Ok. So I finally finished watching act 4/ the conclusion of Shimotsuna Arc, and I have a few words and theories I want to share.
POSSIBLE P5X SPOILERS FOR FUTURE CONTENT GOING FORWARD:
Pardon my French, but DAMN THAT BASTARD MAGATSUKAMI! Not only did he lure the Phantom Thieves of Hopes into a trap, but he forced them into a position where they no choice but to knowingly walk into it. And then he used the aftermath of Shimotsuna's..."Breakdown" (not that she didn't have it coming to her for a long time, if you ask me😒) let's call it, to make them look like the bad guys, just like what happened to Okumura in the PTs of Hearts' case. I have more to say about him, but I'll save it for a later date. What I will say though is that all this sadly could have been largely avoided if the guy that was harassing Riko and Motoha during the school was kicked out of the school sooner. 😥
So, Ms. Katayama eavesdropped on the group's conversation, huh? I'm a little worried where this will go? Will she become the Sojiro of their group, or will she go overprotective mom mode and try to forbid from being phantom thieves in an attempt to protect them, I sure hope it's the former.
White Mask Wonder....I wonder what Merope was up to while "Igor" was talking with Nagisa? 🤔🤨🤔🤨
I wanted to add this in my act 3 post, but I read a few months back on this site that someone posted that they theorized the Phantom Idols weren't just Wonder's cognitions in fact his teammates form previous time loops. Looks like their theory was confirmed to be right on the money just like mine.
The topic I wanted to discuss the most, Aran and her big sister. I have a new theory about her sister; a few days ago, I was looking at her character page on the Megaten wiki, and it said she showed visible discomfort when Akashi was officially condemned as a Menace back in chapter 3, and the same thing happened again when Shimotsuna was officially certified as a Menace too. Here's my theory: what if Risa (my placeholder for Aran's sister's name until otherwise) was officially condemned as a Menace on Divine Justice for some major specific reason, and it caused a chain of events that ultimately led to her death and Aran's memory loss? I think the fact Aran says "if this keeps up, it'll be as last time" without even realizing backs this up. That would also mean Divine Justice has been around for a very long time. Now, I don't know how it relates to the upcoming "Archives of Envy" arc, but if the heart anklet in the evidence that matches the one the dead woman was wearing in Aran's flashback is any indication, it's definitely related to Aran in some capacity.
I know you've been asked this question a million times already, but if Aran does become the next story thief to take center stage, what do you think her would be now? And if she AND Motoha do get 'Wild Desire" Forms (As I like to call them) at the end of the year just like the others barring Wonder and Cattle, what do you think they would look like?
On the subject of Motoha, I think Risa was just like her in the sense that she was free spirited, happy-go-lucky, and most of all had a strong sense of justice, which is probably why Aran maybe subconsciously chose Motoha for the role of the protagonist of the Phantom Famiglia for the play. Not to mention the fact Motoha was always the first to defend and advocate for Aran when the others questions whether or not she was a bad guy, this leds me to believe the two girls will become close just like Shun and Shoki did.
This is just a crack theory as have no real evidence to back it, but what if the Tengdao 3D Model was actually Risa? I mean considering the police are definitely going to be involved in the next arc, she most certainly going play a major role to some extent.
With the theme of "Memories and Truth Intertwining", I'm sure the next will not only focus Aran, but maybe also both Nagisa's future visions AND Lufel's missing memories too.
That's all I really have to say. I know there's a lot information to process, but please let me know what you think.
Woah, you had a lot of thoughts to share, huh? This ask's already pretty long, so I'm going to answer under a cut and keep this post from getting even longer, haha:
I'm not sure if kicking out the guy who harassed Riko and Motoha would've done much? He wouldn't have been able to spread the calling cards, but the calling card announcement still would've played, and I doubt that the Phantom Thieves would have wanted to risk missing their only chance to steal her heart by gambling on whether Shimotsuna took the announcement seriously. They'd have had better odds of her not taking it seriously, sure, but it's still a huge risk to take. I think Magatsukami's plan was specifically intended to have a failsafe in case only half of it worked, haha. That's what makes it fun, in my opinion! It wouldn't be nearly as fun if he were an incompetent antagonist.
