Ann Takamaki

Ann Takamaki
Also known as	Anne Takamaki (Japanese name) Panther (Code Name) Flashy Female Student Lady Ann (by Morgana and Makoto) Ann-Dono (Japanese variation of "Lady Ann") Miss Older-dude-charmer (by Ryuji) The slutty-looking woman in red (by Okumura)
Japanese Name	高巻 杏 たかまき あん パンサー
Romaji	Takamaki An Pansā
First Appearance	Persona 5
Ethnicity	Quarter-American Japanese
Affiliation	Phantom Thieves of Hearts
School	Shujin Academy
Occupation	Model
Date of Birth	November 12 c.1999
Age	16-17 (P5) 17 (P5S)
Zodiac	Scorpio
Height	165 cm (5'5")
Cell Phone Color	Red (Play)
Blood Type	B
Melee Weapon	Whips
Ranged Weapon	Submachine Guns
Arcana	Lovers
Persona	Carmen, Hecate, Célestine (P5R)
Theme	"Wake Up, Get Up, Get Out There" "Rivers in the Desert" (Mito Remix)
Japanese VA	Nana Mizuki
English VA	Erika Harlacher
Portrayed by	Yuki Odera (Stage Play)

"I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake... I can't take it anymore... I had enough of this... I hate him! But still... Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school! Tell me... What should I do?"

—Ann Takamaki, Persona 5

Ann Takamaki is a playable character from Persona 5. She is a student at Shujin Academy who lives a double life as a Phantom Thief.

Appearances

• Persona 5 / Royal: Playable Character; Lovers Confidant
  • Persona 5 (Manga): Major Character
  • Persona 5: Mementos Mission: Major Character
  • Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers: Major Character
  • Persona 5 The Animation: Major Character
    • Persona O.A.: Major Character
  • Persona 5 The Stage
• Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: Playable Character
• Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers: Playable Character
• Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight: DLC support voice
• Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Playable Character
  • Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Roundabout Special

Design

Ann has wavy platinum blonde hair that is styled in bushy pigtails with parted side bangs on the right side of her face where she accessorizes with a single yellow hair clip above her left ear as well as small circular earrings on both ears and bright blue eyes. She is of mixed ethnicity: her surname is Japanese, and her profile mentions she is 1/4 American.[1] She is a relatively tall young woman, standing taller than both Haru Okumura and Makoto Niijima, who are both a full year older than her. 

Her winter school uniform is modified to fit her taste: the standard black blazer over a white varsity-like fullzip hooded sweatshirt, worn long to cover most of her short plaid skirt. Her sweatshirt has a red stripe between two blue stripes at the bottom, an S symbol near the front bottom on one side and a green four-leaf-clover symbol on the back of the hood. She wears red tights and brown boots with yellow laces. Her summer school uniform is a white shirt with a blue jacket wrapped on her waist, making her skirt more visible. She has black socks with white lining and dark brown shoes. Her hairpin is red instead of yellow, and she wears a silver necklace.

Her summer casual clothes consist of a black tank top with "U2O" written on it over a white shirt with red sunglasses hanging from the middle of her chest. She wears blue denim short shorts with a red plaid shirt wrapped around her waist, black cropped socks and red sneakers.

Her winter casual clothes consist of a lavender blue button-up shirt under a red and white jersey jacket with an S symbol near the front bottom on one side. She has a white skirt, black leggings and red Converse shoes. She also wears big red round earrings.

For Persona 5 Royal, Ann has two new outfits. For school she keeps her winter outfit the same, but now wears the standard Shujin turtleneck with a black bow, in addition to a cream and brown jersey overcoat with multiple pins and patches and a black hood. For her days off, she wears a black leather jacket over an orange and purple plaid shirt, faded ripped jeans with a heart patch on the left pocket, and red ankle boots. When she is outside, she wears a red scarf and earmuffs.

Her Phantom Thief outfit consists of a skin-tight red latex catsuit with a cleavage cutout and zippers, a matching red panther mask, pink gloves, dark red thigh-high boots, a clipped on tail on the back of her catsuit.

Her cognitive copy in Kamoshida's Palace appears as a scantily clad version of her in a provocative, purple bikini with panther-like patterns on it and wears high heels and wears a pair of cat ears and a pink crown on top of her head.

In Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, she sports bright pink highlighting on each pigtail and retains some part of her Shujin Academy school uniform, except that she wears a long red crop top sweater that exposes her midriff and navel, red fingerless gloves, fishnet stockings and red sneakers. She wears a pair of silver headphones around her neck, a black basketball hat on her head, light-blue nail-polish, golden hoops earrings, a spike bracelet on her left wrist and two matching gold bracelets on each wrist and a pink bracelet on her right wrist.

Personality

"I hear you... Carmen. You're right. No more holding back...!"

—Ann Takamaki before awakening her Persona, Persona 5

Ann is a very kind and compassionate girl, enough for it to be noted by both Morgana and Sojiro Sakura. Years of isolation due to her looks have left her very withdrawn, with the belief that she's lost her place in the world. This hasn't stopped her from opening up to the people close to her and making jokes. She's able to press on without caring about the opinion of others due to her friendship with Shiho Suzui, who was her first real friend in Japan before joining the Phantom Thieves. She is shown to be a good judge of character, as she was the first person able to look past the rumors of the protagonist and see him for who he really is (while Ryuji Sakamoto befriended him before her, it was because he saw him as just another "troublemaker" and didn't learn his full story until later.) Her good judgement of others is also shown by her willingness to forgive Makoto after learning her side of the story in the incident with Suguru Kamoshida, namely that she wanted to do something but felt powerless to stop him, having realized it wasn't too different from her own situation. Before this, she also comforts Makoto when she calls herself "scum of the Earth" due to her failure to help Kamoshida's victims, saying that if she really was scum, she wouldn't call herself such.

