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skyflyinginaction · 11 months

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How to Design a persona Soejima Shigemori style.

What are personas? Persona is Latin for a mask, in Jungian terms Jung described the persona as a kind of mask designed to make a definite impression on others and used to conceal the true nature of the individual. the Persona series takes this concept and twists it. The term persona means mask but rather than a mask to conceal one’s true nature the personas are used as manifestations of the user’s personality used to face hardship.

The personas in the series’ physical representations are rooted in myth, legend, and story. The appearance of the persona comes from the sea of the collective unconscious where mythological archetypes dwell; this is referenced by the fact that personae are tied to the human soul.

Personas based on the human soul are true since personas are the manifestations of the user’s will and manifestations of the soul’s conviction acting as both swords and shields to wield a persona in the persona series all it takes is a strong conviction and self-awareness of the user. Personas are the soul’s natural conviction. To summon a persona requires willpower.

The thing that defines how to summon a persona is having a strong conviction and self-awareness. The series goes out of its way to explain that personas are summoned by the genuine conviction of the user. Persona 3 is about facing the reality of death, Persona 4 dares to face and accept the truth as it is, and Persona 5 is about having a rebellious spirit that faces corruption. The thing the games have in common is that what is required to summon a persona is a strong conviction and self-awareness.

There were a lot of videos and posts that explained what the myth behind the persona has to do with the character summoning it. This post isn’t about the writing of the persona. This here is about how to design a persona for your character. This post is for people who are struggling to know how to create personas for their ocs. this post serves as a basis for you that might get you an idea of what to do in designing personas

One thing about the persona series I find fascinating is how the personas are designed. Something is interesting in the way Shigemori designed the persona for the game. As Shigemori stated The two basic approaches he took in designing persona one is focused on the original myth and legend of the persona and two is the image of the character summoning the persona. Shigemori looks to the original myth and looks at sources for inspiration for personas.

Another thing I noticed in the ultimate personas is that elements of the first persona are still seen in the final personas. The first persona served as a basis for the ultimate persona of the elements of the character from the first persona are passed over to the ultimate persona. This is seen in the appearances of the ultimate personas bare some resemblance to the first persona since this is what the ultimate personas are from such stuff from the first persona was carried over to the ultimate persona and is visible

Alright, We will start to look at Shigomori’s creative process of how he designed personas in the series by looking at the personas down below this post are about to elaborate on the steps needed to know how to design the persona that Shigomori took with persona a lot of words will be taken from artbooks and interview used to explain personas in this post. The post will be divided into two segments, one the first is about examining the designs of the personas in the series and how to make them.

Let’s dive deep into the sea of souls.

Persona 3

Orpheus

Orpheus’ design evokes several elements from the myth. The lyre on Orpheus’s back references the myth in how Orpheus is seen with his lyre, the lyre Apollo gave him, also in that Orpheus is a traveling minstrel like what he is in the myth. The shape of the lyres resembles the chair which the protagonist is sitting on in the velvet room. The speaker on Orpheus’s stomach and the dots on his chest come from a music stereo that correlates to Orpheus being related to music.

Orpheus’s head is human but everything below the neck of the lower body is replaced by metal prosthetics. Orpheus’s lower body is mechanical with the squires near its armpits are there to emphasize his mechanical body

The lower body being mechanical with his head being human is a reference to how Orpheus ripped apart by the maenads with his head untouched with his head and lyre remaining. These are the two things that are shown in the design.

The head is the only part that looks human. This references how his head remained intact after the maenads slew him by being beheaded.

The red scarf is used to hold its head in place this is a reference to his severed head that remained after its body was ripped apart or it could be a reference to the headphones the protagonist wears around his neck

Looking at Orpheus’s head his face bears the same resemblance to the Protagonist’s face which notes that Orpheus is the main persona of the protagonist. Some personas can match the same physical appearance of their wielder which would explain why Orpheus’ face looks like the protagonist’s own face.

Now for the female protagonist’s persona, The design of Orpheus has the same design as the male protagonist Orpheus but has a few differences the persona Orpheus that the female protagonist wields has a lot of feminine features in its design with the heart-shaped lyre and long brown hair and sports different colors. The female Orpheus colors in its design complement the male protagonist persona Orpheus design fitting since they are both the protagonist of the game sharing the same persona. The face of Orpheus resembles the female protagonist, the brown hair is a reference to the female protagonist’s hair color, the long hair of the persona notes the female protagonist’s long hair tied up in a ponytail.

The reason why Orpheus’s design looks different when the female protagonist is wearing it is because the user’s preconceptions of their persona can influence the persona’s appearance. The persona of Orpheus is the female protagonists’ preconceptions projected on them.

Messiah

Messiah is the ultimate persona of the protagonist and a fusion of two personas Orpheus and Thanatos, The design has elements of both personas in its appearance such as Messiah’s face resembles Orpheus’s and the lids on a chain resembling Thanatos’s coffin cape these two things in the design notes that Messiah is a fusion of Thanatos and Orpheus.

Messiah bears the same design as Orpheus but unlike Orpheus Messiah spots a new body in his design, appearing human-like this notes how he suffered torturous wounds during the lashing and crucifixion the new body is a new body after the resurrection

The coffins chained to the messiah’s arm that he is bringing the souls to offer salvation, references how Jesus brings salvation to his followers by sending their souls to heaven.

There’s one thing about the design : the pose, Messiah is looking up with a hand on his chest as if he is praying.

The Messiah in the design is hanging on a cross which is how Jesus hung on the cross. This references the Protagonist’s fate as the great seal having the same pose as Messiah in his design.

Hermes

The mask of Hermes’ head is a winged helmet: the gold helmet with wings adorning it is the same winged cap that Hermes wore which he is often depicted within Greek mythology.

One small detail there is an h on his neck referencing the h in Hermes’ name.

The segmented gold plates of wings attached to his hands and feet resemble Hermes’ winged sandals with the wings evoking the image from the myth of the wings on his sandals.

the clothes in hermes design resemble a toga which points out the Greek influences of the design.

Trismegistus

This design carries a lot of elements from the previous design such as the letter on his chest and harboring the same shape of Hermes design but he has a new color scheme. Trismegistus is a fusion of both Hermes and Medea, the bright red and gold color scheme came from Medea to show how her persona blended into Hermes the design resembles that Madea and Hermes are a fusion.

The many wings that were added in the design are to show that Trismegistus is greater than Hermes.

Another thing was was different is that Trismegistus’s helmet is replaced with a bird holding the philosopher’s stone in his mouth; the color red is the color of the philosopher’s stone which is seen in the design. Trismegistus’s helmet and armor are a reference to the Ripley Scroll which details the creation of the philosopher’s stone, a legendary creation that can transmute lead into gold referencing the gold accents in the design. Trismegistus is both Thoth and Hermes, Thoth has a head of an ibis which explains why he is now displaying a bird’s head. The design’s appearance references that Trismegistus is a fusion of Thoth and Hermes; the bird helmet and wings reference the bird of Hermes. The Ripley scroll makes references to the bird of Hermes and the additional wings he gains reference that he is a phoenix, the golden phoenix from the Ripley Scroll, which is a symbol of the philosopher’s stone.

Io’s pink dress references Yukari’s pink sweater, and the persona’s blonde hair notes Yukari’s light brown hair

or the reason why the hair is blonde could be about her Greek roots since the hair in Greek art is usually depicted as blonde.

The pose of the persona has Io sitting with her feet and hands chained and bound within a bulls head references how she was trapped in the form of a cow by Zeus to hide her from Hera the persona trapped in cairns reference to how Io was transformed into a cow.

The position of the person in the cow could be io waiting to be rescued from her transformation. The bottom of the cow is the astrological symbol of Taurus the bull.

Isis

The thing that passed over from Io’s design is the Heifer, if you close it has the astrological symbol for Taurus the same one as the Io persona design. Isis is depicted as the same entity as Io, this might be due to the cow since her scared animal is a cow. The face is transferred on the cow in the design references to Isis cow head Isis in Egyptian art is depicted with a heifer for a head.

The pointy horns enclose a red disk and the wings are in the design. In Egyptian art, Isis was depicted with a Sun disk and outstretched wings.

Isis has a lot of Egyptian art style in her design, this references the origins of the myth that Isis came from which is why the entire design had a lot of Egyptian elements.

Penthesilea

There’s an interesting detail in the design: both of her breasts are metal plated and one of her breasts has a spiked plate. Amazons would sacrifice one of their breasts to allow for greater movement when holding bows and spears; this would explain the iron metal breasts in her design.

The outfit in her design, the cravat she wears reminds us of nobility and upper class references her noble status; the crown on top of her head signifies her status as queen of the amazons. Her face is replaced by an iron helmet. This is a reference to the myth of her face being covered by the helmet that covered her face until it fell off when she was slain.

She is wearing an armored corset with her entire torso encased in armor; this again references that she is an Amazon and the Amazons are a tribe of warriors.

Penthesilea has armed with swords a reference to Mitsuru’s character which is Mitsuru’s weapon of choice herself a rapier.

