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{{ArticleIcons|ultimate=y}}
{{ArticleIcons|ultimate=y}}
:''For fighter info, see [[Joker (SSBU)]].''
{{forfighter|SSBU=y}}
{{disambig2|the character from ''Persona 5''|other uses|Joker (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Character General
{{Infobox Character General
|name=Joker
|name           = Joker
|image= [[File:Joker Thief - Persona.png|250px]]
|image         = {{tabber|width=265px|title1=Phantom Thief|content1=[[File:Joker Phantom Thief.png|250px]]|title2=Student|content2=[[File:Joker Student.png|x290px]]}}
|caption=Official artwork of Joker from ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5}}''.<br>{{symbol|persona|50px}}
|caption       = {{symbol|persona|50px}}<br>Official artwork of Joker from ''{{iw|wikipedia|Persona 5}}''.
|universe={{uv|Persona}}
|universe       = {{uv|Persona}}
|firstgame=''{{s|wikipedia|Persona 5}}'' (2016)
|firstgame     = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Persona 5}}'' (2016)
|games=''[[Ultimate]]''
|games         = ''[[Ultimate]]''
|lastappearance=''{{s|wikipedia|Catherine: Full Body}}'' (2019) {{Flag|Japan}}
|lastappearance = ''{{iw|wikipedia|Persona 3 Reload}}'' (2024, via DLC)
|console= PlayStation 3,<br>PlayStation 4
|console       = PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
|species=Human
|species       = Human
|gender = Male
|gender         = Male
|placeoforigin= Japan
|placeoforigin = {{iw|wikipedia|Japan}}
|creator = Katsura Hashino
|creator       = {{iw|wikipedia|Katsura Hashino}}<br>{{iw|wikipedia|Shigenori Soejima}}
|artist = Shigenori Soejima
|artist         = Shigenori Soejima
|englishactor= Xander Mobus
|englishactor   = {{iw|wikipedia|Xander Mobus}}
|japanactor= Jun Fukuyama
|japanactor     = {{iw|wikipedia|Jun Fukuyama}}
|interwiki      = wikipedia
|interwikiname  = Wikipedia
|interwikipage  = Joker (Persona)
}}
}}
'''Joker''' ({{ja|ジョーカー|Jōkā}}, ''Joker'') is the codename used by the protagonist of ''Persona 5''. Although Joker's civilian name is given by the player in ''Persona 5'' itself, in various related media he has received the default name '''Ren Amamiya''' ({{ja|雨宮 蓮|Amamiya Ren}}, ''Ren Amamiya''), while the manga adaptation gives him the name '''Akira Kurusu''' ({{ja|来栖 暁|Kurusu Akira}}, ''Akira Kurusu'').
'''Joker''' ({{ja|ジョーカー|Jōkā}}, ''Joker'') is the codename used by the protagonist of ''[https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Persona_5 Persona 5]''. Although Joker's civilian name is given by the player in ''Persona 5'' itself, official media consistently gives him the default name '''Ren Amamiya''' ({{ja|雨宮 蓮|Amamiya Ren}}, ''Amamiya Ren''). The original manga adaptation also gives him the one-off name '''Akira Kurusu''' ({{ja|来栖 暁|Kurusu Akira}}, ''Kurusu Akira'').


