“All I can do is fight and destroy things. Nothing wrong with that, right? After all, that’s what I was made for!”
Persona 4 Arena is a spin-off Persona game intended to be a sequel to Persona 4. Yu Narukami is the main protagonist and Shadow Labrys is the main antagonist. The fighters in the P-1 Grand Prix are the villainous faction.
Persona 4 Arena is the first canon sequel to a mainline Persona game that isn't part of the mainline series itself. It is a direct sequel to Persona 4 and Persona 3 in it as well, introducing Labrys, an Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapon just like Aigis.
It was originally released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2012 under the title Persona 4: The Ultimate in Japan. It was ported to modern consoles bundled with Persona 4 Arena Ultimax in 2023.
A short 16-chapter manga adaptation by Aiyakyuu and is released monthly in Dengeki Maoh in 2012. It began releasing officially in English in 2023.
It is preceded by Persona 4 and followed by Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
Official Description[]
It is a spin-off to both Persona 3 and Persona 4, set immediately after the events of Persona 4, featuring characters from both games. As such, it is strongly recommended to finish both Persona 3 and Persona 4 first, or else Arena will spoil major plot points from both games.
Summary[]
The game contains twelve different story modes from each of the cast members. The selected character acts as the game's protagonist, and the story of the game is told through their perspective via visual novel cutscenes, with the outcome affected by the character chosen. However, Labrys (whose story is a visual of her past) and Shadow Labrys (who does not have a story mode) are not acting protagonists. The following is a general summary based on all the story modes:
The story starts 2 months after the events of Persona 4 but before the epilogue of Persona 4 Golden, meaning that Arena is set in May 2012.
At the start of Golden Week, Yu Narukami returns to Yasoinaba and reunites with Dojima, Nanako and his friends. But soon Chie hears a rumor that the Midnight Channel is airing again and tells Yosuke and Yukiko. The three of them and Yu (coincidentally) see it. At the same time, Rise, Kanji and Teddie go missing and Naoto is busy on a mission. The following day, they head into the TV world and find themselves stuck in a tournament held at their high school where they must fight each other to advance, but during the tournament they see a mysterious girl who claims to be their student council president as well as three Persona-users they've never seen before.
Mitsuru is now head of a secret spec ops squad known as Shadow Operatives working with the government consisting of herself and some of her old SEES colleagues. On a mission to escort top secret cargo, the airplane she's on is hijacked. Aigis manages to take down all the hijackers on her own but one of the cargo is stolen: the 5th generation anti-Shadow humanoid weapon, Labrys. They track her down to Yasoinaba and enter the TV world, joined by Akihiko Sanada, having just arrived from South America, who shows up to help after Aigis picks up readings from inside. Naoto is hired by public safety to spy on the Kirijo Group and Shadow Operatives. She follows them into the TV.
As Elizabeth continues on her journey, she stops by at the gate of death to defeat Erebus, who comes back about once a year (she picks it up with one hand, throws it through a portal to the moon, then kills it in one hit with Thanatos). She heads over to the TV world when she feels all the Persona users gathering there, hoping that she may find something in the strange phenomenon may be able help her to defeat Erebus for good so that she could save the boy who became the seal to protect humanity. Elizabeth encounters two of the boy's successors, one that she had befriended and given the Velvet Room's guidance under her supervision, and another who had also received the Velvet Room's guidance but this time under Margaret's supervision.
As the Persona users get to the Announcement room where Rise is being held, they discover Labrys and soon learn about her as her Shadow reveals her true self.
Labrys was created in 1999 at the Kirijo Ergonomics, lab and most of her development was done through forcing her to fight other models of her series. She grew close to one of her "sisters", Unit 024, but was forced to destroy her as well. She eventually escaped the lab, dealing extensive damage to it in the process, but was recaptured and sealed away. After vanishing from Mitsuru's plane, she was tossed into the TV world and her Shadow Self created the tournament to let other people feel what she felt.
