This is a page documenting development information for the characters in Persona 5.
General Development
Since they were the first characters planned to appear in promotional material, Ann Takamaki, Ryuji Sakamoto, and the protagonist were designed to convey the general feel of Persona 5. Soejima wanted to give the game the feel of a Western high school drama to make its imagery more distant from real life delinquents. The idea to give each character a unique mask was present from early stages of development, since it matched the idea that the characters are robbers and thieves.
All of the Ultimate Personas were decided through the concept of evolving from an initial "legendary thief" to a "mythical trickster," in addition to a desire to use popular gods as the Personas. Rather than choosing gods who would be a natural extension of the initial Personas, the developers chose gods whose names came to mind first when thinking of tricksters from famous myths. The first five ultimate Personas were Seiten Taisei, Susano-o, Mercurius, Loki, and Prometheus. It was decided that these Personas would be given to the non-protagonist male characters in order to match the character's gender to the Persona's, and Prometheus was given to Futaba as a genderless Persona.[1] The female cast's ultimate Personas were based on slightly lesser known mythical trickster figures in order to add depth to the lineup.[2]
Main Characters
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Satanael was chosen as the protagonist's ultimate Persona because the mythological story of Satanael matched the circumstances the protagonist was in. This design of Satanael was originally planned to be named Lucifer, but that decision was reconsidered because the name had already been used for "other popular Personas."[4]
Ryuji's design remained mostly unchanged throughout development.[5]
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Final Design Model Sheet
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Ryuji's eyebrows are drawn angled upwards to portray Ryuji as perpetually angry,[6] and Soejima suggests that he shaves them himself.[5] His identity as a delinquent with blond hair, an open blazer, and bad posture was created to be the opposite of the protagonist's graceful presentation; without him, the thief team wouldn't look like delinquents from a glance. The slouched posture specifically shows that he's not the thoughtful type, and he's got good spirit.[5]
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Final Design (Phantom Thief) Model Sheet
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Ryuji's mask was designed as a skull to match the pirate look of his initial Persona. The outfit is based on a racing suit, and he was given a lead pipe as a weapon to convey a "bad-boy" feel. The gloves are yellow for color coordination with his hair, Persona, and affinity, giving Ryuji a look similar to that of the Yellow Power Ranger.[7]
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Two early designs showing Captain Kidd as a pirate wrapped in chains, wielding a sword in his mouth.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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Captain Kidd's final design. The addition of a boat for him to stand on was requested by director Hashino, and the face on the boat is something Soejima imagined Ryuji himself would draw.[8]
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Final Design Model Sheet
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Seiten Taisei's final design. Since Captain Kidd stands on a ship, it was decided that Seiten Taisei would stand on a Kintoun, or Nimbus cloud, to create a shared visual theme.[9][10] In Japanese culture, Seiten Taisei is believed to be a golden snub-nosed monkey, inspiring the Persona's gold mohawk hairstyle.[9] His staff, known as the Nyoi-bo in Japan, gets larger when attacking; "8000K" is written on both sides as a reference to its weight of roughly 8,000 kg.
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Early Draft
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Morgana's gender was not determined at this point in development, so Soejima decided to use a design with a more feminine body, akin to a stereotypical cat burglar. Morgana's body was made of shiny rubber, while the head was covered in fluffy fur. This was the design preferred by Soejima, but other staff members said it was "too much" and the design was changed.[11]
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Morgana Car Rough Design
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A rough design of Morgana's car form.
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Concept Artwork
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An early version of the Morgana's final design, drawn with a wide range of expressions.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The final designs for Morgana's Phantom Thief and real world forms. The Phantom Thief design was given a blue, yellow and red color "toy color scheme," which is a personal rule Soejima imposes on himself when designing mascot characters; the scheme can also be seen in the designs of Aigis and Teddie. The upper part of his head and ears is covered by a dark cloth. Soejima compares the design of the mask to those seen in the Perman manga, which he is a fan of.[12]
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Final Design Model Sheet: Morgana Car
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The final design of Morgana's car form. The blue lights and yellow highlights were added in this design and match the color of Morgana's eyes and handkerchief, and an emblem of Morgana's head was placed on the front grill. In the artwork, Soejima assumes that Morgana could transform into other things as well; though this was not seen in Persona 5, Morgana does transform into an alternate helicopter form in Persona 5 Royal. The original version of this design seemingly removed Morgana's ears and tail.
