Another entry into my review of Persona 5 monsters. Didn't really do too much plot-wise this time around, since it's another one of those lulls between the end of the Kaneshiro Palace and the start of the next one, which would be Futaba? I have vague knowledge of the events of the base Persona 5 game, but obviously they have introduced a whole lot of brand-new additions into the Royal version.
Anyway, I also flip-flop a lot on whether I want to use the Confidants for the opening paragraph artwork or if I was going to use the 'civilian' outfits for the Phantom Thieves. I decided on the latter. We got Makoto's civilian outfit last review, since those two parts were written concurrently as I was doing Kaneshiro's arc. This one has Joker. We'll see if this series runs long enough for me to use all the other Phantom Thieves.
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Naga
- Monster Name: Cavern Snakeman
- Arcana: Hermit
Now we get a very familiar name that has shown up a lot in video games and general fiction as a name for a snake demon. Dungeons & Dragons, Harry Potter, World of Warcraft, even the DC comics had a whole terrorist organization themed on the Naga. The Naga are actually a bit more complex than that, originating primarily from Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, but the widespread use of the word 'Naga' all over Asia has led to them being depicted as various different draconic or serpentine mythological creatures.
Like many other Hindu-Buddhist-originating deities we've seen, the Naga are, again, a race of beings. They are depicted as being half-human, half-serpent; and can take human form. Naga are principally depicted as having three forms -- entirely human with snakes on their heads and necks; as common serpents; or as commonly depicted in media (including this game), as half-snake, half-human beings.
These Naga live in a region in the underworld filled with gems and other treasures called Nagaloka or Patalaloka, and the Naga are also associated with bodies of waters. Being part-snake (naga literally means cobra) means that the Naga have powerful venomous abilities. Their eternal foe is the bird deity Garuda. However, despite their fearsome powers, they are often actually portrayed as beneficial beings on the side of good in Hindu mythology. For example, the deity Vishnu is often portrayed sheltered by Sheshanaga, a primordial cosmic Nagaraja (King Naga). In Buddhism, the Naga are followers of Virupaksa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the West (more on them later), protecting Mount Sumeru from the Asuras.
Anyway, Persona 5's Naga goes for a rather 'simple' take on the design, though it's not a bad depiction! I do appreciate that he's coloured pale blue-purple instead of the obvious greens or browns associated with snakes. It gives the Naga a bit more of a supernatural-leaning oomph. He has a spear and a shield, and just enough accessories to not be boring without really marking him as being particularly impressive.
Jikokuten
- Monster Name: N/A
- Arcana: Temperance
Here is our first Four Heavenly Kings, which is a group of four great generals of the heavens that each guard a cardinal direction. Jikokuten, known as Dhṛtarāṣṭra in Sanskrit and Chíguó Tiān in Mandarin, he governs the Eastern side of Buddha's realm. His name means 'upholding the nation', and leads over other celestial beings known as Gandharvas (a group of celestial musicians and messengers) and Pishachas (a group of flesh-eating demons).
The depiction of Dhṛtarāṣṭra is a bit different in Chinese and Japanese iconographies. In Chinese myths, Chíguó Tiān is depicted as a god of music, holding a pipa in his hands and uses music to convert people to Buddhism. However, the Japanese depiction of Jikokuten is a bit more warlike, shown with a stern, fierce expression, clad in armour and wielding either a trident or a sword. Statues of him also often show a ring with fireballs behind his head. Statues of Jikokuten often show him trampling over a jaki, a type of demon.
It is rather interesting, then, that Persona's Jikokuten went for a... very subtle and honestly rather underwhelming take on both the primary depictions of the deity. Gone is the 'fierce expression' and the ring of fire, and while Jikokuten does have an interesting hue of golden skin and a smashing mustache, he looks like just a rather generic warrior dude.
Neko Shogun
- Monster Name: Calamitous Cat God
- Arcana: Star
This one is cute! I was a bit bamboozled when I saw 'Neko Shogun' amongst the 'special summons'. Like Flauros and Tam Lin a while back, Neko Shogun is one of the few Persona in this game that you need to summon only by fusing three specific Personas -- namely, Anzu, Kodama and Sudama. And it sure is an adorable chibi anime cat in regular shogun regalia. He's got one of those Chinese general fans stylized like a cat's head, and a bunch of cat symbols on the flags on his back.
Now the description notes that the Neko Shogun is a 'prophetic taoist god', and due to a linguistic mistranslation involving the word for cat, his name is changed into the 'Neko Shogun'. The word for cat is indeed mao (貓) in Chinese, and the fan-wiki talks about a Chinese general who conquered Vietnam, Mao Shangshu, being venerated as a deity and due to a mistranslation of his family name Mao, they used the character for cat instead, turning him into a cat general.