The Persona users defeat Shadow Labrys and Labrys accepts her, turning the Shadow into her Persona, Ariadne. As they prepare to leave, however, the true mastermind behind everything takes control of her and makes her attack everyone. Fuuka manages to reach Yasoinaba in time and cut off his connection, but he escapes. The mastermind is a human with no Persona who cannot enter the TV world, but is partnered with something inhuman that can shape shift and pretends to be various characters' Shadows. Their objective is to weaken the Persona users mentally so that their Personas will revert back to Shadows; they need to gather strong Shadows for their "Project", and reverting the Persona users' strong Personas would make exceptionally strong Shadows. Both of them escape, and Mitsuru tells Inaba's Persona users to forget about everything and leave the rest of the case to them. Yu convinces everyone to "comply" with Mitsuru's order, but she and Aigis easily see through his act. Regardless, they decide to let them do what they want, though both also plan to do everything they can to keep them out of harm's way. Before they leave, Labrys meets up with the Inaba group once more and tells them that she will leave and join with Mitsuru's group to catch the culprit so that she can protect her new friends, while she and Aigis vow to find their "mother".
After they leave, Yu and Yosuke tell everyone that they are reforming the Investigation Team. Everyone prepares for what comes next.
The penultimate boss in most character's story mode is Shadow Labrys. The final boss of the Persona 4 cast is a brainwashed Labrys with Ariadne. The final bosses of the Persona 3 characters and Naoto is their own fake Shadow. In Teddie's case, he has an extra fight against Kanji who thinks everything is a dream and shows up looking for a fight.
Elizabeth's Story Mode ends with her gaining insight on the nature of the Wild Card from Yu and Aigis, and she gains her own Fool Arcana, signifying the start of a journey.
In addition, Yu, Chie, Yukiko and Kanji are given choices in specific parts of their story where they are given prompts to respond to. For Yu, this is has no bearing on his story (though specific choices can lead to an extra scene with Margaret). For the others, their choices can either lead them to their true ending, or a non-canon joke ending.
Characters[]
Main[]
Supporting[]
Bosses[]
Title Screens[]
| Persona 4 Arena |
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Soundtrack[]
Original Soundtrack[]
Original Songs[]
Media[]
International Media[]
Spin-Offs[]
| Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena Stageplay (2014) | |
|---|---|
| Released after Persona 3: the Weird Masquerade -Ao no Kakusei-, its sequel, Persona 4 Visualive, and its sequel, Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena is a stageplay based on the game of the same title. However, its cast is almost completely different than the previous productions, with only Mitsuru and Akihiko's actors returning. Oku Shutaro returns as the director and Jun Kumagai is once again responsible for the script. Shoji Meguro and Atsushi Kitajoh are credited for the music. It was performed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Space's playhouse from December 19-23, 2014. The final performance was also broadcasted on Japanese video sharing website niconico. |  |
Creation & Development[]
Atlus staff member Kazuhisa Wada had longer wanted to branch the Persona series out into other genres besides role-playing so as to reach a wider audience. This wish was shared by series producer Katsura Hashino and character designer Shigenori Soejima, and the three came up with a draft for a fighting game spin-off due to their mutual liking for the genre. The team chose to contact Arc System Works, developers of the BlazBlue fighting game series, due to their similar work ethics and proficiency in developing for the fighting genre. Mori was shocked when Atlus first approached them, and they were highly motivated during development as many staff members were fans of the Persona series. Rather than Arc System Works developing the game in isolation, Atlus requested that the two studios co-develop the game. Arc System Works director Takumi Iguchiya worked closely with the Persona team on the project.
Production began in 2010. Arena was the Persona team's first collaboration with another studio over a game. During earlier discussions, Iguchi assumed it was a small-scale production focusing on the characters, but Hashino and Wada's enthusiasm changed his mind. The original music was composed by Atsushi Kitajoh. Stage themes were based on original themes by series composer Shoji Meguro. The opening theme was performed by Yumi Kawamura, the vocalist of Persona 3. While the gameplay was managed by Arc System Works, the Persona team handled the game's scenario and visual design. While designing the gameplay, the team worked to incorporate elements of the role-playing original, ranging from character moves to status effects. During development, Mori asked Atlus whether they could include non-playable characters such as Nanako and Ryotaro Dojima in the roster, but their requests were firmly declined. Mori speculated that it was because of their relative obscurity compared to the main cast.
