List of Mascots

The protagonists of Persona 3 through 5, paired with the mascot characters of their respective games, on the cover of PERSORA AWARDS 3.

The term mascot (マスコット^*)^? often refers to several demons and characters that usually serve as representatives or symbols to the games or series they are based on.

Meaning

Jack Frost in particular is the mascot of the Megami Tensei series as a whole, often being used as a symbol of ATLUS, and will very often appear as at least a demon in games. The role of mascot is usually assigned to characters that are not human. Demon encounters usually do not have a very long presence in games, but still appear as mascots.

Generally, mascots do not necessarily play the role of protagonists, with the exception of Jack Frost in various side media, and Aigis in Persona 3 FES: The Answer.

Mascots may usually be involved in the promotion of the series. Morgana in particular embraces that example, as he would be the representative of various small web-series in Japan, such as Morgana's Report and Traveling Morgana's Newsletter, to promote information of their series. As the mascot of Soul Hackers 2, Mimi, is a drone, promotion is instead handled by the protagonist Ringo.

In the Persona series

"And yet, there is truth to what he says... To live a still life, never searching for one's purpose, going into a still death... to avoid pain above all... I don't know if this can be called right or wrong. But as for myself, I wouldn't want to live that way... I want to live for a reason, and to live for others... That's why I came all this way. That, for me, is what it is to live."

—Aigis, Persona 3 Portable

Persona 3 Reload — The Eternal Protector - Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X-S, Xbox One, Windows PC

Aigis' Persona 3 Reload trailer (EN)

For mascot characters of the Persona series, they are typically anthropomorphic characters that are not human, but have awakened to sentience as they wonder about their origins and have awakened to human emotions, gradually becoming more human. Reminiscent of dolls, they are enigmatic existences with manually-generated identity and personality, yet they are still "precious living things" that simultaneously value human nature.

They follow similar writing conventions to their companions, but the common trait is that at their core they are non-human characters with anthropomorphic qualities, especially once that gradually become human over time. Commonly, they question their reason for existing and the meaning of life. In spite of their fantastical backgrounds, their experiences that are built on this foundation reflect reality and the games' themes at hand.

Morgana with the Holy Grail.

As members of their respective groups, mascots add a kind of inclusion to their team's dynamics, as they're otherwise considered misfits that manage to blend in seamlessly, and they always act as the finishing touch of each team to be considered complete. Also, they highlight human nature as in spite of their appearance, they gradually become more human by acquiring quality of character, though for the majority of their stories they lack those traits and can instead be associated with their absence. The games' fictional essence is what allows the characters to have their physical exterior divided from their spirit unassumingly.

Human Teddie sitting on top of his costume.

• Aigis is a machine that does not possess a life or is neither dead nor alive, as such she is in a way inhuman or robotic. She is protective of those she cares about, but her efforts are devoid of passion. After a while, she develops human emotions and becomes more human. She wonders about the meaning of life, and concludes its value comes from friendship.
• Teddie is a mysterious, unknown being that is empty on the inside, having no self due to his origin as a Shadow. After coming to terms with the fact he does not know who he is, he learns to blend in with the human world and the Investigation Team. After remembering he's a Shadow, he realizes that he's just like humans in spite of that.
• Morgana is an enigmatic talking cat that lacks purpose in life, but his encounter with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts helps him overcome it, becoming the group's loyal guide and mascot. He re-arranges his dream of becoming human while accepting that he is a cat while having acquired a place to belong with the Thieves.

Character designer of the Persona series Shigenori Soejima believes that the duty of mascot characters is to be loved by everyone. He also stated that while designing mascots, he uses a "toy color" set of red, yellow and blue, which applies to all mascots of their respective games. This is prominent when it comes to the design of Aigis, who was designed as a character who is "fun to play with," similarly to a toy, rather than utilize a science fiction interpretation of an android.

Koromaru technically is not a mascot, but in later, more lighter entries, such as Persona Q and Q2, he would be paired with Teddie and Morgana in her place, as they match a common character archetype of being animal companions. Koromaru may generally be unfitting to be a mascot character as he is portrayed as a regular dog.

Teddie and Morgana are technically the best representations of mascot characters. The best definition of a mascot is inverted, as among a group of underdogs that are taken seriously due to tremendous talent, background or similar, it is the mascot's brattiness or flaws that are taken seriously. Generally, their flaws might be "justified," as for example Morgana's bossiness, though hollow and unreliable, is backed up by logical substance, making him a kind of an advisor for the protagonist.

The "anti" role that they play might act as a critique on the rest of the story's otherwise straightforward morality, such as with Morgana's recurring crush towards Ann Takamaki, as the game points out that it's impossible for him to be in a relationship with her because he's a cat. While for example standard anti-heroes criticize social morals, the mascot criticizes the optimistic direction of said morality, usually by demanding that there be logic and reason aligned with it. Teddie's overwhelmingly optimistic, but oblivious nature best embodies that form. The rest of the characters do respond to this critique, however, as they might punish the mascot, signifying a sense of maturity and fleshing them out as individuals by allowing them to stray from their morals without completely betraying them.

List of Mascots

• Jack Frost - Megami Tensei series
• Chironnupu - Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse
• Aitvaras - Shin Megami Tensei V
• Mimi - Soul Hackers 2
• Aigis - Persona 3
• Koromaru - Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth & Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth only, in place of Aigis
• Teddie - Persona 4
• Morgana - Persona 5
• Ruferu - Persona 5: The Phantom X
• Sheep - Catherine

Trivia

• The mascots of the Persona series all have an important representation surrounding the overall themes of their respective games. A common pattern between all mascots is their important role in delivering and summarizing an important message that encompasses and embodies the overall games' themes, generally at the very end.
• All the primary mascots in the mainline Persona series have had some indirect, but important connection to the Velvet Room one way or another:
  • In The Answer episode of Persona 3 FES, Aigis would awaken to the Wild Card and have direct access to the Velvet Room as a guest.
  • Teddie was able to wander into the Velvet Room for having a strong ego, in spite of being a Shadow.
  • Morgana was created by Igor himself to guide the protagonist. He would have strong relations with him and Lavenza,
• The Persona mascots' Phoenix Ranger Featherman R costumes all have the common trait of being monotonous. Aigis' costume (Feather Peregrine Falcon) is gray, Teddie's (Feather Horned Owl) is white, and Morgana's (Feather Rockhopper) is black.