Considering we already had Katayama play an (unwilling) antagonistic role in Chapter 3, I'd be a little surprised if they wanted to use her as a minor antagonist again in the future by having her get in the way of the Phantom Thieves, even if she meant well. I am looking forward to seeing where they're going with this, though- we know that she must've joined the team in another timeline, since we have Blitz, after all! Not that I think she's going to join the team as a proper member in this timeline, but we have evidence that her finding out can go well, haha.
Yeah, Merope's disappearance was strange. I'm really not sure where they're going with that part yet, but I'm excited to find out!
I agree, it was exciting to have a longtime theory like that confirmed! I think the idea of them being teammates from other timelines has been suggested in various forms practically since Fleuret (as Seiji), Yuki, and Mont were first announced, so it's sort of crazy to think that's just canon now, haha!
That's not a bad theory about Aran. Since her headaches are accompanied by a glitchy effect similar to some of Wonder's visions (and the MetaNav in the collab events), I've been thinking that whatever is affecting her memories is related to Wonder's visions as well? So I took her line about it being "like that time again" as maybe related to a previous timeline, personally. But if it's not from another timeline, then her sister getting involved in something related to a Menace in the past would make a lot of sense as an alternative theory! I suppose it could even be that her sister had some connection to a Menace in another timeline, and that's what Aran was vaguely remembering? It seems like she might've joined the team earlier in at least one other timeline, given she designed their logo.
I think you left out an important word there- "what do you think her [???] would be now"?- but given the context I'm guessing you were going to ask about her Metaverse outfit's theme? We still have basically nothing to go on, so I'm not sure my answer's really any different, heh. Like Yusuke, while she's an artist, I don't think her entire outfit/skillset is going to be directly art-themed (though there will probably be some references to art, like how Motoha's Highlight and All Out Attack finishing touch are baseball-themed). The best hint we really have is her files codename being "Polter"; I do think it'd be very fun if her Metaverse outfit is ghostly/spooky in some way, haha, but that's about the only real thought I have on the matter.
On that note, I really have no idea what a powerup form for her would look like, either. Wind, Soy, and Luce's all felt like more elaborate/fancy/evolved forms of their regular Metaverse outfits, so that's sort of what I'd expect for Aran and Motoha as well?
I agree that Aran's sister was probably similar to Motoha in personality, since it seems like, of all the casting choices Aran made for the play, Motoha was the most "reasonable" one? Based on how Motoha and the other characters have reacted to and talked about their roles, I mean. Sharing a strong sense of justice would be interesting, since Aran's interest in the Phantom Thieves seems to have a lot to do with their sense of justice. It'd make sense if that was something that her sister had a more solid grasp of, or that Aran based her personal sense of justice on her sister (and now can't remember that), or something like that.
Haha, it's entirely possible! I do think we're likely to finally see "tengdao" in the game this chapter somewhere, whether or not she's actually a major character.
Per the theory I mentioned in #5, if Aran's memory loss is related to Wonder's visions (and/or Lufel's amnesia), then I'd definitely expect to learn at least a bit more about all of that in this chapter. If Aran's memory loss is unrelated, we might get some more hints, but it might not be as much information?
I’m really hoping that Seiji’s synergy will be added sometime during the police sergeant (or the 6th palace) and I’m hoping that his 5 star variant will be something that has to do with his synergy like Mont swan for example it’s just been a very long time since we had gotten any sort of news about him at all so I hope we finally get something about him by then.
Also the whole idea about the police sergeant is sorta giving me the idea that maybe the character from the “future idols” tab might be the next phantom thief like maybe towards the end of the palace story while we possibly get Polter she helps the phantom thieves change his heart or maybe she’s the palace ruler.
The upcoming Palace will only be the fifth Palace in the game, actually! Not to be nitpicky, but I think it's important to be clear; it's the sixth Treasure, and the sixth Palace ruler, but only the fifth actual Palace, as the third Palace had two rulers, heh.
