Characters of Persona 4

Playable characters of Persona 4, flanked by their Personas. From left to right; Teddie, Rise, Yosuke, Naoto, Kanji, the protagonist, Chie, and Yukiko.

The story of Atlus' PlayStation 2 console role-playing game Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 is centered around a group of high-school students dedicated to capturing the culprit responsible for the murders and kidnappings that happened in their small town of Inaba. The game's timeline begin on April 11, 2011, which places the events of the game at about twelve months after the end of Persona 3 FES, which ended April 1, 2010. Shigenori Soejima acts as the art director for the game, and is responsible for designing the game's characters. The general approach to designing the characters, and ultimately the setting of the game was by drawing from the memory and interpretation of the development staff about a "rural, countryside" setting.

There are eight player characters that form a self-made investigation team trying to solve the murders in the town of Inaba. The main protagonist is a high-school student who moved into the town from the city. He is met with Yosuke Hanamura; the son of the local department store manager, Chie Satonaka; an energetic girl with a strong interest in martial arts, Yukiko Amagi; a calm and refined girl who helps out at her family's inn, Kanji Tatsumi; a first-year student who was known as a notorious punk, Teddie; a mysterious figure in a bear mascot costume, Rise Kujikawa; a former teen idol, and Naoto Shirogane, a well-known junior detective.

With the release of Persona 4 in Japan, several merchandise have also been released themed around the game's characters. Reception of the game's characters are mostly positive, and a few characters have been given good reviews.

Playable Characters

Protagonist

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

The male Protagonist (主人公, Shujinkō) has no spoken dialogue or name, following the tradition of the Megami Tensei games. He has silver hair with a shape close to a bowl cut. At the beginning of the game, he moves to the countryside to live with his uncle and cousin for a year, and attends Yasogami High School in the same homeroom class as Chie, Yosuke, and Yukiko. The story of Persona 4 begins when the Protagonist meets Igor and Margaret in the Velvet Room, in the form of a limousine driving in a thick fog; the shape of the Velvet Room changes based on its visitor. His entire personality is decided and portrayed by the player's in-game actions and decisions. He exclusively wields two-handed sword-type weapons.

The Protagonist's first Persona, Izanagi of the Fool Arcana, wears a long coat reminiscent of the Japanese bancho and wields the Amenonuhoko, which in-game, is a spear with a blade resembling a combat knife. This Persona is later transformed into Izanagi-no-Ōkami of the World arcana, the game's most powerful Persona. The Protagonist also has a unique "wild card" ability to swap persona, similar to the main characters of previous Persona games, but without the power of Death at his hand, he cannot use Fusion spells like the Protagonist of Persona 3.

In the manga, his name is Sōji Seta (瀬多 総司, Seta Sōji). In this portrayal he is depicted as being a distant, but otherwise friendly loner with a pessimistic outlook on life due to having to move frequently as a result of his parents' changing careers.

The characters of the game give the Protagonist titles (senpai, sensei, leader, partner, big bro) when directly talking to him, instead of the usual "you" or "him" like his predecessors.

The character design of the Protagonist stayed relatively similar from initial conception, with his tone and expressions changing the most.

Yosuke Hanamura

Yosuke Hanamura (花村 陽介, Hanamura Yōsuke) Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo (Japanese); Yuri Lowenthal (English)
Persona: Jiraiya and Susano-o of The Magician arcana

An awkward boy with slightly unkempt reddish-brown hair who usually walks around with a music player and red/orange headphones around his neck. He dual wields blades ranging from knives to daggers in battle. He is usually very clumsy and often used as comic relief through physical comedy. When going from place to place, he is usually on his bike. Yosuke is the most vocal of the investigation team, and is the one often to create theories on the murders as well as piece evidence together. Although it often falls on the player to decipher the clues Yosuke ponders, his deductive skills allow him to create solid theories, and he is the self-imposed second in command, often saying what the player is unable to.

His Persona is Jiraiya of The Magician Arcana, whose head vaguely resembles that of a cartoon frog, and wears a white disco suit with a distinctive ' V ' on its chest along with a red scarf. Jiraiya uses wind spells and is also able to use minor healing spells. Once his Social Link, The Magician Arcana, is maxed out, Jiraiya will evolve into Susano-o.

Yosuke's Shadow takes the form of a cartoon frog with a body on top; the body and frog resemble his Persona. It represents his resentment of living in a small country town with little to do, as well as his inner wish for something exciting to happen.

The protagonist helps Yosuke face his issues regarding his sadness over his unrequited feelings for Saki Konishi, the second victim of the murders, in the course of The Magician S.Link.

Chie Satonaka

Chie Satonaka (里中 千枝, Satonaka Chie) Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese); Tracey Rooney (English)
Persona: Tomoe and Suzuka Gongen of The Chariot arcana

An upbeat girl with short light-brown hair who usually wears a green athletic jacket decorated with buttons. Her weapon is a pair of greaves. She has an obsession with Kung fu, and even uses their techniques in battle, similar to Lisa Silverman of Persona 2. Most of the time, she is friendly, cheerful, and energetic, but she has a short temper. Chie, Yukiko, and Rise are unskilled at cooking, often providing the main cast with unpalatable to terribly awful dishes through the course of the story. Yosuke refers to their horrible cooking as "Mystery Food X."

