Player vs. Player: Joker & Akechi

Thanks to Slink for help with edits. Oh, and spoilers for Persona 5 Royal.

Like with all the RPGs that eventually became favorites of mine, I’d known plenty about Persona 5 before finally starting it last year: Morgana is annoying, “Rivers In the Desert” is an all-time great, and fans of edgy rivals should pay attention to Goro Akechi. My months-long playthrough confirmed some of those expectations and denied others (for one, I actually liked the cat), but my prevailing thought was how much I regretted not springing for Royal. And that was too bad, since it’s an amazing game that deserved more than my sheepish impressions. Thus, I grabbed the upgrade and immediately ran it back, so at least I can finally write about its characters. And there was definitely a P5-like charm to starting everything with a borrowed, dated version of the game; I don’t regret how things ended up.

Now, as for which Persona-users would make for good “Player vs. Player” headliners, that much was obvious. I’ve detested silent protagonists in older analyses, but I knew Joker would be an exception. Despite his name and dialogue being up to players, he gets plenty across in his rebellious attitude and actions. Weirdo that he is, it’s no surprise he’s able to rally these teammates and other misfits behind the Phantom Thieves. On top of all that, he’s foiled by one of the most dynamic rivals out there. Although the aforementioned Akechi plays a massive role in driving home the game’s themes (“freedom vs. control,” “the front stage vs. backstage self,” and so on), he ironically wasn’t featured very much in vanilla P5. His expanded role in Royal was the primary reason I double-dipped so soon, and the reason it was worth the plunge. But that’s enough buildup, so let’s get into why these two are instant classics!

Having changed the hearts of two criminals, Joker (whose official name is “Ren Amamiya”) and his budding Thieves spend their social studies trip visiting a TV station. Previously, he’d been falsely deemed guilty for an assault he didn’t commit, and now uses his Personas and access to the Metaverse—the collective unconscious—to reform wicked adults. Why he obtained these powers remains unclear, but there’s someone out there doing scarier things with the same abilities. Brain death and psychotic episodes are the usual results of their tampering with people, so they’ll be our overarching threat. Getting back to the trip, our heroics are met with criticism from Goro Akechi, a popular detective opposing the theft of anyone’s heart. Even so, he hits it off with Ren and regularly looks to him for opinions on the vigilantes he secretly leads. But things intensify when the Metaverse-abusing villain enters the fold, spurring Akechi to unearth the party’s identities and force them to team up with him.

During Akechi’s first mission, his mask sports a long nose. I wonder if that’s supposed to hint at anything?

At this point, it’s worth mentioning that Akechi’s a riot when he’s not acting like a pick-me nerd. As a Confidant—a series of optional meetups with a given NPC—he lets slip his competitive side and tragic past via shockingly intimate scenes with Joker. His father was a deadbeat, his mother made ends meet as a sex worker before passing away, and now the celebrity sees himself as a cursed child. Compelling stuff, but what’s more important is how flashy a party member he is! Although Joker stays on top with his army’s worth of Personas, Akechi (whose code name is “Crow”) packs a lightsaber, ray gun, both Bless and Curse skills (teammates never get multiple elements, let alone opposing ones), and even an Almighty screen clearer. He’s way stronger than a greenhorn Persona-user ought to be. Even worse, he owns it in his most notable hangout, challenging his rival to a friendly slugfest in Mementos. It’s clear he’s hiding something, but I can’t get over the way he broke from his own script just to prove his superiority.

In an effort to hurry through the plot synopsis, let’s return to the Thieves’ hunt for the true culprit. Akechi proves a big help in infiltrating the amazing casino Palace, but the operation goes off the rails when he’s revealed to be a traitor and the criminal behind all the mental shutdowns. With Joker arrested, the phony pays him a visit and ends his justice with a bullet to the head. It’s a good thing this is a heist story, because the party set this mirage up to learn who Akechi’s working for: his deadbeat dad and the politician behind Ren’s false charges, Masayoshi Shido. His Palace hosts Joker and Akechi’s final duel, where the latter unveils the source of his mind jacking to be his secret Persona Loki (cue the music). Despite all the bad blood, the pair’s shared hatred of Shido and Akechi’s only bit of true heroism save the Thieves in the end. But following the base game’s conclusion, Royal sees the detective reappearing after his supposed death and joining his former enemies for one last job…

