Now that the Persona titles have been out on Nintendo Switch for a little while, it’s time to study with the gang and learn all about them through our Persona 4 characters guide. Like many RPGs, there are plenty of people to get to grips with, and these games have a colorful bunch of characters with many different personalities and styles.
If you’re a Persona fan, make sure to check out our Persona 4 Switch review and our Persona 3 Switch review. If you want to know more about some of the other JRPGs that came out on Switch recently, we’ve got your back with a selection of helpful guides covering topics like Persona 5 Joker, Persona 5 Futaba, Nier Automata characters, and Nier Automata 9S.
Let us help you seek the truth, with our guide to all the playable Persona 4 characters. Watch out though, as there may be the odd spoiler.
Yu Narukami
The protagonist of Persona 4 Golden and arguably the best character in the game, there’s a reason you can’t take Yu out of your party at any point. A high school student living in the town of Inaba, Yu is the center of the main story and remains mute throughout the game other than in battle. After he begins to investigate a series of murders in Inaba, Yu is summoned to a place known as the Velvet Room, and is given a year to solve the mystery at large, or the world and Yu will be in great danger.
Yu controls a Persona called Izanagi, though, at one point, Yu becomes the only character with the ability to wield different Personas. This makes him the most versatile hero on the team and a fantastic all-rounder. Eventually, Yu’s Persona evolves into Izanagi-no-Okami, a much stronger creature that helps players tackle the seriously sinister enemies that await you later in the game.
Yosuke Hanamura
A teenager who moves to Inaba shortly before the events of the game, Yosuke is close to one of the first few murder victims, and so teams up with Yu and Teddie to investigate exactly who or what is attacking these young students. Together, Yosuke and the others eventually investigate a realm known as the TV World, leading the group to discover and utilize their Personas.
Having moved from a big town, Yosuke resents living in Inaba, and often wears accessories and trendy pieces of clothing to remind himself of his previous life. His Persona is called Jiraiya, a tall being with white clothes that has ears reminiscent of Mickey Mouse. When it comes to combat, Yosuke himself dual-wields blades of different types, and though he’s often used as comic relief, he’s still a formidable fighter and an essential part of the team.
Yukiko Amagi
A beautiful and fairly popular student in high school, Yukiko is a girl with a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders, due to expectations from her family, as they’re wealthy business owners who want Yukiko to take over one day. Despite this (or perhaps because of it), she likes to have fun and is known to play pranks and burst out in laughter. Yukiko goes to the TV World like many others, and here her shadow echoes her worries about her family deciding her life for her.
Yukiko’s Persona, Konohana Sakuya, is a tall humanoid with yellow eyes that resemble almost a bird-like figure completely covered in feathers made of sakura leaves. Like many others, Yukiko joins the crew after trying to get to the bottom of the murders befalling the town. She also wishes to escape the town of Inaba one day, and the fate her family wants for her.
Chie Satonaka
Yukiko’s best friend, Chie Satonaka, is a bit more boisterous than her friend and loves martial arts. She’s incredibly upbeat, though she does harbor some jealousy towards Yukiko as Chie wants to be as effortlessly feminine as her pal. Chie wears a striking yellow and green martial arts outfit reminiscent of similar things worn by the likes of Bruce Lee. She’s also very strong from all her training, and even utilizes her signature Kung Fu moves as part of her battle style.
Chie’s Persona is called Tomoe Gozen, a tall and striking creature that’s very reminiscent of Chie with a feminine figure and a yellow martial arts outfit. Tomoe is equipped with a naginata, which she uses alongside a flurry of kicks to attack opponents.
Naoto Shirogane
A young detective who moves to Inaba to assist in the investigation of the murders, Naoto often presents herself in quite a masculine way to try and gain more respect from her male peers. However, upon discovering the threat to Inaba, Naoko uses herself as bait and is sucked into the TV World only to have to face her own shadow. Here, her shadow represents her frustration at the unfair treatment she receives from her male colleagues and her constant worry that they will disrespect her or fire her given any opportunity, just because she is a woman.
Naoto’s Persona is called Sukuna-Hikona, and is a tall blue humanoid that wears an outfit very similar to Naoto’s police uniform. Sakuna also has butterfly-like appendages on its head and glowing yellow eyes. It even wields a laser sword in battle, perhaps a nod to electrified police batons.
Kanji Tatsumi
A boisterous and often rebellious teenager, Kanji is seen as a troublemaker by many. There are even whispers of him being associated with a local biker gang in Inaba. This bravado hides a somewhat sensitive side though, as Kanji is often frustrated that he can’t show his vulnerability. Furthermore, he also has absolutely no interest in girls. It’s almost as though he’s angry at them instead.
After falling victim to the strange happenings in town and being sent to the TV World, Kanji must face his insecurities and accept that the softer side of him is still important. His Persona, known as Take-Mikazuchi, is a giant robotic creature that features a skeleton design. It wields a lightning bolt-shaped weapon like a lance and cuts a seriously imposing figure that brings to mind the image of himself that Kanji has created to scare people off.
Rise Kujikawa
An outspoken yet cheerful idol on the rise to fame, Rise joins the Investigation Team when the gang comes to warn her that she may be the next murder target after she returns to Inaba for a brief hiatus from idoling. Due to her success, she is quite boastful, and also openly flirts with the protagonist.
Rise faces her Shadow in the TV World, who is a giant, pole-dancing monster. The Shadow self later becomes her Persona, Himiko, after Rise accepts the Shadow as her true self.
Teddie
As players enter the mysterious realm known as the TV World, they meet Teddie, who is a strange hybrid of a bear and a clown. Teddie also wants to get to the bottom of the murders, and so agrees to team up with Yu, Yosuke, and the rest of The Investigation Team to put a stop to the evil invading the town. Teddie can give insight into both the TV World, and the shadows that inhabit it. Teddie also makes a lot of puns based around their own name, something that was notoriously difficult for the Atlus translation team when they had to create similar jokes in English.
There we have it, every main character in Persona 4 Golden! Hopefully, this gets you prepared for a grand adventure. For now, why not check out our guide to the Persona 5 characters and get to know the Phantom Thieves?