Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is a video game that consists of 3 releases
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Persona 4 is a PlayStation 2 RPG published by Atlus on December 9, 2008. It takes place in a rural Japanese town called Inaba and its plot centers around the interconnection between a mysterious TV world and series of grisly murders. Persona 4's gameplay is built on the foundation of Persona 3's dungeon crawling, with some revised and streamlined mechanics in its element-exploiting battle system. Social Links also return, and aid in the fusion of Personae in the Velvet Room, among other new benefits such as special party member actions in battle.
Persona 4 was critically lauded upon release and was also a commercial success, selling more than half a million copies worldwide. Merchandise released for the game includes an original soundtrack and an Amazon.com-exclusive Social Link Expansion Pack that includes a shirt, calendar, plush, and CD.
General Information
Grade: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Two Handed Sword
Initial Persona: Izanagi (イザナギ)
Tarot/Arcana: Wild Card
Overview: Souji Seta, his unofficial official name given to him in the manga, is the silent protagonist of the game. Seta recently moved to live at Inaba with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako Dojima after his parents had to work overseas.
General Information
Age: 16
Date of Birth: June 22, 1994
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 58kg
Grade/Class: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Dual Knives
Initial Persona: Jiraiya (ジライヤ)
Tarot/Arcana: Magician
Overview: Yosuke Hanamura is a clumsy, awkward boy who is often used as comic relief through physical comedy. His dad is the manager of Junes.
General Information
Age: 16
Date of Birth: July 30, 1994
Height: 158 cm
Grade/Class: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Greaves
Initial Persona: Tomoe Gozen (トモエ)
Tarot/Arcana: Chariot
Overview: Chie Satonaka is a bright and upbeat girl with a short temper and an obsession with martial arts. She was born and raised in Inaba, Chie is the first person Seta meets at Yasogami High.
General Information
Age: 16
Date of Birth: December 8, 1994
Height: 164 cm
Grade/Class: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Ougi (Folding Fan)
Initial Persona: Konohana Sakuya (コノハナサクヤ)
Tarot/Arcana: Priestess
Overview: Yukiko Amagi is a wealthy and elegant, but introverted girl who is the heiress of the famous Amagi Inn. She is always busy training herself for the business. Yukiko is also the first person you save from the Midnight Channel.
General Information
Age: 15
Date of Birth: January 19,1996
Weight: 65kg
Height: 183 cm
Grade: First Year
Weapon: Blunt Objects
Initial Persona: Take-Mikazuchi (タケミカヅチ)
Tarot/Arcana: Emperor
Overview: Kanji Tatsumi is a juvenile delinquent with piercings and a tough look. However, his mother runs a Textile Shop in their home, making him very skilled at tailoring.
General Information
Age: 15, 16
Date of Birth: June 1,1995
Weight: 41kg
Height: 155 cm
Grade: First Year
Weapon: Support Role
Initial Persona: Himiko (ヒミコ)
Tarot/Arcana: Lovers
Overview: Rise Kujikawa is a former idol in Japan, she quit her job to have a normal life in the countryside. She acts as support in battle providing info for the team.
General Information
Age: 15, 16
Date of Birth: April 27,1995
Height: 152 cm
Grade: First Year
Weapon: Revolver
Initial Persona: Sukuna-Hikona (スクナヒコナ)
Tarot/Arcana: Fortune
Overview: Naoto Shirogane is a young, serious detective who is dubbed the "Detective Prince," but still attends high school.
General Information
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 55kg
Weapon: Support Role/Claws
Initial Persona: Kintoki-Douji (キントキドウジ)
Tarot/Arcana: Star
Overview: Teddie, Kuma in the Japanese release, is a strange bear mascot who resides within the Midnight Channel (Mayonaka TV in the Japanese release.) At first, he serves as outside support in battle, but later becomes a party member during battle.
Non-Player Characters
General Information
Age: 42, 43
Date of Birth: May 16, 1969
Weight: 66kg
Height: 179 cm
Tarot/Arcana: Hierophant
Overview: Ryotaro Dojima is the father of Nanako Dojima and the uncle of Souji Seta. Dojima works as a detective for the Inaba Police Department.
General Information
Age: 6, 7
Date of Birth: October 4, 2004
Weight: 21kg
Height: 122 cm
Tarot/Arcana: Justice
Overview: Nanako Dojima is the daughter of Ryotaro Dojima.
General Information
Age: 27, 28
Date of Birth: February 1,1984
Weight: 63kg
Height: 176 cm
Overview: Tohru Adachi is Dojima's partner. He serves as the comic relief of the story.
Story
The story of Persona 4 begins on the 11th of April, 2011. The game begins by showing the protagonist of the game (Known as Souji Seta officially, but abbreviated to Protagonist) moving to Inaba, Japan. After an initial video depicting the Protagonist leaving his old school, he arrives at the train station, to meet his Uncle and his Daughter at the local train station. After a brief introduction to the two, and the local attending gas station employee, they go home. Shortly after, the protagonist enrolls at Yasogami High school, in class 2F. It is here that he meets Chie Satonaka, a martial arts obsessed girl, and Yosuke Hanamura, a clumsy boy whoa father runs "Junes"-The local superstore. The following night, a local journalist is found dead on a foggy night, following rumors of an illicit affair with a politician. Dojima is the detective in charge of this case, along with the "Rookie" Tohru Adachi. Shortly after this, a young girl named Saki Konishi is also found murdered in the same way as the reporter- on a foggy night, hung upside down on an antenna. It is announced that this affected Yosuke Hanamura very much, as he was deeply enamored with Saki. After the two mysterious murders, rumors start to go around the school about "The Midnight Channel", in which the person who looks into a turned off television at midnight can see their soul mate. This is all it is said to be. For now.
Shortly after this, Chie, Yosuke and the Protagonist all vow to watch the Midnight Channel that night. However, the protagonist almost falls inside the television, and reports this to the team the next day. A short time thereafter, Yukiko Amagi, a close friend of Chie and the to-be owner of the Amagi Inn appears on the Midnight Channel. After realizing they can enter the television by accident, they meet a strange figure inside the television land known as " Teddie". He has no recollection of how long he has been there, only knowing that he always has, and can sense "Shadows" inside the place. Shadows are the main enemies of the game. After realizing that the team are here for good, and vow to help him figure out the mystery of the shadows, he gives them each a pair of glasses, which can see through the almost impenetrable fog, and proceed without becoming too fatigued. After a short time passes, Teddie reveals that the previous 2 victims were inside the television, and confronted by the shadows which killed them. It is revealed that if a person inside the television world denies their shadow (Which represents a physical manifestation of a secret/shame/emotions in denial) that the shadow will strengthen, and kill the person it came from.
Fearing that Yukiko will be killed by her shadow, they rush to the top of "Yukiko's Castle". At the top, they see Yukiko facing her inner self, which manifests itself as a large red phoenix trapped in a cage. This is representing how Yukiko feels about her inheritance of the Amagi Inn, and how she is locked into it. She feels trapped, and wishes for "her charming prince" to free her and take her far away. After fighting and defeating the shadow, Yukiko admits that she is scared, and inherits the power of Persona, like the rest of the team. After saving Yukiko, she joins the team, and becomes a much more lively, active and social person. However, all is not over.
A few weeks after this, there is a television special about a bunch of delinquents around Inaba, which Dojima is investigating. Featuring in this is local schoolboy " Kanji Tatsumi". Following this, the team continue to watch the Midnight Channel, just in case. However, Kanji appears on the channel, and after the addition of Yukiko to the team, they decide to enter the television, and save him, lest his shadow overcome him. As they enter the "Steamy Bathouse", it is clear to the team that Kanji clearly has issues with his sexuality. When they reach the top, they see him facing his shadow self, a mostly naked version of himself who is surrounded by two muscular men, while he is holding two male symbols. While he is arguing with himself, it becomes known that he is sick of being stereotyped as a thug. It is evident that Kanji enjoys things such as sewing and upholstery, but is scared to admit this because "That isn't what a mans supposed to be", believing that "A mans supposed to do everything at 100%". After the team defeat his shadow, Kanji accepts his shadow in an unorthodox manner-by punching it in the face. Despite this outburst, he is comfortable with the fact that he may be ridiculed, but wishes to be truer to himself (This becomes apparent during the social link with him). After this, he becomes a vital member of the Investigation team.
