The Persona franchise is a smash-hit JRPG series that's filled to the brim with some of the most memorable characters in video game history, but not without a cost. For every few characters that everyone knows and loves, there's inevitably one that sticks out for all the wrong reasons.
With over 20 years of Persona games to date, these story-heavy, visual novel-esque JRPGs strive to create unique and fun characters to stick in your head for years to come. For all the amazing characters present within the series, which ones garner a little too much flack from dedicated fans? Find out in our list!
10 LOVED: Maya Amano
Within the grim and mysterious events present within Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Maya never fails to remain a ray of sunshine for the party, actively going out of her way to lighten the mood and cheer up her friends. This optimistic reporter, even as a supporting character, takes on a motherly, leadership role to support the party.
In Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, her role is switched to a silent protagonist, but her time in Innocent Sin is unforgettable. Most importantly, she has a rabbit doll named "Mr. Bunbun" that she uses to calm other party members. Without Maya, Persona 2 just wouldn't be the same.
9 HATED: Goro Akechi
Akechi makes his appearance within Persona 5 fairly early in the game and remains a pivotal character in the plot until the end. He's rather stuck-up and arrogant, and that smile is all too fake to be believable. Akechi is disliked by many for being rather predictable and unenjoyable, only held up by his undying affection for pancakes.
In the latter half of Persona 5, his character change isn't hard to see coming, but, especially within the upcoming Persona 5 Royal, Akechi changes a lot throughout the story, and his tragic and unfortunate tale shouldn't be brushed off. Now, if you'll excuse him, he has pancakes to attend to.
8 LOVED: Kanji Tatsumi
Filled with confusion and internal conflict, Kanji serves as a very relatable character that shows the struggles of discovering oneself during teenage life. Initially portrayed as nothing more than a brute delinquent with a bad temper, Kanji quickly shows his true colors and deeply values his friends for how they accept him for who he is.
As well as being an all-around likable dude, he brings a lot of comedic moments to the story, especially with the constant bickering between him and Teddie. His Social Link is a little difficult to find, but be sure to max it out, as it's well worth it.
7 HATED: Chie Satonaka
It's easy to brush of Chie as a stereotypical loud, scatterbrained tomboy, and that's, unfortunately, the case a lot of the time. Aside from the controversial voice actor change between Persona 4 and Persona 4 Golden, her dialogue is seen as annoying and immature by many, but that's hardly the case.
As her character further develops, especially within the events of the first dungeon, you see just how much she cares for her friends, and she'd likely do anything to help them. She may give Yosuke a hard time for cracking her copy of Trial of the Dragon, but deep down, she views him just as much of a friend as Yukiko.
6 LOVED: Aigis
As an android, Aigis lacks emotions and any sort of social skills, which is a stark contrast within a game series so focused on its characters. However, Persona 3's themes of death and loss complement Aigis well, as she struggles to comprehend how she should feel. Since she's essentially immortal, death is an outlandish concept to her, and she learns the importance of life through bonding with her teammates.
Towards the protagonist, she cares about them above all else to the point of breaking into the dorm room out of concern. Persona 3 manages to turn a character who lacks emotional skills into a kind, caring, and endearing android.
5 HATED: Yukari Takeba
If there's one character that's consistently coined as the "typical popular high school girl", it's Yukari Takeba. At the start of Persona 3, she's just that. She's a bit rude, selfish, and sarcastic at the start, coining Junpei as "Stupei, Ace Defective". Disregarding her sick burns, she quickly grows on the rest of the cast and opens herself up to them and tells of her sorrowful past.
She's shown to be pretty lonely, and she holds her relationships with her friends in high regard. There's always more to a book than its cover, and Yukari's kind and gentle interior makes for a worthwhile investment.
4 LOVED: Ryuji Sakamoto
Persona 5's bro-dude party member is not only an overflowing source of comedic value but also hides so many qualities under his seemingly shallow exterior to make him a lovable character through and through. He comes off as blunt, troublesome, and vulgar, and isn't afraid to wear it on his sick "NO MO RULES" shirt.
He says what he feels, even if it doesn't come out in a traditionally polite way. There's a lot of contexts to be learned as to why Ryuji is the way he is, and it's a tale that'll make you love him even more. Even through constant conflict with Morgana, he deeply cares for him and the rest of the Phantom Thieves.
3 HATED: Teddie
He's got puns, poorly timed jokes, an odd development, and more puns. It isn't unreasonable to get annoyed by this beary-overbearing bear, but he seems to get much more hate than love. Sure, he may repeat the same battle lines 30 times per dungeon peruse, or hopelessly flirt with Yukiko for the 8th time, but above all else, he's trying his best.
The world outside the TV is foreign to him, so, like Aigis, he has to learn the nuances and intricacies of social situations and behaviors. Instead of pinning him as annoying, the phrase "endearingly obnoxious" is a beary-good fit.
2 LOVED: Futaba Sakura
Uncovering all of Futaba's trauma and social ineptness is no easy task, as she spends most of the game combating all the difficulties thrown at her. Once she decides to join the rest of the Phantom Thieves, her uniqueness against all other characters makes her stick out as memorable and charming.
She's young and inexperienced, but a Savant of sorts when it comes to her intelligence and problem-solving. She's an invaluable asset to the Phantom Thieves as well as an exceptionally developed character within Persona 5's stellar cast.
1 HATED: Ichiko Ohya
As the literal interpretation of a clickbait article, Ohya is unanimously disliked for her straight up rude and intrusive demeanor. Essentially inserting herself into the story around the events of Madarame's Palace, her initial introduction is a poor introduction into who she really is. It takes a while for her confidant to get going, and many will quickly lose interest in her, not even mentioning her lackluster design.
But, like other hated characters within the series, she shines her best at the end of her character arc after you've learned about her past, and she's anything but an irredeemable character.