I like Persona 5, however through the years, Atlus’ fashionable, supposedly socially-conscious RPG hasn’t cherished me. Queer Persona followers know the sequence to be fraught, and even probably the most passionate amongst us deal with it just like the enjoyable uncle who claims to like everybody and nonetheless says one thing extraordinarily out of pocket every vacation. I figured Persona 5 Tactica, the tactical spin-off launching on November 17, would comply with all of the earlier video games and discover some technique to throw a jab at queer folks for no purpose. However after years of feeling like one among my favourite sequence has been attempting to push me out, Tactica opened the door for me, if just for a second.
We aren’t going to get into any large, overarching story spoilers as I clarify how, however a short scene in Tactica’s first chapter does require slightly table-setting. In order for you completely no context, possibly reduce this tab and are available again whenever you’ve completed the primary chapter.
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Persona 5 Tactica opens with the Phantom Thieves, the teenage superhero vigilantes heading again into the supernatural world known as the Metaverse. This time they’re dealing with Marie, a tyrant bride who has repurposed a complete city to carry her dream wedding ceremony. There’s no have to get into the why and who right here, because it’s a spoiler, however this serves to arrange the scene we’re right here to speak about. It’s known as “The Ideally suited Marriage,” and yow will discover it within the Discuss menu in Café Leblanc after you discover out Marie’s plot.
The Phantom Thieves focus on Marie’s plan of their dwelling base, and the dialog strikes on to the crew’s personal concepts of “dream weddings.” Ann excitedly talks about how she will’t wait to put on a white wedding ceremony costume, and it’s all very cute. Ultimately, Ryuji turns to our principally silent protagonist, Joker, and playfully asks which of the Phantom Thieves he would marry.
I went by just a few phases of subverted expectations right here, so maintain my hand, Phantom Thief, and let me stroll you thru. When Ryuji requested the query, I totally anticipated my choices to be restricted solely to the ladies within the room, as that may mirror the unique Persona 5’s extraordinarily restricted view of romance. These spin-off video games don’t import your P5 save, so video games like Persona 5 Strikers discover methods to ask you who your paramour within the first recreation was so you’ll be able to expertise slightly continuity.
However a lot to my shock, Tactica allowed for everybody within the room to be an possibility, together with Ryuji, who I’ve headcanoned as my Joker’s unrequited crush since first taking part in Persona 5 in 2017. Even nonetheless, my trepidation wasn’t gone, as any time a dialogue possibility gave me an opportunity to recommend how my Joker felt a door was immediately slammed in my face. Persona video games haven’t simply denied characters’ doable queerness at each probability, they’re usually keen to show any gesture towards it right into a mean-spirited joke.
I braced myself as I selected Ryuji, prepared for Tactica to hit me with the metaphorical backhand within the type of my would-be boyfriend jolting away in the other way…nevertheless it by no means got here.
As an alternative, what I bought was a extremely candy scene of Ryuji in a classy white tux, saying he couldn’t consider the particular person of his goals had been proper by his facet the entire time. It was a reference to top-of-the-line interactions between Ryuji and Joker in OG Persona 5, one usually pointed to by followers as a second that means some stage of romantic belief between the 2. However right here in Tactica he additionally acknowledged sparks had been flying between the 2 since they met originally of Persona 5, and I assumed to myself it was about rattling time he wisened as much as this.
As Joker stops pondering his dream wedding ceremony it’s again to actuality, the place he and Ryuji aren’t courting, regardless of these sparks. The scene then ended, and earlier than a wave of pleasure hit me, my first feeling was a way of aid.
Persona 5’s homophobia drawback
Persona 5 has at all times positioned itself as a narrative about standing up towards oppressive forces within the identify of standing up for the little man crushed beneath their boots. The Phantom Thieves use their supernatural powers to struggle crooks as small-time as an abusive highschool coach and climb up till they attain a serious politician. The sport tackles energy imbalances, class points, and corrupt legislation enforcement, however queer identification has at all times been its blind spot. Even because it stumbles in advocating for victims of abuse by placing those self same folks by the identical violence after the very fact, a minimum of Persona 5 does, sooner or later in its 100+ hours, take a stance.
However on the subject of how identification is a marginalizing issue, Persona 5 has at all times been keen to shun, and even level and snigger at queer folks. Males, particularly. Enjoying the unique Persona 5 as a homosexual man was an extremely disheartening expertise because it each refused to let me go down a romantic path with any of my male mates, and likewise bombarded me with assumptions of who Joker, and by extension, myself, was in its dialogue.
On high of this, Persona 5’s remedy of its sole canonical homosexual males, two harassers assaulting Ryuji in the course of a crowded road, stays one of many lowest factors within the sequence. The English localization crew stepped in for the definitive Persona 5 Royal model by making these characters enthusiastic drag queens keen to indicate Ryuji the ropes somewhat than predators, however even that can’t make Persona 5 an inclusive recreation when it’s solely tired of telling a narrative about queer characters, even when the participant is attempting to push it in that path. Positive, you’ll be able to inform a random shadow in a buried battle menu that you just like males, however by way of dwelling as a homosexual teen in supernatural Tokyo? Persona 5 gained’t allow you to.
It’s irritating as a result of I’d argue the social hyperlink arcs between Joker and Ryuji or Joker and his rival Goro Akechi nonetheless take pleasure in probably the most romantic pressure within the recreation, way over many of the ladies the participant can pursue. However actually, it didn’t come as a shock that Persona 5 was dismissive of queer identification, as a result of Persona nearly at all times is.
Persona 3 has bizarre transphobic jokes that I’m curious to see dealt with in Persona 3 Reload. Persona 4 practically has fascinating conversations about queer identification with get together members Kanji Tatsumi and Naoto Shirogane initially being introduced as probably working by male attraction and gender fluidity respectively, just for the sport to handwave these conversations, fall again on the established order, and interact in some informal queerphobia alongside the best way. Shoutout to Persona 2, which had a homosexual romantic curiosity in 1999. I want your successors adopted go well with, however possibly they will shifting ahead?
Persona 5 Tactica doesn’t make good on the sequence excluding queer folks, and it undoubtedly doesn’t repair that it made us the butt of the joke for nearly 20 years. However it does trace that possibly the long run’s trying brighter for queer Persona followers sooner or later. Now, even when the love tales that ought to’ve been there aren’t, these of us who spent years taking part in as Joker pining for Ryuji or Yusuke (apologies to the Akechi lovers however he isn’t right here, R.I.P. to you) have one thing in hand to beat the headcanon allegations.
I didn’t flirt with any of the ladies in any of those video games as a result of I used to be actually dedicated to the self-insert bit. Now I lastly have a minimum of one scene on this entire sequence that acknowledges that my Joker desires to smooch his golden retriever greatest buddy. This leaves me slightly extra hopeful that whoever I play as in Persona 6 may get a boyfriend of his personal.P