Unlike most modern games, I initially heard of Persona 5 offline. My first bits of exposure to it were a red-and-black controller skin and Akechi’s stupid pancake line, prepping me for a character who’d end up even goofier than his statement implied. As unironically great as he is, much of his appeal comes from how far he’s willing to go to leave an impression. He takes and ruins so many lives in his efforts to get back at Shido, including those close to our party (Futaba’s and Haru’s parents, for example). Moreover, he tries so hard to be the Sephiroth-esque scourge of Joker’s life, but goes about it in such a pitiful way that even his victims eventually forgive him. After all, his tidy public self and deranged true self are both in service of the real goal he’d never admit to having: to be seen. Sounds corny, but it genuinely stings watching Akechi realize he stuck to his dad partly because he finally felt wanted. By the way, voice actor Robbie Daymond deserves credit for his part in bringing this walking disaster to life. It’s thanks to him that I can buy the character’s fake politeness, wannabe edginess, and deep sadness.

As stated in Matt Reeves’s The Batman, “Our scars can destroy us, even after the physical wounds have healed. But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure, and the strength to fight.”

Come the Royal-only third semester and Akechi’s encore, we see all his traits unite as he reaches what’s basically his self-actualization (on second thought, his politeness is nowhere to be found). He requests Joker’s help in usurping Mementos’s new ruler and returning reality to its unaltered state, as he’s now committed to walking his own path. That translates to him acting like a maniac during fights and a prick outside them, but unused dialogue reveals the others prefer him this way. And he briefly puts his mask back on when talking with a Sumire he believes isn’t in the know, so we can infer he only acts real around people he trusts. This all culminates in his two Personas fusing to become a symbol of his newfound valor: Hereward. It looks like Christian Bale’s Batman, and I love that about it! Just like the superhero, Akechi does his part to save the world, seemingly dies a noble death, then teases the free life he’s finally leading in the ending. He’ll be back to test his trusted frenemy, but for the time being, this is the perfect bookend for someone who fought so hard for his freedom.

On the other hand, there’s Joker. He’s cool. I guess it’s only fitting that Akechi’s polar opposite be a straightforward hero, but that means my reasons for liking him are more superficial. The game wastes no time putting him through the wringer, kicking everything off with a kick to his gut and some top-notch police brutality. That scene and more are the reasons Ren’s table-turning trips to the Metaverse are so satisfying. He’s got this whole “dark knight” thing going on, pursuing a noble goal under the cover of shady actions and even shadier attire. My confidant Wolfman’s “Fighter’s Spirit” series explains how these aspects come together in the Thief’s Smash Ultimate moveset. Long story short, he brings his signature Persona Arsène to the fray and makes waves as one of the only fighters with an “Install” mechanic. As always, he’s stylish and empowering; it’s no wonder he set the bar so high for the rest of the crossover’s DLC.

Appearances aside, Joker’s stoicism makes what little personality he does show all the more memorable. He has some ridiculous dialogue options and a few bad endings to bring about, altogether making me question his morals. In all fairness, I don’t hold The Thousand-Year Door’s bad ending against Mario, but it feels different when Ren’s regularly on the verge of making life-ruining choices. He’s practically a button press away from being another Akechi. Relatedly, I really like the implication that he kept the Phantom Thieves going with the aim of someday targeting Shido. It reminds me of Makoto’s goal to change her sister Sae’s heart, but without the siblings’ eventual willingness to hash things out themselves. Joker’s not above revenge or self-satisfaction, which gives the self-insert some much-needed humanity. The Velvet Room talks a big game calling him a “Trickster” and “Wild Card,” but I’d say he does a fine job living up to all that.

Akechi’s Dark Suit is comically extra, but I’m a fan of how much it stands out from the other Thieves’ costumes. It also has a jester aesthetic, which fits his chaotic energy.