Following the incident with Kanji, time goes on. Some weeks after, a celebrity idol known as Rise Kujikawa moves to Inaba, helping and living in her Grandmothers Tofu shop. After seeing her on the midnight channel, the team decide to meet her. After a brief discussion, it is revealed that she moved to Inaba to escape the incredibly stressful life that idols lead, and just become a regular girl. Despite her wishes to simply become a regular student, she inevitably gets kidnapped and thrown into the television world. After hearing this, the team immediately mobilize in an attempt to save her. As the team race towards the top of the Marukyu Striptease, they finally find Rise at the top, faced with her Shadow. The shadow is representing the adult/idol side of her, which is gyrating suggestively. It is inferred that the shadow Rise is promiscuous, and wishes to "Show the world everything about her". The "Real" Rise is a soft spoken, well mannered girl who refuses to accept the shadow as a part of herself. The team engage her shadow, but are immediately taken down by the strong analysis skills and exploitative power of her shadow. When it appears they have become overpowered by her shadow, Teddie leaps in, and is willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. Teddie defeats Rises shadow, but takes major damage from this, becoming flattened and gravely injured. Rise meanwhile accepts her shadow as part of herself, and gains the power of Persona. All appears well, but Teddies shadow self has arisen, and is taunting him. The Shadow Teddie begins to tell him he is nothing, and that there is no such thing as truth. He questions him about what he really is, calling him "Nothing more than a hollow shadow" and insinuating that he is worthless. Teddie denies this, and his shadow attacks. The team beat back Teddie, who then gains the power of Persona as well. After this, Teddie decides to become a front line fighter for the team, while Rise takes over as the teams support. On the way out from the Television, Teddie tells the protagonist that he senses something special about him. Once again, the team prevent another murder for the time being.
Following the rescue of Rise, and thinking that they were preventing the murders, the team awake one morning to a chilling murder, that of Mr Morooka, their class teacher. He died in a similar way to the first two victims, and the team become disheartened that they have done nothing. However, watching the Midnight Channel, they see a student appear called Mitsuo Kubo. After investigating, they decide to enter the television world and stop him. After making their way through the "Void Quest", they reach the top where they see Mitsuo unable to talk to his shadow, and hear him say that he is "Nothing". After this, the team fight Mitsuo's shadow which is a giant baby. Throughout the fight, the shadow forms a large 8 bit warrior shell. This is to represent his true feelings as an immature coward, and how he hides behind his shell (Video games). It becomes apparent that Mitsuo "Killed" the victims simply for attention. After the team defeat his shadow, they take him out of the television to interrogate him.
After the arrest of Kubo, the team become acquainted with the "Detective Prince"- Naoto Shirogane. As the team are desperately trying to piece together the relevance and legitimacy of Mitsuo's apparent confession, Naoto arrives and laughs, telling them that their efforts are foolish. Naoto states that "The game" will be over soon, and Inaba will now return to its peaceful self after the arrest of Kubo. Despite this, Naoto is interviewed by television, and subsequently throw into the television world himself. After the team discover Naoto, they find him in the "Secret Laboratory". In this dungeon however, the team descend rather than ascend, and find Naoto fighting with his shadow. It is revealed that Naoto was about to undergo a "Body altering operation", and yells at Naoto, calling him a "Child who thinks he can play superhero". Before Naoto can silence him, he reveals that Naoto is in fact female. Following this, Naoto defies the shadow, which attacks. After defeating the shadow, Naoto is despondent over the fact that because she is a woman, she will never get the self respect and admiration of her peers, due to the highly sexist nature of the police force. Despite this, Naoto realizes that she didn't want a sex change at all, however she only wanted people to respect and treat her equally. After saving her from the Midnight Channel, she joins as the final member of the team. Her valuable detective skills and inquisitive nature become incredibly useful in solving the case.
Soon after Naoto is saved , Nanako Dojima is interviewed for television, but not shown-Only mentioned. Shortly after, the Protagonist receives a chilling letter telling him to stop investigating the murders. Dojima finds this letter, and detains the protagonist at the police station. While this is happening, the team realize that the girl who appeared in the Midnight Channel prior to this was none other than Nanako. As they rush to her house, they begin to realize what's happening and who is doing all of this. The team suddenly realize that the killer, kidnapper and perpetrator of the entire case is non other than Namatame, the murderer of the first two victims, and the lover of one of them. Despite this epiphany, Nanako is kidnapped, but Dojima's intuition kicks in as he races to save her. Despite his best efforts, it ends in an accident, as Dojima gets seriously wounded, and Namatame throws Nanako into the TV in the back of his truck, and goes in after her to avoid arrest. The team immediately spring into action, and rush to save Nanako. Inside the Television world, the party enter " Heaven"-A manifestation of Nanako's inner desire to see her mother who died when she was very young, and believed she went to heaven. Despite the fact that the dungeon is centered around Nanako, the monsters in there are from Namatame, as Nanako is too young to be malicious and imagine these. As the team reach the top of Heaven they see Namatame holding onto Nanako. As they fear for her safety, they slowly talk him into letting her go, and then engage him in battle. Namatames shadow is unique in that it is made much more powerful by merging with all the other shadows. However, the team manage to overcome and defeat him, apprehend him, and save Nanako. All appears well, until Nanako faints, and is under intensive care in the hospital. With Dojima and Nanako suffering heavy injuries, the story takes a somber note as they pray for their safety.
Possible Ending (Bad Ending)
This is a turning point in the plot of the story. In the hospital, Nanako dies, and the team lament her death. However, this feeling quickly subsides into rage, as not only Dojima, but the team race for Namatame's room. After a series of questions, the team throws Namatame into the television where he is believed to meet his death. After this, the game immediately skips months ahead to the last day. From here, it is revealed that Nanako died in the hospital on that day as Dojima says "I'm sorry Nanako can't be hear to send you off as well". The game ends with the Protagonist getting on the train alone, and returning to his real family.
However, if the team question Namatame thoroughly, they become more calm, and decide to listen and hear him out. It is her where the team discover that he is not the true culprit of the case. Namatame then explains that he didn't throw them into the television to murder them. Moreover, he threw them inside their to protect them. He claims that he was trying to save them, not knowing that the shadows would overcome and kill them. He simply assumed that because they escaped, they were saved and he continued to do it. From this realisation, he pleads the team find the real murderer, and apprehend him before he hurts more people. From here, the team feel lost, as anything they had summised so far about the killer had been wrong. They were back to square one, or so they thought.
Shortly thereafter, the team begin to think about the case as a whole. Who could have been the killer? Who had the links between all of them? Who could do this? The team realize that the most likely killer was Tohru Adachi all along, and confront him in hospital. From here, they apprehend him, and interrogate him into admitting that he is the one who did it. Adachi escapes from the hospital and in a last desperate attempt, enters the TV world himself, hoping to escape inside. When the team follow him in, they are lead to none other than the Ominous bedroom, the first place that they had come to inside the TV world. Through the portal, they find Adachi as he reveals his true plan. After he discloses that he had a crush on Ms.Yamano (The woman who had an affair with Namatame), he used his links as a police officer to have time with her alone. After he finds out about this, he pushes her backwards in a fit of rage, as he attempts to rape her. From here, she fell into the TV, which Adachi did not expect. After he tried to go in after her, he realized he had the power to enter the TV world. After this realization, he goes after Saki Konishi, the witness and person who discovered the body of Yamano. He easily pushes her in and kills her as well. This is when it is revealed that Namatame realized the connection, and began to "Save" the people involved. After Mitsuo Kubo came forth to admit that he was the killer, Adachi realized that it couldn't end there, and threw the boy into the television as well. Being an officer of the law, he accosted him at the Police Station, turned out the lights and did the deed, which explains why Kubo had no information about who pushed him in the TV.