Her Persona is Tomoe of The Chariot Arcana, a muscular female figure wearing a yellow outfit reminiscent of Bruce Lee's famous tracksuit (referencing her love for Kung-fu movies), wielding a double bladed naginata. Tomoe is shown to use both physical and low-level ice spells. Tomoe evolves into Suzuka Gongen after maxing out her Social Link, the one for The Chariot Arcana.

Chie's Shadow takes the form of a long black haired, masked dominatrix supported by three pale female students. It represents her jealousy of Yukiko's feminine side and her talents, as well as her wish and need to maintain control over Yukiko.

During Chie's S.Link, the protagonist helps her to discover that she genuinely wanted to protect Yukiko without any underlying selfish motivations. The desire to protect people eventually inspired her to seek a career as a police officer. She is also one of the female characters whom the protagonist can have a romantic relationship with.

Yukiko Amagi

Yukiko Amagi (天城 雪子, Amagi Yukiko) Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Amanda Winn Lee (English)
Persona: Konohana Sakuya and Amaterasu of The Priestess arcana

An elegant, introverted girl with long groomed black hair and a red hairband. Yukiko usually wears either a red cardigan over her school uniform blouse or a pink yukata, and is sometimes also seen carrying a paper fan, which she uses in battle, or a red umbrella. Her family owns a famous ryokan in the city and Yukiko is always busy preparing herself to take over the business. She is named the next owner of the ryokan and feels oppressed by her expected duties. Despite her elegant appearance, she carries a whimsical side prone to fits of laughter.

Her Persona is Konohana-sakuya of The Priestess Arcana, resembling a Tokusatsu heroine and being almost completely pink in color, her uniform is reminiscent of a high school cheerleader's uniform. Like Yukiko, it appears to carry a pair of fans. Konohana-sakuya is skilled with healing and fire spells. Konohana-sakuya will evolve into Amaterasu once the Priestess Social Link (her Social Link) is maxed out.

Her Shadow takes the form of a caged red lovebird with Yukiko's head that is able to summon a prince-like shadow to assist it. It represents her resentment towards having her destiny already chosen for her as inheritor of the Amagi Inn, and her desires to be rescued by her "prince" Chie. Her Midnight Channel dungeon is a pink Romanesque castle filled with medieval furniture.

In the S.Link for The Priestess, Yukiko voiced her wish to the protagonist to leave Inaba and find a career away from managing her family inn. She eventually changed her mind when she realized she could not find the heart to leave the family and employees who supported her when she decided to learn to cook. In addition, Yukiko discovers her fear and resentment wasn't solely born from the idea of her inheriting the family business, but rather that the decision to take over was made for her by her family. She is also one of the female characters with whom the protagonist can have a romantic relationship.

A younger Yukiko makes an appearance in Persona 3 Portable at the Amagi Inn, when the Gekkokaun students take a field trip to Inaba. She is seen interacting with Rio Iwasaki.

Kanji Tatsumi

Kanji Tatsumi (巽 完二, Tatsumi Kanji) Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (Japanese); Troy Baker (English)
Persona: Take-Mikazuchi and Rokuten-Maō of The Emperor arcana

A male delinquent with a bleached, swept-back, crewcut who has a scar above his left eye. He wears many piercings, metal jewelry, and a black sweater with a skull-and-crossbones design on it under his school uniform. He uses brute force in combat, swinging weapons such as steel chairs and shields. Kanji has a reputation as being a bully, and is the center of numerous rumors regarding a confrontation with a local biker gang. He also attends Yasogami High. His mother runs a textile shop in their home with Amagi's family being one of their main customers. Kanji is skilled with tailoring for this reason.

His Persona is Take Mikazuchi of The Emperor Arcana, which, like Kanji, is a large, imposing figure with a skeleton-like design similar to Kanji's winter uniform. He uses electric spells and physical attacks. Once the player completes Kanji's Emperor S.Link, Take-Mikazuchi will evolve into Rokuten Maō.

Kanji's Midnight Channel dungeon is a men's bathhouse. His Shadow is a mostly nude version of himself surrounded by roses and holding two Mars symbols. It represents his desire to be accepted by society (mainly females because of their impression of him) for who he really is regardless of his hobbies.

In the S.Link for The Emperor, Kanji and the protagonist met a boy who lost a doll. Reminded of his situation during that age and in an effort to cheer up the child, Kanji personally made him a few dolls, which were done so well that it became a hit to the children and their mothers, due to this Kanji's textile shop added his works as side business, and by the end of the game he has his own handcraft classes. Kanji eventually learns to take pride in his skills, rather than hide them.