The story was designed from the outset as a canonical sequel to Persona 4. The game's script was primarily written by Teppei Kobayashi. Wada created the basic scenario draft, which was challenging for him due to both the genre differences and fan expectations. The scenario was managed by Yuichiro Tanaka. Tanaka also supervised the spin-off novel Persona x Detective Naoto, and references to the novel were included in the scenario of Arena. The character of Labrys was originally mentioned in an earlier Persona 3 audio drama. To help distinguish the character, Labrys was given a Kansai accent in the Japanese version.
Arc System Works originally wanted Ryotaro Dojima as one of the playable characters during the pre-planning stages when they were deciding on the cast. Takumi Iguchiya joked that instead of a Persona, he would summon Nanako Dojima to his aid, possibly ending up as a joke character. Nanako herself was then proposed as a playable character, but both decisions were strongly rejected by Atlus.
Iconography[]
Persona 4 Arena's main colors are yellow (for Persona 4) and red to distinguish itself from the original. Most of the iconography has to do with boxing, with the boxart showing the background of an arena itself, and motifs from Persona 4 like the TV and Yasogami High's school emblem. Blue is also used as a color in the game's UI menus, to signify its crossover with Persona 3.
Logos[]
| Persona 4 Arena logos | |
|---|---|
 English logo  Persona 4 Ultimate (Japanese) logo |
Trivia[]
- P4A is the first game to not feature the Shin Megami Tensei label in its overseas title, ever since Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne was localized in North America and Europe.
- P4A is the first title in the Persona series to be released on Microsoft's Xbox gaming hardware.
- P4A's story takes place in spring 2012 - the same year the game's Arcade version was released.
- Despite dropping "The Ultimate in Mayonaka" from the game's title outside of Japan, the original name appears in the intro movie in all regions. Similarly, the default system voice will always refer to Teddie by his Japanese name of Kuma, even when the language is set to English.
- Also, a direct translation of the Japanese name of the game would be Persona 4: The Ultimate in Midnight Arena.
- In most official material, the game is abbreviated as "P4U" in both Japanese and English to not only refer to the "Ultimate" in the Japanese title, but to prevent it from being mixed up with Persona 4: The Animation, in which both The Animation and Arena via English localization can be abbreviated as P4A.
- Persona 4: Arena is the first non-BlazBlue fighting game to use the Fatal Counter system, as well as the first to make use of an un-tech timer outside of training mode.
- This is also one of the first fighting games to make use of a universal auto-combo system that involves pressing a single button to perform an automatic 5-input combo for beginners. Other fighting games made alongside P4U's time involve this very type of system as well which has carried on to future fighting games.
- This is also the first fighting game to also count the very first hit in a combo; most prior fighting games have instead counted from the 2nd hit onward.
- A majority of characters in this game have skills/spells either used without a Persona, or skills/spells not learned by their Persona(s) naturally. Some also do not retain certain skills used by their Personas in their original games as well.
- Yu's Izanagi cannot learn Ziodyne and Swift Strike, but it's possible in Yu's case as the main character in the original Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden through fusion to re-create an Izanagi with both those skills.
- Yosuke uses Garudyne in the style of his follow-up attack.
- Chie uses Rampage without the use of a Persona (in the style of her critical hit), as well as Skull Cracker. Her Instant Kill is also her original follow-up attack.
- Likewise, she oddly does not have any ice-based spells in her move set, though she eventually gains an ice-based move in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax.
- Kanji also uses Cruel Attack without his Persona (in the style of his follow-up attack), and was the only SMT series skill in his move set until Ultimax added in Primal Force. Kanji's critical hit animation also acts as one of his SP Skills.
- Teddie has no SMT series skills and only has his original follow-up attack as one of his special moves. He eventually gains Nihil Hand from his Shadow's repertoire of skills in Ultimax.
- Naoto's is a bit of an inversion, for her Seigi no Tate (Shield of Justice) R/Furious-Action from this game eventually becomes a skill for her new Persona, Yamato Sumeragi in Golden.
- However, she uses Megido in the style of a hair-trigger bomb, and she also uses Double Fangs, as a non-Persona skill and a skill neither of her Personas cannot learn naturally.
- Naoto eventually gains the Blight skill in Ultimax.
- However, she uses Megido in the style of a hair-trigger bomb, and she also uses Double Fangs, as a non-Persona skill and a skill neither of her Personas cannot learn naturally.
