The next Persona 5 spin-off is Persona 5 Tactica and its story may see the surprise returns of Akechi and Kasumi.
Atlus has a lot of pots on the stove at the moment. The publisher has two AAA new releases in the works, with Persona 6 officially in development and the new high fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio on the way. Alongside that is a total remake of Persona 3 with an all-new voice cast and modern gameplay elements.
That would be a lot under any circumstances but also thrown in there is another spin-off of Persona 5. Here’s all you need to know about Persona 5 Tactica including the game’s story, characters, and when it comes out.
Persona 5 Tactica story is an isekai adventure
The Persona 5 Tactica story will see the Phantom Thieves teleported into a high-fantasy world, where the team will take part in a revolution against a despotic queen.
In Japanese trailers, Persona 5 Tactica is shown to start with the Phantom Thieves hanging out at Cafe LeBlanc. Their home base is seemingly caught in an earthquake but once the shaking stops, they discover that the exit leads to another world. The group finds itself at odds with a group called the Legionnaires, who are under the command of Marie (pronounced mah-re-yay, not like Marie of Persona 4 Golden).
Most of the Phantom Thieves end up hypnotized by Marie, with Joker and Morgana being the only ones that don’t fall under her spell. The pair team up with Erina, a revolutionary looking to take down Marie, in order to save their friends.
Persona 5 Tactica puts new characters alongside the Phantom Thieves
Persona 5 Tactica is set to bring at least three new major characters under the Persona 5 umbrella including Erina, Marie, and Toshiro Kasukabe.
Toshiro Kasukabe comes from the same world as the Phantom Thieves, where he was a hotshot politician positioned to become the new Prime Minister of Japan. He claims to not know why he has arrived in this other world but Marie expresses a personal interest in him. This could imply that Marie is looking to gain power in the real world, or that Toshiro had a hand in linking the two worlds together.
Either way, Erina joins as an honorary member of the Phantom Thieves. She is set to join the team as both an ally in combat and a guide to an unfamiliar world.
Will Persona 5 Tactica have Kasumi or Akechi?
Akechi and Kasumi are set to return in Persona 5 Tactica, but it seems like Zenkichi and Sophie are set to be left out.
According to Twitter user MbKKssTBhz5, Persona 5 Tactica is set to feature day-one DLC entitled “Repaint Your Heart” which will bring back characters who aren’t main cast members. MbKKssTBhz5 previously leaked information about upcoming Atlus titles, including spoiling the reveals of Persona 5 Tactica and Persona 3 Reload.
Akechi and Kasumi will reportedly appear in Persona 5 Tactica through this DLC, according to MbKKssTBhz5. Alongside this reveal was a piece of key artwork showing the characters in P5T’s unique style. There has been no confirmation or denial of the DLC or inclusion of these characters.
To this point, the different follow-up titles to Persona 5 have not featured any crossover when it comes to new content. Kasumi has remained exclusive to Persona 5 Royal, while Zenkichi and Sophie have been exclusive to Persona 5 Strikers. Major story elements from both games went completely unmentioned between the two titles. Similarly, neither Erina, Marie, nor Toshiro have been seen or mentioned in any of the other Persona 5 games.
This won’t be the first time characters introduced in secondary Persona titles cross over to spin-offs, nor is it the first time deceased characters get resurrected. Each of the Persona rhythm games added a DLC character, with Persona 4: Dancing All Night adding Persona 4 Golden’s new social link Marie and Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight adding Shinjiro, who was guaranteed to die in the original Persona 3 but was able to survive in Persona 3 Portable.
When does Persona 5 Tactica come out?
Persona 5 Tactica is slated for a worldwide release on November 17, 2023. This is actually a significant milestone for the Persona series and is likely a shock for longtime Persona fans.
Though Persona has a large following in Western markets, none of the games have actually received a simultaneous worldwide release. Every previous Persona game was launched in Japan first, with Western markets’ release dates landing anywhere from three to 20 months later. This was seen as recently as Persona 5 Strikers, which launched in Japan on February 20, 2020, and everywhere else on February 23, 2021.
Thankfully, fans in North America, Europe, and Australia won’t have to wait this time.