As a Phantom Thief, Ann becomes far more lively and energetic, with a strong will to never be abused or let abuses run unchecked. She agrees with Ryuji's desire to help those in need is because she believes that if she doesn't, she'll go back to being the same as she was before (ie. someone who could only look on while other people suffered instead of stepping in.) Although she understands that Kamoshida is ultimately the one at fault for what happened to Shiho, she can't help but feel partially responsible as well, due to frequently pushing Shiho to keep with the volleyball team despite the effect it was having on her. She also believes that she should have dared Kamoshida to take Shiho off the team when he threatened, as he wouldn't have done anything that would risk costing him games, but ultimately feels that she didn't believe in Shiho's ability. She reacts better to being told that she may be right rather than she can't blame herself, implying that she prefers people to be honest rather than sympathetic. Her Confidant deals largely with Ann's attempt to become a stronger person and come to terms with her guilt.

Because of her kindness, Ann initially acts as the Thieves' sole "moral center," i.e. the only one to never lose sight of the bigger picture. While Morgana can become distracted by his desire to restore his memories and Ryuji often gets worked up over becoming famous (albeit in order to give people courage), Ann acts as the common sense of the group, considering helping people to be the number one priority, and often wondering whether what they're doing can actually be considered right. She's also the one to suggest the "unanimous decision" rule, since she didn't like the idea of just picking targets at random. Despite all of this, Ann can also be rather sarcastic when annoyed or upset, particularly during her early encounters with Makoto, and isn't even above using profanity when pushed over the edge. Additionally, although she spares Kamoshida's life so he can confess his crimes and atone, she reveals later that she did it not out of kindness, but so he would end up suffering and beg for forgiveness for the rest of his life, which she considers to be a fate worse than death, much to Ryuji's shock.

Ann's personable nature let's her get along extremely well with her friends in the Phantom Thieves. She is notably quite close with Ryuji, as the two are often seen hanging out together outside of Phantom Thief activities (such as during Ann's confidant or the school cleanup event). However, they frequently bicker and exchange jabs with each other (though it's always in good fun). Ann's hobbies include shopping and playing video games, and she in particular considers the former to be "a great stress reliever." When Futaba points out that anything can be bought online, Ann is shocked by her approach, and says that "seeing and feeling it are the most important parts." She also has a massive sweet tooth for food such as cake, and has a weakness for crepe special menus like "extra extra cream." It gets to the point that she will sometimes eat nothing but dessert and neglect normal meals. However, she dislikes carbonated drinks and seems to prefer soy milk over cow milk. As revealed in a Mementos conversation, Ann has friends from overseas, who she seems to regularly keep in contact with.

While not as bad as Ryuji, Ann is rather book dumb, doing poorly in every subject except English, which she mainly aces due to being bilingual. She can also be rather air-headed, particularly when it comes to her attempts to "strengthen her heart." Nevertheless, Ann is very smart in her own right. She is a good judge of character and has a keen eye for detail, such as when she senses anger and frustration coming from a painting at Ichiryusai Madarame's exhibit, and finds it hard to believe such a "cheerful and gentlemanly" man could have painted such a piece. Ultimately, she figures out that it was actually painted by Yusuke Kitagawa, who gave it to Madarame to pass off as his own. She's also the one to figure out that Haru and the Beauty Thief are one and the same due to their similar features, something even the far more book smart Makoto wasn't able to do. On a side-note, her acting skills are noted to be terrible, yet somehow fool people often. In Mementos, she reveals that her poor grades are actually the result of a lack of willingness to study, saying that whenever she tries, she ends up playing games instead.

In the beginning of the game, Ann has a modeling side-job as a hobby, although she doesn't want to make a living out of it just yet, as she is unsure how serious she wants to take it. Despite this and being generally confident about her body and physical appearance, Ann becomes flustered and embarrassed when she is forced into a situation that exposes her skin without her prior consent or desire. She has a tendency to mock or prank people who are ogling (such as Ryuji) and is disgusted with the idea of being used as a nude model for Yusuke's art. Ann can't stand it when people superficially value her for her body and nothing else, as if she is a thin-shelled, hollow doll with nothing on the inside or no other redeeming qualities. She is also embarrassed by her Phantom Thief outfit at first, believing the tail is the only fine part of it, and commenting that she could never wear something like it out in public. Ann also vehemently rejects the Phantom's attempt to give her a "classy cat burglar" codename, instead deciding on the name "Panther," as it sounds "more ferocious." Her outfit is implied to be inspired by an anime Ann watched, in which she admired a "sexy" villain who was strong and confident, and took whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. In Mementos, she states that she likes using whips, and has gotten pretty good at handling one, before adding that she's not sure if that's something to be proud of. Ryuji even compares her to a dominatrix.

Profile

Persona 5

"You know what? I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with... you scumbag. You stole everything from Shiho... You destroyed her... Now it's your turn! I will rob you of everything...!"

—Ann Takamaki to Suguru Kamoshida, Persona 5

Ann is a second year high schooler at Shujin Academy. Ann is the classmate of the protagonist in 2-D, and she and Ryuji Sakamoto were classmates in middle school. Due to her foreign blood and living abroad before the story, she does not have many friends there and is considered an outcast in Shujin. According to the art book, her parents are away from home and she lives with "servants." Ann mentions she had a live-in caretaker, so these "servants" are likely caretakers. Both her parents are fashion designers who put on extravagant shows, and that they jump from country to country, so Ann does not see them that often. It is revealed that Ann also used to live in Finland.

Her only friend is Shiho Suzui. Ann met Shiho when she told Ann that Ann's painting sucks during art class. Despite this, as they were both outcast girls, they became friends with each other. Ann is being targeted by the volleyball coach Suguru Kamoshida who had a sexual interest towards her after he spotted her in a modeling magazine. Kamoshida constantly asked her out for dates, threatening her that if Ann refuses to make appearances, Shiho will be removed from the frontlines of his team.