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Two very early designs showing Zorro as a dog wielding a sword.
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Concept artwork of a more finalized design, showing Zorro as a hairy and muscular bandit. Zorro was given a large figure to represent Morgana's strong spirit and contrast Morgana's small body.[13]
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Final Design Model Sheet
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Zorro's finalized design. The amount of skin shown was reduced compared to initial designs because Soejima prefers not to show any skin in Persona designs. The muscles in the previous designs were considered too realistic, so they were re-designed with a more comical and balloon-like look. The balloon-like body is drawn as if he is full of air, and is meant to convey that though Zorro looks big, his tough-guy demeanor is just a cover for the fact that he's empty inside, mirroring Morgana's internal dilemma over what and who he is.[13]
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The final design for Mercurius. He was chosen as Morgana's ultimate Persona because the Greek god is associated with travel, thieves, and magic, which fits with Morgana's role on the team. The blue robes are meant to represent Morgana's lost origin and true power as a creation of Igor, the ruler of the Velvet Room.[14] In the art, it is explained that he wears a dark full-body skintight suit underneath the blue outer layer.
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Rough Design
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The initial image of Ann's final design.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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Soejima wanted to incorporate the game's main color in the first female character, so Ann was given red tights. The red tights also give the character a unique feel and individuality, clashing with the look of her school uniform. Her hoodie is was was inspired by cheerleaders.
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Final Design (Phantom Thief) Model Sheet
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The phantom thief design was made with sterotypical "cool sexiness" in mind. The gloves on the outfit are pink because it's Ann's signature color, but Soejima had to be careful not to make them look too much like dishwashing gloves. Her mask is meant to resemble a leopard. Ann's bodysuit is made of leather, and her boots and gloves are made of enamel. The idea that Ann would be embarrassed about wearing this outfit was Soejima's idea.
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Hair Down Concept
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Soejima originally wanted a scene where Ann would take down her ponytails, and scenario writer Yuichiro Tanaka insisted that if a character has their hair up it needs to be shown down at some point. This sketch was drawn at Tanaka's request, but ultimately scrapped since it didn't match his vision. Ann would later be shown with her hair down in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.
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Two very early designs.
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Carmen's roses, seduced men, and cigarette are all meant to allude to the original Carmen character. This original design showed the men in just their underwear, and with more rounded faces.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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In Carmen's final design, the men were given suits and heart shaped helmets. She's wearing leopard print clothing that is meant to look like fur, her dress is made of fabric, and the bodysuit underneath is a shiny leather-like material.
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Final Design Model Sheet Model Sheet
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Hecate's outfit is covered in mysterious symbols.
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During the planning period of development, Yusuke was going to be from a previous school in the Persona series.
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Initial Design
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Yusuke's initial design, where he had long brown hair, a bolo tie, and looked more like an art teacher.[15]
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Yusuke's initial image
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Yusuke's final design. He is drawn a little less handsome to show his more "perverted" nature, with model-like bone structure. When drawn alongside the protagonist, Yusuke is posed to be more creepy. The keys on his belt are for a locker of his most prized posessions, as Soejima imagined that an artist would hide the items most important to them. The patch on his shirt is a black lily insignia, since the flower signifies revenge. His pants and shoes are part of his school uniform. The shoes specifically are a holdover from the plan to have him be from a previous school in the series.
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Final Design (Phantom Thief)
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Yusuke's mask is a Japanese style fox, since he's a Japanese traditional art painter. His sleeves open up so their sillouhete resembled traditional clothing.
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An early design of Goemon sporting a punk look.
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Final Design
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Goemon's design is a mixture of the kabuki Ishikawa Goemon and Yusuke's psychedelic style. The design was finalized early on, but the exact colors took a bit of time to perfect, requiring input from Soejima's coworkers. Specifically the "IXICAVA" on his sleeve and the stylized "G" on his chest came from Soejima's coworkers. A lot of care was put into his design since he is the only Japanese Persona on the team
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Since Susano-o was previously used as the Persona of Yosuke Hanamura, there were some initial doubts about reusing a figure from the most recent game, but it was ultimately decided that Susano-o couldn't be left out of the lineup. To distinguish the two, the Persona was given the more dignified and divine version of the god's name.[16]
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Makoto's personality and "character" took multiple iterations, but her actual design didn't change much from concept to completion.