- Mitsuru uses Marin Karin as her 2C, and her Mabufudyne has a radically different function in this game. She also uses Myriad Arrows in the style of her critical hit and thus as a non-Persona attack, and is also a skill neither of her two Personas can naturally learn in Persona 3, Persona 3 FES and Persona 3 Portable. She also has Niflheim as her Instant Kill, a skill that could only be used by her as an opponent in The Answer. She also gains Tentarafoo in Ultimax.
- Also, Mitsuru has Getsu-ei as her Furious Action (and as a non-Persona attack); a skill neither of her Personas are able to learn naturally.
- Akihiko has both Kill Rush and Assault Dive as non-Persona skills, and his only spell is Maziodyne. He also gains Sonic Punch as a non-Persona skill in Ultimax.
- Aigis barely has any SMT series skills in her move set, save for Megido in the form of a flamethrower-based type attack. Both her Personas do not learn any Almighty-element skills in the Persona 3 games, save for Pallas Athena in Persona 2: Innocent Sin with Zandyne.
- If the game was played before the official release date, a message in the menu would appear with the line "Turn it off" (すぐにけせ) showing up repeatedly. This is a reference to a popular rumor among Japanese fans that the message would rarely appear in Shin Megami Tensei's intro
- The game's second opening theme (as well as the theme used for Labrys' battle in Arcade Mode), "The Arena" ("The Ultimate" in Japanese), is possibly a re-arrangement of the Persona 4 Animation ending song, "Beauty of Destiny".
Continuity[]
- This game takes place two months after the end of Persona 4. Since then there has been no activity on the Midnight Channel, but Teddie has kept the back door open in case anyone accidentally falls inside.
- The story takes place before the epilogue of Persona 4 Golden, meaning that Arena is set in May 2012.
- Three members of SEES return in this game, 3 years after the events of Persona 3, still with the mission of hunting shadows, however they entered the TV World to retrieve Labrys.
- Since the events of 3, SEES became members of the “Shadow Operatives”, a group of Persona wielders from the Kirijo Group who support the police in investigating bizarre crimes involving Shadows
- It is likely that the group was formed when they realized, post-The Answer, that Shadows were not limited to appearing during the Dark Hour.
- It is stated that the people on the Shadow Operatives team are party members from the other Persona games, however only their silhouettes are shown. Those that can be made out look to be Eriko Kirishima, Kei Nanjo (Megami Ibunroku Persona), Ulala Serizawa, and Katsuya Suou (Persona 2 duology).
- Since the events of 3, Akihiko fell into his training and became engrossed in it, taking him overseas.
- Fuuka Yamagishi returns, using her Persona to communicate from the TV World. This marks her able to use her Persona outside of the dark hour, which the investigation team makes a note of.
- Since the events of 3, SEES became members of the “Shadow Operatives”, a group of Persona wielders from the Kirijo Group who support the police in investigating bizarre crimes involving Shadows
- When Inaba is mentioned to Mitsuru she recognizes the name, revealing that the Shadow Operatives were aware of the events that happened in 2011 involving the serial murders, and detected intense shadow activity — however they were unaware that the situation was resolved.
- Detective Kurosawa, the police officer who supplied weapons to SEES in Persona 3, appears in 4 Arena to cooperate with the Shadow Operatives. Since then he has been promoted to be able to help them out in the open now
- Between games, Kurosawa interviewed Adachi who told him about the events of the past two months, and about Personas.
- Mitsuru used her Persona to contact Aigis in the TV World, claiming it has been a while since she’s used her Persona like this, referencing the fact that she hasn’t acted as navigator since Fuuka joined SEES during Persona 3.
