Arsène

"What's the matter...? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking him to save yourself? Death awaits him if you do nothing. Was your previous decision a mistake then?
(No need for mere words. Show me your true feelings.)
Very well... I have heeded your resolve. Vow to me. I am thou, thou art I... Thou who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice! Call upon my name, and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!"

—Arsène, Persona 5

Arsène is a Persona in Persona 5.

History[edit | edit source]

Arsène Lupin, sometimes known as Raoul, is a fictional gentleman thief created by Maurice Leblanc. He was known for targeting criminals or those who were much worse than himself, making him an anti-hero of sorts within his own stories. He might have been partly inspired by the French anarchist Marius Jacob.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Persona 5 / Royal: Fool Arcana
Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight: Cameo
Persona 5 Strikers
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth: Fool Arcana

Design[edit | edit source]

Arsène has, from top to bottom: a very tall top hat, a long-horned mask for its face (as Arsène appears to not have a head), a cropped red eighteenth century-esque suit worn open with the collar popped, stitched heart designs on the shoulders, a white ruffle tie, a black, tailed corset running down its torso; large, black, feathery wings starting at around the small of its back; claws; red coverings on its legs resembling pants and boots with blade-like heels.

Character designer Shigenori Soejima explained that Arsène was designed with an "old school vibe" in mind. Arsène's wings are meant to evoke the image of a thief's cape in the viewer's mind and represent the idea that a thief can go wherever he wants.^[1]

Profile[edit | edit source]

Persona 5[edit | edit source]

"A being based off the main character of Maurice Leblanc's novels, Arsène Lupin. He appears everywhere and is a master of disguise. He is known to help law-abiding citizens."

—Persona 5 background

The protagonist obtains Arsène, his initial Persona, during his first confrontation with Shadow Kamoshida in Kamoshida's Palace, where Arsène personally teaches the protagonist how to fight during his first battle. Upon being fused for the first time, he bids the protagonist farewell, but states that he will appear again at an important period in his journey. This occurs at the beginning of Niijima's Palace, facing off against Moloch. At the climax of the game during the battle against Yaldabaoth, Arsène appears once more. The cheers of the public fuel the protagonist to finally unbind the chains around Arsène, causing him to transform into his ultimate Persona, Satanael.

The Shujin Academy library has a book based on him called "The Great Thief" that boosts the Knowledge social stat, while one of Sadayo Kawakami's quiz questions is on the book about his exploits.

In both the manga and anime adaptations of the game, Arsène makes a brief cameo appearance as a fiery shadow in the first chapter and episode. Here he appears before the protagonist after he initially uninstalls the Metaverse Navigator app on his way to Café Leblanc for the first time.

In the fourth episode of the anime, Arsène is fused with Pixie during the battle with Shadow Kamoshida. He re-appears in episode 26, right before the protagonist is about to be captured by the police, reminding him to keep remembering the bonds he had forged since last spring. In the Dark Sun special, he is summoned to fight against Goro Akechi's Persona, Loki, and is able to defeat it, resulting in victory against their former ally.

Arsène specializes in Curse and Physical skills. However, unlike other party members, he has two weaknesses and, as the protagonist is a Wild Card, he stops learning new skills at Level 7.

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth[edit | edit source]

Arsène evolves into Satanael after completing Ticket Quests 42, 43, 44, and 45. He obtains the special skill Revolt Vanguard.

Quotes[edit | edit source]

"I am the pillager of twilight —"Arsène"!"

"I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."

"Hmph, very well..."

"Detest the enemies before you! Change that animosity into power... and unleash it!" (Tutorial)

"Swing your blade!" (Tutorial)

"This power of mine is yours! Kill them however you want. Run wild to your heart's content!" (Tutorial)

"I am Arsène—the other you who exists within... Though I may disappear this moment, I shall always be at your side. We shall meet again... when your fate reaches its conclusion." (Upon being fused)

"What's the matter? Simply going to watch? Wouldst thou forsake him? For death truly awaits him. Was your choice back then a mistake?
Very well. I have heeded your resolve. Vow to me!
I am thou... Thou art I... Thou who would accept blasphemy for the sake of thine own justice! Call upon my name and release thy rage! Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!" (Upon awakening)

"I am the pillager of twilight, Arsene. I am the rebel's soul that resides within you. If you so desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis."

