The Persona series is one of the most iconic JRPG franchises of all time. It started out as a spinoff of the Shin Megami Tensei series before slowly growing into its own thing and becoming the most accessible and engaging way of getting into this lore-rich franchise. Each and every game in the Persona series has featured several gameplay enhancements and changes of its own from its mainline series, leading to a completely new and unique experience that fans of great JRPGs absolutely adore.
The series also doesn't shy away from exploring some pretty dark and disturbing themes, which can sometimes come out of nowhere given the penchant for these games to be fairly jovial and light-hearted. Keeping this in mind, here are the darkest things to ever happen in the Persona series.
10 The Nature Of The Game's Evoker Itself (Persona 3)
Persona 3 doesn't shy away from some rather grisly, with its Evokers being the worst of the lot. In this game, there's a particular tool that the characters need to use to bring their Persona out.
For some reason, this tool is shaped like a gun that Persona users need to shoot themselves with to activate their powers. The fact that even a little kid and an innocent dog use this Evoker makes it all the more disturbing.
9 Kamoshida's Obsession (Persona 5)
The idea of an adult being infatuated with high school girls is something that is already pretty disturbing as is. However, Kamoshida takes this to a whole new level.
Not only does he constantly harass his female students, but he even drives one to the brink of ending her own life. It was clear to everyone why the Phantom Thieves had to stop this lunatic from abusing his position of power.
8 Rise's Shadow Form (Persona 4)
Fighting the Shadow forms of each and every party member in Persona 4 can be quite disturbing, at times. This applies to Rise as well, whose Shadow form exhibits some questionable adult themes.
The kind of attacks and gestures this Shadow makes during the boss fight is pretty unnerving. It doesn't help that this Shadow is basically trying to emulate a teenager as well.
7 The Death Of The Main Protagonist (Persona 3)
At the end of Persona 3, most people assumed that the main cast would enjoy a happy ending after their tough ordeal. However, this wasn't even remotely the case.
Instead, the main character's struggle against Nyx led to his life force being used to seal away this threat. This gave him just enough time to spend with his friends before passing away in Aigis' lap near the end.
6 The Manner In Which Joker Is Ruthlessly Interrogated (Persona 5)
Persona 5 starts off with a rather brutal interrogation, with the main character being beaten up, injected with dubious drugs, and being forced to sign incriminating documents. It's not a good look for law enforcement at all, especially given the current climate.
We find out later that the Phantom Thieves hatched this plan on purpose to bait Goro Akechi. However, that still doesn't excuse the horrible manner in which Joker was treated by the police.
5 The Fact That Nanako Can Outright Die (Persona 4)
Nanako is one of the purest characters to ever be featured in any JRPG. The fact that this young girl is brought to the brink of death in the game is hard to fathom, but thankfully she makes a recovery.
However, if the party forces Taro Namatame into the TV World, then Nanako actually will pass away. It's a horrible end to the game, especially since the identity of the true culprit isn't even revealed.
4 Literally Ripping A Mask Off To Summon A Persona (Persona 5)
The Evokers from Persona 3 were bad enough as is, but the latest game in the series takes this concept to a whole new level. Fans who have seen the awakening scenes for each character's Persona know where this is heading.
The idea of having to rip off a mask violently that is almost stuck to one's face sounds downright horrifying. While the powers that come as a result are pretty astounding, fans definitely wonder whether this is worth all the physical and mental anguish that people will need to go through.
3 Shinjiro's Sudden Demise (Persona 3)
Final Fantasy 7 has shown just how impactful the death of a main party member can be. The idea of investing so much time and effort into a character only to have them disappear for good is a horrifying prospect.
This happens in Persona 3 as well, with Shinjiro being the victim of a stray bullet that was supposed to hit Ken. His heroic sacrifice was a highlight of this narrative, but having to play the rest of the game without him is still eerie in its own way.
2 Mitsuo's Character (Persona 4)
Mitsuo is one of the creepiest characters in Persona 4. His initial appearance is pretty unnerving as is, with the level centered around this character being even more of a maze to get through.
It doesn't help that this creep is a cold-blooded murderer who will do almost anything for attention. His Shadow is unlike anything ever faced before and reflects just how insane this character really is.
1 Fusing Personas Through Forced Executions (Persona 5)
Fusing Personas is a major gameplay mechanic across most games in the series, letting players enjoy the benefits of using powerful Persona to do their bidding in combat. However, the manner in which Personas are fused in the fifth game is pretty horrifying, and that's putting it lightly.
Watching these supernatural entities struggle while being forced on a guillotine is hard to witness. To make things worse, Personas can also be executed via Electric Chair to transform them into items or be hung to add more power to another Persona, which is also particularly gruesome in its own way.