10 Things You Didn’t Know about Persona 4
Persona 4 is a RPG in the Persona series, which in turn, is a sub-set of the Megami Tensei series. Said RPG has proven to be very popular, as shown by the sheer number of spin-offs that it has managed to inspire in the time since its initial release. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Persona 4:
1. Belongs to the Megami Tensei Series
Technically, Persona 4 belongs to a sub-series of the Megami Tensei series, which started up because of a book called Digital Devil Story. Generally speaking, Megami Tensei RPGs see players fighting their way through a wide range of enemies with the help of recruited creatures that are based on legend, mythology, folklore, and other sources.
2. Persona Series Is the Most Popular Megami Tensei Spinoff
Over the course of its existence, the Megami Tensei series has had a number of spinoff series. However, the Persona series is by far the most famous of these spinoffs, which might be attributable to their increased emphasis on narrative as well as their more accessible nature.
3. Revolves Around Personas
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Persona series is centered on summonable entities called Personas, which are based to some extent on the psychological concept. In a very real sense, Personas are reflections of Persona users’ personalities, though they are often influenced by mythological archetypes.
4. Involves Shadows
Speaking of which, Shadows play a very important role in Persona 4. Like Personas, Shadows are based on the psychological concept of the same name, which can be summed up as a person’s unconscious side that can be much darker in nature. In Persona 4, many of the main characters have Shadows that serve as bosses.
5. Personas and Shadows Are Connected
On a related note, there is a strong connection between Personas and Shadows in Persona 4. Essentially, Personas are the products of conscious minds that have brought their Shadows under control. However, it is interesting to note that Shadows can become Persona users in their own right, though this seems to be a very rare occurrence at best.
6. The Protagonist Is a Wild Card
Generally speaking, a Persona user can use two Personas. One is the Persona that they pick up when they master their Shadow, while the other is the enhanced version of that Persona once they have become resolute in purpose. In contrast, the protagonist of Persona 4 is interesting in that they are considered to be a Wild Card, meaning that they can switch between multiple Personas.
7. The Protagonist’s Default Persona Is Izanagi
With that said, the protagonist does have a default Persona, which is called Izanagi. Said figure was a male creator god in the Shinto religion, who was parent to many of the most important Shinto deities through his marriage with his wife Izanami.
8. Izanami Makes an Appearance
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Izanami makes an appearance in Persona 4 as well. This is natural because Izanagi and Izanami are opponents of one another. In short, Izanagi died when she gave birth to the Japanese god of fire. When Izanagi sought to rescue her from the underworld, he failed to listen to her instructions to not look upon her while she spoke with the other gods of the underworld. As a result, he was scared by her rotting appearance, which upset her so badly that she gave chase but was foiled by Izanagi rolling a rock into place to block the exit into the living world.
9. Has a Fighting Game Spinoff
There is a fighting game spinoff for Persona 4, which was made by the same people behind Blazblue and Guilty Gear. Amusingly, this means that Persona 4 characters also managed to make it into the crossover fighting game Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle, which featured characters from a wide range of series.
10. Has a Dancing Game Spinoff
Having said this, the fighting game is far from being the strangest spinoff for Persona 4. Instead, that would be Persona 4: Dancing All Night, which was a rhythm game that was exactly what it sounds like. Amusingly, the game proved to be successful, so much so that it is actually set to get more than one sequel. As a result, it is no exaggeration to say that it has become the newest sub-series of a sub-series in the Megami Tensei series.