Before the updated or “Royal” version ofPersona 5comes out at the end of the month, whichwe’ve already reviewed, we figured it was time to go over some Easter eggs and secrets. This JRPG franchise is made up of games that at a minimum usually take somewhere between 60-150 hours to complete, and that isn’t even counting perfectionists who aim to do every little thing.
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And, withsome of the Palaces in the game, that can be a real slog. Still, it’s a title full of opportunities for references or homages, so let’s look at some of the best.
10The Off-Brand Movies At The Theatre
A key part ofPersonais the dating/social simulation. Players take control of the protag who ends up as the leader of a rag-tag group of misfits that they slowly but surely become friendlier with. And, to become as close as possible with every Confidant in the game, you’llneed max level attributes. Going to the movie theaters in any district will let Joker watch a variety of knock-off films that increase any of his traits by +1 or +3 depending on the circumstance. To name a few, there’s aDark Knightknockoff called the Cake Knight Rises, aSlumdog Millionairehomage called Tanktop Millionaire, and The Good Father is a play on the filmThe Godfather.
9The Socks Of A Famous Hedgehog
Throughout the game, there are a ton of teensy gaming, anime, or film references that the developers don’t directly confirm. For example, the way Futaba sits in chairs is obviously an homage to L fromDeath Noteand Akechi has tons of similarities to Light Yagami. But this hasn’t ever been confirmed, just sort of obvious to those who know. What is confirmed though is the reference to one sonic-speed critter with the accessory you can buy called the Sonic Socks. The description of these foot covers is in the image above, and it’s pretty obvious who they’re an homage to.
8The Pattern Of The Persona Designs
So, the theme ofPersona 5is rebellion or the idea of fighting back against the old and corrupt. Thievery and thieves in general play a big part in the design mentality ofP5. All of the Phantom Thieves' spiritual summons are direct references to famous cleptomaniacs from history or folklore.
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But, what many fans missed, is that all of the Ultimate versions of these Personas are also thieves, just of a higher nature. They’re all either gods or heavenly deities who stole from their fellow immortal beings, which is just so cool as a concept.
7Yet Another JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Reference
We’ve seen a historical reference, we’ve seen a video game reference, so it’s time for an anime reference. And, what better anime to homage than one of the greats,JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.JJBAisn’t exactly about thieves, but there is a part dedicated to incarcerated criminals, one for gangsters, and one for outlaw cowboys. But, what we’re focused on isStardust Crusaders, orJoJo Part 3. Basically, during a pop quiz in one of the classes ofPersona 5, the teacher asks a time-related question. And, one of the potential answers Joker can give is “The World”, which is a reference to Dio Brando’s Stand in the show who can stop time.
6Morgana The Discount Catbus
My Neighbor Totorois one of the most popular films of all time. And Totoro itself is an international mascot, not to the level of Mickey Mouse or anything, but still pretty huge. But, and this is something we’ll fight anyone one, Totoro shouldn’t be the poster boy for the film. Why? Because Catbus is the one who solves most of the problems!
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It even has a more unique design, andP5’sMorgana agrees, considering it’s a feline that can go full-bus as well. This homage is apparently the entire reason Morgana can transform into a bus, since thats how the cat justifies it when asked.
5Pikachu And Morgana Have An Odd Relationship
Here’s yet another easter egg hidden within a dialogue option. But, can you blame Atlus? 60-70% ofPersona 5is made up of conversations and dialogue options. This time, it’s another Morgana-centric secret. Voice actors tend to do a lot of work in the same type of media, as they network around. For example, Tara Strong is a voice in probably over a hundred different cartoons at this point. And, one Ikue Ohtani is another example or that, considering she voices both Morgana and the belovedPokemonicon Pikachu. This is exactly why during the Kameshiro investigation Joker has the option of responding with “Morgana! I Choose You!” for a dialogue option.
4Futaba’s Slew Of Meme And Pop-Culture References
Remember how we said that the movie theatre inP5is a big list of off-brand references? Well, think of Futaba, the Phantom Thieves hacker, as the personified version of that. Futaba was a shut-in for a long time and spends most of her days glued to a screen. As such, she knows all the insider-internet jokes and memes that no one would dare reference out loud. For example, she references the classic “Obi-Wan Kenobi, You’re my only hope!” line fromStar Wars,says Kek in real life, and calls activities in reality “Side-Quests”. Futaba is a walking meme and she knows it.
3Joker Does The Yamcha
This has to be our favorite reference in the game, and it’s of an age-old meme. The Yamcha pose is an internet joke that has been around for over a decade. Its source is the classic anime,Dragonball Z. In the early stages of it, Yamcha, the hardcore bad boy from the OGDragonball, get’s bodied by a minion during the Saiyan Saga. The pose of his utter defeat as a useful character has been made fun of since the episode aired, and now it’s Joker’s turn. Basically, when you first start going to the gym, Joker works so hard he passes out. And, when he’s passed out, he’s in the exact same pose Yamcha is known for.
2All The References To Past Persona Games
Atlus loves to reference their other works in each game. Of course, we all know and love Jack Frost, their mascot per se. This little dude is from theShin Megami Tenseiseries, which came way before the Persona franchise, and they seemed to love the character design so much they bring it back in every game. But, more than that, they love to reference previousPersonagames in subtle ways. Whether its the mention of a certain hot-spring and it’s manager (Yukiko), students gossiping about a certain Detective Prince (Naoto), or the variety of Rise/Risette Posters hung up in the subway station. And that’s just a few of them, there are at least 10 more we don’t have time to go into.
1That Catchy Crane Game Banger
Our personal favorite reference/secret in the game is the one we decided to save for last. So, one of the activities Joker can do during his free time is to venture to the local arcade. In it, he can either spend time ranking up his Confidant level with Shinya Oda, the “Get Smoked” kid, or he can play some games on his own. One of them is a classic crane game usually packed chock full of Jack Frosts. But, that’s not the reference. No, while playing the game, superfans might pick out a certain theme song mixed into there. That’s right, it’s the Junes theme fromPersona 4! Seriously, that “Everyday’s great at your Junes” jingle was stuck in our heads for a full year afterP4: Golden.
NEXT:Persona 5 Royal: 5 Things We Already Know (& 5 Very Likely Possibilities)