Rise Kujikawa

Rise Kujikawa (久慈川 りせ, Kujikawa Rise) Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese); Laura Bailey (English)
Persona: Himiko and Kanzeon of The Lovers arcana

A cheerful-looking girl with bright-red hair tied in two pigtails. She was one of the most popular idols in Japan, but suddenly quit her job and transferred to Yasogami High School as a freshman out of reasons unknown. Her look is reminiscent to Yuka Ayase from Shin Megami Tensei: Persona. She takes over the role of support character once Teddie awakens his Persona.

Her Persona is Himiko of The Lovers Arcana. Himiko who wears a white gown, has a satellite dish for a face and holds a visor which resembles the torch held by her namesake. Himiko allows Rise to provide background and enemy information for the party both in and out of battle. Once the protagonist completes Rise's Lovers S.Link, Himiko evolves into Kanzeon.

Rise's Shadow is a pole dancer in a rainbow zentai suit which resembles Rise. Her Midnight Channel dungeon resembles a strip club, including stages with poles, curtains, and sexual looking Shadows. Rise's shadow represents her anger at being stereotyped as an eroticized, airheaded popstar, represented as a sex symbol. However, her true worry was finding her true identity.

In The Lovers S.Link, the protagonist helps Rise's transition from her brief departure in showbiz. At first, she's happy to have left behind the alias "Risette", but numerous reminders of her time in the spotlight, including pestering from her former manager, a new replacement idol and a letter from her biggest fan, make her somewhat regret her departure. The Main Character helps her realize that even though Risette was a part of her that she only showed to the public, it was still part of what made Rise who she is and that she should accept all sides of herself. She then voiced her plans to return to her idol job by spring. She is also one of the female characters whom the protagonist can have a romantic relationship with.

Naoto Shirogane

Naoto Shirogane (白鐘 直斗, Shirogane Naoto) Voiced by: Romi Paku (Japanese); Susan Dalian (English)

Persona: Sukuna Hikona and Yamato Takeru of The Fortune arcana

Young, serious-looking, and possessing an androgynous appearance, Naoto almost always wears a newsboy cap, conveying an appearance not unlike the classical gakuran school uniforms of the late 19th century. Combined with body language and gestures, she is reminiscent of Raidou Kuzunoha, combined with the protagonist of Persona 3. Naoto uses a revolver in combat. A well-known detective, Naoto moves to Inaba in order to aid the police in investing the murder case. Naoto was dubbed the "Detective Prince" by the media. She reveals that her parents died in a car accident when she was younger, and her grandfather took her in.

Naoto's Persona is Sukuna Hikona of Fortune Arcana, a Persona that is smaller than its own user and wears a cape that resemble butterfly wings over a blue suit and shorts. It uses an energy sword longer than itself and is capable of using almighty, light, dark, & physical skills. When Naoto's Social Link, Fortune, is completed, her Persona will evolve into Yamato Takeru.

Naoto's Shadow is a robotic doppelganger, equipped with large toy like laser guns, rocket feet and a jet pack; this form represents Naoto's resentment towards being treated as a child by the police as well as her views on the police force being dominated by men. In the end her one true desire was to accept herself for who she was. Naoto's Midnight Channel dungeon is a scientific military complex based on Japanese superhero shows for children, filled with mechanical shadows and falcon symbols.

In The Fortune S.Link, Naoto receives a challenge by a criminal known as the "Phantom Thief" and her S.Link events involves the protagonist solving the case along with her. Naoto seems reluctant at first calling it a waste of time, but as the case goes on, she becomes more enthusiastic in solving it. Eventually the Phantom Thief is revealed to be one of her family's servants, under her grandfather's orders, who had her search for childhood memorabilia. When the case is over, Naoto realizes what the purpose of the case was and regains her passion for being a detective. She also decides that she's not a detective to uphold her family tradition, but because she wants to be and thoroughly enjoys it. She is one of the female characters with whom the protagonist can have a romantic relationship.

Teddie

Teddie (クマ, Kuma) Voiced by: Kappei Yamaguchi (Japanese); Dave Wittenberg (English)
Persona: Kintoki Douji and Kamui of The Star arcana

Teddie is a strange stuffed-bear-like creature with blue fur and a red/white jumpsuit who resides in the world of the Midnight Channel. In the Japanese version, Teddie has a verbal tic, where he usually ends his speeches with "-kuma". The North American Version has him making puns on the word "bear" (Bear-sona, etc). He serves as outside support in battle, but is later replaced and becomes a party member during battle. When fighting, he uses knuckles and other hand-worn weapons. He is often used as comic relief. Teddie's human form later in the game is a blonde, charming, bishonen looking teenager.

His Persona is Kintoki Douji of The Star Arcana, who has the appearance of a bulbous red boiler with stubby limbs in a blue cape, carrying a tomahawk missile (the axe (tomahawk) is Kintoki's trademark) in its arms. It is capable of using ice spells. He is also the other main healer. Once Teddie's Social Link is complete, Kintoki-Dōji will evolve into Kamui.