Makoto's personality starts off harsh, serious, and uptight when she first appears in the story against the protagonist's group. On the inside she's perpetually anxious, ith a kind personality. She's trying to fill the role that adults in her life have given her by putting on a tough face, wanting to be a "free spirit" but being held dowwn. Becoming a Phantom Thief sets her free.
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Makoto's final design. Her skirt is part of the Shujin uniform, but her turtleneck and vest aren't. Her eyes are unique among Soejima's creations; he typically doesn't draw irises touching the bottom ash, but in Makotos he specifically designed it to, giving her a tense look to depict her lack of self confidence.
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Makoto's Phantom Thief outfit shows her frustrations transformed into anger. The spikes are an embodiment of the psychological sikes she mentally covers herself ith. Her mask is her internal defense, hiding herself from others, and the scarf was added to make her design less simple. She's shon to be a skilled martial artist, specifically ith a slight Bajiquan fighting style. She's always drawn to be more physically fit than the others, since Makoto works out. Soejima compares this design to something from Fist of the North Star.
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Two early designs depicting Johanna as bipedal. These designs leaned more into the Pope aspect of her origin.
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Johanna having the form of a motorcycle is meant to symbolize youthful independence, as it's a vehicle that allows people to freely follow any path, not restricted by roads, aligning with Makoto's own personal growth.[17] The association with youth and freedom came from a conversation; Soejima brought up the connection between a motorcycle with youth and freedom and Hashino suggested that he make Johanna a motorcycle. He wwas excited about drawing the transformation into Anat.
The keyhole in the back of the seat comes from Pope Joan, here chairs with holes were used to check the genders of the next Popes. It wwas given a face because all Personas need a face or ellse it'd be hard to tel what they are.
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Rather than becoming a completely different entity like the other ultimate Personas, Anat's design is a direct modification of Johanna's. The wheels from Johanna are tucked inside of Anat's body, and she folds out like a Transformers
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Futaba is a Chūnibyō about science fiction and aliens. Designing her came smooth after her concept was settled.
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Futaba was originally going to have black hair since she's a social recluse, but Soejima suggested changing it to orange, not as a fashion statement but to show manic urge or "fetish like someone wwho has a ton of piercngs. She's the type of personm wwwho wwold dye her hair "just because." She ends up isolating herself because of her awkward weirdness. Her glasses were in her design from the beginning; her eyesight got bad from staring at monitors all day and the glasses also hide her from others.
She wears headphones because she's a computer geek, and the exact headphones are a real collaboration with AKG, Soejima's favorite Acoustics manufacturures. Her clothes and glasses are also meant to show her gekiness. The password asterisks and "AFK" slang on her clothes shows she buys all her clothing from online stores. The lounge clothes were liked so much that Soejima finalized it early. She's always drawn with knee high socks and shorts to keep up the lounge look.
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Futaba's thief outfit was always planned to be something high-tech to highlight her geekiness. The goggles come from Ann's original design; Soejima thought they fit Futaba better. He aimed for a cute, frog-like aesthetic, with the goggles being used for night vision.
The belt aroung her it to attach a harness and hang like a spy.
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Necronomicon is a UFO because Futaba equates sorcery to conspiracy theories, hence her book of sorcery being a UFO. The lines are a mix of things Futaba believes are the truth of the world: high-tech symbols, the Nazca lines, the Voyager gold record, and DNA patterns. When Futaba summons it, its tentacles drag her up into its body. It was originally going to be seen inside of Palaces or Mementos, but it was too big.
