Playstation 4's Persona 5 put Atlus' visual novel JRPG series on the map more than ever, making the once-niche franchise officially mainstream. Despite the game's widespread acclaim, its anime adaptation -- Persona 5: The Animation -- wasn't particularly loved among the fandom. The PS4 game's successor, Persona 5 Royal, adds even more content, namely new characters and storylines.
Given that it includes significant new story elements and the fact that the original anime wasn't exactly acclaimed, a Persona 5 Royal anime could give the game the show it deserves. Here's a look at some of the additions included in Royal and how they could be used to justify, essentially, a second shot at a Persona 5 anime.
Persona 5 Royal's Plot & Origin
Persona 5 stars the Phantom Thieves who explore an alternate world called the Metaverse, birthed from the minds of corrupt adults and even other people in their lives. The Phantom Thieves use their own skills and their summoned Personas to deal with the evil desires of cruel adults, all while trying to heal the trauma of others.
The original game was released in 2016, with Persona 5 Royal coming out in Japan in 2019 and the West one year later. There were several new side stories added, as well as a fresher coat of paint fitting the PlayStation 4. Other new elements include two brand new supporting cast members for the Phantom Thieves: Kasumi Yoshizawa and Takuto Maruki. Their presence adds new story beats to the main plot, while also expanding the development of characters who were in the original version. All of this justified fans essentially buying the game again, so it's more than enough for a new anime.
Why Persona 5 Royal Deserves an Anime Adaptation
One factor that justifies a Persona 5 Royal anime adaptation is the franchise's history. Persona 3 received multiple adaptations, and this was back when the games were first crawling out of their niche reputation. The even better-received Persona 4, however, truly blazed a trail that Persona 5 could follow. The main game got an anime adaptation, but so did Persona 4 Golden -- essentially the equivalent to Persona 5 Royal. It was mostly the same game with a few mechanical differences and updates, but it also added new scenarios and a completely different "true" ending.
This new ending involved the new character Marie, who hadn't been in Persona 4 but tied deeply into the enhanced game's backstory. The Persona 4 Golden anime used all of this, retelling the original story from Persona 4: The Animation while incorporating new elements along with the new ending involving Marie. Thus, a brand new anime was made out of one that was only a few years old, and Persona fans were more than happy with it.
Persona 5 Royal has the same number of new additions to its base game. A longer, better-paced adaptation of Persona 5: The Animation would improve on these issues, while also adapting the "true" ending in Royal. Whether or not this will end up happening is unclear, but given that Atlus is about to begin celebrating Persona being 25 years old, it would certainly be a welcome announcement.