Of course, we have the Velvet Room to thank for crossing the Persona-users’ paths in the first place. To determine humanity’s fate, the omnipotent Yaldabaoth gave Metaverse access to two promising teens and set them against each other. Ren and Akechi were on a collision course from the start, and you can see that in how perfectly they contrast each other. My allusions to Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy weren’t just because I recently watched it; I’d be shocked if it didn’t help inspire these two. Those movies made the detective and joker natural enemies, and P5 tangibly references them in the form of in-universe shlock “The Cake Knight Rises.” These Gotham-fueled vibes serve the pair well in their “Bladed Runners” Showtime move, wherein Joker’s finesse and Akechi’s bloodlust work together to stunt on foes. It’s too bad we don’t get to use this move on Shido, but I’ll take what I can get.

While we’re talking disappointments, I’ll confess that Royal Akechi’s gameplay leaves a bit to be desired. Ever since I fought him in base game, the thought of eventually using his Loki-powered self really excited me! I was expecting some Joker-like swapping between his two Personas, maybe a unique status that turns enemies psychotic, the works. What we got was functional enough for me to carry him through the new Palace, but not enough to stand out in a sea of capable Phantom Thieves. The same goes for Sumire, another third-semester addition I refused to bench. Dammit, it took me hundreds of hours to unlock these two, I loved the makeshift trio they formed with Joker, and they joined way too late as is; I was committed to making them work! This reminds me of the way Xenoblade 2 gave Nia fancy skills and a signature weapon, only for those goodies to never appear in her playable kit. I guess phenomenal characters are magnets for this sort of thing?

I clearly have a lot to say about Joker’s worse half, but I’d also like to bring up another foil of his. Dr. Maruki is a Royal-exclusive Confidant and final boss, as well as another one of the best things to come out of the rerelease. His glasses and hairstyle already evoke Ren, but the parallels become clearer when we learn he’s a fellow Persona-user, victim of Shido’s, and reformer of society. Having obtained Yaldabaoth’s powers via a loophole, he quickly gets to messing with reality in ways that’d make everyone happy. Although it’s nice to face someone who actually has others’ best interests at heart, he nevertheless needs his stolen. Akechi’s role in this plot is what makes it truly great; I love the way he unambiguously detests Doc and everything he’s selling. Even if the detective could rewrite his tragedy, even with a likely death awaiting him, he does all he can to escape another life laid out by some distant adult.

Before we reach the end of this, I’m turning our attention to the line iconic enough to be this article’s header: “I’m going to be entirely honest with you: I hate you.” When Akechi says this, he’s days away from betraying the Phantom Thieves and murdering the guy he clearly enjoys going out with. He’s absolutely bitter and ready to crash out over his inadequacy, but I doubt he was actually honest with himself. Whether he likes it or not, Ren ends up being his first time forming an authentic relationship with someone, due in part to our interest in him as players. Despite—presumably—never setting foot in the Velvet Room, he was the one rehabilitated by P5’s fateful year. For Joker’s part, he’s a mischievous character who clearly enjoys the thrill of it all, so he’s surprisingly good at reciprocating Akechi’s advances. I didn’t bring it up much, but there’s definitely some romantic tension between the two. How far that rabbit hole goes is another story, but it’s enough to add even more to their interactions.

As the pancake-themed prophecies foretold, Goro Akechi has become one of my favorite characters in any RPG! Although I love the classic Phantom Thieves and their undying loyalty (yes, even Morgana), no single personality elevates Persona 5 like the detective does. As cool as it would’ve been to explore the Palace originally planned for him, I much prefer how things panned out. Changing his mindset the old-fashioned way makes for one of the most gratifying processes in Royal, and the payoff for that hard work is an unforgettable ally and redemption arc. He’s equal parts interesting, badass, and ridiculous; the ideal “PvP” subject. Joker, meanwhile, might not be a Cloud or Rex, but he’s exactly the sort of protag this game needed. He’s got his own brand of coolness and silliness, while leaving enough room for fans to see themselves in him. I’m not sure when I’ll have the constitution to play and discuss another Atlus game, but in the meantime, I’ll be catching a train and heading anywhere but Shibuya…