The Complete “Persona Watch Guide” in Release Order

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Persona

Persona is easily one of the most popular anime-styled JRPG series of all time and for good reasons as well. They feature one of the most fast-paced turned-based battle systems in the genre and also some of the most critically acclaimed plots and characters in it as well, overall the series is a complete package for all JRPG fans.

But those who don’t play video games or are only interested in the stories presented in the Persona world would be delighted to know that the franchise is not just relegated to the gaming format and has in fact received complete anime adaptations for many of its main series titles, for which we will be providing you a chronological watch list for peak engagement.

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Persona: Trinity Soul (2008)

Persona trinity souls
Image Courtesy: Atlus Games
  • Studio – A-1 Pictures
  • Season – Summer 2008
  • Genre – Supernatural, Mystery

One of the few anime/manga original Persona series and a surprisingly competent one at that, Persona: Trinity Soul acts as a sequel to the events of Persona 3 set in one of the alternate universes that exist inside the tower of Tartarus.

It stars 3 brothers of different generations Ryou, Shin, and Jun Kanzato, who meet up in the futuristic Ayanagi City of 2019 after being separated for over a decade. But their reunion celebrations are short-lived however as all 3 awaken to the power of Personas and decide to investigate the supernatural happenings of the city.

Persona 4 the Animation (2011) 

  • Studio – AIC ASTA
  • Season – Winter 2011
  • Genre – Mystery, Supernatural

The first proper Game adaptation in the Franchise and easily one of the most faithful to the original story, Persona 4 the Animation is a joy to watch from beginning to end and is a great entry point for even non-Persona fans.

It stars Yu Narukami, a high schooler who just recently moved into a small town with his Detective Uncle and his daughter due to Yu’s parents working abroad. Along his relatively normal high school life, Yu and his newly banded group of friends must uncover the mystery of strange supernatural murders across town after awakening to the power of Persona.

Persona 3 Movies (2013-2016)

Persona 3 movie
Image Courtesy: AIC ASTA
  • Studio – AIC ASTA
  • Number – 4 movies
  • Genre – Supernatural, Action

Even though Persona 3 did not receive an episodic anime adaptation, all of its major arcs received 4 total movie adaptations that were generally received really well by the community and regarded to be quite faithful to the source material.

At the stroke of midnight, the Dark Hour appears, in which the inhabitants of the world are trapped in coffins. Those who are not under the Dark Hour’s influence however awaken Persona and join the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad which is tasked with battling the night creatures known as Shadows.

Persona 4 the Golden Animation (2014) 

  • Studio – A-1 pictures
  • Season – Summer 2014
  • Genre – Supernatural, Mystery

A direct successor to the original Persona 4 anime series, which seeks not to replace it but to add more context onto its story with its adaptation of the bonus chapters from the Golden rerelease of the game.

This anime is not meant to be a standalone show but rather a complimentary show to the original anime, and in that context, it serves its purpose well as the characters are just as iconic and charming as you would remember.

Persona 5 the Animation (2018)

Persona 5 the Animation
Image Courtesy – A-1 Pictures
  • Studio – A-1 Pictures
  • Season – Summer 2018
  • Genre – Supernatural, Action

The first anime adaptation of the franchise to receive an extremely lukewarm reception, Persona 5 the Animation is considered to be one of the worst video game adaptations of all time, and honestly the critics are right.

This show stars the titular Phantom thieves from the games but most of their extremely well-written social link quests have been completely gutted from the story and replaced boring anime original character interactions that just feel disjointed from the overarching plot, in our opinion you should skip this one just for its clear lack of soul and passion for the source material.

Conclusion

When it comes to Video Game Adaptations, we are proud to say that Persona as a series has been treated very respectfully with extremely faithful adaptations that stay true to the source material for the most part. Even though the production has started fumbling in the past few years, we still recommend you look forward to any Persona anime that is out on the market.

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