The Phantom Thieves of Hearts from Persona 5 have become some of the most beloved characters in recent gaming history. The dashing rogues and dangerous ladies underwent a number of changes over time and some of them can hardly be recognized from their concept art.
Persona 5 spent several years in development and had its release date pushed back several times before it finally launched in 2016. The localization process also lasted almost a year, pushing the English language version into 2017. The game was well worth the wait, as Persona 5 is considered one of the greatest JRPGs of all time. Persona 5 Royal was also an exceptional game, adding a considerable amount of content to the original experience. What really sells Persona 5 is its main cast. The Phantom Thieves are some of the most entertaining characters in gaming, and even spending over a hundred hours with them never feels enough.
Not all of the Phantom Thieves changed drastically over the course of their development. Ryuji was mostly unchanged, and Haru's hair only went through some slight revisions. Makoto's design was unchanged, but some elements of her character spun-off and led to the creation of Hifume Togo. The rest of the Phantom Thieves went through a number of changes before turning into the characters that fans know of today. Information about the development of the Phantom Thieves appeared in Persona 5: The Original Art Book and fans should check it out if they want to learn more about how the game was made.
Joker went through several design changes over the course of development. The design on the left is reminiscent of a normal high school student, and it comes from a stage when the director wanted characters who looked flashy, but the final result looked like a generic anime/manga hero. It's probably for the best that this design was scrapped, as it strongly resembles Yosuke from Persona 4. The design on the right comes from a period of development where the Phantom Thieves still wore their uniforms when on business, but they altered their appearance in other ways. In Joker's case, it involved gelling his hair back and popping his collar.
Ann's feline style was apparent from the beginning. She was originally going to be wearing a set of goggles, a black dress with pink stripes (with attached cat tail) and thigh-high socks. Ann's second outfit was similar to her final design, except that she still had the goggles and her catsuit was black with pink stripes. It was also missing the chest window from her final design. Ann also wielded a crossbow at this point in development, rather than a whip.
In Persona 5, Morgana is a male, but some fans still confuse Morgana for female, as he has a female voice actor. The original intention was for Morgana to have a feminine design, with wide hips, breasts, and a leather catsuit.
He would also have had hypnotic swirls in his eyes at all times, ones that are reminiscent of the Mementos design. Morgana would also have the ability to transform into anything, not just a bus.
In the final version of Persona 5, Yusuke's overall design was the same, but he was going to have long brown hair that was tied in a braid. The final design gave Yusuke short dark blue hair, as blue became his central color theme. The way he wore his clothing was also messier, compared to the ordered individual that he ended up becoming.
Futaba was originally meant to have black hair and have a more gothic aesthetic in Persona 5, but these design elements were gradually changed to make her more of a reclusive nerd. She was also shown in more activewear, as she would carry her computer gear from place to place. The goggles on her Phantom Thief uniform were originally meant for Ann, but they were seen as a better fit for Futaba.
Goro Akechi's original design gave him short hair and a more casual look. This was altered into making someone who was more stylish and charismatic. The only problem with this new design is that it made him stand out too much. It's revealed at the start of Persona 5 that the Phantom Thieves have been betrayed by one of their own and making Akechi too prominent would have made him a prime suspect off the bat, and take suspicion away from the other members of the group. Akechi's eye color was also meant to hint at the fact that he was meant to be Makoto/Sae's sibling.
All of the concept art for Persona 5 can be checked out in Persona 5: The Original Art Book. The PDF version can be purchased on Google Play.
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