One of the biggest questions facing Persona 6 right now is how closely it'll tie itself into the past games. While the current generation of mainline Persona games are all playable as standalone experiences, they reference each other to varying degrees. Persona 3 Portable and Persona 4 Golden are extensively interconnected, with each team encountering the other multiple times, while Persona 5 kept the past games at arms length with much subtler references. It'd make sense for Persona 6 to give P5 some time in the spotlight, given its popularity, but maybe it should go even farther and make Persona 5 Royal's Jose playable.
Persona 5 Royal made a ton of changes to the base game, from expanding Baton Passes to adding mulltiple new Confidants and an entire new dungeon, but Jose remains the most enigmatic addition. Although Jose unlocks a lot of new mechanics for P5R players, he isn't particularly important to the plot. Despite his unimportance, he's a pretty interesting character, and he might be a good basis for a party member in Persona 6, potentially breaking the mold of Persona party member designs. He also seems to be a clear gateway to reuniting the modern Persona era with the lore of the past.
Jose Felt Like a Half Measure in Persona 5 Royal
Jose did some great things in Persona 5 Royal. Jose's shop in Mementos gives players reliable access to a ton of rare items, he improves Mementos loot, and he also unlocks the Showtime mechanic that greatly expands the list of combat finishers that P5 fans can enjoy. Still, he only went so far as a character. He comments a little on how Takuto Maruki and his Palace have distorted Mementos, and he hints towards connections to the Persona world's greater powers, but he mostly stays out of the Phantom Thieves' way.
There's a lot of ways Persona 5 Royal could've better implemented Jose -- he could've offered a lot as an extra Confidant, for instance -- but Atlus should look towards Jose's future rather than focusing on the past. If he returns as a main character in Persona 6, then he'd have ample opportunity to show the depth of his character and unveil his secrets. His research into the human heart and signature buggy make him a shoo-in as Persona 6's new guide to the Shadow world, and confirming his implied history with the godlike Persona figure Philemon could mark Persona 6 as the game that finally brings the franchise back to its roots in terms of storytelling.
Jose Could Offer Persona 6 a Unique Party Member in Combat
Aside from his untapped storytelling potential, Jose already has a good foundation for becoming an interesting playable character. In Jose's secret boss battle from Persona 5 Royal, he uses fireworks and other explosives to deal a variety of elemental damage, and that could inform his skillset as a party member. Rather than wielding a Persona like his teammates, Jose might still focus on fireworks, giving him access to an entirely unique set of spells that even the main protagonist can't access. A non-Persona-using party member would be a big break from tradition for Persona 6, but that might be exactly what the game needs to stand out after the acclaimed Persona 5.
Alternatively, Jose could fill Persona 6's Navigator role in a refreshing way. Rather than simply using a Persona to cast special spells passively, Jose could be a notably more interactive Navigator, allowing the protagonist to spend resources mid-fight in order to draw from Jose's stockpile of treasure. For the price of a few flowers, Jose might change a party member's weapons and accessories, toss a special explosive at a foe, or put a clutch healing item in the player's inventory at a moment's notice. Atlus isn't hurting for ways to implement Jose in Persona 6; the bottom line is that his design and mysterious past mean he's begging for a bigger role.
Persona 6 is in development.