"Thou I may disappear at this moment, I shall always be at your side. And when thy fate reaches its end... We shall meet again." (Upon being fused)

"What's wrong? Are you simply going to watch? Here, in his final moments, you would forsake him? Nothing awaits him but death. Did you make the wrong choice then too?
Very well. I have taken heed of your resolve... Vow to me!
I am thou... Thou art I... Thou who would accept blasphemy for the sake of thine own justice... Call upon my name and release thy righteous rage! Reveal the strength of thy will to seek the truth on thine own, though thou be chained down by Hell itself!" (Upon awakening)

"I am the pillager of twilight, Arsène. I am the soul of a rebel that resides within you. I shall consider granting you the power to break out of this crisis, if you desire..."

"Thou I may disappear for now, I shall always be at your side. And when thy fate reaches its end, we shall meet again." (Upon being fused)

"I am thou. Thou art I. You frauds who are in over your heads... Allow me to show you. How you pale in comparison to us as thieves!" (With Ren Amamiya)

Stats[edit | edit source]

Persona 5[edit | edit source]

"I am the great thief, Arsène! You need my help once more...? Very well, use my power wisely."

Arcana

Level

Strength	2
Magic	2
Endurance	2
Agility	3
Luck	1

Fool

1

Inherit	Reflects	Absorbs	Block	Resists	Weak
Curse	-	-	-	Curse	Ice, Bless

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Eiha	4 SP	Light Curse damage to 1 foe.	Innate
Cleave	6% HP	Light Physical damage to 1 foe.	2
Sukunda	8 SP	Debuff agility of 1 foe for 3 turns.	4
Dream Needle	8% HP	Light Physical damage to 1 foe. Medium chance of Sleep.	5
Adverse Resolve	Auto	Increase critical rate when being ambushed.	7

"I am the great thief, Arsène! You need my help once more...? Very well, use my power wisely."

Arcana

Level

Strength	2
Magic	2
Endurance	2
Agility	3
Luck	1

Fool

1

Inherit	Reflects	Absorbs	Block	Resists	Weak
Curse	-	-	-	Curse	Ice, Bless

Persona Trait	Pinch Anchor: Allows use of ambush-only skills after Baton Pass.

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Eiha	4 SP	Light Curse damage to 1 foe.	Innate
Cleave	6% HP	Light Physical damage to 1 foe.	2
Sukunda	8 SP	Decrease Agility of 1 foe for 3 turns.	4
Dream Needle	8% HP	Light Gun damage and inflict Sleep (med odds) to 1 foe.	5
Adverse Resolve	Passive	Increase critical rate when surrounded.	7

"I am the great thief, Arsène! You need my help once more...? Very well, use my power wisely."

Arcana

Level

Strength	--
Magic	--
Endurance	--
Agility	--
Luck	--

Fool

??

Inherit	Reflects	Absorbs	Block	Resists	Weak
Curse	-	-	-	Curse	Ice, Bless

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Eigaon	12 SP	Heavy Curse damage to 1 foe.	Innate
Brave Blade	24% HP	Colossal Physical damage to 1 foe.	Innate

Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth[edit | edit source]

