As a whole, thePersonafranchise is made up of disconnected games. Anyone interested inPersonacan pick the series up with just about any core entry without missing out on any kind of overarching plot or recurring characters.Igor and the Velvet Roomare perhaps the only person and place that run through the entirePersonafranchise; they’ll almost certainly return inPersona 6.However, even though thePersonagames aren’t tied together by a single narrative, they still share a ton of important lore. Some central concepts established by the earliestPersonagames continue to impact the franchise, including the character of Philemon.
Most recentPersonafans probably have no idea who Philemon is, but without him, there wouldn’t be aPersonaseries. That’s because Philemon is the being who originally gave humans the power to access Personas. In other words, although he’s not necessarily responsible for all ofPersona’s many supernatural worlds, he could be considered the creator of thePersonauniverse by helping bridge the gap between the human world and the metaphysical world. Philemon is such an impactful but mysterious character that it only seems right that he makes a return to the franchise.Persona 6would be a perfect opportunity to explore Philemon in more depth.
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Philemon’s History in Persona
Philemon had a presence inPersonafrom the very beginning. He appears in the opening scenes ofRevelations: Persona,briefly describing himself as a being that lives in the spiritual realm of mortal souls before giving the protagonist the power to use a Persona. Philemon plays a more direct role inthePersona 2duology, occasionally assisting the player directly and appearing as an extremely challening boss battle inPersona 2: Eternal Punishment.In spite of his frequent appearances in the games, he mostly plays the role of a cosmic observer with a benevolent attitude toward humanity, watching rather than interfering directly.
Persona 3changed the franchisein a lot of ways, including through its decision to step away from deities, demons, and other metaphysical beings a little to put a greater emphasis on the real world. That could be why Philemon didn’t play a direct role inPersona 3,and why he hasn’t made an obvious appearance in the franchise since thePersona 2duology. However, Philemon is still out there. He often manifests himself as a blue butterfly, an animal that makes noteworthy appearances inPersona 3, 4,and5in various forms, suggesting Philemon is still out there, watching over every Persona user.
Although Philemon doesn’t appear much anymore, there’s compelling evidence that he still affects the events of the series. Aside from supposedlygiving humans their Personas, Philemon is responsible for the Velvet Room and its keeper, Igor. In the firstPersonagames, Igor directly described himself as a servant of Philemon, and in an epilogue chapter later added toPersona 3calledThe Answer,Igor mentions that he was a doll before Philemon brought him to life. Igor and the Velvet Room’s attendants may not reference Philemon directly these days, but their continued presence strongly suggest that Philemon is still involved.
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Why Persona 6 Could Be Philemon’s Moment
SomePersonafans want to see Philemon return to the franchise and hoped he’d play a role inPersona 5.AlthoughPersona 5had its fair share of supernatural entities, Philemon never appeared directly. A shining blue butterfly did make appearances when Lavenza contacted Joker from the cognitive world, and another butterfly briefly guided Joker through a dreamscape of Shujin Academy inPersona 5 Royal’s third semester, although both of those butterflies could’ve simply been Lavenza at her weakest. Philemon may not have cropped up inPersona 5,but that could be becausePersona 5was setting up for Philemon’s return inPersona 6.
For one thing, Igor playsa major role inPersona 5’s plot, rather than being a helpful observer with little connection to the story. Yaldabaoth, a godlike being created from humanity’s slothfulness, usurped the Velvet Room and imprisoned Igor for at least a year. That direct attack on the Velvet Room served as a compelling plot twist forPersona 5,but it might mean more forPersona’s greater mythos. InPersona 6,Philemon might pop back up in his humanoid form out of concern for his servant Igor, who suffered greatly at the hands of Yaldabaouth. Philemon could have a frequent presence in the Velvet Room, protecting Igor and offering further help toPersona6’s protagonist.
Persona 5 Royalmight have its own teaser for Philemon’s return as well.Royalintroduced a new denizen of the Metaverse in the form of Jose, an odd young boy on a mission to study and understand humans. The game never completely clarifies why exactly Jose is doing this, but anyone who completes Jose’s secret boss battle inPersona 5 Royal’s third semester will hear that Jose has a master, andhe reminds the Phantom Thievesthat there’s more beings observing humanity than just Yaldabaoth. That seems like a clear reference to Philemon, and probably to his nemesis Nyarlathotep too. If Philemon has a new servant interacting with humanity, it could be a sign that Philemon himself wants to play a more active role in humanity’s fate again.
Philemon’s Potential in Persona 6
Philemon would be a fantastic character to revive forPersona 6.There’s so many unanswered questions about how thePersonaworld works and just how many beings are out there observing humanity, and Philemon would be the perfect guide through the answers to those questions. Even ifPersona 6wants to stay fairly rooted in reality, rather than opting for the moreShin Megami Tenseistyle aesthetic of the first threePersonagames, Philemon would be a pretty grounded and approachable character who can help examine thePersonacosmos. Now thatPersona5has expanded the fanbase,Persona 6would be a timely game to think more deeply abouthow thePersonaworld works.
Of course, it’s impossible to say for sure if Atlus has Philemon on its mind right now. It may have much simpler or morewholly new plans forPersona 6in mind. Even so, Atlus must be aware of how dear Philemon is to a lot of longtimePersonafans and how unique he still is, in spite of all the cosmic beings thatPersonagames have introduced since the beginning. His role as the creator of Personas and the true master of the Velvet Room is impossible to match. Philemon still has so much to give to thePersonagames, and hopefullyPersona 6will give him his due diligence.
Persona 6is in development.
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