Best Persona Protagonist Designs

Persona games have unique and memorable character designs that add depth to the gameplay experience.
Some protagonists, like Tatsuya Suou, lack interesting designs, while others, like Maya Amano and Kotone Shiomi, have vibrant and expressive outfits.
Ren Amamiya and Makoto Yuki have clever designs that reflect their personalities and make them visually intriguing.

The Persona games might be most well known for their compelling storylines and strategic turn-based gameplay, but it’s also a series full of unique characters who all have their distinct fashion sense. This even goes for the protagonists who, despite being pretty bland and one-dimensional in their personalities, each have their own style that helps to make them unique, and since the games severely lack customization options, it means the player will be watching the character for many hours.

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Admittedly, it’s clear that Atlus got a lot more creative with some of the protagonists than others, allowing them to express who they are through their designs, which is a great bit of visual storytelling. It’s time to take a deeper look at the designs of each protagonist featured in the Persona games, and how interesting and memorable they all are. Any costume changes or alter-ego designs will also be taken into account for each entry.

Tatsuya Suou (Persona 2: Innocent Sin)

Tatsuya’s Jacket And Tie Combo Unfortunately Don’t Make Him Very Eye-Catching

Tatsuya is the character that takes center stage in Persona 2: Innocent Sin, but he’s unfortunately pretty uninteresting overall in terms of pure design. His buttoned white shirt and pitch-black blazer at least let the player know a bit more about his life as a student, but it becomes pretty bland to look at for the entire game. The only time he’s shown wearing anything else is during the flashback to the major incident at the heart of the story, where he can be seen sporting a red puffy coat, but it doesn’t do much to make him any more eye-catching.

It’s a shame that the developers didn’t decide to go a bit further with Tatsuya’s look, but it’s a small blip on an otherwise amazing entry in the series. Then again, when side characters as stylish as radio host Meteor Masa exist, it’s hard to stand out in the first place.

Boy With An Earring (Revelations: Persona)

The First Protagonist Has A Few Notable Features That Help Him Stand Out

Revelations: Persona

Platform(s) PSP, PC, PS1 Released 1996-12-14 Developer(s) Atlus Genre(s) Social Simulation, JRPG

The Boy With an Earring is very much designed to be a blank slate for the player, with the game revealing next to nothing about who he is or his goals, but he does at least have a few distinctive parts of his design that help to make him stand out. His neck-high school uniform looks unique, almost more like a trench coat, which gives the protagonist a pretty menacing appearance, especially when paired with his dark, devilish eyes.

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His piercings are removed in certain versions of the game, which is a shame since they add a lot to his 90s hipster design, but he’s another protagonist who is often outshined by those around him. The darker art style of Revelations: Persona does admittedly fit the character well, but his design just isn’t nearly as interesting as some of his peers.

Maya Amano (Persona 2: Eternal Punishment)

The Contrast Of Colors In Maya’s Outfit Give Her A Very Vibrant And Memorable Design

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment

Platform(s) PSP, PS1 Released 2000-11-30 Developer(s) Atlus Genre(s) JRPG

Maya has a very interesting and purposeful design that makes her stand out, without needing to go over the top. There’s a unique contrast between her dark hair and her jacket which features bright pink hearts and a much lighter design scheme from below the shoulders. While her appearance doesn’t change too much between each version of Persona 2, there are still a few color swaps that are also a lot of fun to see.

She may not have any features that really take her to the next level in terms of overall design, but there’s no denying that Maya’s contrasting outfit lends her a lot of personality and charm. It’s just a shame that fans don’t get to see much more of Maya’s sense of style outside of her jacket and boots combo.

Yu Narukami (Persona 4)

Atlus Give Yu A Handful Of Cool, Smart, And Funny Designs In Persona 4

Persona 4

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS Vita, Switch, PS4, PS2, Xbox One Released 2008-07-10 Developer(s) Atlus Genre(s) JRPG

Yu has quite a few different designs throughout Persona 4. While he often can be seen wearing the standard Yasogami High School, he will also change into a short-sleeved shirt when the game reaches the summer, along with a casual outfit for days off. He even throws on a vampire costume for the Halloween Event, which is a real feast for the eyes.