Arcana

Level

Strength	10
Magic	8
Endurance	10
Agility	9
Luck	6

Fool

1

Phys	Fire	Ice	Elec	Wind	Psy	Nuke	Bless	Curse	Alm
-	-	Weak	-	-	-	-	Weak	Resist	-

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Single Shot	16 HP	Light Phys attack that pierces to the back row. (1 enemy) Stronger in Boost.	Innate
Eiha	6 SP	Light Curse attack. (1 enemy)	Innate
Dream Needle	6 HP	Light Phys attack, with medium chance of Sleep. (1 enemy)	2
Rebel Vanguard	3 SP	Raise critical rate for 1 turn. (1 row)	9
First Star	Passive	Raise damage dealt when attacking before all enemies act.	14
Eiga	14 SP	Medium Curse attack. (1 enemy)	24
Assault Shot	28 HP	Medium Phys attack that pierces to the back row. (1 enemy) Stronger in Boost.	27
Punishing Bite	40 HP	Medium Phys attack, effective on Bind, but will remove binds. (1 enemy)	34
Maeiga	36 SP	Medium Curse attack. (All enemies)	38
Death Needle	32 HP	Medium Phys attack, with high chance of Poison. (1 enemy)	42
Eigaon	32 SP	Heavy Curse attack. (1 enemy)	48
Return from Yomi	Passive	Medium chance of HP restore when near KO.	53
Broadshot	68 HP	Heavy Phys attack that pierces to the back row. (1 enemy) Stronger in Boost.	59
Maeigaon	52 SP	Heavy Curse attack. (All enemies)	64
Oneshot Kill	92 HP	Severe Phys attack that pierces to the back row. (1 enemy) Stronger in Boost.	70

Persona 5 Strikers[edit | edit source]

Arcana

Level

Strength	4
Magic	4
Endurance	4
Agility	5
Luck	3

Fool

1

Inherit	Reflects	Absorbs	Block	Resists	Weak
Curse	-	-	-	Curse	Ice, Bless

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Cleave	6% HP	Light Physical damage to a narrow range.	Innate
Eiha	4 SP	Light Curse damage to a narrow range.	Innate
Tarunda	8 SP	Debuff attack power of a narrow range for a certain period of time.	2
Dream Needle	8% HP	Light Physical damage to a narrow range. Medium chance of Sleep.	4
Rebel Will	Auto	Improves rate for increasing Showtime Gauge.	10
Maeiga	16 SP	Medium Curse damage to a wide range.	32
One-shot Kill	17% HP	Severe Gun damage to a narrow range. High Critical Rate.	45
Maeigaon	22 SP	Heavy Curse damage to a wide range.	62
Survival Trick	Auto	Survive one insta-death attack with 1 HP remaining.	84
Riot Gun	24% HP	Severe Gun damage to a wide range.	95

Combo Attacks
Combo Attack	Button Input	Skills
C2-2	NS: YYXX PS: □□△△	-
C3-1	NS: YYYX PS: □□□△	Eiha
		Maeiga
		Maeigaon
C5-2	NS: YYYYYXX PS: □□□□□△△	Cleave
		One-shot Kill
		Riot Gun

Arcana

Level

Strength	24
Magic	24
Endurance	24
Agility	39
Luck	10

Fool

99

Inherit	Reflects	Absorbs	Block	Resists	Weak
Curse	-	-	-	Curse	Ice, Bless

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Cleave	6% HP	Light Physical damage to a narrow range.	Innate
Eiha	4 SP	Light Curse damage to a narrow range.	Innate
Tarunda	8 SP	Debuff attack power of a narrow range for a certain period of time.	2
Dream Needle	8% HP	Light Physical damage to a narrow range. Medium chance of Sleep.	4
Rebel Will	Auto	Improves rate for increasing Showtime Gauge.	10
Maeiga	16 SP	Medium Curse damage to a wide range.	32
One-shot Kill	17% HP	Severe Gun damage to a narrow range. High Critical Rate.	45
Maeigaon	22 SP	Heavy Curse damage to a wide range.	62
Survival Trick	Auto	Survive one insta-death attack with 1 HP remaining.	84
Riot Gun	24% HP	Severe Gun damage to a wide range.	95

Combo Attacks
Combo Attack	Button Input	Skills
C2-2	NS: YYXX PS: □□△△	-
C3-1	NS: YYYX PS: □□□△	Eiha
		Maeiga
		Maeigaon
C5-2	NS: YYYYYXX PS: □□□□□△△	Cleave
		One-shot Kill
		Riot Gun