Teddie's Shadow is a larger form of his bear costume coming out of a hole in the ground, with portions of its face missing, revealing a void underneath. It represents Teddie's fear that his existence is superficial and "hollow". The Shadow also hints at his forgotten true identity - that is, the fact that he is a Shadow. He learned to speak human language and became friendly with humans, taking his bear-like form so that people would like him upon meeting him. Teddie eventually takes a human form upon acquiring a persona so that he can be with others in the real world. Despite being a shadow, he is special because he entered the velvet room.

Social Links

Ryotaro Dojima

Ryotaro Dojima (堂島 遼太郎, Dōjima Ryōtarō) Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese); David Lodge (English)

A detective and caretaker of the Main Character. Ryotaro is a hard working single father of Nanako Dojima but mostly spends his time away from family due to the murders. Adachi is his partner. He is obsessed with a hit-and-run that killed his wife, and continues to investigate it, to the neglect of his daughter. His events involve him coming to the resolution that he was running away from his fatherly duties by using the case of his wife's hit-and-run, because he was scared of being a father to Nanako.

He is the Social Link for The Hierophant Arcana.

Nanako Dojima

Nanako Dojima (堂島 菜々子, Dōjima Nanako) Voiced by: Akemi Kanda (Japanese); Karen Strassman (English)

The young cousin of the Main Character and Ryotaro's only daughter. Nanako is a very innocent character but is usually left at home due to her fathers work. Nanako is capable of taking care of herself and watches TV most of the time. She treats the Main Character as an older brother and tries to do whatever she can to spend time with the family members. Nanako mostly talks about the afterlife and asks where good and bad people go. The Protagonist helps Nanako come to terms with her father's busy professional life, realizing that he also missed her mother as much as she did. In the Hierophant social link, it is revealed that Nanako suffers from an illness that is not explained. She is the Social Link for the Justice Arcana.

When Nanako is kidnapped and placed into the Midnight Channel, it creates a dungeon based on her thoughts. The dungeon which is formed is her interpretation of heaven mixed with innocent thoughts such as rainbows, flowers, meadows, beanstalks and gates. This fantasized heaven was created in her heart for her deceased mother, whom she misses dearly. She is innocently in denial over her loneliness, seeing as she has her "Big Bro", the protagonist with her now. The player does not fight Nanako's Shadow, as Teddie explains that Nanako is too young to have an ego, therefore no shadow to suppress. During the investigation of Namatame, Nanako passes away and the party blames him for her death; the protagonist is then forced to choose between extracting revenge on Namatame or sparing his life. If Namatame is killed, Nanako's death is set and the worst ending will occur. If the protagonist chooses not to take revenge, and save his life, Nanako is resurrected by unknown means, although Teddie's involvement is critical in the event.

Kou Ichijo

Kou Ichijo (一条 廣, Ichijō Kō)

One of the main character's classmates. He has black hair and plays basketball. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, he is very passionate about basketball. He often hangs out with the Soccer Club's Daisuke Nagase. An adopted child of a rich family, he became concerned regarding his place in the world without knowing his roots. A skilled Basketball player, participating in the sport makes him extremely happy, though his parents disapprove at first. He explains to the Main Character and Daisuke that he feels pressure to uphold the family name and do as he is asked. Soon, his parents tell him that he playing basketball is fine by them; Kou had been freed from his family responsibility since his parents had a biological daughter that was recently born. After this, Kou found everything in his life meaningless since he felt he had nothing to live for. Even playing basketball couldn't rekindle his spirits. It is through the Main Character and Daisuke that Kou realizes that he has to choose his own path in life and find his own meaning in living. It is also revealed that he has a crush on Chie in one of Ai's Social Links.

He and Daisuke Nagase are the "Fellow Athletes" Social Link for the Strength Arcana, if you join the Basketball Club.

Daisuke Nagase

Daisuke Nagase (長瀬 大輔, Nagase Daisuke)

One of the main character's classmates. He has brownish hair and sports an aggressive look, and also has a plaster on his nose which is a commonplace look of field athletes. Despite his wild exterior, he's actually a nice guy who initially acts shy towards girls. It is eventually revealed by Kou that Daisuke was humiliated during a break-up with his middle school girlfriend. This caused him to not put his full effort into anything, including soccer, since he was afraid that it'd be all for naught. Through a couple of verbal fights with Kou and the protagonist, Daisuke realizes that he was giving up on everything too soon and he'd rather quit than meet with failure. After realizing this, he speaks with his ex-girlfriend (who happened to be dating one of the varsity players on the team) and gains the closure he needed by explaining how he felt. Daisuke thanks Kou and the protagonist for their help.

He and Kou Ichijou are the "Fellow Athletes" Social Link for the Strength Arcana, if you join the Soccer Club.

