Summary
This article contains story spoilers for Persona 5 Tactica.
Persona 5 Tacticatakes the Phantom Thieves through the plights of its Kingdoms, ruled over by the watchful eyes of tyrants. Along the journey are two new characters, Erina and Toshiro, who work respectively as a combatant and a strategist to help the Phantom Thieves restore power to the people. As Toshiro is revealed to be a central figure in the mysteries surrounding these Kingdoms, Erina’s role in the matter becomes more of a question, tying its way intoaPersonaseries staple.
Persona 5Tactica’s story features quite a few twists for players to experience, some more predictable than others. A few of them fall in line with the formulaic side ofPersona’s mainline titles, like the inclusion of a late-game god to shake things up and provide conflict for the team, though others put a spin on the treatment of series staples to tie interestingly intoTactica’s thematic choices. This is achieved through Toshiro, whose Persona awakening establishes importance in an inventive way, both from a character and narrative standpoint.
How Persona 5 Tactica Puts a Spin on its Persona Awakening
Though players might have been waiting for Erina herself to awaken to a Persona, it becomes apparent later in the title why she lacks one of her own. Duringthe Phantom Thieves' traversal intoTactica’s third Kingdom, Erina becomes increasingly concerned about who she is. As it’s revealed that the Kingdoms share a common trait in Toshiro and his past traumas, the memories that he and the Phantom Thieves come to unearth show a connection; bearing an uncanny resemblance to Eri, a figure of great importance in Toshiro’s past, Erina starts to realize her bigger role in the picture.
Toshiro’s Awakening
As Toshiro confronts his Shadow, who puts both the Phantom Thieves and Erina in danger, he stands up for himself and awakens his Persona. Unlike the Thieves whosePersona designsbear literary influence from figures like Arsene Lupin or Zorro, Toshiro’s Persona takes inspiration from Eri, and thus Erina, herself. Calling forth “Ernesto,” it becomes clear that Toshiro’s strength was beside him all along; Erina merges to form his Persona, making for a surprising twist on the series' usual rite of passage.
Ernesto’s Design
Similar to how Erina resembles Eri Natsuhara, the real-world influence that sparked a flame of rebellion in Toshiro’s heart during his high school years, Ernesto blends its design with her likeness. An interesting quality to Erina’s appearance is her covered eye and armored leg brace, a feat that hints towards the injuries Eri received when attacked by Nakabachi during their high school years. The Persona Ernesto takes this and runs with it, with one of its legs fit to look like a revolver’s barrel alongside broken lines extending like tears from its eye. Accentuated by a cape lined with bullet casings, the Persona design embodies the revolutionary flair ofPersona Tactica’s themes.
Toshiro’s Addition to Tactica’s Combat Set-Up
The design works as a clever (if a bit complicated) way to denote Erina’s role in Toshiro’s journey duringtheir descent intoTactica’s Kingdoms. As a manifestation of the will to fight back residing in his heart, she’s capable of forming his Persona as well as acting on her own accord. This distinction allows her to be her own separate entity inTactica’s fourth Kingdom, letting her fight as a combat unit alongside the pair of Toshiro and Ernesto who take up a fourth slot among the team. Toshiro’s inclusion adds a layer of strategy toPersona 5 Tactica’s combat, and despite its final Kingdom mostly rehashing previous boss fights, his presence lets players experiment in new ways to synergize with the team.