Because of the coercion threats, she reluctantly makes appearances with Kamoshida in order to protect her friend, although she rejects any sexual advances Kamoshida makes. Vicious rumors then began to spread around the school that she was sleeping with him, further tarnishing her name around the school. Presumably because of her mistreatment at the school before Kamoshida became the volleyball coach of Shujin, worsened by Kamoshida's sexual harrassment, Ann began to call Shujin a "sorry excuse of a school" and tried to convince herself that there was nothing wrong with her toxic coping regarding her predicament, as Shiho was her sole person of solace within the school.

First Heist: Kamoshida's Palace

The protagonist meets Ann Takamaki.

The protagonist first meets Ann when both were waiting for the rain stop before school. She is then picked up by Kamoshida, and reluctantly goes with him. The protagonist and Ryuji later talk to her to ask about Kamoshida, in attempt to expose his wrongdoings, but like other students, Ann is reluctant to talk out of fear that Kamoshida will kick Shiho out from being a regular in the volleyball team, but also because of bad rumors about the protagonist.

At the second infiltration against Kamoshida's Palace, a scantly-clad, cognitive copy of Ann, known as "Princess Ann" appears after the party defeats some Shadows with the help of Ryuji, whom has awakened his Persona. Initially, Ryuji thought she was the real Ann, although Morgana, despite being seduced by her looks, points out she was a fake created from Kamoshida's cognition. The behavior of the cognitive copy are all based on Kamoshida's distorted sexual desires towards her instead of those from her real person.

She later meets the protagonist again by coincidence, when the protagonist overhears her talking with Kamoshida on the phone. It was heavily implied that Kamoshida was asking Ann to go to bed with him, so she claims that she's not feeling well so she can't meet up with him which angered Kamoshida. After much persuasion, Ann finally reveals to the protagonist how Kamoshida is trying to force himself on her, as she finally expresses her frustration and disgust towards the teacher, refusing to do as he says. Feeling better, Ann's view of the protagonist changes, as she realized how horrible rumors are when in reality it's not true, being the subject of them herself. Unbeknownst to her, Kamoshida sexually assaulted Shiho that day as revenge for Ann rejecting his advances.

Ann comforts Shiho after her suicide attempt.

The next day, Shiho attempts suicide by jumping off the school roof, although she survived the fall. Upon learning of it, Ann is shocked and saddened. Before she passed out, Shiho implies to Ann that Kamoshida has something to do with it. After an injured and comatose Shiho is hospitalized, Ann vows to seek the answers behind the reasons and get revenge for her friend. Overhearing that the protagonist and Ryuji want to expose Kamoshida's crimes, Ann asks to join them, but Ryuji harshly tells her not to get involved.

Not giving up, she secretly follows the two boys. As a result, she accidentally enters Kamoshida's Palace along with them. To keep Ann from danger, the protagonist, Ryuji and Morgana send her back to the real world. Unfortunately, the navigation app appears on her cellphone. Since she overheard Ryuji saying the necessary keywords to enter his Palace, she ends up returning soon after they sent her away. Kamoshida's knights find her, mistaking her for "the princess," and keep her in captivity inside the castle, which she believed to simply be a studio.

Ann screaming and crying in pain and awakening to her Persona.

Later, the three find her on a torture device, surrounded by Kamoshida, who is adorned by his knights and "Princess Ann." The real Ann is almost thrown into despair when Kamoshida tells her that not only did he sexually assault Shiho, but that Ann is to blame for repeatedly rejecting his advances, "forcing" him to take out his frustrations on her only friend. With the help of the protagonist's motivating words, she finds the inner strength and determination to avenge her friend and all other victims, and utterly destroy Kamoshida for his heinous crimes. In doing so, she breaks free from the device and awakens to her Persona, Carmen, "killing" her cognitive copy and helping the party fight a Guard Captain Shadow that manifests as Belphegor. Since then, she joins the the protagonist, Morgana and Ryuji to expose Kamoshida.

Despite being generally disgusted by Kamoshida's shadow and how she (as well as Shiho in Royal) was portrayed in his Palace, she and the party manage to defeat Kamoshida and take his treasure. After his defeat, Kamoshida pleads Ann to kill him, but Ann refuses to, despite her hesitation to do so, since if he died, he would be unable to confess his crimes. Later on, Ann reveals that the decision wasn't out of mercy, but she wanted him to suffer as much as he lived.

In the real world, on May 2nd, Kamoshida tearfully condemns his own self and confesses to his crimes, being subsequently arrested and charged shortly thereafter, much to Ann's satisfaction and relief. Following his confession, her classmate Yuuki Mishima apologizes for not saying anything, despite knowing what happened. The two girls who spread rumors about Ann also apologize to her for their actions.

If the group fails to complete Kamoshida's Palace in time, it is never explained what happens to Ann, Ryuji or Mishima afterwards, but Kamoshida files charges against the protagonist and he is arrested for violating his probation. The scenario is a false recollection during the protagonist's interrogation due to the drugs he was administered by the police. Sae Niijima leaves the interrogation room to give the protagonist time to recover, at which point Goro Akechi takes the opportunity to assassinate him.

Ann trying to avoid nude modeling.

Ann is relieved to see Shiho recovering in the hospital and decides to stay a Phantom Thief so that she can save others from cruel fates that she and Shiho once suffered. While thinking of their next target, she is approached by Yusuke Kitagawa, an art student whom she initially thought to be a stalker until he clears the misunderstanding, telling her he wants her to be his next model for his art. After receiving request to steal Yusuke's teacher, Ichiryusai Madarame's heart for plagiarizing his students' artworks, Ann uses this opportunity to find out more about Madarame so they can enter his Palace and reveals to Yusuke that Madarame is not an honorable man he seems to be. She manages to do so by entering Madarame's studio where Madarame makes and keeps copies of "Sayuri" paintings to gain money, exposing him as a fraud. Before Madarame can call the police, Ann escapes with Yusuke and Morgana, accidentally taking the former with her into Madarame's Palace.

