Today after the conclusion of the final special for Persona 5 the Animation it was revealed that the upcoming Persona title previously known only as P5R will be called Persona 5 The Royal. At the moment other than the name reveal all we've been given is a brief teaser trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygyz3Mqjh0k

Beginning with the Sony logo, perhaps showing that Persona 5 will continue to be a PlayStation exclusive (although unlike the original release, mention here is made only of PlayStation 4), we see the busy Shibuya intersection. The focus of the trailer is on a mysterious girl with red hair wearing the outfit for Shujin Academy. This is the same school that most of the Persona 5 protagonists attend.

The press release accompanying the teaser is just as scarce of information as the trailer simply stating the title Persona 5 The Royal and that fans will have to wait until April 24th before we get any more news of the game.

The mysterious girl can mean that like previous titles Persona 4 that we'll be getting an enhanced version of the game. Persona 4 added the character of Marie taking the story that players were familiar with and shaking it up just enough to keep the pacing refreshing. For long format JRPG's like the Persona franchise, this change is great to pull in new players who have heard the news as well as bring back returning fans. This new character could be a new social link for the protagonist to make friends with and/or a powerful character to join your fight. Alternatively like Persona 3's updated version, there could be an option for a playable female protagonist.

Update: Translating what the character says in the trailer it seems this new character has some kind of doubt as to the Phantom Thieves, a sentiment that is held by a lot of characters in the world.

I don't like the Phantom Thieves. I think their method doesn't really help people

This quote appears to cast doubt on whether she will be a female main character. Perhaps instead she'll fill the same role Marie did in Persona 4 Golden perhaps being a new social link or part of a playable epilogue.

Quick Take

It's exciting to see what might be coming to Persona 5 The Royal and a tease like this has done just the right amount to get people excited and ready for more. It will be interesting to see as more trailers come out if we will see a multi-platform release for Persona 5 The Royale in much the same way that Persona 4 Golden was released for the PlayStation Vita. I was still hoping that it might be Persona 5 Racing but I'm sure that we'll be hearing plenty of jokes about Persona 5 Battle Royale.

What do you think of the Persona 5 The Royal reveal? Were you expecting more? Who do you think this mysterious girl could be?