This article is about the manifested entities in the Persona
series. For other things named Persona
, see Persona.
Personas are manifested entities in the Persona series. While the details surrounding them can differ between games, they are consistently a supernatural power used by the main characters in each Persona game.
Description
Personas are manifestations of a person's psyche in response to outside stimuli.[1] They are called forth from the "Sea of Souls", or the collective human consciousness. Similar to Demons, they take the shape of gods, demons, and historical or folk figures in order to channel that which lies in the unconscious.[2] They are considered a tamed form of Shadows with the main difference being the ability to control them. Personas are similar to masks that emerge to protect the user from hardships;[1] the term "persona" is a word of Latin origin meaning a mask or a projected social front. Those who have awakened to their Personas and are able to summon them are referred to as Persona-users.[3] In order to obtain a Persona, one can be either given one by a higher power such as Philemon, or through certain situations under high emotions. While Personas are freely summoned in the first two games in the real world and with some assistance in the third game, the later games only have Personas available in a spiritual or mental world.[4]
Gameplay
Personas and Shadows act as the Persona series' equivalent to Demons in other Megami Tensei games which can be summoned into battles by their Persona-user and fused by the player. Personas and Shadows are associated with a Major Arcana and are grouped together based on these.
From Persona 3 onwards, all of the Persona-users in the cast awaken to a Persona that is unique to them. The main protagonist of each game, who all have a power called the Wild Card, are able to hold multiple Personas of each Arcana and swap them during battle. Their other party members are unable to change their Personas but, starting with Persona 4, are still able to gain new abilities and evolve their Personas through the Social Link and Confidant systems.
For lists of Personas that can be obtained and fused in each game, see:
Game Appearances
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In Persona 3, Evokers are used to emulate the heightened mental emotion of firing a gun to your head to "coerce" a Persona to appear.
Except for the protagonist, who hears Izanagi's voice calling out to him, all of the members of the Investigation Team confront their Shadows and accept the repressed part of themselves, causing their Shadows to transform into their initial Persona and become a power they can wield in the TV World. By getting to know each team member through their Social Links, the protagonist witnesses them continue to grow and their Personas change into new Personas.
Due to battles taking place in a spirit world where it is easier to draw out mental images, it is easier for the Investigation Team to summon their Personas without using a device like the Evokers used in Persona 3. However, this also means they cannot summon a Persona outside the TV World.[4]
During the new winter semester, the Investigation Team can talk to the protagonist about what has happened in the previous year and the conclusion of the murder case. Reflecting on their growth causes their Personas to change once more.
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The setting combined with the existence of multiple Wild Card Persona-users together create a situation where the Wild Cards cannot use any Persona other than their original one, but are able to use Sub-Personas alongside other characters who normally could not have different Personas.
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The setting combined with the existence of multiple Wild Card Persona-users together create a situation where the Wild Cards cannot use any Persona other than their original one, but are able to use Sub-Personas alongside other characters who normally could not have different Personas.
Nomenclature
Names in Other Languages
| Language |
Name |
Meaning
|
 Japanese
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ペルソナ Perusona |
Persona
|
 Simplified Chinese
|
人格面具 Réngé miànjù |
Personality mask
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   Traditional Chinese
|
人格面具 Réngé miànjù |
Personality mask
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 Korean
|
페르소나 Pereusona |
Persona
|
 Russian
|
Персона Persona |
Persona
|
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Igor: It may take some time to fully comprehend. A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli... You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships. That being said, your power is still weak..." Persona 3.
- ↑ Translation: "Well, I suppose it's done in order to properly channel their powers. By giving it a name and a shape to a force that, in its natural state, persists vaguely in the the chaos of the unconscious." Persona Club P3. p. 180. Translation by TurquoiseHammer.
- ↑ "Shuji Ikutsuki: Although rare, there are those who can function during the Dark Hour. Some may even awaken to a power that enables them to fight the Shadows. That's "Persona"--the power you used the other night. The Shadows can only be defeated by Persona-users. Which means, it's all up to you guys." Persona 3.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Persona Club P4. p. 195.