After their success stealing Madarame's corrupt heart, Ann and her friends are approached by Makoto Niijima, the school's student council president. Having heard rumors that Makoto knew Kamoshida's true nature but, like everyone else, opted to stay out of it since she doesn't truly care about the students at the school, Ann begins to deeply resent her and is openly hostile towards her. Makoto then blackmails the Phantom Thieves to change the heart of mafia scam and blackmail artist Junya Kaneshiro, demanding them to prove their justice, or else she will reveal their identities as the Phantom Thieves to the police. After several days pass by Makoto asks how the group is doing with her assignment. Since they were having no luck entering the palace, a frustrated Ann states that Makoto is useless which prompts the student council president to act impulsively in an attempt to expose Kaneshiro. This results in a series of events that leads to Makoto's Persona awakening.

Ann later has a heart-to-heart talk with Makoto, where she learns she not only was deeply concerned about Kamoshida's actions and wanted to take action, she lacked the means to do so and thus felt very saddened and powerless all the while. The girls exchange apologies and also start to call each other by their first names, becoming friends in the process.

Confidant

To check Ann's Confidant skills and dialogue options, see Confidant/Ann Takamaki

"I doubt something as dangerous as your group could've been pulled off with orthodox methods. It wouldn't be odd if you had someone that was proficient in deceiving the eyes of others... ...If you're listening, then answer me!"

—Sae Niijima talking about Ann Takamaki, Persona 5

Maxing this Confidant makes Carmen evolve into Hecate and unlocks the fusion of Ishtar. However, while the protagonist does receive the first rank of her Confidant as part of the plot, they cannot advance it until after clearing Kamoshida's Palace and raising their Kindness to "Considerate" (rank 2).

Ann's Confidant revolves around coming to terms with the aftermath of Shiho's incident with Kamoshida as Ann resolves to improve her personal character for Shiho's sake. Ann makes the decision to go into acting only to find herself constantly upstaged by Mika as Ann thinks of ways to improve herself. Throughout the confidant, she would discuss her relationship with Shiho and how it changed her as a person and gives the protagonist details about her recovery.

Ann and Shiho embracing on Shujin's roof.

In Rank 9 of her Confidant, she learns that Shiho plans on transferring to another school. Looking for closure herself, Shiho returns to the rooftop where she jumped, revealing that she did not truly desired to do so, but an unseen force goaded her into it. Having restored their bond with each other, Ann is finally able to say goodbye to Shiho and the two promise to keep in touch. Left alone with the protagonist, Ann is finally able to let her emotions go, expressing sadness at her friends departure. Depending on the protagonist's actions, he can either hug her and confirm that he'll always be by her side or tell her that she still has friends in the Phantom Thieves. Choosing the former causes Ann to accidentally whisper that she loves the protagonist. Flustered, she will push the protagonist away and ask him to tell her what she said. Telling her that she said "I love you" will cause her to be embarrassed, but she ultimately tells him that she meant what she said. Denying that he heard it will cause Ann to get angry at him for not paying attention and she tells him she loves him again. Either way, the protagonist will hug her again and they both enter a relationship.

At the end of the Confidant, Mika's dirty tactics have been brought to light and Ann finally stands up for herself to Mika, causing Mika to finally take Ann seriously as a rival model, vowing to compete with her in an honest manner. Ann, having realized that she is becoming the strong type of woman she always desired to be, vows to maintain her relationships as they help give her strength. Her gratitude to the protagonist and her strengthened resolve causes Carmen to transform into Hecate. Ann promises to use her power to help him out with whatever he chooses to do. If the confidant ends with the two staying close friends, they will share a meal at the Diner, where Ann tells him that she'll be counting on him as an eternal member of her fan club. If it ends with them as lovers, they share a romantic afternoon together, where they kiss on the Seaside Park Ferris Wheel.

Ann's farewell gift after maxing her Confidant is the Fashion Magazine, allowing Ann the ability to use Crocodile Tears and Sexy Technique from the start in New Game+. If the protagonist pursues a romantic relationship with Ann, she will gift the protagonist Earmuffs on Christmas, allowing the protagonist to earn more points when using a Lovers Persona during their Confidant in NG+, and Ann's Chocolate on Valentines Day, which fully restores SP to one ally when consumed.

Persona 5 Royal

Taking Back Reality

During the Third Semester, Ann can be first seen happily hanging out with Shiho Suzui in the Shibuya underground mall. According to her, Shiho has transferred back to Shujin and is now a Japan-famous volleyball ace. This however, is actually a new reality created by Takuto Maruki, for Ann subconsciously yearns for the incident of Shiho being sexually and physically abused by Kamoshida to never have happened. Once the protagonist talks her through and the illusion snaps, Shiho was never heard of again.

If Ann's confidant is maxed, she will invite the protagonist to her home for a talk, in which she regrets accepting Maruki's reality so easily, admitting that while she might wish for this reality to be true, it is ultimately still false and by escaping to there, she disappointed Shiho and went against the very motivation she decided to go against Kamoshida. Realizing this, she continues to call the protagonist a trustworthy friend and this allows Hecate and Carmen to evolve into Celestine.

Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers

Ann reunited with the former Phantom Thieves members during their summer vacation. She got past her final terms with one failed subject. It's unknown if she did depart overseas to study abroad but returned to Japan.

Shibuya

When the party are gathering intel on what happened to the people seen within Alice Hiiragi's Jail, they discover that those who got their desires stolen by her shadows turned out to be obsessive towards Alice, insane and sometimes pose a hazard to themselves and other people. They also wanted to investigate her personally. Fortunately, Ann booked and cancelled a tour to a talk show with Alice in the TV Station, and it's not late to re-book the event.

