“Persona” Anime is based on the popular Japanese video game series. Each game has its own story, but all Persona games revolve around themes related to the human mind.
Persona games are JRPGs, which means they take a lot of time to finish. I usually spend at least 60 hours on each one. So, if you don’t have that much time to spare, you can just watch the anime series instead.
The Persona series is an urban fantasy with a plot that follows a group of teenagers who can teleport to a world similar to ours. They also develop a persona, a physical representation of their inner thoughts.
The anime adaptation of Persona might not be as good as the games, but it’s still very entertaining. You can watch the anime first and decide whether to play the games later.
Here’s a guide on how to watch the Persona anime series:”
Persona Watch Order
“As I mentioned earlier, each Persona game has its own story that doesn’t depend on the others. These stories are completely separate, even though they share some common themes.
I’ll break it down for each game and suggest the best order to watch the Persona anime series, making it easier for you to follow.”
Persona 3
“Persona 3 is all about a special school club called the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad (SEES). These students are on a mission to figure out what’s going on during the Dark Hour, a weird time that happens at midnight.
When the Dark Hour strikes, they go into a big tower called Tartarus, where they have to deal with creepy creatures called Shadows. These Shadows like to mess with people’s heads. To fight them, each SEES member brings out their own Persona, which is like their inner self.
One of the cool things in Persona 3 is how they summon their Personas. They shoot themselves in the head with a special gun-like thing.”
Persona 3 Movie Order
Persona 3 was adapted into four films, which can be watched sequentially:
- Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth (2013)
- Persona 3 the Movie 2: Midsummer Knight’s Dream (2014)
- Persona 3 the Movie 3: Falling Down (2015)
- Persona 3 the Movie 4: Winter of Rebirth (2016)
“There’s another anime called Persona: Trinity Soul from 2008, but you can save it for later. If you do decide to watch it, it’s best to finish the Persona 3 story first because Trinity Soul takes place five years after the events in Persona 3.”
Persona 4
“The story of Persona 4 takes inspiration from mystery novels. It’s set in a made-up countryside in Japan, kind of like a town near Mount Fuji.
The main character is a high school student who moves from the city to the countryside for a year. During that year, he and his friends use special powers to summon Personas and try to solve some mysterious murders.”
Persona 4 Watch Order
In Persona 4there are two anime series and one film, in the following order:
- Persona 4 The Animation (2011) – 25 episodes
- Persona 4 The Animation – The Factor of Hope – (2012) – 1 Movies
- Persona 4 The Golden Animation (2014) – 12 episodes
“There are two versions of Persona 4 anime because the original game, Persona 4, was first on PlayStation 2. Later, it got a port to PlayStation Vita with extra stuff.
So, the second anime, Persona 4: The Golden Animation, was made to promote this enhanced version. Unlike the first series, this one was done by A-1 Pictures and included the extra content from the Vita version.”
Persona 5
“Persona 5 is about Ren Amamiya, a new student at Shujin Academy in Tokyo. He got into trouble defending someone and had to transfer there on probation.
On his first day, he gets a strange app on his phone that takes him to a world called the Metaverse. In this world, he discovers he can summon a Persona, a kind of power.
With the help of other students with their own issues, Ren forms a group called the Phantom Thieves of Hearts. They aim to change bad people’s hearts by stealing their desires, making them feel remorse, and turning them into better people.”
Order of Watching Persona 5
For the Persona 5 anime adaptation, here’s the order to watch it:
- Persona 5 The Animation (2018) – 26 Episodes
- Persona 5 The Animation: Dark Sun (2018)
- Persona 5 The Animation: The Breakers of the Day (2018)
You can watch the two special episodes, especially if you have finished the original anime.
Persona Anime Release Sequence
I. Anime series
- Persona: Trinity Soul (2008)
- Persona 4 the Animation (2011)
- Persona 4 the Golden ANIMATION (2014)
- Persona 5 the Animation (2018)
II. Movies
- Persona 4 the Animation: The Factor of Hope (2012)
- Persona 3 the Movie 1: Spring of Birth (2013)
- Persona 3 the Movie 2: Midsummer Knight’s Dream (2014)
- Persona 3 the Movie 3: Falling Down (2015)
- Persona 3 the Movie 4: Winter of Rebirth (2016)
III. Special
- Persona 4 the Animation: No One is Alone (2012)
- Persona 4 the Animation: A Brief Lesson on Izanagi & Izanami (2013)
- Persona 4 the Animation: Mr. Experiment Shorts (2013)
- Persona 4 the Golden Animation: Thank you, Mr. Accomplice (2014)
- Persona 5 the Animation -THE DAY BREAKERS- (2016)
- Persona 5 the Animation: Dark Sun (2018)
- Persona 5 The Animation Specials (2018)
That was the story sequence of the anime series Persona, if you have questions or want to discuss it, you can in the comments column. Happy watching, OK!