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An early design of Prometheus. Futaba initially stood in the center of a palm.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The final design of Prometheus. Prometheus was one of the first five ultimate Personas, and originally conceptualized as male. To keep gender consistency, Prometheus was interpreted as an object deity, specifically a torch pedestal, rather than a male god; this kept the Persona conceptually similar to Necronomicon as a genderless Persona.[18] (Explain any other design notes. And upload the full concept art not just the crop)
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Haru changed a lot during the design process; it took some time to figure out what kind of character should round out the team.. Her grade changed multiple times, and she was originally a male character. Her soft appearance was something new for Soejima; he compares her to Fuuka Yamagishi. However, he didn't try to design Haru as weak like with Fuuka.
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Final Phantom
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After Milady was settled as her Persona, Soejima designed her Phantom outfit after the Three Musketeers, and she uses axes and grenade launchers as weapon. She was originally going to be trained in classical Japanese dan cing, and Soejima considered giving her a Noh mask, but she looked to scary; since Yusuke was already a Japanese theme, Soejima scrapped the idea.
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The relationship between Milady and Haru's designs is stong. Milady is two sided, pretty with a deadly deceptive side. Her head is just a mask with eyes, similar to one seen at a masquerade ball
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Two early designs of Milady.
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Final Concept
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Final Model Sheet
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Astarte and Makoto's Anat come from closely related deities, showing a parallel between the two character as upperclassmen who have been constrained by the values of adult society and who bear the weight of their fathers' deaths. The vastly different designs of the Personas show a divergence from the same mythological root and the differences between the characters. In addition, the evolution from Milady to Astarte shows a shift from "ornate artificiality" to a more organic entity, reflecting Haru's personal growth.[19]
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Akechi was always designed to be the opposite to the protagonist; he originally started as the white to the protagonist's black, and shifted into a pleasant youth in contrast to the polished protagonist. He was always going to be a detective, and after his exact role in the story was finalized he was given a personality that was pleasant but still invigorating; Soejima took care not to make him too serious or suspicious, similar to Adachi in Persona 4. Original designs showed him as a little looser, with slicked back hair, an unbiuttoned shirt, and a loose tie.
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1st Concept
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2nd Concept
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Soejima was unsure how suspicious to make Akechi look, with this design showing more of his charisma, but it gave the impression that he was going to betray the player and the charisma was dialed down. There were ideas of making him Makoto's brother at various points in development.
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Phantom Thief Concepot
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Final Design Model Sheet
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Final Design Phantom Concept Art
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His mask is modeled after midieval plague doctors creating an image of unapproachability. The nose is also inspired by a Tengu to match his conceited personality. His aristocratic guard uniform shows hiow Akechi sees himself on the side of justice. The whole design reflects his desire to be in the limelight.
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An early draft of Robin Hood.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The final design of Robin Hood, representing a Superman-like hero and Akechi's sense of Justice. Rather than doing good for society, he's meant to have a feel as if he's just doing good for personal gain.
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Boss Concept Artwork
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An early draft of Loki for Akechi's boss fight, shown as a demon emerging from the shadows and grabbing the chain that connects it to Akechi. The design was intended to be visible at all times, and the chain was originally more important when summoning it.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The final design of Loki. The black and white pattern makes it hard to determine where his loyalty is placed, and is basd on the "dazzle camoflage" of World War I ships. The horns comiong out of his eyes are based on snail parasites and are curved like a demon's horns, and the whole design was made to appear sickening. The sword is the Lævateinn and the hilt is a pair of pliers, holding the scorching hot blade. (upload the full concept art not just the crop)
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Side Characters
Confidants, Shiho, and the Principal's "initial image"s.
Unlike in previous Persona games, the Fool arcana was not given to the protagonist's group. This is because confidants represent bonds with specific people who have contact with the Protagonist and skills that are beneficial to the Thieves, rather than just friendship like Social Links. The arcana was given to Igor to foreshadow that the protagonist's relationship with the master of the Velvet Room is different than previous games.[20]
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Igor's design stays consistent with previous iterations, and was designed by Kazuma Kaneko. Soejima has stated that Igor is lilkely the only design in the series that will never change. For this key art, he was drawn in his "representative pose" leaning over his desk. The art team hat to be careful to maintain the elegance and sculpted appearance of Igor.