On the next day, the protagonist, Ann and Morgana attend Alice's talk show to gain intel. Alice acts completely normal and friendly at first, only for the talk show host to mention her crush and suddenly confess his love for Alice despite being married before. Due to the abrupt abnormalities, the talk show was put off and Alice makes a smirk on her face. Ann and the protagonist then came across Alice and her manager in the hallway, whom she harasses and physically attacks by stomping on him. This shocks and disgusts Ann, considering beforehand Alice said that she wanted to become the light of everybody and motivate young people to move forward with their life. Ann and the protagonist arrive and stop her for the time being.

The situation had put Ann in much concern, considering that while Alice never met her before, she did had the same goal as her, to become a fashion designer and Alice did saw her in a magazine before, yet unlike Ann, Alice had been constantly driving people berserk with Change of Hearts and has psychopathic tendencies. When disabling the Jail's security, the protagonist picks a Magazine with Alice on its cover, making Ann wonder if she had ulterior motives doing such a thing, considering that she did have the natural qualities to succeed.

When Alice's true nature as a formerly outcasted student from Shujin unravels in front of the Phantom Thieves, Ann gained a new resolve to help Alice move forward by changing her heart. Upon confronting shadow Alice, Ann mentions her past in Shujin, causing her to snap and attack them in the form of a monstrous rabbit-like creature. During the battle, Alice repeatedly insults Ann. When she's finally down for good, Ann calls Alice foolish and she had became not very different from her past bullies for her desire for retribution and gives her encouraging words and promises to become friends with her from now on once Alice surrenders and promises to atone.

Persona 5 Manga

In the manga adaptation of the game, Ann's role is slightly altered. She doesn't learn of Ryuji's and the protagonist's intent to take down Kamoshida until after the calling card is posted on the bulletin board and sent to the Palace. Despite being told to stay put, Ann is kidnapped by Shadow Kamoshida and used as a hostage in order to get back his recently stolen treasure.

Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers

"Come here, Carmen!"

Ann is first seen at the subway with the protagonist, Morgana, Ryuji and Yusuke. They transform into their Phantom Thief outfits and enter the Mementos.

After discussing with the group, Ann and Ryuji talk loudly at a restaurant and lure one of the members of the criminal gang to Cafe Leblanc.

Later, she engages battle with Kazuya Makigami directly and changes his heart.

Persona 5 The Animation

In the anime adaptation of the game, Ann's role is nearly identical to her game counterpart. However, when she hears about Ryuji and Ren's intent of punishing Kamoshida, Ann sneaks behind them and goes to the Palace for the first time without their knowledge. The trio doesn't learn about Ann's kidnapping until after they have secured a route to Kamoshida's treasure.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth

Ann is a default member of the team. She gets along well with the P3P heroine as they are the only girls in the party at that point, and makes quick friends with Rise Kujikawa. During a side quest, she also began to respect Chie. She asks Chie to teach her kung-fu during a side quest and after defeating a couple of Shadows, she began to respect Chie's style and even going as far as calling Chie her "master."

Party

Main article: Party/Ann Takamaki

Quotes

『ペルソナ５』ショートムービー【杏 総攻撃編】

Persona 5 - Ann Takamaki Quotes

Persona 5

Main Story:

• "We're... We're both going to keep living our lives on our own strength!" (Maruki Telegraphing movement ban)

Confidant:

• "I'm going to make Kamoshida atone for what he did. Not just for Shiho's sake...but for everything he's done. I won't let any more people suffer because of him. I'll do whatever it takes!"
• "Hey, um... Personas are the power of the heart, right? That means if my heart gets stronger, my Persona will too. So... I want to strengthen my heart. And I want to use that strength to help the people around me."
• "I think having a strong heart means you don't let anything get under your skin."
• "I'll turn my failure today into positive energy going forward!"
• "I guess you really just need someone to laugh at you if you want to feel better. I mean, they always say laughter's the best medicine, right?"
• "Strength is more than just not getting fazed... It's the power to fight through adversity."
• "For now, I just want to keep improving, one step at a time. That someday down the line, I'll be able to look at myself with pride. Hopefully people will see that confidence, and draw strength from it. I'm gonna be a ray of light for the people of this planet..."
• "I realized that personal relationships are something to be treasured. That's why I'm not going to run away anymore. I'll face myself head on. This time, it's my turn to help someone."

Battle Quotes:

• "I won't hold back!" (Using Submachine Gun)
• "Persona!" (Summoning Persona)
• "Get Ready!" (Summoning Persona)
• "Let's do this!" (Summoning Persona)
• "Go!" (Attacking with Skill)
• "Carmen! / Hecate! / Célestine!" (Exploiting enemy's weakness with Persona skill)
• "Dance, Carmen!" (Exploiting enemy's weakness with Persona skill)
• "Dance, Hecate!" (Exploiting enemy's weakness with Persona skill)
• "Dance, Célestine!" (Exploiting enemy's weakness with Persona skill)
• "This one!" (Casting skill)
• "That hurt!" (Taking damage)
• "No way!" (Debuffed by an enemy)
• "Oh my God!" (Getting knocked down)
• "I'm in trouble..." (Ann's HP is below 25% during her turn)
• "Thanks!" (Ann's HP is recovered by someone's skill or item)
• "Oh, that's a big help!" (Ann's HP is recovered by someone's skill or item)
• "Thank you!" (Ann's HP is recovered by someone's skill or item)
• "Come on, keep up!" (Using Harisen Recovery)
• "Hey, are you okay?" (Using Harisen Recovery)
• "Snap out of it!" (Using Harisen Recovery)
• "Oh, move!" (Shielding protagonist)
• "Okay!" (Receiving Baton Pass)
• "Go get them!" (Passing Baton Pass)
• "Don't move!" (Hold Up enemies)
• "This is the chance!" (Initiating All-out Attack)
• "Let's get serious!" (Initiating All-out Attack)
• "Let's finish this!" (Initiating All-out Attack)
• "Do it with style!" (Initiating All-out Attack)
• "Let me handle this!" (Requesting Follow-Up Attack)
• "Can I beat that loser?" (Requesting Follow-Up Attack)
• "On your knees!" (During Follow-Up Attack)
• "Squeal like a pig!" (During Follow-Up Attack)
• "A beautiful rose has thorns!" (All-out Attack finishing touch)
• "Aren't we the best?" (All-out Attack finishing touch)
• "How's that? Hehehe..." (All-out Attack finishing touch)
• "Alright, I'll do my best." (Tactics changed to Act Freely)
• "I'm letting loose!" (Tactics changed to Full Assault)
• "Saving power, huh?" (Tactics changed to Conserve SP)
• "So, stay out of danger!" (Tactics changed to Heal/Support)
• "Okay, what do I do?" (Tactics changed to Direct Command)
• "Feels great, huh?" (Battle results)
• "Oh, you want more?" (Enemy survives her attack)
• "I got a new power!" (Learning new move)
• "Whoa, a new move!" (Learning new move)
• "I gotta use this next time!" (Learning new move)

