Persona Affinity is a mechanic used in the earlier Persona games.
Appearances
Profile
Megami Ibunroku Persona
It represents the Affinity between the Persona and its host. There are four levels of Affinity:
- Best - If the appropriate conditions are set, it may activate its Unknown Power.
- Good - Can be equipped and used, but its Unknown Power will not be activated.
- Bad - Can be equipped but not used in battle. Healing and support skills can still be used outside of battle via the menu.
- Worst - Cannot be equipped.
Each character has a set Affinity for each Arcana, but some Personas are exceptions of the rule: the Initial and Ultimate Personas have Worst Affintity for everyone but their owners. Reiji Kido is the only one able to use Nyarlathotep, Beelzebub, and Lucifer, and he can use Satan despite having Worst Affinity with the Judgement Arcana.
In the PlayStation version, the Affinity levels were not displayed; this means that the only way to figure them out was through trial and error which was especially difficult for Best Affinity, which relied on the activation of Unknown Powers. This was fixed in the PSP port.
Persona 2
There are now five levels of Affinity, and they also influence on SP cost and chances of Mutation. Personas with Bad Affinity can now be used in battle.
- Great - SP cost reduced by 25% and highest Mutation odds.
- Good - SP cost reduced by 25% and high Mutation odds.
- Normal - Normal SP cost and Mutation odds.
- Bad - SP cost increased by 50% and reduced Mutation odds.
- Worst - Cannot be equipped.
Like the previous game, there are exceptions for the Affinity rules, such as certain non-Initial and non-Ultimate Personas being exclusive to certain users.
In the PlayStation versions, the only way to find out the Affinity is to equip a Persona and see how much the SP costs changes; however, as there is no difference in the SP cost between Great and Good Affinity, the player had to rely on Mutation odds to learn the difference, which isn't a precise method since it relies on luck. In the PSP versions, affinity is openly displayed and the altered SP Cost can be seen via the Character+Persona Status screen and the Skills screen.
Eternal Punishment
The rules of Affinity are essentially unchanged from the previous game, but now Personas with Great or Good Affinity may activate its Unknown Power, although the Unknown Power will be weaker if the Affinity is Good rather than Great.
Affinity Charts
Megami Ibunroku Persona
| Arcana | Best | Good | Bad | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fool | Everyone | - | - | - |
| Magician | Ayase | Everyone else | Elly | Reiji |
| Priestess | Maki | Everyone else | Yukino | Reiji |
| Empress | Yukino | Everyone else | Maki | Reiji |
| Emperor | Protagonist | Everyone else | Nanjo | Reiji |
| Hierophant | Nanjo | Everyone else | Protagonist | Reiji |
| Lovers | Females | Everyone else | - | Reiji |
| Chariot | Mark | Everyone else | Brown | Reiji |
| Strength | Protagonist, Mark, Nanjo, Yukino, Reiji | Everyone else | - | - |
| Hermit | Females | Males | - | - |
| Fortune | Everyone | - | - | - |
| Justice | Brown | Everyone else | Mark | Reiji |
| Hangedman | Brown, Ayase, Reiji | Everyone else | Nanjo, Yukino | - |
| Death | Reiji | Maki, Yukino | Everyone else | - |
| Temperance | Females | Males | - | - |
| Devil | Reiji | Everyone else | - | - |
| Tower | Reiji | Everyone else | Females | - |
| Star | Females | - | - | Males |
| Moon | Males | - | - | Females |
| Sun | Females | Males | - | - |
| Judgement | Elly | Everyone else | Ayase | Reiji |
| World | Males | Females | - | - |
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
- No character has Worst Affinity with a certain Arcana, only with specific Personas.
| Arcana | Great | Good | Normal | Bad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fool | Everyone | - | - | - |
| Magician | Maya, Jun | - | Tatsuya, Ginko | Michel, Yukki |
| Priestess | - | Maya, Ginko | Males | Yukki |
| Empress | Yukki | Maya, Ginko | Males | - |
| Emperor | - | Males | Females | - |
| Hierophant | - | Michel, Jun | Females | Tatsuya |
| Lovers | Lisa | Yukki | Males | Maya |
| Chariot | - | Males | Females | - |
| Strength | Michel, Yukki | - | Tatsuya, Ginko | Maya, Jun |
| Hermit | Females | - | Males | - |
| Fortune | Jun | Females | Tatsuya, Michel | - |
| Justice | - | Males | Females | - |
| Hangedman | Males | - | Females | - |
| Death | Michel | - | Females | Tatsuya, Jun |
| Temperance | Females | - | Males | - |
| Devil | - | - | Everyone | - |
| Tower | - | - | Males | Females |
| Star | Females | - | Males | - |
| Moon | Maya | Males | Yukki | Ginko |
| Sun | Tatsuya | Females | Michel, Jun | - |
| Judgement | - | Females | Males | - |
| World | Males | - | Females | - |
| Wand | Maya, Ginko, Jun | Tatsuya, Michel, Yukki | - | - |
| Cup | Males | Females | - | - |
| Sword | Tatsuya, Michel, Yukki | Maya, Ginko, Jun | - | - |
| Coin | Females | Males | - | - |
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
| Arcana | Great | Good | Normal | Bad | Worst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fool | Everyone | - | - | - | - |
| Magician | Maya | Nate, Ellen | Baofu, Tatsuya | Ulala | Katsuya |
| Priestess | Ulala | Maya, Ellen | Nate, Tatsuya | Katsuya, Baofu | - |
| Empress | Ellen | Maya, Ulala | Katsuya, Tatsuya | Baofu, Nate | - |
| Emperor | Nate | Baofu, Tatsuya | Maya, Katsuya | Ulala, Ellen | - |
| Hierophant | Nate | Katsuya, Ellen | Maya, Ulala | Baofu, Tatsuya | - |
| Lovers | Ulala | Ellen | Katsuya, Nate, Tatsuya | Maya | Baofu |
| Chariot | Baofu | Katsuya, Nate, Tatsuya | Maya, Ulala | - | Ellen |
| Strength | Katsuya | Baofu, Nate | Ulala, Tatsuya | Ellen | Maya |
| Hermit | Maya | Ulala, Ellen | Males | - | - |
| Fortune | Ellen | Maya, Ulala | Males | - | - |
| Justice | Katsuya | Nate, Tatsuya | Females | Baofu | - |
| Hangedman | Baofu | Nate, Tatsuya | Females | Tatsuya | - |
| Death | Baofu | - | Females | Katsuya, Nate, Tatsuya | - |
| Temperance | Females | - | Males | - | - |
| Devil | Baofu | - | Everyone else | - | - |
| Tower | - | Baofu | Katsuya, Nate, Tatsuya | Females | - |
| Star | Ulala | Maya, Ellen | - | Katsuya, Baofu, Nate | Tatsuya |
| Moon | Maya | Katsuya, Tatsuya | Baofu, Nate | Ellen | Ulala |
| Sun | Tatsuya | Maya, Katsuya | Nate, Ellen | Ulala, Baofu | - |
| Judgement | Ellen | Maya, Ulala | Males | - | - |
| World | Katsuya, Tatsuya | Baofu, Nate | Females | - | - |
| Rod | Maya, Baofu, Ellen | Ulala, Katsuya, Nate, Tatsuya | - | - | - |
| Cup | Males | Females | - | - | - |
| Sword | Ulala, Katsuya, Nate, Katsuya | Maya, Baofu, Ellen | - | - | - |
| Pentacle | Females | Males | - | - | - |