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The idea to use twins as the Velvet Attendant came from the game's planner, Yuichiro Tanaka; he had pushed for the idea from the beginning of development. The twins were chosen because an air of mystery could be given to them. Yaldabaoth split Lavenza in two, robbing her of her cognitive ability and giving one half of her brain to each twin; this is why their personalities are drastically different. By limiting their brain power, Yaldabaoth was able to prevent them from questioning his tactics or feel uneasy about their missing memories. The task list experienced through the twins' confidant was created by Lavenza to help the protagonist in ways that a Velvet Attendant normally would, and to help slowly give the twins their memories back.[21]
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The eyepatches that Caroline and Justine wear represent the corresponding half of the brain they were given as two halves of Lavenza's whole. Each twin's hat has alernating letters of the word "OXYMORON"
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The basic concept for Lavenza's design was a maid outfit, which can be seen in the final design through her headdress. She also has a blue butterfly motif, which has been in the series since Megami Ibunroku Persona.
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Sojiro was created because of positive feedback to Ryotaro Dojima; having a charming head of the protagonist's household led to greater player experiences. He starts off as initially unlikable, as giving the protagonist a warm and understanding figure from the beginning wouldn't fit the game's picaresque theme.[22]
P5 Sojiro Sakura Model Sheet Artwork.png
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Since art and style are a big part of the game, it was decided that Sojiro would be a man who aged gracefully and isn't unfamiliar with what's popular with young people. He was originally designed to be older but his hair was changed to black during development to make him younger. He's meant to look a little unlikable to reflect his sometimes warm, sometimes cold personality.
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Street clothing
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Chihaya was designed to be a Blythe doll version of how Soejima saw fortune-tellers, givving her a mysterious and otherworldly feel. She's one of the only characters who wears makeup, with the blush on her cheeks.
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He's always sucking on candy to show that he doesn't care about his health, and he wears ear protection to make it seem suspicious about if he's really only selling toy guns. He's meant to have a "defeated" feel to his design.
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Takemi's "punk-style neighborhood doctor" concept was a workaround used to legitimize the protagonist group's ability to buy large amounts of medical items and prescription drugs in the story..[23] Since a doctor typically has a pro-establishment image, the developers thought it'd be interesting to give her an anti-establishment look.
The pendant around her neck was originally the medicine she produced at her old place of work. Initial designs gave her eyes that looked more aggressive, but Hashino gave the art team direction that all female characters should look cute, not scary, and her design was softened a bit.[24]
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Kawakami was designed specifically to be a "normal" person who may be missing something in her life. She isn't too fashionable and doesn't stand out, she's a typical woman in her thirties.
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Final Design - Becky
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Her appearance as Becky was designed to be cute but barely qualify as pretty, with obviously overdone makeup.[25] The costume was designed to be a vastly different look for the character compared to her nondescript everyday clothing.
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The story of the Phantom Thieves causing problems in the real-world Tokyo necessitated a journalist character existing.[26]
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She was originally a generic reporter and whether she was a photographer or journalist wasn't decided yet.
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Ohya's final design as a journalist. This was another character that Hashino suggested be made cuter, and he specifically requested that her nostrils not be drawn.
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Shinya was written so that the player would feel like they're trying to make a bratty kid happy, and slowly start to form a real bond as their relationship progresses.[27]
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Shinya was originally going to be portrayed as an energetic young boy, but the story called for him to be slighty gloomy, and his design was changed to reflect that.
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To make him look more realistic, he was given ill-fitting clothes and a bag that doesn't match his outfit. The design team thought that a gamer would wear a red hat, so he was given one.
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Hifumi was originally planned to be a part of the Phantom Thieves until around the middle of development. Until that time, there were plans to add her toi the team as another radical-minded strategist, similar to Makooto.[28] Her character design and plot were created during this period, and though the usage of her character changed the information created for her remained mostly intact. Certain aspects of her original concept were given to members of the final game's team; her Japanese traditional worldview was given to Yusuke, the strategist mindset went to Makoto, and the idea of growing up being restricted by adult expectations was given to both Makoto and Haru.[29] When thinking of Confidants, it was decided that her design would be used for one of the side characters.
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Hifumi appears in her high school uniform. She's designed to be a traditional Japanese beauty, with Japanese hair ornaments and an air of intelligence.
