Gab Hernandez 
Persona 5’s beta disc has been leaked online, revealing canceled characters from Persona 4, an early version of an iconic Persona 5 track, and more.
Atlus has been full steam ahead in terms of its projects. Titles such as Persona 3 Reload, a new IP entitled Metaphor: ReFantazio, and even a Shin Megami Tensei game for Netflix. While Atlus is looking to the future, however, some fans have started digging up the past. A pre-release version of Persona 5 was reportedly uncovered at a private auction, yielding a trove of cut content.
The debug build is said to be on a disc and predates the final version of Persona 5’s release by at least six months. These reports were seemingly confirmed when 3D models of an aged Persona 4 character, alongside a different theme for Persona 5, were posted on social media.
Are there any Persona 4 characters in Persona 5?
There are no Persona 4 characters present in Persona 5, but they were reportedly supposed to be.
Leaks from the beta build of Persona 5 showed a model of the character Nanako Dojima from Persona 4. In Persona 4, she was a young pre-teen girl notable for her kind and energetic nature. The Persona 5 model of Nanako showed a much older Nanako, possibly even an adult.
Although the final version of Persona 5 doesn’t have a definitive date attached to it and isn’t placed in a specific spot in Persona’s timeline, it’s speculated by many fans that it is around four to six years removed from Persona 4’s events. The presence of adult Nanako implies that an earlier version of the game had a greater length of time between the games. Persona 3 and Persona 4 are set within a few years of each other.
There is also reportedly code related to other characters, the full cast of Persona 4 Golden. No other character models have been revealed for any other Persona 4 character and it is unclear if they were meant to be in the game or if pieces of Persona 4 just remained in the game engine’s code. The only character that returns from Persona 4 to the official version of Persona 5 is Igor of the Velvet Room, though the nature of the character and the events of the game suggest that even this is uncertain.
Early, unreleased version of Persona 5 intro theme discovered
An earlier version of Persona 5’s theme “Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There” was uncovered from the beta version.
Persona is known for its iconic soundtrack, so, understandably, a lot of work is put into it. The early version of Persona 5’s iconic intro theme shows that even something “in progress” can still be high-quality. This early track sounds different in multiple ways with completely different lyrics, heavier bass, and less emphasis on the bowed string instruments that define the final cut.
Songs tend to go through several versions before settling on what people know and love, and video games are no different. Other major cut content discoveries could also come out in the coming days.