Penthesilea is based on a knight. Her head in her design a knight helmet and an armored corset reflecting knights armor the armor and helmet were taken from knights. To top it off the persona is wielding swords, swords are weapons wielded by knights swords have been seen as honorable weapons by knights this is a reference that Penthesilea is an honorable warrior of the amazons who wishes to die an honorable death in battle. knights are seen as courteous and honorable warriors this references how honorable she is. Knights are warriors of highborn status and armor which references that she is an Amazonian queen.

Mitsuru shaped the design of Penthesilea which would explain why the design has many European influences

Artemisia

Artemisia’s design retains the same design aspects as Penthesilea. There were a few elements from the previous design of Penthesilea that are visible in Artemisia like the metal breastplate and armored corset and cravat from Penthesilea design now transferred to Artemisia design. The persona wears an elegant dress with armor Artemisia wearing a combination of dress and armor infers that she is a warrior queen.

The golden epaulet on her shoulders and waist references the epaulet shoulder pieces that are worn by rulers and people with noble status referencing that she is a queen. The helmet no longer covers her face now has a masquerade mask, masquerade balls are hosted for people with noble status; a masquerade mask infers her high status as a queen. The mask showing her face can reference how Mitsuru learned how to stand up for her wants and desires.

People said the persona came from Queen Artemisia of Caria. In reality the whole Artemisia design is based on Artemis. Artemis was considered a hysterical goddess: the spiked epaulet on her shoulders and waist in her design references this aspect of her which would explain the whip; the whip allows her to dish out punishments when she is offended. The dog on her belt references the myth that she transformed a mortal into a stag who saw her bathing and then killed by his hunting dogs. But it could also reference how Artemis is depicted with dogs in Greek art

Lucia

The blonde flowing hair can reference her Roman origins or the art she was depicted in. The pink lace dress references that she came from a wealthy family in the legend

The lower half of her body is a giant orb, the glass sphere bears similarity to the shape of the eyeball.

The bandages wrapped around her eyes and throat reference to how her eyes were gouged out and her death by the sword by her throat. The bandages wrapped around the eyes and throat of the persona are inspired by the horrific injuries dealt by the guards to Lucia and how her eyes were gouged out and her throat slashed. Another legend could be that she gorged her own eyes to preserve her faith.

In the design in how the persona is fixed on the ground, she looked like she was praying this pose could be a reference to how Lucia knelt and prayed for salvation.

The guards could not move Lucia since she was fixed to the ground. She was so heavy she could not be moved. Not even the team of oxen tried to drag her from the streets; she could not move from one spot.

I found this inspired to why the persona’s position is stuck on the ground.

Juno

Juno’s design has elements of Lucia’s design carried over as she has the same kneeling pose as Lucia and her dress resembles Lucia’s dress but with a few changes.

Juno harbors the same hair as Fuka fitting since she is Fukas persona, she spots a frilly red dress and frilled thick headdress fitting the majestic depictions of Juno since she is the queen of the gods. Juno has a mask with multiple eyes; the eyes on the face reference the peacock eyes in her design which allows her to spot her husband’s infidelity.

The peacock feather in Juno’s design references that the peacock is a symbol of Juno and is the messenger of Juno seen in the peacock wings in her design. the peacock feathers on her back look like the wings of a guardian angel, which references that Juno is a guardian angel for a woman who watches over a woman’s life and how Juno protects the Roman empire

The lily on the belly is a symbol of femininity referring to Juno as a god who governed women. The rounded sphere in Juno’s design of a pregnant woman’s belly reference that Juno is the goddess of motherhood.

Palladion

The mechanical design of the persona is inspired by Aigas’ mechanical design. the mechanic aspect of the persona reference to how Palladion was a wooden statue of Athena. Palladions, a man-made object that is worshiped for the deity similar to Fit and Aigis, is a man-made object designed to look human. Palladions’ mechanical design references Aigis’ personality from the beginning that Aigis is an anti-shadow weapon not having any emotion outside of her program only following orders. Palladion is a visual reference to Athena it relates to Aigis’s character as seen in the mechanical design

The Palladion turning into a gun with the gun resembling a spear points out that it’s an object of protection just like how the Palladion is said to protect the city of Troy, an object that from Pallas Athena protects the city. The mechanical aspects are used to protect Troy.

Athena

The design of Athena is Palladion turned into a real Athena but some elements from the previous persona passed to Athena’s design. First is the pose that Athena had passed over from Palladion. The persona is no longer mechanical but human, symbolizing Aigas becoming more human which is incorporated in the human-like design of Athena.

The design of Athena has her dressed head to toe in armor with flowing white robes with a centurion helmet she is armed with a spear and shield, her weapon of choice is a spear which would show that in her design. The shield circled Athena is Athena’s shield called the Shield of Aegis where Aegis’s name comes from, the shield she wields the design is identical to the artistic depiction of Athena which is captured perfectly.

Polydeuces

Polydeuces wear chest armor that Resembles boxing gear armor that boxers wear this could note on how Polydeuces had a boxing duel with king Amycus.

His right hand is shaped like a tank cannon shell which references Polydeuces was known for having an iron fist a term in boxing referencing the boxing match in which he won. Polydeuces is muscular to reference his warrior background

His having a small head and an overdeveloped body is a reference to Sanadas’ immaturity.

Caesar

The design has a heavy resemblance to a Roman emperor, which is reminiscent of the attire, armor, and weaponry of a Roman emperor and the laurel is a crown on Roman emperors. Caesar is a title bestowed upon the rulers of the Roman Empire which would explain why the design looked a lot like a noble and valorous hero.

the sword in his hand in the air ready to strike It represents sheer power that would strike down anyone with just a swing, and the globe in his other hand is the people in the world the power over the world that it swore to protect

The little guy inside of Caesar’s chest represents the idea that Caesar is Rome itself and the small figure perched on the seats is reminiscent of the physical seats of Rome’s Senate.

Caesar represents the power Sanada gained as well as the maturity to consider how the power is used. The design goes hand in hand with Sanada’s maturity and the influences that created it.

Castor

Castor is the twin of Polydeuces; they have a similar design to each other. He shares the same body type and hair as his brother both share armor references there skilled warriors minus the color scheme to emphasize he is the twin of Polydeuces. Castor’s face is pale and shrunken and has black in his color scheme; the black references his death.

the spear embedded in his chest reference to how Castor was fatally wounded by his spear.

Castor is riding an armored horse referencing Castor and his brother was renowned horsemanship.

Nemesis

The persona represents Ken’s motivations at the beginning of the game; the robot’s appearance in the design suggests it can act without morals and emotions. the black in its design is meant to match Nemesis’ sinister traits like raining vengeance down on others the widest grin on its face looks as if she enjoys dealing out punishment the circle that wraps around the face of Nemesis symbolizes the circular motion of retribution which is highlighted in the phrase what goes around comes around.

Kalanemi

The designs of the two personas are both robots.

Kalanemi has a planetarium theme, the planetarium theme in the design used to explore space which explains the projector and astrological symbols in the design. projectors in Planterians project the stars, all seasons are determined by the position of the zodiac; the astrological symbols in the design reference the kala semi as a spirit of the stars who observe the zodiac in the sky.

The wheel-like structure around the main body points out that Kalanemi references the circular motion of the persona; the design is based around a wheel of time which explains the circular aspect of the design.

Kalanemi is the spirit of the zodiac encircling the universe and references the arms in his designs the two arms represent the past and future tied together.

Cerberus

Cerberus has a demonic theme to contrast with the angelic flavor of Koromaru’s design The demon wings on his back are a callback to the angel wings on Koromaru. The persona is wearing a collar with a chain on it to evoke that Cerberus is loyal to Hades, sometimes depicted as being chained in mythology.

the tridents on his feet tridents are common imagery associated with devils they are seen carrying this tool which reference he is a dog of the underworld.

Hypnos

The design of his persona is a young man with two protruding wings out of the veins of his back. The veins on the back could be a reference to how we see veins on eyeballs when someone is tired.

The persona’s drowsy posture appearing to be lazily hanging looked like he is sleeping, fitting since he is the god of sleep.

The wings in the design reference the god Hypnos who is commonly depicted in Greek art wearing wings on his shoulders.

Medea

The ram’s head in her design references the golden fleece that Jason sought. There is a bit of a fire aesthetic in her design with the red flames accents on her legs and arms, the fire in her design reference to how Medea burned with rage after she was betrayed.

The goblet with fire reference are items to use to perform magic; this is a reference to Medea, called a witch the dagger referenced how she killed Jason’s wife and children for revenge for her betrayal.