Ai Ebihara

Ai Ebihara (海老原 あい, Ebihara Ai) Voiced by: Julie Ann Taylor

One of the main character's classmates. She has orange, wavy/curly hair, and a serious expression. At first, she seems to be a cold hearted ice queen, and, like Yukiko, comes from a rich and influential family. She doesn't open up to many, and has a penchant for manipulating others. She is the sports team manager, but seems to possess little to no love for sports, and is more interested in the club's team captain (either Nagase or Ichijo, depending on which club the main character has joined) rather than her duties. However, as the protagonist befriends Ai, she reveals that as a child, she was overweight and called ugly by her peers, similar to Eikichi Mishina of Persona 2. After her family struck its fortune and moved to Inaba, she decided to change herself and studied fashion while working to slim down until she became as attractive and popular as she wanted to be. The team captain she falls for, however, isn't interested in her as she learns after forcing the player into asking, causing her to attempt suicide. When the player consoles Ai after being rejected, she starts to fall for the player, who can accept or reject her love. In either case, she grows to trust the player who shows her that looks aren't all there is to love and she wants to be true to herself.

She is the Social Link for The Moon Arcana.

Naoki Konishi

Naoki Konishi (小西 尚紀, Konishi Naoki) Voiced by: Derek Stephen Prince

The brother of the deceased Saki Konishi. His father owns the liquor store in the Central Shopping area, he seems to hold a grudge against the protagonist for the death of his sister. During the game, however, Naoki is quite resentful for different reasons. Naoki is constantly pitied by everybody for having lost his sister Saki. As a result, Naoki seems trapped and is unable to move on with his own life since he's reminded of Saki's death constantly. However, later on in the game, Naoki reveals that he felt that he may have been different since he couldn't mourn for his sister in the same manner as seen on T.V. or at least, not as strongly as most people normally would. In the end, Naoki really did miss his sister, as he was finally able to mourn and truly move on.

He is the Social Link for the Hanged Man Arcana.

Yumi Ozawa

Yumi Ozawa (小沢 結実, Ozawa Yumi) Voiced by: Melissa Fahn

One of the main character's classmates. She has black, short hair in a very reserved looking style. She is extremely tall and graceful. Soon after the Main Character joins, Yumi gives subtle hints that she joined the Drama Club in order to escape from her life. During one of the clubs meetings, a student informs her that her mother passed out. She rushes to the hospital to find out that her mother lied about who it was in order to get Yumi to see her father, whom left her and her mother when she was younger. It turns out that he has a terminal illness and Yumi is torn between her hatred for him and her father's request to see his daughter before he passes away. As the Social Link progresses, Yumi becomes even more torn and distressed because she's unable to deal with any decisions regarding her life due to her parents. Before Yumi's father passes on, her parents reveal the meaning of her name; "bear fruit". After some help from the protagonist and reflecting on what to "bear fruit" means, Yumi decides to leave the Drama Club and to not blame any future hardships on her parents or anyone else.

She is the Social Link for The Sun Arcana, if you join the Drama Club. She is also one of the S.Links the main character can have a relationship with.

Ayane Matsunaga

Ayane Matsunaga (松永 綾音, Matsunaga Ayane) Voiced by: Michelle Ann Dunphy

One of the main character's classmates. She has black short hair, in a style similar to Fuuka. She is very young looking, with red cheeks, and is often compared to an apple. She is a very shy, but skilled musician, similar to how Fuuka was also extremely shy. In her Social Link, the protagonist helps Ayane practice, both in school and out. Though not very skilled with the trombone at first, continuous practice helps her perform very well (though she admits to the protagonist that she was stuck with the instrument; she wanted to play the flute). When one of the trombone players for an upcoming concert gets in an accident, Ayane is appointed to take his place. A short time later, the original trombone player returns and though she's given the choice of still playing in the concert, Ayane relinquishes the part back to the original player. At first, she's very distraught about not standing up for herself, but she soon accepts that it's good to be a little selfish from time to time, regardless of the consequences. Ayane then gives the protagonist a "ticket" to a future concert that she hopes he will attend as a thank you.

She is the Social Link for The Sun, if you join the Music Club. She is also one of the S.Links the main character can have a relationship with.

Hisano Kuroda

Hisano Kuroda (黒田 ひさ乃, Kuroda Hisano)

An old woman dressed in mourning clothes whom the protagonist befriended, as he reminds her of her dead husband. At first, Hisano refers to herself as Death, confusing the Main Character. As the Main Character progresses in the Social Link, he learns that she feels guilty over her husband's death feeling that she caused him to die by wishing for it. Hisano and her unnamed husband were very much in love for the time they were together, but after time for unknown reasons, Hisano's husband became ill and eventually lost all memory of Hisano and their love. Alone, sad and helpless that he could actually forget about her, she wished for him to die in order to escape the pain (both his and her own). It is through the Main Character that she realizes that even though her husband lost his memory, the time and love that they shared was genuine and true, allowing Hisano to move on. She eventually leaves Inaba to live with her children.

She is the Social Link for the Death Arcana.

