One of the reasons that Persona 5 Royal has been such a hit game since it came out in 2019 wasn’t just its stylish visuals. It was the characters that the game was focused on. At first, all you see are the “stereotypes” that are typical of JRPGs, such as the “silent protagonist,” the “loyal but stupid best friend, the “pretty girl who has depth,” and so on. But as fans dove into the game, they realized that these characters had been fleshed out more than anyone could’ve guessed. Due to this, many have their personal favorites as to who is the best of the bunch.
Developer Atlus also seems to be aware of this, so they polled a certain region of the world and asked who among the main characters in Persona 5 Royal were their favorites. To be clear, the poll focused on those who were a part of the Phantom Thieves, so side characters/love interesting like Takemi or Justine/Caroline, and villains weren’t included in the list. Would you like to see the results?
There are a lot of surprises on here, and many will upset fans of the game. The biggest “faux pas,” if you will, is that of Ryuji. Many feel that he’s the funniest character in the game, yet he’s only 9th on the list. Many adore the “lovable idiot” due to how he talks, how he acts, and his voice actors. The English version is particularly loved. So for him to be so low on the list is shocking.
Another surprise is Goro being in 5th. Recall that for much of the game, he’s your enemy. Moreover, he was only a playable character in the upgraded version of the title. So it’s curious why those polled were so smitten with him.
That being said, the top four in the list are very understandable regarding placement. Everyone loves Joker because that’s who you control, and you basically live his life and dictate what he does, who he’s with, etc. Makoto is easily one of the best-written characters in the game as she goes from “stereotype” to one of the deepest characters and one you can easily sympathize with. That goes for Futaba and Kasumi as well.
If we were to make this list based on our favorites, there would be quite a few shakeups. But that’s why it’s key to remember that the poll was only accessed by a small group of gamers and thus doesn’t necessarily reflect the feelings of the millions that have played the title.
Source: Twitter
