A Persona 5 fan just gave two of the Phantom Thieves a pink makeover that would make Barbie proud. Fan-favorite Harley Quinn actress Margot Robbie is set to portray the beloved doll in her first live-action feature film, which will see Barbie venture into the real world to find a place for herself after being expelled from Barbieland. Before this, there have been several animated Barbie movies, a few Barbie web cartoons, and multiple video games. AEW wrestler Colt Cabana recently turned heads by playing one of the more obscure of these Barbie titles on Twitch at a fan’s request.
Meanwhile, Persona 5 puts players into the role of Joker, a troubled Japanese teenager who finds himself transported to a fantasy world of his own called the Metaverse. There, he joins forces with an ever-growing group of like-minded friends to form the Phantom Thieves - Persona-empowered vigilantes who travel through the Metaverse and seek to reform Japanese society by stealing the distorted desires of corrupt adults. Persona 5 Royal, the 2020 updated re-release of 2016’s original, has broken global sales records and is considered to be one of the best entries in the Persona franchise.
At first glance, Barbie and Persona 5 don’t seem like they would fit together, but Reddit user and freelance web artist Stock-East4645 recently shared an impressive crossover on the Persona 5 subreddit, which can be seen here. This amusing drawing features Phantom Thieves Ann Takamaki and Ryuji Sakamoto (also known as Panther and Skull respectively) dressed in the florescent pink, yellow, and blue rollerskating outfits worn by the Barbie movie’s version of Barbie and Ken.
This humorous Barbie X Persona 5 crossover comes at an exciting time for both franchises. While Barbie is getting ready to hit the big screen on July 21, Persona 5 is getting a new mobile spin-off titled Persona 5: The Phantom X. A closed beta was launched by publisher Perfect World Games in March, allowing select fans to try out its Gacha mechanics and new cast of Phantom Thieves.
In the meantime, it seems some fans are having fun while waiting for the next installment of the storied Persona series by creating wild crossovers and Persona 5 Royal mods that allow players to control a female version of Joker. While Stock-East4645’s glamorous mash-up between Barbie and Persona 5 likely won’t spawn any Mattel dolls cast in the likeness of the Phantom Thieves, seeing Ann and Ryuji hitting the beach like Barbie and Ken is a surprisingly fun way to count down to the upcoming Barbie film.
Persona 5 Royal is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.