After the resounding success of Persona 5, fans of the Atlus RPG franchise have unsurprisingly hoped for sequels or spinoffs that make continued use of the Phantom Thieves. Atlus has delivered a fair bit of that already, from the extended edition Persona 5 Royal to the hack-and-slash action RPG Persona 5 Strikers, but fans still hope that there's more Persona 5 content around the corner as a part of the franchise's 25th anniversary celebration. While it's unclear how much more Atlus wants to do with the Phantom Thieves, one persistent rumor offers an enticing possibility. Atlus could still create a fighting game for Persona 5 in the style of Persona 4 Arena.
A theoretical Persona 5 Arena seems more believable now that fans know the first Arena game's sequel Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is getting PC, Switch, and PS4 versions in 2022. The Phantom Thieves certainly have distinct fighting styles that would make all of them just as suited for one-on-one battles as their Persona 3 and 4 peers. However, Persona 5 Arena would have to address one important character of Persona 5: Goro Akechi. The Phantom Thieves' rival and Persona 5 antihero may be difficult to integrate into the game due to his unknown fate, but Persona 5 Arena would lose out on a crucial part of the Persona 5 brand by excluding him.
Persona 5 Arena's Akechi Dilemma
Akechi's status at the end of both Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal is ambiguous. Persona 5 strongly suggests that Akechi gives his life to save the Phantom Thieves in Shido's Palace, but strictly speaking, that's never explicitly confirmed. Persona 5 Royal brings Akechi back from the brink to participate in its third semester, and while the game's true ending suggests Akechi may be alive, it also doesn't offer much clarity about where he is now or what he's doing. Persona 5 Strikers got around including Akechi by focusing on a couple of new characters, but Strikers' refusal to even mention Akechi in his absence causes his specter to hang over the game's events.
Persona 5 Arena, should Atlus decide to make it, would certainly want Akechi there. He could contribute a lot to a fighting game spinoff thanks to his twin Personas. It'd be great to see two playable versions of Akechi in Persona 5 Arena, one wielding Robin Hood while wearing the red mask disguise, and one wielding Loki while wearing Akechi's true Metaverse outfit. What's more, it's almost impossible to imagine Persona 5 Arena without Akechi to a certain extent. His close relationship with Joker and his role as the Phantom Thieves' nemesis are pivotal to Persona 5's story, and he's a major face of the franchise now. Persona 5 Strikers suffered from his absence, so an Arena game would too.
However, as much as Akechi would contribute both mechanically and as a Persona brand ambassador, it's hard to imagine how he could possibly fit into Persona 5 Arena elegantly. Both the Persona 4 Arena games have narratives, but at the end of the day, the main draw of fighting games isn't usually the plot. If Akechi ever appears again, his dark past and various crimes will inevitably need to be addressed, but Persona 5 Arena may not be the right place to do that. Akechi's story deserves to be unpacked in a more narrative-focused genre than a fighting game. Unfortunately, that means Persona 5 Arena may be better off without him.
Atlus' Next Steps
Of course, the part Akechi plays will only ever matter if Atlus confirms a Persona 5 fighting game. The rumored game is in a precarious position now that Atlus fans know the studio is starting work on Persona 6, and yet, Persona 5 Arena doesn't seem wholly unlikely. Between Persona 5's cultural capital, the ongoing Persona anniversary, and Atlus' apparent intention to release a major game in 2022, there's still hope for a fighting game spinoff.
Persona 5 is available now for PS3 and PS4.