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Mishima plays the same role as Yosuke Hanamura or Junpei Iori in previous games as a friend character who offers a grounded, everyday perspective, and this was planned from early stages of planning. Since the Phantom Thieves are a group of extraordinary outlaws, it was decided that the "everyman" character for Persona 5 should be used outside of the playable team.[30] He is a character that only exists to praise the Phantom Thieves.[31]
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Mishima's design is supposed to lack any unique individuailty. He was made as normal as possible to be the face of the general public, as being too unique could make players believe he's weird or the team's only supporter.[32]
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Yoshida's final design, a man in his fifties. He was designed to be impossible to hate; although he's in a pathetic situation, his large eyes show that he's full of life and determination and give him a soft feel. While he's not based on a specific person, Soejima had American actor Ernest Borgnine in mind when designing him.[33]
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The original role of this character took some time to decide; some ideas thrown around were for her to be Makoto's mother or someone living with the protagonist. She was given a confidant to strengthen the player's desire to see what happens next in the story.[34] Her professionaism was emphasized, and her tone was decided after they chose her Japanese voice actress, Yuko Kaida.
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First Concept Artwork
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The first concept of the prosecutor character, where she's a rough looking older woman.
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Third Concept Artwork
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The third concept for the character as Makoto's mother instead of her sister.
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Other Concept Artwork
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An unspecified concept design, somewhat resembing Katherine from Catherine
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Final Design
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It was eventually decided that the character be on the younger side, leading to her final look.
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Design Version
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Concept Artwork
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Model Sheet
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Antagonists
All of the antagonists were designed to not be seen as bad people at a glance.[35]
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Design Version
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Concept Artwork
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Concept artwork of Kamoshida and his boss form. In the real world, he originally had a more hopeless and pathetic look; he doesn't look like someone who'd be popular with the students.[36] As a boss he wore a prison warden's had and carries a whip, striking the students who carried him.
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Final Design
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Kamoshida is a tall, muscular man that would be hard to beat in physical combat. He is meant to be a physically imposing force as the protagonist's first opponent.[37]
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Final Design - Asmodeus
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Kamoshida's true form is designed to emphasize his ugliness, vulgarity, and repulsivenmss. The cognitive world caused his body to shrivel away, and he has become a bloated and swollen creature.[38]
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Shadow Madarame and Shadow Okumura were designed by the same designer, and not Soejima. [39]
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Design Version
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Concept Artwork
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Concept artwork of Madarame and his boss form. As a boss, this early version is missing the frames that surround each facial aspect in the final. The frames on the wall were meant to fly at the protagonists like projectiles.
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Final Design
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Madarame was designed to look more like a celebrity playing an artist character rather than as solely an artist. The clothes, hairstyle, and personality are all a facade to play into his artist image. [40]
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Kaneshiro is the only boss in the game who was able to be shown as a bad guy from the get-go since there is no reputation as a good person to show.[41]
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Concept Artwork
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Concept artwork of the Piggytron boss.
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Beta Design - Shadow
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In the betas for the game, Kaneshiro's shadow originally had the same skin tone as his real world form. This can briefly be seen in PV 02. The shadow's skin was changed to purple for the final release.
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Final Design
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Kaneshiro was designed to be a delilnquent that never outgrew his childish ways, so he was given a more childlike appearance. He's short and stout, and gives the feeling that there's something to him that can't be seen.[42]
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Concept Artwork
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Concept art of the dog and humanoid shadows seen walking around Kaneshiro's Palace.
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Since she is only shown in Futaba and Sojiro's memories, the development team wanted to stress the suffering she endured as an individual woman rather than a mother specifically. She gives the impression that she cares more about work than family.[43]
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Concept Artwork
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Concept artwork of Wakaba and her boss form. This iteration of the character was designed to have a motherly feel, since the original concept was that she forced Futaba to become a shut-in.[44]
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Concept Artwork - Final Design
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After her and Futaba's concepts were finalized, Wakaba was redesigned to look more like a researcher.
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Okumura's original concept was to be someone who was a good father long ago, but became twisted after losing himself in his work. If he was a bad guy from the start, then it give the impression that Haru was neglected, which isn't what the team wanted.
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Design Version
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Final Design
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Okumura's final design. Since he wants to enter politics, his design requires him to have a positive public appearance. The character was given an image that reflects gentlemanly refinement to fit with his concept as a good man turned evil.