Moros

Moros’s design has been composed of time-keeping symbols, the clocks are considered bad luck in Asian cultures which is fitting since Moros is the god of doom. The top-like shape references that moros is in constant motion like a spinning top. Why the design looks like a top is saying who reaches their eventual end. its robotic appearance references how it reveals one impending death in mythology.

the cybernetic appearance reference Jin who is a hacker skill in technology since he specialized in the internet

the satellite imagery references Moros’s relation to the moirai there knowledgeable of fate, NASA satellites capture the birds-eye view of Earth and send back outer world information to scientists like weather forecasts or predictions of fate just like how Moros can foresee their death

Persona 4

Ooh boy this is going to be difficult. I am not an expert on Japanese culture, so I am going to end up botching my explanation due to how limited my knowledge is. Since the persona is based on Japanese mythology there are going to be Japanese cultural references sprinkled in but an explanation of this will come off as confusing since this is explained by Westerners’ perspective I will try to explain it to the best of my ability.

Izanagi

Izanagi is designed by being the man’s man, the man’s man reference that Izanagi is the main male figure of Japanese mythology. Izanagi is the father deity from the Japanese creation myth. He birthed the gods alongside Izanami.

Izanagi’s design is based on the male Japanese cheering squad member which might explain the long white belt at the back of its head and the strap tied in the back. The belts and straps resemble white ribbons that a cheering squad member wears.

Izananhi is wearing a gakuen, gakusen are something that male students wear in Japan. The sharp edges and slits on Izanagi’s feet are based on the tengu geta, which is something delinquents wear to express more freedom. This aspect makes his design based on a Japanese delinquent.

the knife that Izanagi holds is a reference to the pike in the traditional Japanese art of the pike Izanagi had,

Izanagi in Japanese mythology is armed with a pike which was used to create the Japanese archipelago.

knife and swords symbolize adulthood in Japan, young men carrying a knife make them feel like men’s, knives are given by adults to use responsibly. This in part could be a reference to Yu in how he leads the investigation team, Yu was given the wild card ability and is placed as the leader by his friends to lead the group.

Izanagi’s design is based on the protagonist Yu himself, with they both wearing the same Gakuen and the long black coat is reminiscent of yus open school uniform the outfit resembles yu narukami since it’s a persona born from his psyche.

Izanagi is designed to be the man’s man with all the elements of masculinity.

Izanagi no Okami

The design has elements from the previous carried over like the long coat and knife from his previous design as well as the belts and straps from the previous persona design, he now sports a white suit.

The long bit in his design with the pointy bits looks harder and sharper. This is supposed to make Izanagi no Okami look tough and masculine since pointy things emphasize masculinity.

In the design wearing a suit and necktie the necktie and suit is something grown men would wear going to work this represented the growth and maturity of the protagonist in the game.

the white in the design is a reference to the purification process that Izanagi when he came out of the underworld and

The knife that Izanangi no Okami is carrying is the blade of Totsuka which is used to kill Kagutsuchi.

Jiraiya

Jiraiyas’ design is based on Yosuke’s preconceptions and personality. Jiraiya’s simple design references Yosuke’s limited imagination and preconceptions there are elements of the designs that reference Yosuke himself.

Jiraiya has a frog head, the frog head references how Jiraiya has shapeshifting magic to turn into a frog in Japanese listeria. The shurikens on his hands and face are the weapons ninjas use to call back that Jiraiya is a ninja.

The long scarf in Jiraiya’s design references the scarf that ninjas wear in culture. The scar is something that heroes wear which makes Jiraiya designed after Yosuke’s version of a superhero. The design is a reference to Yosuke in some ways like him wanting to be a hero which is why Jiraya looks like a hero which is the red scar in the design.

The camouflage patterns at the end of his pants and gloves reference his shape-shifting abilities or that he is a ninja someone who uses camouflage gives the ability to blend in the background this relates to how ninjas sneak around hiding in the shadows.

The persona design references Yosuke himself in many areas such as the eyes on top of Jiraiya are shut and sleeping references Yosuke was bored living in Inaba. The huge golden smile on his chest is a reference to how Yosuke acts in a goofy and aloof manner in dealing with situations that is his way of dealing with life. The gold smile is a mask that he uses to deal with the world around him. This part is shown in the design.

The jumpsuit that Jiraiya wears is a rubber exterior a toy has and Soejima gave him joints that resemble old toys of superheroes. This in part refers to how Yosuke views and treats his persona as a toy that he can use.

Susano

The design of the persona still had the same jumpsuit but was replaced with red gloves and boots. The two persona designs are based on Yosuke’s perception, even the main elements of the design are what he thinks the persona looks like. Susano is still designed to look like a superhero since Yosuke pictured him as the coolest hero ever. The design is filled with stuff Yosuke thinks is cool. The goggle glasses are a reference to one of the things that look cool.

The color of the jumpsuit changed, the color blue in the long-sleeved jumpsuit referenced him as the god of the ocean. Susano has a turbine around his neck and one around his body with hair blown upward to look like a fan is blowing it up. The belt has a fan on it even the thing around his body looked like gear from the fan Susanos design had fans because fans create winds like Susano creates storms the god of the sea and storms have elements of wind in his design the details notes that Susano manipulates storms.

Tomoe

In Tomoe’s design, she has long black hair that Tomoe is described to have in the legend. (Another reason why Tomoe has long black hair is chies admiration toward Yukiko.)

Tomoe’s outfit is a yellow and black jumpsuit. This is a homage to Bruce Lee since he sported a yellow and black jumpsuit from the movie the game of death. This represents Chie’s love of martial arts in Tomoes design with Brue Lee as chies favorite martial artist and it’s incorporated in her design.

Tomoe carries a double edged naginata the same one Tomoe wields in the legend, her waist lined with armor the one that mounted samurai wear during the war. The pointed helmet and samurai armor reference Tomoe as a female samurai. Tomoe wears a full-face standard street bike helmet which was influenced by Soejima’s love of motorcycles.

Tomoe has muscles in her design she Is muscular with defined abs and leg muscles. The muscles are incorporated in her design to emphasize her strength since she is a powerful samurai from the legend Tomoe is a legendary female samurai who was known for being powerful and courageous. Her muscular design references this.

The helmet is smacked with lipstick. Both the lipstick and long black hair emphasize femininity. The yin and yang symbol on the side of the helmet could be a comma which is a comma swirl used in the Japanese mon which tomoe is named after.

Suzuku Gongan

The design elements from Tomoe passed over such as having the same pose and the color scheme in the persona changed. the color of the jumpsuit changed to black over a yellow jumpsuit, the beams of the nigatana got longer and her black hair now turned white, her helmet changed into a kabuto helmet to have more of a lopsidedly pointy at the end and has extra armor was added to the arms.

The helmet on Suzaku transforms into a samurai kabuto helmet, and an off-road bike mask this is supposed to convey Suzuku’s outrageous toughness and her great power.

Konohana Sakuya

Sakuya’s design is based on femininity to make her a visual pair to Izanagi’s design. Her outfit is based on a cheerleader match with Izanagi’s male cheerleader. Sakuya’s outfit is based on a cheerleader with cherry blossoms resembling pom poms on a cheerleader. Sakuya stands as the epitome of femininity which is why she has these things visible in her design such as cheerleaders, pompoms, cherry blossoms, and the color pink.

Sakuya’s design is littered with cherry blossoms why do cherry blossoms go with her design Cherry blossoms are a prominent symbol in Japanese culture the flower represents Japan itself Sakuya is a goddess that represents Japanese life and sakuya’s symbol is a cherry blossom which is decorated in her design. Her emblem is a cherry blossom which you will see sprinkled on her design.

Her helmet is lined with cherry blossoms and cherry blossoms are bound to her wrists the chain connected to both hands is lined with long sakura petals, this is a reference to one legend in which she trapped herself in a doorless hut in which she set on fire to prove her faithfulness.

Amaterasu

The design in the persona harbors the same pose but has a few differences now Amaterasu is holding a sword, and the blade she is wielding is the Kusanagi no Tsugi from the myth.

Her body seems to have a silhouette instead of a detailed body, the reason why her body looked like that is because it’s supposed to convey that the overflowing inner light is so bright it blurs the outline of her body the bright outline of light reference to Amaterasu being a sun goddess who shines down on everyone. the detail is a reference to Amatarsu being the goddess of the sun who is known for being so bright.

Her hands are now bound with the Kyokujitsujikosho, the emblem from the order of the rising sun. Japan is called the land with the rising sun which is why its emblem is designed for the rising sun the metal symbolizes energy as powerful as the rising sun. It is said that emperors and rulers have said to come from her which makes Amaterasu called the goddess of Japan.

Himiko

The antenna on the Himiko’s head in her design is used to pick up signals from others, and antennas are used to broadcast television pick-up frequencies which is a reference to Himiko’s shamanistic powers to how Himiko communicated with the dead shaman and how Himiko ruled over the lands and with her powers. Her head is based on a modern tv antenna which represents her power and matches the tv motif of the game.

A satellite antenna head also references how Himiko’s identity is unknown. In fact, many scholars doubt she existed. Her face being covered in her design can be a reference to this.

The goggles are Himiko’s crown, a reference to how she is a ruler.

Himiko wears a long flowing white dress that references the white ropes that shamans were known to wear in ancient times. How the gown covered her legs and is difficult to move in a long dress. This design details notes that Himiko is a support-based persona; this is referenced that Himiko is not fit for joint battles, which is seen in how difficult it is to move in her dress.