I know it's been a while since the future Confidant vote, and I understand you're excited, but remember that these things take time! Since that vote, we haven't heard about any major new stuff being added for any of the characters on that list, aside from the characters who ranked #1 and #2, plus Hiyori Koide's side quest (which is not a Confidant, which is what the vote was focused on).
That said, as they do seem to be making their way down the ranking list (a bit out of order, since we got Katayama before Narumi, but still), I think it's safe to expect that Seiji will be one of the next ones added, if not the next one added, from this list. Since the vote was held for the game's first anniversary, I think it's reasonable to hope that we'll get at least the #3 character from it as a Synergy before the second anniversary in April. I'm not sure they have time to add everyone from that list before the second anniversary, though, heh!
Whether Seiji will get an alt when he's added is less clear; Kiyoshi and Miyu didn't get one when their Synergies were added, despite being 4-stars as well, but we know that Kotone's a popular character. Still, because Seiji ranked relatively high, I think it's more likely than not, if that's any comfort to you.
As for the character you're referring to from my Future Thieves info post, "tengdao", I really don't expect her to join as a story teammate (given it seems extremely likely that will be Aran, and we have no reason to expect two new teammates in one arc), but I suppose Katayama did set a precedent for Palace rulers to become Idols later down the line, heh! It's not what I'm expecting, but I can't deny that it's possible.
There are currently several known or suspected future Phantom Thieves, and a few other things that may either be related to one of them, or tied to yet another future thief.
Every character listed here matches the file naming convention used exclusively for teammates (story and Phantom Idol), and in most cases, this is the main reason they're listed here. Some of them may ultimately turn out to be inaccurate (we've seen the developers change plans in real-time), but this list contains all the characters indicated by the files for information's sake.
Tamayo Yoshida has the files codename Jitianzhudai, though this seems to be her Chinese name rather than a codename.
She first appears towards the middle of Motoha’s Confidant, having known Motoha in the past when they played baseball together as kids, and now being part of a high school girls’ baseball team. She wants Motoha to join her team, seeing Motoha as her “eternal rival” even as Motoha’s gotten rusty from not playing baseball for so long, and hopes to eventually revive women’s professional baseball.
When Motoha declines to join- angry that Tamayo insulted Wonder by implying he's a bad coach- Tamayo ends up challenging her to a competition to see who can hit the most home runs at the batting cages in Yongen-Jaya. If Tamayo wins, Motoha will join her baseball team, but if Motoha wins, Tamayo will take back what she said about Wonder. She tells Motoha to call her whenever she's ready to face off, and leaves.
Later on, as Motoha trains for their confrontation, Tamayo talks to Wonder about her determination towards baseball, and a bit about her past with Motoha. Wonder, however, makes her slightly reconsider whether forcing Motoha to join her team is the right approach. When Motoha calls her back and lets her win the challenge, Tamayo ends up letting her keep training rather than keeping up their agreement that Motoha will have to join her team.
Like Narumi, with her introductory appearance in another Confidant being voiced, and her general relevance to that Confidant from that point on, she seems likely to be a Phantom Idol, rather than a story teammate, assuming plans for her haven't changed.
Takumi Serizawa has the files codename Lailizetuomei, though this seems to be her Chinese name rather than a codename.
She has portraits and a real-world 3D model, as well as an SNS icon. Concept art for her was shown briefly in a promotional video.
She appears during Shun's Confidant, at the same restaurant as he and Wonder are visiting. She recognizes Shun's name, and comments to herself that he seems "quite promising". In Shun's next event, she approaches him (he recognizes from her business card that she's a very famous food consultant in the catering industry) and invites him to participate in an upcoming ramen competition.
She then makes later appearances, constructively critiquing Shun's dishes as he tries to figure out what to submit to the competition. When asked why she's going out of her way to help him, she admits that Shun's work ethic reminds her of her father's own work ethic. Shun later impresses her with his next dish after that.
Like Narumi, with her introductory appearance in another Confidant being voiced, and her general relevance to that Confidant from that point on, she seems likely to be a Phantom Idol, rather than a story teammate, assuming plans for her haven't changed.
