So many fans of the franchise are excitedly playing Persona 5 Strikers. This unexpected combination of Dynasty Warriors and Persona mechanics provides gameplay unlike the series has ever seen before. Add in a new storyline to explore and it's practically irresistible to try the game out.
Sophia is one of the new members of the Phantom Thieves introduced in the game. She's more than just a cute and quirky AI — she contains many mysteries within her code (and in the game's lore) for players to hunt down and discover.
10 She Inherited Her Creator's Mindset
Kuon Ichinose can be a bit ruthless at times and it quickly becomes apparent that Sophia inherited that mindset. Her casual suggestion that they should simply assassinate Alice Hiiragi in the storyline is met with some sincere fear from the Phantom Thieves.
Still, unlike EMMA, Sophia learns from human behavior and backs off from the idea immediately upon realizing that killing another person is wrong.
9 She Appeared In A Dragalia Lost Crossover
In a surprising collaboration with Nintendo, Sophia was one of the few characters brought over for the Dragalia Lost x Persona 5 Strikers collaboration event. When the collaboration was announced, almost no information was out about Sophia other than that she was a character in the incoming game.
This left fans of both series incredibly excited to have a chance to see Sophia in action once a dataminer was able to confirm she would be in the event.
8 She Is A Failed Variant Of EMMA
One of the interesting aspects of Sophia in the game is her ability to communicate with EMMA telepathically. While no one else is capable of hearing EMMA during their discussions, it has to be assumed that Sophia wasn't faking it.
Sophia says in the game that she is drawn to the voice she hears when EMMA speaks this way and she wants to chase after them to try and regain her sense of purpose. Sophia claims that she is likely a failed variant of EMMA which would be a fair explanation as to why she could hear the voices in the first place.
7 Her Creator Did Not Leave A Signature In Her Code
When Futaba manages to start figuring out Sophia's code, she manages to find a unique discovery. Sophia's creator, Kuon Ichinose, didn't actually put a signature inside of her code.
Imagine someone not naming their son or daughter — this is the coding equivalent. Futaba even mentions just how weird this is and implies this shows how little Kuon actually cared about the AI.
6 Her Code Is Baffling Even To Futaba
Futaba is the ultimate computer whiz, which makes it even more baffling just how difficult it was for her to decipher Sophia's code. It actually takes her a few months to be able to figure it out to even read it.
Considering Sophia is technically an AI, it shouldn't be that difficult, but even Futaba can be outsmarted when it comes to computers sometimes.
5 The Origins Of Her Name
Sophia's name is utterly fascinating and isn't just a cute pun on the word software (since she only exists in an app after all). In some strains of Gnosticism, a demon named Sophia is actually the name of the god that created the Demiurge.
Seeing as how the AI Sophia's creator created the Demiurge that players meet in-game, this is an incredibly cool subtle reference that only the truest fans would catch.
4 She Had A Strange Persona Awakening
"Kuon Ichinose... Your desires have been twisted... and I'll be the one to take them. I'm not your doll anymore!" Sophia has a very unusual awakening of her Persona. She actually has her Persona before her full awakening happens (and she's even able to use it as well). The latter awakening is considered the official awakening in the game.
This isn't the first time this has happened in the series, however. This also happened to Takuto Maruki in Persona 5 Royal. In his case, he simply needed exposure to the Metaverse before his Persona truly awakened.
3 She Starts With The Party In New Game Plus
It's so much fun when games have New Game Plus features, but in the case of Sophia, it creates a weird storyline issue. Even though the party hasn't met her yet in the game, she still starts in the default party with Pandora as a Persona to boot!
Oddly enough, Sophia's sections in the game where she breaks apart from the party still do happen. It's a little weird, but it's not like it affects the story.
2 She's The Only Playable Character To Start Out As A Box
Okay look, this one is a little silly, but it is a series first. Players meet Sophia originally in the form of a giant box. This makes sense as she's an AI of course, but it's still a bit of a unique way to introduce the character.
To top it all off, Sophia is the character who spends the most time on the protagonist's phone in the franchise. Not that it's a highly contested record...
1 The Significance Of Her Birthday
Sophia's birthday is listed as August 28th, which makes her a Virgo. It's a small detail, but players might also notice that August 28th 20xx is actually the final in-game day of Persona 5 Strikers.
This could be anything from a cute Easter egg to having far deeper significance as Sophia leaves the party as the game ends. Either way, it's such a neat touch from the developers to include.