Characters of Persona 4

The plot of Atlus's 2008 role-playing video game Persona 4 is centered on a group of high-school students dedicated to capturing the culprit responsible for the murders and kidnappings that happened in their small town of Inaba starting on April 11, 2011.

The case is linked by the TV world, a dimension where the characters use alter-egos known as "Personas" to defeat the Shadows, beings that represent people's hidden thoughts that killed the first two victims.

He is met by Yosuke Hanamura, the son of the local department store manager; Chie Satonaka, an energetic girl with a strong interest in kung fu; Yukiko Amagi, a calm and refined girl whose family owns the local inn; Kanji Tatsumi, a first-year student whose punk reputation hides a softer side; Teddie, a mysterious figure from the TV world who exists in the form of a cartoonish bear costume; Rise Kujikawa, a popular teen idol who has taken a break from showbiz; and Naoto Shirogane, a well-known junior detective.

The game was also ported for the PlayStation Vita and PC[1] as Persona 4 Golden which expanded various of the characters' stories and included a new one called Marie, a teenage girl linked with the Investigation Team.

[5] Before reaching Inaba, however, he is summoned to the Velvet Room by Igor and his assistant Margaret, who warn him of an imminent catastrophe that is about to arrive in his destiny, and that he will have to solve a great mystery within that year, or, otherwise, his fate would have been marked in negative.

[21] Yosuke's Shadow becomes the Persona Jiraiya (ジライヤ), a red-scarved humanoid whose head vaguely resembles that of a cartoon ninja frog decked with shuriken on his hands, as well as bell-bottoms.

[45] With help from the Investigation Team, Yukiko accepts her Shadow which becomes the Persona Konohana Sakuya (コノハナサクヤ), a pink-colored humanoid with sakura-like wings using a fan as her weapon.

[62] Kanji's Social Link is represented by The Emperor; in the animated series, his friendship with Yu is symbolized by the Persona King Frost (キングフロスト Kingu Furosuto).

Supposedly, she had even performed in Iwatodai (the setting of Persona 3) two years in the past, though a blackout implied to be caused by the Arcana Hermit boss ruined that particular concert.

Immediately after, she gains the Persona Himiko (ヒミコ), a black humanoid in a white dress with a satellite dish in place of a head, which she uses to help the Investigation Team to stop Teddie's Shadow.

[62] Recovering from her experience in the TV world, Rise joins the Investigation Team to track the culprit behind the murders in the town, taking Teddie's spot in fights, analyzing enemies and advising her comrades.

[71] Rise is the player's Social Link to The Lovers;[72] in the animated series, her friendship with Yu is symbolized by his Persona Leanan Sidhe (リャナンシー, Ryanan Shī).

[77] Learning that somebody has been throwing people in the TV world to kill them, thus causing mayhem, Teddie makes a promise with Yu Narukami and Yosuke Hanamura to find the culprit.

After returning to reality and seeing Nanako, Teddie decides he will stay with the Investigation Team once again despite being a Shadow with Kintoki evolving into Kamui (カムイ), a cartoonish face on a ball with clawed hands at the end of a missile.

[100] Once Naoto has come to terms with her feelings, her Shadow turns into the Persona Sukuna-Hikona (スクナヒコナ), a robotic humanoid wearing a blue suit jacket that has an insect-like head and butterfly-like wings.

[101] Following Naoto's recovery from her time in the TV world, she joins the Investigation Team to find the culprit, having gained clues about his method thanks to her kidnapping, using a handgun as her weapon.

[121] The player can trap Namatame in the TV world where his Shadow will kill him as the police would not send him to prison for finding him mentally unstable, which automatically ends the game.

After she died as well, Namatame tried to contact the police and Tohru Adachi tricked him into throwing people into the TV to "protect" them from the killer; after the victims began to turn up alive after his kidnappings, he believed he was truly helping them.

[125] During the epilogue of Persona 4 Golden, with Kunino-Sagiri revealed to be a splintered fragment of Izanami, Namatame has been cleared of all charges due to lack of evidence and is running for the position of Mayor of Inaba, inspired by the protagonists' work.

[141] Disguising herself as a Moel gas station attendant, she was able to directly grant outsiders like Taro Namatame, Tohru Adachi and Yu Narukami the ability to enter the TV.

Dojima represents the protagonist's Social Link to The Hierophant,[152] and this is symbolized in the anime adaptation by Yu Narukami's usage of the Persona Kohryu (コウリュウ, Kōryū).

In the second playthrough, Margaret challenges Yu's team to fight her using multiple Personas, wanting to discover for herself the reason why her sister abandoned her role in the Velvet Room.

Margaret represents the player's Social Link to The Empress, which is symbolized in the anime adaptation by Yu Narukami's usage of the Persona Isis (イシス, Ishisu).

He constantly threatens to expel students that misbehave, and is very briefly suspected of being involved in the murders due to particularly misogynistic comments he makes about Mayumi Yamano.

His father owns the Konishi Liquors store in the Shopping District, and he seems to hold a grudge against Yu for being friends with Yosuke, the son of Junes' manager.

Konishi represents the player's Social Link to The Hanged Man;[190] in the anime this is shown by Yu Narukami's ability to summon the Persona Makami (マカミ).

She makes her first true appearance as a playable character in Persona 4: Dancing All Night, working with Ryotaro and Nanako Dojima to find the Investigation Team and the missing members of her idol group, who have been abducted and trapped in the world of the Midnight Stage.

At this stage, Rei is abducted and the school's clock tower undergoes a Tartarus-esque transformation, and although Zen at first decides to save her on his own, SEES and the Investigation Team resolve to stay and help him out.

Unable to cope with the pain of living, she ends up in the Cinema in the collective unconsciousness during a dream, there she meets Nagi, who promises to protect Hikari from any harm by isolating her from reality.

After they defeat him the truth is revealed: Doe is nothing more than a cognition of Hikari's father, created by her due to her depression and low self-esteem, starting to make her develop an inability to differ what is actually harmful to her and what actually isn't.