Since its first installment, Atlus' Persona series has been known for its unique characters. From popular idols to soft-hearted gangsters, the characters and their interactions have formed the backbone of Persona's popularity. Hopefully, the upcoming Persona 6 will be no exception, and once again feature a party of interesting, complex characters with compelling interactions. One character archetype introduced in previous Persona games that could return in Persona 6 is the Detective Prince: a young, precocious detective who works alongside but sometimes clashes with the police force. While both Persona 4 and Persona 5 featured a Detective Prince character, they took the archetype in different directions, and still left plenty of nuances to be explored.
The Detective Prince character did not originate with Persona. Young, precocious detectives have appeared in Japanese media throughout history. Perhaps the most famous of the group is Conan Edogawa, also known as Shinichi Kudo, the titular teenager stuck in a child's body who stars in the long-running Detective Conan series. Persona 4 used its Detective Prince, Naoto Shirogane, to explore the pressure put on a teenager asked to fill such a crucial role. Persona 5 then took a darker twist on the subject with Goro Akechi, who used the Detective Prince image to mask his bitter thirst for revenge. Persona 6 could introduce a character who strikes a balance between the two, or perhaps explore a Detective Prince who has actively changed or reclaimed the role after the issues Naoto and Akechi made clear.
Naoto Shirogane Struggled With The Detective Prince Identity
Her intelligence and detective skill put Naoto Shirogane in the spotlight at a young age. The grandchild of a previous "great detective," Naoto solved several high-profile crimes as a teenager, earning the attention of the news. The Detective Prince moniker was applied to her, rather than sought out by Naoto. It highlighted not only her intelligence and skills but also her maturity, reserved personality, and elegant way of speaking. Eventually, the pressure of becoming the Detective Prince got to Naoto, and she developed an antagonistic Shadow for the Investigation Team to defeat.
After her Shadow was conquered, Naoto became the final character to join the Team, and a key asset in solving Persona 4's central mystery. However, Naoto showed that the notoriety which came with the Detective Prince title was not always good. She was so focused on being the perfect Prince that Naoto hid her gender, publicly presenting as male. The Investigation Team did not learn that Naoto was female until it was revealed by her Shadow. In addition to this, Naoto was isolated and friendless. She felt like she could not live as an average high school student because being the Detective Prince kept her separate from her peers.
Naoto's Social Link involved her gradually becoming more comfortable with all aspects of her identity, learning to have fun and experimenting with feminine clothes. Ultimately, Naoto ends Persona 4 as a much happier person. Although she does not abandon her Detective Prince title entirely, she acknowledges how it harmed her and strives to take care of herself.
Goro Akechi Was a Dark Take on the Detective Prince
Persona 5 introduced the second Detective Prince, Naoto's successor: Goro Akechi. Even his name is detective-related, deriving from the famous Japanese literary detective Kogoro Akechi. Like Naoto, Goro was a polite, "princely" teenager who used his detective skills to assist the police and solve crimes. Also like Naoto, Goro's Confidant track -- particularly the expanded version seen in Persona 5 Royal -- focused on the stress of being a public figure at a young age. Goro admits to protagonist Joker that he couldn't go out in public without being recognized by overeager fans, and Joker helped Goro relax by visiting the aquarium or playing darts together. However, the second Detective Prince was hiding quite the dark side.
Ultimately, Goro Akechi joins the Phantom Thieves, awakening the Persona Robin Hood and using the codename Crow. Goro is quickly revealed to be a traitor who wishes to take down Joker. He is also the mysterious "Black Mask," using his true Persona Loki to attack the Phantom Thieves' targets. Goro is the illegitimate child of politician Masayoshi Shido, and he willingly pursued the Second Detective Prince identity because he wanted to portray himself as someone who was useful and needed after being ignored and abandoned by his father.
In the base version of Persona 5, Goro acknowledges that his father only saw him as a tool and is seemingly killed late in the game. He returns during the newly added third semester in Persona 5 Royal more willing to show his true personality (and Persona) to the team. Goro is a very different take on the Detective Prince compared to Naoto, as his charm is shown to be completely fake, and he is in fact a complex character who works both with and against the Phantom Thieves.
A New Detective Prince Could Strike a Balance Between the Two
If Persona 6 chooses to include a third Detective Prince character, Atlus has several options. Given that Goro's reputation was potentially ruined due to the events of Persona 5, they could be a character who hopes to redeem the Detective Prince name. Alternately, they could be someone who has learned from Goro and Naoto's examples and strives to be a more balanced Detective Prince, having the name and the reputation but not letting the immense pressure drive them to despair. Both Persona 4 and Persona 5 were unafraid to show the dark side of the Detective Prince archetype, and a more positive look at the character type would be interesting.
Alternately, Persona 6 could include an adult, former Detective Prince who now works as a detective or police officer after serving in a Naoto or Goro-like role as a teenager. Persona 5 Strikers, a musou-style spinoff of Persona 5, introduced Zenkichi Hasegawa, an adult police officer who initially pursued the Phantom Thieves before later awakening a Persona and becoming a member of the team. Zenkichi quickly became popular among fans for being so different from the usual high school student Persona protagonists. Another adult team member, such as a former Detective Prince, would be a very creative angle.
Ultimately, the Detective Prince is a fascinating character type that Persona 4 and Persona 5 were unafraid to explore in depth, including how such a character can become overwhelmed by pressure and turn to the dark side. As the young, precocious detective trope remains popular in Japan -- appearing in upcoming games such as DecaPolice and Master Detective Archives: Rain Code -- it is very possible that a third Detective Prince could make an appearance when Persona 6 is revealed.
Persona 6 is currently in development.