That story does seem specific enough and believable enough, except... I really can't find any such reference to either the 'Cat Shogun', 'Neko Shogun' or Mao Shangshu, the Wiki claims to be the inspiration for the Neko Shogun. Every single reference and hit I get ends up bringing back either Persona or Shin Megami Tensei references. Which is to say, I spent way too long trying to look for anything resembling this myth of the kitty general and found absolutely jack zip. Anyway, he sure is a cute cat general guy!
Clotho
- Monster Name: N/A
- Arcana: Wheel of Fortune
We're going to the Greek mythology now, and I think anyone who's seen any kind of fiction would've stumbled onto the Moirae Sisters, the three sisters that represent fate. Her other two sisters Atropos and Lachesis will show up later in this game, but basically the three sisters of fate are a trio of ladies representing the fates of mortals and even gods all the way from their birth to their death. They are themed around literally weaving the threads and fabrics of fate.
Clotho is the youngest sister, and she spins the thread of fate. This gives Clotho power over major decisions and primarily associated with birth and giving life. Being beings of fate, they were born of the primordial beings Erebus (darkness) and Nyx (night), and are a representation of basically an inescapable part of how the world works. While never the specific focus of any one myht, the Three Fates appear a lot in various Greek stories, with mortal heroes and even the gods seeking their aid to decipher fate.
Persona's Clotho is... interesting? There are a lot of these gods and demons I could call 'Stand-like', referring to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, but Clotho is one that really does feel like a Stand. Her full-body white suit that looks like something modern, and her chain-link metal skirt around her pants, her golden statue face, that fancy bun-hair and holding a thread spool are all pretty neat. Ultimately I don't have too much to say about her design, but the combination of fashion cues and an expressionless face does really scream 'Stand' to me.
Mithras
- Monster Name: Dark Sun
- Arcana: Sun
Oh, this guy is interesting. Mithras is a Roman deity, but not actually part of the formal Roman pantheon and religion. Rather, the worship of Mithras was done by members of the Imperial Roman Army in an almost cult-like fashion in what is called a 'mystery religion'. People are initiated to the cult through a complex seven-system initiation, congregate in underground temples and greet each other with secret handshakes. The worship of Mithras would be completely wiped out by early Christianity and no actual literature of what the religion is all about has survived. All that's left are some iconography showing Mithras being born from a rock, slaughtering a bull and sharing a meal with the sun-god Sol.
Mithras is also somewhat associated with the Zoroastrian god Mithra, though apparently the connection between the two are disputed and unlikely. Persona's Mithras seem to combine aspects of both, though primarily the 'mystery religion' Roman god, what with him being born out of a literal rock adorned with the symbols of the 12 Zodiacs. He's also holding the giant sacrificial knife associated with him killing the bull. The overall effect is pretty striking, with this Greek god-like figure popping up halfway from an almost meteor-like rock, with the crevasse on the rock glowing with light. I don't know, there's just such a fancy style to how this guy looks and his design just screams that there's some story being told.
A lot of these Arcana assignments are kind of random, but I appreciate that Mithras, who is likely to be some form of a sun god, is classified as a Sun Arcana persona.
Reaper
- Arcana: Death
Oh, yeah, let's talk about this guy too. I encountered the Reaper a while back, but because he's an optional boss that you encounter after doing something rather out of the way -- stay still for a couple of minutes while exploring Mementos -- I didn't really bother fighting or trying to fight him until around before the Kaneshiro arc where I did a lot of grinding in Mementos and forgot to pause the game when I went to eat some cake. The Reaper will show up with the jangling of his chains after you stand around in Mementos for a while. Mementos itself, thanks to its soundtrack and ambience, always has the feel of something ominous just beneath the surface... and it's this guy.
The Reaper shows up all decked out in chains, and he's apparently been a recurring bonus boss in the 'infinite dungeons' ever since Persona 3. Very fun that they ditched the traditional Western depiction of a Grim Reaper -- the cloaked skeleton holding a scythe -- and went for something a bit more metal. It's a simple enough design in monster terms, but what a style. Ragged clothes, a face that's almost featureless save for a single eye peeking out of what seems to be a burlap sack, chains wrapped around his torso like an orbitting ring, and wielding two big-ass giant revolver guns like it ain't a thing. You could totally see this guy being a character in an edgy, over-the-top 90's comic book, can't you?
The Reaper is noted to act like some kind of a 'security system', getting wind and stalking our party's bus if we stay too long in a single area. Again, a very fun way to add the otherworldliness of Mementos and make us feel unwelcome, like intruders, in this strange eldritch location.
Anyway, not a whole ton to otherwise say about him design-wise. In-game, he is just very powerful and I assume I'll have to wait until close to the end of the game before being able to actually contend with him.
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