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Final Design - Shadow
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Soejima requested that the designer give Okumura a cheap sci-fi feel, and specifically used keywords including "antenna" and "floating chair."[45]
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Corprobo
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The various Corporobo designs, with each representing a different department employee in a company. The two lowest models, Corporobo MDL-WKR (the Employees) and Corporobo MDL-CH (a Chief), have no joints except around the shoulders and hips, and are designed to only bow.
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Basement Shadow
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Sae's shadow was designed with the charms of an adult woman in mind; there was an emphasis on her immorality and desire to win through any means necessary.
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Final Design - Shadow
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Aspects of her palace's gambling theme were added to her design as the cards on her hat. She has black tattoos across her body and a holster for a Derringer pistol on her right leg.
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Final Design - Leviathan
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Shadow Sae's look as the boss Leviathan.
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Masayoshi Shido is a popular politician and acts as the "voice of the people." He's willing to abuse those neglected by society to grow his popularity. The battle against Shido was originally going to end after the Lion form, but testers made notes that there wasn't much of a feeling just beating another monster, so a new phase was added with a humanoid Shadow Shido.
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Design Version
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Concept Artwork - Shadow Lion and Pyramid
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The body and saddle of the Lion and Pyramid are made of people, and they tower over the protagonist. The lion represents might, and the pyramid for defense, firing with a cannon.
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Final Design Real
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Shido was given a bald head in order to make him attractive on TV, and because Hashino specifically requested it. He's given clothing that makes him look like a flashy and clean and a hit with housewives. His appearance was designed to be somewhat shady.
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Final Design Shadow
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He was given a military uniform to create a dictorial image, and the medals on his chest make him appear as importatnt. He's wearing a mask, to seem like a distinct and special enemy, and the spikes showcase his strength and give a Statue of Liberty look. Soejima drew a comparison to Char Aznable from Gundam, but was unaware of the similarities when designing Shido.
For his final shirtless form he was made extremely macho, like a boss of an organization that isn't going down without a fight. He was given the braces because a bland chest would have been somewhat bland and weaker if he was beaten without much of a fight. There were original ideas to show his childhood self when he was beaten, representing his true self.
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The Holy Grail
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Design Version
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Concept Artwork
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The Holy Grail was designed to give the sense that it's the overseer of the world's collective unconscious.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The Holy Grail unfurls and becomes the crown floating above Yaldabaoth. It has a very mechanical design.
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Yaldabaoth was chosen because its name means "false god," giving it a sense that it can't be reasoned with, seeing only its beliefs as law.
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Concept Artwork
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The general idea for its design was something giant without a face, instead having a mirror that reflects those who look at it, hiding its true intentions. The massive size was chosen partly because Soejima felt it could have a good impact with the game's model scale and realism, and partly because he simply wanted to work with a massive character.
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Final Design Model Sheet
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The false god has various limbs, which can rotate and fold mechanically. Hexagons and octohedrons are common shapes seen throughout the design.
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Unused Designs
A normal gallery of the unnamed character concepts. The japanese copy gives them numbers, use those.
etc
put all of the location artwork from the art book in the "concepts" page. still gotta figure out how to format that one lol.
Unlike previous games, where the "other worlds" of the Dark Hour and TV world were seen as negative, the Metaverse is the true place of positivity and affirmation for the protagonist, contrasting his alienation in the real world.
Even before Chihaya was conceptualized, the idea of fortune telling stalls in downtown Tokyo was present in early drafts.[46]
"In Persona 5, the portrayal of Tokyo is quite realistic, which made it difficult to depict a world where “you can buy real firearms at just any store.” To address this, the setting was adjusted so that “in the cognitive world, a weapon can have the same effect as a real gun if the enemy believes it’s real.” However, this raised another issue — if melee weapons are real blades, but only the guns are toys, it creates a sense of inconsistency. Deciding how to handle the weapon shop was one of the more difficult challenges. The character design of Iwai played a key role in resolving this — his personality and background helped maintain a sense of realism and made the setup more convincing."[47]
check the art gallery from Atlus Art Exhibit 2019
References
