Joker

For fighter info, see Joker (SSBU).

Joker
{{{content1}}} {{{content2}}} Official artwork of Joker from Persona 5.
Universe	Persona
Debut	Persona 5 (2016)
Smash Bros. appearances	Ultimate
Most recent non-Smash appearance	Catherine: Full Body (2019)
Console/platform of origin	PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Place of origin	Japan
Created by	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, in the anime adaptation and spin-off Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, he received the name Ren Amamiya (雨宮 蓮, Amamiya Ren); the manga adaptation also gives him the one-off name Akira Kurusu (来栖 暁, Kurusu Akira).

Character description

Akira Kurusu 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. 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 “cognition” 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.”

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 Arsene, based on the literary gentleman thief 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 (Persona: Goemon), student council president Makoto Niijima (Persona: Johanna), reclusive hacker Futaba Sakura (Persona: Necronomicon), heiress Haru Okumura (Persona: Milady), gymnast Kasumi Yoshizawa, and briefly the detective Goro Akechi (Persona: primarily Robin Hood and formerly secondary Loki).

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

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As a playable character

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 the Fighters Pass. He was released on April 17th, 2019 along with Mementos, its 11 music tracks, and multiple Persona 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 he aimed to capture the sense of style in Joker’s moveset and the mechanics of Mementos.

Trivia

• As of Ultimate, Joker, Lucas and Captain Olimar are the only characters who have non-playable characters assist them with both normal and special moves. In Joker's case, Arsene participates in all of his normal and special moves while the Rebellion Gauge is full, and the Phantom Thieves of Hearts participate in All-Out Attack.
• Joker and Richter Belmont are the only playable third-party characters to make their fighting game debut in Smash.
• Joker, Cloud Strife, and Richter are the only third-party characters who did not debut in the first game of their home series.
• Joker is one of four characters featured in the Super Smash Bros. series to appear in M-rated games, the other three being Solid Snake, Bayonetta and Simon Belmont.
• Joker is one of three fighters to use an alias and not a form of their real name, the others being Snake and Bayonetta.
  • Joker is the only one of the three to not have an established canon name in his debut game, as he is named by the player in Persona 5, much like the protagonists from Persona 4 and Persona 3. Joker is known as Ren Amamiya in most of his other appearances in the Persona series, however, he is referred to as Akira Kurusu in the manga version of Persona 5.
  • Joker is also the only character in Smash to have a customizable name in his game(s) of origin but to not have a generic name in Smash, as the villagers from Animal Crossing, Inklings from Splatoon, and Pokémon trainers from Pokémon are simply referred to as such.
• 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 voices a playable character.
  • His Japanese voice actor, Jun Fukuyama, also provides the Japanese voice of Roy.
• Joker is the third Sega-owned character to be playable in Smash, following Sonic the Hedgehog and Bayonetta, as Sega owns the Persona series' developer, Atlus.
• 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, and the first to debut in the 2010's.
• Joker and Cloud are the only characters who solely originate from a PlayStation console.
  • Additionally, he and Cloud are the only third-party characters whose debut games were not released on a Nintendo console prior to their debut in Smash.
  • Joker is also the only playable character to not have his game of origin be playable on a Nintendo console.
• Joker's full debut on a Nintendo console is on the Nintendo 3DS with Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth, which features the main cast of Persona 3, 4, and 5; Joker's debut in general on a Nintendo console is the Switch version of 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 Spirits Tsubasa Oribe and Tsubasa Oribe (Carnage form) come from Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, a concept crossover between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, which was developed by Atlus and published by Nintendo.
  • However, Tsubasa's Spirits are classified under the Fire Emblem series, instead of "others".
• Joker is the fourth playable character to have a realistic gun on his 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.
• In the form of Joker's alternate costume, Joker is the fourth playable character to wear glasses, the first three being Iggy Koopa, Bayonetta, and one of Inkling's alternate costumes.
• 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.
• Strangely, Joker is the only character who does not have a character showcase video in the official website.

External links

• Article on the Megami Tensei Wiki