Himiko’s body is Rise’s idea of the historical figure. It looks like Himiko’s body is entirely covered by her white dress since Rise is always seen as flirty and naughty. Himiko covered up means she is pure.

Kanzeon

The long dress is inspired by Himiko’s long gown but into a striped pattern and has a slit. Both himiko and Kanzeon are not designed for joint battles as evident in how their long robes wrapped around their legs retract movements; this notes that they are both personas that are skilled in only gathering information.

The antennas honeycomb pattern is a reference to the shamanic practice of divination through turtle shells there are many antennas added to her body, I pointed out in the previous design himiko’s design how antennas are used to broadcast television pick-up frequencies the antennas pick up information and send it back her this and the many antennas reference to how Kannon can hear and see all of the word and suffering.

Take-Mikazuchi

Take-Mikazuchi’s design is a large black mechanical android with a skeleton painted on it. The painted skeleton is a comical effect, the flashes of a person’s skeleton are a common effect when someone is hit by a lightning bolt.

The personal arms have massive generators on them and generators are used to produce electricity. due to how robots are run by electricity, the electricity, and robots share a connection to the kami of thunder. The lightning he carries resembles a sword since he is also called the god of swords in mythology; these all details in his design reference that Takemikazuchi is the god of lightning.

The skeleton paint job on the persona matches up with kanjis shirt, despite trying to look manly His persona looked somewhat comical to match kanjis goofiness

Rokuten Mao

The elements are passed over from the previous design. Rokuten Mao still has a robotic design but a different color scheme and added bits, the design is based on Oda Nobunaga with the point bits on his face is the Nobunnaga mustache and the round piece on his head represents his helmet he carries a sword with flames. The flames on the design note how Nobunaga was burned to death.

Sukuna no hikona

The design of Sukuna has visual elements of issun boshi, Issun Boshi is based on the god Sukuna.

Both Issun Boshi and Sukuna have small statues which are incorporated in their designs; the sukuna small size in his design is a reference to Sukuna being a dwarf god.

The insect wings and Athena are a visual metaphor that note that Issun Boshi is the size of an insect which may be why Sukuna has bug-like features.

The small laser saber is a reference to the small wooden pick in the tale that issun boshi wields.

The clothes Sukuna is based on classic anime boy detective boy heroes and old tokusatsu heroes with sukuna wearing shorts over bare legs referencing retro boy characters who wore short shorts. Sukuna’s clothes are reminiscent of detective Conan with him being a small child in a blue suit with short shorts reference to the fictional Detective Conan’s clothes the detective boy outfit in its design references this.

The detective clothes on Sukuna reference since Naoto is a detective, sukunas design references Naoto’s desire to be one of the cool detectives in the future.

Yamato Takeru

The pose in the design has the same pose as the previous one but sports a pointed helmet. the things on his back looked like a cape that came from Sukuna’s wings. The sword that Yamato is wielding is the Kusanagi no tsurugi the same one that he wielded in the legend.

Yamato wears tights dressed in a military coat and has a rapier striking resemblance to Oscer from the Rose of Versailles Oscars outfit this design aspect notes Both Oscar and Naoto, who both are beautiful cross-dressing girls. This is supposed to be a reference to the legend of how he dressed as a handmaid to infiltrate the enemy but also Naoto who dressed in boys’ clothes.

Kintoki Douji

Kintoki Douji was designed based on retro toys like Teddie, Kintoki Douji is designed based on the image of Kintaro dolls; its body resembles a Kintaro doll. The round shape in its design looks like a Kintaro doll or teddy depending on how you look at it. the small horns in the head design reference Kintaro’s monstrous strength

Kintoki Douji has a blue cape. Capes are used to express heroism. Kintaro is known as a hero in folklore.

Kintoki Douji is carrying a missile in his hands. Why is the person carrying a missile? Well, it’s a pun that you see. In the myth Kintaro is always seen carrying an ax called a tomahawk which the persona is holding is called a tomahawk missile. That detail in the design is a visual pun on the tomahawk, the tomahawk missile derives from the tomahawk axe that Kintaro carried in the legend.

The design of a red metal ball lined with gold is a reference to the common red bib Kintaro wore with the kanji for gold written on it. kin is translated to gold in Japanese and comes from Kintaro and Kintaro means golden boy in Japanese

The symbol of a person’s belly are the letters Au, which is the symbol of gold in the periodic table. This references the kanji on Kintaro’s bib. The handle on the persona’s belly is a handle wheel from a vault, vaults are used to store gold and money. This other detail is another visual reference to the kanji ki in Kintaros name.

When you turn the wheel there is nothing inside that references Teddie’s zipper in the game when you unzip there’s nothing there. That aspect refers to how Teddy doesn’t know who he is. But this design aspect notes teddies true nature and that Teddie was just a shadow but became a bear to find a place where he belongs there is no gold in Kintoki Douji there was no Teddie in the first place.

The design Kintoki Douji is based on stupid jokes referencing Teddy who makes stupid jokes and bears puns in the game.

Kamui

The elements of the previous persona have been passed over with the round metal ball, cape, and missile. It has a bear flavor to it and sees with the claws and with bare feet kamui is the Ainu god of bears this is referenced in the bear claws in the personas design. The smiling face that was added on the stomach references Teddy’s own face.

The missile on the persona’s back references the ceremony of worshiping involves shooting a baby bear to death with arrows to return it to the heavens to Kamui. The missile is an arrow sticking into Kamui in reference to the arrows used in the ceremony The missile is replaced with a Strela rocket in his design the design is a reference to the bear festival in Ainu.

The metal ball looked like a space shuttle pod from a space rocket. The face looked a bit like a rocket due to the pointed nose on the stomach. The design looked like a rocket ship being launched into outer space referencing the Ainu bear festival of sending a bear back into the heavens.

Persona 5

Arsene

The design of the persona has pointed fingers and devil horns; this is an element from the previous persona that was supposed to be the protagonist persona, the German demon Mephistopheles. This was the original idea that would be the protagonist’s persona but the elements of this persona were incorporated into his designs as seen with the pointed fingers and devil horns. Some elements from the previous persona are incorporated in his design, looking demon based as a reference to Mephistopheles. Another is that Arsene is an anti-hero in the novel which could be seen in his sinister and demonic appearance in the design.

the red in the design notes the game’s main color, but also fire since the color red is symbolic of fire and passion which is used in Arsene’s face within the mask is depicted as a burning flame referencing the passion in the game

In this design Arsene is accompanied by a silk top hat and a Victorian gentleman outfit that is reminiscent of depictions of Arsene such as the top hat and black suit and white ruffles as well as the overcoat. Arsene was an archetypical gentleman thief you can see with his top hat and is designed as a fictional gentleman burglar designed around the trickster archetype in his design

His cape is shaped like black wings, the wings evoke the image of a thief’s cape insulating a thief can go anywhere the Wings represent the freedom of a thief on how a thief is allowed to go anywhere. the stitched heart on its shoulders references the thieves of hearts

Satanael

There is something about the design of Satanael that has been passed over if you see the shape of his design

Satanael shoulders and legs have the same shape in Arsene’s design; that was one thing that was carried over which is seen in the design.

In Satanael’s clothes, Sataneal wears a royal uniform with a red sash which is fitting since he’s the king of hell the ruler of the demons. Satanael has a gold mask with curved horns attached. The mask could be his gold crown; these both things reference that Satanael is the king of demons.

There is a halo with angel wings flying around his head that notes his status as a fallen angel in Gnosticism. Satanael has a set of demon wings but still has feathers on his wings this is a reference to his fall from grace As a fallen angel Satanael is still an angel as seen in his demon wings. He is an angel who rebelled against a false god to give freedom to humanity; his attire references he is still noble in that regard for that purpose. Satanael is the Gnostic version of Lucifer though he is still considered a devil in his design to make that sure.

Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd’s entire design resembles a cartoonish version of a classic pirate you would see in the media. such as an eyepatch skull and crossbones and a prosthetic limb. The design has the jolly roger motif, the jolly roger is a skull and crossbones some of which you would associate with pirates the hat, and eyepatch in the design have the jolly roger on them. His head is replaced with a skull and has two cutlasses on his collar if you look at this closer the cutlasses attached to two chained anchors are a reference to the bones which makes Captain Kidd’s head a Jolly Roger. Captain Kidd wears a long privateers coat and a captain’s hat which infers that he is the captain of the ship On his hand is a smoking cannon which is replaced with a traditional hook hand. Captain Kidd’s skull head references the skull mask in Ryuji’s thief attire

Captain Kidd stands atop a jet-black ship conveying that he is a manned crew capable of destruction standing on top of his pirate ship conveying that he is wreaking havoc. the face drawn into a ship is something Ryuji meant to draw which is an element of Ryuji’s character sprinkled in.

Seiten Taisei

In the design, some elements of captain kidd have been passed over such as the angry cloud that came from the painted face on the ship.