Shu Nakajima

Shu Nakajima (中島 秀, Nakajima Shū)

A young student whom the protagonist can tutor part-time. Shu at first is your stereotypical young academic being arrogant and full of himself. As the protagonist spends more time with him, he learns that Shu is very depressed because of all the pressure he feels to be the best in everything along with the constant stream of praise he receives from his mother. He also mentions a transfer student who he envies as this student surpasses Shu in almost every way. In order to stay on top and live up to his mother's expectations, Shu cheats on a test that he told the Main Character about and ends up being suspended from school, much to his mother's disappointment and disdain. The Main Character helps Shu realize that he should find more meaning in his life than just trying to face forward and be number one at everything; he and his mother reconcile and start over.

During the last month in game, when you talk to Shu, he tells you that him and that same transfer student are now great friends and his own popularity has increased as well as a result.

He is the Social Link for The Tower Arcana.

Eri Minami

Eri Minami (南 絵里, Minami Eri)

The stepmother of Yuuta, one of the children from the day care center where the protagonist can work part-time. Eri and Yuuta faced difficulties accepting each other as part of the family. Eri and Yuuta's father were only married for about half a year before he had to leave for China on business. As such, Eri and Yuuta had nothing that connected them and so they grew more and more distant. As the Social Link progresses, it shows that both Eri and Yuuta care about each other very much but are held back by their own fears; Eri fears that she could never be a good mother and Yuuta fears that Eri hates him or will hate him if he upsets her. The Main Character helps the both of them realize that in order for a relationship to work, both of them have to take steps forward and not be held back by their own biases. When they finally decide on working to become a family, Eri and Yuuta leave the day care center behind, thanking the protagonist for his help.

She is the Social Link for the Temperance Arcana.

Sayoko Uehara

Sayoko Uehara (上原 小夜子, Uehara Sayoko) Voiced by: Wendee Lee

A nurse from the hospital where the protagonist can work part-time as a janitor. Has a cynical view on her profession as patients leave her, whether by dying, or recovering and leaving the hospital. As such, she attempts to seduce the protagonist often. Her attitude changes when she discovers that one of her patients from the hospital she previously worked at, a young boy not even in school yet, died. When she learns of his death, her attitude changes from a flirtatious cynic to a strict workaholic. It isn't long before the other hospital staff prefer Sayoko's more easygoing personality. During one of the days that the protagonist is working, he is asked by a nurse to help bring in Sayoko to a hospital bed since she collapsed from exhaustion. It is then that she realizes that she was overworking herself and her coworkers to escape the loneliness of her patients leaving her and the pain of losing a patient under her care. She speaks with the protagonist one last time saying that she'll be leaving the hospital to rediscover why she originally became a nurse in the first place. Sayoko thanks the protagonist, gives him her work I.D. and leaves her old self behind. It was later revealed that she went to Africa as a volunteer. She appears physically similar to singer Shiina Ringo, due to her mole and nurse outfit, something Shiina was very popular for during her early years of music.

She is the Social Link for the Devil Arcana.

Fox

Fox (キツネ, Kitsune)

The mysterious fox of the shrine, who bares a rugged appearance from its distinctive scars yet keeps up a cute image with the red heart pattern bib it wears. Fox is the guardian of the shrine but has problems with donations. The protagonist encounters Fox after donating some yen. Apparently the shrine does not receive many donations and the only person donating to the shrine is the protagonist. The Fox assists with helping his friends inside dungeons by restoring their SP, at a heavy price, meaning the player must pay a certain amount of yen per point per character (example: recovery of 60 yen per point, recover 100 points, final price = 6,000 yen.)

The fox is the Social Link for The Hermit Arcana. The rank is increased by answering the wishes of people who prayed at the shrine, to increase the donations. Increasing the rank also lowers the price of SP Recovery from Fox, which is astronomical otherwise. After the Social Link is Maxed Out, a new area of the shrine is opened that allows the Main Character to pray to increase the relationship of the other Social Links in the game.

Margaret

Margaret (マーガレット, Māgaretto) Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Michelle Ann Dunphy (English)

A mysterious woman replacing Elizabeth as Igor's assistant after Elizabeth set off on a journey. After establishing the Social Link with her, she requests the Protagonist to create a certain Persona with a certain skill from fusion, as a euphemism for drawing out those aspects of the protagonists personality. Although she seems very composed and dignified at first glance, she actually has a silly whimsical sense of humor.

In the second playthrough and if certain conditions are met, Margaret will challenge the Protagonist's team to fight her, as she wants to discover for herself the reason why her sister abandoned her role in the Velvet Room.

She is the Social Link for The Empress Arcana.

Margaret is set to appear in Persona 3 Portable, as the one in charge of the Vision Quest.

Other Characters

Kinshiro Morooka

Kinshiro Morooka (諸岡 金四郎, Morooka Kinshirō) Voiced by: Osamu Ryutani (Japanese); Kirk Thornton (English)

Homeroom teacher of Class 2-2. Known as King Moron in English and Morokin in Japanese, he is snobbish and judgemental to current teenage pop culture and constantly reminds his students to study hard. Insensitive to the problems of others, as seen when talking to Kanji during summer camp.

