Joker

For fighter info, see Joker (SSBU).

Joker
File:Joker Thief - Persona.png 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	Katsura Hashino
Designed by	Shigenori Soejima
English voice actor	Xander Mobus
Japanese voice actor	Jun Fukuyama

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 various related media he has received the default name Ren Amamiya (雨宮 蓮, Ren Amamiya), while the manga adaptation gives him the name Akira Kurusu (来栖 暁, Akira Kurusu).

Character description

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.”

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'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, student council president Makoto Niijima, reclusive hacker Futaba Sakura, heiress Haru Okumura, and briefly the detective Goro Akechi.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

As a playable character

Joker was confirmed to appear in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable character on December 6th, 2018 during 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.

Gallery

• Joker Civilian - Persona.png

  Joker's civilian outfit.

Trivia

• Joker and Richter are the only playable third-party characters to make their fighting game debut in Smash.
• Joker, Cloud, 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 Snake, Bayonetta and Simon Belmont.
• 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'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.
  • 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 and Bayonetta, as Sega owns the Persona series’ developer, Atlus.
  • Joker is also the second character to debut on the PlayStation 3, alongside Bayonetta.
• 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.
• 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.
  • That said, in Ultimate, Tsubasa's Spirits are classified under the Fire Emblem series, rather than "others".

External links

• Article on the Megami Tensei Wiki