Persona 5 The Animation

• Japanese
• English

• "Yeah! Ever since middle school. I would space out in class and she was the only one who'd talk to me. But he did something terrible to her... I'll make him pay! That's right! I won't stay quiet while this scumbag talks shit!" (Standing up to Kamoshida)
• "I hear you... Carmen. You're right! No more holding back!" (Responding to Carmen)
• "I'm not some cheap girl you can toy with! You stole everything from Shiho, and crushed her underfoot. But now you'll pay! I'll steal everything from you!" (After killing Princess Ann)

"She's been my friend since middle school. I couldn't fit in in class, and she was the only one who'd talk to me... But what he did to her... He'll pay. That's enough! I'm tired of having this scumbag have his way!" (Standing up to Kamoshida)

"I hear you... Carmen. I won't hold back!" (Responding to Carmen)

"You listen, I'm not just some cheap girl you can toy with, Kamoshida. You stole everything Shiho had, and now I'm gonna make you pay! Now, I'll steal all you have!" (After killing Princess Ann)

Gallery

Persona 5

Ann's Close Up Ann's Level-Up icon Ann's text icon Ann's Confidant portrait Ann in the crowd Concept art Concept art Ann as Panther Concept art Ann as Panther Concept art 2 Panther concept art Cinematic expressions concept artwork of Ann Takamaki Key art of Ann Takamaki from the Persona 5 website Ann along with other playable character appear on Visual Wanted Poster Illustration of Ann Takamaki and the others by Shigenori Soejima Illustration of the protagonist, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann and Yusuke by Rokuro Saito Illustration of Ann, the protagonist and Ryuji by Shigenori Soejima Illustration of the protagonist, Morgana, Ryuji and Ann by Shigenori Soejima Illustration of Ann, the protagonist and Morgana by Shigenori Soejima Ann Takamaki's Famitsu page Illustration by Shigenori Soejima Illustration of the main members of Phantom Thieves of Hearts Illustration of the main members of Phantom Thieves of Hearts Illustration of the main members of Phantom Thieves of Hearts Illustration of the main members of Phantom Thieves of Hearts Illustration of Ann and the others by Shigenori Soejima Persona 5 Maniax User Handbook Cover Illustration of Phantom Thieves of Hearts Theme Early finishing touch portrait Finishing touch portrait Ann's Valentine card All-Out Attack portrait All-Out Attack finishing touch All-Out Attack finishing touch Ann awakens her Persona Ann in her thief uniform Ann (left) using a sub-machine gun Cognitive Ann with Suguru Kamoshida "Shut up. I bet everyone told you the same." "But you... YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM THEM!" Ann arguing with Ryuji Ann being stalked Ann angry Ann throwing Morgana Futaba and Ann Ann after Valentine's Day Ann in the credits

Persona 5 Royal

Ann in the P5R key art Concept art Concept art (2) Portraits Ann's Showtime trigger Ann and Morgana's Showtime Ann and Yusuke's Showtime Ann's Level-Up portrait after initiating her Showtime with Morgana Ann with the group on New Years Ann celebrating with the Phantom Thieves Ann wearing a yukata with Yusuke and Makoto Ann, Makoto and Futaba at Miura beach Ann with Ryuji in Hawaii Ann with the girls on New Year "Happy Shopping" "Precious Time" "A Reality Without Pain"

Persona 5 Portraits

Ann's portrait Ann smiling Ann scowling Ann sad Ann surprised Ann harmed Ann blushing Ann embarrassed Ann crying Ann smiling while crying Ann's summer school uniform Ann's winter attire Ann's summer attire Ann's Panther outfit Ann's Panther outfit Ann's Panther outfit without mask Ann's gym uniform Ann's casual outfit Ann's swimsuit Ann's yukata Ann's model outfit Ann with layers of clothing Ann with cat ears (Cognitive) Princess Ann created by Kamoshida Ann normal cut-in Ann winking cut-in Ann confused cut-in Ann annoyed cut-in Ann angry cut-in Ann surprised cut-in Ann sad cut-in Ann harmed cut-in

Persona 5 Royal Portraits

Ann's portrait Ann smiling Ann scowling Ann sad Ann surprised Ann harmed Ann blushing Ann embarrassed Ann crying Ann smiling while crying Ann smiling (Original) Ann scowling (Original) Ann surprised (Original) Ann harmed (Original) Ann embarrassed (Original) Ann's summer uniform Ann's winter attire Ann's summer attire Ann's outdoor winter coat Ann's outdoor winter coat (No earmuffs) Ann's indoor winter coat Panther's portrait Panther smiling Panther scowling Panther sad Panther surprised Panther harmed Panther hidden Ann's casual attire Ann's model attire Ann's gym outfit Ann's gym outfit Ann with cat ears Ann's swimsuit Ann's yukata Ann in a kimono (Cognitive) Princess Ann

