Unleash Your Persona!
By: KL Tiago
Persona 5, the JRPG from Atlus, is one of the best games of this year as well as all time. In my opinion. But also it’s true.
The characters are thought out and interesting. The story is deep and engaging. The gameplay is fun and strategic. The soundtrack is out of this world. It’s overall just an amazing piece of work.
One of the best things about this game, beyond the aforementioned points, is its visuals. Persona 5 bleeds aesthetic. The anime-style comes through in the character design, the musical choices, the fonts; everything. It’s all very uniquely Persona and all very amazing.
What I want to dissect specifically, is the fashion. The costume design of this game is top-notch. Character outfits are fashionable, stylish, funky, and on-trend. I’m going to go one by one through the Phantom Thieves’ battle costumes to discuss what a fabulous job this game did with its aesthetics and their fashion choices.
First up, the main protagonist Akira Kurusu aka Joker. Black trench coat with an oversized turned up collar? Yas. Boots with the hint of a heel and slightly curled toe? Yas. Fit-ted vest to snatch that motherfucking waist to Hades? Yas, bitch. A secretive, white, pointy mask to hide all of the Joker’s got-damn secrets? Yas. Red accent gloves? You betta believe it! Akira is serving some midnight-warrior-Protagonist-realness and will lead you straight to fashion nirvana.
Ryuji Sakamoto, your first friend, goes by Skull. Henny is giving you knee pads for safety and fun. Pants tight like the bonds of friendship, complete with anime-trope-doubled-up, X-crossed belts. Yes they’re functional too, miss-miss. Where else would Skull hold his shotgun shells? Fashion and function, yes, ma’am. Did I mention the yellow gloves and thin red scarf to maximize the accessorize? I did now.
Who’s that blonde in the drastically-impractical zip-up, red leather body suit? Miss Panther: Ann Takamaki. It is what? Glued to her body. She is where? Covered head to toe except for a very-practical boob-window. Mmm-hmm. Do those thigh-high boots zip up? NO MA’AM: they are pulled high as Heaven brought up by the Lordt. And don’t think for one motherfucking minute Ann left her accessories at home. Her purr-fect primadonna mask faces some feline features and her hot pink gloves are giving Barbie, Kirby and Kimberly Ann Hart respiratory problems. She is painting the town red with her colour-palette, honey. Live.
Yusuke Kitagawa, the stone-cold Fox with a mask of a Kitsune. HUH-KNEE. Yu-su-ke-is-snatched-like-but-ter-he-is-run-ning-with-this-look-to-the-run-way. That collar is up to HERE, honey. His outfit is fitting like his ice-blue gloves–like butter!–creamy, silky, smooth. Sleek, is his look. But wait! Flounce, darling! Flounce! Are those sleeves puffed like a pastry? Mama, yas! Are those knee-high boots white like a wedding dress? Bitch-is-PURE. What’s that striped blue and white sash hiding, Yusuke? Mr. Kitagawa, is that a fluffy tail, you furry trash? MA-MA, YAS!
Next up is queen, kween and also codenamed Queen: Makoto Nijima. Her outfit is black as? Night. Her corset-inspired leather is? Dangerous. Those spiky shoulders are giving me Balmain in a war-zone, honey. She is a steel-toed, iron-masked, deadly-fisted honor-student from the right-side of the tracks and she will rip out that throat and help you study arithmetic, honey. She is a whom? Multitasker. Ask Miss Makoto if you can borrow her lengthy, flowing, beautiful black sash to hang yourself with because her look will leave you deceased.
Sakura-comma-Futaba. Baby-girl better get herself out of her socially-anxious closet because the world needs to see her LOOK. Little lady isn’t called Oracle for nothing honey. Those cute, bug-eyed, red goggles of hers can see into your soul, can see into your mind, can see into the future, Miss-Honey. Which is where she pulled this Tron-gone-fashion aesthetique. Those neon green lines are pulsing over that slight frame, Futaba. Those popping green fingers, heels and toes are hacking into fashion, Futaba. You may not know how to hold a normal conversation, Futaba, but honey can hold an outfit.
The Heiress of a hamburger fortune, lemme take a bite out of Haru Okumura: M’ilady of the dark, mademoiselle Noir. Let’s start from the top, shall we. Bitch-that-feath-thered-hat-is-give-ing-me-ev-ry-thing. It’s cute. It’s Shakespeare. It’s delicious. Lady Okumura, where did you get that lilac pink blouse because I need it. I need that adorable vest to make it an ensemble, and the lil’ silk tie to circle dat throat. Mm-kay? Call Ryuji, his shotgun shell belt just became last season. Haru is holding. Grenades that is. Which she launches, honey, like she launches us into fashion celestiality with those poofy short-shorts, black leggings and good-girl loafers. Haru may be armed with an axe, but she’ll behead me with her own two hands in those hot-purple leather gloves, ma’am!
Is the dissection over? NO MA’AM! It is NOT! No team of heart-stealing fashion-bandits is complete without animal aid! Meowing Morgana pulls up to the curb in them-got-damn-self because Miss-Codename: Mona can transform into a bus. Yes queen! This feline accessorizes with a 2.3L turbo-4 engine and 300 horesepower! Handy and fashion: because that bus has ears. For what? To hear the haters coming and drive the fuck away, Miss-Miss! Morgana is serving adorable-counterpart-reality with a cute yellow handkerchief collaring that cute, kitty-cat neck.
The Phantom Thieves are what? Sickening. They have stolen what? Your heart. Why? Because: fashion.
If you still doubt me in terms of the incredibleness of Persona 5, I can’t help you. Honestly, seeing them should have been enough to make you place an Amazon order or get your ass down to a GameStop. Love yourself: play Persona 5. Or do one better: dress like Persona 5.
Turn up that collar. Accessorize with too many belts. Feather that hat, honey. Make yourself into the person you wish you’d be with all the craze and fabulous you deserve. Unleash your Persona! Unleash fashion!
Persona 5 is available for PlayStation 4.