He was killed after Rise was rescued by the Protagonist from the Midnight Channel. However, his murder has nothing to do with the Midnight Channel, being a copycat murder done by the attention-seeking Mitsuo Kubo.

Noriko Kashiwagi

Noriko Kashiwagi (柏木 典子, Kashiwagi Noriko) Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (Japanese); Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (English)

A new teacher to Yasogami High to replace Morooka after he was killed. She flirts with her students, or, to the least, tries to grab their attention. Even though her personality is the polar opposite of Morooka's, she is greatly hated by the students of 2-2. She also hates Rise, calling her "a piece of inexperienced jailbait". According to the students talking when she introduces herself, she's "on the wrong side of 40."

Ms. Kashiwagi also makes an appearance in Persona 3 Portable. She is at the beach in the male protagonist's path during their "Operation Babe Hunt". Like in Persona 4, she likes attention from younger men and makes a pass at Akihiko.

Saki Konishi

Saki Konishi (小西 早紀, Konishi Saki) Voiced by: Jessica Straus

A third year student of Yasogami High, she is the only daughter of the Konishi family that ran Yasoinaba's only liquor store. She took a job in Junes' Yasoinaba branch, despite objections from her parents and blame the store for ruining their business. As such, Saki blames Yosuke and his family for her current plight.

She is killed in the Midnight Channel after the culprit attempts to assault her. Her death led the way to the creation of the Investigation Team.

Hanako Ohtani

Hanako Ohtani (大谷 花子, Ōtani Hanako) Voiced by: Jessica Straus

An obese classmate of the protagonist. She teams up with Ms. Kashiwagi for some scenes later in the game. It is also known later in the game that she is the person responsible for putting items in the Main Character's shoe locker as she was the person who has a crush on the main character.

Mayumi Yamano

Mayumi Yamano

A TV reporter, she was known to the public for her supposed affair with Namatame. To hide from the public, she stayed in the Amagi Inn.

Being the first victim of the Midnight Channel, she died after the culprit attempted to rape her but instead threw her into the TV

Returning Characters

Igor

Igor Voiced by: Isamu Tanonaka (Japanese); Dan Woren (English)

A mysterious, long-nosed gentleman who resides in the Velvet Room (which has recently taken the form of a limousine). As in the other Persona games, Igor's purpose is to assist the player in acquiring new powers and Persona. It is revealed by Margaret that Igor creates the Velvet Room himself and bases its appearance on who the protagonist is at the time, as well as their situation.

Chihiro Fushimi

Chihiro Fushimi (伏見 千尋, Fushimi Chihiro) Voiced by: Ai Maeda (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English)

The treasurer from Persona 3 makes a return in Persona 4. She appears to have become more confident in the two years separating Persona 3's beginning and Persona 4's. She is also the current Student Council president of Gekkoukan High School, and apparently kept in touch with Mitsuru Kirijo. She acts as a greeter during the Field trip to Tatsumi Port Island at Gekkoukan High.

Tanaka

Tanaka

The president of a company from Persona 3 makes a return in Persona 4. He still owns a very successful business and is hosting his TV show called "Tanaka's Amazing Commodities" every Sunday.

Mr. Edogawa

Mr. Edogawa

The magic teacher and school nurse from Persona 3 lectures the characters during their trip to Gekkoukan, and as was often the case in the third game; his lecture has a link to the underlying mechanics of the game. In this case, he discusses the gods thought to have created Japan, including Izanagi, the Protagonist's initial persona.

Antagonists

Mitsuo Kubo

Mitsuo Kubo (久保 美津夫, Kubo Mitsuo) Voiced by: Kyle Hebert

A juvenile killer who is responsible for Morooka's death and is the first suspect the group believes to be behind the murder case. He makes a pass at Yukiko at the beginning of the game, and is rejected out of hand, since no one knows who he is. He is later revealed to be an isolated student who was expelled from school prior to the beginning of the game.

Initially he had a minor role in the game until he appeared on the Midnight Channel. During this event, it is shown that he was trapped in the midnight channel by Adachi when he confessed to his crimes. Eventually the group manages to find him in the T.V. and save him from being killed by his shadow. Mitsuo is then taken away by the authorities. Due to the fact the kidnappings did not cease after his capture, the group then comes to the conclusion he was a copy-cat killer and is in fact mentally unstable.

Mitsuo's other self differed from other characters, and rather than mock the original with their darker, inner feelings, his stayed quiet and said nothing. This is referenced to the fact that on the inside, Mitsuo is empty, trying to act powerful to get attention when in reality he is just a loser. After being defeated, it disappeared in a puff of smoke, rather than turning into a Persona due to Mitsuo not accepting his true self.

Mitsuo's shadow takes the form of an unborn fetus that is able to build a video game warrior as a barrier. It represents his feelings of not being noticed by anyone and his opinion that he must kill in order to get attention. In addition to his shadow's actions, his TV Dungeon resembles an old school RPG. It has some references to the first Shin Megami Tensei game on the Super Famicom.