==Character description==
==Origin==
Ren Amamiya is the leader of the vigilante group known as the Phantom Thieves. After being falsely accused of assault, he was labeled a delinquent and moved to Tokyo, Japan to attend Shujin Academy as part of his probation while under the care of cafe owner Sojiro Sakura. While there, he discovers a strange application on his smartphone. After a chance encounter with fellow outsider Ryuji Sakamoto over their gym coach Kamoshida, they discover that the app is actually a conduit to a parallel reality called the Metaverse. This “reality” is the manifestation of an individual’s twisted desires into a dream-like fantasy. In this case, Coach Kamoshida sees himself as the king of the academy and treats the rest of the students and faculty like peasants. Wanting no part in this reality, Ren rebels against the oppression of King Kamoshida and awakens his Persona, donning the mask and cloak of “Joker.
<!--NOTE: Please don’t change Joker’s name.-->
Ren Amamiya is the leader of the vigilante group known as the Phantom Thieves. After being falsely accused of assault, he was labeled a delinquent and moved to Tokyo, Japan to attend Shujin Academy as part of his probation while under the care of café owner [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Sojiro_Sakura Sojiro Sakura]. While there, he discovers a strange application on his smartphone but brushes it off for the time being. After a chance encounter with fellow outsider [[Ryuji Sakamoto]] over their lecherous gym coach [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Suguru_Kamoshida Suguru Kamoshida], they discover that the app is actually a conduit to a parallel reality called the Metaverse. In it, an individual’s “cognition” is the manifestation of their twisted desires into a dream-like fantasy. In this case, Kamoshida sees himself as the king of the academy and treats the rest of the students and faculty like slaves. Wanting no part in this reality, Ren rebels against the oppression of King Kamoshida and awakens his Persona, donning the mask and cloak of "Joker".


Joker is a user of a rare Persona ability known as the Wild Card, which allows him to hold multiple Personas at once. The Metaverse Navigator app, and aid in managing Joker's Personas is provided by Igor, the proprietor of the Velvet Room; a recurring feature of the ''Persona'' series. Igor warns Joker that ruin is imminent, and that his "rehabilitation," facilitated by himself and the twin wardens Caroline and Justine, is the only way to avoid this ruination.  
Joker is a user of a rare Persona ability known as the Wild Card, which allows him to hold multiple Personas at once. The Metaverse Navigator app and other aid in managing Joker's Personas is provided by [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Igor Igor], the proprietor of the Velvet Room (a recurring feature of the ''Persona'' series). Igor warns Joker that ruin is imminent and that his "rehabilitation," facilitated by himself and the twin wardens [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Caroline_%26_Justine Caroline and Justine], is the only way to avoid this ruination.


Joker's initial Persona is [[Arsene]], based on the literary gentleman thief {{s|wikipedia|Arsène Lupin}}. Joker awakens Arsene in order to save Ryuji in Kamoshida's palace. While attempting to escape, the pair meet a catlike creature named Morgana, who also possesses a Persona, Zorro, and mentors Joker in the use of Personas. Upon return trips to the palace, Ryuji awakens his own Persona, Captain Kidd, and the group is inadvertently joined by another of Kamoshida's victims named Ann Takamaki and her Persona, Carmen. Under guidance from Morgana, the group sends Kamoshida a calling card, announcing themselves as the Phantom Thieves of Heart, causing a treasure to manifest in the palace. The successful defeat of Kamoshida's Shadow, and theft of the treasure, results in a change of heart in the real Kamoshida. Following this success, the Phantom Thieves pursue other targets, typically corrupt adults who victimize the young, gaining a large following and reputation. Over the course of their exploits, the group grows to include artist Yusuke Kitagawa, student council president Makoto Niijima, reclusive hacker Futaba Sakura, heiress Haru Okumura, and briefly the detective Goro Akechi.
Joker's initial Persona is [[Arsène]], based on the literary gentleman thief {{iw|wikipedia|Arsène Lupin}}. Joker awakens Arsène in order to save Ryuji in Kamoshida's palace. While attempting to escape, the pair meet a catlike creature named [[Morgana]], who also possesses a Persona, Zorro, and mentors Joker in the use of Personas. Upon return trips to the palace, Ryuji awakens his own Persona, Captain Kidd, and the group is inadvertently joined by another of Kamoshida's victims named [[Ann Takamaki]] and her Persona, Carmen. Under guidance from Morgana, the group sends Kamoshida a calling card, announcing themselves as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, causing a treasure to manifest in the palace. The successful defeat of Kamoshida's Shadow, and theft of the treasure, results in a change of heart in the real Kamoshida.
 