From this point on, Adachi reveals his aforementioned plan. He had decided to open a large rift, allowing the shadows and fog which inhabited the Television world into the real world, killing everyone and everything out there in revenge for the world taunting him and "Putting him out here in the sticks, where I figured I'd have a little fun". His hatred and rage manifested and created the Magatsu Inaba-A future vision of the Inaba to come in Adachi's dream. From here, the team decide it's time to end the fight, and engage Adachi once and for all, and finish the case. When they reach Adachi, it is revealed that he himself can summon a persona, being one of 3 people who gets given the gift. Adachi summons a variation of the protagonists persona " Izanagi", however it appears to be a more malevolent, corrupted form. After Adachi goes down with relative ease, it is THEN revealed that Adachi was being controlled by non other than Ameno-Sagiri, the monster who TRULY wished for the world to become engulfed in shadows and fog. The team engage Ameno-Sagiri, who claims that it represents the wishes of all mankind (Not so dissimilar to Nyx in Persona 3). He claims that because of mankind's selfish, greedy and self destructive nature, he wishes for the fog to infest the real world and silence mankind, finally giving them the peace they desire in death. Despite this, he realizes that the team do not want this, and questions the latent use of their ability to summon personae. After the team defeat him, Ameno has an epiphany and realizes that the team desire to live and save mankind. Despite the fact that he makes the fog disappear, he will "Always be watching and always be prepared to do this again should mankind call for it"
Possible Ending (Good Ending)
After the defeat of the deity Ameno-Sagiri, the team celebrate that they solved the case and prevented any more murders from occurring. Time passes as the team decide to spend the rest of the summer together. After the time passes and summer ends, the team are ready to see the Protagonist off. If the player chooses, the game can end here, after the player has talked to all of the maximized social links and gone home. If this happens, the friends of the character all appear at the station to see him off, and the game ends with the investigation team running after the main character telling him they love him, and they will never forget their time together. The game ends on a happy note.
HOWEVER:
Possible Ending(True Ending)
This is the ending that happens when the character chooses to stay behind for the day, and meet the team one last time. The team meet in the Junes food place, and talk about everything that happened in the case. On looking back, the Protagonist looks back to the first person he met upon entering Yasoinaba on the first day. It turns out to be none other than the gas station attendant as he arrived. The team realize that someone had been orchestrating the entire affair after receiving a letter from the recently incarcerated Adachi, as he tells them "He feels something isn't quite right, and the case isn't over". As the team confront the attendant, she turns out to be none other than the Goddess Izanami, and that she will be ready for the team in the final dungeon-The Yomotsu Hirasaka. After talking to Igor, the protagonist revives the "Orb of sight" and climbs the tower to confront Izanami and put an end to the case. The team finally reach her, and question why she did it. Izanami reveals that she wished to see mankind's true desires, and granted the power of Persona to a number of people, and observed as they chose what to do with it. Horrified, the team engages her in combat, and defeat her. However, it wasn't over. Izanami uses a powerful attack to wipe out the entire team. At this point, the Orb of sight activates, and reveals Izanagi's true form. The form she appeared in was an avatar used to hide the fact she was rotting away and dying (See the Izanami and Izanagi folk legend). As the protagonist nears death, the bonds of his friends and the social links he has made empower him, and allow him to summon his TRUE persona. The Ultimate form of Izanagi- Izanagi No Okami. After the repeated onslaught of attacks, Izanagi uses the powerful attack "Myriad truths" and defeats Izanami. She is shocked that the power of friendship and will of one person could defy a goddess, but she accepts the fact, and congratulates the team on "Finally uncovering the truth". She admits that Amano was merely a projection of her to test the team. She urges the Investigation team to live on with their lives, and never give up hope, telling them that they could always triumph if they believed in themselves.
This is where the game truly ends. The friends have overcome all their odds, defeated the Goddess Izanami and saved mankind. The game ends similar to the Good ending, only with a bonus scene where the Protagonist is seen with a picture of the friends he made along the way.
Gameplay
Persona 4 was built upon the Persona 3 game engine and shares similar game mechanics, as well as slight changes to it. First of all, Social Links make a return. However, you can now establish these Social Links with all of your party members. That being said, now they have a much greater effect in battle. Depending on their level, allies can provide the player higher chances of support and follow-up attacks during battle, and by maxing them, the Personae of the respective characters evolve into more powerful ones, losing weaknesses and gaining immunity from certain elements. Once a Social link is established with a party member, they can also endure a mortal blow for the protagonist which would otherwise result in an instant game over, though this doesn't apply to attacks against all the party members or when in rush mode.
Social Links/List of Personae
Overview: The Fool tarot card is Zero, which stands for the spark that starts everything, The Fool is the person who has the divine force or power to set in motion a long and life changing journey. The theme of The Fool is NEW, a new beginning, a new experiences and new choices. Since The Fool is Zero it's effect is neither positive nor negative. The Fool social link belongs to the Investigation Team.
Overview: The Magician tarot card is One, the number which stands for creation and individuality. The basic theme of Magician is WILL, the will to change, the will to endure and the will to overcome. Magician social link belongs to Yosuke Hanamura.
Overview: The Priestess tarot card is Two. The Priestess is arguably the most difficult of the Major Arcana to qualify with words alone, because so much of her power is hidden which makes it hard to completely understand this tarot. Priestess social link belongs to Yukiko Amagi.
Overview: The Empress card Three, and is mainly associated with well being and security. Essentially representing security and non materialism. The Empress social link belongs to Margaret, of the Velvet room.
Overview: The Emperor card is Four, and associated with authority, power and a strong will to win. The Emperor social link belongs to Kanji Tatsumi.
Overview: The Hierophant card is Five. This card is strongly associated with the quest for knowlege, well worthwhile advice, and authority. The Hierophant social link belongs to Ryotaro Dojima.
Overview: The Lovers card is Six. The card connotes what the card basically is. A will and determination which comes from the heart. Choices made which may not seem logically sound, but emotionally right. The Lovers social link belongs to Rise Kujikawa.
Overview: The Chariot card is Seven. This card is associated with adversity, and the strong will needed to overcome it. It also has deeper connotations of the desire to succeed in life, and to be remembered. The Chariot social link belongs to Chie Satonaka.
Overview: The Strength card is Eight. This card is associated with passion and generosity. The strength to stand up to ones convictions, and have an optimistic outlook on life. The Strength social link belongs to Daisuke and Kou.
Overview: The Hermit card is Nine. The Hermit card is associated with caution, and careful planning. The Hermit also has denotations of being alone, and the need to reflect on ones own self. The Hermit social link belongs to Fox
Overview: The Fortune card is number Ten. It is associated with good luck, coincidences that go in the users favour, and the ability to succeed at anything you do with great success. The Fortune social link belongs to Naoto.
Overview:The Justice card number Eleven, and is connected with triumph over adversity, judgement, and all lawful problems. The ability to prosper over unfavourable odds. The Justice social link belongs to Nanako.
Overview: The Hanged Man arcana is based on devotion to a worthwhile cause. The ability to adapt to surroundings and accept change easily and comfortably. As the card suggests, it connotes life being turned upside down. The Hanged Man social link belongs to Naoki Konishi. It is the twelth card.
Overview: The Death card is number Thirteen, and denoted by the image on the card. Death doesn't represent the death of a person, but the death of a long journey or or relationship. The Death social link belongs to Hisano.
Overview: Temperance is the Fourteenth card, and means combination, and maturity. The skill to make one thing from two, and balance. The ability to change. The Temperance social link belongs to Eri Minami.
Overview: The Devil card is the Fifteenth, and is often associated with money, and material objects. It can also be noted that the will for sexual desires, and lust is apparent in the devil card. The Devil social link belongs to Sayoko Uehara.
Overview: The Tower card is number Sixteen. It is related to disruption, and major life changing events. A dramatic upheaval, and daily routines being ruined. The Tower social link belongs to Shu Nakajima.
Overview: The Star has connotations of hope. The act of promising, love, and the renewal of faith. The will to protect others. The Star social link belongs to Teddie, and is the seventeenth arcana.
Andras
Nozuchi
Yamata-no-Orochi
Alraune
Girimehkala
Sui-Ki
Seth
Baal Zebul
Sandalphon
Overview: The Moon is the Eighteenth card of the major arcana. It represents the imagination of the individual, and the idea of personal self deprication, and losing control of ones inner self. The Moon social link belongs to Ai Ebihara.
