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Despite being a silent protagonist, Persona 5s Joker is the epitome of cool
- Thread starter dharmapolice
- Start date
It helps that he actually has some voiced lines sprinkled throughout the game as well. Like he's not completely silent
He's cool but would be much better if he talked.
Where are his eyebrows?
I'm with you OP, I tend not to like silent MC's either but I feel like Ren works because he's not really that silent, at least to me.
He has a unique walk and he speaks now and again: during battles, every time you save and during the odd cutscene. His dialogue choices are all fitting to a different part of his psyche rather than feel like a different character. Add in the fact that you can't customise anything about his appearance and there's nothing that has ever made my feel that I'm actually him, though I think there's just enough to project your own personality onto him.
He has a unique walk and he speaks now and again: during battles, every time you save and during the odd cutscene. His dialogue choices are all fitting to a different part of his psyche rather than feel like a different character. Add in the fact that you can't customise anything about his appearance and there's nothing that has ever made my feel that I'm actually him, though I think there's just enough to project your own personality onto him.
In my mancave, I have 16 canvas of some of my favorite gaming protagonists of all time and he is the only new one from the most recent generation that I have on my wall. To me, he's that damn cool.
Not really. The whole point is those characters have never had anyone who was willing to just stop and listen to them, and they came to their character growth of their own accord. It would be sociopathic to think that it's cringey to let them express who they really are by talking it out, imo
Honestly in my playthrough of Royal I'm finding that he isn't really that cool but he has a fuckton of charisma. It's evident in both his civilian and Thief animations but in different ways. He's kind of an awkward goofball in regular life and I kind of like how hunched over his stance often is. Then there's his Thief attire and the man exudes constant swagger and confidence. Like his meta verse escapades are when he can let loose which fits in the gameplay as the Metaverse part of the game is where a majority of the pay off for managing confidants and such happen. I always liked Joker from the beginning but I'm coming to find how much I like this awkward try hard bastard. P5 fans may go hard in gassing Joker and really the game up as the coolest thing ever but Joker is still pretty damn cool in his own way
That's pretty much how I see him too. It's not that different to how Peter Parker is in reality vs being in the costume as Spidey.
Joker only works because he is a silent protagonist. It felt like his character completely fell apart in the anime. That was really disappointing because I loved how ridiculous the P4 guy was in his series.
And that's all he needs. I disagree with the folks that wish he talked more. I'm of the mind that less is more in this case. Maybe it'd be alright if the dialogue options were voiced, but other than that, the less Joker speaks the better.
I haven't watched the anime yet, (Is it dubbed?) but judging by Persona 4 the Animation, not even Yu speaks that much. Him being semi-silent (soft-spoken might be a better way to put it) is a part of his character and it's quite fun how awkward and silly he is. I like how some of the silliest dialogue options were implemented in the writing, like how Yu says he might be dying after being bitten by Teddie behind the TV.
I was trying to think which Silent Protag I hated in the last couple of years and that's exactly the one.
Joker is edgy teen fantasy in its most purest form. Tons of charisma, snarky dialogue options, mostly black get-up, stylish animations, can get with all of the women in his life, always receives praise over great they are, etc.
I get why that appeals to people, but it really almost feels like a parody of "cool" to me. I guess that still makes him "cool" though, but it feels artificially cool; Joker is designed to be "cool".
PS: Let the next Persona protagonist be bi. Thanks in advance Atlus!
I get why that appeals to people, but it really almost feels like a parody of "cool" to me. I guess that still makes him "cool" though, but it feels artificially cool; Joker is designed to be "cool".
PS: Let the next Persona protagonist be bi. Thanks in advance Atlus!
Thats how I feel as well, I think he was overdone (well in general P5 has weak characters to me so maybe he fits right in).
I would go even farther and not just bi but also gender options.
Still remember when he was first revealed people thought he looked "too nerdy". Then his transformation into the mad lad that he is lol. The criticism of him "getting with any female he wants" isn't exclusive to him either when P3 and P4 exist as well.
His character design (both designs) is a good one though.
His character design (both designs) is a good one though.
I really want them to drop the silent protagonist BS, there's no point to it when all of them have a voice actor. The worst is Maya who is full of life in Innocent Sin and then is just dead silent in Eternal Punishment. Such a dumb thing that I wish would permanently go away.
Haven't watched the anime, but it sounds like the problem isn't that he's voiced, but rather that they didn't put a lot of thought into it.
Idk, for me that is peak cool. His entire Phantom Thief appearance is what makes him cool for me.
I really felt like they went overboard with Yu (P4 protag). He's alright, but way too "I'm the coolest person on the planet for no reason". Not too surprising given he seemed to be somewhat based on Ichigo from Bleach.
It feels like they dialed things down with Joker, so he hits just the right amount of cool without it being annoying. Much better.
It feels like they dialed things down with Joker, so he hits just the right amount of cool without it being annoying. Much better.
OP
OP
I don't understand what you're confused about at all. Many JRPG main characters are silent protagonists. This one just happens to have a lot more silent dialogue choices than most, an internal monologue and a few recorded lines for attacks/correct answers/cutscenes.
Beyond that he has no single line of dialogue listed in the script (which you can check at any time by pressing L3 on the PS4).
Many other silent protagonists have these features, only much much less fleshed out.
Sorry, but no mc that dates a shota is the best.I do appreciate that they let him be more expressive than Narukami in Persona 4. But... if we take the spin-offs into account, as a protagonist, Narukami is way cooler.
(FeMC still best tho obviously)
Didn't have a chance to respond earlier to OP. I fully agree that Joker is a silent protag with a distinct personality! It is actually something I thought about recently as I am playing P5R. Reasons why it might work so well in P5 (and most Persona games):
- The minimal amount of voice lines we DO hear.
- The anime cutscenes, particularly in between the start of the palace 6 arc up to palace 7
The hacking the airwaves to announce that Joker is still alive as he comes out of the shadows and smirks was one of the coolest moments from 2017
- The dialogue options are about as successful as they can be for options that have no impact on the story. The fact that there is often one that lets Joker tell off adults being assholes in confidant moments is satisfying.
- He isn't designed to be a full blank slate. He has a past, walking style and mannerisms, specific look.
- The game shows him when he is down as well as propping him up. The story framing where he is beat up and being interrogated, falling on the treadmill in the gym, passing out in the baths changing room, making shitty coffee, etc.
- Third person camera always helps with this imo.
To me a silent protag is something like Gordon Freeman who literally has no lines. Joker though is constantly responding to characters to the point I would say its hard to say he is "silent"
They walk a VERY fine line with him, but he just about falls into the category of charismatic cool guy rather than try hard edgelord. He's a great conduit for P5's across-the-board style.
Helps that both of his looks are amongst the best JRPG character designs in years.
Helps that both of his looks are amongst the best JRPG character designs in years.
yeah he's also literally not silent, he has a voice actor and actual spoken lines in the game
it's just not many, so probably seems cooler because he doesn't have many spoken lines
*flicks wrist*
He's cool but would be much better if he talked.
I don't know. So far oddly all appearances where he talks seem to attempt to make him as bland as possible, to the point that his signature movements and style seem oddly out of place. P4's protagonist had less to work with, but his speaking appearances were handled much better.
The guy is stylish as hell. He's not really that blank because he very clearly has a smartass attitude and swagger to match.
That attitude comes out in the form of sarcastic comments when in normal life, but is brought completely into the open when he's Joker.
That attitude comes out in the form of sarcastic comments when in normal life, but is brought completely into the open when he's Joker.