Persona 5 Costumes

Shujin Winter School Uniform Winter Casual Wear Summer Casual Wear Shujin Summer School Uniform St. Hermelin High School Uniform (DLC) Seven Sisters High School Uniform (Lisa Silverman) (DLC) Gekkoukan High School Uniform (DLC) Yasogami High School Uniform (Rise Kujikawa) (DLC) Persona 4: Dancing All Night Costume (DLC) Persona 4 Arena Shadow Operation Outfit (DLC) Karukozaka High School Uniform (DLC) Shin Megami Tensei IV Costume (Isabeau) (DLC) Swimsuit (DLC) Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Costume (Kaya Daidouji) (DLC) Catherine Costume (Catherine) (DLC) Maid Uniform (DLC) Christmas Costume (DLC)

Persona 5 (Manga)

Cover for Volume 2 Cover for Volume 5 Ann on the cover Persona 5 Character Anthology Illustration by Persona Q: Side P4 manga author Mizunomoto P5A Anthology cover Ann and Carmen Ann sees Shiho on the edge of the roof Ann yelling at Shiho through an unopenable window Ann running to Shiho Ann finds Shiho injured Survey Report Cover Illustration countdown of Ann for Volume 1 of Persona 5: Mementos Mission Ann in Persona 5: Mementos Mission Ann on the cover of Mementos Report Volume 2 Ann on the final chapter promotional art

Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers
Ann Takamaki and her allies on the cover of Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers Ann Takamaki in Persona 5 The Animation The Day Breakers Ann and Morgana

Persona 5 The Animation

Visual art of Ann Takamaki Second cour key visual Ann on DVD Cover of P5A Volume 3 Ann on DVD Reverse Cover of P5A Volume 3 Concept art of Ann Takamaki Concept art of Ann Takamaki (2) P5A Artbook cover Ann in the P5A Artbook Ann in the P5A Artbook (2) Ann in the P5A Artbook (3) Ann in the P5A Artbook (4) Ann in the P5A Artbook (5) Ann in the P5A Artbook (6) Ann as a mouse in the P5A Artbook (4th row) Ann in Persona 5 The Animation Attic Meeting Persona 5 x SHIBUYA109 artwork Persona 5 Masquerade Party Event Ann and Ryuji in the March 2018 issue of Newtype Magazine Ann, Ren and Ryuji in the May 2018 issue of Newtype Magazine Anime version of All-Out Attack finishing touch A cognition of Princess Ann in Persona 5 The Animation Ann and Makoto hula dancing in Hawaii

Persona 5 The Stage
Ann in the right on the Persona 5 The Stage cover Persona 5 The Stage Volume 2 With Ann on the left. Ann as Panther in Persona 5 The Stage Ryuji and Ann in Persona 5 The Stage

Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

Ann in the key visual art Ann dancing Ann in the menu Ann's Social portrait Ball Stage Outfit Summer Shujin Uniform Winter Shujin Uniform Summer Clothes Winter Clothes Shujin Academy Jersey Tropical Bikini Red Latex Suit Succubus Dress Santa Dress Maid Uniform Cheer Outfit Deep Blue Clothes Amazonian Armor Corset Dress True High-Cut Armor (SMT II Heroine) Mad Dog of Shimano Catherine's Cami Race Queen Outfit Feather Alnair

Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers
Character art Concept art Ann Pre-Release Wallpaper (576x1024) Ann & Carmen Pre-Release Wallpaper (576x1024) Artwork of Ann and Morgana celebrating P5S's South Korean release by @RR_youngin (Facebook; Tweet; pixiv) Ann's Showtime Ann in the Title Screen Ann travelling with the Phantom Thieves Ann hiding in the bushes with the Phantom Thieves

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth
Ann with the group Ann with the P5 cast Concept Art Concept Art Ann and the Phantom Thieves in Mementos Ann in the Kamoshidaman Key Art Ann's Cut-in Ann's All-Out-Attack Ann in the end credits LINE sticker

Tribute Artworks
Illustration of Ann and her team by Akaume (PQ Roundabout author) Illustration of Ann, the protagonist, Ryuji, Morgana and Yusuke by Rokuro Saito Tribute illustration of Ann and Morgana by Arco Wada (Fate/EXTRA series character designer)

PERSONA 20th Anniversary Festival

Other
Ann on the escape room key visual Ann as a Pop Figure Ann on Persora -The Golden Best 5- Picaresque Mouse Phantom Thieves Picaresque Mouse Ann

Videos

Ann's Persona 5 Trailer (English)

Interview of Erika Harlacher on playing Ann

Ann's Persona 5 Trailer (Japanese)

Ann's Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight Trailer (Japanese)

Ann's Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth Trailer (Japanese)

Ann's Persona 5 Royal Trailer (Japanese)

Ann's Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers Trailer (Japanese)

Etymology

• The name Ann means "apricot" (杏). 
  • Both Ann and Anne could be considered correct names for her. The English localization uses Ann, while promotional material for the Japanese version uses Anne. This is similar to Aigis from Persona 3, who is known as Aegis in the Japanese version. It's not that one is correct while the other is not, it is simply an artistic localization choice.
    • Anne is a very common Finnish female name.
• Ann's surname Takamaki means "tall, high" (高) (taka) and "roll" (巻) (maki). 
  • Takamaki could be derived from the Finnish surname Takamäki, further solidifying her connection to Finland. The meanings of said surnames are different, though, Takamaki (高巻) meaning "(mountaineering) detour" and Takamäki meaning "behind (something there is a) hill."

