Western box art for Persona 5 Strikers helps Ryuji save face

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2020-12-09 12:10 (JST)
Translated by. Braden Noyes

On December 9, 2020, Atlas announced that Persona 5 Strikers will be getting a Western release. It will be available on February 23, 2021 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam (PC). This comes almost exactly one year after the Japanese release in February of 2020. The Persona 5 series has seen a lot of popularity in the West, so it comes as no surprise that this announcement made plenty of fans happy. However, some were quick to notice something slightly off about the game’s packaging.

Persona 5 Strikers was developed jointly by P Studio, a subsidiary of Atlas Co., Ltd., and Omega Force, a division of Koei Tecmo Games, and is the first hack and slash entry in the series. The game begins six months after the events of Persona 5 with the members of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts meeting up to spend their summer vacation on a camping trip. However, after an incident results in them being dragged into another Jail in the Metaverse, the Phantom Thieves depart on a trip across Japan to once again save the world.

When a team like Omega Force is involved with a game’s development, you can be sure it will come packed full of action and aerobatics. This exhilarating gameplay, paired with the signature visuals from Persona 5, earned this latest entry into the series high praise after it was released in Japan, and it all comes wrapped up in a package with the laudable Joker’s infectious grin front and center. However, look carefully at the game box’s cover art and you might notice a small detail that was changed for the Western release of the game.

First, let’s take a closer look at the box art from the original Japanese version. The lower left is dominated by the Joker wielding a pistol, while the background is filled with characters prepared for battle, including Makoto, Ann, Morgana, and Haru. Yusuke, Futaba, and a few new characters can also be seen grappling with enemy Shadows. Amidst all of the chaos, however, a single character is depicted in a somewhat comical moment. For some reason, Ryuji is the only one actually getting punched, and straight to the face no less.

In the Persona 5 series, Ryuji Sakamoto is one of the protagonist’s closest friends, and although he is known as a delinquent student at school, he is both straightforward and kind when it comes to his friends. Though he can be rather inflexible and quick to anger, he plays an important role as one of the Joker’s companions. Having a hot-blooded nature has its drawbacks, however, and Ryuji often finds himself in comical situations. Put more simply, he gets hit. A lot.

Scenes of him taking things a bit too far, followed by him getting hit or injured in one way or another, are a repeat occurrence throughout the games, offering a bit of comedic relief in an otherwise tense story. But don’t worry. Ryuji is the athletic type and possesses a well-toned body, so players can rest assured that he’s able to take a few extra punches now and then without any lasting damage. And since he’s so good at sacrificing his body for the sake of setting the mood, it’s probably safe to assume this was the reason the design team decided to portray him this way on the Persona 5 Strikers cover.

That said, take a look at the Western box art and you will see that Ryuji is no longer getting punched. Or to be more precise, his face has not yet met with fist. Instead, he can be seen brandishing a weapon overhead, mere moments before enemy contact is made. It’s hard to imagine he’ll be able to swing fast enough to avoid the inevitable fist to the face, but the fact remains that we don’t actually see him getting punched. So why exactly was the decision made to redraw him at all? Well, Twitter user Alex points out that the problem may lie in the actual moment of contact.

The ESRB rating system used in the United States establishes guidelines not only for a game’s content, but for the advertising material used as well. This includes box art. One section in particular lays out the restrictions on depictions of violence, listing items such as torture, excessive use of blood, and setting people on fire. It also specifically lists “violent blows to the head” as one such restriction, meaning that even if this particular punch was meant to be comedic in nature, the fact that he is being hit in the face may be a problem.

It is also worth noting that part of the Western gaming community has expressed dissatisfaction with Ryuji’s role as a punching bag throughout the series. (Fanbyte) It’s possible this also played a part in the decision to modify the box art. However, while the arguments raised are quite fascinating, it’s unlikely that this one instance is going to make much of a difference in the overall scheme of things. Whether he gets punched on the box cover or not is unlikely to diminish the brilliance of either Ryuji or Captain Kidd.

It deserves noting that another part of the box art was also altered for its Western release. If you look closely, you can see that the smoking gun pointed at the main protagonist’s head on the Japanese cover has been completely removed from the Western version. Looking at the ESRB guidelines once again, you can see they do in fact include a restriction on “guns/weapons pointed at head”. It’s likely this is the reason for the change.

Persona 5 Strikers is currently available in Japan for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. Its Western release date is slated for February 23, 2021 and will also include a version for Steam on PC. It’s unclear whether or not the game will get a Steam release within Japan, but judging from the success Persona 4 Golden saw on the platform, it’s probably a safe bet to expect one some time in the future.