Cu Sith
Phoenix
Gdon
Yatagarasu
Narashima
Tam Lin
Jatayu
Horus
Sparna
Asura
Overview: The Sun is the Nineteenth card and symbolizes joy, optimistic natures, and happiness. Good health and material happiness are also associated. The Sun social link is held by the drama club and music club, either being initiated by Yumi Ozawa or Ayane Matsunaga.
Anubis
Trumpeteer
Michael
Satan
Metatron
Ardha
Lucifer
Overview: The judgement is the Twentieth arcana. The Judgement card symbolizes awakening, rebith, and the outcome to a solution being satisfactory. The Judgement social link is not a 'Social link' but is raised as the endgame dungeon is progressed. It is called the " Seekers of the Truth"
Izanagi-No-Okami
Overview: The World is the final and most powerful arcana, being the number Twenty One. The World stands as the most powerful tarot, The World represents great balance with all the elements and knowing one's true places in the "world." The World arcana is not a socal link, nor does it have any persona except Izanagi-No-Okami, the final form of Souji's original persona. He is the opposite to Izanami and helps the team overcome her, bringing the case to an end.
Note: Discrepancies regarding the cards/card numbers should be disregarded, as there are so many tarot decks that change the number slightly for each card.
The One More battle system also returns. By utilizing enemy weaknesses, the persona-users can effectively nullify the threat of shadows by knocking them down into a "Stumble" state. The All-Out Attack returns as well. This tactic is brought forth by knocking down all enemies from utilizing the weaknesses of each shadow and bum-rushing the enemy party with all able-bodied members of your own party, covering them in a cartoon-like cloud and unleashing great damage to the enemy. Party AI is still present. But unlike Persona 3, whereas only the main character can be directly controlled, Persona 4 gives the player the choice of controlling all the party members individually. Because of this, the difficulty of battles have been toned down slightly, and will allow the player to think of a good strategy to get rid of the enemy. Regardless, it is still essential to strike at the weaknesses of the opponent shadows to minimize casualties and damage, as well as conserving your HP and SP. The last change in the game's combat system is the method the player summon their persona. In Persona 3, the main characters used gun-shaped Evokers and shot themselves in the head to call forth their Personae. That method is replaced by tarot cards, which were also present in the previous game, but didn't have the same function as in this one. Like its predecessor, the game ends when the main character HP is reduced to 0. Persona 4's environment also sports a more retro/old-school look than in the previous Persona games.
The dungeon-crawling concept is largely a similar format as Persona 3, where a randomly-generated maze is created for the party to run through, battle shadows, collect treasures, and generally advance. These mazes do not all take place in a central area. As such, there will be more visual variety between each area. Persona 4's dungeon-crawling labyrinth takes place in a mysterious realm within Mayonaka TV. Like Tartarus in Persona 3, this is where the player/(s) can fight Shadows and gain experience points, as well as acquire treasure and items along the way. The health status is gone in Persona 4 (great, good, tired, sick), enabling the player to explore the dungeons continuously. Also, the player has now 5 attributes to deal with (knowledge, expression, courage, diligence and understanding), compared to just 3 in the previous installment (academics, charm, and courage). Unlike Persona 3, once the player decides to return to the dungeon's entrance, their HP and SP will not be fully restored. But they can be restored once the player talks to the Fox, who appears to assist the party later in the game, in exchange for a great amount of money.
The Moon Phase System is replaced by a weather forecast system. Instead of major events occurring during a full moon in the previous games, Persona 4 will have them during heavy rain. Instead of battles being fought during midnight/dark hour, battles in Persona 4 will occur after school. This also reduces the amount of time the player can do social activities, like taking up part-time jobs and interacting with Social Links, during the day. Going back to the major events in the game, the player must utilize his/her time and must rescue the victim trapped inside the TV dungeon before the fog settles over Inaba. This happens after several days of constant rain. If the player does not rescue the victim before the fog settles in, that particular victim will die, and the game ends. During normal play mode, the player can decide to go back a week before the due date, and given another chance to rescue that victim before the fog settles in.
The following carries over:
Things that specifically do not carry over on the new game plus include your characters' battle levels, items/weapons, and your social link levels.
Every North American & European release of Persona 4 game comes complete with a copy of Disc 1 of the soundtrack. Disc 2 is included in the Amazon.com exclusive package called Persona 4 Social Link Expansion Pack, which also includes a 100-page art book.
Disc 1
Disc 2
European Version
The European version of the soundtrack differs from the US version. There is no Social Link Expansion Pack, and thus the single disk in the standard edition features a selection of twenty four tracks from throughout the game:
Reception
Persona 4 was praised by the Western gaming press as being an excellent JRPG. While most had criticized the slow start, many also considered P4 to be a subtle improvement over its predecessor, Persona 3. Among the aspects praised were the strong story and relatable cast of characters. Since its release in December of 2008, it has sold over half a million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Megami Tensei game to date.
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Endurance Run: Persona 4 - Part 155
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Endurance Run: Persona 4 - Part 154
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Endurance Run: Persona 4 - Part 153
Persona 4 borrows heavily from the gameplay structure of Persona 3 with a mix of role-playing and social simulation elements. Persona 4 also adds a new setting, story, weather forecast, and multiple dungeons.
Overview
The title screen!
Persona 4 was critically lauded upon release and was also a commercial success, selling more than half a million copies worldwide. Merchandise released for the game includes an original soundtrack and an Amazon.com-exclusive Social Link Expansion Pack that includes a shirt, calendar, plush, and CD.
Player Characters
As in all other Persona games, besides Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, the majority of characters are high school students. Persona 4 has 8 playable characters which include:
瀬多 総司 - Souji Seta
Grade: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Two Handed Sword
Initial Persona: Izanagi (イザナギ)
Tarot/Arcana: Wild Card
Overview: Souji Seta, his unofficial official name given to him in the manga, is the silent protagonist of the game. Seta recently moved to live at Inaba with his uncle Ryotaro Dojima and cousin Nanako Dojima after his parents had to work overseas.
花村 陽介- Yosuke Hanamura
Age: 16
Date of Birth: June 22, 1994
Height: 175 cm
Weight: 58kg
Grade/Class: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Dual Knives
Initial Persona: Jiraiya (ジライヤ)
Tarot/Arcana: Magician
Overview: Yosuke Hanamura is a clumsy, awkward boy who is often used as comic relief through physical comedy. His dad is the manager of Junes.
里中 千枝 - Chie Satonaka
Age: 16
Date of Birth: July 30, 1994
Height: 158 cm
Grade/Class: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Greaves
Initial Persona: Tomoe Gozen (トモエ)
Tarot/Arcana: Chariot
Overview: Chie Satonaka is a bright and upbeat girl with a short temper and an obsession with martial arts. She was born and raised in Inaba, Chie is the first person Seta meets at Yasogami High.
天城 雪子 - Yukiko Amagi
Age: 16
Date of Birth: December 8, 1994
Height: 164 cm
Grade/Class: Second Year, Class 2-2
Weapon: Ougi (Folding Fan)
Initial Persona: Konohana Sakuya (コノハナサクヤ)
Tarot/Arcana: Priestess
Overview: Yukiko Amagi is a wealthy and elegant, but introverted girl who is the heiress of the famous Amagi Inn. She is always busy training herself for the business. Yukiko is also the first person you save from the Midnight Channel.
巽 完二 - Kanji Tatsumi
Age: 15
Date of Birth: January 19,1996
Weight: 65kg
Height: 183 cm
Grade: First Year
Weapon: Blunt Objects
Initial Persona: Take-Mikazuchi (タケミカヅチ)
Tarot/Arcana: Emperor
Overview: Kanji Tatsumi is a juvenile delinquent with piercings and a tough look. However, his mother runs a Textile Shop in their home, making him very skilled at tailoring.
久慈川 りせ - Rise Kujikawa
Age: 15, 16
Date of Birth: June 1,1995
Weight: 41kg
Height: 155 cm
Grade: First Year
Weapon: Support Role
Initial Persona: Himiko (ヒミコ)
Tarot/Arcana: Lovers
Overview: Rise Kujikawa is a former idol in Japan, she quit her job to have a normal life in the countryside. She acts as support in battle providing info for the team.