Overall the design heavily resembles the classic depiction of the monkey king in Chinese stories that is with a staff riding on a cloud. Seiten Taisei is wearing the outfit he was depicted in Chinese art.

Seiten Taisei’s golden headband switched into a helmet with a mohawk sticking out of his head. The chains on his chest might be a reference to how he was imprisoned under the mountain as punishment. The cape over his shoulders can reference how he forcefully wanted respect from the heavens; the cape is him wanting to have respect from others.

The mohawk and staff with the nails sticking out looked like the Exact weapon that delinquents carry along with the mohawk, the type of hairstyle that delinquents style. Seiten Taisei was considered a delinquent due to the amount of trouble he caused in the heavens with his mischief. This design aspect is a reference to Ryujis weapon of choice he uses in his phantom thief attire, there is also the part that Ryuji is considered a delinquent as seen in the design of his persona

The interpretation of Seiten Taisei is based on the golden snub-nosed monkey which is seen in the design. On the funniest note Ryuji was called a blonde monkey in the game.

Zorro

The entire design of Zorro is close to how the original Zorro appearance is depicted. All of Zorro’s trademarks in his design are seen in the cape, swords, and mustache depicted in a black attire clad in leather pants, cape, riding boots, blouse, leather gloves, and a flat-brimmed hat. His waist is adorned with the letter z on his belt references the z slash he does with his sword

Zorro is designed to contrast with Morgana’s size. the small body houses a big attitude

Zorro has a balloon-shaped appearance this is supposed to note how Morgana doesn’t know who he truly is he

is someone who talks big but has big insecurities

Mercurius

The design of Mercurius captured the exact depiction in Greco-Roman art. In the design Mercurius is holding a caduceus, a medical stick that has wings on his feet; this is a reference to the caduceus and winged sandals. The wings are placed in Mercurius’ eyes which refers to the winged helmet he wears. The pose of Mercurius looked as if he was running like how he is depicted in the art.

Mercurius sports a jumpsuit that has an astrological symbol for mercury which is the same symbol for the god Mercurius hanging a Zip slider at the chest opening of his jumpsuit. The blue in his clothing hints at Morgana’s true origins as someone who was created by Igor from the velvet room.

I believe that Mercurius’s outfit in his design resembles a thief’s costume, the mask over the mouth is something thieves wear this is a reference to Mercurius being the god of travels and thieves. The gold wheels on the shoulders since wheels are a method of transportation traveling this reference that Mercurius is the god of travelers.

Carmen

The design of Carmen embodies the fem fatale archetype since she is depicted as a classic fem fatale who uses her allure to manipulate the men around her. Carmen’s spirling twin tails reflect Ann’s hairstyle this references that Ann is the one summoning her Carmen’s mask is a leopard mask Soejima designed to evoke a leopard’s personality as well as resemble Ann’s mask as Panther. The cigarette in Carmen’s mouth references the time she spent at a tobacco factory.

In her design, Carmen’s low-cut frilly dress is reminiscent of Spanish and Romani design; this notes that Carmen is Romani; there is cultural influence to where the legend came from in her design. You will find roses in all aspects of her arrangement with the bouquet of roses that sits on her waist the dress itself resembles a rose with its spiraling frills look like petals the dress has many layers like a rose and a bouquet of roses decorated on her waist carmen’s dress is designed to resemble a rose which often represents the femme fatale personality beautiful but deadly to coin the phrase “every rose has its thorns.”

The men on her feet are the men she seduced that are connected by a thorny stem. This references how she ensnares anyone with her looks and traps them.

The last thing in her design is the hearts on her corset and boots referencing the lover’s Arcana

Hecate

Elements of the previous design are seen in this design, with Carmen’s twin tails passed over as seen in two long head tendrils.

Hecate has three sets of eyes, one on her head and two on her face, Hecate is the goddess of crossroads the past present, and future she is depicted as a three-headed goddess who could see in all three directions which the three sets of eyes are a reference from.

The dogs at her feet reference the myth of how Hecate is accompanied by packs of barking dogs; this may be why they look like angry dogs. Also looking at the dogs there are three of them.

The two long tendrils on the head in the personas design look like devil horns Hecate was associated with the underworld which would explain why her design took up a more sinister devil-like appearance the spiked outfit that Hecate wears might have come from megatens previous designs.

The cape looked like the mouth of a snake, with the spikes at the end of her cape as fangs and the three eyes resembling snake eyes. One of the Hecate symbols is snakes which are seen in her design.

Goemon

Goemon’s design is the result of infusing kabuki Goemon and Yusuke art styles, Goemon facial structure, makeup, and hair references to ukiyo paintings. Goemon is the main subject of kabuki plays which is incorporated in the design of Goemon. Since Goemon is Yusuke’s persona It has elements of Yusuke as seen in his style as an artist in the design of his persona. Yusuke’s character is inspired by a Japanese painter named Utamaro Kitagawa who is also a Ukiyo painter. The cloth on his chest is a letter g referring to the g in Goemon. The letters IXICAVA are located on his sleeve; it’s based on IXICAVA Goyemon which was transcribed as his name by Pedro de Morejon.

The ropes tied on Goal One’s back are shimenawa this Is seen in Japanese culture where most characters in the media have a shimenawa tied to their back.

IXICAVA is also placed on the back of his cape and the number five if you look at the Go part in Goamons name is pronounced as five in Japanese.

The design between Goemon’s fingers, it’s a kisuru or a Japanese smoking pipe, it’s a common depiction of Goemon since the Kisreru is an object that Goemon is usually seen carrying.

Kamu Susano-o

The design of Susano-o has the same Japanese elements as the previous design but is more modern in contrast to the traditional Japanese elements of the design.

Susano-o is the god of storms. He is an angry temperamental god, This is seen in his design where Susano-o sports a more wild look. The wild hair looks to be blown by the wind and also resembles the blown hair in traditional Japanese art. In the design, Susano-o wears a horned mask as a reference to the oni mask, a reference to how Susano-o is a temperamental god in myth as a reference in the mask. The sword in the design references the Ameno no Murakumo the sword that Susano-o wields in the myth the design of the blade comes from Susano-o previous designs from Megaten.

He wears Japanese clothes and a bare torso and is shirtless. Susano-o has a storm pattern on his waist and shoes. Susano-o sports tattoos on his upper torso littered with storm symbols tattoos are seen as something that the criminal wears which references how he was once imprisoned in the underworld.

He wears a tiger-striped cloak in Japanese symbolism tiger are fierce and stands for bravery this stands for Susano-o violent nature and the bravery is a reference to how Susano-o slays the serpent.

Johanna

Johanna’s design is a motorcycle, the reason why the persona is designed based on a motorcycle is Soejimas’s personal preference since he loves motorcycles and how motorcycles’ speed and association with freedom fit the themes of the game.

The keyhole in the back of the seat references how chairs with holes in their seats were used to confirm the genders of popes. why the face is in the motorcycle this was supposed to note that Johanna was dressed as a man to be a pope the motorcycle with a woman’s face up front is meant to represent Pope Johanna’s inability to show much of herself aside from her face these two things reference Johanna disguised herself as a man to enter priesthood eventual rising as a pope. The reason why Johanna is a motorcycle is meant to represent Johanna as a pope cruising unnoticed by the masses.

The motorcycle is symbolic of Makoto herself at how at first people in her life try to steer her in the direction they want the motorcycle symbolizes Makoto’s freedom as a thief and represents Makoto choosing to take a path in life

Anat

There were major design elements that were present from the previous design passed over in this design, the biggest one being the motorcycle. Anat appears as a transformed motorcycle with her head visible with horns. She has horns in her design, this reference to how Anat is sometimes depicted as having cow horns. The red angry face of a woman with horns references that Anat is the goddess of war; she is often aggressive and ruthless; she is described wielding a sword and bow which is why her design has a sword in her hand and a transforming mecha planted with a skull in the center, the skull emphasizes her dreadful nature exclaiming how violent she is.

Anat becoming an alternate form of a motorcycle matched with Makoto’s development in her confidence.

Necronomicon

The design of the persona rather than the book is based on a UFO. This is because the persona is Futaba’s version of the book of sorcery, a UFO. The Necronomicon resembles a classic depiction of a UFO the reason why the UFO was depicted than a book is because a UFO from outer space is full of infinite knowledge due to how vast it the UFO things Futaba believes represents the truth since the infinite knowledge of space is considered alien knowledge like the contents of Necronomicon the book of sorcery. The UFO is the theme of thieves since there are countless tales of UFO abductions and stealing things from Earth like cows or people.

The small details in the design of the UFO exterior are littered with high-tech symbols, Nazca lines, voyager golden record, batteries, smartphone motifs, batteries, iPhone, and the Roman numerals. It’s covered in lime green glyphs and symbols with hieroglyphs written inside and around the color green are colors associated with computer coding, gaming and pop culture. The small details did have some elements of the Necronomicon such as a gargoyle sitting on top and tentacles coming out of the gargoyle the tentacles are a nod to the Lovecraftian origins the tentacles are highly reminiscent of the tentacles seen in Lovecraft’s famous gods like Cthulhu.