Taro Namatame

Taro Namatame (生田目 太郎, Namatame Tarō) Voiced by: Kōji Haramaki (Japanese); J. B. Blanc (English)

The person responsible for the kidnappings past the first two murders. Believing that his actions were good, he was manipulated by Adachi into throwing the victims into the TV world. Though he was responsible for the kidnappings in the game, he was not an antagonist in the traditional sense since he believed that he was saving the people who appeared on the midnight channel from mortal danger. Like the Protagonist and Adachi, he was given the power to enter TVs by Izanami. When he attempted to capture Nanako, he is defeated in the TV World by the main characters and sent to the hospital, insisting that he is trying to save her. In a critical point in the story the player can kill Namatame, diffuse the situation, or identify the true killer as a different person, each resulting in a different ending. If the player chooses to kill Namatame the worst ending will occur, while failing to identify another killer while saving Namatame will result in the bad ending. Realizing that there is another killer, will result in Namatame (at a later point) revealing critical information, putting the investigation team on the right track. In reality, Namatame had figured out after Mayumi's death that her appearance on the Midnight Channel had foreshadowed her murder, and he sought out Saki Konichi in order to warn her. After she died, Namatame tried to contact the police and Adachi inspired him into throwing people into the TV to protect them from the killer, after the victims turned up alive after his kidnappings, he believed he was truly helping them. It wasn't until his experience with Nanako that he realized he had been sending the victims to near certain death.

Namatame's shadow, called Kunino-Sagiri is a large red humanoid creature with a gigantic halo shaped like a peace sign growing out of its head, wearing a long robe with a red peace sign on the front. Even his finger's give the peace sign. It represents his misguided image of himself as a savior.

Tohru Adachi

Tohru Adachi (足立 透, Adachi Tōru) Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
Persona: Magatsu-Izanagi

A young police officer in Inaba's police department, and Dojima's junior partner.

In the Normal/True ending path it is revealed that Adachi is behind the two initial murders. He became interested in Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi and pushed them into TVs when they spurned his feelings. At first, he had the intent of raping Mayumi Yamano and she backs into the TV. At that moment, he discovers his power and pushes her in. When Saki Konishi is interviewed for the murder of Mayumi Yamano, Adachi once again attempts to rape her but when she fights back, he pushes her into the TV. It is heavily implied that he is suffering so much because of the expectations and pressure from society he has to deal with, though, based on his rationalization of his actions and demeanor, it is also likely that he is sociopathic. Afterward, he tricked Namatame into kidnapping people under the idea that he was keeping them from danger, which is reinforced as every person Namatame "rescues" is then saved by the main characters group. He explains that his reason for doing so is nothing more than to entertain himself and disgust for the human world, in fact, he reveals that the only reason he became a police officer was so that he could legally carry a gun. He gained his power from Izanami like the Protagonist, though he seems to be unaware of Izanami's influence. He was defeated by the party and arrested for his crimes. If the player continues towards the true ending the protagonist receives a letter from a recently convicted Adachi, stating his suspicions of a true Conductor behind all of the events of the midnight channel, providing the investigation team with new insight to their reasoning. His Persona is Magatsu Izanagi, which resembles the protagonist's Persona, but holds its spear backhanded, and is a dark black color with glowing red fissures covering its body.

Ameno-sagiri

Ameno-sagiri

A creature created by Izanami that was partially influencing Adachi's actions. Responsible for the Fog, it comes in the form of a gigantic eye. It believes itself to pursue man's true desires, and it is the presumed final boss if the player chooses not to pursue the true ending or fail to identify Izanami as the true culprit.

Ameno-sagiri has no known voice actor, although he does speak through Adachi when he takes control of him after he is defeated by the group.

Izanami

Izanami (イザナミ, Izanami)

Voiced by: Karen Strassman

The goddess Izanami, and mastermind behind everything. Claiming that it's what humans desire, she aims to cover the world in mist and turn mankind into shadows. Disguising herself as a local gas station attendant, she was able to directly grant outsiders like Namatame, Adachi and the protagonist the ability to directly enter the TV. Her true nature is hinted at somewhat because as the gas station employee she'll only show up on rainy days. Furthermore, in the game's introduction, the controller will rumble at the moment Izanami shakes hands with the protagonist (this is highlighted again by Izanami herself in the final portion of the game).

Her Midnight Channel dungeon is Yomotsu Hirasaka. When fought her first form looks like that of a goddess, but after it is defeated and she does not die it is revealed that like in the myth, she is already dead and rotting, as she reveals her true form, that of a massive, skeletal monster. The main character defeats her by using his Social Links to turn Izanagi into Izanagi-no-Okami and defeat her with a single attack named Myriad Truths. Despite her antagonistic nature, she thoroughly believes in what humanity wants, and later congratulates the investigation team for discovering the truth, as well as defeating her.