白鐘 直斗 - Naoto Shirogane
Age: 15, 16
Date of Birth: April 27,1995
Height: 152 cm
Grade: First Year
Weapon: Revolver
Initial Persona: Sukuna-Hikona (スクナヒコナ)
Tarot/Arcana: Fortune
Overview: Naoto Shirogane is a young, serious detective who is dubbed the "Detective Prince," but still attends high school.
クマ - Kuma - Teddie
Height: 170 cm
Weight: 55kg
Weapon: Support Role/Claws
Initial Persona: Kintoki-Douji (キントキドウジ)
Tarot/Arcana: Star
Overview: Teddie, Kuma in the Japanese release, is a strange bear mascot who resides within the Midnight Channel (Mayonaka TV in the Japanese release.) At first, he serves as outside support in battle, but later becomes a party member during battle.
Non-Player Characters
堂島 遼太郎 - Ryotaro Dojima
Age: 42, 43
Date of Birth: May 16, 1969
Weight: 66kg
Height: 179 cm
Tarot/Arcana: Hierophant
Overview: Ryotaro Dojima is the father of Nanako Dojima and the uncle of Souji Seta. Dojima works as a detective for the Inaba Police Department.
堂島 菜々子 - Nanako Dojima
Age: 6, 7
Date of Birth: October 4, 2004
Weight: 21kg
Height: 122 cm
Tarot/Arcana: Justice
Overview: Nanako Dojima is the daughter of Ryotaro Dojima.
足立 透 - Tohru Adachi
Age: 27, 28
Date of Birth: February 1,1984
Weight: 63kg
Height: 176 cm
Overview: Tohru Adachi is Dojima's partner. He serves as the comic relief of the story.
Story
The story of Persona 4 begins on the 11th of April, 2011. The game begins by showing the protagonist of the game (Known as Souji Seta officially, but abbreviated to Protagonist) moving to Inaba, Japan. After an initial video depicting the Protagonist leaving his old school, he arrives at the train station, to meet his Uncle and his Daughter at the local train station. After a brief introduction to the two, and the local attending gas station employee, they go home. Shortly after, the protagonist enrolls at Yasogami High school, in class 2F. It is here that he meets Chie Satonaka, a martial arts obsessed girl, and Yosuke Hanamura, a clumsy boy whoa father runs "Junes"-The local superstore. The following night, a local journalist is found dead on a foggy night, following rumors of an illicit affair with a politician. Dojima is the detective in charge of this case, along with the "Rookie" Tohru Adachi. Shortly after this, a young girl named Saki Konishi is also found murdered in the same way as the reporter- on a foggy night, hung upside down on an antenna. It is announced that this affected Yosuke Hanamura very much, as he was deeply enamored with Saki. After the two mysterious murders, rumors start to go around the school about "The Midnight Channel", in which the person who looks into a turned off television at midnight can see their soul mate. This is all it is said to be. For now. Shortly after this, Chie, Yosuke and the Protagonist all vow to watch the Midnight Channel that night. However, the protagonist almost falls inside the television, and reports this to the team the next day. A short time thereafter, Yukiko Amagi, a close friend of Chie and the to-be owner of the Amagi Inn appears on the Midnight Channel. After realizing they can enter the television by accident, they meet a strange figure inside the television land known as " Teddie". He has no recollection of how long he has been there, only knowing that he always has, and can sense "Shadows" inside the place. Shadows are the main enemies of the game. After realizing that the team are here for good, and vow to help him figure out the mystery of the shadows, he gives them each a pair of glasses, which can see through the almost impenetrable fog, and proceed without becoming too fatigued. After a short time passes, Teddie reveals that the previous 2 victims were inside the television, and confronted by the shadows which killed them. It is revealed that if a person inside the television world denies their shadow (Which represents a physical manifestation of a secret/shame/emotions in denial) that the shadow will strengthen, and kill the person it came from.
Fearing that Yukiko will be killed by her shadow, they rush to the top of "Yukiko's Castle". At the top, they see Yukiko facing her inner self, which manifests itself as a large red phoenix trapped in a cage. This is representing how Yukiko feels about her inheritance of the Amagi Inn, and how she is locked into it. She feels trapped, and wishes for "her charming prince" to free her and take her far away. After fighting and defeating the shadow, Yukiko admits that she is scared, and inherits the power of Persona, like the rest of the team. After saving Yukiko, she joins the team, and becomes a much more lively, active and social person. However, all is not over.
A few weeks after this, there is a television special about a bunch of delinquents around Inaba, which Dojima is investigating. Featuring in this is local schoolboy " Kanji Tatsumi". Following this, the team continue to watch the Midnight Channel, just in case. However, Kanji appears on the channel, and after the addition of Yukiko to the team, they decide to enter the television, and save him, lest his shadow overcome him. As they enter the "Steamy Bathouse", it is clear to the team that Kanji clearly has issues with his sexuality. When they reach the top, they see him facing his shadow self, a mostly naked version of himself who is surrounded by two muscular men, while he is holding two male symbols. While he is arguing with himself, it becomes known that he is sick of being stereotyped as a thug. It is evident that Kanji enjoys things such as sewing and upholstery, but is scared to admit this because "That isn't what a mans supposed to be", believing that "A mans supposed to do everything at 100%". After the team defeat his shadow, Kanji accepts his shadow in an unorthodox manner-by punching it in the face. Despite this outburst, he is comfortable with the fact that he may be ridiculed, but wishes to be truer to himself (This becomes apparent during the social link with him). After this, he becomes a vital member of the Investigation team.
Following the incident with Kanji, time goes on. Some weeks after, a celebrity idol known as Rise Kujikawa moves to Inaba, helping and living in her Grandmothers Tofu shop. After seeing her on the midnight channel, the team decide to meet her. After a brief discussion, it is revealed that she moved to Inaba to escape the incredibly stressful life that idols lead, and just become a regular girl. Despite her wishes to simply become a regular student, she inevitably gets kidnapped and thrown into the television world. After hearing this, the team immediately mobilize in an attempt to save her. As the team race towards the top of the Marukyu Striptease, they finally find Rise at the top, faced with her Shadow. The shadow is representing the adult/idol side of her, which is gyrating suggestively. It is inferred that the shadow Rise is promiscuous, and wishes to "Show the world everything about her". The "Real" Rise is a soft spoken, well mannered girl who refuses to accept the shadow as a part of herself. The team engage her shadow, but are immediately taken down by the strong analysis skills and exploitative power of her shadow. When it appears they have become overpowered by her shadow, Teddie leaps in, and is willing to sacrifice himself for his friends. Teddie defeats Rises shadow, but takes major damage from this, becoming flattened and gravely injured. Rise meanwhile accepts her shadow as part of herself, and gains the power of Persona. All appears well, but Teddies shadow self has arisen, and is taunting him. The Shadow Teddie begins to tell him he is nothing, and that there is no such thing as truth. He questions him about what he really is, calling him "Nothing more than a hollow shadow" and insinuating that he is worthless. Teddie denies this, and his shadow attacks. The team beat back Teddie, who then gains the power of Persona as well. After this, Teddie decides to become a front line fighter for the team, while Rise takes over as the teams support. On the way out from the Television, Teddie tells the protagonist that he senses something special about him. Once again, the team prevent another murder for the time being.
Following the rescue of Rise, and thinking that they were preventing the murders, the team awake one morning to a chilling murder, that of Mr Morooka, their class teacher. He died in a similar way to the first two victims, and the team become disheartened that they have done nothing. However, watching the Midnight Channel, they see a student appear called Mitsuo Kubo. After investigating, they decide to enter the television world and stop him. After making their way through the "Void Quest", they reach the top where they see Mitsuo unable to talk to his shadow, and hear him say that he is "Nothing". After this, the team fight Mitsuo's shadow which is a giant baby. Throughout the fight, the shadow forms a large 8 bit warrior shell. This is to represent his true feelings as an immature coward, and how he hides behind his shell (Video games). It becomes apparent that Mitsuo "Killed" the victims simply for attention. After the team defeat his shadow, they take him out of the television to interrogate him.
