Obviously, this is limited to the games you have played. And I'm sorry Persona 3 fans, I wasn't big on that game. And I didn't play 1 or 2. I will be leaving out protagonists, but you may include them if you wish. I'll focus on their personalities rather than abilities in battle, especially since I usually used characters I liked rather than how capable they were. And I'll probably have some controversial picks. Before you say anything, yes, I know my picks are garbage. So, here's some of mine. I'll separate party (playable) members from non-party. Party: 1. Naoto Shirogane 2. Futaba Sakura 3. Goro Akechi (Pancake) 4. Aigis 5. Koromaru 6. Kanji Tatsumi 7. Yusuke Kitagawa 8. Teddie 9. Mitsuru Kirijo 10. Yosuke Hanamura/Junpei Iori (Hard to pick, really) Non-party: 1. Tae Takemi 2. Akinari Kamiki 3. Caroline & Justine 4. The Dojimas (I'll couple them together) 5. Hifumi Togo 6. Sojiro Sakura 7. Tohru Adachi 8. Isako Toriumi 9. Ayane Matsunaga (aka Pikachu) 10. Hisano Kuroda

I was thinking of this for quite awhile. I wasn't sure whether to call myself this, but I haven't left my dwellings in months (since... July I think?), except with the occasional exit here and there. So I guess the term is accurate. I sit at a computer, listen to music, or play video games. Really all I do. I do have a lot of anxiety in social situations (also pretty sure I have some form of a mood disorder). I get nervous just talking on the phone. And I don't feel I can talk to my parents, because I'm scolded pretty much no matter what I say, and they're expecting me to do things on my own. Friends? None really to speak of. Never really did unfortunately. I had people I were "friendly" with, sure, but I clearly cared more than they did. Once I finished school (while having some of the lowest grades in the school), I kind of refused to leave. I used to have a lot of hope as a younger child. I was a straight A student, and I actually didn't care about not having friends. Wanted to get a good job, had hope of a life. But the older I got... I'm not sure what happened really. Put simply, let's say I wanted to reach out for assistance, but don't really have anyone to reach out to. And unlike Futaba Sakura, I can't go ask the Phantom Thieves to go steal my heart, haha. It seems like trying to be dependent on others to any degree and my tactics for making friends, haven't worked. And I know this is a little more personal than what you're probably used to on this site, but playing these games often get to me. A lot of their characteristics fit very well for me, to be honest. Usually, it's a mix of multiple characters, but still. Any advice for me? Something I can do myself? Have any of you dealt with this, or someone like me? Thank you in advance. Anything would be helpful.

Since the character did intrigue me a lot, I wanted to ask a few questions, and your opinion on him. A lot of questions seem more speculative than anything. Maybe I'm just not very good at getting it and kind of dumb, but whatever. I'm sorry if these questions were answered already, whether on the forums or in the game itself. Did you like him? Why or why not? Obviously, if you were Joker or any of the Phantom Thieves, you wouldn't, but I mean in a context outside of the universe. Was he well-written? Was he believable? Sympathetic? Etc. I liked him a lot (never had the heart to tell him to leave LeBlanc), and as someone who never really had friends, and a rough family life... it hit way too close to home for me. Heck, I even made a "fake" self to try to get people to like me. If I had the powers he did, would I do the same? Probably not, but who knows really? I would've loved if he stayed on the party. Also, laser swords and ray guns are so cool! Did Akechi enjoy his brief time with the team? He did say himself he wished he and Joker met years before. This kind of leads into the next question, so I'll end it there. Where did Robin Hood come from, and is Crow a part of the "real" Akechi? It did seem like Personas are part of who you are in the series, however with the Wild Card, this may not be the case. But I mean, come on, he did the cutest little dance with his all-out attack. It doesn't seem like something you fake, really. He seemed like he was having a bit of fun for awhile. And if his "detective" personality was part of who he really was, Robin Hood would be an expected persona for him. How strong was he? I mean, in the story, it looks like he did quite a number on them despite being outnumbered 8 to 1, and having zero social links (except for maybe Joker?). If he survived (or managed to get away), would he have been allowed back on the team, at least until after all of the plot? And would you have liked if he was? For me personally, I loved his persona and skills, and I can definitely sympathize. Obviously, he would need to atone, but still. I was really disappointed when he didn't show up in the Velvet Room cells. What improvements could be made to him in a possible updated version (akin to Persona 4 Golden), and do you think he'll return in a sequel, much like Adachi did? Will he semi-redeem himself like Adachi did? Alright, enough rambling. I feel like I talked too much already. So many seem to hate him, so I wanted to give my own love! But I also love discussion, and would appreciate any comments. Thank you!