Following this success, the Phantom Thieves pursue other targets, typically corrupt adults who victimize the young, gaining a large following and reputation. Over the course of their exploits, the group grows to include artist [[Yusuke Kitagawa]] (whose Persona is Goemon), student council president [[Makoto Niijima]] (whose Persona is Johanna), reclusive hacker [[Futaba Sakura]] (whose Persona is Necronomicon), heiress [[Haru Okumura]] (whose Persona is Milady), and briefly the detective [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Goro_Akechi Goro Akechi] (who, like Joker, also has the Wild Card ability, but his inability to forge true bonds with people has limited him to two Personas: Robin Hood and Loki), who tries to stop the group from the inside in an attempt to arrest them. Ultimately, they end up exposing and ending a conspiracy to elect the corrupt politician [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Masayoshi_Shido Masayoshi Shido] to the position of Prime Minister of Japan, who, through sheer coincidence, was the very same person who falsely accused the protagonist initially, and for which Akechi secretly works as a hitman, although he pursues his own agenda. Soon afterward, they discover that the conspiracy (up to and including granting the Wild Card ability to Joker and Akechi) was masterminded by the god-like being [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Yaldabaoth Yaldabaoth], who sought to merge the Palaces and the real world so it might seize control of both of them through the apathy of the general population. After a long and desperate struggle, spurred on by the faith of those they helped along the way, Joker summons his most powerful Persona, the gigantic Satanael, leading the Phantom Thieves into banishing the false god and freeing humanity from its control, freeing the real Igor against his impostor and fusing the twins into their true form, [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Lavenza Lavenza], shortly prior to it.
 
In the ''[https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Persona_5_Royal Royal]'' edition, the Phantom Thieves’ battle is not yet over, as they are trapped by psychologist [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Takuto_Maruki Takuto Maruki], who uses his two Personas (primarily Adam Kadmon, and secondarily Azathoth) to warp reality in order to fulfill everyone's peaceful desires and create a world that sacrifices strife and progress for empty happiness. As both places are wrapped into one, the protagonist sees unusual events around him after New Year's Eve, such as civilians constantly smiling and deceased persons resurrected. This also affects Mementos, as Lavenza weakens from the fusion, and Mementos now features roots all throughout that connects to the [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Path_of_Da%27at Path of Da'at] in place of where the Holy Grail was. Joined by Akechi, who had been mysteriously brought back after sacrificing himself in Shido's Palace and is now exclusively using Loki instead of Robin Hood, and gymnast [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Sumire_Yoshizawa Sumire Yoshizawa] (whose Persona is Cendrillon), whose identity was previously swapped to [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Kasumi_Yoshizawa Kasumi Yoshizawa], her elder sister who passed away after an incident that took her life (having had her personality overwritten with Maruki's powers), the Phantom Thieves return to the Metaverse to steal Maruki's heart. During this, Joker also has access to an evolved form of Arsène, called Raoul. After a one-on-one fist fight between Joker and Maruki following the defeat of his Personas, the Thieves manage to save and redeem Maruki, who starts over as a taxi driver and helps Joker and Morgana return home safely while evading government surveillance.
 
Months after the events of both games, in ''[https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Persona_5_Strikers Persona 5 Strikers]'', a new Metaverse threat arises during the thieves’ summer vacation, in the form of a new app called [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/EMMA EMMA] developed by Madicce (and secretly backed by the last Conspiracy loyalist, [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Jun_Owada Jun Owada]). The Phantom Thieves are joined by a sentient female A.I. named [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Sophia_(Persona_5_Strikers) Sophia] (whose Persona is Pandora, but is initially in a pre-Persona-state known as Pithos) and a family man fair cop, [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Zenkichi_Hasegawa Zenkichi Hasegawa] (whose Persona is Valjean), before their time is at its limit due to being suspects in this new crisis. The Phantom Thieves soon discover that [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Kuon_Ichinose Kuon Ichinose] had been manipulating the events and made her realize that she was unknowingly serving the Demiurge (a sentient EMMA, evolved beyond its initial programming) into stealing humanity's desires. With the Demiurge destroyed, a reformed Ichinose departs with her "daughter" Sophia, the death of Zenkichi's wife has been avenged thanks to a testimony by former Madicce CEO [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Akira_Konoe Akira Konoe], ensuring Owada's arrest, and the Phantom Thieves disband once again.
{{clrl}}