- Shadow Aigis taunts the real Aigis with her not being able to protect Makoto, and losing him in the end
- Aigis meets Elizabeth inside of the TV World and recognizes her from their meeting during The Answer. They share the memory of Elizabeth teaching her that her bonds are what give her life meaning, and Aigis gets the resolve to teach that to Labrys
- Despite taking place after Persona 4, the Investigation Team are shown with their initial Persona, instead of their ultimate ones unlike Mitsuru and Akihiko, as well as Aigis being shown still using Pallas Athena. This, however, can easily be explained as obtaining their ultimate Persona is optional in Persona 4. Also, since Aigis and Yu are both users of the Wild Card, they may have just recreated Izanagi and Pallas Athena through fusion. However, this still does not explain why Teddie does not have his canon Persona, when it transfigured into its ultimate form, Kamui, by unlocking the good ending of Persona 4. It is possible the Investigation Team don't have their ultimate Personas because Persona 4 Golden has them acquire new third tier Personas, likely to accommodate people who haven't played P4G & wouldn't have gained the new Personas. Aigis may also have Athena instead of Orpheus for similar reasons, to accommodate players who haven't played The Answer.
- Yu, however, uses Izanagi-no-Okami during his Instant Kill, and Aigis uses Palladion (albeit heavily modified) during hers. In Aigis' case, she oddly de-evolves her Persona instead of evolving it.
- At the end of Yu Narukami’s episode, he brings up the Moonlight Bridge in Tatsumi-Port Island that they visited during the events of P4.
- Aigis tells Yu after their battle about the battle with Strega and Nyx three years ago.
- Labrys, a character introduced in this game, is revealed to be another Anti Shadow Suppression Weapon, a 5th generation model, making her Aigis’s older sister
- Labrys is the second ASSW introduced in the not including after Aigis, after Metis during The Answer, however she was never an official model and was merely born from Aigis’s psyche.
- Shadow Aigis commends their abilities, and the fact that they were able to drive back a god (referencing Erebus).
- Mitsuru says that it’ll be a walk in the park figuring out what to do with Labrys compared to when they had to figure out how to enroll Aigis in school during P3.
- Elizabeth returns in this game, meeting Yu, who compares her to Margaret. Elizabeth reveals to Yu that she is Margaret’s younger sister.
- when asked why she is not attending her duties, she says she is neglecting them because she is on a mission to unlock the power of the Wild Card, to use the power of making bonds into strength
- her persona is Thanatos, which she got from Makoto.
- The Sea of Souls also returns in this game from Persona 3 and previous. Elizabeth comes here to meet with Erebus, the entity that is the final villain of Persona 3.
- Elizabeth says that beings like Erebus made from human’s collective unconsciousness have a tendency to form, indirectly referencing the likes of Nyarlathotep, Izanami, and Yaldabaoth.
- It’s revealed that since Persona 3, Elizabeth has made it her mission to destroy Erebus for good in order to save Makoto, leaving the Velvet Room to pursue this mission. She says that all residents of the Velvet Room go on a journey, possibly referencing why they often change assistants.
- At the end of her storyline, she unlocks the Fool Arcana, signifying that she is going on her Fool's Journey.
- Aigis has trouble remembering who Elizabeth was, and Elizabeth says she’s on a similar journey, recalling that Aigis has the wild card. Elizabeth recalls that she has had "several" guests in the Velvet Room with the Wild Card, including Aigis.
- More details on the Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons, of which Aigis was assumed to be the last of, is revealed in this game.
- Other unnamed anti shadow suppression weapons are shown for the first time in a flashback to Labrys’s birth
- It is revealed that the Plumes of Dusk from Persona 3, which are the fragmented parts of Nyx that fused with the Moon, are primarily used in the cores of the personality modules of the robotic Anti-Shadow Suppression Weapons in order to grant an awareness from which they can summon a Persona. Earlier models such as those in the '20s and below (such as Unit #024) had lesser sized Plumes of Dusk while later models, like Labrys, had full-sized Plumes of Dusk. Due to having full-sized Plumes of Dusk, it is speculated by the scientists in the intro of Labrys' story that such robots will develop their personalities faster when Labrys speaks in an accent immediately upon awakening.
- It is also revealed that the ASSW’s were modeled after a dying young girl. Her accent is where Labrys’s came from.
- Aigis talks with Labrys and tells her that Yakushima, where she was made, is also where Aigis met her friends, and “him.” It’s revealed that Labrys’s desire to be free is what led Aigis to do so, who inherited all her memories.
- The Malevolent Entity that poses as Aigis’s Shadow uses the Persona Reverse Athena, making this the second appearance of a Reverse Persona after The Answer post-Persona 2.
Gallery[]
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