Persona 6 Needs to Break One Pattern Shared by P4 and P5's…

Summary

The Hierophant Arcana in the Persona series has been portrayed as a stereotypical gruff father figure in recent entries, but Persona 6 should explore new character types for this Major Arcana.
Past representatives of the Hierophant, such as Kei Nanjo and Shinjiro Aragaki, offered more diverse and unique characterizations, which Persona 6 should consider.
Persona 6 could even introduce a motherly figure to represent the Hierophant, a type that has not been seen in the series before, while still staying true to the traditional tropes associated with the Tarot card.

One of the most iconic parts of the Persona series is the use of the Major Arcana to represent NPCs for the games' Social Link and Confidant mechanics. Each character that the player can form a Social Link with or can become a Confidant is represented by one of the 22 Major Arcana of the standard Tarot decks, with the protagonist usually represented by the Fool. These characters tend to follow tropes associated with their Major Arcana, but the Hierophant, in particular, has been very similar in the past few entries and should explore a new type of character in Persona 6.

In traditional Tarot readings, the Hierophant is usually represented by a religious leader or enlightened figure standing before two followers. This card tends to represent a teacher or mentor who imparts spiritual knowledge to the reader or helps in guiding their life choices from a position of wisdom and experience. As such, the Hierophant in the Persona series tends to be an older, authoritative figure in the protagonist's life, but the use of these tropes has led to the past few Persona games having very similar Hierophant characters when this Major Arcana could represent so much more.

Persona 6 Should Feature a New Incarnation of the Hierophant Arcana

Past Persona Characters that Represent the Hierophant

Character	Game
Kei Nanjo	Persona/Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Bunkichi and Mitsuko	Persona 3
Shinjiro Aragaki	Persona 3
Metis	Persona 3 FES: The Answer
Ryotaro Dojima	Persona 4
Sojiro Sakura	Persona 5

Although the Hierophant Arcana has existed within the Persona series since the original title, the past couple of entries have featured very similar representatives of the Arcana in Persona 4's Dojima and Persona 5's Sojiro. In Persona 4, Dojima is the uncle and guardian of the protagonist, whom he lives with during his time in Inaba. Dojima is a gruff, middle-aged detective who is tough but fair and ultimately develops a good relationship with his nephew, who helps him learn to be a better father to his daughter, Nanako.

In Persona 5, the Hierophant is represented by Sojiro, the owner of Cafe Leblanc and guardian of the protagonist, Joker, as he serves his probation. Sojiro's Confidant follows a very similar arc to Dojima's in Persona 4, as he acts as a gruff but kind life mentor to Joker as the two grow closer and Joker helps him become a better father to Futaba. While these characters individually are well-written and compelling additions to their respective games, Persona 6 should move on from the stereotypical gruff father figure for the Hierophant and instead take a cue from the series' past.

Past representatives of the Hierophant have been much more diverse in their characterization. Kei Nanjo is a playable character in both the original Persona and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and acts as an older brother to the group, offering a more logical take on events. Persona 3 also featured a unique Hierophant depiction in the form of Bunkichi and Mitsuko, an older couple who run a bookstore the player can visit, and act like grandparents to the protagonist. In Persona 3, Shinjiro's Persona Arcana is the Hierophant, and in The Answer epilogue for Persona 3 FES, Metis, the sister of Aigis, is also represented by this Arcana.

Persona 6 should break from the father figures of Persona 4 and Persona 5 for its Hierophant representative and instead get more creative with a potential brotherly or sisterly figure like Kei Nanjo, Persona 3's Shinjiro Aragaki, or The Answer's Metis. The game could even introduce a motherly figure to represent the Hierophant, since this type of representative for the Arcana has never been seen in the series. While it's important that the Hierophant Arcana still follows some of the traditional tropes associated with the Tarot card, the form in which these tropes take should be a fresh experience in Persona 6.

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RPG

Life Simulation

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 94%

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Released: February 2, 2024
ESRB: Mature 17 / Blood, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): P-Studio
Publisher(s): Atlus, Sega