==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==
==In ''[[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]''==
===As a playable character===
===As a playable character===
{{main|Joker (SSBU)}}
{{main|Joker (SSBU)}}
<!--[[File:Joker SSBU.png|thumb|Joker, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]-->
[[File:Joker SSBU.png|left|thumb|Joker, as he appears in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate''.]]
Joker was confirmed to appear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' as a playable character on December 6th, 2018 during {{s|wikipedia|The Game Awards 2018}}. He will be the first [[DLC]] fighter to be part of the [[Fighters Pass]]. He is set to be released at some point by the end of April 2019.
Joker was confirmed to appear in ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' as a playable character on December 6th, 2018 during {{iw|wikipedia|The Game Awards 2018}}. He is the first [[DLC]] fighter to be part of [[Fighters Pass Vol. 1]]. He was released on April 17th, 2019 along with [[Mementos]], its 11 music tracks, and several ''Persona'' series [[Spirits]] as part of Challenger Pack 1.
 
[[Masahiro Sakurai]], in a video interview at [[Atlus]], revealed that he had been a longtime fan of the ''Persona'' series ever since ''Revelations: Persona'' was first released on the original PlayStation. He played ''Persona 5'' in his spare time and was continuously impressed by the stylish user interface. It was this initially strong impression that inspired him to try to capture the sense of style in Joker's moveset and the mechanics of Mementos.
{{clrl}}


==Gallery==
===Spirits===
====Fighter spirits====
<center>
<gallery>
<gallery>
Joker Civilian - Persona.png|Joker's civilian outfit.
SSBU spirit Joker (Phantom Thief).png|1,304. '''''Joker (Phantom Thief)'''''
SSBU spirit Joker (Student).png|1,305. '''Joker (Student)'''
</gallery>
</gallery>
</center>
====Support spirit====
{|class="wikitable sortable"
! No. !! Image !! Name !! Type !! Class !! Cost !! Ability !! Series
|-
| 1,306 || {{SpiritTableName|Phantom Thieves of Hearts}} || {{SpiritType|Support}} || ★★★★ || 1 || Item Autograb || ''Persona'' Series
|}
==Names in other languages==
{{langtable
|ja={{ja|ジョーカー|Jōkā}}, ''Joker''
|en=Joker
|fr=Joker
|de=Joker
|it=Joker
|es=Joker
|nl=Joker
|ru={{rollover|Джокер|Dzhoker|?}}
|ko={{rollover|조커|Jokeo|?}}, ''Joker''
|zh=JOKER
}}


