Persona 5's cast of characters are still in the midst of a victory lap. After Persona 5 became the most financially successful title in the Persona series to date, every other franchise seemed to want a slice of the pie, and Atlus was more than happy to show off the game's protagonists. The Phantom Thieves' catlike companion Morgana is a guest character in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania, and that's only their latest cameo, coming after other high profile appearances like Joker's invitation to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Joker and his friends just seem to have a certain magic in their designs that keep them feeling fresh and exciting wherever they go.
That's the kind of magic that Persona 6 needs to imitate. Persona fans already know that Atlus wants Persona 6 to be an even bigger hit than Persona 5, and that means coming up with a protagonist that's as relatable and charming as Joker. That's a pretty high bar to clear, though. Joker was something of a breakthrough in Persona player character design. Thanks to a few subtle and not-so-subtle changes to the Persona protagonist formula, he's a step forward for the franchise in some big ways. If Persona 6 wants to surpass Persona 5, then it has to find new areas for growth.
Persona 5's Joker Changed the Game
There's a couple reasons that Joker stands apart from the Persona protagonists who came before him. For one thing, his physical design is a lot more complicated than his predecessors, simply because he has two completely different appearances based on whether he's in the real world or the Persona world. In the real world, he's a high school student just like his predecessors, with his scruffy black hair and large glasses setting him apart. In the Persona world, though, his outfit completely changes to that of a gentleman thief. Most Persona protagonists don't undergo a transformation in this other world, but Joker's mask, coat, and signature red gloves define his appearance as Persona 5's lead. Persona 6 could imitate this concept of a protagonist with two aesthetics, but it might not hit as hard, simply because Joker did it first.
Joker's personality is also a crucial reason that he's such a likeable character. He may be a largely silent protagonist, as Persona tradition dictates, but he's far from lacking in character, partly because he's really not that silent at all. Joker has vastly more scattered snippets of spoken dialogue than, say, Persona 4's protagonist, who is almost wholly silent outside of combat. Joker has quite a few combat voice lines that show thoughtful and theatrical sides, but he also speaks when players save the game, earn social stat points, or play the Tycoon minigame in Persona 5 Royal, all of which showcase his relaxed and confident side. For a silent character in an RPG, Joker is shockingly well fleshed out this way, and then there's still a plethora of text dialogue options that hint at both Joker's empathetic nature and his sense of humor. That's a tough act for Persona 6 to follow.
Persona 6 Has to Bottle Joker's Magic
Persona 6 might be able to get away with just imitating the new design aspects of Joker that worked. Maybe the world of Shadows and Personas will operate very similarly to its incarnation as the Metaverse in Persona 5, meaning a protagonist with a strong aesthetic adopts an equally striking design when they enter this other world. Additionally, Atlus could easily supply a long list of voicelines to the Persona 6 protagonist and pepper them throughout the game like it did with Joker's dialogue.
Still, that might not be enough to outperform Persona 5 in terms of popularity. Persona 6 could imitate the tools that Persona 5 used, but the devil is in the details. Joker isn't a success just because he's different from other Persona heroes; he's a success because fans loved all of his specific design traits. Persona 6 can develop its protagonist the same way that Persona 5 did, but it can't just make a second Joker, because fans would certainly criticize Atlus for cloning Persona 5's protagonist rather than coming up with something new. That means Persona 6 needs to carefully develop a character who is as aesthetically and socially complex as Joker, while also being completely different from him.
There's no guarantee that whatever design Atlus comes up with will hold the same appeal, though, and that might be the biggest risk that Persona 6 takes. The game can comfortably build on Persona 5's advancements in purely mechanical departments like Confidant perks, combat, and dungeon exploration, but designing characters is a very delicate process. Since Persona has spent years as a franchise about relationships, empathy, and self-knowledge, Persona 6's characters need to be perfect, and its protagonist needs to be the best of them all. Without a razor-sharp protagonist, Persona 6 probably can't outperform Persona 5.
How Can Persona 6 Replicate Joker?
None of this is to say that Persona 6's plan can't be done. There's definitely ways that the next Persona game's characters can stand out from the rest like Joker and the Phantom Thieves did. For instance, maybe Persona 6 will distance itself from some of the anime tropes that Persona 5 worked with and try to mix up some more wholly original characters. Alternatively, maybe Atlus will make a much more dramatic change to its protagonist by giving them full voice acting rather than a smattering of voice clips. Still, even if these options are in place, Atlus has to approach this issue carefully and put a ton of work into polishing the hero of Persona 6.
It seems likely that Persona 5 will serve as a blueprint for Persona games for a very long time. After it exposed so many more people to the franchise and made so many positively received changes to Persona conventions, Atlus will probably study the game very closely in an attempt to replicate its success. It's unlikely that every Persona game from here on out will be another Persona 5, making strides in the series' design and bringing in droves of new fans, but there's no harm in Atlus trying. Everything Joker touches seems to turn to gold, so it's only logical that Atlus aims for a protagonist with the same ineffable charm.
Persona 6 is in development.