The design of the Necronomicon is based on Futaba’s personality and preconceptions; it’s designed to match Futaba’s geekiness and love for science fiction. Since UFO observes Earth from a distance this sad part of The UFO symbolizes Futaba’s isolation and may represent the alienation that Futaba feels due to her intelligence and social isolation.

Prometheus

Prometheus has a pretty unique design just like the previous with some of the elements from the previous design being made to this design. Prometheus is designed as an object-type persona like Necronomicon.

The design of Prometheus, a giant flaming sphere with rainbow Greek line wireframes forming a smiling face, the rainbow technology lines look like advanced technology, and the advanced technology in the design could be a reference to the fire and metal in the myth. The technology in the design references Furabas’s skills as a hacker who is heavily associated with technology. The smiling face references the smiling face Futaba makes in the game; this aspect incorporates Futaba’s character in the design. fire is considered forbidden technology in the myth the use of forbidden knowledge her persona notes Futaba since she is someone who likes to get their hands on information.

The flames in the design are a reference to how Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it to mankind. The flame metal ball notes that Prometheus gave the skill of metalwork to mankind. The ball references the rock that Prometheus was chained to as punishment.

Milady

Milady’s design has a lack of head. Milady’s lack of head could symbolize the many disguises and aliases Milady dawns for her espionage, never having a true face and assuming a different identity. Her head is just a mask with eyes seen as someone would wear in high-class masquerade balls giving them an unidentifiable quality Milady not having a head could be a reference to Milady’s death by beheading. Milady wears a high-class rococo-style noble dress which is fitting for the time frame she is in and her status as a noble.

Below a dagger of her dress it has a golden floral pattern with the lines on her dress shaped as a face with eyes closed Having a golden lip in the center It resembles a smiling face. When you unsheath the dress she has many hidden weapons underneath that she can use. Her dress has her hiding all kinds of weapons to use for assassination devices. The weapons used for assassination call back to her espionage and her status as a spy. the weapons were hidden underneath referencing the dangers she keeps hidden she is deadly as seen with the weapons underneath

The smiling face on the dress and weapons reference her two-faced nature. Milady has an innocent gentle facade pulling the strings to reach the top. She is a beautiful but dangerous woman evidenced by the many women hidden underneath her skirt.

Astarte

Asrarte’s design has a three-faced rotating skull with a floral pattern, three face skulls reference the three goddesses Ishtar, Astarte, and Aphrodite. The flower emphasizes her femininity as a fertility goddess.

There is a black figure of a woman with gold scents on her body that is a reference to how she was depicted as a naked figure from the myth. Astarte riding on top of a skull which could be a reference to the chariots she is pulled by her riding on a skull notes how she rode chariots in the myth. The design has a crescent moon on Asrarte’s forehead referencing how Asrar was depicted with a crescent moon as a headdress, there is a crescent moon on the three skulls resembling the phases of the moon going back to the crescent moon headdress.

the three rings could be a halo beneath the skulls could be a rotating halo, Astarte was known as the queen of heaven in myths so maybe those rings could be halos.

I think the skull in her design references the plastered skull found in the Middle East cult, the skulls reference the Mesopotamian plastered skulls, the skull with a floral pattern references the plastered skull. Astarte is a goddess of the ancient Near East.

Robin Hood

The design of Robin Hood comes from English folklore, Robin Hood wears a tunic with classic English trimming with rectangle frills around it and his boots the tunic is clothed Robin Hood wears. The bow in his design is a weapon of choice for robin hood from English folklore and notes that he is a skilled archer.

The head of Robin Hood resembles Akechi’s own mask with the red fringe in front of his forehead resembling Akechis a red and extended bird beak mask as Crow, the mask he wears as the true perpetrator of the mental shutdowns.

Robin Hood is entirely designed as a typical superhero; his body is shaped like classic superheroes from American comic books with a triangle-shaped form by his chest and hips which resemble an exaggerated version of a superhero’s large and muscular frame. Robin Hood’s design has many roots in American comic books seen as such his color scheme Robin Hood’s color scheme is reminiscent of robot anime superheroes with the red, white, yellow, and blue colors Common colors used by American comic book heroes Robin Hood is designed based on superman take the large portions of his design and is RH logo on his chest echo superman. His design is supposed to look righteous like it’s meant to capture the more self-serving aspect of doing good deeds than doing good deeds that benefit society. Robin Hood is designed based on Akechi’s desire to be seen and praised as a hero of justice wanting love and affection from the masses. RH mark displays his assertiveness which goes hand in hand with Akechi’s desire to be seen and heard the name Robin Hood is seen on his bow the name sprinkled on Robin Hood’s design references Akechi’s need for recognition.

Loki

Loki’s design is a black and white camouflage which has symbolism to Loki’s doggy loyalty. He is a trickster god Loki plays around with both sides and has no loyalty to anyone just as Goro does when he pretends to help the phantom thieves and Shido. Loki frequently shapeshifts to suit his needs, the monochromatic pattern across his body along with the curved horn and hooves referencing his shape-shifting abilities. His design is based on dazzle camouflage, this camouflage used on WWI warships is used to make it hard to figure out the shape and size of the ships. this detail is based around Loki’s deceptive Trickster. As well as this aspect is a reference to Loki’s shape-shifting abilities as he can blend in the background and go unnoticed by others this aspect in the design can reference a bit of Goro’s personality in how Goro feels that he is unnoticed by others. The hooves on his feet reference how Loki transformed himself into a mare. the horns extending from the eyes were based on snail parasites which indicate no sight has no sense of direction this references how Goro can’t past his envy and hate of not having any direction and guidance

The braids taper off like a fire pattern referencing Loki’s attributes to being the god of fire as well as The sword, a pair of pliers at the blade likens that the runs are spelled Laevetian, who is created by Loki himself.

Cendrillon

Cendrillon’s design has a hair ribbon that Kasumi wears; this is a reference that Cendrillon is Kasumi’s persona. The design of the blonde hair tied in buns is a common depiction of Cinderella that is commonly associated with all versions. Cendrillon the glass motif referencing the glass slipper in the tale has the suit of glass as a reference to the glass slippers in the classic folktale. The design is inspired by the Disney depiction of the fairy tale with the blue dress seen in the blue glass in the design.

There is a clock on her chest with numbers on it, the clock alludes to the fairy tale of how the magic that turns her into a princess disappears in a stroke of midnight a clock on her chest represents temporary since her appearance is temporary. Her silhouette looked like an hourglass representing the temporary form given to her by magic. The decoration of the cape is ivy from the pumpkin carriage alluding to the pumpkin carriage she was drawn in.

Pithos

The design of the persona is four floating vessels, the four in Japanese culture means death since shi is four and is pronounced as shi in death. The engravings found on Pithos are littered with skulls and boned hands; this has the engraving for death and also has ancient Mediterranean engravings. Pithos is used for barrels which may be why there were skulls and bones on the engraving. The engraving for death referenced death that was kept on the box.

Pandora

One thing that is present in her design that was passed over is the Pithos jar; the box on her eyes has technology lines with the same engravings as Pithos. Her head is a block with the same engraving as Pithos covering her eyes referring to the curiosity that blinded her to the warnings of Zeus and the box that Pandora opened out of curiosity

Sophia Pithos reveals a scantily clad woman with the same thigh-high socks and hot pants, a reference to Sophia’s clothes that references that she is Sophia’s persona. Pandora’s hands and feet are segmented with no digits but with abstract boxes and have pixelated lips like you would see on a computer The AI aspect in her design notes that she is Sophia’s persona. Pandora is designed as an AI with these details in her hands, feet, and lips in her design, Pandora is designed to heavily resemble a computer AI like Sophia.

Valjean

Valijean’s design has the number 24601 a is a reference to Valjean’s prison number that is tattooed on his chest in the novel Les Misérables.

The design looked like a well-dressed French man decorated with chains and prison bars referencing him being a convict legs and chest covered in chains and cages referencing his numerous incarnation his legs being kept in chains are a reference to his parole His hands are bound by prisons for stealing bread for his starving sister.

He has a revolver on his waist similar to the weapon Zenkichi wears, referencing that he is Zenkichi persona. The coat notes the French origins of the story in the design but also the reason why the persona looked well dressed, is because it references the fortune he made by revolutionizing the factory. The backs of Valjean coattails have a silver candle pattern that references the silver candlesticks given to Valjean as a gift from the bishop.

The bio explaining the things in the design mean for the personas are explanations I took from artbooks and creators’ interviews and added to the post the information I got from creators’ comments and interviews was added here in the personas explanations. I looked at interviews with creators to research personas for this post. There’s a high chance that I botched the explanations on any of the personas that I explained if I do I apologize if I got the designs of the personas wrong

If you’re wondering why I didn’t add the third-tier personas in the post it’s because there is no artbook info about them the same can be said as to why I didn’t add personas from the other characters it’s mostly for the same reason. I didn’t include the other characters’ personas, just the personas of the main characters From the series. I didn’t add Cendrillon’s second and third awakening for that purpose due to how I couldn’t find the creators’ comment on them. I apologize if I didn’t do an explanation of the second and third awakening of her persona in this list.