==Trivia==
==Trivia==
*Joker and [[Richter]] are the only playable third-party characters to make their fighting game debut in ''Smash''.
*Joker's English voice actor is [[Xander Mobus]], who also voices the [[announcer]], [[Master Hand]], and [[Crazy Hand]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' and ''Ultimate''. This marks the first time that an English voice actor for these characters voices a playable character. His Japanese voice actor, [[List of voice actors#F|Jun Fukuyama]], also provides the Japanese voice of [[Roy]].
*Joker, [[Cloud]], and [[Richter]] are the only third-party characters who did not debut in the first game of their home series.
**Xander Mobus is also the fourth voice actor to voice over both at least one fighter and an announcer in the series. It is shared with Belgian voice actor [[List of voice actors#D|Jean-Marc Delhausse]], who voices [[Lucario]], [[Ivysaur]], and the ''Smash 64'' announcer in French (alongside various Poké Ball Pokémon throughout the series), and both [[List of voice actors#F|Luigi Fantino]] and [[List of voice actors#L|Carlos Lobo]], who voice Lucario and the announcer starting with ''Brawl'' in Italian and Spanish respectively.
*Joker is one of four characters featured in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series to appear in [[wikipedia:Entertainment Software Rating Board#Ratings|M-rated]] games, the other three being [[Snake]], [[Bayonetta]] and [[Simon Belmont]].
*Joker is the only third-party fighter from a spin-off series (as ''Persona'' deviates from the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise).
*Joker is the third playable character in ''Smash'' to go by a nickname rather than his given name, the first two being [[Snake]] and [[Bayonetta]].
*Joker is the fourth playable character to have a real gun on their person, after [[Captain Falcon]], Snake, and Bayonetta. He is also the second to use it to attack, after Bayonetta. Like Bayonetta, Joker's gun is magically enhanced in the form of firing ammunition made by mental cognition, though Joker's gun is a model gun instead of a real one. That said, it is based on the [[wikipedia:TT pistol|Tokarev TT-33]], a real-world firearm, making Joker the only character to use a firearm in battle based on a real gun.
*Joker's English voice actor is Xander Mobus, who also voices the [[announcer]], [[Master Hand]], and [[Crazy Hand]] in ''[[Super Smash Bros. 4]]'' and ''Ultimate''. This marks the first time that an English voice actor for any one of those characters will voice a playable character.
*Joker is the first and so far only character to have more than one [[victory theme]] in the same game, not counting the change made to [[Chrom]]'s victory theme within an update. He is also the second character whose victory theme plays continuously, replacing the results theme; the first character with this trait was Cloud.
**His Japanese voice actor, Jun Fukuyama, also provides the Japanese voice of [[Roy]].
*Joker is the only character in the series to have two full-fledged [[List of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate character trailers|trailers]] for the same game.<!--Mewtwo does not count for this, as its first "trailer" in Smash 4 was just a model reveal, not a full-on trailer.-->
*Joker is the third Sega-owned character to be playable in ''Smash'', following [[Sonic]] and [[Bayonetta]], as Sega owns the ''Persona'' series’ developer, Atlus.
*In ''Persona 5'', Joker holds his knife in a forehand grip, but in ''Smash'', he holds it the opposite way in a reverse grip. The only time he is seen holding his knife in a forehand grip in ''Smash'' is during his Final Smash, [[All-Out Attack]], where the short cinematic before the cut-ins appear (recycled from ''Persona 5'') has him holding his knife as such.
**Joker is also the second character to debut on the PlayStation 3, alongside Bayonetta.
*Due to his trailers only using 2D animation, he is one of four characters to not have CGI models. The others being [[Ryu]], [[Terry]], and [[Dr. Mario]] (if Mario and Dr. Mario are counted as seperate).
*Joker is the first playable third-party character from a sub-series (as ''Persona'' deviates from the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise).
*Joker is the first playable third-party character in ''Smash'' whose game of origin was initially released on an eighth-generation platform, being the PlayStation 4.
*Joker is the most recently created third-party character in ''Smash'', as ''Persona 5'' was released in Japan on September 15, 2016.
**This also makes him the second third-party character to debut in the 21st century, alongside Bayonetta.
*Joker and Cloud are the only characters who solely originate from a PlayStation console.
**Joker is also the only playable character to not have his game of origin be playable on a Nintendo console. <!--FFVII will be available for Switch in 2019, Rondo of Blood was on the Wii's Virtual Console, the OG Street Fighter was on the 30th anniversary game (which released on Switch), and the MSX2 Metal Gear title was released on the NES.-->
*Joker's full debut on a Nintendo console is on the Nintendo 3DS with ''{{s|wikipedia|Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth}}'', which features the main cast of the last three ''Persona'' games; Joker's debut in general on a Nintendo console is the Switch version of ''{{s|wikipedia|Sonic Forces}}'', as one of the DLC costumes for the customizable avatar is based on Joker.
*Although Joker is the first fighter to originate from the ''Megami Tensei'' mega-series, the {{b|Spirits|characters}} Tsubasa Oribe and Tsubasa Oribe (Carnage form) come from ''Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE'', a concept crossover between ''Shin Megami Tensei'' and {{uv|Fire Emblem}}, which was developed by Atlus and published by Nintendo.
**That said, in ''Ultimate'', Tsubasa's Spirits are classified under [[List of spirits (Fire Emblem series)|the ''Fire Emblem'' series]], rather than "[[List of spirits (Others)|others]]".


