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ThePersonaseries has been going since the mid ’90s and began its life as a spin-off from the Shin Megami Tensei series. Its roots in this series can still be seen with enemy designs, and certain mechanics, but it has now taken on its own distinct identity.
All the mainline entries in the Persona series are numbered, which to some implies a continued narrative. So, are the Persona games all taking place in the same universe, and more importantly, do you need to play them in a certain order to understand what is going on?
Updated Jun 11, 2025 by Alfredo Robelo:With the release of Persona 3 Reload, we now have the definitive (and canonical) edition of the Persona 3 story. While nothing radical was changed in terms of story, the article needed an update clarifying some canonical events within the Persona timeline.
Do The Persona Games Overlap?
It has been confirmed that the Persona games, at least most of them,do take place in the same world, and because of this there can be occasional overlaps between mainline entries, as well as in spin-off content as well. However, thisdoes not mean that you need to play the series in orderto get full enjoyment from the series.
If you were to play the Persona games in release order, you would notice some cameos and references, as well as reminiscent themes, but there isvery little in the way of an overarching narrative.
What the series lacks in an overarching narrative, it makes up for withoverarching themes, and traditional elements and mechanicsthat appear in every entry. The Persona series is not one where you need to enter at a specific point, and almost every numbered game would be a suitable starting point.
The only exception to this isPersona 2 Eternal Punishment, which is the direct sequel to Persona 2 Innocent Sin. Aside from the Persona 2 duology, all other entries are self-contained.
There is an overarching series timeline, and while it is not that confusing to understand, it is interesting to know where every entry stands in the series.
Persona Series Timeline
Upon initial inspection, the Persona timeline is relatively simple. Themainline numbered entries are all, for the most part, in order,but wherethe timeline gets a bit more tricky is with the Persona 2 duology. At the end of Persona 2 Innocent Sin, the world essentially ends outside of a small pocket of reality.
The Timeline Split
The main cast is given the choice tostart a new reality and fix what went wrong, but they have to exchange their memories for this ability, a deal that was enabled by Philemon, a crucial character when looking at overarching elements in the Persona series.
This deal is taken up, anda new timeline is started with the sequel Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, andTatsuya, the only person who remembersthe events of Innocent Sin,ends the game returning to that timeline, creating a clean break, where no one in the new timeline is aware of the other.
Persona 2 Innocent Sin is a direct sequel to the original Persona, so there isa short timeline that begins with Persona 1, and then ends with Persona 2 Innocent Sin.
Then, there isthe new timeline, which starts again with the original Persona, the same as the original timeline, but is instead followed bythe new reality in Persona 2 Eternal Punishmentthat replaces Innocent Sin.
This new timeline iscontinued with every subsequent Persona game, with a few minor exceptions.
What Is In The Persona Timeline?
Continuing from the new timeline following Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, the order of the series is relatively streamlined. However,a series tradition at this point, is a deluxe or complete copy of the numbered Persona games that launches a short while after the original.
The updated edition of Persona 4 is Persona 4 Golden, and for Persona 5, it is Persona 5 Royal.
These editions are considered canonsince they not only add new information to better understand the story, those updated events end up being referenced slightly in the following games. It makes sense that then, the most updated version is the one considered canon.
Persona 3 FES Vs. Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3is a peculiar case, since after the base game, three new editions came out of it.In FES, a new playable epilogue called The Answer was added, giving closure to a lot of the game’s themes, and evenanswering what happened to the protagonistat the end of the main game.
After FES, Persona 3 Portable was released, letting players choose a female protagonist instead of the base male one. Other than that, nothing else was added, andsince Portable didn’t include the crucial Answer epilogue, it isn’t considered canon.
The newest edition of Persona 3 is called Reload, updating the gameplay to meet the standards set by Persona 5. While it is the newest edition of Persona 3, it still comes without the Answer epilogue, although it will be added in the form of DLC.
The female protagonist of Persona 3 Portable isn’t canon, not only for the lack of the Answer epilogue, but also because in the sequels the protagonist is constantly remembered as a “blue-haired boy”.
Once the Answer is added to Reload, it will end up being the ultimate edition of Persona 3,making FES no longer canon.This is not only due to it coming out last, but also because of the small interactions it adds with the available Social Links in the game.
How Do Spin-Off Games Fit The Timeline?
There are also plenty ofspin-off Persona games, some of which are considered canon, and others that are not. The most important inclusions arePersona 4 Arena, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, and Persona 4 Dancing All Night, which all continue from or take place during Persona 4, as well as Persona 5 Strikers, which follows right after Persona 5.
There are other Persona games that have a more questionable canon status, like Persona Q and Q2, which cross over the casts of 3, 4 and 5. Thesecan be considered canon, but they have very little impact outside of the games themselves.