For the Second awakenings of the personas in persona 5, there were no artbook comments about the second awakenings of the persona 5 personas I couldn’t find specific creator comments on the second awakening personas of persona 5. So I analyzed the persona 5 second awakenings on my own and did research on the personas to how The second persona awakenings of persona were designed this way and see how the myth correlates to the design. I analyzed it on my own. this is just my research so I could be wrong

In this part of the post about why the personas are designed this way in the game, I explained the designs to the best of my ability. If I got the info on the personas wrong I apologize

Tips on Creating Personas

Now that I’m done giving how the design of the personas half to do with the personas themselves So what to do when designing Personas? There are things I noticed in personas on how the personas are designed which I go over the steps in this post to design the persona in this post. I will go over the tips to know when you’re creating your personas. It is not about how to draw Soejima’s art style. It’s to go over the approaches Soejima took designing Persona for the series. I’ll mostly talk about the creator’s process of designing the personas and examine the process he took designing personas.

Persona 3 helped may have started the process but it’s Persona 4 that defined the design direction of the persona in the series. You can see the result of this change in Persona 5 where it uses the same method as Soejimas did in Persona 4.

I am going to examine the design process of the personas in this post by looking at Soejima’s creation process and the details in the series.

What is designed first? The character or the persona?

If I were to guess I would say that the persona is designed after the character is designed. When I looked to go through personal character design artbooks I realized that personas are the second thing designed after the character. The reason for that is the character is the one who shaped the persona which would make sense for the persona designed second. The persona that is designed second with the concrete idea of what the character summoning is.

One of the Basic approaches: is the original Lore and Myth behind the persona.

One of the important things, when you design your persona, is to focus on the myth, legends, and story behind the persona model. The Personae from 3 and 5 have a heavy focus on the lore in their designs.

Orrpheus for example his lower body in his design has metal prosthetics a reference to in the myth his how his body was torn apart by the maenads the metal prosthetics is used to replace his body that was torn apart, Io is chained to a bull referencing to how she was tapped in a form of a bull in the myth, Penthesilea has two iron platted breasts in her design alludeing to how amazons cut there breast to enable to carry more weapons, the bandages on Lucia’s eyes and throat reference a part in the legend of the torture she went through by having her eyes gorged out and thoart slashed, Castor riding a horse references his to how he is skilled at horseback riding in the legend and the spear sticking out of his chest in his design references his death in the myth, Robin Hood weilds a bow since the bow was a weapon of choice seen in his design, Cendrillion design has many elements of the story, the clock on her chest and hourglass silhouette references to the fairy tale where the magic that turns her into a princess than dispears at a stroke of midnight. The decoration on her cape and waist is the ivy from the pumpkin-drawn carriage. instead of applying the glass slipper in her design Soejima went with something different Soejima took these elements from fairy tales and put them in her design

Rather than the lore the personae designs can be taken from the common depictions of legends Athena, Hermes, Cerberus, and Isis appearances reference to their common depictions in the legends and myth, their appearance is what they are commonly depicted in art. Even Arsene’s design that wears a silk top hat and gentlemen’s attire is taken from his appearance as a gentleman thief in fiction. The main appearance of the persona serves as an interpretation of their appearances from how they are depicted in mythology and fiction.

The form you see in the design of the persona would be the interpretation you look up of the legends and myths surrounding them.

Two of the basic approaches: The character summoning the persona

The second most important thing when you are designing personas is the image of the character summoning the persona. The persona is a reflection of the person’s inner self and it is a mirror of the user summoning them. These are two important basics you need to take designing personas. the design of the personas is based on the image of the character in mind, the character influences their persona design

The persona’s appearance can be designed based on the user who is summoning it. Orpheus’s face resembles the protagonist’s own to face the reason why Orpheus’s face resembled the protagonist Orpheus is the persona of the protagonist so it would make sense. Io’s pink dress is a callback to Yukari’s pink sweater, Penthesilea, and Artemisia’s European elements influences in their design the reason why Penthesilea and Artemisia have many European influences in her design is mainly Mitsuru influencing her persona, Palladino’s mechanical elements in her design Aegis’ mechanical nature, Cerberus being a dog an obvious reference to Koromaru, Nemesis and Kala Nemis having robot designs would go with ken since he is a young boy which you would associate it with being paired with robots.

It’s a fact that the user’s preconceptions influence their persona’s appearance preconception plays a part in influencing the persona’s appearance, The reason why Orphues look girly is female protagonists’ preconceptions are projected onto them.

While Persona 3 personae prioritized the design of the character summoning their personas, Persona 4 persona designs are based around the user’s personality.

The elements of the user’s personality are seen in the design of the persona, the persona’s design is based on the user’s personality. They reflect the owner in any way as seen to make the character’s tastes seen in their personas like with the designs.

Izanagi’s design reflects the protagonist with his long black Gakuen mirroring the protagonist’s school uniform,

It was something that looked badass and cool, something that the protagonist envisioned being the leader of the investigation team. Jiraiya is based on Yosuke’s version of a superhero, his sense of fashion in the camoflauge in Jiraiya’s design. This notes things Yosuke thought looked cool and incorporated into the design of his persona. Tomoe’s yellow-black jumpsuit references Chie’s love of martial arts and her favorite martial artists Chie and Yosuke’s tastes are seen in the designs of their personas with the camouflage and jumpsuit seen in Tomoe and Jiraiyas design referencing their tastes. Wukuna’s appearance is based on Naoto’s interests in Tokusatsu, Ultraman which appealed to a young demographic that doesn’t want to be a part of this aspect and notes her geeky interests. Sukuna wearing a detective outfit references Naoto as a detective with love of mysteries, she idolized the badass detectives in stories a reference to what she wanted to be in her persona’s design. Kanji wanted to be cool and manly, Take Mikazuchi reflects Kanji’s desire to be seen as manly and cool, his persona being a robot is something he finds cool, seeing it as something cool and badass. In her design, Sakuya is based on femininity, which references Yukiko as a Yamato Nadeshiko character design. Kintoki’s design is full of puns and stupid jokes, a glaring reference to Teddy’s habit of making bear puns. Kintokis’s funky design references teddies’ cartoonish designs.

Persona 5 personas have a similar design in the way it notes the character’s personalities and appearances, Carmin’s twin tales reference Ann’s twin tales, and robin hood is designed as an American superhero reflecting Akechi wanting to be seen as a hero in his own story, Pithos being a jar reflects Sophia nature as an AI, the bow in Cendrillon’s design references the bow Kasumi wears, Necronomicon and Prometheus has an advanced technology theme reflects Futaba’s love of science fiction.

the second to note is that personas are designed based on the preconception, personality, and character image of the user summoning it and it’s incorporated in the design this will come in handy when you are designing a persona for your oc you might need to add an in-depth look at your oc to design your persona it can help with designing your persona.

Include Masks

One of the things to make a persona is you half to include a mask. The reason why masks are important is because of the name persona. It’s no surprise since persona means mask in Latin. Soejima stated that there is a rule that personas must wear something that must cover their face like having their face covered with a mask.

The personae designs in Persona 3 had something covered whether helmets or the personas had something covering their face, such as Hermes and Penthesilea who wore a helmet in their design.

The personae masks of the investigation team resemble Ultraman and tokusatsu masks from Japanese superheroes. The personas in Persona 4 are based on legendary figures in Japanese mythology and folklore who are considered Japanese superheroes. Izanagi, Sakuya, and Sukuna have Ultraman masks notes are like Japanese superheroes and some of them wear helmets like Tomoe, Suzuka, and Yamato wear full-face helmets

the personae of the phantom thieves wear masks in their designs the masks in designs reference that are thieves so masks are appreciated the masks from the personas are masks that thieves use. The masks in the personae have their face painted on them, such as seen with Aresene with his face within the mask, eyes on Zorro’s hat evokes a mask, and Goemon wearing kabuki makeup.

Persona can have their faces covered or have no head at all but have their heads replaced with something else that doesn’t need to be a head as seen with Milady, captain kidd, Himiko, and Kanzeon captains kid’s heads replaced with a skull, Milady’s has a lack of head with a masquerade mask. Himiko and Kanzeon’s heads are replaced with a tv antenna head.

The reason why most of the protagonist’s personae in 4 and 5 wear masks is supposed to note superheroes and thieves. If you’re designing your persona, have their face covered whether it is masks and helmets, that is something to keep in mind mostly but not always. This is something that can come in handy to use when you design personas though it doesn’t always happen.

Don’t forget about the origin of where the persona came from!

I stated before that focusing on the lore behind the persona may sound the same but it’s different. This is about looking at the origin where Myth, legend, and folklore came from and incorporating that in his design. That way you may be able to incorporate more details.