After the arrest of Kubo, the team become acquainted with the "Detective Prince"- Naoto Shirogane. As the team are desperately trying to piece together the relevance and legitimacy of Mitsuo's apparent confession, Naoto arrives and laughs, telling them that their efforts are foolish. Naoto states that "The game" will be over soon, and Inaba will now return to its peaceful self after the arrest of Kubo. Despite this, Naoto is interviewed by television, and subsequently throw into the television world himself. After the team discover Naoto, they find him in the "Secret Laboratory". In this dungeon however, the team descend rather than ascend, and find Naoto fighting with his shadow. It is revealed that Naoto was about to undergo a "Body altering operation", and yells at Naoto, calling him a "Child who thinks he can play superhero". Before Naoto can silence him, he reveals that Naoto is in fact female. Following this, Naoto defies the shadow, which attacks. After defeating the shadow, Naoto is despondent over the fact that because she is a woman, she will never get the self respect and admiration of her peers, due to the highly sexist nature of the police force. Despite this, Naoto realizes that she didn't want a sex change at all, however she only wanted people to respect and treat her equally. After saving her from the Midnight Channel, she joins as the final member of the team. Her valuable detective skills and inquisitive nature become incredibly useful in solving the case.
Soon after Naoto is saved , Nanako Dojima is interviewed for television, but not shown-Only mentioned. Shortly after, the Protagonist receives a chilling letter telling him to stop investigating the murders. Dojima finds this letter, and detains the protagonist at the police station. While this is happening, the team realize that the girl who appeared in the Midnight Channel prior to this was none other than Nanako. As they rush to her house, they begin to realize what's happening and who is doing all of this. The team suddenly realize that the killer, kidnapper and perpetrator of the entire case is non other than Namatame, the murderer of the first two victims, and the lover of one of them. Despite this epiphany, Nanako is kidnapped, but Dojima's intuition kicks in as he races to save her. Despite his best efforts, it ends in an accident, as Dojima gets seriously wounded, and Namatame throws Nanako into the TV in the back of his truck, and goes in after her to avoid arrest. The team immediately spring into action, and rush to save Nanako. Inside the Television world, the party enter " Heaven"-A manifestation of Nanako's inner desire to see her mother who died when she was very young, and believed she went to heaven. Despite the fact that the dungeon is centered around Nanako, the monsters in there are from Namatame, as Nanako is too young to be malicious and imagine these. As the team reach the top of Heaven they see Namatame holding onto Nanako. As they fear for her safety, they slowly talk him into letting her go, and then engage him in battle. Namatames shadow is unique in that it is made much more powerful by merging with all the other shadows. However, the team manage to overcome and defeat him, apprehend him, and save Nanako. All appears well, until Nanako faints, and is under intensive care in the hospital. With Dojima and Nanako suffering heavy injuries, the story takes a somber note as they pray for their safety.
Endings
Possible Ending (Bad Ending)
This is a turning point in the plot of the story. In the hospital, Nanako dies, and the team lament her death. However, this feeling quickly subsides into rage, as not only Dojima, but the team race for Namatame's room. After a series of questions, the team throws Namatame into the television where he is believed to meet his death. After this, the game immediately skips months ahead to the last day. From here, it is revealed that Nanako died in the hospital on that day as Dojima says "I'm sorry Nanako can't be hear to send you off as well". The game ends with the Protagonist getting on the train alone, and returning to his real family. However, if the team question Namatame thoroughly, they become more calm, and decide to listen and hear him out. It is her where the team discover that he is not the true culprit of the case. Namatame then explains that he didn't throw them into the television to murder them. Moreover, he threw them inside their to protect them. He claims that he was trying to save them, not knowing that the shadows would overcome and kill them. He simply assumed that because they escaped, they were saved and he continued to do it. From this realisation, he pleads the team find the real murderer, and apprehend him before he hurts more people. From here, the team feel lost, as anything they had summised so far about the killer had been wrong. They were back to square one, or so they thought.
Shortly thereafter, the team begin to think about the case as a whole. Who could have been the killer? Who had the links between all of them? Who could do this? The team realize that the most likely killer was Tohru Adachi all along, and confront him in hospital. From here, they apprehend him, and interrogate him into admitting that he is the one who did it. Adachi escapes from the hospital and in a last desperate attempt, enters the TV world himself, hoping to escape inside. When the team follow him in, they are lead to none other than the Ominous bedroom, the first place that they had come to inside the TV world. Through the portal, they find Adachi as he reveals his true plan. After he discloses that he had a crush on Ms.Yamano (The woman who had an affair with Namatame), he used his links as a police officer to have time with her alone. After he finds out about this, he pushes her backwards in a fit of rage, as he attempts to rape her. From here, she fell into the TV, which Adachi did not expect. After he tried to go in after her, he realized he had the power to enter the TV world. After this realization, he goes after Saki Konishi, the witness and person who discovered the body of Yamano. He easily pushes her in and kills her as well. This is when it is revealed that Namatame realized the connection, and began to "Save" the people involved. After Mitsuo Kubo came forth to admit that he was the killer, Adachi realized that it couldn't end there, and threw the boy into the television as well. Being an officer of the law, he accosted him at the Police Station, turned out the lights and did the deed, which explains why Kubo had no information about who pushed him in the TV.
From this point on, Adachi reveals his aforementioned plan. He had decided to open a large rift, allowing the shadows and fog which inhabited the Television world into the real world, killing everyone and everything out there in revenge for the world taunting him and "Putting him out here in the sticks, where I figured I'd have a little fun". His hatred and rage manifested and created the Magatsu Inaba-A future vision of the Inaba to come in Adachi's dream. From here, the team decide it's time to end the fight, and engage Adachi once and for all, and finish the case. When they reach Adachi, it is revealed that he himself can summon a persona, being one of 3 people who gets given the gift. Adachi summons a variation of the protagonists persona " Izanagi", however it appears to be a more malevolent, corrupted form. After Adachi goes down with relative ease, it is THEN revealed that Adachi was being controlled by non other than Ameno-Sagiri, the monster who TRULY wished for the world to become engulfed in shadows and fog. The team engage Ameno-Sagiri, who claims that it represents the wishes of all mankind (Not so dissimilar to Nyx in Persona 3). He claims that because of mankind's selfish, greedy and self destructive nature, he wishes for the fog to infest the real world and silence mankind, finally giving them the peace they desire in death. Despite this, he realizes that the team do not want this, and questions the latent use of their ability to summon personae. After the team defeat him, Ameno has an epiphany and realizes that the team desire to live and save mankind. Despite the fact that he makes the fog disappear, he will "Always be watching and always be prepared to do this again should mankind call for it"
Possible Ending (Good Ending)
After the defeat of the deity Ameno-Sagiri, the team celebrate that they solved the case and prevented any more murders from occurring. Time passes as the team decide to spend the rest of the summer together. After the time passes and summer ends, the team are ready to see the Protagonist off. If the player chooses, the game can end here, after the player has talked to all of the maximized social links and gone home. If this happens, the friends of the character all appear at the station to see him off, and the game ends with the investigation team running after the main character telling him they love him, and they will never forget their time together. The game ends on a happy note.