==External links==
==External links==
*Article on the [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Protagonist_(Persona_5) Megami Tensei Wiki]
*Article on the [https://megatenwiki.com/wiki/Ren_Amamiya Megami Tensei Wiki]
*Article on the [[dragalialostwiki:Joker|Dragalia Lost Wiki]]


{{Characters}}
{{Characters}}
{{Persona universe}}
{{Persona universe}}
[[Category:Joker| ]]
[[Category:Joker| ]]
[[Category:Third party characters]]
[[Category:Third-party characters]]
[[Category:Spirits]]
[[Category:Sega]]
[[Category:Sega]]
[[Category:Atlus]]
[[Category:Atlus]]
[[es:Ren Amamiya]]

Latest revision as of 15:10, October 1, 2024

For fighter info, see Joker (SSBU).
This article is about the character from Persona 5. For other uses, see Joker (disambiguation).
Joker
Joker Phantom Thief.png
Joker Student.png

Persona (universe)
Official artwork of Joker from Persona 5.
Universe Persona
Debut Persona 5 (2016)
Smash Bros. appearances Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance Persona 3 Reload (2024, via DLC)
Console/platform of origin PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Species Human
Gender Male
Place of origin Japan
Created by Katsura Hashino
Shigenori Soejima
Designed by Shigenori Soejima
English voice actor Xander Mobus
Japanese voice actor Jun Fukuyama
Article on Wikipedia Joker (Persona)

Joker (ジョーカー, Joker) is the codename used by the protagonist of Persona 5. Although Joker's civilian name is given by the player in Persona 5 itself, official media consistently gives him the default name Ren Amamiya (雨宮 蓮, Amamiya Ren). The original manga adaptation also gives him the one-off name Akira Kurusu (来栖 暁, Kurusu Akira).

Origin[edit]

Ren Amamiya is the leader of the vigilante group known as the Phantom Thieves. After being falsely accused of assault, he was labeled a delinquent and moved to Tokyo, Japan to attend Shujin Academy as part of his probation while under the care of café owner Sojiro Sakura. While there, he discovers a strange application on his smartphone but brushes it off for the time being. After a chance encounter with fellow outsider Ryuji Sakamoto over their lecherous gym coach Suguru Kamoshida, they discover that the app is actually a conduit to a parallel reality called the Metaverse. In it, an individual’s “cognition” is the manifestation of their twisted desires into a dream-like fantasy. In this case, Kamoshida sees himself as the king of the academy and treats the rest of the students and faculty like slaves. Wanting no part in this reality, Ren rebels against the oppression of King Kamoshida and awakens his Persona, donning the mask and cloak of "Joker".

Joker is a user of a rare Persona ability known as the Wild Card, which allows him to hold multiple Personas at once. The Metaverse Navigator app and other aid in managing Joker's Personas is provided by Igor, the proprietor of the Velvet Room (a recurring feature of the Persona series). Igor warns Joker that ruin is imminent and that his "rehabilitation," facilitated by himself and the twin wardens Caroline and Justine, is the only way to avoid this ruination.

