Summary
No matter which of the social links or confidants are your favorite to spend time with, no matter which entry you choose to play, no matter how you build your party, when you play aPersonatitle, the protagonist is an unavoidable character in the game. And though their challenges are similar, some stand out more than others.
Certain games in the series let you get to know your protagonist better than others, though. Reaching all the way back to the original Persona in 1996 and spanning until the most recent remake entry in 2024, we’re ranking the Persona protagonists.
Updated on Jun 07, 2025 by Gabrielle Castania:In light of the launch of Persona 3 Reload along with upgrades we’ve made to our site formatting since this list’s original publish, we’re updating our list of the best Persona protagonists to reflect changes to both the series and our formatting.
Many of the protagonists carry various names across different media, so all names used here are the names officially confirmed by Atlus as canon.
7Boy With Earring
Revelations: Persona
There is so much mystery surrounding Boy With Earring that it can sometimes feel hard even to rank him. Still, he cannot be discounted, though, as the very first protagonist of the Persona series. We never get a canon name for him (unless you count the manga), and even his fate is left up to interpretation.
He just fades away for some time and then reappears again later with no explanation. Still, he is a reliable leader when one is needed, and he isn’t afraid to take on complex mysteries surrounding both St. Hermelin High School and SEBEC.
6Tatsuya Suou
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Tatsuya Suou may not be as popular as the other protagonists in the series, but he is a great character who feels like a fully realized person, regardless of how you choose to play. His character development through Innocent Sin feels earned, and he manages has enough quirks to escape being a boring protagonist, despite being silent.
Yes, he gives off an aloof air, but he never once feels like a one-dimensional character because of it. It’s also worth noting that Tatsuya is bisexual, yet never has his sexuality portrayed as a flaw or simple comic relief - that feels like a highlight even today, much less in 1999.
5Yu Narukami
Persona 4 And Persona 4 Golden
Yu Narukami benefits from his personification in the anime, which is arguably superior to how he is in the game. However, this still doesn’t take away from the fact that he gets to be in a group of friends who simply likes to have fun despite their varied personalities.
Yu may seem comparatively boring, but the endings he can have suggest a truly compelling complexity. He can straight up betray his friends, or go on a dark and vengeful route. But naturally, Persona 4’s true end sees him being unshaken by the emotions of the investigations they pursue.
4Kotone Shiomi
Persona 3 Portable
Kotone’s ranking only suffers given her role as ‘the alternate’ inPersona 3 Portable. That said, she still deserves her own spot - she feels like a completely different person compared to Makoto. In fact, there are enoughdifferences between themto warrant playing the game through as both.
Despite the grim nature of the events surrounding Tatsumi Port Island, Kotone remains cheerful, friendly, caring, and upbeat. You truly understand why everyone she comes across ends up feeling attached to her, which renders her fate even more impactful.
3Maya Amano
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Perhaps one should expect that the protagonist of a game subtitled “Eternal Punishment” isn’t going to have a blast. However, it’s still riveting when you see how Maya Amano handles being the Big Sis we all deserve and root for. Maya stands out as the only protagonist in her 20s and maintains the purity of her personality, despite the events of Persona IS and EP.
Maya also escapes being pigeonholed into the insufferable, cheerful role, and her personality doesn’t automatically get paired with weakness. She is one of the strongest Persona users who impacts timelines with her existence. She is a beacon of light for her group despite traumatic events, and she keeps her demeanor after experiencing the events of Eternal Punishment.
2Ren Amamiya
Persona 5 And Persona 5 Royal
Part of what makesPersona 5’s main character stand out is just howcoolhe is in the face of adversity. Sure, it’s easy to lean into the jokes about him being thebiggest playeramong all the protagonists. However, what makes Ren top-tier is that he can be the cool protagonist without sacrificing every other emotion. He can be sassy, witty, and even morally gray compared to everyone else.
Consider the whole concept of his squad in the first place. They’re dubbed as the Phantom Thieves, performing stylish mental heists left and right for the greater good. Ren takes all of this on while juggling social media fanatics and a rivalry with a shady politician. No matter how you take control of him (and his dialogue), he’s the flashiest God-killer of his Thieving bunch.
1Makoto Yuki
Persona 3, Persona 3: FES, Persona 3 Portable, And Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3’s Makoto Yuki comes off as decidedly more emo than the others, but can you blame him? At the end of the day, what makes him the best is his sheer willingness to sacrifice himself for fate of the world. He takes on Nyx,a personification of death itself, despite knowing how grim his odds of survival are.
On top of his unique ability to do fusion spells, he actually has the capability to contain death itself, which irrevocably makes him more powerful than both his predecessors and successors in the series. Despite being seemingly unmoved by it all, he carries death and eventually seals it, knowing that he has fulfilled his role in the lives of those around him.