HOWEVER:
Possible Ending(True Ending)
This is the ending that happens when the character chooses to stay behind for the day, and meet the team one last time. The team meet in the Junes food place, and talk about everything that happened in the case. On looking back, the Protagonist looks back to the first person he met upon entering Yasoinaba on the first day. It turns out to be none other than the gas station attendant as he arrived. The team realize that someone had been orchestrating the entire affair after receiving a letter from the recently incarcerated Adachi, as he tells them "He feels something isn't quite right, and the case isn't over". As the team confront the attendant, she turns out to be none other than the Goddess Izanami, and that she will be ready for the team in the final dungeon-The Yomotsu Hirasaka. After talking to Igor, the protagonist revives the "Orb of sight" and climbs the tower to confront Izanami and put an end to the case. The team finally reach her, and question why she did it. Izanami reveals that she wished to see mankind's true desires, and granted the power of Persona to a number of people, and observed as they chose what to do with it. Horrified, the team engages her in combat, and defeat her. However, it wasn't over. Izanami uses a powerful attack to wipe out the entire team. At this point, the Orb of sight activates, and reveals Izanagi's true form. The form she appeared in was an avatar used to hide the fact she was rotting away and dying (See the Izanami and Izanagi folk legend). As the protagonist nears death, the bonds of his friends and the social links he has made empower him, and allow him to summon his TRUE persona. The Ultimate form of Izanagi- Izanagi No Okami. After the repeated onslaught of attacks, Izanagi uses the powerful attack "Myriad truths" and defeats Izanami. She is shocked that the power of friendship and will of one person could defy a goddess, but she accepts the fact, and congratulates the team on "Finally uncovering the truth". She admits that Amano was merely a projection of her to test the team. She urges the Investigation team to live on with their lives, and never give up hope, telling them that they could always triumph if they believed in themselves.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
Gameplay
Persona 4 was built upon the Persona 3 game engine and shares similar game mechanics, as well as slight changes to it. First of all, Social Links make a return. However, you can now establish these Social Links with all of your party members. That being said, now they have a much greater effect in battle. Depending on their level, allies can provide the player higher chances of support and follow-up attacks during battle, and by maxing them, the Personae of the respective characters evolve into more powerful ones, losing weaknesses and gaining immunity from certain elements. Once a Social link is established with a party member, they can also endure a mortal blow for the protagonist which would otherwise result in an instant game over, though this doesn't apply to attacks against all the party members or when in rush mode. Social Links/List of Personae
Fool - Investigation Team
| Personae of The Fools Arcana |
|---|
| Izanagi Yomotsu-Shikome Obariyon Legion Ose Black Frost Decarabia Shiki-Ouji Loki |
Overview: The Fool tarot card is Zero, which stands for the spark that starts everything, The Fool is the person who has the divine force or power to set in motion a long and life changing journey. The theme of The Fool is NEW, a new beginning, a new experiences and new choices. Since The Fool is Zero it's effect is neither positive nor negative. The Fool social link belongs to the Investigation Team.
Magician - Yosuke Hanamura
| Personae of The Magicians Arcana |
|---|
| Pixie Orobas Jack Frost Hua Po Pyro Jack Dis Rangda Jinn Surt Mada |
Overview: The Magician tarot card is One, the number which stands for creation and individuality. The basic theme of Magician is WILL, the will to change, the will to endure and the will to overcome. Magician social link belongs to Yosuke Hanamura.
Priestess - Yukiko Amagi
| Personae of The Priestess Arcana |
|---|
| Saki Mitama Sarasvati High Pixie Ganga Parvati Kikuri-Hime Hariti Tzitzimitl Scathach |
Overview: The Priestess tarot card is Two. The Priestess is arguably the most difficult of the Major Arcana to qualify with words alone, because so much of her power is hidden which makes it hard to completely understand this tarot. Priestess social link belongs to Yukiko Amagi.
Empress - Margaret
| Personae of The Empress Arcana |
|---|
| Senri Yaksini Titania Gorgon Gabriel Skadi Mother Harlot Alilat Isis |
Overview: The Empress card Three, and is mainly associated with well being and security. Essentially representing security and non materialism. The Empress social link belongs to Margaret, of the Velvet room.
Emperor - Kanji Tatsumi
| Personae of The Emperor Arcana |
|---|
| Oberon King Frost Setanta Okuinushi Thoth Pabilsag Barong Odin |
Overview: The Emperor card is Four, and associated with authority, power and a strong will to win. The Emperor social link belongs to Kanji Tatsumi.
Hierophant - Ryotaro Dojima
| Personae of The Hierophants Arcana |
|---|
| Omoikane Anzu Shiisaa Unicorn Flauros Hokuto Seikun Cerberus Daisoujou Hachiman Kohryu |
Overview: The Hierophant card is Five. This card is strongly associated with the quest for knowlege, well worthwhile advice, and authority. The Hierophant social link belongs to Ryotaro Dojima.
Lovers - Rise Kujikawa
| Personae of The Lovers Arcana |
|---|
| Queen Mab Undine Leanan Sidhe Raphael Cybele Ishtar |
Overview: The Lovers card is Six. The card connotes what the card basically is. A will and determination which comes from the heart. Choices made which may not seem logically sound, but emotionally right. The Lovers social link belongs to Rise Kujikawa.
Chariot - Chie Satonaka
| Personae of The Chariot Arcana |
|---|
| Slime Nata Taishi Eligor Ara Mitama Ares Triglav Kin-ki Thor Atavaka Futsunushi |
Overview: The Chariot card is Seven. This card is associated with adversity, and the strong will needed to overcome it. It also has deeper connotations of the desire to succeed in life, and to be remembered. The Chariot social link belongs to Chie Satonaka.
Strength - Sports team
| Personae of The Strength Arcana |
|---|
| Sandman Valkyrie Titan Rakshasa Kusi Mitama Oni Hanuman Kali Siegfried Zaou Gongen |
Overview: The Strength card is Eight. This card is associated with passion and generosity. The strength to stand up to ones convictions, and have an optimistic outlook on life. The Strength social link belongs to Daisuke and Kou.
Hermit - Fox
| Personae of The Hermit Arcana |
|---|
| Forneus Ippon-Datara Lamia Mothman Hitokotonushi Kuruma Tengu Nidhoggr Nebiros Arahabaki Ongyo-Ki |
Overview: The Hermit card is Nine. The Hermit card is associated with caution, and careful planning. The Hermit also has denotations of being alone, and the need to reflect on ones own self. The Hermit social link belongs to Fox
Fortune - Naoto Shirogane
| Personae of The Fortune Arcana |
|---|
| Fortuna Clotho Lachesis Atropos Ananta Norn |
Overview: The Fortune card is number Ten. It is associated with good luck, coincidences that go in the users favour, and the ability to succeed at anything you do with great success. The Fortune social link belongs to Naoto.
Justice - Nanako Dojima
| Personae of The Justice Arcana |
|---|
| Angel Archangel Principality Power Virtue Dominion Throne Uriel Melchizedek Sraosha |
Overview:The Justice card number Eleven, and is connected with triumph over adversity, judgement, and all lawful problems. The ability to prosper over unfavourable odds. The Justice social link belongs to Nanako.
Hanged Man - Naoki Konishi
| Personae of The Hanged Man Arcana |
|---|
| Berith Yomotsu-Ikusa Makami Orthrus Yatsufusa Taowu Hell Biker Vasuki Attis |
Overview: The Hanged Man arcana is based on devotion to a worthwhile cause. The ability to adapt to surroundings and accept change easily and comfortably. As the card suggests, it connotes life being turned upside down. The Hanged Man social link belongs to Naoki Konishi. It is the twelth card.
Death - Hisano
| Personae of The Deaths Arcana |
|---|
| Ghoul Mokoi Matador Samael Mot White Rider Alice Mahakala |
Overview: The Death card is number Thirteen, and denoted by the image on the card. Death doesn't represent the death of a person, but the death of a long journey or or relationship. The Death social link belongs to Hisano.
Temperance - Eri Minami
| Personae of The Temperance Arcana |
|---|
| Asparas Slyph Cai-Zhi Nigi Mitama Mithra Genbu Seiryuu Suzaku Byakko Vishnu |
Overview: Temperance is the Fourteenth card, and means combination, and maturity. The skill to make one thing from two, and balance. The ability to change. The Temperance social link belongs to Eri Minami.
Devil - Sayoko Uehara
| Personae of The Devils Arcana |
|---|
| Ukobach Lilim Vetala Incubus Pazuzu Succubus Lilith Belphegor Belial Beelzebub |
Overview: The Devil card is the Fifteenth, and is often associated with money, and material objects. It can also be noted that the will for sexual desires, and lust is apparent in the devil card. The Devil social link belongs to Sayoko Uehara.
Tower - Shu Nakajima
| Personae of the Towers Arcana |
|---|
| Tao Tie Cu Chulainn Abaddon Mara Masakado Yoshitsune Shiva |
Overview: The Tower card is number Sixteen. It is related to disruption, and major life changing events. A dramatic upheaval, and daily routines being ruined. The Tower social link belongs to Shu Nakajima.
Star - Teddie.
| Personae of the Stars Arcana |
|---|
| Kaiwan Neko Shogun Fuu-Ki Ganesha Garuda Kartikeya Saturnus Helel |
Overview: The Star has connotations of hope. The act of promising, love, and the renewal of faith. The will to protect others. The Star social link belongs to Teddie, and is the seventeenth arcana.