Unlike Persona 4 Dancing All Night, Persona 3 Dancing In Moonlight and Persona 5 Dancing In Starlight are explained astaking place in the dreams of the main cast, which technically makes themcanon as the dreams of the characters, but any interactions that are shown to take place arenot considered part of the wider timeline.
While there is some satisfaction to be gained from playing Persona in timeline order, it is by no means a priority, and fans can still enjoy the spin-off to a game if they are familiar with the original. When considering the most influential overlapping elements in the Persona series, there is more concrete lore outside of the timeline.
The Velvet Room
While most of the Persona games take place in unique locations,all of them have a setting in common, being the Velvet Room.
While the Velvet Room often takes different forms, whether it is a lounge, prison, or elevator, it always goes by the same name, and it isnearly always inhabited by Igor and an attendant.
It is an area that is usually unlocked early on in the campaign of a Persona game, and while the specific functions might vary slightly, it is normally wherepersonas are collected and fused. This makes it a location where the protagonist will need to visit regularly, and will often getcryptic lore from Igor dropped throughout the game.
The reason why the Velvet Room is a mainstay in the Persona series is related to the aforementioned spiritual being,Philemon, the character that granted the cast of Persona 2 the ability to reset realityto save the world.
Philemon
Most of what we know about Philemon is from the first two Persona games, and while he is present in the others, he is not as obviously involved.
Philemon appears in the first Persona game to grant the main cast the use of their personas, and his role in Persona 2 is even more involved in how he resets the timeline, as well as guides the protagonists more directly. In the earlier Persona games, Igor also refers to himself as a servant of Philemon, making his role in the Velvet Room a bit more understandable.
It is revealed by Philemon that thecontext for the Persona games is actually a bet he is part of with Nyarlathotep, an antagonistic being in Persona 2.
The complete nature of the experiment the two are carrying out is not completely known, but we know thatPhilemon advocates for humans' ability to become enlightenedand rise above what is natural to them, while Nyarlathotep is more nihilistic, believing that humanity will simply destroy itself.
While Philemon is not able to directly interfere with the bet and influence humanity too directly,he is able to help by granting certain people personas.
He helps people learn how to use their personasby ordering his servants in the Velvet Room to aid them.
While we see a fair amount of Philemon in Persona 1 & 2,he takes a much more symbolic role in the later entries. In Persona 3 and 4, he only appears in the form of blue butterflies, taking much more of a backseat, but still showing his presence.
Persona 1 & 2
While the Persona games don’t tend to overlap in more direct ways, there are two entries that are usually seen to be the most directly related:Persona 1 and both iterations of Persona 2.
You do not need to have played the original Persona game to appreciate Persona 2, since the story is quite self-contained within Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment, but there are still some more direct references to the original.
Throughout the length of both Persona 2 games,the main cast of the original Persona will appear, with some taking a more major role than others. For example, Eriko and Kei become temporary party members.
While you will not need to have played the original to appreciate these characters, it will be a more satisfying experience if you know who these characters are and what events they are referring to.
Persona 4 School Trip
After Persona 2, the references to other Persona games are a lot less obvious, but there is one stark exemption to this. In November in Persona 4, the main cast will go on aschool trip to Gekkoukan High School, part of the main setting for Persona 3.
The protagonist of Persona 3 is also briefly mentioned by Margaret in her secret boss fight during Persona 4.
While they do not meet the main cast of Persona 3, they do meet the memorable school nurse from Persona 3, as well as Chihiro, who was not a party member, but did feature a social link.
The cast of Persona 3 and 4 are shown to interact relatively frequently, but this is only within the realm of spin-offs and crossover titles. Still, it is interesting to see direct references being made within the mainline games as well.
Another crossover between entries can be seen in Persona 3 Portable, when ayounger Yukiko, a party member from Persona 4, appears briefly in Persona 3.
References
As mentioned, the majority of crossover elements in the Persona games are in the form of brief references. Some of the most notable references between the Persona games include:
Crossover Games
The most obvious overlap between Persona characters is in the crossover games.
Perhaps the most interesting isthe aged-up versions of select Persona 3 party members you can meet and play as in the original Persona 4 Arenasince you get to see what life has been like for them after the events of their game.
More Persona 3 characters feature in the sequel, Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, butthis is more superficial, since time travel has been enabledto ensure all characters are present.
The casts of Persona 3 and 4 interact again in Persona Q, and then the cast of 5 is added in Q2. These games arenot considered canon by most fans, but they still provide an interesting insight into the characters and how they would interact.
The most interesting takeaway from the Q subseries is how thefemale main character from Persona 3 Portable is contextualized as being from an alternate universe, potentially canonizing Persona 3 Portable as an alternate universe game.
Themultiple universes and timelines of the Persona series have rich potential that could easily be explored again, whether in a spin-off, new mainline entry, or most likely in a remake of the Persona 2 duology.
