Atlus reveals new Personas from Persona 4

Atlus has done a bang-up job of teasing fans of the Shin Megami Tensei:Persona series with bits of information about the release of Persona 4 this December, and I have admit I’ve loved every minute of it, being the rabid Persona fan that I am.

This most recent update introduces us to five new Persona that we will be able to summon in the world of Persona 4, each of which you can read more about after the jump. Izanagi is the rather awesome figure you see above, Jiraya is the guy with the Mickey Mouse-esque headpiece, Kintoki Douji is the headless guy with the rocket, and Tomoe and Konohana are the two females, wearing yellow and pink respectively.

I am excited about using these characters in game, but I have to say I am equally excited to see people attempting to cosplay them in the future. A person cosplaying a Persona is always a spectacle, and of course it can be done poorly, but there’s always that freakish person with too much time on their hands who will show up in a costume so perfect you can’t believe it was made by human hands.

Izanagi – One of the ancient gods who existed before Japan was formed. He created the Ouyashima from chaos, then gave birth to countless children and laid the foundation of soil and nature. After his wife Izanami died during Hi-no-Kagutsuchi’s birth, he ventured to the underworld Yomi to retrieve her, but was unable to do so.

Jiraiya – This ninja appeared in several popular Edo-era stories and plays. His toad magic enabled him to control and ride toads, as well as turn into a giant toad himself in some stories. Alongside his wife Tsunade, a devotee of slug magic, he battled the snake magic-wielding Orochimaru, who was once Jiraiya’s disciple.

Kintoki Douji – When the legendary figure Kintaro reached adulthood, he took the name of Sakata no Kintoki. His childhood friends were the animals on the mountain where he grew up, and he regularly proved his incredible strength when playing with them. He was rarely seen without his tomahawk, with which he helped local woodcutters fell trees.

Tomoe – As a high-ranking female samurai, Tomoe Gozen was an unusual figure in feudal Japan. When her lover Yoshinaka Minamoto made a bid to become the Minamoto clan leader, she fought to defend him against the other branches of the Minamoto family. However, accounts vary regarding her actions during the final battle in which Yoshinaka died.

Konohana Sakuya – She was the daughter of the mountain god Ouyamatsumi. When she became Ninigi’s wife and grew pregnant on the first night of their marriage, he accused her of infidelity. She stood in a burning hut, claiming that the fire would not touch her if she had been faithful, and emerged unscathed. Her emblem is the cherry blossom.