ThePersona franchisehas been around for a minute now. During that time, many a stylishly-dressed teenager has summoned the power of gods and, well, defeated gods. Or our idea of gods? Something about cognitions? Look, man, we don’t have time to get into all that. We’re here to figure out which of these snazzy dressers is the most powerful.
The focus here is going to be on their capabilities as judged by the rules of their games, the abilities we see them manifest, and their accomplishments. Some characters have more individual accomplishments than others, and those will carry more weight than feats bolstered by others. Is this scientific? No, we’re just talkin' Persona, man.
6Persona 4 - Yu Nakamura
Not Enough Glitz, Too Many Restrictions
Initially, Yu was not at the bottom of this list. However, for the most part, he didn’t really accomplish any great feats in his own game? He does, of course, overcome Izanami alongside his friends, but he overcomes Izanami by utilizing the power of friendship which is so Persona 4 it hurts. If you add in the Arena and Ultimax, I think you can make a better argument for Yu, but I feel like gameplay from those titles probably shouldn’t be taken literally.
Additionally, and this is going to be a recurring aspect on this list, Yu has never shown himself to be capable of using his Persona outside of the Midnight Channel. So, without any great feats, having beaten one of the least hostile foes, and
5Persona 5: Ren Amamiya
A Clear Step Up
Going from Yu to Ren is sure to give you a little whiplash. Ren is easily one of the flashiest protagonists in the series, that’s for sure. The problem reveals itself when it is time to look at his accomplishments. Does he beat Yaldabaoth? Kinda? Sorta?It is more like the will of the people beats Yaldabaoth.
Also, just like Yu, Joker is limited to only being able to summon his Persona in the Metaverse. It is easy to be won over by the flash of Joker. He certainlyappearspowerful. His best argument is going to be his Sinful Shell attack, which has the power to harm a god. Still, in the world of put up or shut up, Ren’s greatest victory is a shared one, and he is still limited to
4Revelations: Persona - Boy With Earring
Least Anime, Therefore Least Powerful
Revelations: Persona can be whacky, it can be absurd, it isn’t a deadly serious game. However, it often leans far more heavily into the horror theme, and, in general, it is the least anime game in the franchise. While you may fight a gremlin with pom poms, the first title in the Persona series still feels more grounded than anything that would come after it. As a result, we don’t see the Revelations cast perform the same types of grandiose feats that you see the other Persona protagonists commit.
That being said, there is one thing that evens the playing field a little. The Boy With The Earring can summon his Persona freely. In fact, he has no limitations whatsoever when it comes to accessing the godly powers of the Personas he acquires. He doesn’t even need an evoker! I think the limited nature of Yu and Ren’s powers gives them the advantage for that reason alone.
Additionally, the Boy With Earring is one of the three Persona protagonists to defeat Nyarlathotep.A cosmic horror taken right out of Lovecraft’s work.Though, this did appear to be a less motivated iteration overall. He may not be flashy, but Persona’s first protagonist has accomplished enough to place him closer to the middle of the pack.
It is also worth noting that The Boy With The Earring has a Spin Kick attack. Why is that important? Because it is rad. Style points count!
3Persona 2: Eternal Punishment - Maya Amano
Lives In Tatsuya’s Shadow
Of all the protagonists in the Persona series, Maya is easily my favorite. And she actually has some fairly decent accomplishments, including going toe to toe with Nyarlathotep, one of the most powerful gods in the Persona universe, andwinning. However, Maya’s accomplishments are the accomplishments of her team.
It is Innocent Sin’s Tatsuya who’s really showing off through most of Maya’s game. Typical.
That being said, Maya does have access to powerful attacks, including the ability to reflect all magic, and she has access to a nice repertoire of all-mighty attacks, but, once again, when it comes to singular feats, she’s unfortunately lacking. What helps Maya climb the ranks is her ability to access her Persona without limitations, and her shared win against one of the series' biggest Big Bads.
2Persona 2: Innocent Sin - Tatsuya Suou
Overpowered Before It Was Cool
Tatsuya is the first protagonist to really make his mark as being powerful. However, as I mentioned in Maya’s section, most of his greatest feats actually happen in the game where heisn’tthe lead. For most of Eternal Punishment, Tatsuya is sorta just off doing his own thing, and that one thing is foiling the plans of Nyarlathotep, the renegade god who acts as the manifestation of humankind’s most malevolent and twisted desires.
His abilities are varied, being a talented physical fighter with access to powerful nuclear and fire spells via Apollo. However, his most notorious attribute is hisability to learn Nova Kaiser, which gives him time-stopping abilities. Pair his impressive accomplishments with his Persona’s capabilities, and you have the Persona protagonist that many fans place at the top of the mountain.
1Persona 3: Makoto Yuki
The Age-Old Debate Around The Universe Arcana
Okay, let’s get into this. Makoto is everyone’s favorite emo boy, but there are only two things worth discussing around him for the purposes ofthislist…
So, for starters, the idea that SEES members can only use their Personas during the Dark Hour seems to come from an assumption based on the rules established by Persona 4 and 5. However, this isneverstated to be the case in Persona 3. I played through the first hour again for this list, not a single person implies that Persona’s can only be summoned during the Dark Hour. Beyond that, we see Chidori’s Persona manifest outside the Dark Hour. So, Makoto joins Maya, Tatsuya, and the Boy with Earring as being capable of using his Persona at will.
The next question doesn’t have as concrete an answer. Is Nyx, the embodiment of death, more powerful than Nyarlathotep? Personally, I think they are probably equally powerful, and seemingly exist on a similar plan of power. Sealing Nyx away permanently may not be the all-out victory one may hope for, especially when it means that Makoto is forced to become Door-Kun, but this does make this feat Makoto’s alone.
Finally, when it comes to the power fo the Universe Arcana, I feel like we need to defer to what Igor says about it. The universe arcana is “the power to bring about a new beginning, or the ultimate ending… What you have in your hands is the power of the universe.” I don’t know, guys. That sounds damn powerful to me.
