We all knew it was coming, but at the recent Xbox Games Showcase, Atlus officially offered a look at Persona 4 Revival, the remake of 2008’s Persona 4. In essence, it appears to follow the same path as Persona 3 Reload, serving as a full-fledged reimagining of the original title rather than a simple remaster or revamp a la Persona 5 Royal.
Persona 4 is often cited as the best in the franchise, and it’s not hard to see why. While Persona 3 and Persona 5 both take place in cities, Persona 4 sets itself apart by taking place in a rural town called Inaba, setting it apart in an immediate and significant way. The TV World is also a delightful and creative spin on the “otherworld” convention present in every other Persona title. But at the end of the day, Persona 4 is still a Persona story, meaning that it’s driven by a cast of lovable party members. Thankfully, it looks like this party has been paired with a strong voice cast for Persona 4 Revival.
The following only covers the English cast for Persona 4 Revival, not the original Japanese.
The Rumored Persona 4 Remake Would Likely Avoid One Controversy Persona 3 Reload Couldn’t
A remake of Persona 4 would be able to avoid a major controversy that faced Persona 3 Reload, the previous remake of a Persona title.
Protagonist: Nazeeh Tarsha (Street Fighter 6, Genshin Impact, Zenless Zone Zero)
As is the case with most Atlus RPGs, Persona 4‘s protagonist is a man of few words, his dialog mostly boiling down to combat barks and one-liners. But these are still important to get right—players will be hearing them countless times over the course of dozens of hours, after all.
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As you might expect, Atlus nabbed a solid VA for this leading role. Nazeeh Tarsha has been involved in over 200 productions, most of them either gaming-or animation-related, with his most notable roles including the flamboyant twins Uou and Sao from Street Fighter 6, bookish and brilliant Alhaitham from Genshin Impact, and defense-oriented cat man Seth in Zenless Zone Zero. He has also appeared in a number of prominent anime. For instance, he was the English voice of Kafka Hibino in Kaiju No. 8, and he also recently voiced Gaul in the excellent Monster Hunter Stories 3.
Yosuke Hanamura: Paul Castro Jr. (NEO: The World Ends with You, Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth)
Filling the traditonal best friend role is the cheery but deceptively complex Yosuke Hanamura, played by the esteemed Paul Castro Jr. Castro Jr. has played rambunctious and energetic young men with boyish charm in the past, so he seems like a good fit for this role.
His best-known gaming role is probably Rindo Kanade, protagonist of the 2022 action-RPG NEO: The World Ends with You. More recently, he turned in a strong performance as Chocobo Billy in FF7 Rebirth, one of many roles that were fleshed out for the FF7 remake saga. He also played a major role in Daemon X Machina: Titanic Scion, voicing the rugged and gruff Ash. Other prominent roles include Heartman’s AED in Death Stranding 2, Eoren in Visions of Mana, and Freminet in Genshin Impact.
Chie Satonaka: Anne Yatco (Genshin Impact, Jujutsu Kaisen, Date Everything!)
A personal favorite of mine, Chie Satonaka is Persona 4‘s most outwardly aggressive and protective cast member. She’s full of energy and has a strong sense of justice which, coupled with her obsession with martial arts, makes her a one-of-a-kind party member, and easily one of the best parts of the original Persona 4.
For the role of Satonaka, Atlus has tapped experienced VA Anne Yatco, best known for her performance as Nobara Kugisaki in Jujutsu Kaisen. Her most well-known video game role is arguably Raiden Shogun, one of the strongest playable characters in Genshin Impact. However, her resume is far more extensive than that, as she’s been featured in hits like Naraka Bladepoint (Kurumi) and Ghostwire Tokyo (Mari) as well. She’s also another NEO: The World Ends with You alumnus, having played Sakura, Yotsuba, and Aika in that game.
Yukiko Amagi: Brianna Knickerbocker (Demon Slayer, Shenmue 3, Fire Emblem: Fates)
Yukiko Amagi is Chie Satonaka’s best friend and counterpart, since Yukiko herself is reserved, prim, and traditionally ladylike—a stark contrast to Chie’s brash irresponsibility. But she’s also much deeper and more conflicted than her cool, shy persona might suggest, and her complicated relationship with Chie is one of Persona 4’s highlights.
Here, Atlus has gone with Brianna Knickerbocker, another accomplished voice actress best known for her performance as major character Kanao Tsuyuri in Demon Slayer. She has numerous video game credits as well, with notable examples including the player-character in Code Vein 2, Saoirse in Octopath Traveler 2, and Sakura in Fire Emblem: Fates. She’s also rubbed shoulders with some of her Persona 4 co-stars, having played Holly in Date Everything! and Hu Tao in Genshin Impact.
Marie: Ari Thrash (Honkai Star Rail, Mobile Suit Gundam, Dust Queen)
Persona 4 Revival isn’t actually the first time that Persona 4 has been re-released, having previously been updated and revamped with Persona 4 Golden on the PS Vita. Much like Persona 5 Royal, Persona 4 Golden adds Marie, a new major character, to the mix. Marie isn’t playable herself, but her role as a Velvet Room assistant enables her to help the protagonist grow more powerful. She’s also crucial for Persona 4 Golden‘s online features.
It’s somewhat fitting that this role has gone to Ari Thrash, the most junior VA in the Persona 4 Revival cast. Only in the field for a few years now, Thrash has already grown an impressive resume, voicing the recently-added Yao Guang in Honkai Star Rail and Deux Murasame in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. Hopefully, both she and Marie will get ample opportunities to shine in Revival.
- Released
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February 18, 2027
- PC Release Date
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February 18, 2027
