New Persona 5 Details Explore the Phantom Thieves of Hearts

Persona 5 developer Atlus has discussed the game's plot and some of the characters that will star in the eagerly-anticipated RPG sequel.

Speaking to Game Informer, Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino said the game's cast of five main characters feel like they don't have a place in society, but are drawn together under by a common goal after discovering the Isekai-Navi.

This item allows them to enter the other worlds and steal the malicious intent from the hearts of other peoples. They become the "Phantom Thieves" and, if previous games are any indication, these bonds will likely be a key aspect of the gameplay.

Discussing the characters specifically, Hashino said the main character--who was not named in the article--is a silent and cool type similar to the protagonists of previous Personas. At the same time, he's described as "something of a roguish antihero," so there's a brashness about him too.

Ryuuji, meanwhile, wants to reform society and believes the Phantom Thieves can do this. The third character, named Ann, lived abroad so has a "distinct foreign air" that draws attention to her, but also keeps an "emotional distance" because of this.

The fourth member of this quartet is Yusuke, an oddball artist with in-depth knowledge of the strange alternate world the gang visits. Finally, Morgana is the "prideful instructor" and has a very strict set of expectations for the team. Morgana isn't clear on her own origins and hopes to gain insight into this.

Additional details are available in the interview, which you can read here.

On September 17, Atlus revealed Persona 5 had been delayed. The game will now debut on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 in summer 2016, instead of in 2015.

Hashino previously said the development team is "going with a challenge that fuses together a juvenile school setting that is as large as life, together with a picaresque romance."

He continued: "In the previous game, we wrote a story that involved having a justice group chase down a bad guy that could easily be feared by just about anyone," he added.

"This time, it's about a group of high school students that are being 'chased' by unexpected occurrences due to the justice they believe in. We're writing [the story] to convey a thrilling everyday life in the shoes of these characters, that are as large as life, in this juvenile school setting."