I really like Persona 5, however through the years, Atlus’ trendy, supposedly socially-conscious RPG hasn’t cherished me. Queer Persona followers know the collection to be fraught, and even essentially the most passionate amongst us deal with it just like the enjoyable uncle who claims to like everybody and nonetheless says one thing extraordinarily out of pocket every vacation. I figured Persona 5 Tactica, the tactical spin-off launching on November 17, would comply with all of the earlier video games and discover some technique to throw a jab at queer individuals for no purpose. However after years of feeling like one among my favourite collection has been making an attempt to push me out, Tactica opened the door for me, if just for a second.
We aren’t going to get into any massive, overarching story spoilers as I clarify how, however a quick scene in Tactica’s first chapter does require just a little table-setting. If you need completely no context, possibly reduce this tab and are available again whenever you’ve completed the primary chapter.
Purchase Persona 5 Tactica: Amazon | Finest Purchase | GameStop
![Image for article titled Persona 5 Tactica Tries To Make Up For The Series’ Homophobia](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/9b140b5128943deef31107021017c7a3.jpg)
Persona 5 Tactica opens with the Phantom Thieves, the teenage superhero vigilantes heading again into the supernatural world known as the Metaverse. This time they’re going through Marie, a tyrant bride who has repurposed a complete city to carry her dream marriage ceremony. There’s no must get into the why and who right here, because it’s a spoiler, however this serves to arrange the scene we’re right here to speak about. It’s known as “The Ultimate Marriage,” and you will discover it within the Discuss menu in Café Leblanc after you discover out Marie’s plot.
The Phantom Thieves focus on Marie’s plan of their dwelling base, and the dialog strikes on to the group’s personal concepts of “dream weddings.” Ann excitedly talks about how she will be able to’t wait to put on a white marriage ceremony costume, and it’s all very cute. Ultimately, Ryuji turns to our largely silent protagonist, Joker, and playfully asks which of the Phantom Thieves he would marry.
I went by a number of phases of subverted expectations right here, so maintain my hand, Phantom Thief, and let me stroll you thru. When Ryuji requested the query, I absolutely anticipated my choices to be restricted solely to the ladies within the room, as that may mirror the unique Persona 5’s extraordinarily restricted view of romance. These spin-off video games don’t import your P5 save, so video games like Persona 5 Strikers discover methods to ask you who your paramour within the first recreation was so you possibly can expertise just a little continuity.
However a lot to my shock, Tactica allowed for everybody within the room to be an possibility, together with Ryuji, who I’ve headcanoned as my Joker’s unrequited crush since first taking part in Persona 5 in 2017. Even nonetheless, my trepidation wasn’t gone, as any time a dialogue possibility gave me an opportunity to recommend how my Joker felt a door was immediately slammed in my face. Persona video games haven’t simply denied characters’ doable queerness at each likelihood, they’re usually keen to show any gesture towards it right into a mean-spirited joke.
I braced myself as I selected Ryuji, prepared for Tactica to hit me with the metaphorical backhand within the type of my would-be boyfriend jolting away in the wrong way…but it surely by no means got here.
![Joker and Ryuji are shown at a wedding reception.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/5bb533dd879e61b7368c727a8650be1e.jpg)
As a substitute, what I acquired was a extremely candy scene of Ryuji in a classy white tux, saying he couldn’t imagine the individual of his desires had been proper by his aspect the entire time. It was a reference to the most effective interactions between Ryuji and Joker in OG Persona 5, one usually pointed to by followers as a second that suggests some stage of romantic belief between the 2. However right here in Tactica he additionally acknowledged sparks had been flying between the 2 since they met firstly of Persona 5, and I believed to myself it was about rattling time he wisened as much as this.
As Joker stops pondering his dream marriage ceremony it’s again to actuality, the place he and Ryuji aren’t relationship, regardless of these sparks. The scene then ended, and earlier than a wave of pleasure hit me, my first feeling was a way of aid.
Persona 5’s homophobia drawback
Persona 5 has all the time positioned itself as a narrative about standing up towards oppressive forces within the title of standing up for the little man crushed beneath their boots. The Phantom Thieves use their supernatural powers to struggle crooks as small-time as an abusive highschool coach and climb up till they attain a significant politician. The sport tackles energy imbalances, class points, and corrupt regulation enforcement, however queer id has all the time been its blind spot. Even because it stumbles in advocating for victims of abuse by placing those self same individuals by the identical violence after the very fact, at the very least Persona 5 does, in some unspecified time in the future in its 100+ hours, take a stance.
However on the subject of how id is a marginalizing issue, Persona 5 has all the time been prepared to shun, and even level and snigger at queer individuals. Males, particularly. Enjoying the unique Persona 5 as a homosexual man was an extremely disheartening expertise because it each refused to let me go down a romantic path with any of my male buddies, and likewise bombarded me with assumptions of who Joker, and by extension, myself, was in its dialogue.
![Ryuji is shown being harassed by two men.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/7b3f99b61b7a726db10a2187a41f99ee.jpg)
On high of this, Persona 5’s therapy of its sole canonical homosexual males, two harassers assaulting Ryuji in the course of a crowded avenue, stays one of many lowest factors within the collection. The English localization group stepped in for the definitive Persona 5 Royal model by making these characters enthusiastic drag queens keen to point out Ryuji the ropes reasonably than predators, however even that can’t make Persona 5 an inclusive recreation when it’s totally tired of telling a narrative about queer characters, even when the participant is making an attempt to push it in that course. Certain, you possibly can inform a random shadow in a buried battle menu that you just like males, however when it comes to dwelling as a homosexual teen in supernatural Tokyo? Persona 5 received’t allow you to.
It’s irritating as a result of I’d argue the social hyperlink arcs between Joker and Ryuji or Joker and his rival Goro Akechi nonetheless take pleasure in essentially the most romantic stress within the recreation, way over many of the girls the participant can pursue. However actually, it didn’t come as a shock that Persona 5 was dismissive of queer id, as a result of Persona virtually all the time is.
Persona 3 has bizarre transphobic jokes that I’m curious to see dealt with in Persona 3 Reload. Persona 4 practically has fascinating conversations about queer id with celebration members Kanji Tatsumi and Naoto Shirogane initially being introduced as probably working by male attraction and gender fluidity respectively, just for the sport to handwave these conversations, fall again on the established order, and have interaction in some informal queerphobia alongside the way in which. Shoutout to Persona 2, which had a homosexual romantic curiosity in 1999. I want your successors adopted go well with, however possibly they’ll transferring ahead?
![Ryuji is shown leaning on Joker at Leblanc.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload/c_fit,q_60,w_645/85c6a7a9e2578640fd18c86c61bdd6b5.jpg)
Persona 5 Tactica doesn’t make good on the collection excluding queer individuals, and it positively doesn’t repair that it made us the butt of the joke for nearly 20 years. Nevertheless it does trace that possibly the long run’s trying brighter for queer Persona followers sooner or later. Now, even when the love tales that ought to’ve been there aren’t, these of us who spent years taking part in as Joker pining for Ryuji or Yusuke (apologies to the Akechi lovers however he isn’t right here, R.I.P. to you) have one thing in hand to beat the headcanon allegations.
I didn’t flirt with any of the ladies in any of those video games as a result of I used to be really dedicated to the self-insert bit. Now I lastly have at the very least one scene on this entire collection that acknowledges that my Joker desires to smooch his golden retriever greatest pal. This leaves me just a little extra hopeful that whoever I play as in Persona 6 would possibly get a boyfriend of his personal.P