The Persona games do a great job of balancing their two sides; those being the treks to the Shadow world and their protagonists' everyday lives. The former is where most of the Persona franchise's combat takes place and includes warped, fantastical elements that are the inner reflections of the general populace. The latter is more grounded and features several real-life locations, activities, and scenarios one might find in modern-day Japan. By mixing the turn-based combat of the fantasy world with the time management aspects of the real world, Persona games provide a sense of belonging and interconnectivity unlike any other.
It is no secret that all the main Persona protagonists up to Persona 5 have been young adolescents. These teenagers are usually brought to a new location at the start of the game, whereupon they are introduced to their surroundings, companions, and the various activities they can partake in. It's this fish-out-of-water nature that makes the protagonists relatable and eager for players to explore what the games have to offer. But because of the relatively young age of these heroes and heroines, Atlus is effectively limiting the topics that it can explore with the franchise.
Persona's Tackling Of Certain Mature Subject Matter Is Quite Shallow
Past Persona games don't shy away from mature topics. The method for summoning Personas in Persona 3 has characters aiming and shooting an Evoker (a gun-shaped item) at their heads before pulling the trigger. Similarly, Persona 4's story revolves around solving a serial murder case. Despite its anime aesthetic, the Persona games tend to be just as dark as they can be optimistic.
The problem with some of these depictions, however, is that the games don't always delve into them. One prime example is Persona 4's Kanji Tatsumi. Kanji's sexual orientation has always been something of a hot topic among Persona fans. His Shadow self states that Kanji prefers the company of men over women because they are less likely to judge him for his feminine hobbies like knitting and sewing. He was also attracted to fellow Investigation Team member Naoto Shirogane at one point, despite the latter's identity as a girl having not been revealed to the group yet. It's topics like these that the Persona franchise skims over without giving much context, possibly to not alienate other players. Since these games feature adolescent characters as protagonists, the same age group is likely Persona's target audience.
A More Mature Persona Protagonist Would Open Up More Avenues
Considering how the Persona franchise has been slowly adapting more and more mature issues into its games (Persona 5 includes corrupt politician Masayoshi Shido as its main protagonist and even features Tokyo's Shinjuku red-light district as one of its visitable locations), it wouldn't hurt for the developers to make the leap to an older protagonist. With them at the forefront, Atlus can delve into more subject matter. Since the protagonist understands how the real world works, they wouldn't have to worry about things like school or age restrictions. Being older also allows the protagonist to be more independent, thus allowing players to make bigger decisions like if they want to spend their daytime working or lazing around in a bar wtih a reporter in Shinjuku. Activities like drinking and gambling wouldn't be off the table, allowing writers to explore the darker side of the real world.
The protagonist's maturity could also affect the Shadow world. Darker themes like suicide and substance abuse could be explored in full and reflected on the Shadows and the locations themselves. More brutal animations and gore could also be added as a reflection of the more mature tone. Persona titles are already classified as mature games, so it wouldn't be unwelcome for the characters to be more mature as well.
Persona 5 Royal is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.