Joker's initial Persona is Arsène, based on the literary gentleman thief Arsène Lupin. Joker awakens Arsène in order to save Ryuji in Kamoshida's palace. While attempting to escape, the pair meet a catlike creature named Morgana, who also possesses a Persona, Zorro, and mentors Joker in the use of Personas. Upon return trips to the palace, Ryuji awakens his own Persona, Captain Kidd, and the group is inadvertently joined by another of Kamoshida's victims named Ann Takamaki and her Persona, Carmen. Under guidance from Morgana, the group sends Kamoshida a calling card, announcing themselves as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, causing a treasure to manifest in the palace. The successful defeat of Kamoshida's Shadow, and theft of the treasure, results in a change of heart in the real Kamoshida.

Following this success, the Phantom Thieves pursue other targets, typically corrupt adults who victimize the young, gaining a large following and reputation. Over the course of their exploits, the group grows to include artist Yusuke Kitagawa (whose Persona is Goemon), student council president Makoto Niijima (whose Persona is Johanna), reclusive hacker Futaba Sakura (whose Persona is Necronomicon), heiress Haru Okumura (whose Persona is Milady), and briefly the detective Goro Akechi (who, like Joker, also has the Wild Card ability, but his inability to forge true bonds with people has limited him to two Personas: Robin Hood and Loki), who tries to stop the group from the inside in an attempt to arrest them. Ultimately, they end up exposing and ending a conspiracy to elect the corrupt politician Masayoshi Shido to the position of Prime Minister of Japan, who, through sheer coincidence, was the very same person who falsely accused the protagonist initially, and for which Akechi secretly works as a hitman, although he pursues his own agenda. Soon afterward, they discover that the conspiracy (up to and including granting the Wild Card ability to Joker and Akechi) was masterminded by the god-like being Yaldabaoth, who sought to merge the Palaces and the real world so it might seize control of both of them through the apathy of the general population. After a long and desperate struggle, spurred on by the faith of those they helped along the way, Joker summons his most powerful Persona, the gigantic Satanael, leading the Phantom Thieves into banishing the false god and freeing humanity from its control, freeing the real Igor against his impostor and fusing the twins into their true form, Lavenza, shortly prior to it.

In the Royal edition, the Phantom Thieves’ battle is not yet over, as they are trapped by psychologist Takuto Maruki, who uses his two Personas (primarily Adam Kadmon, and secondarily Azathoth) to warp reality in order to fulfill everyone's peaceful desires and create a world that sacrifices strife and progress for empty happiness. As both places are wrapped into one, the protagonist sees unusual events around him after New Year's Eve, such as civilians constantly smiling and deceased persons resurrected. This also affects Mementos, as Lavenza weakens from the fusion, and Mementos now features roots all throughout that connects to the Path of Da'at in place of where the Holy Grail was. Joined by Akechi, who had been mysteriously brought back after sacrificing himself in Shido's Palace and is now exclusively using Loki instead of Robin Hood, and gymnast Sumire Yoshizawa (whose Persona is Cendrillon), whose identity was previously swapped to Kasumi Yoshizawa, her elder sister who passed away after an incident that took her life (having had her personality overwritten with Maruki's powers), the Phantom Thieves return to the Metaverse to steal Maruki's heart. During this, Joker also has access to an evolved form of Arsène, called Raoul. After a one-on-one fist fight between Joker and Maruki following the defeat of his Personas, the Thieves manage to save and redeem Maruki, who starts over as a taxi driver and helps Joker and Morgana return home safely while evading government surveillance.