Carmin dress is based on Romani and Spanish design, Seitan Taishi has Chinese clothes and a note on his Chinese origins, Goemon has Japanese elements, robin hood wears a tunic referencing his English folklore, the skull in Astarte’s design references the plastered Mesopotamian skull referencing her Mesopotamian origins, Caesar, athena clothes note their greek origins, Isis has Egyptian art in her design referencing her origins to her myth.

Objects can be used as personas

Objects can be personas that are something that was used by characters.

Aegis and Sophia’s persona are objects used to symbolize their lack of humanity at the beginning of the game. Futaba’s persona is a ufo, the main reason why Futaba has a ufo in place of a book is to symbolize the alienation she felt, the reason why Futaba has an object-type persona is Futaba’s version of the book of sorcery and represents her love for science fiction.

The details Soejima did when designing personas

It’s important to go over the details that Soejima did when he designed personas for the series.

Most of the personas who don’t have personas don’t have toes or heels that are always floating. Soejima believes that personas are always floating and are better without fully formed feet. The personas he designed are floating. He got that idea in mind.

For the support-based personas, Juno and Lucia are personas that are fixed to the ground and not moving and Himiko and Kanzeon have a long dresses which difficult to move in, this is supposed to note that they are not personas designed for joint battles only to gather information and it shows this in there persona design Lucia, Juno, Himiko, and Kanzeon were designed are support based personas. Soejima added these details in the support personas to note this. If you’re going to create a persona that would only be support-based design in a way that would not require movement.

Soejima has a few persona rules. One persona rule that states the skin of the persona should not be exposed, Sukuna has bandages covering his legs and arms, head, and face and Yamato have full body tights and another is that persona must be humanoid on the inside those two personal rules is supposed to heighten the mystery of the personas as personas are designed with a degree of mystery. mostly this is supposed to make personas more mysterious which can explain why how they look in the game.

Is it okay to include Modern elements in your designs?

When you design your persona it’s okay to add modern elements in your persona designs. they don’t always half have traditional elements they can have modern themes

The reason the Persona 4 personae used modern Japanese culture instead of traditional Japanese themes is that it wouldn’t look too appealing when you play it in a video game. Japanese modern mythology matches the Japanese personas more since it’s based on Japanese culture. The persona 4 personae and persona 5 third-tier personae have modern elements to look more appealing to the gamers.

Personae define the series so it would make sense that they needed to look appealing in their designs. Another example of this is seen with Pallidion, Palladion is a wooden statue in the lore but it’s mechanical showing that Pallidion didn’t half to be a wooden statue it can be mechanical. Personae are based on the user’s pre conceptions and Preconceptions change with time which would explain the modern elements in the designs.

You don’t have to worry about using traditional influence to match the design of your persona. This is added in case you want to make your personal design look appealing.

Does the persona half match the gender of the character?

More or less at best, it doesn’t have to relate to the gender of the user at all. The Persona is a series that is based on Carl Jung’s psychology and would have things like the anima and animus in personae. The reason why the writers try to match the genders of the characters with their personae is because of Carl Jung’s psychology in the game the persona is chosen to match the user who is wielding him but there are special exceptions like Yamato and Orpheus for example.

In the legend, Yamato disguised himself as a handmaid to infiltrate the enemy. The reason why Yamato was chosen as Naoto’s persona is because of the cross-dressing aspect in their characters. But Yamato was also chosen to mirror her desire to be like the famous detectives in literature.

Preconceptions play a part in influencing the design of the persona, Personae are about how they are perceived by others. Preconception is an important aspect in making the gender of the person. I already pointed out that the reason why Orpheus looked girly is because of the female protagonist’s preconceptions projected on him. if you have a male persona but a girl use the persona users’ preconceptions to change their gender.

Object-type personas are genderless and can bypass the gender of the user as seen with futabas object-type personas. The reason why Prometheus is an object-type persona is that it’s the ultimate persona of Necronomicon so it’s made to be a genderless god-like Necronomicon.

If you’re going to choose personas for your oc make sure they match the character for example if your persona is Atlanta, Atlanta would be a female characters persona since Atlanta is part of the anima because she is a girl so it would make sense for her to be a female characters persona.

If you choose another persona to be a female character like Inaba the rabbit who is male in the legend, would be made genderless since animals are not locked in the same distinctions as humans since Inaba is an animal, not a human it would be considered genderless. If you are going to make your persona genderless give them a reason why they are genderless.

if the persona is D’eon is matched with a girl, They would be androgynous since Deon is noted to have an androgynous appearance in lore.

This is similar to how Yamato was paired up with Naoto. If you take these personas as examples you can make a male character androgynous to better match the character since androgynous features would bypass their gender. If you have a male persona for a female oc I would suggest making them genderless or androgynous to bypass the gender of the user

To use that in design make references to the legend of why the persona would be considered genderless like the cross-dressing aspect of Yamato. Don’t forget these things when you design your persona object type, perception, and androgynous this thing can prove useful.

Be Creative and Be Inspired

Be inspired when you create personas there are numerous influences to designing a persona. Like taking inspiration from many cultures and lore, Soejima did, he takes inspiration from many sources ranging from the story behind the persona and the culture surrounding it. When you design your persona, take inspiration from different sources and see what you can get.

Inspiration is important when you are designing your persona, if your persona is related to travelers there might be wheels since wheels on vehicles are related to transportation you can go from one place to another.

You also can add your personal preferences like Soejima adding motorcycles in the designs of Tomoe and Johanna which is influenced by the fact that he loved motorcycles.

Take many elements when you create your persona, Sukuna, and Tomoe are homages from different sources to Bruce Lee and Detective Conan which are seen in their designs. Persona 5 is based on thieves and the themes of freedom, the wings on Aresene’s design fits into the idea of freedom that a thief can go anywhere. Kala nemi has a planetarium theme, you go to planetariums to look at stars. This aspect notes that Kala nemi is a spirit of the stars hence the planetarium theme.

Persona 4 are different cultures so personae designs have Japanese culture in them better match the retro setting of living in the countryside. The antenna in Himiko and Kanzeon’s design references the tv motif in the game.

When Orpheus was designed you can add elements of music in his design, music is part of Orpheus’ character since he is a wandering minstrel so it wouldn’t be surprising that there are elements of music in his design.

if your having trouble with a persona look at this chart for example this chart

might or might not help but this is just an example to get a better idea of what to do when designing

How do you choose personas for personas 3,4,5?

This is more of the writing aspect instead of design in this post. I already stated before that if you want to know how to choose personas to be your character’s persona you need to find one that matches the personality and role of the character itself. If you’re going to choose a persona that has to symbolize the character arc they go through in the game, that is the one thing to keep in mind when you choose.

If I were to answer the personas in the three-game have a specific theme, the personas of Persona 3 are Greco-Roman, Persona 4 are based on Japanese deities, Persona 5 uses characters inspired by fictional and historical outlaws and thieves, the second awakening personas of Persona 5 are based on trickers from mythology. to choose personas from the game they have to correlate with the game the ultimate personas of persona 3 myth of the personas are inequivalent it can be anything as long as it matched the character summoning it. The reason why the Persona 5 personas are thieves is that it matches with the phantom thieves and the theme of Persona 5 is finding freedom by breaking the chains of oppression.

If you are going to choose a persona from Persona 5 it needs to have acts of rebellion or defiance. Take Johanna, for example, she defied tradition by dressing as a man to go into sainthood eventually rising to be head pope, Cinderella defied her stepmother by attending the ball, Valijean defied the French lawman by breaking his parole to help others in the story. Pandora may have been unusual but thinking about it, it might not be Pandora ignored Zeus’ warnings and opened the box unleashing chaos into the world. I think the team chose Pandora to be Sophia’s persona to match the themes of how phantom thieves bring chaos by revealing the truth of the corrupt monarch rulers.

Necronomicon represents forbidden knowledge that is considered taboo to others, forbidden knowledge may be information that people hide since knowing means more agency over one life which set fire to rebel against others.

What if you’re making a persona for your oc that isn’t a persona oc?

Well for that question I would say it doesn’t matter all that much but if you’re designing a persona for your oc that isn’t part of the fandom that’s okay. your oc doesn’t half to be related to the fandom of the Persona series.

Like I said before to create a persona, you just have to take a look at your oc, you half to find if the lore of the persona matches the history of the oc summoning it. It’s to check if the history of the oc matches the myth of the persona personas are not limited to characters of the persona series you can take figures from myths and legends and turn them into a persona That’s what personas are about.

Afterword

While I was working on this post it took a lot longer to write down than I thought. The second part of this post is my observations of personal designs I tried to explain to the best of my ability. I am not 100 percent correct when I wrote this so I might have botched explaining this to others. I could be wrong if I explained the process in this post and If I am I apologize.

Most of the stuff in the post came from interviews and artbooks comments from creators I incorporated in this post to add to the explanation. I cite the sources of the interviews in these posts.

This serves as a basis to help people with designing personas. This post is not entirely correct, this post is created to help people to get an idea of how to create personas.

One last thing I would like to say is Have fun! creating personas!