Added with the start of Chapter 4, Shimotsuna's secretary, confirmed to be named Daichi Ousaka, was added, and his 3D model notably matches the thief naming convention as well, though his files codename is Fengbandadi, which is again likely just his Chinese name.
Notably, as he works for the fourth Palace ruler, he has a role in the main plot. However, given Luce already has joined the team for Chapter 4, if he does ever become playable, it seems more likely he'd just be a Phantom Idol.
Another 3D model matching the thief naming convention was added in Version 2.1.1; her files codename is Tengdao (likely part of her Chinese name), and she also has an SNS icon, but nothing else is known about her at the moment.
Another possible aspect related to future Phantom Thieves is the “Pegasus” Persona in the files.
Besides the battle portrait above, Pegasus has a 3D model as well. There’s no indication of whose Persona Pegasus is, however. It could be any of the potential thieves listed above, or someone else entirely. Its only other appearance is in the unexplained recolored art with Yuki from the first beta's files.
For the game's first anniversary, they held a vote about future Synergies the players would like to see. The orange tabby, Ritsuka Takanashi, Saki Shirai, and Hiyori Koide- all current or beta test side quest characters- were in the top 10, which are promised to have Synergies added eventually, though not prioritized as much as the top 3. New Synergies have previously stated to always be 5-star Phantom Idols, which gets a little less consistent when it comes to preexisting 4-stars (see Key and Puppet), but should guarantee at the very least that these four will be added as Phantom Idols.
Finally, there are some voice lines for a teammate indicated as "Lisette" that have been in the files since the first beta. It's currently completely unknown who this is outside of these voice lines, but they definitely belong to a playable character, as they mention shadows and "her desires".
Hello, after the P5X2.1.2 update of the Chinese server today, there are two bugs, one of which is that three new characters were exposed, which exactly correspond to Doctor, wuhexi and policewoman, and all three of them have coop characters, which means that they are likely to be five-star thieves.
The second bug is the mysterious weapon box in the Baby Bird project, which at first corresponds to the strange thief code D, I thought it was the doctor's weapon at first, but the doctor's weapon is not like this, and later changed to M after the update, and said that 9.12 unlocked, which happens to be the time when Aran Hirai joined the main line.
So the mysterious weapon "Double Blade" is probably Aran Hirai's weapon.
Oh, thank you for the submission! You're the first person who noticed this weapon update and sent it to me.
I did make a post about the bug with the new names! I think you're right that one of them is Doctor, but I'm not sure the other two are Wuhexi (Cherish) or the policewoman (Tengdao), as Cherish's name is written as 武和希 according to Kiyoshi's Confidant, and it doesn't seem like Tengdao's name would be written like either of the new female names from the bug.
I'm pretty sure the weapon does belong to Doctor, though! The 3D model for his 4-star weapon looks just like that. If the letter changed to M, it probably means they changed his codename, and it won't be Doctor in the game when they add him. If his name is one of the names from the bug, his first name might be Motoyoshi, so his new codename could reference that (like how "Moko" references Tomoko)!
This does also means that Doctor will be added on September 12th, which is Version 2.2! We will get more of the game's main story in that update, but we don't know for sure if Aran will join the team during that yet. I hope she does, though, that would be fun!
Ok, maybe this is just me throwing out random cracks Theories from going a little stir crazy waiting for chapter 5 to come out, but could it be possible that "Tengdao" may become a main story party member after Aran?😥 Speak of Aran, do you still that voice clip of Wonder calling out "Anri"? I wish to check something.
Personally, I'm really not expecting any more story teammates after Aran, heh. Especially not any new characters- at this point, I think it'd feel way too abrupt, compared to the cameos that Shouki and Aran have both gotten prior to them becoming relevant in the story. If someone were going to join after Aran, I'd sooner expect it to be someone we've seen before and know already, even if they're a surprise teammate or something.
Yes, I posted the voice clips here. For future reference, I recommend checking a character's tag in this blog's archive to find posts I've made about them!
