Persona 5 The Animation



Persona 5 The Animation is a television anime adaptation of Persona 5, produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Masashi Ishihama. The anime is licensed by Aniplex and began airing on April 7, 2018, with Crunchyroll, AnimeLab and Hulu streaming the series to North American audiences. There will be a total of twenty-four episodes.

It currently only has a Japanese dub with all of the original cast members (with the exception of Miyu Matsuki and Kazunari Tanaka, who both passed away before the game's release). Aniplex has announced an English stream of the anime to also air in April. No English dub is currently announced, with several voice actors confirming that no dubbing has commenced as of March 2018.

According to an interview, the anime will have a surprise that will deviate from the game's story.

The opening and ending theme songs are composed by Meguro and performed by Lyn, titled "Break In To Break Out" and "Infinity," respectively.

Synopsis
Ren Amamiya is about to enter his second year after transferring to Shujin Academy in Tokyo. Following a particular incident, his Persona awakens, and together with his friends they form the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts" to reform hearts of corrupt adults by stealing the source of their distorted desires. Meanwhile, bizarre and inexplicable crimes have been popping up one after another. Living an ordinary high school life in Tokyo by day, the group maneuvers the metropolitan city as Phantom Thieves after hours. Let the curtain rise for this grand, picaresque story!

Episode 1 - I Am Thou, Thou Art I

 * Differences between the game and anime include:
 * Goro Akechi assists Ren during the casino heist.
 * Ren's attempted escape after the police ambush is cut.
 * Caroline appears in Shibuya while Justine appears in the casino.
 * A brief scene of Ren being sentenced by a judge is shown during a flashback.
 * When Ren canvasses the Yongen-Jaya neighborhood for Cafe Leblanc, Tae Takemi can be seen walking past him at one point.
 * Sadayo Kawakami drops a flyer for Victoria House Cleaning services, which she quickly picks up, during the initial meeting with the protagonist and principal Kobayakawa.

Episode 2 - Let's Take Back What's Dear to You

 * Differences between the game and anime include:
 * Ren's first battle against Shadow Kamoshida's bodyguards is cut short.
 * Ren and Ryuji don't encounter Morgana until after they enter Kamoshida's Palace for the second time.
 * Ren and Ryuji do not encounter the police before they go to Shujin Academy.
 * Ren helps Shiho Suzui after accidentally bumping into her in the school hallway.
 * While Ren is going to lunch, Makoto Niijima can be seen talking to some classmates.
 * Kawakami talks to Ren outside the classroom after he meets Ryuji, rather than inside the faculty room.
 * Haru Okumura can be seen tending to the plants outside of Shujin Academy.
 * Shiho is seen wearing her gym uniform during her conversation with Ann after school.
 * One scene shows Kamoshida physically abusing Shiho in his office.
 * After Ryuji awakens his Persona, he, along with Ren and Morgana, battle against Pixie, Bicorn and Agathion instead of Eligor.
 * Morgana summons his Persona after Ryuji awakens his own.
 * Kanami Mashita can be seen on the big screen after Ryuji and Ren escape the Palace the second time.
 * Toranosuke Yoshida can be seen in the beef bowl shop.

Episode 3 - A Beautiful Rose Has Thorns!

 * Differences between the game and anime include:
 * Akechi catches a brief glimpse of Ren and Ryuji at the station in April.
 * Mika can be seen at the train station doing a photo shoot with Ann.
 * Yuuki Mishima talks to Shiho that Kamoshida wants her to come to his office at the gym instead of in the hallway.
 * Kawakami is the one teaching class 2-D during Shiho's suicide attempt instead of Mr. Ushimaru.
 * Shiho receives bruises on her face after her failed suicide attempt instead of receiving them from Kamoshida before.
 * Ren and Ryuji don't encounter Ann in the Metaverse until after she's captured by Shadow Kamoshida.
 * Ren, Ryuji and Morgana secure the route to Kamoshida's Treasure before they save Ann from Shadow Kamoshida.
 * As Joker, Ren introduces himself to Ann using his real name.

Episode 4 - Steal it, if you can!

 * Differences between the game and anime include:
 * Ren visited Munehisa Iwai's Untouchable airsoft shop with Ryuji and met Tae Takemi for the first time after the calling card was sent for Kamoshida.
 * Ann visits Shiho at the hospital before entering Kamoshida's Palace to steal his Treasure.
 * The Phantom Thieves steal Kamoshida's Treasure at night instead of daytime.
 * The Phantom Thieves, except for Ren, start using codenames before they find their way to Kamoshida's Treasure.
 * The scene where the Phantom Thieves tries to escape Kamoshida's Palace after they steal his Treasure successfully is not shown.
 * Mishima and the others apologizing to Ann after Kamoshida's confession is not shown.
 * Shiho was shown waking up from her comatose state at the hospital after Kamoshida's confession.
 * Ren was given the codename "Joker" by Morgana at Leblanc instead of in Kamoshida's Palace.
 * Sojiro Sakura found out about Morgana after Kamoshida's confession.

Episode 5- The Phantoms

 * Differences between the game and anime include:
 * Ren and Ryuji go to sell Kamoshida's Treasure to Iwai together. Iwai doesn't give Ren the paper bag, unlike in the game.
 * Ann's run-in with woman who blamed Ann from bumping into her in Wilton Hotel buffet wasn't shown in the game.
 * Conversation between Sae Niijima and the SIU Director is about the subway accident is shown after Kamoshida's confession.
 * The Phantom Thieves don't check the Phantom Aficionado Website until after Mishima tells Ren about it.
 * The Phantom Thieves fight against Obariyon (Natsuhiko Nakanohara's Shadow) is cut short.
 * Sojiro asks Ren to help at Leblanc for the first time after the completion of first Mementos request.
 * Akechi comes to visit Leblance with Sae and Ren meets him for the first time there instead of at the talk show studio.

Music
Opening theme Ending theme
 * "Break In To Break Out" by Lyn
 * "Infinity" by Lyn

Differences
There are some differences between Persona 5 The Animation and the game, including but not limited to:
 * The 20XX calendar isn't shown at much as the days gone by in the anime adaption.
 * The Social Stats system is not included since it is unknown how Ren's personality process in every episode.
 * During the P. A. D., the icons changes into first letters of the Phantom Thieves members' names instead of character portraits.
 * Only Ren has a gun, while Ryuji and Ann lack it.

Persona O.A
To promote the anime and distribute news, a promotional app, Persona O.A, was released on March 15, 2018. The app features a news feed and a calendar detailing upcoming Persona related events. At a later date, the app will be updated with a Mementos exploration game, which will include persona summoning, dungeon crawling and light character interactions.

The app also allows players to gain Persona Points by signing in daily, which can then be used to purchase wallpapers or enter lotteries to attend events.