In Other Languages

Language	Titles
English	Ann Takamaki	Panther
Japanese	高巻 杏 (Takamaki An)	パンサー (Pansā)
Korean	타카마키 안 (Takamaki An)	팬서 (Paenseo)
Traditional Chinese	高卷 杏 (Gāo juǎn xìng)	PANTHER

Trivia

• Apparently, the reason why Ann wears red tights is because she doesn't care about standing out, and, at this point, couldn't care less about what humanity thinks of her [2].
  • This also explains her unique "uniform," and how Ann has given up trying to appease to Japanese society.
• In the Japanese official site, Panther is given the mocking title of "Phantom Thieves' Method Acting(?) Actress" (怪盗団の演技派(?)女優, Kaitō-dan no engi-ha(?) Joyū)^?. This possibly refers to her stiff acting skills when she is tasked with deceiving or negotiating with the gang's target.
• Ann's Zodiac sign, Scorpio, which is noted for being a sign representing mysteriousness, may align with the fact that Carmen, her initial Persona, was a gypsy woman who used her charm to win over the hearts of unsuspecting men and then twist them to her will, and her ultimate Persona, Hecate, was the goddess of magic and witchcraft in Greek mythology.
• Ann is disgusted upon encountering Mara for the first time.
• Additionally, much like all of the Thieves' starting Personas, Carmen is symbolic with Ann's own story; Carmen foresaw her fate in her cards, namely that she would be killed by a former lover of hers, but accepted her fate as she refused to let herself be controlled by anyone. Similarly, Ann was well aware of the consequences of going against Kamoshida, but did so anyway as she refused to be his slave, which led to Shiho being sexually abused to the point that she attempted suicide.
• After Marie's romance in Persona 4 Golden, Ann's romance is the second/third romance within the Persona 3-5 games to include a definite kissing scene with the protagonist, the other being Margaret.
• Ann is Soejima's favorite main character in the game.
• Just like with Makoto Niijima, Goro Akechi and Ryuji Sakamoto, the official twitter account for the Persona series posted a "Happy Birthday" message for Ann on November 12, 2017, JST.
  • Lyn Inaizumi, along with Game Symphony Japan, played the Happy Birthday song for Ann, as a request from Morgana. [3]
  • Ann's trailer for Persona Q2 was posted on her birthday, November 12, 2018.
• In Persona 5 Royal, if Ann levels up after her Showtime with Morgana is activated, her Level-Up portrait will change. The same applies for Morgana.

Appearances in Other Media

• Dragon's Dogma Online:
  • Panther
  • Collaboration event: October 13, 2016 - November 10, 2016.

• Lord of Vermilion Re:3:
  • Panther
  • Collaboration event: December 12, 2016 - December 25, 2016.

• Chain Chronicle:
  • Panther, Archer class, 5-star
  • Article in Chain Chronicle Wiki
  • Collaboration event: January 19th, 2017 - January 31st, 2017.

• Granblue Fantasy:
  • Panther, NPC
  • Article in Granblue Fantasy Wiki
  • Collaboration event: June 18th, 2018 - June 29th, 2018

• Wonderland Wars:
  • Ann, Special Assist Card (Level 4)
  • Collaboration event: August 27th, 2018 - September 17th, 2018

• BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle:
  • Color swap for Yukiko Amagi

• Puyo Puyo!! Quest:
  • Ann, Attack Type, 6-star
  • Article in Puyo Nexus
  • Collaboration event for Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: December 3rd, 2018

• BanG Dream! Girls Band Party:
  • Outfit for Uehara Himari
  • Collaboration event: February 17th, 2019 - March 6th, 2019

• Catherine: Full Body:
  • DLC NPC

• Kyoutou Kotoba RPG:
  • Ann (Kotodaman); Normal (5-star), Phantom Thief (6-star)
  • Collaboration event: March 5th, 2019 - March 28th, 2019

• Super Smash Brothers Ultimate
  • Cameo during Joker's Final Smash and Mementos
  • Primary Spirit (Advanced Class, Attack type)
  • Article in SmashWiki
  • Part of the Joker DLC: April 17th, 2019

• Identity V:
  • Panther skin for Dancer
  • First collaboration event: August 8th, 2019 - August 29th, 2019

• Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag
  • Panther, Thrust type, Fire element, 6-star
  • Collaboration event: February 17th, 2020 - March 10th, 2020

• Sword Art Online: Integral Factor:
  • Panther, NPC, Panther outfit for avatar, Panther skin for Leafa
  • Collaboration event: February 28th, 2020 - March 10th, 2020

Dragon's Dogma Online
Panther with Joker in Dragon's Dogma Online

Lord of Vermillion Re:3
In Lord of Vermillion Re:3

Chain Chronicle
Ann's card in Chain Chronicle Ann, featured in the game Chain Chronicle Ann, smiling Ann, Angry Ann, shocked Ann, Without her Mask Ann, Without her mask, grinning Ann, Without her mask, angry Ann, With her eyes closed, and without her mask Ann, without her mask, shocked

Granblue Fantasy
Panther with the Thieves in Granblue Fantasy Panther's Finishing Touch in Granblue Fantasy Panther's default portraits for Granblue Fantasy Ann laughing Ann laughing (2) Ann sad Ann serious Ann shouting Ann surprised Ann thinking Ann winking Panther laughing Panther laughing (2) Panther sad Panther serious Panther shout Panther surprised Panther thinking Panther winking

Wonderland Wars
Ann Assist Card in Wonderland Wars

Kyoutou Kotoba RPG
Ann in Kyoutou Kotoba RPG Panther in Kyoutou Kotoba RPG

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Ann Takamaki on the Mementos stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Ann Takamaki's Spirit Battle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Identity V
Panther in Identity V Panther in Identity V Ann in Identity V Ann's Concept Art in Identity V Ann's Concept Art in Identity V Illustration of the Phantom Thieves as part of the 2nd Identity V collaboration event

BanG Dream!
Ann style all out attack (Uehara Himari) Uehara Himari dressed as Ann

Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag
Panther in Sword Art Online: Memory Defrag

Sword Art Online: Integral Factor
Panther in Sword Art Online: Integral Factor Leafa dressed as Panther in Sword Art Online: Integral Factor

Other
Persona 5, in collaboration with Sanrio