Unlocking the Next Level: How Persona 6 Can Perfect the Villain Formula Introduced in Persona 5 Royal

Highlights

Persona 5 Royal has some of the best and most memorable villains in gaming, but some are better than others due to their connection to the Phantom Thieves.

The weaker adversaries in Persona 5 Royal, such as Kaneshiro and Okumura, lack any personal ties or opportunities for interaction with the Phantom Thieves outside of their confrontations as bosses.

For a more profound narrative, Persona 6 ought to draw inspiration from the stronger adversaries in Persona 5 Royal and establish meaningful connections between all villains and the protagonist party.

Persona 5 Royal boasts some of the greatest and most memorable villains in the gaming series. The satisfaction of playing as the Phantom Thieves and dismantling these malevolent individuals' hearts through the exploration of their Palaces and theft of their treasures is unparalleled. However, certain foes in Persona 5 Royal stand out as superior villains due to their strong connection with the Phantom Thieves. In order to create a more diverse and engaging rogues' gallery, Persona 6 should build upon this foundation.

Many of the themes explored in Persona 5 Royal are deeply personal to its characters, with each act's boss representing their individual struggles. While this holds true for the majority of the game, there are a few villains who fall short in comparison to others. This is primarily due to their lack of screen time or direct encounters with the Phantom Thieves outside of their boss battles in the Metaverse. Although Persona 5 Royal introduces a wider range of notable villains than previous entries, these weaker ones should serve as catalysts for growth in Persona 6.

Persona 6 Should Avoid Villains like Kaneshiro and Okumura

Unlike the recurring villainous teams of Strega in Persona 3 or the series of TV World Shadow Selves in Persona 4, Persona 5 Royal presents players with a new, distinct evildoer in each story arc. The Phantom Thieves aspire to establish their reputation and eradicate injustice from the world. The game commences with a powerful and intimate scenario, compelling Joker, Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana to unite and defeat Kamoshida while revealing his crimes. Although the initial chapters introduce these personal story arcs, the middle of the game tends to lose momentum due to the presence of weaker antagonists.

Kaneshiro and Okumura, the third and fifth targets of the Phantom Thieves respectively, deviate from the otherwise fantastic lineup of villains in Persona 5 Royal. Kaneshiro's storyline revolves around blackmailing the group, using the threat of implicating them in his illegal activities if they fail to pay his ransom. This chapter primarily serves as Makoto's journey, as she awakens her Persona and joins the Phantom Thieves. However, her lack of a personal connection to Kaneshiro, aside from investigating his mistreatment of Shujin students, weakens this particular arc in the game.

The Phantom Thieves' pursuit of Okumura is often considered the least popular chapter among Persona 5 Royal fans. Not only do players find his Palace difficult to navigate, but there's also a lack of strong connection between him and the Thieves since they never interact with him face to face. This leaves the rest of the group with little motivation to take him down, except for helping Haru, who has a personal connection to Okumura as his daughter and has experienced mistreatment from him and his company.

What sets villains like Kamoshida, Madarame, and especially Shido apart is their deep connection to the Phantom Thieves as a whole. Kamoshida not only harmed Ann but also committed crimes against Ryuji and Joker. Madarame revealed his true nature directly to the group during their infiltration of his home. Persona 6 should learn from the elements that made these villains compelling and address the weaknesses of characters like Kaneshiro and Okumura, by giving all its villains a significant connection to the game's party of protagonists, thereby elevating the story beyond that of Persona 5 Royal.

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