It would be close to impossible to talk about some of the most popular JRPG series around without mentioning the masterpiece that isPersona. The series was already great with the first two games, but itsPersona 3that truly helped the series break its shackles and emerge as one of the freshest and most interesting JRPGs of all time.
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Of course, whilePersona 3was a groundbreaking title, it was alsothe firstPersonatitle to try out such a different formula. Thus, it was expected that the series was only going to evolve with each successive entry, and one need only look at the brilliance ofPersona 4to get the truth behind this statement.
Persona 4is considered by many to be one of the greatest JRPGs ever made, andits Golden variantis even more beloved due to the amazing inclusions in an already brilliant title. So, it’s only natural that gamers have tried their hardest to find out everything there is to know about this title. That being said, there are ten unique things aboutPersona 4that most people still don’t have any idea of.
10The Shin Megami Tensei Name Was Dropped From The Series Because Of Persona 4’s Success
Persona 4is one of Atlus' most successful projects, and perhaps the game that finally made them believe that thePersonaseries could stand on its own two feet instead of having to constantly be lumped in with theShin Megami Tenseiname.
So, following the release ofShin Megami Tensei: Persona 4,subsequent releases in the franchisehave completely done away with theSMTname altogether.
9The Part-Time Job Given By The Gas Station Attendant Was Actually Supposed To Be A Thing
Persona 4starts off with an innocuous gas station attendant who offers the protagonist a job, but this never really materializes into anything substantial — it was just a way for Izanami to bestowthe power of the Wild Cardonto the player.
However, people who have delved into the game files have discovered various pieces of dummied content, suggesting that maybe this part-time job was supposed to actually be doable in the game.
8There Were Supposed To Be Heavy Consequences For Dating Multiple Girls
WhilePersona 3was pretty forgiving with the idea of the player being a womanizing scumbag,Persona 4definitely puts the player in their place with some rather passive-aggressive comments bythe romantic interestson Valentine’s Day.
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However, the penalty for double-dating was supposed to be even stricter, with situations reaching such a boiling point that the character’s Social Link would even be reversed or be canceled altogether.
7It’s Theorized That Yosuke Was Supposed To Be A Romance Option As Well
Speaking of romantic options, people who’ve consistently shipped the protagonist and Yosuke would be glad to know thatthis beloved characterwas going to be a romantic option as well.
This is mainly due to the dummied content that fans have unearthed, which heavily implies that this was meant to be a viable course of action to take.
6There’s A Real-Life Murder Similar To The Serial Killer Case In Persona 4
Persona 4’s serial murder case is quite a disturbing one indeed, mainly due to the manner in which the bodies are left hanging upside down on telephone wires.
Well, it seems that one particular real-life murder case echoed this manner of death.In Oak Park, Michigan, a man’s body was discovered hanging on a 1000-foot broadcast tower. How the killer managed to accomplish such a feat is anyone’s guess, but one can’t deny that having a real-life murder be so identical to a fictional one is quite unnerving indeed.
5The Financial Problems Atlus Faced During Development Are Reflected In The Game’s Files
Atlus was going through a massive financial crisis during the development ofPersona 4. The severity of this crisis was so immense that even the surprise success ofPersona 4didn’t stop its parent company from declaring bankruptcy. Thankfully, Sega managed to acquire the company, and all was right with the world.
The remnants of this financial turmoil are rife withinPersona 4’s files, which pretty much confirm how hasty and underfundedPersona 4was. The entire game was developed like a fan-mod on top ofPersona 3’s engine, which makes the runaway success of this title all the more impressive.
4Johnny Yong Bosch Voices Both The Protagonist And Adachi
Johnny Yong Bosch has voiced popular characters in Ichigo fromBleachand Lelouch fromCode Geass.
He also voices both the protagonist and antagonist inPersona 4, which is a testament to his skills as a voice actor. No one could’ve even realized that both characters are voiced by the same character unless they read up on it.
Of course, the fact that the protagonist barely utters a word throughout the game might also lead to that impression.
3Troy Baker Became Popular In The Industry Because Of Persona 4
Troy Baker is one of the most legendary voice actors in the gaming community, but what most people might not be aware of is the fact that his breakout role actually came in the form of Kanji Tatsumi fromPersona 4.
Even after his massive rise in popularity following the release ofPersona 4, Troy Baker always tried his hardest to voice Kanji at every given opportunity in a bid to pay testament to the stepping stone that launched him into stardom.
2The Story Around Rise’s Concepts Is Quite A Rollercoaster
Speaking of the main characters inPersona 4, one should absolutely read up on Rise’s development history as a character. It’s quite enlightening.
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For starters, Rise was supposed toan ice-wielding Persona user, with a design that was similar to Ai’s. However, with Kanji taking over the role of the delinquent, Rise was pushed into an analytical role instead, and her original concept design was used for Ai Ebihara instead.
Along with this, another concept design for Rise was used as an inspiration for Ann Takamaki’s design fromPersona 5as well!
1Teddie Was Originally Supposed To Be A Girl
Persona 4already had a gender reveal twist with Naoto being a girl — something that wasn’t originally planned during development but ended up taking shape over time.
So, the idea that a male-sounding Teddie would actually be a girl was an idea that was certainly interesting… but Naoto’s surprise reveal made this idea’s impact somewhat muted. As a result, Teddie was chosen to have a male human form instead.
