Persona Protagonist Names: Canon names for every main character in the series
For some, it can be a bit of a head-scratcher when a video game doesn't give you a canonical name for its lead character. One such series is Persona, which across its main numbered entries doesn't offer up a canon name for any of the protagonists - even though official canon names do exist. This page lists them.
Persona series canon protagonist names
The idea of holding back the official names is of course so that you name them yourself in order to foster a greater connection between player and protagonist. But not everybody wants to dot hat, especially in a game with a slice-of-life setting like Persona's various high schools. For those people, we've got good news - this page features all of the Persona series canon protagonist names, as established by Atlus and P-Studio through various sources throughout the years.
The canon names here will apply to all the main games - including all versions of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 - and also provide names that'll be useful for spin-off games. We'll always keep this page updated as new character names emerge. For now, though, here's all the canon names we could gather for the entire Persona series.
- Persona 1 Protagonist Name
- Persona 2 Protagonist Name
- Persona 3 Protagonist Name
- Persona 4 Protagonist Name
- Persona 5 Protagonist Name
Persona 5 Protagonist Name
Ren Amamiya is the official canon name of P5's protagonist. This was first established in the Persona 5 anime, but was later confirmed by Atlus, and has been used in various spin-off mediums such as the dancing spin-off.
This is the official protagonist name and is relevant for Persona 5, Persona 5 Royal, and various spin-offs in which P5's lead appears such as Persona 5 Tactica. In addition to this name, there are a range of additional names that have been used in official and unofficial sources over the years, and are well worth your consideration:
- Akira Kurusu is an alternative name for the protagonist, as established in the Persona 5 manga book.
- Both in Persona 5 proper and of course in Smash Bros, the character simply goes by Joker, his mementos nickname.
- In the Persona 5 Stage Play in Japan, fans were able to submit names for the protagonist - and different names would be used in different performances. There were many of these, but four stand-outs are the names that were used in performances that were later released on DVD: Itsuki Onda, Naoki Toudou, Kaito Shinno, and Nozomu Akase - all great potential alternate names, if you're looking for something a little different.
Persona 4 Protagonist Name
Yu Narukami is the official canon name of the Persona 4 protagonist. This name doesn't appear in Persona 4 or Persona 4 Golden unless you enter it yourself, but it was later established as the official canon through its use in titles like Persona 4 Dancing as well as the anime adaptation.
In addition to the official canon name above, the P4 protagonist has gone by some other names in other sources if you prefer to go for a different name:
- Souji Seta is an alternative official name for P4's protagonist, and was the first to be released - it's found in the Persona 4 manga adaptation.
- Asakawa Hayato is the protagonist's name in the officially licensed Persona 4 stage play adaptation.
Persona 3 Reload Protagonist Name
Makoto Yuki is the official name of the P3 protagonist as first established in the animated Persona 3 movie. This name has gone on to be used for P3's male lead in various spin-off games, and is therefore the relevant canon name for all versions of P3 - Persona 3, Persona 3 Portable, and Persona 3 Reload.
This orphaned protagonist does have a few alternate names, however. These have appeared in a range of P3 media that's been officially sanctioned by the developers, and make for good alternative official names:
- Minato Arisato is another alternative protagonist name, as found in the official P3 manga.
- Sakuya Shiomi is another option. P3 actually had a stage play, and in that live-action version of the story in Japan, that's his name.
Of course, in Persona 3 FES, in part the protagonist is also Aigis - who has that one canon name.
P3P Female Protagonist Name
Persona 3 doesn't end there, however. In Persona 3 Portable, you can choose to play as a female protagonist. While she's not as fleshed out, she does have one canon name of sorts...
- Kotone Shiomi is the only existing canon name for the female P3P protagonist. That's her name when she appears in the Persona 3 stage play.
Persona 2 Protagonist Name
Persona 2 comes in two halves, of course: Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment. That means two protagonists, with two canon names: Unlike most entries in the series, the lead characters in these games have actual default in-game canon names that players can change rather than a blank field that forces customization.
- Tatsuya Suou is the Innocent Sin protagonist's canon name.
- Maya Amano is the canon protagonist name of the Eternal Punishment lead.
Persona Protagonist Name
The protagonist of the first game in the series, known as Megami Ibunroku Persona in Japan, has a few names he's been known as, mostly focused on those names that first appeared in extracurricular media.:
- In most Japanese material around the original game, he's simply referred to as the Boy with an Earring. In the localized English version, he doesn't actually have any piercings, though!
- In the manga adaptation, he is known as Naoya Toudou, and has the nickname of Naorin.
- In the official novel, his name is Jihei Suzakuin, but is nicknamed Jay.
- In the drama audio play, the character is called Yuuya Narumi.