Over the years that the Persona series has existed, some fans have questioned why most of the game’s protagonists are male students, and now the producer has answered. This trend continued in Persona’s most recent entry, Persona 5, which mesmerized the world upon its release.
Persona has been a popular RPG series that evolved out of the original Megami Tensei games. Both series continued simultaneously, but Persona has almost always had a male protagonist. There are only a few exceptions: Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Persona 3 Portable, and the epilogue of Persona 3. However, the female protagonist even in Persona 3 Portable is technically considered non-canon to the series, meaning that only Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and the epilogue of Persona 3 feature non-male and non-student protagonists.
Now, Persona series producer Kazuhisa Wada has explained why this is the case. Speaking at the CEDEC + KYUSHU 2024 conference, Wada said that the Persona games are designed to be “coming-of-age” stories, with the main theme having to do with “growing up.” For that reason, casting high school students as most Persona protagonists and party members makes sense, as junior high and high school years are generally the time when people first start experiencing adult life.
What About The Gender of Persona’s Main Characters?
As for the gender of the protagonists, Wada said it is primarily based on the observed differences in the mental maturity of girls and boys. Wada noted that high school female students typically display a “higher mental age” or greater maturity than their male counterparts. Because of this, boys have more room to develop and progress, making them a better choice as protagonists in this context. However, Wada also points out that it is not entirely impossible that the game’s protagonists could also be female or non-students.
For now, it remains to be seen whether Persona 6 changes the series’ general structure. Many players have asked for an older Persona protagonist, especially since the fandom, which has been with the series since the beginning, has grown up itself. Based on Wada’s reasoning, there is still room for growth and maturity, even for lifelong adults. For example, including a college or post-college age protagonist could be an interesting approach.
Unfortunately, it’s been eight years since Persona 5 came out, but there’s still been no concrete reveal regarding the franchise’s sixth main entry. However, Atlus has kept Persona 5 fans busy with releases including Persona 5 Royal (an expansion of the original game’s story), Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, Persona 5 Strikers, Persona 5 Tactica, and even a Persona 5 mobile game.