Months after the events of both games, in Persona 5 Strikers, a new Metaverse threat arises during the thieves’ summer vacation, in the form of a new app called EMMA developed by Madicce (and secretly backed by the last Conspiracy loyalist, Jun Owada). The Phantom Thieves are joined by a sentient female A.I. named Sophia (whose Persona is Pandora, but is initially in a pre-Persona-state known as Pithos) and a family man fair cop, Zenkichi Hasegawa (whose Persona is Valjean), before their time is at its limit due to being suspects in this new crisis. The Phantom Thieves soon discover that Kuon Ichinose had been manipulating the events and made her realize that she was unknowingly serving the Demiurge (a sentient EMMA, evolved beyond its initial programming) into stealing humanity's desires. With the Demiurge destroyed, a reformed Ichinose departs with her "daughter" Sophia, the death of Zenkichi's wife has been avenged thanks to a testimony by former Madicce CEO Akira Konoe, ensuring Owada's arrest, and the Phantom Thieves disband once again.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

As a playable character[edit]

Main article: Joker (SSBU)
Joker, as he appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Joker was confirmed to appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character on December 6th, 2018 during The Game Awards 2018. He is the first DLC fighter to be part of Fighters Pass Vol. 1. He was released on April 17th, 2019 along with Mementos, its 11 music tracks, and several Persona series Spirits as part of Challenger Pack 1.

Masahiro Sakurai, in a video interview at Atlus, revealed that he had been a longtime fan of the Persona series ever since Revelations: Persona was first released on the original PlayStation. He played Persona 5 in his spare time and was continuously impressed by the stylish user interface. It was this initially strong impression that inspired him to try to capture the sense of style in Joker's moveset and the mechanics of Mementos.

Spirits[edit]

Fighter spirits[edit]

Support spirit[edit]

No. Image Name Type Class Cost Ability Series
1,306
SSBU spirit Phantom Thieves of Hearts.png
Phantom Thieves of Hearts
Support
★★★★ 1 Item Autograb Persona Series

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name
Japan Japanese ジョーカー, Joker
UK English Joker
France French Joker
Germany German Joker
Spain Spanish Joker
Italy Italian Joker
China Chinese JOKER
South Korea Korean 조커, Joker
Netherlands Dutch Joker
Russia Russian Джокер

Trivia[edit]

  • Joker's English voice actor is Xander Mobus, who also voices the announcer, Master Hand, and Crazy Hand in Super Smash Bros. 4 and Ultimate. This marks the first time that an English voice actor for these characters voices a playable character. His Japanese voice actor, Jun Fukuyama, also provides the Japanese voice of Roy.
    • Xander Mobus is also the fourth voice actor to voice over both at least one fighter and an announcer in the series. It is shared with Belgian voice actor Jean-Marc Delhausse, who voices Lucario, Ivysaur, and the Smash 64 announcer in French (alongside various Poké Ball Pokémon throughout the series), and both Luigi Fantino and Carlos Lobo, who voice Lucario and the announcer starting with Brawl in Italian and Spanish respectively.
  • Joker is the only third-party fighter from a spin-off series (as Persona deviates from the Megami Tensei franchise).
  • Joker is the fourth playable character to have a real gun on their person, after Captain Falcon, Snake, and Bayonetta. He is also the second to use it to attack, after Bayonetta. Like Bayonetta, Joker's gun is magically enhanced in the form of firing ammunition made by mental cognition, though Joker's gun is a model gun instead of a real one. That said, it is based on the Tokarev TT-33, a real-world firearm, making Joker the only character to use a firearm in battle based on a real gun.
  • Joker is the first and so far only character to have more than one victory theme in the same game, not counting the change made to Chrom's victory theme within an update. He is also the second character whose victory theme plays continuously, replacing the results theme; the first character with this trait was Cloud.
  • Joker is the only character in the series to have two full-fledged trailers for the same game.
  • In Persona 5, Joker holds his knife in a forehand grip, but in Smash, he holds it the opposite way in a reverse grip. The only time he is seen holding his knife in a forehand grip in Smash is during his Final Smash, All-Out Attack, where the short cinematic before the cut-ins appear (recycled from Persona 5) has him holding his knife as such.
  • Due to his trailers only using 2D animation, he is one of four characters to not have CGI models. The others being Ryu, Terry, and Dr. Mario (if Mario and Dr. Mario are counted as seperate).

External links[edit]