Since I had my first death in a while, and it was mainly due to my own cockiness and not healing when I had 13 health left (and as such, had to restart the whole thing over again), I'm curious how I'm doing for my first playthrough. Here are my character levels. MC, Futaba - 63 Ryuji, Morgana, Yusuke, Haru, Makoto - 61 Ann - 60 I'm playing as I type this, so levels may vary slightly. I never did Mishima's social link, nor have I ever battled the Reaper, so I may be slightly underleveled. I'm currently using a level 67 Melchizedek with God's Hand, and bless instant kill spells. It has Hama Boost, to make it easier, along with Ziodyne and Psiodyne for a little more coverage. I'm trying to fuse Thor, which I would have been able to do... if I didn't happen to die. I'm mainly the Naoto here, in clearing mobs, or the he-who-must-not-be-named traitor, who I actually loved using (and he would have had an almost permanent place in my party had he stuck around). I have an SP recovering item for everyone except Ryuji (because I don't use him often, and if I do, it's for his physical skills). I maxed social links for Ryuji, Ann, Futaba, and Morgana. Haru is a measly rank 2, because I kinda got stuck behind a social stat wall. But she is one of my strongest characters, with great gun skills, and her generic attack does quite a bit damage. So I gotta ask, am I underleveled? Do I need to do a bit of grinding? Like I said, I only really died because I refused to let Morgana heal everyone. I'm just not sure if I'm going to have a problem dealing with the boss. Will there be a certain Persona that you really need here? I usually just go for Personas I like, and they work fine. I can't really go back to a save, since I usually keep saves up to date.

I decided to leave out 3, because you're kind of forced to date if you want maxed social links to my knowledge. This isn't made to cause a "waifu" war, but I'm just interested in seeing others choices, and why they picked them. Their own personal reasons. For both my picks, I kinda fell in love quite quickly. And I only dated them every playthrough. For Persona 4, I picked Naoto Shirogane. I always had this interest in being a detective, and still do. I actually prefer tomboys/androgynous girls, and as such, I found her adorable (I even thought she made a cute guy). She's also intelligent, and she has a soft and shy side she tries to hide, and I love that. Also, being someone who has struggled with gender roles, I can definitely relate. I like how she stands up for herself too, and hey... if she wants to "wear the pants" in the relationship... I'd go for that. I'll go either way really. For Persona 5, I picked Futaba Sakura. Apparently, I have a thing for short smart girls (being only 5'7'', I prefer my partners shorter). First off, head patting. That was really cute. And like her, I'm kinda cooped up in my room on my computer all day. While she does seem anxious at first, she has a lot of development and becomes kinda fun to be around and has some great lines (like calling Mishima an NPC, and I like the way she calls you "pretty boy"). Also, I like that more dependent personality she has at times. I'd have a feeling I could get along with either of them, though considering my history, trying dating them might be asking too much, haha. I couldn't cheat on them either, them finding out you cheated on them, both of their scenes were pretty heartbreaking. So, who'd you guys and girls pick and why? I'm genuinely curious. Again, not trying to argue on who's "best girl", or anything. It's more for my own piqued interest. I'd be quite intriguing if some of you seemed to have a pattern, common characteristics between those who were your first pick in these games.

Spoilers for those who haven't played Persona 4. Now, this may have been talked about before. If it has, my sincerest apologies. But going back into Persona 4, I had a bit of a recollection at 4 in the morning for some reason. There was the term "phantom thief" in Naoto Shirogane's social link in Persona 4. It was apparently an act put on by her grandfather. Considering in Persona 5, Shirogane was directly referenced, with Tohru Adachi being indirectly referenced on the TV with what appears to be an interrogation or trial. This had to mean Persona 5 was taking place around a similar time. Now, if I remember correctly, throughout the party's adventures, the Phantom Thieves became well-known throughout Japan and even had some traction internationally. It's very likely our cast in Persona 4 had heard of them. So possibly her grandfather did as well and maybe just decided to use that? Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make any full theories or anything. It's very likely Atlus didn't think that far ahead and just thought "phantom thief" was a cool name. I don't know, I know the past games can't really acknowledge future games. I just thought it was quite interesting to point out.