Arcana

Level

Strength	4
Magic	4
Endurance	4
Agility	5
Luck	3

Fool

10

Inherit	Reflects	Absorbs	Block	Resists	Weak
Curse	-	-	-	Curse	Ice, Bless

List of Skills
Skill	Cost	Effect	Level
Cleave	6% HP	Light Physical damage to a narrow range.	Innate
Eiha	4 SP	Light Curse damage to a narrow range.	Innate
Tarunda	8 SP	Debuff attack power of a narrow range for a certain period of time.	Innate
Dream Needle	8% HP	Light Physical damage to a narrow range. Medium chance of Sleep.	Innate

Combo Attacks
Combo Attack	Button Input	Skills
C2-2	NS: YYXX PS: □□△△	-
C3-1	NS: YYYX PS: □□□△	Eiha
		Maeiga
		Maeigaon
C5-2	NS: YYYYYXX PS: □□□□□△△	Cleave
		One-shot Kill
		Riot Gun

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Trivia[edit | edit source]

In the game's prologue, Arsène's form is darkened much like Izanagi is obscured in the fog when summoned during the prologue of Persona 4.
Arsène's two moves in the prologue, Eigaon and Brave Blade, are impossible for him to learn normally and must be inherited via fusion or taught using skill cards. He would also be far too low in level to face the Moloch in the prologue without multiple repeat strengthening sessions.
Arsène is the only Persona to speak to the protagonist should he be used in fusion, though this only occurs the first time.
- If Arsène is fused near the end of the game, the cutscene would play as if Lavenza were still split into both of the twins, and the protagonist would be holding invisible bars.
In-legend, Arsène is an anti-hero that conspires against people more evil than him; this trait is represented by his sinister and demonic appearance in the game and also by the protagonist as he uses his status as a thief to steal the hearts of the corrupt.
One of the original ideas for Persona 5 was to give the protagonist an entirely different Persona instead of Arsène. The original idea was to have a Persona based on the German demon Mephistopheles. However, the programmers were against this idea because the idea of a demon-based Persona didn't fit into the thief theme of the game. ^[2]
The spelling of the Persona is different between Persona 5 and Persona 5 Royal: in Royal, Arsène now has an accent applied to the first "e" as the new font can support foreign letters.
Arsène's awakening dialogue about sacrilegious acts is referenced by Michael in the Qliphoth World followed by claiming the party is beyond salvation, implying the group has no place in the world (and therefore society) tying into the theme of having no place to belong.
- Interestingly, Michael is also the only mid-boss in the game that plays "Blooming Villain" instead of the standard mid-boss theme.

Appearances in Other Media[edit | edit source]

Title	Details	Date	External Links
Chain Chronicle	Collaboration event * Paired with Joker, Warrior class, 5-star	January 19th, 2017 - January 31st, 2017.^[3]
Puzzle & Dragons	Collaboration event * Paired with Joker as the character "Ren Amamiya & Arsene"	July 16th, 2018 - July 29th, 2018^[4]
Grandblue Fantasy	Part of Joker's base art	June 18th, 2018 - June 29th, 2018^[5]
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle	* Color swap for Izanagi	* May 31, 2018 (Japan) * June 5, 2018 (North America) * June 22, 2018 (Europe)
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	DLC * Summoned by Joker when his Rebellion Gauge is completely filled up, assisting him in battle	April 17th, 2019	Article in SmashWiki
Star Ocean: Anamnesis	Collaboration event * Joker's Persona	October 10th, 2019 - November 7th, 2019^[6]
Another Eden	Collaboration event * Joker's Persona	December 12th, 2019 ^[7]	Article in Another Eden Wiki
Phantasy Star Online 2	Appears as a statue furniture item
AFK Arena	Collaboration event *Joker's Persona.	December 30, 2020	Article in AFK Arena Wiki
Dragalia Lost	Collaboration event for Persona 5 Strikers * Summoned by Joker when his Dragon Gauge is full.	January 2021