Joker

Steal hearts and summon personas to tip the scales of battle.

Joker is the codename of Ren Amamiya, the main protagonist of Persona 5, a 2016 role-playing video game owned by Sega subsidiary Atlus. He is a second-year high school student who is expelled due to being falsely accused of assault by a corrupt politician. As a result, he leaves his hometown and moves in with a family friend in Tokyo to serve a one-year probation. Upon transferring to a new school, he and a group of other students awaken to a supernatural power known as the Persona. Soon after discovering these powers, they form a vigilante group known as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts with Joker as their leader, as they explore the Metaverse, a realm consisting of the physical manifestations of humanity's subconscious desires, and remove malevolent intent from people to cause a change of heart within them so they can answer for their crimes.

Quick Facts

Series

Persona

First game

Persona 5 (2016)

Designer

Shigenori Soejima

Portrayed by

Hiroki Ino (stage plays)

Voice

EN
Xander Mobus
JA
Jun Fukuyama

Nationality

Japanese

Lore & Background

Joker is a playable character in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, being released as paid downloadable content in April 2019. He is the leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts and the only member with access to the Velvet Room, as he holds the 'Wild Card', an ability that allows him to hold more than one Persona and fuse them together to create more powerful ones. Joker's primary persona is Arsene, and he fights with knives and handguns in addition to his Persona powers. His ultimate persona is Satanael, the Gnostic equivalent of the devil and a deity who can harness the power of the seven deadly sins. Upon his announcement as a downloadable content character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the game's director Masahiro Sakurai stated that Joker was emblematic of the approach that he wanted to take with its DLC, adding that he wanted characters that were 'unique', 'different', and 'fun' to use within the Super Smash Bros. environment.

Reader's Guide

Joker is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, released as paid downloadable content in April 2019. He is known for his unique 'Persona' mechanic, where he can summon different personas to alter his moveset properties or provide specific buffs. His neutral special allows him to summon Arsène, who performs a powerful projectile attack. Side special lets him dash forward with a gun, while up special summons a persona to fly upward and descend with a heavy impact. Down special enables him to call upon a persona for a defensive guard that reflects projectiles or counters attacks. His Final Smash, 'All-Out Attack,' summons his entire team of Phantom Thieves to unleash a coordinated assault on opponents. Joker is agile but relatively lightweight, requiring precise spacing and timing to utilize his summoning mechanics effectively.

Did You Know?

He is voiced in Japanese by Jun Fukuyama and in English by Xander Mobus.
Joker's design was likened to a black panther by artist Shigenori Soejima, contrasting with the protagonist of Persona 4, Yu Narukami, who was designed around the image of a loyal and sincere dog.