Persona 5’s Joker might just be one of the most enigmatic characters the franchise has to offer, serving as the fifth main game’s silent hero. So, because we love JRPGs, we obviously adore Persona, and we want to give you the rundown on Persona 5’s protagonist – the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts – that alone should tell you that there’s an interesting story behind the rebellious teen.
If you want to know even more about the game, check out our Persona 5 characters guide, as well as individual pages on Persona 5 Morgana, Persona 5 Futaba, Persona 5 Makoto, and Persona 5 Yusuke. We also have a Persona 5 Switch review and Persona 5 Tactica Switch review if you want to the games a go yourself.
Anyway, here’s everything you need to know about Persona 5’s Joker.
Who is Persona 5’s Joker?
Joker (real name, Ren Amamiya) is a rebellious teenage boy who must serve one year of probation for a crime he didn’t commit. He was accused of assault and, despite his innocence, faces the consequences of someone else’s actions. For more context, Ren witnessed a man assaulting a woman, and being the good guy that he is, he went to her aid, only for the man to sue him, and it turns out he’s a politician. We all know how money talks, don’t we?
As a result of this, not only does Joker face probation for one year, but he must also transfer schools, which is what leads him to Shibuya, where he stays with Sojiro Sakura.
When it comes to Joker’s personality, you’re in full control of it. As is traditional with silent protagonists, your choices and actions directly impact who Joker is, so always remember to choose wisely.
However, despite your choices, fundamentally, Joker is a good guy and is all about justice. He wouldn’t be a vigilante if he didn’t care about that sort of thing, right? Furthermore, he’s a courageous individual, and while he appears not to be very talkative, he’s actually extremely clever and is a secret trickster.
What are Joker’s skills?
When it comes to Joker’s skills, he’s proficient with both guns and knives, while also moving with great agility. On top of that, Joker is an extremely intelligent guy, and those brains come in handy when in combat. Furthermore, he isn’t too shabby in the parkour department either, which makes sense considering he’s a masked vigilante.
Which Persona games does Joker appear in?
Joker of course serves as Persona 5’s protagonist, but he also appears in:
- Persona 5 Tactica
- Persona 5 Strikers
- Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
- Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight (DLC partner)
- Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
- Persona 5: The Phantom X (upcoming)
What else does Joker appear in?
Besides Persona’s many media spin-offs and remakes, Joker pops up in various other games and media:
- Chain Chronicle – he serves as a five-star warrior
- Puzzle and Dragons – through a collaboration, he’s a six-star dark character in the game
- Sonic Forces – Joker himself isn’t present in Sonic Forces, but his mask and appearance are available as avatar cosmetics
- Granblue Fantasy – Joker is an SSR dark character
- Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – Joker is a DLC character in the hit Switch fighting game
- Dragon’s Dogma Online – Joker and Persona 5’s Ann appear in a crossover event
- Catherine: Full Body – Joker appears as a DLC guest character for the Babel and Colosseum game modes
- Star Ocean: Anamnesis – Joker, the Persona 3 protagonist, and Persona 4’s Yu Narukami feature in a collaboration event with Persona 5 Royal. He is an attacker and uses daggers
- BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle – there’s a Joker-themed color swap for Yu Narukami
- Puyo Puyo!! Quest – the PQ2 version of Joker is a six-star balance-type character
- Identity V – the Acrobat has two Persona 5 skins, one of Joker and one of Ren
- Another Eden – you can play as Joker in this one
- AFK Arena – an agility-based ranger hero in this iconic idle game
- NieR Reincarnation – the mobile game collaborated with Persona 5 Royal to celebrate its release
- Knives Out – Joker was a playable character in the popular mobile battle royale
There you have it, everything you need to know about Persona 5’s Joker. If you’re after even more great adventures, our best Switch RPGs list is the place to be.