Moon - Ai Ebihara
Nozuchi
Yamata-no-Orochi
Alraune
Girimehkala
Sui-Ki
Seth
Baal Zebul
Sandalphon
Overview: The Moon is the Eighteenth card of the major arcana. It represents the imagination of the individual, and the idea of personal self deprication, and losing control of ones inner self. The Moon social link belongs to Ai Ebihara.
Sun - Yumi Ozawa/Ayane Matsunaga
Phoenix
Gdon
Yatagarasu
Narashima
Tam Lin
Jatayu
Horus
Sparna
Asura
Overview: The Sun is the Nineteenth card and symbolizes joy, optimistic natures, and happiness. Good health and material happiness are also associated. The Sun social link is held by the drama club and music club, either being initiated by Yumi Ozawa or Ayane Matsunaga.
Judgement - Seekers of Truth
Trumpeteer
Michael
Satan
Metatron
Ardha
Lucifer
Overview: The judgement is the Twentieth arcana. The Judgement card symbolizes awakening, rebith, and the outcome to a solution being satisfactory. The Judgement social link is not a 'Social link' but is raised as the endgame dungeon is progressed. It is called the " Seekers of the Truth"
The World - Souji Seta
Izanagi-No-Okami
Overview: The World is the final and most powerful arcana, being the number Twenty One. The World stands as the most powerful tarot, The World represents great balance with all the elements and knowing one's true places in the "world." The World arcana is not a socal link, nor does it have any persona except Izanagi-No-Okami, the final form of Souji's original persona. He is the opposite to Izanami and helps the team overcome her, bringing the case to an end.
Note: Discrepancies regarding the cards/card numbers should be disregarded, as there are so many tarot decks that change the number slightly for each card.
The One More battle system also returns. By utilizing enemy weaknesses, the persona-users can effectively nullify the threat of shadows by knocking them down into a "Stumble" state. The All-Out Attack returns as well. This tactic is brought forth by knocking down all enemies from utilizing the weaknesses of each shadow and bum-rushing the enemy party with all able-bodied members of your own party, covering them in a cartoon-like cloud and unleashing great damage to the enemy. Party AI is still present. But unlike Persona 3, whereas only the main character can be directly controlled, Persona 4 gives the player the choice of controlling all the party members individually. Because of this, the difficulty of battles have been toned down slightly, and will allow the player to think of a good strategy to get rid of the enemy. Regardless, it is still essential to strike at the weaknesses of the opponent shadows to minimize casualties and damage, as well as conserving your HP and SP. The last change in the game's combat system is the method the player summon their persona. In Persona 3, the main characters used gun-shaped Evokers and shot themselves in the head to call forth their Personae. That method is replaced by tarot cards, which were also present in the previous game, but didn't have the same function as in this one. Like its predecessor, the game ends when the main character HP is reduced to 0. Persona 4's environment also sports a more retro/old-school look than in the previous Persona games.
Enter the mysterious TV world. What is the reason for its existence?
The calendar's major focus is rainy days instead of anticipating full moon cycles.
New Game Plus
After completing the game, you are given the opportunity to begin a new game using the save file you make when the game ends. By doing this, you are able to start the game over again with a multitude of things carried over from your previous play through.The following carries over:
Enter the Velvet Room.
- Social Stats (e.g. courage, intelligence).
- Persona Compendium (every persona you've acquired with their levels and movesets intact).
- Persona Compendium discounts.
- Persona slots (you begin with the game's maximum of 12).
- Max social link items (gained from reaching social link level 10 with a social link friend), allowing you to fuse the most powerful Personas of that arcana without the necessity of maxing the social link a second time.
- Money (yen).
- Play time.
Things that specifically do not carry over on the new game plus include your characters' battle levels, items/weapons, and your social link levels.
Trivia
- Persona 4 starts on April 11, 2011, which sets the game a year after Persona 3, when the game ended in April 1, 2010 . Many characters and a few locales from Persona 3, such as Iwatodai Station and Gekkoukan High School appear in Persona 4. Chihiro appears to greet the Yasogami High students on their field trip, and Mitsuru is mentioned. Some music is repeated from Persona 3, in subtle ways, like a band practicing in the background in a muffled fashion.
- In Kanji's Social Link story, the Doll Boy mentions that his teacher wants a pink alligator, from a famous book. This is a direct reference to Akinari Kamiki from Persona 3, who wrote a book about it. It can be inferred that Akinari's book has been published after the events of Persona 3.
- The lunch making scenes are culinarily accurate; if you know how to prepare them in real life, you will pass the test in game too.
- The game has a manga, done by the same team who did the Persona 3 manga.
Soundtrack
Shoji Meguro returns to score the soundtrack to Persona 4, along with Ryota Kozuka and Atsushi Kitajoh, known for his music in Trauma Center: New Blood. Shihoko Hirata sings the opening track, "Pursuing My True Self," as well as singing the rest of the vocal tracks in the original soundtrack. Persona 4's music has a retro sound to it, complete with a mix of J-Pop and J-Rock influences, compared to Persona 3's more modern style of music. It was released as a two-disc Original Soundtrack on July 23, 2008 by Aniplex.
Social Link Expansion Pack.
Persona 4 US Original Soundtrack Tracklist
Disc 1
- Pursuing My True Self
- A Corner of Memories
- Welcome to the Limousine
- The Poem for Everyone's Souls
- New Days
- Signs of Love
- Mayonaka TV
- Your Affection
- Like a Dream Come True
- Who's There?
- Reach Out to the Truth -First Battle-
- SMILE
- Backside of the TV
- Reasoning
- Castle
- Borderline of Madness
- I'll Face Myself -Battle-
- I'll Face Myself
- Muscle Blues
- It's SHOW TIME!
- Belongings
- Quelorie MAGIC!
- Sauna
- Awakening
- Reach Out to the Truth
Disc 2
- Reach Out to the Truth -Instr. (version)
- Specialist
- Theater
- Heartbeat, Heartbreak
- Youthful Lunch
- Game
- ZONE TIME
- A New World Fool
- Mist
- Period
- Junes Theme
- The Power of the Heart (P4 version.)
- The Path is Open (P4 version.)
- Reverie
- How much?
- Secret Base
- Heaven
- Alone
- Reasoning (Another Version)
- Long Way
- Omen
- Corridor
- The Almighty
- The Genesis
- I'll Face Myself -another version-
- Never More
- Electronica in the Velvet Room
European Version
The European version of the soundtrack differs from the US version. There is no Social Link Expansion Pack, and thus the single disk in the standard edition features a selection of twenty four tracks from throughout the game:- Pursuing My True Self
- Aria of the Soul
- New Days
- Your Affection
- Who's There?
- Reach Out to the Truth -Instrumental version-
- Castle
- Border of Insanity
- I'll Face Myself -Battle-
- Muscle
- Sauna
- Striptease
- Heartbeat, Heartbreak
- Game
- A New World Fool
- Reach Out to the Truth
- Junes Theme
- Traumeri
- Secret Base
- Heaven
- Deduction - another version-
- Long Way
- The Almighty
- Never More
Reception
Persona 4 was praised by the Western gaming press as being an excellent JRPG. While most had criticized the slow start, many also considered P4 to be a subtle improvement over its predecessor, Persona 3. Among the aspects praised were the strong story and relatable cast of characters. Since its release in December of 2008, it has sold over half a million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling Megami Tensei game to date.
| Game Name | Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 |
| Platform(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Developer(s) | |
| Genres |
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| Themes | |
| Original US Release |
Dec. 9, 2008
need a fuzzy date? |
| Original US Release |
know the real date? |
| Aliases | |
| CERO |
CERO: B
|
| ESRB |
ESRB: M
|
| PEGI |
PEGI: 16+
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True Ending Guide (Warning: Spoilers)
A guide for Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4, and how to unluck the true ending. It's *very* adviced to do this, as the "bad ending" is quite terrible. Plus, you'll miss out on quite a bit of content if you won't do this.
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Persona 4 Ending Guide: SPOILER FREE
A guide for anyone wishing to chose their ending without any spoilers..
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Persona 4 -- Margaret's Request Quick Reference
Technically her social link as well, but its nice to see this stuff :)
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Persona 4 -- Arcana Chance Quick Reference
Exactly what it sounds like :)
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