Ren Amamiya Husbando

The protagonist of Persona 5, canonically named Ren Amamiya (which appeared in several spin-off media before becoming his default name in the 2022 re-release of Persona 5 Royal), is a second-year transfer student at Shujin Academy, being placed there to continue his academics due to his ongoing probation resulting from being falsely framed for assault. At the beginning of the game, he has little to no power or influence in the world and is restrained by the rules of the system he was born into. However, beneath his quiet demeanor is a strong-willed Wild Card leading the Phantom Thieves and capable of exploiting the Metaverse to affect reality. To his teammates, his code name is Joker, and to the residents of the Velvet Room he is known as the Trickster. The protagonist is the leader of the rebellious Phantom Thieves of Hearts, a group which aims to change society by touching the hearts of people and performing illegal heists. As per tradition of the Megami Tensei franchise, he is a silent protagonist, whose personality is based on the player's actions and decisions. However, he appears to have more established traits than any of the previous protagonists. His dialogue options range from somewhat indifferent to outright cheeky. The game allows for quite a number of playful, snarky or audacious answers, including teasing his friends. He also taunts his enemies like the famed Arsène Lupin. In the prologue scene, he remains cocky and confident even when his life is in danger. He also has a flair for showing off and making dramatic decisions, such as exiting by jumping through the stained glass windows of the Casino, much to the amazement (and mild annoyance) of the other Phantom Thieves. This is even reflected in gameplay, as when he is turned into a mouse, he makes a flamboyant hop after escaping a battle. The protagonist's primary means of characterization comes from remarks and comments from the Confidants he's spent time with: Munehisa Iwai says if everyone in the world held the same code of honor as the protagonist, guns would be obsolete. Sadayo Kawakami notes that, by opposing Suguru Kamoshida, he has a strong sense of justice despite his bad reputation. Shinya Oda states that he made him realize "To be cool, you have to live life in your own way." and that's the type of person he's striving to become. Hifumi Togo notes, while playing shogi with him, that she senses he has a "gambler's spirit." Sojiro Sakura says the protagonist has an assertive nature, to which the rest of the thieves agree. During the climax of the Niijima Palace heist, Ryuji Sakamoto states that despite being quiet, once he has made up his mind, he won't take no for an answer. Goro Akechi says although the protagonist is quiet, he possesses the courage and determination to take action, has a free heart despite his social standing and how others view him, is not bound by his past selves and human relations, and that he never stops choosing his own path. One key trait revolving around the protagonist is his relation with fate: his entire journey after getting falsely accused by Masayoshi Shido tied him to Shido's. During his journey, the protagonist would rebel in helping others, eventually dethroning Shido himself, and would be himself regardless of what others think, but wouldn't be able to clear his criminal record during his journey. His profile states that he appears quiet and well-mannered, but this behavior is a profound ruse that hides the heart of a rebellious trickster. He is extremely resistant to rigid and dogmatic forms of control-based authority and order. He has received much criticism, insults, opposition and even death threats for his rebellious nature, whether it be his targets, school staff, disapproving comments left on the Phantom Aficionado Website, etc. Suguru Kamoshida calls him a "defiant piece of garbage." However, despite all this, the Phantom Thieves have also received a good deal of support. In the process of designing characters for Persona 5, Shigenori Soejima imagined the protagonist as the type who plans things but does not talk about them. Jun Fukuyama, his Japanese voice actor, described the protagonist as the type of person you cannot get to know easily. However, he also says the protagonist has the characteristics of a leader and that the other members of the Phantom Thieves trust him deeply. As noted by Ann, Yusuke and Hifumi, the protagonist has immense kindness as he would do what he can to help people such as his Confidants. Unlike previous Persona protagonists, the catalyst for his Persona awakening is specified in words (his desire to help people in need.) Arsène notes this, and provokes him to think about whether the resolve the protagonist showed in the past was valid or not. This, in turn, proves instrumental to his awakening, as it is the basis for his rebellious will, allowing him to form a contract with Arsène and summon him. Hints of his true desires come from the new Royal ending where Maruki develops an ideal reality for him by accepting his offer. Similar to Yu Narukami in the Persona 4 the Animation, he holds some sadness by the fact that he has to leave after his probation ends. His bonds with his fellow Phantom Thieves and Sojiro become the main center for his ideal reality as he remains living at Café Leblanc, finishing his high school at Shujin, and still maintaining his friendships with everyone, including Yoshizawa and Akechi. Unlike the others who seem to blissfully accept the realities Maruki gave them, the protagonist may at least be aware of the choice he made, but has chosen to turn a blind eye. In Royal as well, more glimpses of the protagonist's personality are shown, specifically at the end of the new final boss fight, when he desperately risks everything to save the life of Takuto Maruki, a great friend of his despite their differences, and Maruki notes how "bright and honest" the protagonist's eyes are, meaning that he still strives to keep moving forward and helping people. In the manga adaptation, Akira Kurusu comes off as initially quiet and awkward while showing his obvious discomfort and confusion with the crowded streets of Tokyo. As nobody would believe him in regards to the assault charge against him, Akira has resigned to the stain upon his name and won't bother trying to defend himself when people judge him based on his criminal record, even when he is severely disheartened and saddened when none of the students, save for Ryuji who he helped earlier in Kamoshida's Palace, want anything to do with him because of his record. After becoming Phantom Thief and befriending Ryuji, Ann, and Morgana, Akira became brighter and more open to speak his mind, as shown when he directly expressed his desire to help Yusuke for fear he's suffering like he did. Though Akira is still quiet most of the time, those who knows him well is able to see his kind heart and how he is always there for them. Despite how his act of kindness led him to be framed before, it doesn't deter Akira's desire to help people in need and he would step in without hesitation when seeing someone in trouble in front of him. He has accepted that reality can be unfair, but strives to face it head on instead of running away. Being the leader of Phantom Thieves, Akira is one of the most level headed thieves, mostly keep his cool even in a difficult situation. He is also quick to catch on to certain things, showing himself to be quite observant. Comically, though presenting himself as a well-mannered student, Akira is not keen at his school studies like Ryuji and Ann, reacting with dismay at the thought of school tests and is not confident on the result of his grades.