With Persona 5: Royal now on shelves since March 31st, we thought it might be a nice time to take a look back at all the amazing designs that this game has, of which there is a bountiful amount of. In the base game, including DLC, there were 210 designs! Royal adds a few more to the mix, even adding a whole new Awakening to the playable cast Persona, so we went through and picked out our favorite designs from each of the Arcana.
15 The Tier 3 Awakenings - Just All A+ Designs
We think it goes without saying that the Tier 3 Awakening Designs should all count as one entry. If they didn't, this article would be 95% made up of them. Yosuke's is our personal favorite, but all of them truly capitalize on what made the previous designs great. Plus, all of these designs now hold the true names of the historical thieves they represent, which is just such a nice touch.
14 Emperor: King Frost - Like Three Kids In A Trenchcoat
Okay, let's start things off for real with something recognizable. Jack Frost is basically Atlus' mascot at this point. And King Frost is even higher than that. Of course, he would also be part of the Emperor Arcana. And, in Shin Megami Tensei II, it is shown that he stands atop a mountain of smaller Jack Frost's. Well, in later inclusions, King Frost starts to wear a padlocked set of armor, which, apparently, houses those same Jack Frosts.
13 Death: Matador - Does He Fight A Bull Skeleton?
The Matador Persona has quite a renowned reputation for long-time fans of the series. We're talking about the people who played all the Shin Megami Tensei games, as he shows up as a boss in them quite frequently. Most of the time, he's an insanely hard boss that many players have searched online for guides in order to beat. But in the latter Persona games, he's just a cool design.
12 Faith: Maria - There's A T-Rex In The Design
The Maria Persona of the Faith Arcana is one of the new additions to Royal. Since Sumire Yoshikawa is the representative for the new Arcana, it stands to reason Atlus would need to add a few basic Persona into it as well. Maria has appeared in a few other games such as Shin Megami Tensei: NINE but has otherwise been absent until Persona 5. Her Design is just so pure and basic, it's hard to find any flaws in it.
11 Tower: Belphegor - The Toilet...Isn't Connected To Anything
Belphegor is a Demon that represents the deadly sin of Sloth. It is said that he will grant ideas for inventions or machinations to random humans so that they will become rich and therefore lazy and fat. Belphegor's design might seem chuck-worthy at first, but it grows on you.
He's a basic-looking demon, but we can't help but respect their commitment to such a silly design, or how powerfully memorable it is.
10 Justice: Metatron - No, Not Megatron
Metatron is the best angel design in the entire Justice tree, at least in our opinion. In religious texts, Metatron is the one who sits directly behind the Throne of God, that is to say, he's the closest to God in terms of position. Metatron speaks for the ruler, has millions of eyes, and apparently 36 wings. This version of Metatron is imposing without being too much, and we dig the robotic look.
9 Moon: Byakhee - Byakhee? More Like Bike-y
Byakhee is one of the other new Persona added in P5: Royal and also one of the most colorful. In lore, they are essentially interdimensional Steeds that are made up of a variety of beings. Their appearance is memorable, and they can carry one rider throughout time and space with them. Though, to be fair, the rider must be able to breathe or survive in a vacuum. This design looks like a mix between an upright horse, a motorcycle, a jet engine, and a bug. And, we like it a lot.
8 Chariot: Shiki-Ouji - Some Terrifying Origami
Shiki-Ouji just stuck out to us a lot from second one in Persona 5 purely because its made of paper. These beings are Shikigami that are summoned by Omnoyo mages who are brave enough to call upon them and can only be summoned within paper. They may look docile, but they're very ferocious. The Shiki-Ouji is a mid-boss in Madarama's Palace and displays its innate nullification of Physical, Gun-based, Blessed, or Cursed attacks, which is quite the list of things to be immune to.
7 Death: Chernobog - Insert "Fun Guy" Joke Here
Chernobog is just so cool looking! Chernobog had a very different design in early Shin Megami Tensei games like Devil Summoner but quickly switched to this much-improved look going forward.
Chernobog's design is one that says a lot without having to overcomplicate the visual-look of it, and we've always appreciated that. Plus, mushrooms are always just such a nice design aesthetic.
6 Magician: Cait Sith - Some Seriously Stylish Boots
Cait Sith is yet another new Persona added into the game and one of the few Neko-based ones in the game like the Neko-Shogun. Cait Sith's folklore background is based in Irish and Scottish legends and it would later be the inspiration for the famous Puss-In-Boots Character. Seriously though, where were designs like this back when Atlus was helping out with Demons' Souls?
5 Moon: Mothman - Where's The Chapstick?
Something about a giant moth with a neutral expression is just so eerily memorable. Straight up, it looks like a Pokemon. Of course, the design is based on the Mothman sightings that spread throughout middle America in the 1960s, made popular by the film the Mothman Prophecies, and that's about it as far as the lore goes. It also is known as the "Vampire Moth" in-game and is one of the few Persona to learn the Leach Life Almighty skill which can come in handy quite often.
4 Hierophant: Orobas - Horses Don't Need Fingers
Quite frankly, we picked Orobas because a bipedal Horse with human hands is one of the most eerily disturbing things we can think of. It just constantly reminds us of that deer from the "No One Can Hear You" episode of Adventure Time. In folklore, Orobas is actually one of the Princes of Hell who never deceived anyone and commanded his own legion of lesser demons. Odd that such a powerful demon would have such a basic design, but we've got to almost respect it for that
3 Strength: Chimera - That Goat Head Must Be A Pain In The Back
Chimera is a Persona also added into this game with the Royal release and is influenced by the ancient myth about itself, Cerberus, and Orthus. The Chimera of lore is a combination of different beasts in one body whose name has become the standard one to use when "combining" anything in fiction.
It is usually if not always shown with the head of a Lion, a goats body or head sprouting up from somewhere, and some snakes for a tail. We personally just love this take on it because the Goat's head is in the middle of the body looking to the side.
2 Devil: Beelzebub - He's A Real Looker
Beelzebub is one of the more commonly known Demonic names in history and another Prince of Hell. He's known as the Lord of the Flies and tends to command an army of them to do his bidding. He's been a part of the Persona series for a long time, with his design in Persona 5 acting as his best one to date. In any case, he's the Ultimate Persona of the Devil Arcana in P5 and is also the only Persona who can learn Demonic Decree.
1 Empress: Mother Harlot - Riding Around In Style
And finally, we have one of our personal favorite designs, Mother Harlot. Her design has a lot of references to the Roman Catholic Church or the Empire of Rome, so she's obviously powerful. She's the Ultimate Persona of the Empress Arcana in P5 and itemizing her nets you the Claiomh Solais, Morgana's strongest weapon. We love when multiple entities combine into one design, and Mother Harlot is probably the best example of that.