Persona 6 Should Lean on P3R Over P5R When it Comes to Party Persona Growth

Persona awakenings are a defining part of the Persona series’ identity in so many ways. No moments are quite as iconic and visceral as the first glimpse of its characters tapping into their true potential, from the shattered glass left in the wake of an Evoker in Persona 3 Reload to revealing what’s beneath the mask in Persona 5 Royal. These moments of resolve are a testament to Atlus’ prowess not only in artistic direction, drawing from legend and folklore to imagine gorgeous Persona designs, but also in the strength of its character building; highlighted in the party’s motivations are subsequent awakenings which tie into their growth, though Persona 3‘s approach lends itself to more narrative weight.

As Persona 3 Reload taps into the original Persona 3 and FES‘ source material, so too does it build on iconic scenes that highlight the strengths of its cast. Exploring themes of trauma and grief, the focus on P3‘s cast in respect to their losses and their will to move forward is emotionally poignant, made so through its reflective moments. From Yukari finally hearing her father’s message to Akihiko’s resolve at the funeral, the use of second awakenings in Persona 3 is intrinsically tied into its plot, done in such a way that elevates the growth of its cast. Having these awakenings be pivotal to the story separates it from P5 Royal‘s approach, with a case to be made for Persona 6 to follow suit.

Persona 6 Could Have Party Awakenings as a Natural Progression of its Plot

Persona Awakenings Through Fulfilling Confidants

Persona 5‘s emphasis on the Confidant structure was a natural iteration on Social Links, placing even more importance on how players manage their time. This extended towards the title’s approach to secondary awakenings, utilizing fully ranked Confidants to allow for party Persona transformations. In Persona 5 Royal, this was expanded on to include tertiary awakenings, tying into the title’s added third semester content. In both cases, Persona transformations were addressed through Joker’s relationship with the corresponding character, and though they offered similar insight and reflective moments as Persona 3, their reliance on the protagonist begs the question of whether the pros of this approach outweigh the cons.

Plot Specific Persona Awakenings

Rewarding clever scheduling is a vital part of Persona 3 through 5‘s social sim mechanics, though at least with secondary party awakenings, there’s a case to be made that they should be initiated by the plot rather than through Social Links. Though the bond system is just as defining as Personas themselves, the ability to showcase the cast’s transformation outside the protagonist’s lens feels like a way to better highlight their agency. With Akihiko and Yukari, for example, their second awakenings are quieter, introspective moments that have more weight due in part to the characters being alone to reflect. This isn’t to say that second awakenings taking place among other characters aren’t as effective; rather, having them intrinsically tied to the plot and sometimes outside the protagonist’s purview could be beneficial.

It can be argued that having subsequent party awakenings occur through completing Social Links, and thus the player’s actions, helps them be better tied to gameplay. Persona 3 and its varying editions are actually outliers in having Ultimate Personas be story-initiated, as the other mainline Persona games rely on the player fulfilling certain criteria to unlock them. Still, with the Persona games being so character-driven, having such transformative moments exist outside the plot feels like a missed opportunity. While it is difficult to consider the rate at which party members are added or experience pivotal story development, treating second awakenings less as rewards and more as a natural evolution of that character within the story feels like it could be the right move for Persona 6.

Compromising in the Awakening Structure

There is a chance that Persona 6 could make a compromise to this structure, having second Persona awakenings be initiated through the plot and third awakenings through Social Links, or vice versa. This would be reliant, however, on third-tier awakenings even being in the base game, as this could be something relegated to an enhanced edition or even Persona 6 DLC, if rumors are true. Whichever way Persona 6 chooses to handle things, it will be interesting to see just how much its cast develops throughout its story, and how this growth is reflected in their Personas’ designs as they resolve to move forward.