Persona 4 Arena roster - An introduction to all 13 fighters

After putting Persona 4 on our list of the best JRPGs, it should be obvious that we think pretty highly of the game. Still, we accept that it was released late in the PS2s lifecycle, so many gamers arent as familiar with it as wed like. With Persona 4 Arena, the next game from the team behind BlazBlue and Guilty Gear, about to introduce the characters of Persona to a whole new audience, were here to cut down on some of the confusion.

First things first...

A spin-off of the long-running Shin Megami Tensei series, Persona games are part RPG, part high school simulator. In particular, Persona 3 and 4 both focused on a group of Japanese high school student throughout an entire school year, making new friends and joining clubs, all while investigating dungeons to crack strange occult conspiracies. Assisting the students in battle are their Personas, mystical creatures deeply connected to the characters. In Persona 3 theyre summoned by shooting yourself in the head with a special gun, and in Persona 4 they only join with a character after they defeat it in battle and accept the shadow self as a part of them.

Aigis & Pallas Athena

First appeared: Persona 3

Seemingly a normal high school student on the surface, Aigis is actually a highly developed (though amnesiac) android. Built by the suspicious Kirijo group to hunt the Shadows that the P3 heroes also battle, Aigis feels a strange connection to the unnamed protagonist and joins up with his squad to protect him. After fighting her programming to adapt a more human quality, Aigis recalls that she has to stop the personification of death from reawakening.

Akihiko Sanada & Caesar

First appeared: Persona 3

One of the original members of Persona 3s Shadow-fighting club known as SEES, Akihiko is dedicated to protecting people and becoming as strong as he can. After the death of his sister at a young age, hes committed to helping others, training in boxing to strengthen his resolve while also battling the invading Shadows of the twelve Arcana. Hes very close to fellow SEES founder Shinjiro, another person he blames himself for not being able to save.

Chie Satonaka & Tomoe Gozen

First appeared: Persona 4

One of the first students Yu meets at Yasogami High School, Chie has an outgoing personality and is well-trained in martial arts, which no doubt began with her love of classic kung fu films her persona even looks similar to Bruce Lee in Game of Death. She uses her fighting skills to both protect her childhood friend Yukiko and beat up her teammate Yosuke whenever he says something stupid. Shes one of the first team members that joins up with Yu when investigating the Midnight Channel and its strange connection to the death of Yasogami students.

Elizabeth & Thanatos

A resident of the remote and ephemeral Velvet Room, Elizabeth works for Igor, the proprietor of the room and the man who helps humans unlock their Personas. Elizabeth assists him in particular with the compendium of Personas, and she slowly but surely connects with the main character in Persona 3. Despite her commitment to her duties to the Velvet Room, Elizabeth is interested in the outside world as well, connecting with P3s hero as he shows her other soceties. If she falls in love with the protagonist, she abruptly ends the relationship, refusing to abandon her duties to stay with him.

Kanji Tatsumi & Take-Mikazuchi

First appeared: Persona 4

Kanjis is a somewhat off-putting character when you first meet him. Continually starting fights and skipping class, you learn that Kanji tough exterior harbors a softer side that he keeps secret. Trained by his family in textiles, Kanji is a skilled tailor and can even make dolls, though he has to be convinced to stop ignoring his talents because they arent manly. This is best illustrated when battling Kanjis Shadow self, a muscular but effeminate man that personifies his fear of his sexuality.

Labrys & Ariadne

First appeared: Persona 4 Arena

Mitsuru Kirijo & Artemisia

First appeared: Persona 3

Another of the original members of the SEES, Mitsuru is a natural leader, incredibly smart, trained in fencing, the most popular girl in school, and the only child of the Kirijo Group, the company that manufactures weapons to battle Shadows. Very sure of herself, Mitsuru has fought Shadows longer than anyone else in SEES and is out to stop the world-destroying Arcana as a way of regaining some family honor. A good friend of Akihiko, she momentarily loses faith in the mission after the death of her father, but recovers in time to help the team save the world.

Naoto Shirogane & Sukuna-Hikona

First appeared: Persona 4

Despite her young age, Naoto is probably the most mature of member of the team in Persona 4. An orphan, Naoto is already a skilled private investigator at the age of 15 and heads to Yasogami High to investigate the Midnight Channel murders. She soon teams up with Yus team, defeating her Shadow self and unlocking her Persona. Though shes shy about her feminine side, she comes to accept by the end of the story, whether she dates Yu or not. Kaji is also attracted to Naoto, which scares him at first when he thinks shes a man.

Shadow Labrys & Asterius

First appeared: Persona 4 Arena

Teddie & Kintoki-Douji

First appeared: Persona 4

A fan favorite of the series whether in his overgrown stuffed animal form or his human side, Teddie pretty much became the mascot for Persona 4. At first Teddie acts as a guide when Yu and his friends enter the Midnight Channel, but eventually he gains some confidence and shifts away from his advisory role. Soon he not only joins the team in battle, but also goes to Yasogami High in his newly unlocked (and quite striking) human form. Teddie eventually earns some confidence becoming much more than just an empty costume.

Yosuke Hanamura & Jiraiya

First appeared: Persona 4

One of the first people Yu meets on his first day at Yasogami High, Yosuke becomes fast friends with Yu, though its clear from the start hes a bit of clutz. Often putting his foot in his mouth and usually pissing off Chie in some way that causes her to hit him, Yosuke means well and is a loyal friend. His is one of the first Shadow Selfs you battle inside the Midnight Channel, and once Yosuke overcomes his fears he becomes a dependable, if sometimes awkward member of the team.

Yu Narukami & Izanagi

First appeared: Persona 4

Yu is his current name, but in Persona 4 the protagonist is whoever you want him to be. After moving to Inaba, being initiated in the ways of Personas by Igor in the Velvet Room, and entering the Midnight Channel to investigate a string of murders, his story is what you make of it. Persona titles are all about the connections and Social Links the hero makes, and that includes which characters he befriends and even falls in love with. By the end of P4s plot, Yu moves once more, but swears to never forget the friendships he made in Inaba.

Yukiko Amagi & Konohana Sakuya

First appeared: Persona 4

Admired not just for her looks but also her friendly nature and intelligence, Yukiko is the heir to the towns famous hot spring inn. Good friends with Chie, she seems a bit guarded and conflicted over the responsibilities of inheriting the inn, something that comes out when friends save her from the Midnight Channel. Once freed she joins Yus team of Shadow battlers, becoming an important part of the team, though the game makes light of her poor cooking skills.

Now you at least have some idea of whats going on in Persona 4 Arena, probably enough to enjoy the games rich story along with its deep fighting system. But dont let this discourage you from actually playing Persona 3 or 4, as the real fun is in experiencing the stories first hand. Just set aside 200 or so hours and youre in for a treat.