Persona fans are eagerly awaiting news thanks to the franchise's ongoing anniversary celebration. After Atlus confirmed it had started work on Persona 6, it seemed like anything was on the table. Persona 6 hasn't been revealed just yet, nor does it sound like it'll make a premiere anytime soon, but 2022 still seems to be the year of Persona. That's why it's surprising that Atlus announced Soul Hackers 2, a sequel to the 25-year-old Shin Megami Tensei spin-off Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers.
Soul Hackers isn't quite what Persona fans had in mind for this year, but it's still a big deal. Atlus may not be releasing a ton of new games as part of Persona's anniversary, but Soul Hackers 2 will at least give fans a similar game to sink their teeth into. More importantly, it's possible that Soul Hackers 2 can shed some light on the mysterious Persona 6. The game stars a female protagonist named Ringo, which is notable because Persona and other Megami Tensei games heavily lean toward male protagonists. Ringo doesn't necessarily confirm anything about Persona 6, but she could be a sign that Persona 6 will also have a female protagonist.
Persona's Protagonist History
Most of Atlus' RPGs favor male protagonists, and Persona is no exception, but it has featured playable female protagonists a few different times. When the franchise was still young, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment featured Maya Amano - a character from Persona 2: Innocent Sin - as its silent protagonist. Several years later, Persona 3 Portable featured a female protagonist alongside several other adjustments over the original game. Both characters appear in peripheral Persona content and advertisements, including some of Persona's 25th anniversary art, but Atlus notably tends to prefer Persona 3's male protagonist over the female protagonist when it represents P3.
Since Persona 3, the franchise hasn't revisited the idea of a female protagonist. Both Persona 4 and Persona 5 skipped the option, but notably Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino said in a 2017 interview that the possibility of both a male and female protagonist had been discussed for P4 and P5. Hashino cited the extra work that creating two protagonist genders would lead to, since the player's gender would presumably affect certain cutscenes the player sees, Social Links, and Confidants the player can romance.
Nevertheless, this is far from a satisfactory answer for Persona players who want a female protagonist. The option would open up all kinds of narrative possibilities considering how much a high school girl's life experience can differ from that of a high school boy. Atlus also doesn't look like it'll drop the heterosexual limits of Persona's romance system just yet, so at least a female protagonist would let players date the game's male characters for a change. By opting out on female protagonists so often, Atlus has left a lot of content on the table.
The Significance of Ringo for Persona
Persona's long drought of female protagonists is only one example of Atlus franchises being dominated by male leads; Shin Megami Tensei's star games have lots of male protagonists too, including Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei 5. That's why it's significant that Soul Hackers 2 has a female protagonist instead. The previous Soul Hackers game had a male protagonist, but in Soul Hackers 2 players will control Ringo, a digital being with the power to Soul Hack and command devils in battle. Ringo's journey is uncertain, but the Soul Hackers 2 trailer makes it clear that Ringo is a well-defined protagonist with a strong personality, something that Megami Tensei hasn't offered fans in a while.
Persona fans should look up to Ringo because of what she might say about Atlus' internal plans. Soul Hackers 2 may have nothing to do with the Persona franchise, but as an Atlus game, it's still relevant to the overall direction of the studio's RPGs. Ringo should at least be a good warm-up for a potential female protagonist in Persona 6. If Atlus can deliver a compelling female protagonist in Soul Hackers 2, it can produce a female silent protagonist for Persona 6. Ringo may just be the gateway to change in other Megami Tensei franchises.
Better Representation in Persona
There's no guarantee that Ringo and Soul Hackers 2 are a sign of what's to come in Persona 6. Atlus could very well stick to a traditional male protagonist while experimenting in other areas, but it should know that would be a letdown for some fans. Persona players have been asking for another female lead for years, and that demand has only grown after the success of Persona 5. Atlus may think that adding a female protagonist option is too much work, but it could turn out to be a major selling point for the game.
Persona 6 is a mystery for now, and it likely will remain a mystery for a couple of years. Ideally it will push the boundaries of the Persona franchise in multiple ways. That doesn't just mean reworking Persona fusion or Confidant interactions; Persona 6's protagonist needs to feel fresh too. Arguably the best way to do that is give Persona 6 a female character as its primary lead. Atlus can still give players a secondary male option, but another female Persona protagonist is long overdue. Ringo brings some valuable additional female representation to the Devil Summoner side of Megami Tensei games, so hopefully Persona 6 will try to even out Persona's track record.
Persona 6 is in development.