Atlus wasn’t afraid to get creative with Yu as a character when it came to his design, but the only thing that lets him down is that Yu doesn’t really have any personal features that make him stand out. His gray bowl cut isn’t very eye-catching, and while he does have a pair of glasses which he will throw on now and again, outside of that, there’s nothing specifically about his original design that makes him unique. With that being said, it’s clear that Yu still has his taste when it comes to clothing, which is showcased on multiple occasions.

Kotone Shiomi (Persona 3: Portable)

Kotone Undoubtedly Has The Most Fun And Expressive Design Out Of All The Protagonists

Persona 3 Portable

Platform(s) Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PSP, Switch, PS4, PC, Xbox One Released 2010-07-06 Developer(s) Atlus Genre(s) JRPG

It’s easy to tell just from looking at Kotone how fun and bubbly she is as a character, and her cheerful design makes her a lot of fun to be around for the entire game. Her auburn hair and bright red bow make her instantly recognizable, and her school uniform features a ton of extra features that show off her personality, such as wearing the S.E.E.S. badge casually around her arm. Her outfit is drastically different when she’s not in school or Tartarus where she will instead have a bright red scarf and a comfy light orange sweater in the winter.

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Kotone is always shown wearing her headphones, which feeds into her more casual and laid-back personality. She has one of the most expressive designs out of the main protagonists, and while this isn’t for everyone since the actual story of Persona 3 is fairly dark and serious, it’s still a design that a lot of fans have fallen in love with.

Ren Amamiya (Persona 5)

Ren’s Clever Design Makes It Seem Like He Might Be Hiding A Secret Under The Surface

Persona 5

Platform(s) PS3, PS4 Released 2016-09-15 Developer(s) P-Studio Genre(s) Social Simulation, RPG

Atlus did an amazing job at making Ren look like a character who is innocent at heart, but who also has a mischievous side that he can let out while venturing through a Palace as a Phantom Thief. When he’s wearing his casual fit, Ren will have a wide pair of glasses to go with his mid-length shaggy black hair, which has become synonymous with the character. He doesn’t just have this one design for the entire game though, as Atlus also created an incredibly stylish outfit for him to throw on when becoming a Phantom Thief.

The high-collared tailcoat, domino mask, and bright red gloves all come together to create an incredibly iconic design that completely transforms how Ren looks, and out of all the Phantom Thief get-ups, this is one of the best. Ren looks genuinely menacing with this design, which is perfect for creating the feeling of being a powerful badass at night and acting like a regular high school student by day.

Makoto Yuki (Persona 3)

It’s Clear That Atlus Went The Extra Mile In Making Makoto As Visually Interesting As Possible

Persona 3

Platform(s) PSP, PS3, PS2 Released 2006-07-13 Developer(s) Atlus Genre(s) JRPG

Despite being the main protagonist of the game, Makoto doesn’t exactly have the look of an everyday hero archetype, but this is what makes his design so good. Makoto is designed to always be leaning back casually, with his un-tucked blazer and giant red badge showcasing his carefree attitude, which does feed into some central themes of the game. He also has the most iconic hairstyle in the series, with his long blue side part rivaling that of Leon S. Kennedy’s.

It’s a testament to Makoto’s design that, despite being pretty introverted in his behavior, his appearance alone gives the players everything they need to know about him, and even the game at large. Just like Kotone, he can always be seen rocking his headphones, which is another subtle design choice that relates to some of the game’s topics of isolation and ignoring the wider world. It’s an iconic character design that any RPG fan, even if they haven’t played Persona, will recognize, and there’s no doubt that Atlus will make it even more detailed and captivating in Persona 3 Reloaded.

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